SPEAKER_00 0:01

Y'all will turn me to Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one. We're actually my message is very, very simple tonight, and we will try to be brief because of the weather, but uh my message is actually in Hebrews chapter two, the first four verses. But I do want to read Hebrews chapter one as a preliminary to that, because uh Hebrews chapter two has a very famous first word, and that's one of those therefores. So the reason why you have Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1 is because of the things that came before it. And so we'll be brief, but I want to read beginning in Hebrews chapter 1. The epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1. And I will point out a few things as we go through this. The book of Hebrews, by the way, um I uh have already been praying about where to preach through next after we finish preaching through the doctrines of grace. And uh Hebrews is one of the contenders. And so anyway, y'all pray for me that the Lord will know where we need to go next, and uh, but Hebrews is in the running of where we may go next in our study of the Bible. And uh it's a very wonderful, uh, not that they all aren't, but they all are, the scriptures. But uh, even beginning in Hebrews chapter 1, we are learning about the excellency of Christ and how that he is even much better than the angels. And this again provides a preliminary statement for us getting into Hebrews chapter 2. So we'll just dive into it. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1. God, referring to Father God, who at sundry times and in divers manners. I had somebody ask me one time, Brother Josh, what are divers diseases in the Bible? They didn't know what that was. Well, right here you see the word divers. That is an archaic English word, and it just simply means diverse. That's all it's talking about. And so there is no diverse disease in the Bible, but it's uh it's just simply referring to diverse. And so there are some of those archaic English words that we run into at times in the King James. So it's just simply saying, Father God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets. So it's establishing a principle here that Paul is writing historically that God in the Old Testament spoke to the fathers, the patriarchs, and the way that he did that was he did it by the prophets. And now he's bringing us to up to date, and he says in verse 2, the same Father God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. Now stop right there. I want you to remember who Paul primarily is writing to here. He's writing to the Hebrew people, right? And so one of the beliefs that the Hebrew people have is in the Old Testament Messiah, the Son of God. And so Paul is making a point here to identify to the Hebrew people, the Christians that he's writing to, that look, uh, this Messiah mentioned in the Old Testament, uh, that person specifically is Jesus Christ. And he's Paul is making it clear to his fellow countrymen that uh this is who he's talking about. And so he's making that crystal clear. You know, so Father God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, and also note by whom also he made the worlds. That's a very important verse also that it speaks about here that uh, you know, we go back and read in Genesis chapter 1, that you know, in the beginning God uh you know created the heavens and the earth, he spoke in the darkness, created the light. You know, we made man, let us make man in our image. And so uh you see a reference here in Hebrews 1, but also in John chapter 1, that I asked somebody one time, I said, Well, you know, you believe that uh somebody who was a skeptic, they said, Well, I know that you believe that, quote unquote, in God, but I said, Do you believe that Jesus Christ uh had a hand in the creation of everything? Oh no, I don't believe that. Well, that's what the Bible says. The Bible says right here that God, Father God, birth too, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. He used Jesus Christ as one of the instruments by which to make the worlds, and that agrees with John 1. It also agrees with Genesis chapter 1. So there's no inconsistency here. Verse 3. Uh now, talking about Jesus, it says, who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Well, that verse is saying that Jesus Christ is the one who has accomplished salvation for us. Amen. That's the essence of the gospel. But it's also telling us here that Jesus Christ by Himself purged our sins. So think about this for a minute. If somebody believed that, okay, Brother Josh, I believe that uh God, or I'm sorry, that Jesus Christ died for every single human being. Well, it says here that Jesus Christ by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Well, so we sat down because his work was finished. So if Jesus Christ finished that work, the Bible says he's the author and finisher of our faith, that means that you and I had nothing whatsoever to do with it. But if Christ died for every single human being, then that would mean that every single human being had all of their sins purged and Christ sat down because that work was finished. Well, so what I'm trying to get at is here, number one, you and I had no hand whatsoever in regard to our salvation. Christ did it all. But also the fact that everyone for whom Christ died, he did purge their sins. He didn't try to purge their sins, he did it. He accomplished his task that the Lord gave him. Verse 4. Now this begins to compare Jesus Christ to the angels. So it says, talking about the same Christ that purged our sins, the same Christ that the Lord, now this is significant. Again, my mind is just going 100 miles an hour, but let me condense all this. So I want you to see here that Father God, who in olden times spoke to us by the prophets, the word of God, hath in these, in the New Testament times, he specifically spoke by Jesus Christ, i.e., the mouthpiece of God. Well, not only that, it also goes on to say not only did Christ was Christ the mouthpiece of God, that God made the worlds by Jesus Christ, he just told us that Jesus Christ finished the work of redemption and purged all of our sins. So he's building, as he's saying, look at all the things that Christ has done for us. Now we come to verse 4. Christ being so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels saith he, that's Father God, at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. So I want you to see also that Jesus Christ is unique. There is no other Christ. He is literally the only begotten of the Father. There is no other man, there is no other angel, there is no other being that is like Jesus Christ. He is unique in all the universe. Amen. He's the Son of God, he is the God man. And so this passage of scripture is showing us just how special and wonderful the Lord Jesus is. He's already told us many things, and now he's starting to compare them to angels. Verse 6, and again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. Now stop right there. There's not a single other, you know, y'all will remember there are times in the Old Testament when uh someone will bow down to an angel, or uh even John, like in the book of Revelation, when he was tempted to bow down uh to the angel, uh when the angel came bringing revelation, and the angel said, you know, stop, don't do that. You know, I'm like you, I'm a servant of God, you don't bow down to me. You know, but you see instances in the Old Testament, like when uh Moses met with a burning bush, you know, that uh he was told to remove the sandals off his feet because you know you're standing on holy ground. He was meeting with God in those instances. Well, so my point is here God is telling all the angels to bow down to Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God does not give his glory to another, and so therefore, this is a passage in the Bible that people would overlook when it says, and Father God said, And let all the angels of God worship him. In other words, Father God is putting his stamp of approval on Christ, saying that Christ is equal with me, because he is giving his glory to Christ. And so that just shows Christ's Godhead. Verse 7. And of the angels he saith, who maketh his angels spirits and his minute and his ministers a flame of fire, but unto the Son he saith, now notice this, verse eight. Here in verse eight, Father God calls Christ God. Father God says, But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. So Father God is actually referring to Christ as God in this verse of Scripture. And so he is giving his glory to another. So Father God is basically saying that Christ is equal with me. So unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom, verse 9. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows, and thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands, they shall perish, but thou remainest. In other words, the earth is going to burn up, but Christ is still going to be here. But thou remainest, and they shall wax old, as doth a garment, and as a vest vesture shalt thou fold them up as a garment, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But to which of the angels saith he at any time, Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. So Father God is telling Christ, you know, you come up here and you sit beside me on the throne, you're here at my right hand. You are the right hand of the Father. And so he didn't say that to any of the angels. And also you see, in this, how prideful and arrogant Satan was, because Satan here is literally supposed to be bowing down to and worshiping Jesus Christ, and instead, Satan in all of his arrogance, he wants Christ to worship him. So you see how belligerent and terrible Satan is. But Christ is put on the right hand of the Father, and I will make thine enemies thy footstool. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? The angels are actually ministers, like deacons, like pastors. We are called to serve others, and the angels are also called to serve other people. So now that we've gone through all of that, now we got to our message. We're going to get the first four verses of Hebrews chapter 2. So in Hebrews chapter 2, you see that first word, therefore. Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Now stop right there. What's he talking about? So Paul here is talking about the fact that he just got through talking about Jesus Christ and that he's equal with the Father. The Father's given him glory, he was the creator, he's finished the work of redemption, the angels worship him, the angels bow down to him, he's better than the angels. And if we look in this next verse, it says, For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which as the which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, that's Christ, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. In other words, what Paul is saying here, you and he's literally telling us, and he's talking to the Hebrews, and saying, Look, I know that you Hebrews have a hang-up about Jesus Christ, because he claims to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the one mentioned in the Old Testament, and y'all don't believe him. But look at what it says, verse 4. God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. So the point is that Paul is saying, look, so y'all have seen the apostles, and you've seen the miracles and works they do have done, and so that's testifying to the fact that God has anointed them to go and preach the word. Well, then y'all also, many of you, were eyewitnesses to all the miracles and signs and wonders that Christ did, and you heard him literally come preaching the good news of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom, and many of you rejected him, and Paul is literally telling them, he said, you know, after I've told you all of this, therefore you should be giving more heed to the things that Christ said, because y'all make such a big deal about the law and being so legalistic and being so diligent in obeying the law, and he said, Then y'all just blow off Christ. Y'all don't obey him, y'all don't listen to him, y'all don't follow him. And he's saying that's a worse thing. He's saying if Christ is the very one who's purchased our