1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,240 Well, hey everybody, go ahead and grab your seed. 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:03,640 We're about to jump into the study. 3 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:06,760 Listen, if you don't have any of the notes and you'd like, fill 4 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,400 in the blank notes, they are right there at the entrance as 5 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,000 you come in. Unless, of course, you're 6 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,320 watching on the live stream, in which case I don't have notes 7 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:14,600 for you. But I'm so glad you're here, 8 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:16,640 man. I'm excited. 9 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,640 We haven't got to do Bible study in several months. 10 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,000 Renewed Mind Bible studies is, is basically like this. 11 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,760 If you're brand new to this, it's not a normal church 12 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,080 service. What we're going to do is we're 13 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:28,240 going to have about half an hour of of going line by line through 14 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:29,880 the scriptures. Then we're going to have about 15 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,400 30 minutes of table discussion where there are there are 16 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,760 questions there at the end of these notes that the table can 17 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,640 talk amongst themselves. And then we'll end with some 18 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,480 sort of stripped down more acoustic style worship. 19 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:43,280 And I'm going to tell you what, just during sound check, it was 20 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,200 really getting to me. So when we get to worship, don't 21 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:48,880 talk to me. I'm so excited for it tonight. 22 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,880 But listen, the book of Hebrews is a big deal if if you are not 23 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,800 on the the mailing list and you want to get the notes, I do send 24 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,120 these notes in advance. I also send up a personal study 25 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,800 plan that comes out after each lesson that connects it to other 26 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:05,560 scriptures. If you want to get on that list, 27 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,320 find me after I'm done teaching. I'll get you on there or send us 28 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:10,080 an e-mail. You can send me an e-mail to 29 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,120 blake@libertync.org if you're watching online and you want to 30 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,440 be on that. Just really quickly, We don't 31 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,160 know who the author of the book of Hebrews is. 32 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,560 And, and I share that because in all honesty, it could flavour 33 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,160 the way that we read it if we knew that. 34 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:29,320 I will tell you the person that I think it is, but I don't know 35 00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:30,880 for sure. So let me step right here. 36 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:33,720 So I'm not at the pulpit. I think it's Apollos. 37 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,160 That's who I think it is. That's really who most people 38 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:37,920 think it is. But just the way that it's 39 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:41,200 written, how well studied they are with all of the Scriptures, 40 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,880 I really think that's who it is. There's some other people, some 41 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,120 people say they think it's Paul, but you know what? 42 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,320 Paul's written enough. I have heard before. 43 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:51,680 Some people think it's Priscilla. 44 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,720 And you know what? I think it'd be awesome if a 45 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,120 book of the Bible was written by a woman. 46 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:57,760 I just don't think that Hebrews was. 47 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:00,720 I don't think it fits what we do know of Priscilla and her 48 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,600 husband Aquila. I think it was Apollo's, but he 49 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,560 was well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures, and as he 50 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,000 learned more, he tweaked his teaching style. 51 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:10,600 And we do know this from the Scriptures. 52 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,240 And so we're going to have our introductory lesson first, one 53 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:18,840 out of eight on Hebrews tonight. So I want to welcome you to what 54 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,400 I call the age of outrage. I don't know if you've noticed, 55 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,680 but we live in a world where everybody has something to say, 56 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,640 everyone has an opinion, everyone has a perspective, and 57 00:02:29,640 --> 00:02:32,120 everyone seems convinced that their understanding of life is 58 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,880 the correct one. And you know what's really rough 59 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,800 about this is we have access to more information than any 60 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,040 generation before us. I mean, we used to write our own 61 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,960 love letters and notes to each other, and now we have ChatGPT. 62 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:47,920 Do it. Make it sound like me. 63 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:51,000 Try again. I have seen a lot of this 64 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,920 happen, right? Somehow, having more information 65 00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:57,000 has not made us any wiser. Have you noticed this? 66 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,360 If anything, it's made it increasingly difficult to 67 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,440 distinguish between what is true, what's important, and what 68 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,880 is just another voice screaming for our attention. 69 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,080 So whether we realize it or not, the voices that we listen to 70 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,520 eventually build the entire life that we live. 71 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,360 Think about how much what we believe has been influenced by 72 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:19,360 someone or something. So our families influence us, or 73 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,640 our experiences influence us. Our culture, the people we 74 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:25,720 surround ourselves with, they all change the way that we 75 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,200 understand things like relationships or success or even 76 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,720 our sense of morality or purpose. 77 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,680 It even influences the way that we see God in our lives. 78 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,240 So some of those influences are healthy, and sometimes we 79 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,440 discover that what we've accepted as truth was never 80 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,160 really truth at all, and we have to unlearn things. 81 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,160 Anybody here ever have to unlearn something? 82 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:46,760 I've had a lot. I could probably fill a class on 83 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,840 that. So the most important question 84 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,240 that the book of Hebrews would ask you is this. 85 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,880 If you are saying that you want to be a Christian, when so many 86 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,440 voices are speaking into your lives, how can you determine 87 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:00,680 what voice deserves the greatest authority? 88 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,240 Now, we would all say the VBS answer, it's Jesus. 89 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:04,440 He should have the ultimate authority. 90 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Well, what does that sound like to hear from Jesus? 91 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,840 Hebrews is one of the most fascinating books in the New 92 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:14,280 Testament because it approaches the Christian faith completely 93 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:15,840 differently than any of the other letters. 94 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,399 It's part of why I don't think it's Paul. 95 00:04:17,399 --> 00:04:19,800 We get a good idea of what Paul sounds like. 96 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,520 Paul often addresses specific problems within churches. 97 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,200 Peter frequently will encourage believers who are facing 98 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,880 suffering. Hebrews builds an extended 99 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,880 argument around 1 central truth, and it's this. 100 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,240 Jesus is better. He's greater than the angels, 101 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:40,240 greater than Moses, greater than the priesthood. 102 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,000 Jesus provides a better hope, a better covenant, a better 103 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,880 sacrifice. And all throughout the book of 104 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:50,200 Hebrews, the author of this, this whole book takes things 105 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,600 that the readers would have already understood to be 106 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,400 important. And he demonstrates that 107 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,400 everything God has been doing throughout history was 108 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,000 ultimately pointing to something better. 109 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,800 And his name is Jesus. So there is something that we 110 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:05,120 need to understand before we begin. 111 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,160 When I talk about this audience, there were people that are 112 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,160 receiving this letter. They already had a spiritual 113 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,040 foundation. They were already familiar with 114 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,240 the Scriptures. They understood the history of 115 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,240 Israel. This this was not a letter that 116 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,320 was written primarily to the Gentiles. 