046 - The Danger in Drifting

You pick up your Bible wondering is there more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right may look like just print on the page but it's more than a join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own.

As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than driving to Iowa Road you drift too far when I serious consequences. Today there are serious consequences to 15 from the gospel today in Hebrews 2 today I Dorothy and I we are excited we are venturing our way into Hebrews for both of us admit it or not it is really not adequate. I would dare say that anyone who claims be an expert in the book of Hebrews is kind of speak about their big rate just now. It's an astonishing book is deep in so many ways but were roping as a result of our conversation we have here have here today and as we undergo that it will intrigue you enough to want you to come back again on your own. Over and over and over because that's what it's done with me the first time I heard it. I said I got reset is what we do and I would just encourage you to do that.

We even after all of our years of Bible study. We approach everything that we study, but particularly something like this book of Hebrews with great humility really are standing that we are never going to plumb the depths completely and what is said here but that the spirit is our teacher and has he makes things, causes things to leap off the page.

We will gain a fresh understanding every time we come to absolutely cut some mixes, adventuring just exciting and I really love coming back going into Vista so can I open with a story about this because were in Hebrews 2 and I'm kinda fond of this particular section because there was a time years ago maybe like 20 years ago was having regular breakfast with a fella at a Denny's restaurant have our grand slam breakfast and stuff like that and I had just read this section were looking at today and I got so excited by what is said in chapter 2 that I I came to women as they were getting our eggs. I said I had the most incredible thing in Hebrews today and he says will once that what you so excited about. I was really pretty worked up about it and and I said well I read this verse that said and says how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation and I said as I said that line I mean literally, as I said that line a white station wagon passed on the street in front of Denny's and then hand painted on the side of the waystation.

Megan was how shall we escape the hole in the car.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great is my friend. I quoted choice of what like like that and I pointed at the car and he looked out the car and then we look back at each other and her eyebrows went up and we said about that. Pretty interesting example of Scripture leap today what it why is it that that he has such it's very stark message. How we escape if we neglect so great a salvation last week we came into this section. Hebrews talking about the fact that Hebrews is all about who Jesus is and especially from a Jewish from the Hebrew perspective, which is where it gets its name from somewhere in the chapter 2 now, after we've gone past the supremacy of Christ over angels, but it implies more than just who is it talk so much more about his role in all of creation. We haven't actually gone past the comparison with show up a handful of times in this in this chapter. Two. So the writer is still discussing the supremacy of this firstborn son over else and before he continues that argument takes full parenthetical utterances and this is a big deal. And this is why so you want to start in diverse and well and it's interesting because chapter 2 starts with and therefore therefore write and sell for you beginning Bible students every time you see that word therefore you look back and find out what it's there. They are right okay so that's a stupid pun, but it helps us remember that we need to take in mind everything that was said in chapter 1, who is this one.

What has been said so far about his relationship to the Angels and why is he so much more. So much better so much other than me, so that the writer has laid down that argument in chapter 1 and then he begins chapter 2 will he didn't be in chapter 2 we begin chapter 2 was added later.

Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we've heard, lest we drift away from it for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just retribution. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, it was declared at first by the Lord and was attested to us by those who heard while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. There so Jesus is much bigger than angels and so we talked about last time.

Therefore we better pay much closer attention to what we've heard, lest we drift. Okay so the question arises in my mind that what is, what have we heard what have we heard what will be told in chapter 1 the author says God has spoken in his son. So what we've heard is the son himself become flesh and he tells much about salvation and the need for repentance that that whole package about what the gospel is says to that that you know that God himself spoke to us. God bore witness great Jesus himself bore witness and then those he spoke to bore witness writer. We have all of that witness that we have heard so we better pay attention better pay attention and you and I like I like the become the way he says in verse one. It's not that will repudiate what we know about the gospel is the fact that if we stop paying attention to what we just are drift and that it's interesting you talk a lot about what the drift manifests as what happens in our lives.

We don't remember what Christ is done on our behalf for us because of our inability to pay for owns and many times what we drift into is trying to go back and being good enough to pay God or our salvation.

