WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.680 We've all had conversations at one time or another that stick with us. 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:10.279 Some of those will have been positive, happy conversations, and when we replay them in our minds. 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:19.160 They make us smile, and some of them will be conversations that we wish we could forget. 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:25.439 When we replay them, they make us wince, and they make us feel bad. 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:32.520 For me, amongst the worst of those that I have had are a handful of conversations 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:36.759 where people have told me that they're giving up the Christian faith. 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:44.439 If it feels like they're etched in my mind, I could take you to offices, to rooms, to cafes, 00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:51.119 where we've had conversations, and I can remember everything about what was going on. 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:59.719 I particularly remember turns of phrase, facial expressions, the awkwardness when we parted ways. 00:01:00.959 --> 00:01:03.939 They're the kind of conversations that have left the deepest marks. 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:09.099 Now, people go cold and drift away from Christ for a host of reasons, 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:17.679 but usually, when you peel it back, they think that they would be happier on a different course. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:21.780 That's really what it boils down to in the end in most cases. 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:26.959 Sometimes that's because of opposition that they're facing, because they identify with the Lord Jesus. 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:33.399 They think that if they retreat, if they walk away, that opposition will go away. 00:01:35.099 --> 00:01:42.359 Sometimes it's just because they're frustrated because, well, God hasn't given them the life that they've wanted. 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:50.319 And usually, the draw, the place that they go is back to their old life, back to the familiar, 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:56.039 back to what they know and what they're convinced will be easier. 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:01.200 Because, of course, it was easier back there, wherever there might be. 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:05.740 That's the case in the book of Hebrews. 00:02:06.859 --> 00:02:12.819 The people that the letter is written to have put their faith in Jesus, but they are drawn back to their old lives. 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:22.439 They feel the pull, and some, we can assume, have had those conversations with their ministers and have gone back. 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:30.259 They've gone back to their old lives, and particularly, they've gone back to the Judaism that they left to follow Jesus in the first place. 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:38.280 And the author of the book of Hebrews writes, in fact, he pleads with them, urging them not to do that. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:42.919 Pleads with them not to do that, not to go back. 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:50.759 And we saw the first week, the reason that the letter gives for this is because Jesus is way better than anything else they might turn to. 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:55.239 Jesus is better, way better than anything else they might turn to. 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.060 And last time, we looked at Hebrews 1, 1-4. 00:02:58.179 --> 00:03:02.539 We saw seven assertions about the supremacy of Christ. 00:03:03.659 --> 00:03:07.739 If you remember, he is God's supreme Word, who is his heir. 00:03:08.099 --> 00:03:11.180 He is creator, revealer, sustainer, redeemer. 00:03:11.519 --> 00:03:12.479 He is victor. 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:20.620 And when the author concludes the introduction, he emphasizes that the Son, the Lord Jesus, 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:23.599 is superior to angels. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:31.739 And that is the theme that he develops in our section this evening, verses 5 to the end of chapter 1. 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.699 The question, the obvious question is, well, why angels? 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:39.099 Why make all this fuss about angels? 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:44.159 To our modern ears, the whole idea sounds irrelevant, if not a bit daft. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:49.919 The world where angels operate is the world of fantasy. 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:56.620 We, of course, live in the real world, the serious world, the scientific world of reality and such. 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:04.000 Our world, thankfully, we think or we're told, our world has progressed from that. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:10.520 The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor describes this world, our culture today, as disenchanted. 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:12.439 And we're jolly glad that that's the case. 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:17.240 We've moved on from the spooky and the supernatural. 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:22.339 Secular, enlightened people don't feel the need to believe in a spirit world. 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:23.399 We've left it behind. 00:04:24.420 --> 00:04:26.560 All that matters, we're told, is matter. 00:04:27.379 --> 00:04:28.819 All that matters is stuff. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.319 Things you can see and touch and feel. 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:35.199 And if we just get past the make-believe, well, then we can really make progress. 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:36.680 Angels. 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:38.779 Come on. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:45.699 I have a friend called Charlie, and his wife's maiden name was Angel. 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:52.339 And when they were going out, he referred to her as, you guessed it, Charlie's Angel. 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:54.560 It's cute, isn't it? 