117 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,520 OK. So a lot of what they refer to 118 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,280 are things that they would have understood because they grew up 119 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:28,000 immersed in the Old Testament. And this would be connecting it 120 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,480 to the gospel of Jesus. It's sort of like a connector 121 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,880 book. Hebrews 10 in specific tells us 122 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,720 that these believers have already experienced suffering 123 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:39,360 because of their faith. That is not something that 124 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:40,800 normally happens to a new believer. 125 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,920 Some had been publicly ridiculed, others had suffered 126 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,040 alongside imprisoned believers, and some of them had experienced 127 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:49,040 the loss of their possessions that had things taken away 128 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,040 because of their faith. They had all followed and and 129 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,920 and been faithful to Jesus and paid a dear price for it. 130 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:58,280 And so the authors reminding them that they once endured 131 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:02,080 those hardships with confidence, but somewhere along the way, it 132 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,040 started to get a little weaker. And so we don't know exactly all 133 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:06,840 the circumstances all the believers were facing. 134 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:10,440 And scholars will continue to debate the identity and location 135 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,440 of the original audience. But the repeated warnings all 136 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,720 throughout Hebrews show the author's concern, which is this. 137 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,120 Some of them are becoming spiritually sluggish. 138 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:21,720 Some of them are neglecting Christian fellowship. 139 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,480 Some of them are in danger of slipping away from what they had 140 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,680 received. And so this author was 141 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,360 recognising people who once followed Jesus with conviction 142 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,640 can start loosening their grip when the price gets too high. 143 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:35,600 So here's what we do. If you're brand new to this, we 144 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:37,880 read the scripture and then I'm going to go through the notes 145 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,000 and I'll repeat something twice if it's in your fill in the 146 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,280 blanks. But if you're following along, 147 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,560 you won't need me to repeat it, but I do it anyway. 148 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,920 All right, so the first part, just the first couple of verses, 149 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,920 is this, that God has spoken. Here's what it says. 150 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,920 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our 151 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,640 ancestors through the prophets. I love that. 152 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:02,000 Just remember that many times and in many ways, and now in 153 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,040 these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. 154 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:09,680 God promised everything to the sun as an inheritance, and 155 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,280 through the sun He created the universe. 156 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,840 Simple, simple 2 verses, right? Well, the author of this letter 157 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:18,880 wastes absolutely no time getting to the point. 158 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,160 That's another reason why I don't think it's Paul, because 159 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,240 he normally has these very specific greetings. 160 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,480 There's no greeting, there's no introduction of the author, not 161 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,240 even a word of encouragement to whoever decides to read this 162 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,200 letter. Instead, it just opens up with 163 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,960 the declaration that establishes the foundation for everything 164 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:35,320 that we're going to study, which is this. 165 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:40,800 God has spoken. And I think sometimes we forget 166 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,440 just how extraordinary that statement alone is. 167 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,960 I think a lot of times we spend so much time wondering what God 168 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,360 thinks and what God wants and whether God is trying to 169 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,800 communicate something to us so that we can forget something, 170 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:55,440 you know, incredibly important along the way, which is this. 171 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,680 God has never been a God who was content to remain unknown. 172 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,920 God wants you to hear what he has to say more than you do, and 173 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,560 that will never change. The opening verse here tells us 174 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,320 that God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many 175 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,200 different times and in many different ways. 176 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:13,240 So let's get a little Greek here. 177 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,960 The Greek word translated as many times is palumaros. 178 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:20,280 It carries the idea of something being communicated in many 179 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:26,760 portions or stages and stages. And the word for many ways it's 180 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:31,000 similar, but it's polutropos. It means through a variety of 181 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,159 methods. Methods. 182 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,760 So those two words paint a really beautiful picture of how 183 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,159 God has revealed himself throughout the Old Testament. 184 00:08:39,159 --> 00:08:41,799 If you have read through the Old Testament, if you are familiar, 185 00:08:42,039 --> 00:08:43,640 then you already know this. Think about it. 186 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,000 He spoke to Moses through a burning Bush. 187 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,720 Through a burning Bush. In fact, we say that sometimes. 188 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,960 If God wants me to do this, he's going to have to light a Bush on 189 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,640 fire and tell me. You better be careful. 190 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,360 He spoke to Elijah through a gentle whisper. 191 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:00,840 Through a gentle whisper. Couldn't be a lot different 192 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:02,960 there. He spoke to Daniel through 193 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,080 visions. He spoke to the prophets through 194 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,120 messages. Of course, we know. 195 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:08,760 We're familiar with their messages that they were 196 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,280 commanded to deliver to other people. 197 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:13,720 And sometimes he communicated through dreams, sometimes 198 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,760 through miracles, and sometimes through the unfolding events of 199 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,280 history. But throughout all of that, 200 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,840 God's revelation wasn't absent. It was just unfolding. 201 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,280 If you only looked for Him in dreams, you would have only seen 202 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,000 him in one place. If you only looked for Him in a 203 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,160 burning Bush, you would have only seen him in one place. 204 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:30,480 But here's what makes verse 2 so important. 205 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,440 After explaining how God spoke in the past, the author of this 206 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,760 book now announces that quote. In these final days, he's spoken 207 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,560 to us through his son. And the Greek phrase behind 208 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:47,840 these final days, Oh, y'all better pray for me is a Besca 209 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,440 tuton. Hey meron tuton. 210 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,520 Solid Greek. I'm sure I sound like a Greek 211 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:56,840 Elmer Fudd, but we got through it. 212 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:02,920 So it points to the climactic period of God's redemptive plan. 213 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,880 Redemptive plan. I want you to know that because 214 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:07,920 a lot of times we'll see these verses where it talks about the 215 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,200 final days, the end times. And sometimes for somebody who's 216 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,040 feeling sceptical, they're like, well, how long are these end 217 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,280 times? Look, there were 400 years alone 218 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:18,640 between the Old and New Testament. 219 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:22,600 We are the microwave generation. Are you that eager for fire to 220 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:24,160 fall? Like I'm ready for it when God 221 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,080 wants it. Here's what you need to know 222 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:27,760 when it talks about the end times. 223 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:31,120 It's talking about when God's redemptive plan, this age, 224 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,800 inaugurated by the coming of Jesus, steps in. 225 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,920 That's where we are. In other words, the author here 226 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:38,440 isn't just announcing the world's about to end. 227 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,280 He's trying to announce that the long-awaited fulfilment of God's 228 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,480 promises has arrived. And guess what? 229 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,520 That's better. So notice the difference here. 230 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,200 In the past, God spoke through the prophets, but now he speaks 231 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:53,880 through his Son. This is something that all of 232 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:57,080 our Christianity hangs on. The prophets were messengers, 233 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,120 but Jesus is more than a messenger. 