Author of Our Salvation (Part A)

Should be no desertion for Christians face a struggle knowing where God is leading us would be less prone to flee if we Cite great things. How many of us remember very easily. Jesus words I go to prepare a place for you. If it was not true. I would not have told you we are excited about that fought your to be more excited about it, even in the face of opposition and unpleasant things that are so often unimportant. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Hebrews chapter 2 as he begins a brand-new study called author of our salvation Hebrews chapter 2 verses one through nine.

I will do the reading out loud just in case anybody has any ideas. Therefore, we must give the more earnest, he the things we have heard, lest we drift away with the words spoken through Angels prove steadfast in every transgression and disobedience received a just reward.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him.

God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his will, he is not put the world to come which we speak. In subjection to angels, one testified in a certain place, saying, what is man you are mindful of him, the Son of Man, you take care of him.

You have made him a little lower than the angels you have crowned him with glory and honor set him over the works of your hands you have put all things in subjection under his feet are in that he put all in subjection under him.

He left nothing that is not put under him.

Now we do not yet see all things put under him.

We see Jesus was made a little lower than the angels of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor. He the grace of God might taste death for everyone giving a title to this morning's consideration in the purpose of that is what are we zooming in on that is in this section of Scripture for us the destiny of the saved. That's what the writer is talking about a song about a bunch of things, of course, but that is one that stands out knowing the origins of our faith, knowing the destiny of those who are saved by Jesus Christ and him alone.

It is too bad that we Christians are too ready to retreat from contrary winds, I don't mean storms I mean just winds that are contrary to us. Little things for decades as a Christian and as a minister in the church and as a pastor I watched Christians flee solid churches over insignificant and unimportant things.

And of course it's unfortunate I don't know that I've had any success over the decades trying to encourage Christians not to be this way. Hebrews tells us that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching that Day approaching is the destiny for the Christians is a glorious time, but until then we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves. That's a difficult at times, but it's also wonderful at times depends on the perspective of the individual if he is a Christian if she is a Christian that perspective need match Christ's perspective and not their own. Would it be a good thing. Would it be nice if an angel of the Lord stood in front of the church doors as Christians were fleeing because of contrary winds with a sword in his hand said get back in there will be no retreat.

Get back in there.

I think that would be very very good.

I think it would make the church stronger, but unfortunately we are to walk by faith, not by the commandments of angels with swords in their hands. God puts it on us.

This is a good thing should be no desertion from Christians in the face of struggle knowing where God is leading us. We would be less prone to flee if we Cite these great things. How many of us remember very easily. Jesus words I go to prepare a place for you, it was not true. I would not of told you we are excited about that fought we are to be more excited about it, even in the face of opposition and unpleasant things that are so often unimportant while that's the introduction to this section because the writer is saying to the Jews don't flee Christianity and go back into Judaism.

Not only will not benefit you, but it will damn your soul because Christ is prefilled those things and it would make a mockery of his death on the cross to go and behave as though the shedding of a goat's blood or lamb's blood is somehow equal with is what if there were an angel in front of these fleeing Hebrews with a sword in his hands and get back in there there be no desertion of Christ on my watch, or anyone else's. Well, again, it would be good but it's not how it's going to be by faith by trusting what God says. Then acting on what he trust what he is said faith is not just okay believe it. It is to act on what you claim to believe. We struggle with this because of our sinful nature. Well, let's go to the first verse and develop all this so that hopefully we could all not only be stronger personally in our walk with that we can influence those who are not in those who are lost to be saved. That is why we do the things we do verse four. I'm not going to take the time to review verses 1 to 3 because verse four belongs with them, but going to just proceed forward and let the storyteller itself will have to give some blue introduction to keep in place is already told him we have the word of God and the word of God has a history of being infallible that when God sent angels with a message. That message was a judgment that judgment happened and so it would do us all good to trust what God has said to be strong and to side with the Lord. Those who heard the Lord preach these very things. And if we neglect them.

We bring upon our own selves just judgment now on the strength of that. He says God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders various miracles gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. Now here he is saying God gave spiritual proofs to back up the things that he was saying the messages that he delivered through his people in even at times through angels. He backed them up Christianity is supernatural not only not only in the history but its message is supernatural, a holy, righteous, God loving, not wholly not righteous sinners. Who else does that. No one does it this way except the Christ, Lord Jesus is messages to sinners. The most ranked the most foul of sinners can come to him that is supernatural is not normal. That is not something some creative writer thought up and it is backed up in the history of the message in many other ways, but just the history. For example, the apostles, the martyrs of the church. The New Testament church that men don't die for fiction not nonfiction when they said we saw him dead, and we saw him alive. After that, again, and we will try upholding the truth that supernatural. That is true.