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:56.779 That's how we think about angels. 00:04:57.539 --> 00:04:57.899 Cute. 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:08.259 He stopped doing that, I should tell you, when it became clear that he realized or he woke up to the fact that his surname was Butler. 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:12.539 And so when they married, she described him as Jenny's Butler. 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:19.560 But we think angels are cute, or they belong in some sort of fantasy world. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.680 But that's not the world inhabited by previous generations. 00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:26.740 Certainly not the world of the author and the first readers of the book of Hebrews. 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:29.780 They understood the magical nature of the world that we live in. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.400 We live in a world that is spoken. 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:46.259 It is a story that is spoken by God with great spoken characters, where what we call natural, what we call the things of stuff and matter, well, that is only part of a bigger picture. 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:51.739 We live in a story where angels and demons are engaged in what is happening all around us. 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:58.920 This is why the author to the Hebrews would say in chapter 13, verse 2, he says, 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:04.740 Show hospitality, because if you're hospitable to people, you may entertain an angel without even realizing. 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:11.939 But the main reason for the focus on angels here is because of the role that they played in the Old Covenant. 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:16.500 The religious system that was the big draw for these hearers. 00:06:16.500 --> 00:06:19.459 And angels were very important in that context. 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:27.720 Not only were angels outwardly impressive, they were awesome, striking fear into those who saw them, but they were God's messengers. 00:06:27.860 --> 00:06:29.259 That's what the word means. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:30.420 Angel means messenger. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:37.180 And they were God's instruments for revelation, making things known, and redemption as well for salvation. 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:44.040 Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 3.19 that the Old Testament law came through the mediation of angels. 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:53.240 And in the Old Testament prophets, for example, Zechariah chapter 1, chapter 3, they serve as both messengers and mediators between God and humans. 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:55.780 Angels were impressive beings. 00:06:56.420 --> 00:07:05.160 And a return to the forms of the Old Covenant was a return to the world where angels mediated, where angels had a really significant role to play. 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:17.140 So what our author does here in the rest of chapter 1 is essentially reiterate the seven qualities that he highlighted in verses 1 to 4 through quotes from the Old Testament. 00:07:17.640 --> 00:07:19.200 Seven quotes, you'll notice. 00:07:19.900 --> 00:07:21.500 Seven denoting completion. 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:24.500 That's the number seven in the Bible represents completion. 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.000 So here is a complete revelation. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:38.279 Seven quotes using Old Testament scriptures that were familiar to the Hebrews as it were to prove the superiority of Christ through revelation that they believe and that they trust. 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:43.300 He's saying, look, go back to the stuff, the material that you believe and that you trust. 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:45.199 Let me remind you what it says there. 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:48.279 Two points this evening. 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:51.860 First of all, he highlights the superior son. 00:07:52.819 --> 00:07:54.420 The superior son. 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:58.800 Verse 5, for to which of the angels did God ever say, you are my son? 00:07:59.580 --> 00:08:01.000 Today I have begotten you. 00:08:01.140 --> 00:08:04.980 Or again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:13.340 Verse 5, he starts by quoting Psalm 2 verse 7, which reveals Christ's unique relationship to God the Father. 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:16.400 From all eternity, the Son of God proceeds from the Father. 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:21.960 But as Paul says in Romans 1, this sonship is declared through his resurrection from the dead. 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:25.979 How do we know that Jesus is the eternal Son? 00:08:26.039 --> 00:08:27.079 It is through his resurrection. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:31.519 Romans 1 verse 4, the gospel Paul preaches is God's message, quote, 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:35.199 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh, 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:39.579 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness, 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:43.980 by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:51.100 So the begetting that is in view here is not the language of Christ's eternal relationship with the Father, 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:57.139 the language of the creed, begotten of the Father, but a begetting from the dead. 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:01.800 That's what was intended in Psalm 2. 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:05.580 When you look up all the New Testament quotes of Psalm 2, the opening lines, 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:10.080 Why do the nations rage? Psalm 2 refers to the crucifixion of Jesus. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:13.460 And then what happens in Psalm 2? 00:09:13.580 --> 00:09:17.840 God laughs at the nation's schemes, and then he says, 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:20.040 You are my Son today, I have begotten you. 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:24.920 After that, God gives all the nations to Christ as the inheritance his death has purchased. 