That's one of things that we drift into and away from quote crisis on our behalf, but there's lots of ways in which we drift away. So there's something about the gospel who Christ is and is supremacy that if we take it off the front burner of our thinking. We tend to drift into backwater places that you really shouldn't go to hell, supremacy, and night. I was really attracted to this word drift as I was reading this, just preparing for today because I got to thinking about you know Wendy drift. Well, if you're in boat you drift when you cut the engine and you just let the boat will float along with wherever the current is going great. If you're driving and you drift into another lane, it's because you've either gotten sleepy or you've taken your eyes off the road, or perhaps your hands off the wheel right so those things, you know, drifting in a boat can be a fairly gentle process but drifting when you're driving on the freeway can be deadly exact right so adrift is not necessarily a harmless process, it can lead you to death and he's saying this is the deal. Christ is so much more supreme than the Angels and everything in all creation. Remember, created everything and going back to him then we would sort of listen up. Don't take your eye off him exact. Don't let your focus drift to the Angels right right anything else it sparkly and get your bench and and you know in verse two.

He's kind of opening up the Old Testament a little bit and do a ton is the chapters go on about the fact that the message that came through angels in the Old Testament you know about the Mosaic law. Particularly, you know, if, if that is if that proved reliable if if there was a consequence for disobeying those in Haiti. We get a message from a son. We better, take a really close note of what is being said and so if we neglect it. Not not back. She just go get but just neglected that Haugen escape and was it were escaping from.

That's a good question, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation while we find out later in the chapter that what were escaping from his death, but I I was kind of intrigued by by how great is this salvation question. I rolled around in my mind for a little while well you know this is a salvation that God's own son was given to procure for us. You know he is Artie told us in chapter 1 that he the creator and heir of all things himself, purified us from our sins. How great a salvation is that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son is.

I think sometimes we minimize the cost of our salvation.

We live in an age when Christianity is minimized in general and not sure we live in this country course for questions right or there's always just about what salvation really see automatic and rice coming to us. And if you neglect the reality of the greatness of our salvation. You are in danger drifting into something deadly. And that's a constant danger. We drift if we don't keep our minds pay attention just like the drive the card if you don't keep attention to what's in front of you will drift right and that's a second extreme danger to us, so he also he also brings up the fact that none of the Lord.

Tell us about this, but I like in verse forces while God bore witness by signs and wonders very smart goals. Gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. So very much, so that God has. Seems like has gone to a lot of work to let us know how we can escape you know what this great salvation is knowing to what Jesus said. But though the eyewitnesses who heard and that all these miracles that attest that he is the person he says is God's gone to a lot of effort to say listen, and I have validated Val Halliday for you what this message is all about.

So on the basis of even all that he picked up evidence we need to kind of straighten up and aim in that direction and make sure that we don't drift away from ultimate validation of course is the resurrection of Jesus exactly what Paul use that many times in the discussions to says, you knowing it all comes back to well raising the dead came back from the dead is less commonly talked in Athens next 17 and the Holy Ghost of the entire thing is is and you know it's all proven because he came back from the dead right there you go, not a ghost.

Real a real being a real person, exactly, exactly.

So this is this this is also a parenthetical thing in his old discourse on who Jesus is.

But it's like come on this is really important has gigantic repercussions. What will this move on with this going to verse five. What you say.

Well were still talking about Angels yeah right he's still making the case for content were continuing the chapter 1 discussion right continuing the case that that this one is greater than the Angels. Shall I read sure, for it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come up which were speaking. It's been testified somewhere. What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of Man that you care for him.

You made him a little while lower than the angels you've crowned him with glory and honor. Putting everything in subjection under his feet. Okay, so he's quoting Psalm eight and little talk about that more verbatim. Let me read to the end of the passage now in putting everything in subjection to him.

He left nothing outside his control.

At present, we do not see everything in subjection to him, but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone stuff you know that taste death for everyone. Just stuck in my soul like a burger today for as long as it is and I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but but that's kind that the rest of this whole passage that he has come, he has become lower than the angels for a purpose is to to taste death to fully experience death for Seneca underscores what he just says if indeed Christ came. His purpose was to taste us on our behalf for us and how were going to escape that if we neglect that right there is no remedy for – if he neglect the one remedy that God is provided which is a resurrection it's a huge solution and if you neglect that the only solution you're in big danger if you wander away from that.