No one.

No one makes this up regardless of what the naysayers may say supernatural part of Christianity is the genuine part of Christianity in the first church that first church of believers that we meet in the book of acts that is darling church to us. We fall in love with that early church at least I think every Christian should fall in love.

Those first Christians is that one that I want to be left out everything they had not sought the bloodshed but I'll take it if you send because he is worthy, your wonders and signs, and they never contradict the word of God the Word of God is always first, Satan will be granted lying wonders and lying signs and there will be signs and wonders that people misinterpret because they have not the faith. Because the carnal man cannot receive the things of the spirit of God are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

And that spirit is the Holy Spirit not be right with him is not to understand what is right and wrong concerning things that he is done, Pharaoh of Egypt just didn't get it ditty signs and wonders right in front of but limiting this to the New Testament church as the writers to has done here. God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, Mark chapter 16 verse 20 the early Christians after the resurrection, they went out and preached and it says this they went out and preached everywhere, doesn't mean they put sandwich boards on and just went out and in indiscriminately shouted the gospel to people but it means they were so volatile with troops so ready to go off in the face of alive that all you had to do was nudge them in the gospel would come out continues Mark 16, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs and then Mark adds, amen, is true. Trust that the sin that so easily besets us often all all the time works to disqualify us from doing these very things workplace. We may start enjoying inappropriate jokes or suggesting things like that and all the while Satan is chipping, chipping away at our witness so that we become an incredible witness incredible in the sense wow that's amazing, but incredible I don't believe I heard his dirty jokes. I've watched him flirt.

I've watched her take this door do that. I'm not ready to listen to them about Jesus Christ. So we have to work. We work hard to keep that moment from happening and if it happens, we scrambled corrected in the book of acts. Again, acts 14 speaking boldly in the Lord this was that first church was bearing witness to the word Scriptures cannot be removed from signs and wonders and anybody that does make that attempt is an apostate, a heretic, something other than a true witness. He continues and asked alright so Luke writes of Paul and Barnabas bearing witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. So the early church had the signs and wonders. The writer is saying this belong to us belongs to God, but he gave it to us miracles.

That's the event that's the power that's the big thing that took place. The wonder is the effect of the thing that took place. The event the miracle so you see the Lord do something that's not ordinary but extraordinary this miraculous. It creates a sense of wonder and there are many of you here have had this experience in life called out to the Lord and he is reversed some collision course that was irreversible and you just amazed Satan will come along south and God is to happen that way. That's a lie was a sign that you are God's child that he is never going to leave you or forsake you that even when he allows you to be chopped on a little bit. He still there. He understands what it means to suffer and to die assigned. That's the value of the wonder of the miracle so these early Christians, they saw these miraculous things created this office wonder it was a sign. It meant something. It was not something random in creation. It was a word from God to them often to be strong to believe that indeed God is working with his ministers.

Or what about today. Today, the emphasis, the emphasis is on faith and action based on the Scripture, God still does miracle story does not rule on the level that he did with the apostles, the in some ways he is exceeded. However that is doing them all over the world.

One time, but in most civilized lands where people are allowed to think and exchange thoughts. The emphasis is not on the merit miraculous powers of God. But the miraculous word of God. Don't don't trivialize that don't don't demoted and said I rather have a miracle than the simple truth because many do that he says here and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his will is the will of the Holy Spirit. All the gifts belong to God, whether you have the gift of knowledge of discernment speaking in tongues or interpreting tongues or miracles or else whatever it is it belongs to God is just entrusting you with it and that is a gift first Corinthians 12. Speaking of the gifts all summing it up says but one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as he wills as God wills to do it.

I don't want the gift of healing when I need the gift of teaching. I don't want the gift of teaching when I need the gift of healing, how I always know these things. What that's up to the Lord to dispense as is needed. That's why he is Lord faith.

Faith does not delight in the hysterical and sensationalism in noisy emotionalism. Why do I even have to say that because there are many that do delight and hysteria in Christ's name.

Emotionalism that is being led by their feelings regardless of fact and faith in Revelation because it feels good to them on multiple tears it is wrong to magnify the Holy Spirit to contradict his own Bible and there are those that do Bible forbids this yeah but the spirit got hold of me anointed you saying he did just signing his name to a check that doesn't belong to you.