234 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,160 He's the Son who uniquely reveals the Father. 235 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,280 Elijah could have never revealed the Father in this way. 236 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,920 Moses could have never revealed the Father in this way. 237 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,560 So the prophets could tell people what God had said, and 238 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:12,160 that was helpful, and it's useful. 239 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:14,960 They could tell people what God had said, but Jesus could show 240 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:17,640 people what God is like. Big difference. 241 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,640 Our culture has become accustomed to treating truth as 242 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:23,840 something that we just assemble for ourselves. 243 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,680 And if you think about it, we've all done this and probably 244 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:28,400 actively do it. We take a little bit from our 245 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:31,080 upbringing, a little bit from our parents, our experiences. 246 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:33,680 It's pretty gross. But we take a little bit from 247 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,000 social media, a little bit from Scripture, and then we just try 248 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,480 to construct a version of God that makes sense to us, because 249 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,000 nobody wants to serve a God that doesn't make sense to them. 250 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:43,880 But you're never going to fully figure him out. 251 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:47,520 What you need to know is this. Jesus doesn't come to contribute 252 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,400 yet another opinion to your understanding of God. 253 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:53,560 Jesus comes to correct and complete your understanding of 254 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:55,960 who God is. And this does not mean, by the 255 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,360 way, that the Old Testament was wrong or that God somehow 256 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:00,480 changed his mind. It just means that everything 257 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,520 God had previously revealed was moving towards this. 258 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,760 So Hebrews makes an even greater claim in the second-half of 259 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,960 verse 2. God appointed his son heir of 260 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,960 all things HEIR. He is the heir of all things, 261 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,680 and through him he created the universe. 262 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,200 Why don't you think about that? The one through whom God has 263 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,000 spoken isn't simply another religious teacher that's 264 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,840 offering us wisdom about life. He is the one through whom the 265 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:30,840 universe itself came into existence. 266 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,560 Take that Muhammad, right? And the one to whom all things 267 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:40,200 ultimately belong, belong. He's just not where we had 268 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:42,600 everything created, but everything belongs to Jesus 269 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,840 because of that. So when Jesus speaks, you need 270 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:47,880 to know this. I mean, we, we lose the wonder 271 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:49,760 of this. When Jesus speaks, you're not 272 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,320 merely hearing a perspective that is worth considering. 273 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,080 You are hearing from the one who created the world that you're 274 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,080 trying to understand. Is that not worth listening to? 275 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,480 Which brings us back to the question that we begin with 276 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,320 tonight. In a world that is filled with 277 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,040 competing voices, who deserves the greatest authority over our 278 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,800 lives? Hebrews gives us the answer 279 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,960 before you have even finished the second verse. 280 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:15,240 If God has spoken through his Son, then the most important 281 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,440 question is whether or not you're willing to allow Jesus to 282 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:20,520 change your very understanding of life itself. 283 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,360 You've got a couple questions that are right there, and I call 284 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:26,960 them just personal insight questions. 285 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:28,760 They're just for you. They're not for the table 286 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:30,800 discussions, but if you want to go deeper, they're things that 287 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:32,880 you can think about as you study those scriptures later. 288 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,240 All right, the next couple verses, verses 3 through 4:00, 289 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:42,760 calling this the perfect picture of God, It says the sun radiates 290 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:47,000 God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and 291 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,560 he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. 292 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,640 When He had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place 293 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,960 of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 294 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:01,480 And this shows that the sun is far greater than the angels, 295 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,880 just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. 296 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,280 Christianity 101. Maybe some of us are like, yeah, 297 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,520 obviously. But if the first 2 verses of 298 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,000 Hebrews establish that God has spoken through his Son, these 299 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,680 verses explain why Jesus is uniquely qualified to reveal the 300 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,400 Father to us. And So what the author is saying 301 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,080 here is more extraordinary than we give it credit for. 302 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:24,640 He's not just describing somebody who knows God better 303 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:26,160 than everyone else. Like, this is my dad. 304 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,680 Let me tell you about my dad. You know, he's describing 305 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:33,880 someone who perfectly reveals who God is, perfectly reveals 306 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,720 who God is because he shares God's very nature. 307 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,600 That is something that no mere prophet could ever do. 308 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,720 Verse 3 describes Jesus as radiating God's glory and 309 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:48,840 expressing his very character. In fact, the Greek word that is 310 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:53,920 translated as radiates there is alpagasma, which refers to 311 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,880 radiance, or the shining 4th of light of light. 312 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,440 It's such a picture of glory being made visible. 313 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,960 And so Jesus is not just reflecting God's glory the way 314 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,240 that Moses's face reflected the glory of God after being in his 315 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:10,360 presence. This is saying that Jesus is the 316 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,400 radiance of God's glory because the glory belongs to him. 317 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:15,480 The glory didn't belong to Moses, right? 318 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,280 So there's a big difference. And the author here uses another 319 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,240 interesting word here, it's caracter. 320 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,800 It's translated as expresses expresses in the New Living 321 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,160 Translation. In the ancient world, this word 322 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:29,600 could be used to describe the impression that was left by an 323 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:33,880 engraved seal or a stamp. A stamp. 324 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:36,480 When the seal was pressed into the wax. 325 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,120 The resulting impression would accurately represent the image 326 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,240 that was engraved on it. So the author is using this kind 327 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,520 of imagery to explain something that's very profound about 328 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,400 Jesus. He is not just similar, He is 329 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,600 the exact representation of God's nature. 330 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,080 OK, so think about how often people say things like, I 331 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,440 believe in God, but I don't think that God would ever do 332 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:01,480 that, whatever that is. Or I like Jesus. 333 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:03,560 I'm just not sure about the God of the Old Testament. 334 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,400 They're missing something huge there. 335 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,080 Usually those statements reveal what we're trying to understand 336 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,000 about God through our own expectations, by the way, 337 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:14,840 instead of allowing God to reveal himself on his own terms, 338 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,760 because Hebrews confronts that way of thinking, Jesus does not 339 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:21,640 present us with a softer, more acceptive alternative to the 340 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:23,640 Father. It's not like, oh, do you like 341 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,480 war? You can have the Old Testament 342 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:26,520 God. Do you like peace? 343 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,240 You can have New Testament Jesus. 344 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,080 We've got 2 flavours. It's not what it is. 345 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:36,640 Jesus perfectly reveals the Father, the same God of the Old 346 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,360 Testament. The God whose holiness, the God 347 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:42,440 whose holiness we encounter in the Old Testament is the same 348 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,840 God whose mercy we encounter in Jesus Christ. 