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:29.600 Paul makes the link really clear in Acts 13. 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:31.160 Acts 13, 33. 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:35.860 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 00:09:35.980 --> 00:09:39.299 this he has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising Jesus, 00:09:39.500 --> 00:09:41.500 as also it is written in the second Psalm, 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:44.319 You are my Son today, I have begotten you. 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:50.939 Christ shows that he is God's Son by being raised from the dead. 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:53.759 He is begotten from the dead. 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:58.480 That's how he can be the heir of all things, verse 2. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:02.360 That's how he can be the true Son in David's line. 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:04.840 That's the quote from 2 Samuel 7. 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:09.600 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:14.180 Christ is the King over all the earth because of the resurrection. 00:10:15.060 --> 00:10:16.500 He rules and reigns now. 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:17.860 We're gathered here. 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:23.180 Christ is ruling and reigning as the exalted Son because he was raised from the dead. 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:30.099 Angels, on the other hand, look at verse 6, well, they are subjects. 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.259 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 00:10:34.599 --> 00:10:37.679 Let all God's angels worship him. 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:45.239 Because Christ is superior, the angels are subject to him and are required to worship him. 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:46.179 Look at verse 13. 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:48.859 And to which of the angels has he ever said, 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:51.939 Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:57.759 The seat of rule and authority belongs to one man and only one. 00:10:58.019 --> 00:10:59.759 The angels haven't been given this authority. 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:01.659 They are subject to the Son. 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:05.659 The main reason for this is, it's made clear, verse 7, 00:11:05.739 --> 00:11:09.279 They are created of the angels. 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:09.799 He says, 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:12.879 He makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire. 00:11:12.959 --> 00:11:14.899 That's from Psalm 104, verse 4. 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:16.939 Now, the language seems a bit strange to us. 00:11:17.179 --> 00:11:17.959 What's going on there? 00:11:18.079 --> 00:11:20.279 Angels are winds, ministers a flame of fire. 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:23.399 But the point that the psalmist is making in Psalm 104 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:27.299 is that angels belong in the category of created things. 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:29.439 Things like wind and fire. 00:11:30.679 --> 00:11:32.439 And they are servants of God and of men. 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:33.459 Look at verse 14. 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:40.059 Ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:46.719 There are two great cosmic categories in existence. 00:11:47.819 --> 00:11:50.059 Creator and created. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:53.839 There is a creator and there is everything else. 00:11:53.979 --> 00:11:56.799 And if you aren't the creator, you belong in the other category. 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:00.939 And however impressive these angels may have appeared, 00:12:01.219 --> 00:12:03.559 they belong in the created order of things. 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:05.439 That's what the author is saying. 00:12:05.739 --> 00:12:06.899 They are created. 00:12:06.899 --> 00:12:12.919 The Son, by contrast, verse 8, is eternal. 00:12:13.939 --> 00:12:14.939 You see, verse 8? 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:16.919 But of the Son, he says, 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:19.679 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.740 It's Psalm 45, verse 6, speaking to the Son. 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:26.899 And the speaker there in that psalm is God. 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:29.000 And God is calling him God. 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:35.519 And then, verse 10, quoting Psalm 102, verse 25, he calls him Lord. 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:41.200 And the point he's making is that this divine Son is uncreated and therefore eternal. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:45.299 You, Lord, laid the foundations, verse 10. 00:12:45.299 --> 00:12:50.759 You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:52.419 They will perish, but you remain. 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:54.859 They will all wear out like a garment, like a robe. 00:12:54.939 --> 00:12:56.779 You will roll them up like a garment. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:13:00.519 They will be changed, but you are the same, and your years will have no end. 00:13:02.599 --> 00:13:09.000 Professor Richard Baucom says that angels are an important measure of the status of being. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:15.299 Now, what he means by that is that when we think about different kinds of beings in the cosmos, 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.139 angels are the measure. 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:22.779 To be below angels is to be human. 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.000 To be above them is to be God. 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:34.779 So, you see what he's saying about angels being an important measure of the status of being? 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:38.779 If you're below angels, you're human. 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:41.379 If you're above them, you're God. 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:45.960 So, the kingly rule of the Son, we're told here, will not end. 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:48.720 His kingdom won't get worn out like an old coat, 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:53.019 because it won't be hindered by human frailty like all the kings that have gone before him. 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:59.120 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, because he is the eternal Son. 00:14:02.700 --> 00:14:07.559 And God's Old Testament Word says that about him and not about angels. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:13.360 The Son is supreme over the highest beings in the created order, 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:15.240 because he is supreme over all things. 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:17.159 Now, what's going on here? 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:22.500 Well, our author is again pushing against our small view of Christ. 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:32.039 He is pushing hard against any diminishing that we might be tempted to engage in when it comes to thinking of Christ. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:36.700 When you put your faith in Jesus, you put your faith in this man. 00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:45.840 You put your faith in one who has this power and this glory and this majesty, and he has this authority. 00:14:46.160 --> 00:14:52.800 You are in a relationship with the living God, the Son from all eternity, the Lord of all the earth. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:57.620 There is no one and there is no thing greater than him. 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:00.580 So, why look anywhere else? 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:08.080 The sad truth is that there are many things that we set up in his place. 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:14.320 If we're honest with ourselves, there are many things that we devote our time to and our energy to. 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:17.240 But none compare. 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:21.460 Not even angels get close. 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:22.480 Not even angels get close. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:23.480 Not even angels get close. 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:27.920 And when we see him like this, when we grasp his majesty and his magnitude, 00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:32.019 surely we see why settling for less is just dumb. 00:15:37.420 --> 00:15:38.820 There is nothing. 00:15:39.400 --> 00:15:41.600 There is no one who is greater. 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:48.759 The superior Son is superior to all things. 00:15:48.759 --> 00:15:53.659 So, whatever it is that you are tempted towards, 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.919 whatever it is that you are tempted to run off after, 00:15:57.159 --> 00:15:58.840 to give your time and attention to, 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:00.240 to devote yourself to, 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:03.419 it is not worth it in comparison to him. 00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:06.259 Those of you that are at school, 00:16:06.980 --> 00:16:08.899 there are voices all around you 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:12.439 trying to persuade you to follow a particular path 00:16:12.439 --> 00:16:14.379 away from the Lord Jesus. 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:16.299 Your life will be better, you are told, 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:18.839 if you go in this direction and leave him behind. 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:21.259 Whatever that direction is, 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:23.059 it is not as good. 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:25.019 And it will not deliver. 00:16:26.839 --> 00:16:28.899 It is not worth your time and effort 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:33.179 in comparison to the Lord Jesus. 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:35.339 See, we read this, 00:16:36.339 --> 00:16:40.719 picking over all of these Old Testament quotes. 00:16:40.819 --> 00:16:42.919 I know it feels a bit stodgy as we go through, 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:43.799 but we read this, 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:46.120 we get it and we think to ourselves, 00:16:46.259 --> 00:16:47.620 what on earth were the Hebrews thinking? 00:16:48.579 --> 00:16:51.399 Why would you turn your back on the glory of Christ? 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:53.279 Surely this is madness. 00:16:56.059 --> 00:16:57.139 But let's be honest. 00:16:58.479 --> 00:17:01.120 When we prize our choice and our freedom 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:02.860 and our comfort over Christ, 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:04.259 we do exactly the same thing. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.700 When we give him what's left 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:10.799 after we've sorted ourselves out in life, 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:12.619 we do exactly the same thing. 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:17.000 When we fit him in around our preferences and plans, 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:20.279 and we give him kind of what's left, 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:21.480 as it were, in our lives, 00:17:21.659 --> 00:17:23.379 we do exactly the same thing. 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:26.559 And then when we can't make him fit 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:31.480 and we can't make it work, 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:32.059 as it were, 00:17:33.139 --> 00:17:34.159 we want more, 00:17:34.259 --> 00:17:35.759 well, we just reject him altogether 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.059 and we walk away from Christ 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:37.919 and do something else. 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.300 What is that if it isn't a version of the same madness? 00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:46.640 He starts with the superior son. 00:17:47.019 --> 00:17:50.320 He wants to explode afresh our view of Christ. 00:17:54.019 --> 00:17:55.779 But where we're tempted to do that, 00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:57.600 where we are tempted to look away 00:17:57.600 --> 00:17:59.060 or to walk in a different direction 00:17:59.060 --> 00:18:01.500 or to go off after other things, 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:03.460 our author has something to say about that. 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:05.180 Here's the application, if you like, 00:18:05.360 --> 00:18:06.259 of all of this. 00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:07.579 The so what, 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:09.039 and it is a word of warning. 00:18:10.100 --> 00:18:12.200 So having described the superior son, 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:14.480 our author warns us in light of this, 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:14.799 he says, 00:18:14.900 --> 00:18:16.200 don't neglect point number two, 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:17.700 the superior salvation. 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:19.380 If he holds out, 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:19.900 first of all, 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:20.840 the superior son, 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:21.620 secondly, 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:24.680 he calls us to not neglect 00:18:24.680 --> 00:18:26.100 the superior salvation. 00:18:26.100 --> 00:18:26.620 That's two, 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:27.600 one to four. 00:18:27.740 --> 00:18:28.259 Chapter one, 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:30.079 God has spoken in these last days 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:31.640 by his supreme son. 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:32.759 Therefore, 00:18:33.339 --> 00:18:33.920 chapter two, 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:34.460 verse one, 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:36.319 in light of that, 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:37.079 therefore, 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:39.359 we must pay much closer attention 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.160 to what we have heard 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:42.099 lest we drift away from it. 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:44.819 For since the message declared by angels 00:18:44.819 --> 00:18:45.879 proved to be reliable 00:18:45.879 --> 00:18:48.099 and every transgression or disobedience 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:49.539 received a just retribution, 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:51.180 how shall we escape 00:18:51.180 --> 00:18:53.819 if we neglect such a great salvation? 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:56.859 This is the first strong warning 00:18:56.859 --> 00:19:00.220 the author makes in the book. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:03.000 All that lofty theology, 00:19:03.139 --> 00:19:04.859 all the Christology of chapter one 00:19:04.859 --> 00:19:06.259 isn't just there for fun. 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:08.859 It isn't just a theology lesson. 00:19:09.299 --> 00:19:10.099 It isn't just for those 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:11.460 who like that kind of thing. 00:19:11.839 --> 00:19:13.679 It is designed to shape how we live. 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:16.639 Christ is held out as greater than the angels 00:19:16.639 --> 00:19:18.539 so that we are drawn to him 00:19:18.539 --> 00:19:20.480 and we don't drift away from him. 00:19:20.679 --> 00:19:21.099 Again, 00:19:21.099 --> 00:19:24.019 it's a lesser to a greater kind of argument. 00:19:24.199 --> 00:19:24.639 Can you see? 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.439 So verse two, 00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:26.279 if the law, 00:19:26.719 --> 00:19:27.839 which was delivered through angels, 00:19:27.939 --> 00:19:29.959 included penalty for sin and disobedience, 00:19:30.639 --> 00:19:33.199 how much more will our salvation 00:19:33.199 --> 00:19:34.679 involve more striking penalties? 00:19:36.459 --> 00:19:39.079 The word of the law proved reliable. 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:40.619 Those who obeyed were blessed. 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:42.379 Those who wandered away were judged. 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:45.019 How much more will the word of the gospel 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:47.319 prove reliable as well? 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:49.859 Well, how can we know this? 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:50.439 Verse four, 00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.759 the Lord spoke at first. 00:19:52.700 --> 00:19:54.539 Those who heard it from the Lord 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:55.680 also confirmed it. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:57.880 And God from heaven confirmed the message 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:00.380 with miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:03.940 The miracles in the New Testament, 00:20:04.100 --> 00:20:05.440 they are signs pointing the way 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:06.279 to something greater. 00:20:06.600 --> 00:20:07.840 They aren't to be sought after 00:20:07.840 --> 00:20:08.720 for their own sake. 00:20:08.820 --> 00:20:09.740 We are to treat them as we do. 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:10.840 Any kind of sign. 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:12.400 And then what do you do with a sign? 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:14.320 You go where it's pointing. 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:18.679 And if a miracle is a great thing, 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:21.179 and he's talking about the sort of remarkable things 00:20:21.179 --> 00:20:22.559 we read of in the book of Acts, 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:24.799 how much greater is the Christ 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:27.019 who is vouched for by that miracle? 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:30.200 If the sign is impressive, 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:32.599 how much greater the one 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:34.500 to whom the sign is pointing? 00:20:34.639 --> 00:20:36.000 And so we follow the miracles 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.240 to the person and work of the Lord Jesus, 00:20:38.419 --> 00:20:39.740 who is to be the central focus 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:40.679 of our hearts and minds, 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:43.900 the one at the very center of our lives. 