Fraudulent, so we avoid emotional driven religion, which always seeks for sign which always seeks for wonder which always demands God validate something instead of the still small voice of his word. That is like fire. It is like a hammer that is like a sword power of the word of God's will save souls keeps them serving the Lord growing stronger in Christ.

So again looking at verse four.

God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders with various miracles gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. Verse 54 that joins verse four with five he is not put the world to come, of which we speak. In subjection to angels all the world to come is the millennial kingdom. The kingdom age and beyond. That's just the.

The foyer, that's the. The entranceway the porch the kingdom age. There's a whole eternity. Beyond that is so glorious that God simply says this about it. I'll make a new heavens and new earth.

The former will pass away and just tell us much more be so glorious this world is not all we have God's greater plans and we are in those plans. If we want to be and we are in those plans.

So long as we want to be says in subjection to angels, for he is not put the world to come. In subjection to angels nice contrasting his people with angels, angelic beings, angels have superpowers. He read the book of Revelation and use as incredible if they make superheroes look weak, quite powerful and yet they are the Angels we will be in subjection to us.

They presently are ministers on our behalf and son all they do that is part of their job assignment. There job description. Yet the believers destiny will eclipse there's read the book of Revelation see these great angels at work power that they have the thunder in their voices and understand that we eclipse them is quite marvelous.

We get that from Scripture. We have no promise in Scripture at all that the angels will have authority to rule on earth, but we have it from Scripture clearly that we will rule on earth.

Of course, under the Lord Jesus Christ and rule over angels.

First Corinthians 6 do you not know the thought of it.

Are you that dumb kind of saying in there because of Carinthia needed to hear that we do not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters. Do you not know that we will judge angels how much more things that pertain to this life. Christians don't believe this, some do great many don't psychologist and psychiatrist ought to be coming to us for advice. We could save them, but instead Christians hold hands up, I surrender and go to them. Paul makes it clear that when you lose sight of your destiny. You lose power in proportion to your lost sight of destiny spout. The more you see what God has for you, the stronger you are, the less you see the weaker you are saying you lose your salvation you can have your salvation lose your power, he says in verse five.

In subjection to angels. As I've mentioned, then he goes on a verse six, but one testifies in a certain place, saying, this is Psalm eight verse four what is man that you are mindful of him, the Son of Man that you take care of him. What is man that you even care about him. David know that he can look up at the heavens.

He could see the hills of Jerusalem. They can look at creating some God designed this.

What am I that I can even talk to him. Humans have priority with God, pets, secondary should not bother you that should excite you. This mediates the pets just keeps things in perspective.

You know that humans are the only ones that are offended often and for nothing.

What makes us different from the animals. I'll tell you we get offended. That's what makes us different and we get offended over nothing. A dog is not offended when you try to take his bony is angry, rightfully so instinctively, he takes countermeasures but we human beings and Christian saved by grace with era arrives on destiny how easily were offended.

They didn't say hello to me all they did look my way.

So what are you less of a person are you now shorter because of the gain weight because of that everybody understands that this is not your fault if you From gaining weight is refrigerators I'm never reminded me go forward or the Son of Man that you take care of him so he says what is, what am I that you think of me and not only me but it goes under those generation after me, my children, you continued to do this not just have your eyes on me, but others like me.

Acts chapter 2 Peter was giving his great same sermon he said it's time to repent times of refreshing may come and then he adds in acts chapter 2, verse 39 for the promise is to you and your children to all who are far off as many as the Lord will call in the Lord calls many many he can, not willing that any should perish, that call is been broadcast but there are people on earth.

To this day. Never heard the name Jesus Christ so difficult to get our heads around that it's think sometimes we lose more Bibles than other countries have ever had the precious word of God, and it is a eye-opening thought that the name of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of him nonexistent.

Some places verse seven he says you have made him a little lower than the angels you have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands is continuing to quote Psalm eight is going to the Scripture see the writer in Hebrews happens to value the Scripture as being words from God's will is mind his heart.

They belong to God and the belong to us once they are spoken once they are communicated, so he sees the insignificance of man writers David in this case to misquoting yet God is steaming man above the Angels above the animals does not mean he is against the Angels or or thinks a little less of them or the animals. It just means he's elevated man man is limited for now.

Now the Angels are above us.

They're not susceptible to pain to death into sorrow to the elements and to known physics. We are, they are not so in that sense, they are superior to us for now for the day will come when those things will belong to us to will have something else. Faith believed in the God they serve who they saw were there. Will he lived with. We believe in that God sight unseen physicals move you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio