A WARNING AGAINST DRIFTING AWAY – VERSES 1-4
JESUS, THE MAN – VERSES 5-18
BIBLE STUDY
This is not a commentary. It is what I believe God is teaching us in His Word. It is solely based on my convictions and faith. Please share with me if you have a different view on any scripture covered in this study.
Pastor Allan
In the Chapter One the writer carefully presented the case for the deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully God.
In Chapter Two the writer presents the case for the humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully man.
Jesus was not one-half God and one-half man or fully God and thought like a man. He was fully God and fully man. He had both natures. I don’t pretend to understand this in totality, but it was necessary for Jesus to complete His sacrifice on the cross. The author presented both natures in chapters one and two.
He starts chapter two warning us about drifting away. Remember, he’s writing to believers. We must to be constantly aware of Satan’s subtle attacks. We cannot lose our salvation, because we are a child of God and our relationship in the family is secure. However, he wants to attack our fellowship by tempting us with sin. When we sin, our fellowship with the Lord is broken and our ministry becomes ineffective.
Hebrews 2:1-4 NLT
[1] So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. [2] For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. [3] So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? [4] And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
Verse one starts with “So” or “Therefore” in some translations. This means we must pay attention to what was stated in chapter 1 about the deity of Jesus. It was a principle, “Jesus is God’s Son and is above all.”
We must listen very carefully to the truth. Some years back I enrolled in a graduate college class on ethics. There were around 20 students in the class. The question, “What is Truth”, came up early in the class. The general consensus was, it is what ever a person says it is as it applies to their life.
I am reminded that truth is not a set of regulations, or instructions, or based on an individual’s thoughts, or a list of things to do and things not to do. God says truth is a person.
John 14:6 NLT
[6] Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Jesus says, “I am the truth.” To me Jesus is saying, my words and teachings are the ultimate reality and reliable source of divine wisdom. Jesus was claiming to be the very source, personification, and embodiment, of the Truth, only now manifested as a human being.
Praise the Lord, we have Jesus’ words and teachings in our hands. We must listen very carefully to His message. Which means reading, studying, mediating, and finally applying His wisdom to our lives.
How much time do you spend a day in His Word? Most of us would be embarrassed to answer this question. The writer of Hebrews says it is of the utmost importance for every Christian. I know people are busy with all kinds of activities, priorities and commitments during the day. We must prioritize our time and put God at the top of the list. Believe me, if you do that you will have more than enough time to complete everything else.
Why is this important? The writer says the danger is drifting away from the truth.
My family goes boating in the summer on a large lake. They find a secluded cove and jump into the water to keep cool. The danger is drifting from the boat. A rope is tied to the back of the boat so the people in the water can hold onto it and avoid moving too far from the boat.
We must be tied to, immersed, and grounded, in His Word or we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh and the devil. It is a very, very subtle drifting, not a sudden departure. It probably will not be easily detected until a person realizes their life has jumped the rails.
“The protection against drifting is to have Christ as once the anchor and rudder of life. The anchor will hold us to the truth, while the rudder will guide us by the truth.” Griffith Thomas
Stephen said to the Jews:
Acts 7:51-53 NLT
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! [52] Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One-the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. [53] You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
Those who totally reject God’s Word are destined for eternity in Hell. Those who allow themselves to drift away from God and His guidance are subject to discipline. He is our Heavenly Father and will correct His children to keep them from falling away.
We have a clue regarding the identity of the writer in verse 3. Apparently the author may have been a disciple of one of the apostles. God knows!
Hebrews 2:5-18 NLT
[5] And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. [6] For in one place the Scriptures say, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man that you should care for him? [7] Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. [8] You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. [9] What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. [10] God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. [11] So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. [12] For he said to God, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people.” [13] He also said, “I will put my trust in him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.” [14] Because God’s children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. [15] Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. [16] We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. [17] Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. [18] Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
The author is referring to Psalm 8:4-6 when he wonders why God would care for mere mortals when you consider his entire creation. The heavens we can see, once you get away from the metropolitan areas with the lights is so amazing. I have looked up and had the same thought that the Psalmist had. “Lord, in the grand scheme of things, why do You care about me?”
With the naked eye, one can see about 5000 stars. With a four-inch telescope, one can see about 2 million stars. With a 200-inch mirror of a great observatory, one can see more than a billion stars. The universe is so big that if one were to travel at the speed of light (180,000 miles/second), it would take 40 billion years to reach he edge of he universe. Considering the heavens makes us see the greatness of God. Lord, why do you care about me? However, I am so glad He does. Amen.
Now our attention is turned to the humanity of Jesus. The writer tells us that he Son of Man, Jesus, and mankind, for a short time are considered a little lower than angels. Of course this was necessary for Jesus who died for us on the cross. Jesus tasted death for everyone. Now, God’s original plan for mankind was to have authority over all things.
Genesis 1:26-30 NLT
[26] Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” [27] So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. [28] Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” [29] Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. [30] And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground-everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
We totally messed this up when we allowed sin to enter. Hebrews tells us that angels will not control the future world. But there will be a time when Jesus and His followers will have dominion over the new heavens and earth and all of creation. All things will be put under their authority. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.
What we do see is Jesus. Some may want to see Jesus with their naked eye. I am reminded of a little boy who was scared at night when he went to bed. His dad came in and reassured him that Jesus was with him. The little boy said, I know but I want to see Jesus with skin on. Sometimes I think we feel this way. Let me reassure you, we will when we get to heaven. But for now we must look at Jesus through the eyes of faith.
“Sight is very frequently used in scripture as a metaphor, an illustration, a symbol, to set forth what faith is. Faith is the eye of the soul. It is the act of looking unto Jesus.” Spurgeon
We must see Jesus AS: The One who loves sinners and died for them; Your Savior; Your Master; Your Friend; Your Forerunner; Your Healer.
We must see Him at home, and when we are out and about. Not only at worship times!
God’s love for us had to show itself in sacrifice. God could not sacrifice unless He added humanity to His deity and suffered on our behalf. Jesus is our High Priest and sits at God the Father’s right hand interceding for us.
Praise God and Amen.
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PASTOR ALLAN