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:46.799 The recipients of this letter, 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:47.640 the first recipients, 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.799 are told this as a warning 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:50.539 against drifting back to their old ways. 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:53.400 And in order to guard against this, 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:54.940 do you see what they're told not to do? 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:55.720 Do you see this? 00:20:56.360 --> 00:20:57.580 What are they told not to do? 00:20:58.980 --> 00:21:00.100 Not neglect. 00:21:02.519 --> 00:21:04.060 We must pay much closer attention 00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:04.720 to what we have heard 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:05.940 lest we drift away from it. 00:21:07.340 --> 00:21:08.640 They're not to neglect. 00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:15.160 How is it that you neglect 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:17.299 the great work of God? 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:21.840 You take your salvation for granted. 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:27.460 You presume on the grace of God. 00:21:30.539 --> 00:21:32.220 Hebrews recognizes here 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:33.660 that turning away from the Lord 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:35.259 has small beginnings. 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:40.980 We don't go from a healthy life 00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:42.019 of personal devotion 00:21:42.019 --> 00:21:42.940 and corporate worship 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:44.019 to denying the faith. 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:46.879 No one gets up from deep, 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:48.200 faith-fueled meditation 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:49.680 on the person and work of Christ 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:51.180 and walks out on their marriage. 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:54.480 In my experience, 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:58.559 everyone who has walked away from Christ 00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.059 has done so in small steps. 00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:03.319 The obvious rejection, 00:22:03.480 --> 00:22:04.240 the obvious sin, 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:05.220 the obvious decision, 00:22:05.339 --> 00:22:07.279 that awkward, painful conversation, 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:09.200 that has always been the end 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:10.139 of a longer process 00:22:10.139 --> 00:22:11.000 that has involved 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.059 lots of smaller rejections 00:22:13.059 --> 00:22:14.099 along the way. 00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:16.940 And it all starts with neglect. 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:19.240 How shall we escape, 00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:19.720 verse 3, 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:20.679 if we neglect 00:22:20.679 --> 00:22:22.940 such a great salvation? 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:24.519 Going cold 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:26.859 to Christ's great salvation. 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:28.059 Going cold 00:22:28.059 --> 00:22:29.199 to the supremacy 00:22:29.199 --> 00:22:29.799 of the one 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:30.559 who has just been 00:22:30.559 --> 00:22:32.299 described to us here 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:33.399 in such majesty. 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:37.799 And the warning is 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:39.500 there is no escape 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:41.379 if we indulge this neglect. 00:22:43.219 --> 00:22:44.159 Just as He did 00:22:44.159 --> 00:22:44.939 in the old covenant, 00:22:45.139 --> 00:22:45.839 God will judge 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:47.099 those who wander from Him. 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:48.740 And with the greater clarity 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.719 of the new covenant, 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:50.879 all of the shadows, 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:51.699 all of the types 00:22:51.699 --> 00:22:52.500 of the Old Testament 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:53.639 come into clearer focus 00:22:53.639 --> 00:22:54.919 in the coming of Christ. 00:22:55.379 --> 00:22:56.179 He is the fulfillment 00:22:56.180 --> 00:22:56.860 of them all. 00:22:57.820 --> 00:22:58.860 If we neglect that, 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:00.080 the greater revelation, 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:01.920 that brings greater judgment. 00:23:02.100 --> 00:23:03.039 To whom much is given, 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:03.960 much is expected, 00:23:04.100 --> 00:23:04.960 Jesus tells us. 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:08.580 I wonder, 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:09.180 I fear, 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:10.799 that some of us 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:11.799 think that the new covenant 00:23:11.799 --> 00:23:12.380 is a covenant 00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:13.299 without sanctions. 00:23:14.580 --> 00:23:15.759 New Testament Christianity, 00:23:16.320 --> 00:23:17.200 the theory goes, 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:18.320 isn't like that mean 00:23:18.320 --> 00:23:19.640 Old Testament version. 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:20.799 The New Testament 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:21.660 is all about grace 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:22.640 and we can do what we want 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:23.720 as long as we say sorry. 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:26.579 That's not the case. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:29.100 Sincere repentance 00:23:29.100 --> 00:23:31.220 always leads to forgiveness, 00:23:31.600 --> 00:23:31.920 yes, 00:23:32.120 --> 00:23:33.140 but the warning here 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:33.980 is solemn and clear. 