So yesterday comes in a five talking about the supremacy views over angels again. But yes, he has a really great guy really concrete question. You know has as God made the offer angels to subject everything the world to come you never the world to come, which is like all of God's promises fulfilled. Finally, has he ever subjected the world angels know actually I can't know I didn't really track this down but I can't think of anywhere in Scripture were God subjected anything angels so either think so. Now angels are his messengers and deliver his message and people respond with great fear and you have will, but yet the Angels don't rule over anything right right so clearly were talking about you so." Psalm 80 he's he's talking about Jesus right here in the important of Jesus actually being a man. This is the interesting thing we talk we'll talk about this so much during entire book is that Jesus is equally God and man God and man. At the same time, which sounds like it shouldn't be possible but it is possible, and he says so by quoting somebody right there.

You made him a little while lower than angels, and you've crowned with what you've crowned with glory and honor and put everything in subjection under his feet so it's an astonishing thing that here, here, God has his son makes him more than angels. That is, as a man and then being in that condition, being in a man.

Still, everything is subject to everything under his feet. Now it's interesting to me because this raises a study. The study technique question because the way this writer uses this Psalm is a little bit of a head scratcher and the ones were talk about next week is even more so, I Psalm it was written by David and if you go back and read Psalm eight he's the writer of Hebrews is taken up in the middle section and applied it to Jesus. But if you read Psalm eight it doesn't sound like David is talking about Messiah he's talking. He's ruminating on himself as king and that is gotten done in subjecting and giving mankind rule over creation and in the sense like he did in the garden. He set out to take care of it and have dominion over my creation so you know that help is his question about how do we handle these kind of Psalm quotations that don't immediately look like they apply. Well, it's a it's a good steady principal to remember that we let the Scripture interpret the Scripture.

So if the writer of Hebrews has utilized Psalm eight to explain his point, then we've got to say then that's in Psalm eight and I perhaps have not properly understood. Psalm eight until I see it in this light, as it applies to the son of God and what you well said there are whole scriptures that are used this way of Hebrews and we go wait to prove his point and since he's writing to Hebrew audio right now. He knows he can drop these verses that there for me when I go out your right right for us. Were not quite that same experience may place and so we go on as you read Psalm eight and it talks in general about the role of man and God's creation right, but it also talks about how astonishing it is that you have God's creation just huge and big and reflects the bigness of God is and then there is man in the middle of it and you even from like the garden of Eden perspective God says to Adam and Eve, you will be in charge of writing right will. That's just crazy that were talking about God's creation, all that stuff but he is extended to the he's extended it to the Messiah himself, and maybe he's kind of jumping off of that phrase he has in verse six, there were the Son of Man that you care from a son of man is a peculiar phrase it in the Old Testament that usually hints at the Messiah Jesus so he could be that I don't know well and we know that Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man were emphasizing his humanity emphasizing is only identifying with us so so here we have him bring up this Psalm eight, you know justification for why he puts Jesus on this illustration right thing. This is this like this he was made lower than the angels for a little while yet so you know if he's putting everything in subjection to him. He hasn't left anything outside his control, so this was says he's interpreting for is that means Jesus is in control of everything. Well, he'd already said that chapter 1 says in verse 13, you know, sit at my right hand until I make every thing subject to you, so it already was subject to him because he created you and it's going back to hideous author of it all hundred times or the fact that she is preeminent over all and so this how great is this salvation that this one came but I love how he says now you know you got this question in your mind. We don't see everything at present is subject to him right so when we can see all we can look at right now is Jesus right and we can see him for little while. We see him a little while meeting three years. Basically what it briefed me know you have linked us an astonishing effect on the course of mankind. We see them for a little while was made lower than angels, namely Jesus and but but still, even though as a man, the lowly man crowned with glory and honor, why, why is he chronicling this is what's interesting because of the suffering of death, so he's crowned with glory and honor because of the death that he's going to undergo. That's amazing. That's I really just furnishing that the source of life himself would become subject to death rate in the suffering entailed with death that just stops me in my tracks and that's the point of honor that's that's the owner here so so Jesus and he's he hasn't even gotten halfway through chapter 2 is already told you so clearly that the purpose the tell us the same Greek. The purpose of Jesus life was to die and what's the purpose of that death and is the end of that sentence so that he might taste death for everyone. So there is there is a destiny we have because of our sin which is death and spiritual death and separation from God separation, the source of all life. That's the wrath of God coming down. That's what we need to escape, if we want to continue to experience life and it turns out that he himself has tasted death in our place for everyone and not just for some, but for everyone, so you know when we use the word taste. We think let's get a little sample of that on my tongue if I like it or not, but this this idea of tasting is not just to perceive the flavor of something, but to partake in it to ask.

