When was the last time you received a hand-written letter? I connected this way with my one and only pen-pal in elementary school. A little girl in Hawaii. (Immediately after typing that sentence, I took a 10 minute break and googled her, found her old address and wrote it down. I will put a note in the mail to her today.) I always loved receiving letters and packages from her. Communication today seems a bit less deliberate with the access to so much technology. We don’t go to the stationery store to buy pretty paper and envelopes. We don’t have wax seals for our correspondence. We barely write checks to pay bills! Does anyone still buy stamps?
Back in the time it was written, people would’ve been
hungry to hear from people outside their community. They couldn’t connect any time day or night
over Facebook or some other social media platform from anywhere in the world
like we do today. The hunger for others’
words would’ve been especially intense if that person were a spiritual mentor
and friend, which we believe the author to be to this audience of Hebrews. Especially in the midst of suffering at a
time of great persecution. Especially
when this letter would have been hand-delivered by a brother in Christ known to
both the author and probably some of the audience.
I imagine the courier would become excited as he neared
the place where the church was. We all
do this on road trips, don’t we? When we
go on vacation, we’re all energized and excited to be off on an adventure. We jump on the expressway and watch the signs
for the city we’re going to. We listen
to our navigation system direct us to the proper exit. We watch like a hawk because we’re unfamiliar
with the landscape. Coming home is a bit
different. There’s a point in the road
when the area near your home starts to look really familiar and your heart
starts to beat a little faster as you anticipate sleeping in your own bed. You’re no longer watching the signs on the
expressway ticking down the miles to your town.
Now you’re seeing exits for streets you know! I wonder which experience this courier had:
heading out of town, or coming home? It
wouldn’t have mattered what time this person showed up. There would be hospitality in abundance and
excitement to see this individual and read the letter right then. And again.
And again. Gleaning something new
with each devouring of the words.
Squeezing every ounce of meaning from the pages.
Lord-God, would You
help us do that right now? Let us chew
on the words of Hebrews 2 and extract every nugget of treasure from it in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Today, we will continue our examination of Hebrews and Salvation. In this second chapter, we will see that Mindfully, God sent Christ to save,
bringing many to glory. When we are
done reading today, my goal is for you to know Jesus came to earth to save mankind and bring many sons and daughters
to glory. We have three divisions:
1.So great a salvation (Heb 2:1-4)
2.Mindful of mankind (Heb 2:5-9)
3.Bringing many sons and daughters to glory (Heb 2:10-18)
Read Hebrews 2:1-4.
The reading of this first division reminds me how
important it is to read Scripture in context.
A good practice when studying a book of Scripture is to read it in its
entirety prior to studying it in smaller parts.
Preferably in one sitting, if possible.
The need for this practice is evident in this first verse. We’ve got a little break in the flow of the
letter, here. When you see the word “therefore,”
that is a clue for you to look back at the preceding verses. This is also a reminder that the book of Hebrews
was one flowing letter. It wasn’t broken
into chapter and verse until later on.
So let’s back up to chapter one for a moment. In chapter one, we spoke about Jesus’
superiority to angels and the role of angels is to minister to the people who will
inherit salvation. The author begins
chapter two by saying his audience must pay careful attention to remember this
so they won’t drift away.
Is it sometimes tempting to just walk away from
everything you believe in? Would there
be less conflict in your home or marriage if you didn’t spend so much time at
church? Would you receive more promotions
of kudos at work if you went out with the “in crowd” on Friday nights and engaged
in worldly behavior? Do you wonder if
God really cares about what you’re going through because your prayers are met
with silence?
I pray right now that Jesus would breathe over you and
you would feel His refreshment. Just
enough to keep you going to the next step and the next. Keeping in step with Him in obedience as He
strengthens your faith. Just like a
loving parent teaching a baby to walk.
Holding out their hands right in front of the child, encouraging, and
ready to catch if they fall, but allowing a bit of distance that is helping to
strengthen their legs and their confidence and increase their excitement.
Salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. There is no going back. He is the only way to the Father and He loves
you just the way you are, but He wants you to grow, mature and be like
Himself. I love verse 4, which talks
about how God Himself has testified about this salvation with signs and wonders
and miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit.
God Himself testifies. What could
possibly motivate us more than that to give up on the salvation that was
purchased for us with Jesus’ blood?
Principle 1: God testifies to the Gospel message.
Application 1.
How is God personally revealing the Gospel to you right now? What will you do with that revelation? How have you experienced spiritual growth
since the time of your acceptance of Jesus as your personal Savior? How can remembering that experience keep you
from drifting when challenges come along?