00:23:34.100 --> 00:23:36.140 If we neglect our salvation, 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:38.380 we can't expect 00:23:38.380 --> 00:23:39.299 to escape judgment. 00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:44.120 So the question for us 00:23:44.120 --> 00:23:44.500 is this, 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:45.400 if we've confessed 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:46.220 the name of Christ, 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:48.319 are we paying careful attention 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.180 to this great salvation? 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:52.600 Are we taking Jesus 00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:53.880 really seriously 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:56.000 or are we messing about? 00:23:58.080 --> 00:23:59.759 Have we grown cold 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:01.840 to all that Jesus has done? 00:24:02.100 --> 00:24:03.940 Have we allowed our Bibles 00:24:03.940 --> 00:24:04.880 to gather dust 00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:05.940 while other things 00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:07.160 captivate our hearts 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:07.779 more fully? 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:11.500 One of my children 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:12.600 got a book for Christmas 00:24:12.600 --> 00:24:14.340 and was captivated. 00:24:14.840 --> 00:24:16.160 Any free moment, 00:24:16.620 --> 00:24:17.320 opened it up, 00:24:18.060 --> 00:24:19.180 sitting in a busy room, 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:20.100 lots going on, 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:20.759 fixated, 00:24:21.080 --> 00:24:22.000 undistractable, 00:24:22.320 --> 00:24:23.140 called for dinner, 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:24.660 didn't move, 00:24:26.120 --> 00:24:27.759 completely lost in the story. 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:28.680 I ask myself, 00:24:28.820 --> 00:24:29.980 why am I not like that 00:24:29.980 --> 00:24:30.640 with my Bible? 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:36.039 Giving close attention 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:37.160 to the great salvation 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:38.400 that's been won for me 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:39.360 in Christ. 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:40.840 Our author warns us 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:43.180 that such spiritual laziness 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:44.080 is dangerous. 00:24:44.820 --> 00:24:47.180 Don't neglect the grace of God. 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:48.380 Don't presume 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:49.539 on the Lord Jesus. 00:24:49.820 --> 00:24:50.940 Don't go cold 00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:52.759 in the small things 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:54.160 of the Christian disciplines. 00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:58.120 Just to say, 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:59.360 we need each other in this. 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:01.440 That is what the writer 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:02.080 is saying here. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:03.160 The first so what 00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:04.279 of all of the majesty 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:05.060 of Christ is, 00:25:05.460 --> 00:25:06.380 do not neglect 00:25:06.380 --> 00:25:08.100 such a great salvation. 00:25:09.060 --> 00:25:10.340 Don't presume on it. 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:12.980 Don't go cold 00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:14.000 to the things of Christ. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.579 And the point I want to make here 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:16.740 is that we need each other 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:17.180 in this. 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:20.440 That's partly why 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:21.480 God gives us the church. 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:23.339 And why if you're a member here, 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:24.420 you make vows 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:25.299 to care for others, 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:26.559 to treat our fellow believers 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:27.480 as brothers and sisters 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:27.900 in Christ. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:29.079 The primary way 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:30.019 that we care for anyone 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:30.799 is to care about 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:31.720 their spiritual growth. 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:32.779 It is to care 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:34.000 that they don't neglect 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:35.160 such a great salvation. 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:39.480 The best thing we can do 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:40.440 for a brother or sister 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:40.940 in Christ 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:41.819 is encourage them 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:42.679 to keep putting 00:25:42.679 --> 00:25:43.460 the Lord Jesus 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.899 at the center of their lives 00:25:44.899 --> 00:25:46.659 no matter what the cost. 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:48.299 To keep going hard 00:25:48.299 --> 00:25:49.099 after Christ 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:50.500 no matter how difficult 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:51.079 it gets. 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:52.659 To support them 00:25:52.659 --> 00:25:53.339 while they do it. 00:25:54.399 --> 00:25:55.599 We need to allow 00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:56.119 other people 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:57.119 into our lives 00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:58.059 to call out 00:25:58.059 --> 00:25:58.599 our neglect 00:25:58.599 --> 00:25:59.599 of the things of Christ 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:00.980 and to stop the drift 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:02.139 when they see it happening. 