Set to so yeah like like a wine taster slims that winding their mouth and slashes it all around and just holds onto it until all the right flavors become current that can idea it is a complete a complete savoring of death, not just a little on when I dip my toe in know he became sin for us, in order that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

But what a great word to because only taste things we don't we don't fully ingest them so that there's kind of a and nothing. Jesus didn't really die, but what I'm saying is that there's something about the death that he experience that wasn't total. What which means that the resurrection know he really died. He really died. I'm just saying that's it. Always a question I don't mind about that because of this I mean how explain this later, but he's kind of he's use of really interesting in word of intrigue right here would mean to East. I mean, didn't he swallow the whole thing. Well, there's something there something in which he fully participated in it by tasting it. Instead of just smelling it, but there's something not quite total about that. Not quite told Mike that he actually conquered so. Oh, I see where you're going back saying okay and unkind listing for glass going to have to unwind that is to go on your 11 but did I mean another way to put it is did death actually conquered him no, but cause us all in a certain sense he taste death.

The tasted just like we tasted. But the process wasn't as full as it would be for him. Well, okay, but see the Scripture says, even in second Corinthians 5 that death is swallowed up swallow my life so okay I see where you're going here. Presenting 1/2 we were doing three guesses that he subjected himself to death, but it did not permanently swallow him exactly yes he overcame it.

So we know this can assess me thinking about the conversation. She's had a Pharisees in John eight and I I would encourage you go back and read from verses 51 to the end of the chapter where he says truly I say to you, anyone who keeps my word he shall never see death and that the Jews immediately said well you must have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets. Also, how can you say if anyone keeps my word he shall never yeah so they understood they understood him, and that conversation actually culminates in him, saying, before Abraham was, I am makes this claim to being God, the source of life. So that's an interesting connection here.

I think for looking at that phrase taste death. And so that's that's on eight you all go to this world that it's worth reading Johnny many to discuss. It is, it's a great discussion but here we gotten well aware of time to get the gun halfway through Hebrews 2 and we've come to the point that we understand that this one who created everything holds every thing together and to whom everything is going needed to needed to come and die and taste death on our behalf for everyone with. There's the gospel, even in the first time he did need to do it for himself.

No, but we needed him to do it for us right and not because we earned it and it is anyway but by the grace of God by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. We didn't want it. We didn't deserve it, but by the grace of God, he will indeed die for us and there is there is in the opening verses of Hebrews. Well we did close down for today but to track that well enough to just see where he's going to this, the supremacy of who Christ is and I hope the plan is inflamed your appetite to follow through with this. This Hebrews study so we will come back next week were going to be the second half of Hebrews to and you mentioned Abraham. Abraham going to come to may show up, so do more appealing to the Jewish he reminded a lot of people here was Abraham wise at figuring we know at this point right now that Jesus came creator came to die on our behalf to MySpace might taste death for every West great good news. But how in the world actually works about how great a salvation is that you neglect that salvation.

There is no drift away. No restriction either way is just the same weight and it turns out, this death will be looked at. Even much more closely as he goes on about sacrifice so much. This just tickles the beginning of the whole thing. Why would why the site so anyway love you with some Jim Dorothy and will see you next week.

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