Hebrews 2: A Better Testimony
Application: The student will determine that the words of Jesus require greater heed than those spoken by angels and men.
OUR LESSON TODAY ARRANGES A BEGINNING FOR US THAT CARRIES THE ENTIRE WEIGHT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
THE MESSAGE IS THAT WHILE THERE ARE MANY SCRIPTURE PASSAGES AVAILABLE TO US FOR LEARNING, THERE IS ONLY ONE GIVEN WITH THE FULL TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL.
THAT ONE MESSAGE IS GIVEN US IN ACTS 4:12 WHICH TEACHES THAT THERE IS NO OTHER NAME BY WHICH SALVATION IS GIVEN, THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.
HEBREWS RENEWS THIS MESSAGE IN FULL AND BRINGS US THE BLESSINGS OF ALL CHRIST HAS DONE TO DELIVER TRUTH TO THE WORLD BY HIS GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN THE HEART OF THE BELIEVER.
TO PROPERLY RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF HEBREWS, THE BELIEVER AND THOSE SEEKING TO BELIEVE MUST APPROACH THESE CHAPTERS WITH HUMBLE REPENTANCE OF THE HEART.
THE GUIDE WE ARE GIVEN IN THESE CHAPTERS TEACHES US TO REVERE THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS ABOVE ALL OTHER AUTHORITIES.
WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAUGHT IN CHAPTER ONE THAT THE WORDS OF JESUS ARE GREATER THAN THE WORDS OF ANY ANGELS FOR THEY ARE MINISTERING SPIRITS, NOT TO BE WORSHIPPED.
PAUL TAUGHT THAT THE TEACHINGS AND MIRACLES OF JESUS, INCLUDING HIS RESURRECTION WERE NOT DONE IN SECRET.
ACTS 26:26
THE HEAVENLY FATHER HIMSELF BROUGHT TESTIMONY TO THE EARTH DECLARING THAT JESUS WAS HIS BELOVED SON AT THE BAPTISM AND AT THE TRANSFIGURATION. MEN HEARD HIM SPEAK ABOUT THE MESSIAH SENT TO DO HIS WILL AMONG HIS CREATION.
LUKE 9:35
THE BETTER TESTIMONY OF THE MESSIAH WAS FORESHADOWED BY DAVID IN THE PSALMS, 1,000 YEARS BEFORE HE ARRIVED.
HE DID NOT COME TO BE MINISTERED TO BUT TO MINISTER AS HE TAUGHT IN HIS OWN WORDS.
BY HIS MINISTRY LIVING AS A MAN AMONG US, STRUGGLING WITH TEMPTATION JUST AS WE DO, DEALING WITH LIFE’S MISERIES AND SEEING OUR AFFLICTIONS WITH HIS OWN EYES, AND HEALING THOSE EVERYWHERE HE WENT, PROVIDE US CLEARLY A BETTER TESTIMONY THAN ANY OTHER KNOWN.
ALL THESE MATTERS EXPRESSING THE EXALTING OF JESUS IN ALL WAYS WERE GIVEN IN CHAPTER ONE.
NOW IN CHAPTER TWO WE LEARN EVEN MORE ABOUT HIS TESTIMONY FROM HIS HUMILIATION.
HE CAME TO US IN THE FORM OF A MAN, IN THE LIKENESS OF OUR FLESH. (ROMANS 8:3)
WHEN HE LOWERED HIMSELF TO THAT POSITION TEMPORARILY, HE WILLINGLY BECAME LOWER THAN THE ANGELS WHILE HERE AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE TO HEAVEN WHILE HE REVEALED GOD’S WILL.
OUR EVIL ACCUSER REVEALED OUR TRESPASSES BEFORE GOD NIGHT & DAY BEFORE HE WAS CAST DOWN. (REV 12:10)
SO THE HIGHEST PLACE GIVEN TO JESUS, AS THE RIGHT HAND OF THE ALMIGHTY, PROVES HIS BETTER TESTIMONY AS OUR FOREVER INTERCESSOR.
DO WE PRAISE HIM FOR THAT WONDER GIVEN TO US ALL?