salvation, he's equal with God, and then you Hebrews are literally refusing to listen to him. And so, Paul, and so the reason why I wanted to share this with you is, brothers and sisters, for you and I, is that you and I believe in Christ. Well, Paul says, you know, all these things that we've read in chapter 1 about how wonderful Christ is and his finished work and who he is, and how that his words are even better than the words of the Old Testament and the prophets that have gone before. And so Paul says, therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Now stop right there. Has anybody ever neglected maintenance on your house? Have you ever not patched a roof in time? Have you ever not fixed a leaky faucet in time? Have you ever needed to do something that you just kind of put off and put off and put off? What about an oil change in a car or something in a car? Well, brothers and sisters, what happens when we neglect the maintenance of those things? We live in a fallen, sinful world. And our houses don't, I I I wish that uh I've got uh double pane windows on my house, and two of them have a single broken or crack pane in them. I just wish that they'd all of a sudden be fixed. Wouldn't that be great? But I gotta pay a man to come out to my house and take measurements and cut me new double pane glass and put in them, and I've been putting that off for a while, but I need to do it. We got a storm tonight. Now it doesn't leak, but it's but I need to have that fixed. I need to have it fixed right now. We don't ever do well with things don't just get better. Well, what I want you to see here is that Paul is literally telling us if we know all these things about Jesus Christ, then we should not neglect Christ. We should not neglect focusing on him, walking with him. You know, uh, do y'all know that I 100% know how to get in shape? Do y'all know that? You know what the recipe is? Exercise and eat better? I mean, uh we know most of us know how to do that. Eat less, eat better, and exercise more. And do that not just every now and then, but do it all the time. And then after I do that all the time, one day, two months, three months, four months, six months from now, I'll wake up and I'll look better, feel better. But that is something that I have to do by way of constant maintenance. And most people don't want to do that, including myself at times. But what I wanted to show you is that in mind and your Christianity, you and I don't need to be neglecting the car and neglecting our bodies and neglecting the house. And Paul is literally saying that there, therefore, based on all this that we've talked about, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip, that we should let them just go on away. Well, Brother Josh, it's not really a big deal that Christ died on a cross to save me from my sins. It's not really a big deal that he communicated his love and his word and his truth to me through the scriptures. It's not really a big deal that, you know, I have come to believe in the truth of grace and that the Bible tells me about his mode of salvation. And, well, you know, that's just one of those things. It's just one more thing that I know. It's just one more thing in the back of my middle file cabinet that I have. Brothers and sisters, it's not one more thing. It is the thing, right? It is the most important thing. And Paul is saying that this knowledge that you and I have of Christ, that you and I shouldn't neglect it, that you and I shouldn't put it on the back burner, that you and I shouldn't just let it waste away or not do anything with it. This is the most important information in the world. He's already saved us to heaven. Now, what are you and I supposed to do with these spiritual bodies? You and I are supposed to exercise them. You and I are supposed to maintain them, not to go to heaven, but so that you and I can glorify him with them now. You know, when you go by a yard that is being diligently manicured and weed-eated and the flower beds all taken care of, your first thought is, well, those folks are taking pride in their home, right? Or all the houses are painted, the gutters are cleaned out, the roof's been blown off, I mean, you know, all that kind of stuff, the house has been pressure washed. Well, those folks care about their home and they keep it up. Well, what does the Lord think about mining your spiritual house? Our bodies. And I need to wrap this up because we need to go on. Uh, for if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect, I love this, so great salvation. Our salvation is great, brothers and sisters, and he did it all, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord or Jesus, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, the apostles, and this is what Paul is saying. God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. In other words, God showed that all these things were true, and he evidenced that through Christ and the apostles by all the miracles that he did. My only point in saying all that tonight was this is that if you and I know the value of not neglecting our homes and our cars and our bodies, then we also need to take even more seriously not neglecting. Our spiritual lives. And Paul exhorts us to do that very thing. Let's close in a word of prayer tonight. Father, we come before you tonight. We praise you for who you are. Father, we're thankful that we can be here tonight. Father, we know that the weather is bad outside. Father, I do humbly pray for grace and safety, Father, as we all travel home, dear Lord. But Father, we are reminded in your word, Father, of your great salvation. And may we not ever neglect that. Instead, may we be diligent in maintaining our walk with you, that you would be glorified with us, that you would be glorified with our spiritual yards and our spiritual houses, that, Father, that we might be good and faithful servants, Father, to you to bring you glory and honor. Father, thank you for this great salvation in Jesus Christ our Savior. Please watch over and protect every family here. We pray and ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.