349 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,920 If we want to know what God is like, we do not have to invent 350 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,200 an image of him. We just look at Jesus through 351 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,960 the scriptures and the author doesn't stop there either 352 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,000 because verse 3 is telling us that Jesus sustains everything 353 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,640 by the mighty power of his command. 354 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,400 So now we not only is he God, he radiates God. 355 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,720 He's the image of God. He's the perfect picture of God. 356 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,440 But now we know he sustains it. The Greek word here, Pharaoh, 357 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,760 it's translated here as sustains. 358 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,359 It's the idea of bearing or carrying or bringing something 359 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,680 along, right? If I, if I hold this iPad up, 360 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,720 I'm the one sustaining it in the air. 361 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,119 If I drop it, it's going to go down, but I'm sustaining it. 362 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,400 Jesus is the one sustaining all of creation. 363 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,200 In this context, it describes Christ's ongoing activity, which 364 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:35,280 is important because if that's true, and please hear me on 365 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,520 this, it means Jesus is not just responsible for creation in the 366 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,160 distant past. He is actively sustaining 367 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,840 everything that he created initially. 368 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,480 And sometimes we imagine God as someone who started the universe 369 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,120 and then occasionally steps in when something needs fixing can 370 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:53,120 be easy to fall into that. But Hebrews is showing us a very 371 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:56,400 different picture from that thought the same Jesus who 372 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,960 created all things is the one who continues to uphold all 373 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,840 things. And then as you read these 374 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:03,440 verses, it's, it's so funny to me because it's almost in 375 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,000 passing, the author makes another statement that we should 376 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,720 stop and think about which is this, that Jesus cleansed us 377 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,960 from our sins. There's so much rich theologies 378 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:16,520 just in these first 4 verses. The one who reveals God's glory 379 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,640 perfectly, expresses his nature, and sustains the entire universe 380 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,880 is also the one who personally accomplished our purification 381 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,880 from sin. How beautiful that is. 382 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:29,160 And the Greek word there, Catharismos, it means cleansing, 383 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:34,040 cleansing or purification. So for readers that were very 384 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,160 familiar with the Old Testament, as this audience would have 385 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,760 been, that language would bring to mind the sacrifices, the 386 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:40,240 priestly rituals, and all of that. 387 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:43,600 And Jesus didn't just perform another ritual that would need 388 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,920 to be repeated later on. He accomplished the full 389 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,680 purification that the sacrificial system had been 390 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:53,080 pointing toward, something Hebrews will explain later. 391 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,280 But after accomplishing that work, it says that he sat down 392 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,280 at the right hand of God. And I'll just tell you this. 393 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,800 Why does that statement matter? Later in Hebrews, the author 394 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,760 will compare Jesus's completed sacrifice with the repeated 395 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:07,440 ministry of the Old Testament priests. 396 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,080 And here we are being introduced already to the significance of 397 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,640 his finished work and his exalted position. 398 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,040 And then verse four starts the comparison with the angels, 399 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,080 which we'll explore a little bit more in the next section. 400 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:22,640 But the superiority of Jesus to all of creation is not just a 401 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,280 matter of having greater power than heavenly beings, which he 402 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:28,880 has. His position and his identity as 403 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,880 the Son put him in a whole different category completely. 404 00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:34,120 And here's what I want us to recognize before we move 405 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,480 forward. Sometimes we reduce Jesus to 406 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,560 whichever part of his identity makes us more comfortable. 407 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,120 Nobody wants to say that out loud, but we love Jesus, the 408 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:47,760 compassionate teacher. Jesus the compassionate teacher. 409 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,920 We picture him giving it to the religious elite and never once 410 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,640 think I might be the religious elite. 411 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,720 We love the compassionate teacher, but we do struggle with 412 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,720 Jesus the Sovereign Lord. We appreciate Jesus the Saviour. 413 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,280 But we often resist Jesus, the one who has authority over our 414 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,880 decisions. And I just want you to know that 415 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,000 Hebrews will not allow you to separate those things. 416 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,120 So I'm glad you're here tonight. Thanks for being here. 417 00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:16,720 I just want you to know we can't continue to claim to know Jesus 418 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,840 fully while continually redefining him to fit the 419 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,920 version of God that we would prefer to believe in. 420 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,760 All right, next few verses, verses 5 through 9. 421 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,440 The section is called Greater than the Angels. 422 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,000 Greater than the angels. It's almost poetic. 423 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,280 But if a lot of these lines sound similar, there's a reason 424 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,200 and you'll see that or if they sound familiar. 425 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:44,120 So listen, for God never said to any Angel what he said to Jesus. 426 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,480 You are my Son today I've become your father. 427 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,640 God also said I will be his Father and he'll be my son. 428 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:56,040 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 429 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:59,360 let all of God's angels worship him. 430 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,760 Regarding the angels, he says he sends his angels like the winds 431 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:09,240 and servants like flames of fire, but to the sun He says, 432 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,800 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. 433 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:15,000 You rule with the sceptre of justice. 434 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:20,960 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has 435 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:25,000 anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on 436 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:29,120 anyone else. You might wonder why the author 437 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:31,320 of Hebrew suddenly starts talking about angels. 438 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,320 I mean, if we were having this conversation in today's culture, 439 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:36,760 we might be like, hey, hey, focus squirrel. 440 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,680 But think about this. If he's trying to convince 441 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,000 people that Jesus is greater than everything else, why would 442 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,280 you start bringing him up and comparing him to something that 443 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,080 seemed greater than just about everything else? 444 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:50,680 But to understand that, you have to understand how important 445 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,880 angels were in the Jewish understanding of God's 446 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,280 relationship with humanity. Angels were not simply the 447 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,320 beautiful winged figures that are on your Christmas 448 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,480 decorations. The Greek word for Angel is 449 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:06,000 Angolas, Angolas, and it literally means, I know a lot of 450 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,360 people know this messenger. Throughout the Old Testament, 451 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,120 angels served as messengers of God. 452 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:14,280 They carried out his instructions, and sometimes they 453 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,320 intervened in human affairs, but only at the instruction of God 454 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,560 the Father. So there's another connection 455 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,360 here that's especially important to Hebrews. 456 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,000 Not everybody knows this, but Jewish tradition associated 457 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:28,080 angels with the giving of the law to Moses. 458 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,360 And even though we don't have that depicted in in super detail 459 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:37,520 in the Old Testament, we can see that connection in Acts 753. 460 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:42,440 That's Acts 753 and Galatians 319. 