IN CHAPTER TWO WE ARE PROVIDED SIX DANGER SIGNALS GIVEN TO THOSE AMONG THE HEBREWS AS WARNINGS TO REMIND THEM OF THE FULL BLESSINGS CHRIST ALLOWS.
THOSE WARNINGS ARE AS IMPORTANT TO CHRISTIANS TODAY AS THEY WERE THE TIME THEY WERE GIVEN.
THESE SIX WARNINGS ARE LIKE ROAD SIGNS ON A LONG JOURNEY WHICH HELP US TO KNOW BOTH DIRECTION AND DISTANCE AS OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES.
GOD WARNED THE HEBREWS IN OUR LAST STUDY THAT THEY COULD MISS HIS BLESSINGS BY DISOBEDIENCE AS THEY FINALLY ENTERED THE LAND PROMISED.
PRIOR DISOBEDIENCE HAD DELAYED THEIR ENTRY BY 40 YEARS.
THE PROOF OF THAT FACT WAS ALL MEN OVER 20 YEARS OF AGE WERE CURSED TO DIE IN THE WILDERNESS (EXCEPT JOSHUA & CALEB). THE HEBREWS SAW THIS PROOF WITH THEIR OWN EYES.
VERSE 1 IS OUR FIRST WARNING SIGNAL.
EARNEST HEED MUST BE GIVEN TO THOSE THINGS HEARD LEST WE SHOULD AT ANY TIME LET THEM SLIP AWAY FROM US.
REMEMBER PREVIOUS MESSAGES WERE GIVEN BY A HUMAN MEDIATOR TO THE HEBREWS. BUT WE WERE TAUGHT IN CHAPTER ONE, VERSE THREE, THAT NOW GOD SPEAKS ONLY THROUGH HIS SON.
THEREFORE THE WORDS JESUS, THE SON, TAUGHT ARE TO BE HEEDED FAR MORE STRONGLY THAN ANY OTHERS.
WE MUST NOT NEGLECT THEM OR BY NOT LIVING BY THEM ALLOW THEM TO DRIFT AWAY FROM OUR LIVES AS HIS CHILDREN.
THESE WORDS TAUGHT TO US ARE THE ONLY PATHWAY TO ETERNAL LIFE WHICH IS OURS THE MOMENT WE BELIEVE. (JN 3:18)
IN THE SAME VERSE JESUS SAID THAT THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE ARE CONDEMNED ALREADY.
VERSES 2 & 3 REFLECT TO WORDS SPOKEN BY ANGELS THAT WERE STEDFAST AS PROMISED BY THEIR WORDS OF DESTRUCTION TOWARD SODOM & GOMORRAH.
THAT DESTRUCTION HAPPENED EXACTLY AS THEY SAID WITH ONLY LOT, HIS WIFE, AND TWO DAUGHTERS SAVED.
VERSE 3 IS CLEAR AS TO THE WARNING OF NOT NEGLECTING SO GREAT A SALVATION SPOKEN AT FIRST BY JESUS AND THEN BY ALL WHO HEARD HIM.
GOD BROUGHT WITNESS TO THESE WORDS AS DESCRIBED IN VERSE 4 WHEN HE BROUGHT SIGNS AND WONDERS AND MIRACLES AS WELL AS GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.
THIS VERSE HARKENS BACK TO THE DAY OF PENTECOST WHEN THE POWER PROMISED BY JESUS ARRIVED AND SETTLED UPON THE 120 WHO WERE WAITING FOR IT AS HE COMMANDED.
THE 1ST WARNING SIGN IS MOST SERIOUS INDEED AND WAS CLEARLY PROVEN.
AS WE PROCEED IN OUR STUDY JOURNEY IN HEBREWS WE WILL STUDY THE NEXT 5 WARNINGS TO ASSURE WE UNDERSTAND GOD’S WILL FOR THE HEBREWS AND FOR US WHO HAVE COME AFTER THEM IN FAITH.