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:03.619 We're not the best judge 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:04.720 of how we're doing 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:05.220 spiritually 00:26:05.220 --> 00:26:06.519 as individuals. 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:07.879 We need one another. 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:10.079 It might be awkward 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:11.279 to have that conversation, 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:12.500 but it is the loving 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:13.359 thing to do. 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:14.720 And I suppose 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:15.440 if we're really 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:16.519 humble about this 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:18.240 recognizing that awkwardness 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:19.039 one of the things 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:19.720 we'll do is 00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:20.539 well if someone 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:21.779 raises concerns with us 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:22.559 we'll choose not 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:23.339 to make it awkward. 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:25.680 We'll thank them. 00:26:26.399 --> 00:26:27.139 We'll receive 00:26:27.139 --> 00:26:27.980 their brotherly 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:29.119 sisterly input 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:30.420 and be grateful 00:26:30.420 --> 00:26:31.619 that they care. 00:26:31.819 --> 00:26:32.920 It may just 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:34.480 keep us from disaster. 00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:38.539 So 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:40.980 resist the pull 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:41.639 away 00:26:41.639 --> 00:26:43.000 from one 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:44.039 so majestic. 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:46.720 However that pull 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.139 comes 00:26:47.139 --> 00:26:47.680 and the devil 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.619 is very clever 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:49.759 he's far cleverer 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:50.440 than you and me 00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:51.819 he knows exactly 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:52.420 how to get 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:53.220 under your skin 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:54.839 and whatever way 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:55.960 that pull comes 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:58.099 resist it. 00:26:59.879 --> 00:27:01.139 Pay close attention 00:27:01.139 --> 00:27:01.539 instead 00:27:01.539 --> 00:27:02.639 to this supremely 00:27:02.639 --> 00:27:03.899 majestic Christ. 00:27:04.359 --> 00:27:05.200 Never stop 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:06.319 fixing the eyes 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:06.960 of your heart 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:07.600 on the glory 00:27:07.600 --> 00:27:08.380 of this person. 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:11.000 On the glory 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:11.579 of Christ 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:12.240 and the worth 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:12.920 of his work. 00:27:14.360 --> 00:27:15.140 That is how 00:27:15.140 --> 00:27:16.360 we spiritually thrive. 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.299 That is how 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:19.220 we don't neglect 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:20.579 such a great salvation. 00:27:23.579 --> 00:27:24.279 To choose 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:25.259 to do anything else 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:25.700 frankly 00:27:25.700 --> 00:27:26.480 is madness. 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:29.299 And if our 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:30.019 brothers and sisters 00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:30.920 are kind to us 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:31.740 they will call us 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.420 back from that. 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:34.400 We will be kind 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:34.880 to others 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:35.779 if we call them 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:36.480 back from that. 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:37.420 We are not 00:27:37.420 --> 00:27:38.240 sniffing around 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.160 looking for sin 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:40.259 all the time 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:40.880 and trying to be 00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:41.799 difficult and annoying 00:27:41.799 --> 00:27:42.860 but when we see 00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:43.579 patterns that are 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:44.600 leading people away 00:27:44.600 --> 00:27:46.579 from regular worship 00:27:46.579 --> 00:27:47.960 leading people away 00:27:47.960 --> 00:27:49.360 from keeping Christ 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:49.920 at the center 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:50.519 of everything 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:52.000 it is kind of us 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:53.559 to call them back 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:54.799 urge them 00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:55.779 not to neglect 00:27:55.779 --> 00:27:56.940 such a great 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:57.680 salvation. 00:28:01.299 --> 00:28:02.340 Let's pray together.