461 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,520 Galatians 319. Seriously, make a note and go 462 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:49,440 look at these verses when we're done tonight and you'll be able 463 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,040 to see it clear as day that they associated the angels with 464 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,960 delivering the law to Moses. This law they revered as getting 465 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,720 them closer to God. Angels are described as having a 466 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:01,320 role in transmitting the law. So for people who held the law 467 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,400 of Moses in the highest regard, angels were associated with some 468 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,560 of the most sacred moments in all of their nation, Israel's 469 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,320 history. And that's why the author of 470 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,840 Hebrews is about to make something really clear, which is 471 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:15,320 this, As important as the messengers might have been, none 472 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,880 of them compared to the sun. That's why he brings up the 473 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:20,840 angels. He doesn't appeal to personal 474 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,200 experience or describe a vision or ask his readers to just take 475 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:27,040 his word for it. More, more blanks for you to 476 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,880 fill in here. In verse 5, he quotes two 477 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,560 different scriptures. He quotes both Psalm 2, verse 7, 478 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:40,080 Psalm 2, seven, and Second Samuel 714, both of which use 479 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:41,840 the language of a father and a son. 480 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,440 This is what I mean. If some of these verses sound 481 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,320 familiar, it's because they were strung together from other 482 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:48,840 scriptures. In the original settings, these 483 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,800 passages are connected to God's promises concerning Israel's 484 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:53,320 king and the royal line of David. 485 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,560 But the book of Hebrews shows us how these promises actually find 486 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:00,840 their fullest meaning in Jesus. It's all in Jesus. 487 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,120 So when Hebrews speaks of Jesus as God's son, it's not really 488 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:06,560 suggesting that Jesus was created or that there was once a 489 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,360 time that he didn't exist. By the way, I want to make this 490 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:11,400 clear. The Greek word that is used 491 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,200 there is huios. It means son. 492 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:16,880 But the significance here is found in the relationship and 493 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,320 the royal status being described. 494 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:25,080 So Jesus is the unique son, the promised Davidic king who 495 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:27,280 possesses an authority that no angel's ever been given. 496 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,960 So the question in verse 5 is rhetorical. 497 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,960 Just so you know, has God ever addressed an Angel in this way? 498 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,160 The author is not expecting that somebody would go, well, maybe 499 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:41,120 the answer is no. So verse 6 takes that argument 500 00:24:41,120 --> 00:24:44,720 further by declaring that God's angels are to worship the sun. 501 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,040 So you can see a clear delineation between them. 502 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:50,560 He's saying, oh, angels are awesome and they are supposed to 503 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:54,040 worship Jesus. Angels are extraordinary when 504 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,160 they show up throughout Scripture, people fall on the 505 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,560 ground. Those creatures fall on the 506 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:03,000 ground at the feet of Jesus. So the angels might serve in 507 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,800 God's presence, but Jesus is the one that is worthy of their 508 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,160 worship as well. So in verse 7, the author is 509 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:12,120 quoting Psalm one O 4, describing angels who carry out 510 00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:15,000 God's purposes, and then in verses 8 through 9 the language 511 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,640 changes again. So Speaking of the sun, the 512 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,880 author quotes once again from Psalm 45, verses 6 through 7. 513 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,400 Listen to this. It describes an everlasting 514 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,800 throne, a righteous rule, and a Kingdom established in justice. 515 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:34,440 The Greek word for throne is thronos, thronos, and it is a 516 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:39,160 symbol of royal authority, authority, and sovereignty. 517 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,720 Additionally, the word that's translated there is justice or 518 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:44,720 righteousness, depending on your translation. 519 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:49,520 That word is dikayo, sunay, and it refers to righteousness, but 520 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:54,080 it refers to the quality of being right or just to the 521 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,960 quality of being right or just. This is more than just a 522 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,000 statement about how powerful Jesus is. 523 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,680 It's a statement about the kind of king that He is. 524 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,560 It would be enough just knowing how powerful he is, but you need 525 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,160 to know what kind of king this is that reigns over us. 526 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:13,960 He's perfect in righteousness. Want you to hear this because as 527 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:16,960 I say this to you, please know I'm saying it to myself as well. 528 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,480 This is a world where we have learned to be suspicious of 529 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,920 authority, and that matters more than we know because we have all 530 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,200 watched people misuse positions of influence and manipulate 531 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,480 other people for personal gain and use power to protect 532 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,320 themselves instead of serve the people that are entrusted to 533 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,520 them. And sometimes when we see those 534 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,720 things, or even worse, we experience them and live through 535 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:41,800 them, they can change the way that we see all authority, 536 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,960 including God's authority. But Hebrews is showing us a king 537 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,400 whose throne is eternal and whose rule will always be 538 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,320 righteous. Jesus does not govern according 539 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,240 to public opinion. The polls mean nothing to him. 540 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,640 There's no personal insecurity that's going to make him make a 541 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,760 decision out of order. There's no selfish ambition in 542 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:03,600 Jesus. His authority is perfectly in 543 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,680 line with what is good and what is right. 544 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:08,000 Don't you want to follow that God? 545 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,840 So we may not be tempted to elevate angels above Jesus in 546 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:14,480 the same way that the original audience needed to understand 547 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,440 that. But we do need to know what it 548 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:19,520 is like to give created things and authority that they were 549 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,200 never meant to have. So as the person who's primarily 550 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,320 in charge tonight, please hear me on this next section. 551 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:30,800 Sometimes we elevate influential people, people or spiritual 552 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:35,640 experiences, or popular teachers, popular teachers, and 553 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,320 even our own interpretations of what God should be like. 554 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,960 Sometimes we become more captivated by the messenger than 555 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:45,480 the message, or more devoted to the person delivering the truth 556 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:48,800 than the one who is truth. If you don't believe me, make a 557 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,360 note of who are the popular preachers today, and then to 558 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,320 make a note of it in three years, tell me if they're the 559 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,440 same. It rotates because we love to 560 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,040 exalt people and put them up on a pedestal, and then when they 561 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,120 fall, it's just delicious because it's not us. 562 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:05,000 It's really gross. Hebrews reminds us that no 563 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,680 messenger, no spiritual experience, and no human 564 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,680 authority will ever deserve the place that belongs to Jesus 565 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:13,120 alone. We can appreciate the people 566 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:16,600 that God uses without confusing them with the God who uses them, 567 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:18,160 and we can be grateful for them too. 568 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:20,760 I would just leave this section this way. 569 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,600 If even the angels of heaven worship the sun, maybe we should 570 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:26,080 ask ourselves whether we've truly given him the place of 571 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:28,040 honour he deserves in our own lives. 572 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:35,040 Let's talk about the Eternal King the next 5 verses, starting 573 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,760 in verse 10. He also says to the sun, in the 574 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:42,160 beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and you 575 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,280 made the heavens with your hands. 