THESE ARE:
DOUBTING 3 & 4
DULL HEARING 5
DEPARTING 6
DESPISING 10
DENYING 12
THE HEBREWS AND US ARE GIVEN THE SIGNS TO MARK OUR DIRECTION IN FAITH AND OUR DISTANCE FROM OUR GOAL.
IN OUR CHAPTER TODAY, VERSES 5-9, WE ARE ALLOWED EVEN DEEPER EDUCATION THAT EVEN WHILE JESUS CAME IN THE LIKENESS OF HUMAN FLESH, HE STILL REMAINED SUPERIOR TO ANGELS IN HIS HUMANITY.
WE MUST NOT OVERLOOK WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY DID.
HE BROUGHT HIS DEITY DOWN TO EARTH THAT ALL COULD SEE IT AND HEAR OF IT.
THEN HE TOOK HUMANITY BACK TO HEAVEN AS HE RETURNED TO HEAVEN.
VERSE 5 CONTRASTS THAT THE WORLD WAS NOT PUT UNDER SUBJECTION TO ANGELS BUT WAS DESTINED TO BE SUBJECT TO JESUS CHRIST.
THE PHRASE “WORLD TO COME” DOES NOT MEAN HEAVEN, BUT RATHER LITERALLY MEANS “THE INHABITED EARTH”.
THE COMING KINGDOM UNDER THE MESSIAH WAS THE THEME OF EVERY PROPHET WHO EVER LIVED AND SPOKE TO MANKIND.
NOT ONLY HAVE ANGELS NOT RULED IN THE PAST, THEY WILL NOT RULE IN THE FUTURE.
VERSES 6-8 TESTIFY OF PSALM 8:4-6.
THAT PSALM ASKS “WHO IS MAN”?
OF HIMSELF, MAN IS NOTHING. (JESUS SAID SO IN JN 15)
WE HAVE SPENT BILLIONS TO GATHER DUST FROM THE MOON WHILE WE KNOW LITTLE IF ANYTHING YET ABOUT THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE, WHICH WAS CREATED BY JESUS HIMSELF.
VERSE 7 TELLS US THAT WHILE GOD MADE MAN A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS IN CREATION, THE ONE WHO CAME HERE AS A MAN WAS CROWNED WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HE WAS SET OVER ALL THE WORKS OF THE UNIVERSE.
WHILE MANKIND LOST OUR DOMINION IN THE GARDEN, JESUS IN COMING TO US AS A MAN, RECOVERED THAT DOMINION OVER ALL CREATION.
VERSE 8 CLEARLY TEACHES US THAT ALL THINGS WERE PUT UNDER HIS FEET FORMALLY WITH THE ACTUAL RULING OVER ALL THINGS WILL BE SEEN AS HE ESTABLISHES HIS FOREVER KINGDOM ON THE EARTH. HERE WE SEE THE WORDS “NOT YET”.
WE STILL LIVE OURSELVES BETWEEN “ALREADY” AND “NOT YET”.
WE ARE SAVED ALREADY BUT THE KINGDOM IN FULL HAS NOT YET ARRIVED.
THE VERY HEART OF THIS CHAPTER ARRIVES IN VERSE 9.
NOTICE THE TEACHING IS THAT WE SEE JESUS. WE DID NOT JUST HEAR OF HIM, BUT MANKIND ACTUALLY SAW HIM PHYSICALLY,
AND EVER SINCE WE SEE HIM WITH THE EYE OF FAITH.
HE WAS MADE A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS WHEN HE CAME HERE FOR A REASON.
THAT REASON WAS FOR THE SUFFERING OF DEATH AND BY THAT DEATH & RESURRECTION, WAS CROWNED WITH GLORY AND HONOR, BECAUSE HE TASTED DEATH FOR EVERY MAN.
WHEN HE DID SO HE CONQUERED DEATH AND ONLY HE COULD DO SO TO BECOME OUR REDEEMER. THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN OF GOD AS WE SEE IN REV 13:8 THAT SHOWS HE WAS SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD
HE CAME TO EXPERIENCE DEATH WHICH MEANS HE TOOK THE PANGS OF IT AND THE DEPTH OF IT AS HE DRANK THE CUP GIVEN TO HIM BY THE FATHER.