Where are you being tempted to drift?
What past experience with Jesus can you grab hold of to pull you back in
step with Him?
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably watched your children
grow and mature and change. It can be
rewarding to watch your children “adult up” and take responsibility for
themselves. Maybe they haven’t matured
in some areas, though. Perhaps you can
offer them the same grace and mercy God offers you for the areas of your
spiritual life that aren’t as mature as they could be. And you can certainly pray for their growth –
and your own.
Read Hebrews 2:5-9.
This group of verses remind me of a couple of songs. “Who am I that you are mindful of me? That you hear me when I call. Is it true that You are thinking of me? That You love me? It’s amazing!
I am a friend of God…” If you
have a few minutes, listen to “The Majesty and Glory of Your Name.” It’s a beautiful choir piece and there are
videos on YouTube.
Back in Genesis, Adam was given dominion over the
earth. He was responsible for naming the
animals and caring for the garden. The
angels served mankind even back then.
Remember when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and the
tree of life was guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword? Praise God for assigning angels to protect
Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of life, and living forever in a sinful
state!
Our physical form limits human beings, making us a little
lower than the angels. Jesus, the King
of the Universe, stepped out of heaven and into a suit of flesh, making Him a
little lower than the angels for a time.
But His sacrificial death crowned Him with glory and honor. And He tasted that death on my behalf. On your behalf. Whoa!
MIND TOTALLY BLOWN!!! I cannot
fathom the love He has for me! I have
never had to give up even a fraction of what Jesus did for another person.
Now, Jesus sits on the right hand of God waiting to
collect His own, reign for a time, and ultimately judge all the nations. Every single person. Jesus has all authority and dominion. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. And, one day (here’s another line from a song)
“we will reign with Him throughout eternity.”
Mind blown again!!!
Principle 2: God gave Jesus all authority.
Application 2.
What does Jesus’ authority over your life look like? Where are you resisting Jesus’
authority? How might you humbly embrace
Jesus’ authority as provision and protection?
What changes need to take place in you to remove the potential for
resistance in the future? OK, let’s wrap
this up.
Read Hebrews
2:10-18.
I love that the author of Hebrews calls Jesus a Pioneer. He is the Originator of all things! Not only is He the Creator of all things, He
is the Author and Perfector of my faith…and yours. He is the Leader to be followed in this Christian
walk! The fact that we call ourselves
Christians is an indication that He is a Pioneer! Jesus’ appearance on earth changed
things! He changes us!
He makes us holy.
He sets those who belong to Him apart from others. That’s what holy means: “set apart.” We are family! There’s another mind-blowing thought! I want to be clear about this point. Not every person is in God’s family. We are not all His children. This is reserved for those who belong to God. For those who, in the New Testament era, come
to God through Christ. Jesus is the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Him!
He did the saving work of laying down His life for every
sin ever committed. That saving work
freed us from slavery to sin and death. He
rose from the dead. We cling to this as
a promise that we, too, will one day rise.
He promised His Holy Spirit to His people. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy
Spirit comes to live in us! Another
mental explosion!!!
Jesus orchestrated an encounter with every one of His
disciples, and every believer who is alive today. After His ascension to heaven, He met Saul
and his companions on the Road to Damascus.
This was a completely supernatural event. He can certainly appear right now in a jungle
to an unknown tribe of people!
He sanctifies His people through the Holy Spirit, Who
guides us and teaches us and counsels us and comforts us. He does this because He loves us. He can do this because He experienced what it
is to be human, to be tempted, to feel cold or alone or hurt or betrayed or
abandoned or even joyful. He changes us
because He wants what’s best for us and He wants us to resemble our Daddy. He wants to multiply His kingdom through us,
so He wants to make us like Him so we point to Him.
This is what life is all about. Living for Christ and expanding His
kingdom. Growing in maturity and
pointing others to Him for salvation.
Principle 3: God, through Christ, saves and sanctifies His
people.
Application 3.
How are you being comforted in your own suffering to know Jesus can empathize? How has God transformed you since you first
accepted Christ as Savior? What changes
is He making in you right now? What
might you do to cooperate with Him while He makes those changes?
Let’s pray.
Holy Father, I ask
that no one would walk away from this moment without putting their faith in
Christ for salvation. Remove barriers
and obstacles from believing the truth about Christ. And for those of us who
know Jesus as Savior, remove any hiccups that are slowing our walk with You and
give us courage and strength to live in obedience to You and Your Word. In Christ’s majestic name. Amen.
Comments