576 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,120 They will perish, but you remain forever. 577 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:50,880 They will wear out like old clothing. 578 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,880 You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old 579 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,200 clothing, but you are always the same. 580 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,120 You will live forever. And God never said to any of the 581 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,280 angels, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand, until I 582 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,440 humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. 583 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,360 Therefore, angels are only servants, spirits sent to care 584 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,920 for people who were, who will inherit salvation. 585 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,960 All right, so Jesus is greater than the angels. 586 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,960 Any argument there? OK, now he's going to explain 587 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,880 something that makes his superiority even more 588 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,680 extraordinary. Jesus isn't simply greater than 589 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,320 the angels. He's not simply greater than 590 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:33,120 everything God created. Jesus is the creator himself. 591 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:38,600 Jesus is the Creator himself. I used to be naive about this 592 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,640 and think nobody argued that. And then I logged onto the 593 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:45,040 Internet. In verses 10 through 12, the 594 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:47,360 author is quoting once again from another scripture, from 595 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:51,160 Psalm 102, verses 25 through 27, in case you want to know, 596 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,200 1/02/25 through 27. But it's it's a passage that 597 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:58,240 originally is celebrating the eternal nature of God, but it 598 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,120 does it in contrast to the temporary nature of creation. 599 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,000 Hebrews takes words originally spoken about the Lord and now 600 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:09,440 applies them directly to Jesus. This is how sure of Jesus the 601 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,560 author was. I want you to think about the 602 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,760 significance of this. The author is identifying Jesus 603 00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,400 with the divine Creator described in the Old Testament. 604 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,600 And verse 10 is declaring that the Lord laid the foundation of 605 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,960 the earth and the heavens all personally because it's the work 606 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:27,920 of His hands. In verse 11, it introduces this 607 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,560 idea that I think we desperately need to understand in today's 608 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:32,080 culture. I wish I could speak it to every 609 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,080 church. Everything God created is 610 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:38,400 subject to change. Everything God created is 611 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:41,440 subject to change. But the one who created it 612 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,400 remains the same. Why do I think every church 613 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,040 needs to hear that? We'll get to it. 614 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:50,000 The author describes the heavens and the earth eventually wearing 615 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,840 out like old clothing. I remember I had the same pair 616 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,000 of pajama pants for like 20 years. 617 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:56,680 And it was early. It was like early in our 618 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:58,120 marriage. And one day I went to go put the 619 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,400 pajama pants on and they just ripped at the knee and it went 620 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,320 all the way down. I look, don't look at me 621 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:06,400 differently. I didn't cry, but I wanted to. 622 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:14,560 I wanted to pajama shorts. Take that John Cena and and I 623 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:15,880 mean, my wife, she's so wonderful. 624 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,640 She offered to like sew it, but it's not the same, right? 625 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,560 I mean, it had a good run. I don't care how much you like 626 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:27,720 your favorite piece of clothing. That ratty old pyjama pant is 627 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,600 what the author is comparing all of creation to. 628 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,760 You understand the Greek word here, Paula Yao? 629 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:40,080 It means to become old, wear out or become obsolete. 630 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,520 Obsolete. You are not to use this word 631 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,000 when you talk to your spouse on the way home. 632 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:51,400 OK, Paula Yao. OK, all right. 633 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,240 It is the same basic idea that you would describe something 634 00:31:55,240 --> 00:32:00,560 that has deteriorated with age. So when the scripture says that 635 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,920 God will roll them up like a cloak and change them like a 636 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,480 garment, it's pretty descriptive. 637 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:09,240 The Greek word then, which is alaso, it means to change or 638 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,640 exchange or make different, make different. 639 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:16,320 That imagery is also powerful because think about this. 640 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,720 Something as enormous as the heavens and earth is being 641 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,640 described as something that can be changed as easily as I change 642 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:25,560 my pyjama pants. We live in a culture that is 643 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,600 constantly changing, and I am old enough now to tell you that 644 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,560 it's changing faster than I'm comfortable with. 645 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,480 Our technology changes and our politics change and our 646 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:39,080 relationships change, and even the values of society can shift. 647 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:41,920 Have you ever watched something from the 80s or even the 90s? 648 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:45,920 And then you say, oh, they couldn't put that on TV now all 649 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:47,480 the time, Right. OK. 650 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,120 And some. And by the way, in some ways, 651 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:50,840 that's good. Nobody says that. 652 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,000 But in some ways that's good. There are things that I've 653 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:57,920 watched from the past where I'm like, I'm glad that there's 654 00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,800 always room to grow. And then there's times where 655 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,680 it's like, that's funny. Why can't they still do that? 656 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,040 I just want you to know this. Things can shift dramatically 657 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,080 these days, multiple times in one generation. 658 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:12,920 There are things that were once considered permanent and now 659 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:15,280 they're outdated. And there were ideas that used 660 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:18,720 to be universally accepted, Republican or Democrat, male or 661 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:21,720 female, whatever, and now they're controversial. 662 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,560 And it happens almost overnight sometimes when we're surrounded 663 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,680 by so much change, we start to approach our faith in the same 664 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,080 way, and we wonder if the teachings of Jesus need to be 665 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,800 more properly understood or if they need to be updated to 666 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,480 accommodate modern thinking. Well, the gospel was written to 667 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,400 people in a really ancient time. This is what CS Lewis called 668 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:44,200 chronological snobbery, looking down on the previous generations 669 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,000 as, oh, they didn't know what we know. 670 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:48,440 We don't even know it, It's just on the Internet. 671 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,040 But Hebrews reminds us that Jesus doesn't need to evolve 672 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,160 with the culture. He doesn't need to evolve with 673 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:55,840 the culture. Why? 674 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,920 Because he isn't a product of the culture. 675 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,760 Same word. He's not a product of the 676 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:03,400 culture. Why would he have to evolve with 677 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:04,960 it? He's the creator that stands 678 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:07,360 above it. And I also want to be clear on 679 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:08,480 this. That does not mean that our 680 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,159 understanding of Scripture can't grow or that every tradition 681 00:34:11,159 --> 00:34:13,719 that we've inherited is automatically correct either. 682 00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:16,280 We should always be willing to examine our assumptions and 683 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:17,880 deepen our understanding of God's Word. 684 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,840 But there's a huge difference between allowing Scripture to 685 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,000 correct our understanding and allowing culture to redefine 686 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,199 Scriptures authority. And that's not going to happen 687 00:34:26,199 --> 00:34:28,600 in this house. The world around us will 688 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:30,880 continue to change, and Jesus will never change. 689 00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:34,000 And then another quote from the Scriptures. 690 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:36,280 The author returns to the comparison with angels by 691 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:40,760 quoting Psalm 110, verse one. God invites the Son to sit at 692 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:43,719 his right hand until his enemies are placed beneath his feet. 693 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,280 And the ancient world sitting at the right hand of a king 694 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,840 represented a position of honor and authority. 