NO ANGEL DRANK THAT CUP, ONLY THE SON SENT TO DO SO.
VERSE 10 PROVIDES THE CONSEQUENCE OF VERSE 9.
IT BECAME JESUS TO DO THIS FOR BY HIM ARE ALL THINGS, INCLUDING THIS THING, AND BY HIS DOING IT, HE BROUGHT MANY SONS UNTO GLORY.
HE DID SO BY BECOMING THE CAPTAIN OF THEIR SALVATION MADE PERFECT BY HIS SUFFERINGS.
(THE WORD CAPTAIN ALSO MEANS AUTHOR OF SALVATION AND IS TRANSLATED THAT WAY IN CHAPTER 12)
(THE SAME WORD IS TRANSLATED PRINCE IN ACTS 3:15)
HERE IS THE VERY HEART OF THE ENTIRE GOSPEL.
HE WAS MADE PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERING BUT HIS PERFECT LIFE DOES NOT SAVE US.
HIS VIRGIN BIRTH DOES NOT SAVE US.
HIS TEACHING ALONE DOES NOT SAVE US.
HIS MIRACLES DO NOT SAVE US.
HIS EXQUISITE EXAMPLE DOES NOT SAVE US.
IT IS HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS & RESURRECTION THAT SAVES US.
THAT IS WHERE ALL HIS WORK REACHED COMPLETENESS.
HE HIMSELF SAID SO ON THE CROSS.
ONLY THERE DID HE SAY “IT IS FINISHED”.
WE CANNOT ESCAPE THE FACT THAT THERE HE BROUGHT MANY SONS TO GLORY, BUT NOT ALL.
FROM THE DAY OF THE EVENT ON GOLGATHA UNTIL TODAY, NOT ALL ARE SAVED. MANY ARE BUT NOT ALL.
OUR WRITER SHARES A GREAT TRUTH IN VERSES 11 & 12 & 13 TO CONFIRM BY OUR SANCTIFICATION AFTER SALVATION WE ARE CONSIDERED BOTH CHILDREN OF GOD AND BRETHREN OF CHRIST.
THE MEANING OF THE WORD “CHURCH” IN VERSE 12 ACTUALLY IS MEANT TO CONVEY THE THOUGHT OF CONGREGATION.
JESUS HIMSELF CONFIRMED HIS VIEW OF THOSE WHO ARE HIS AS BRETHREN IN JOHN 20:17 WHEN HE SAYS “GO TO MY BRETHREN, AND SAY UNTO THEM, I ASCEND UNTO MY FATHER…”.
IN VERSE 14 THE EMPHASIS IS ON THE INCARNATION OF THE LORD AND WE ARE GIVEN THE REASON FOR IT.
HE SAYS THAT BECAUSE CHILDREN OF GOD ARE PARTAKERS OF FLESH & BLOOD, HE HIMSELF LIKEWISE TOOK PART OF THE SAME AND HE GOES FAR DEEPER THAN JUST COMPARING HIS BEING IN FLESH TO OUR BEING IN FLESH.
IN THIS ONE VERSE HE CONFIRMS THAT BY HIS DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM THAT HATH THE POWER OVER DEATH, THE DEVIL.
BY DOING SO, ALL WHO BELIEVE ARE DELIVERED FROM THEIR LIFELONG FEAR OF DEATH WHICH IS BONDAGE TO THEIR HEARTS,
AND VERSE 15 IS FULLY CLEAR ON THIS MATTER.
SPEAKING OF THE POWER OVER DEATH WIELDED BY SATAN, WE MUST NOT FORGET SATAN WAS COMMANDED BY GOD IN THE FIRST ALLOWANCE TOWARD JOB, NOT TO TOUCH JOB. SO SATAN TOOK THE LIVES OF ALL 10 OF JOB’S CHILDREN TO BEGIN THE TESTING OF THAT FAITHFUL MAN.
IN VERSE 16 WE ARE AGAIN GIVEN THE WISDOM OF GOD TOWARD THE ARRIVAL OF JESUS IN THE LIKENESS OF HUMAN FLESH BY NOTING THAT HE TOOK NOT THE NATURE OF ANGELS, BUT TOOK ON THE NATURE OF THE SEED OF ABRAHAM, MANKIND.
