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Hebrews 2:4

Hebrews 2:4 Signs, wonders and miracles How gracious the Lord is (or should it be “was”)! The Word, back in the time of Jesus and the early church, was firstly attested by signs, wonders and various miracles. I grew up at a time when such things were frowned upon in churches, where they were unheard of. There was no expectation that anything extraordinary might take place, so long as we studied and taught the Word of God we were fulfilling our role as the people of God. Miracles, signs and wonders were exclusively for the early church and for the apostles, primarily to give them a kind of spiritual “leg-up” as they began their seemingly impossible mission of taking the Gospel to the world. It’s interesting to note that the church of Jesus Christ is still divided on this issue, there are counterfeits for sure and wildly inaccurate claims made by some, and mind-control techniques used by others, but I have certainly witnessed remarkable acts of God’s grace in my life and of others, for w...
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Hebrews 2:3b

Hebrews 2:3b What a great salvation! The author of this letter has more than one terse warning for his readers, as we shall find out. Chapters 3-5 carry warnings against unbelief and unfaithfulness and there are further admonitions in chapter 10 and chapter 12 of this book.  We have been offered an incredible gift from heaven; the Son of God has come to our planet to bring God’s salvation to all men. He came with endless parables and teachings that enforced His message but then He did something so amazing that it still baffles believers of all ages across all continents. He offered Himself as a living sacrifice for all sin and willingly took our wickedness and shame and the ensuing judgement, as our substitute. It really is possible to escape from the inevitability of judgement and death because Jesus Christ took our place. He came with an offer from the throne of heaven, “Have faith in me, surrender your life for me and I will give you eternal life.” “ If the Son sets you fre...
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Hebrews 2:3a

Hebrews 2:V3a       “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?”  These are chilling words, the previous verse has set the scene, the history of the Jews had, and has, been turbulent to say the least. Their relationship with the Lord God had gone through many phases and rarely are they found to be in a faithful and obedient affiliation with Him. There are countless instances described in Old Testament history where the people went astray, both corporately and individually, and they had to suffer the consequences. As Verse 2 says, “ every violation and disobedience received its just punishment. ” And now the writer, quite justifiably, asks us the obvious question. “If they didn’t get away with it, why should we?”  Too many treat the Christian faith as an optional “add on”. They can “take it or leave it”, they attend church when they feel like it or when there’s nothing better to do and they consistently compromise with the world. The co...
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Hebrews 2:2

Hebrews 2:2 The message spoken through angels  This verse can cause confusion. What is the “message spoken through angels?”  There is no doubt that Moses had direct encounters with the Lord God and he heard God’s voice speaking to him. However, the Jews believed that the Law was given at Sinai with the assistance of angels. “The Law” was their most sacred text and the term was often used to summarise the whole of the Scriptures. When Stephen preached to the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling Council) before they sentenced him to be stoned, he said this, “ Moses was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.”  Acts 7:38.  “You have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”  Acts 7:53. Paul also records that , “The law awas given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.”  Galatians 3:19. The author of Hebrews picks up this them...
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Hebrews 2:1

Hebrews 2:1 Pay attention! Chapter 2 of Hebrews starts with a warning! Firstly, it is important that we reflect on what we have been told and what we have heard about Jesus Christ. Remember, this was written at a time before the New Testament Scriptures were collated and made available to the infant church. The only way to receive the message, the Gospel, was through word of mouth. We greatly underestimate this today, tracts, pamphlets, books, on-line sources are all great, but the message was first passed on simply by speaking it and the recipients simply heard it! Sharing our testimony and the Gospel is primarily a “word of mouth, person to person” responsibility and that will never change. What was it that these early believers heard? It was the news that God had come to the world in human form and that He had been crucified for our sins and He rose from the dead. The message was about Jesus; it gave the world a hope that had never existed before or since. The Apostles and others we...
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Hebrews 1:14

Hebrews 1:14 Will angels minister to us today? And so we are already at the last verse of chapter 1 of Hebrews. What a journey it has been! If there was any doubt about who takes centre stage in this letter, well there cannot be any longer. It is Jesus the Christ, who is presented as being equal to God His Father and far superior to any other heavenly creation or angels.  Are angels unimportant? Is their mission of no consequence? Not at all, and the verse before us tell us why. Who will inherit salvation? It is you and me and all who believe in the sacrificial work of Jesus, it is His church. And the relationship between Jesus and the angels is now revealed, He reigns, the angels’ task is to serve. Who is it they minister to? It is all who truly believe and who will inherit the salvation of the Lord. Putting it simply, the Scripture is telling us that angels are there to serve us, at the bidding of the Lord! We could go on and exchange endless stories or testimonies of the occasio...
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Hebrews 1:13

Hebrews 1:13 Sit at my right hand The author of this wonderful letter is still trying to make his point that Jesus Christ the Son of God, is far superior to any angel. Remember that this is written primarily to Jewish believers and thus any argument could be settled by quoting from the Scriptures, which were sacrosanct in Jewish thinking. If the Psalms said it, then it must be true, especially a Psalm of King David, and this quotation does indeed come from the pen of David and is the opening line from Psalm 110. In that Psalm God speaks to one who is sovereign over David, who is his Lord, and tells that Lord to sit at His right hand.  The right hand is, as we know, a position of favour and authority and to sit in this position suggests longevity and permanence. Jesus was offered this seat on His return to heaven and this verse repeats what we are told in verse 2 . “After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ” In other words,...
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