695 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:54,520 Also, the imagery of enemies being placed beneath someone's 696 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,760 feet represented complete victory and submission. 697 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:01,520 Complete victory and submission. And yes, this did happen in the 698 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,440 ancient world. They would sometimes bring back 699 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,240 a captured king and in front of everybody that would just place 700 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:08,760 their feet on them. They would be prostate on the 701 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,720 prostate, on the ground, under the feet. 702 00:35:13,720 --> 00:35:15,960 It's the classic preacher. When we all do it a few times, 703 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:20,880 it's fine. The author then asks whether God 704 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,600 has ever given an Angel that invitation, and once again, the 705 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:29,120 answer is no. Instead, verse 14 describes 706 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,240 angels as Lord. Why would you give me this word 707 00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:35,720 right after what I just did? All right, Verse 14 describes 708 00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:39,120 angels as Laitourghi Kapanev Mata. 709 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:44,600 It means ministering spirits or spirits engaged in service. 710 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:47,880 They're sent by God to serve those who will inherit 711 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:49,560 salvation. Are you saved? 712 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,480 Those angels are around you and they're not here at your beck 713 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,840 and call, but they are here at his beck and call for you. 714 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,040 Angels are sent to serve. Do you see the the difference 715 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,840 between them and Jesus? Jesus seceded to reign. 716 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:07,720 And so that doesn't diminish the importance of angels. 717 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:09,040 I'm pretty glad that they're out there. 718 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,600 I, I would like to know they're around me at all times, to be 719 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,120 honest with you. But it means the same God who 720 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,520 rules over creation also sends his angels to serve you because 721 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,520 you need them. So here's what I want us to 722 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,200 recognize. The world might be constantly 723 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:22,880 changing. The one we're following isn't, 724 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:25,440 and our confidence, it's not supposed to come from living in 725 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:29,200 a predictable world. I'm always going to try and vote 726 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,680 my Christian conscience. I'm always going to try to make 727 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:33,320 the difference that I can in my community. 728 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,720 But I'm just going to go ahead and let you guys down quickly. 729 00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:36,960 I'm going to RIP the Band-Aid off. 730 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,280 If we are near the end times, it's going to get really, really 731 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,600 bad. And so as much as we want things 732 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:45,840 to be really, really good, it is going to get really, really bad 733 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:48,960 from an earthly perspective. But all of this is also still 734 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:51,720 the birth pains of the new earth and the new heavens and 735 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:54,160 everything that God is going to do in His ultimate redemptive 736 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:56,560 plan. So we do the best we can to make 737 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,120 heaven be here, functional on earth, that God's will would be 738 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:00,720 here on earth the way it is in heaven. 739 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:04,120 But ultimately, for that to be 100%, it's going to have to get 740 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:06,800 really bad. Yay. 741 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:11,040 All right, one more section. That part wasn't in my notes, 742 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:12,280 but I thought I was supposed to say it. 743 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,720 God will tell me if I did a good job in the post game report. 744 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:22,000 All right, the last part, first 4 verses of chapter 2, and then 745 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,560 we'll move into the questions. Let's just talk about the cost 746 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,800 of neglect. Every Christian needs to know 747 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:31,040 this. We must listen very carefully to 748 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,960 the truth we've heard, or we may drift away from it. 749 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,800 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood 750 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:41,080 firm, and every violation of the law and every act of 751 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:45,080 disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can 752 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,440 escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first 753 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,680 announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us 754 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:57,440 by those who heard Him speak? And God confirmed the message by 755 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:00,960 giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of 756 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:02,680 the Holy Spirit whenever He chose. 757 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:08,960 OK, for the entire first chapter, literally the entire 758 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,680 first chapter, the author has been explaining why Jesus is 759 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,280 greater than prophets, greater than angels, greater than 760 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:18,040 anything else we could possibly ever place our confidence in. 761 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,160 But right here, as we enter chapter 2, something shifts and 762 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:24,120 changes in this letter, because now the author's explaining who 763 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:27,560 Jesus is, and he's warning us about what happens when we fail 764 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:30,480 to take him seriously. So we don't even get to sit 765 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,800 there at the end of chapter 1 and say, oh, this is so 766 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:35,160 beautiful, this is so wonderful. He's like, oh, you think so? 767 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:38,920 Do you treat him as Lord? Listen, verse one begins with 768 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,360 the word so or therefore my pastor used to say any time you 769 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,960 see the word, therefore you need to know what the other words 770 00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,840 are. Therefore, in the Greek, that 771 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:53,440 word is diatuo, and it can translate as this because of 772 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:57,200 this, OK, because of this, or for this reason. 773 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:00,760 In other words, everything that the author is about to say is a 774 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,760 direct response to everything he's just told us about Jesus. 775 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:07,080 We just read the hinge that connects us to everything. 776 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:11,120 Chapter 1 of Hebrews is, how do we know that's a response? 777 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:14,320 Well, Jesus is God's ultimate revelation because he's the 778 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:16,960 eternal creator and because he reigns over every other 779 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:18,880 authority. So we have to pay careful 780 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:22,560 attention to what we've heard. The Greek word there translated 781 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:26,560 is pay attention as Prosecco. It's not like what you use 782 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:29,320 before you have a long flight. Prosecco. 783 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:35,840 It means to give attention to or devote oneself to, devote 784 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:38,440 oneself to, to hold one's mind towards something. 785 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:41,160 It's just, it's describing more than casually hearing 786 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:42,960 information. It involves deliberately 787 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,160 directing our attention towards something. 788 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:47,320 Why? Because we recognize its 789 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,520 importance. Because we recognize its 790 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,640 importance, this is where I think it becomes very relevant 791 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:56,400 to culture today. Just just off the top of my 792 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,920 head, how many of y'all listen to a Christian podcast of some 793 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:00,520 sort today? Today. 794 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,640 How many of y'all listen to worship music today? 795 00:40:03,240 --> 00:40:06,560 OK, all right, so how many of y'all listen to an audio Bible 796 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:08,080 today? OK, got a few of those two. 797 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,360 All right, We have become experts at hearing things 798 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:13,040 without actually paying attention to them. 799 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:16,920 How many of you listen to all your audio books on double 800 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:22,200 speed? How many of you go higher than 801 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:25,520 double speed Sometimes. OK, all right. 802 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:29,840 We've become experts at hearing things without actually paying 803 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:33,560 attention to them. We scroll through information, 804 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:36,080 we listen to conversations while we do something else, and we 805 00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:39,800 consume more content in a single day than previous generations 806 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,080 could have imagined. But being exposed to information 807 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:45,120 does not mean that you've allowed it to influence you or 808 00:40:45,120 --> 00:40:50,240 that you've absorbed it. This, I don't know, not 809 00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:52,200 everybody loves tattoos. I got a tattoo in Scotland. 