TO SHOW THE MAJESTY OF VERSE 16 WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT JESUS APPEARED MORE THAN A FEW TIME IN A PRE-INCARNATE FORM, KNOWN TO THOSE OF THAT DAY AND TO US AS THE ANGEL OF THE LORD.
BUT WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME WAS SEEN BY GOD TO BE CORRECT, HE SENT HIS SON INTO HUMAN HISTORY AS A HUMAN INFANT, BORN OF THE VIRGIN AS FORETOLD BY PROPHECY.
IN VERSE 17 & 18 WE ARE TOLD THAT IT BEHOVED HIM TO BE MADE LIKE UNTO HIS BRETHREN THAT HE COULD TAKE THE POSITION OF MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST IN THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD, AND FOR TWO OTHER REASONS:
IN THE FORM HE COULD MAKE RECONCILIATION FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE.
BECAUSE HE HIMSELF SUFFERED TEMPTATION HE IS ABLE TO COMFORT THOSE IN MANKIND WHO ARE SO TEMPTED,
WHICH IS ALL OF MANKIND AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL
SATAN IS CAPTURED FOR THE 1,000 YEAR KINGDOM.
WE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT CHAPTER ONE PROVIDED US WITH THE EXPLANATION OF HOW JESUS CHRIST WAS EXALTED OVER ANGELS AND ALL OTHERS.
WE MENTIONED THAT CHAPTER TWO PROVIDES US WITH THE REASONS FOR HIS ACCEPTANCE OF HUMILIATION THAT HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS BROUGHT.
WE SHOULD NOTE THAT NOTHING JESUS CHRIST EVER DID COMPARED TO HIS MOMENT ON HIS CROSS. IS IT NOT TRUE TO SAY THAT HIS HUMILIATION EXALTED HIM ABOVE ALL WRITINGS OF CHAPTER ONE, AS GREAT AS THEY ARE?
AS WE CLOSE THIS STUDY STOP IN CHAPTER 2 WE SHOULD END WITH A VIEW OF HOW THE CREATION OF MAN WAS INTENDED AND HOW IT HAS COME TO BE.
GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE & MADE HIM A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS & ORDAINED HIM TO RULE OVER THE EARTH.
MAN WAS MADE PERFECT AND LIVED IN INNOCENCE UNTIL HE HARKENED TO THE VOICE OF A WOMAN INSTEAD OF GOD AND ENTERED INTO SIN AND ALL MANKIND INHERITED THIS SINFULNESS AT OUR BIRTH.
MAN’S SITUATION IS TRAGIC.
HE DOES NOT HAVE THE INTENDED DOMINION OVER THE EARTH AND HIS EFFORTS TO HAVE MASTERY OVER IT ARE MARKED BY SWEAT AND DRUDGERY.
HE BECOMES RAVAGED BY DISEASE AND BY HIS OWN AGING AND IN THE END IS CONQUERED BY DEATH.
HOW TRAGIC. MAN WAS CREATED WITH SUCH DIGNITY AND A NOBLE DESTINY BUT WAS RUINED BY HIS OWN FALL AND IS DEGRADED BY THE RAVAGES OF SIN.
THE ORIGINAL READERS OF THIS LETTER WERE NOT SEEING YET A TRIUMPHANT MESSIAH RULING OVER ALL THINGS.
NOT ONLY WAS THE HUMAN RACE HUMBLED BY GOD BUT HIS SON WAS HUMILIATED AT THE CROSS.
THIS IS WHY THE LETTER IS SO IMPORTANT. BELIEVERS ARE ASSURED THAT DESPITE ALL THESE FACTORS, JESUS REMAINS SUPERIOR TO ALL WHO HAVE COME BEFORE HIM, BOTH ANGELS AND HUMAN.
NEXT WEEK WE ENTER A COMPARISON STUDY STOP TO DISCUSS HOW JESUS IS SUPERIOR TO MOSES.