810 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,800 It's the word Tim shell. It's from East of Eden and it's 811 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:56,560 a Hebrew word. And I'm not going to go into the 812 00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:58,480 meeting today, but I've shown it to a lot of people. 813 00:40:58,480 --> 00:40:59,800 They're like, oh cool, what does it mean? 814 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:01,960 And I want to be like, well, four months ago I used it as an 815 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:05,520 illustration and a sermon. But here's the thing, you cannot 816 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:07,720 remember every single thing that you hear taught. 817 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:10,680 It's impossible, right? So I haven't said that to 818 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,400 anybody because well, I guess now I said it to a whole lot of 819 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:17,640 people, but but this is the thing, like I understand it. 820 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,920 I can't absorb all of it too. Sometimes people are like, you 821 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:21,320 remember my aunt blah, blah, blah. 822 00:41:21,320 --> 00:41:23,080 And I'm like, I've never heard of somebody named blah, blah, 823 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:24,120 blah. Tell me about it again. 824 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:27,000 We hear information all the time. 825 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:28,680 We don't always absorb it. That's the point. 826 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:31,480 And so we hear sermons and we listen to worship music and we 827 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,480 go to Bible studies. Thank you for being here. 828 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:35,320 And sometimes we read it devotional. 829 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:39,280 But there's a difference between being familiar with God's Word, 830 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,360 familiar with God's Word, and allowing God's Word to change 831 00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:47,560 the way that you live. Sometimes we remember something 832 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:51,120 because it's Noah's ark, right? It's just a well told story. 833 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:53,400 But I'm going to tell you what. If you've ever read a Scripture 834 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,280 and you have felt that pang of conviction and you have had to 835 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:58,200 look in the mirror and say I have to change something about 836 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:01,000 my life, you'll remember that part of the Scripture forever. 837 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,120 You may not have it memorized. You'll remember it. 838 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:06,440 So the author tells us why paying attention matters. 839 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:09,280 Here's what he says. He says so we don't drift away. 840 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:12,960 That Greek word that's translated is drift away. 841 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:18,080 It's para REO. It's the idea of slipping past, 842 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:22,760 slipping past, or flowing away or drifting from something. 843 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:25,960 It's just a word that paints a picture of movement that can 844 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:29,320 happen without any deliberate intention, which is what makes 845 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,560 the warning kind of unsettling, to be honest with you. 846 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,200 You ever been in a lazy river? Imagine you fall asleep there 847 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,480 and there was a wide opening that goes out to the sea and you 848 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:40,880 didn't realize it, right? You don't have to deliberately 849 00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,280 neglect Jesus to begin drifting away from Him. 850 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:45,600 As a matter of fact, you normally don't. 851 00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:48,200 Sometimes all you have to do is neglect your relationship with 852 00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:51,800 Him. Once you think about that boat 853 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:53,760 that's supposed to remain anchored, the current doesn't 854 00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:56,080 need the boat's permission to carry it away. 855 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:59,480 And if the boat isn't securely anchored, the water is going to 856 00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:01,560 gradually move it from where it's supposed to remain. 857 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:04,120 Same thing can happen to us spiritually. 858 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:06,960 And you don't have to stop believing in Jesus for this to 859 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:08,160 happen. That's a totally different 860 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:09,880 message. You just become less intentional 861 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:12,520 about following Him. Prayer becomes something you do 862 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:14,880 when you're desperate. It's not a daily routine. 863 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:17,880 Scripture becomes something that you hear instead of something 864 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:19,960 that you study, try to apply to your life. 865 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:22,840 Obedience becomes something that's negotiable because 866 00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:26,000 sometimes it conflicts with our preferences, and sometimes 867 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:28,360 changes happen gradually. We can drift a considerable 868 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:31,400 distance before we even recognize how far we've drifted. 869 00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:35,160 Drifting happens slowly. But in the next couple verses, 870 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:38,600 verses 2 through 3, the author also makes another argument from 871 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,400 the lesser to the greater. If the message delivered through 872 00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:44,840 angels carried consequences when it was disobeyed, and it did, 873 00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:48,040 he's saying, how much more seriously should we take the 874 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:50,400 salvation that's been announced by Jesus himself? 875 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:54,320 It's the third verse that asks that terrifying question. 876 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:58,160 How can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? 877 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:00,880 Had somebody asked me one time, escape what I said, You don't 878 00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:04,040 want to know. That Greek word that's 879 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:09,640 translated as neglect is amaleo. It means to disregard, be 880 00:44:09,640 --> 00:44:13,080 unconcerned about, or fail to care for something that deserves 881 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,760 attention. I'm not going to walk into 882 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:18,360 heaven one day and tell the Lord that I was unconcerned about 883 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:23,320 what He handed down to me. I want you to notice what the 884 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:25,160 author doesn't say. He doesn't ask what happens if 885 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:28,240 we openly declare war against God or publicly deny Him. 886 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:33,040 He asks what happens if we neglect the salvation that we've 887 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:36,520 received? Doesn't mean every distracted 888 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:38,920 season or spiritual struggle is evidence that someone has lost 889 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:40,760 their salvation. So don't freak out. 890 00:44:41,480 --> 00:44:44,200 Hebrews has a lot more to say about perseverance and faith and 891 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:46,080 the seriousness of turning away from Christ. 892 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:49,160 But we also shouldn't soften this warning at all until it 893 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:52,040 loses its meaning. This author is telling the 894 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:55,640 believers that Jesus and his message is far too important to 895 00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:57,760 treat with indifference. I don't care how bad your day's 896 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:00,560 been. And in verse four, he reminds us 897 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:03,240 that the message is not just another religious philosophy. 898 00:45:03,240 --> 00:45:06,320 God himself confirmed the message of salvation through 899 00:45:06,320 --> 00:45:11,040 signs and wonders and miracles. Jesus is the voice we need to 900 00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:12,480 listen to. He's the voice of the one who 901 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:16,160 created us, sustained us, redeemed us, and reigns over us. 902 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:20,280 So maybe the greatest danger facing the faith of those, 903 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:23,240 certainly in America, but maybe all over the world, It's not 904 00:45:23,240 --> 00:45:26,440 what we're going to encounter in an argument that's so convincing 905 00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:28,760 that it makes us stop believing in Jesus. 906 00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:31,920 It's that we become so distracted by everything else 907 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:33,800 that we gradually stop listening to him. 908 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:36,640 And then we're deceived because we hear him. 909 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:38,880 We just don't do it. And what's the problem with 910 00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,720 being deceived? You don't know you are. 911 00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:45,520 This is the question I want to leave with you tonight. 912 00:45:45,880 --> 00:45:48,560 If the voices we listen to are eventually going to build the 913 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:51,760 lives we live, what kind of life is being built by the voices 914 00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:55,240 that receive most of your attention at this point? 915 00:45:55,240 --> 00:45:57,160 If you're watching the live stream, we'll go ahead and we'll 916 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:01,560 cut the the broadcast and we'll have about 2025 minutes of group 917 00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:03,960 discussion and then we'll jump into worship. 918 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:06,840 And if anybody missed a blank and you need it, you can come 919 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:09,040 see me right after this. And if you also need to get put 920 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:10,640 on the list, I'll get you into the list. 921 00:46:10,640 --> 00:46:11,720 Just let me know, all right?