Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 2:1-4 - The Better Message

It's quite a bit to learn through these four verses.

You wouldn't think so.

Of course, we always dig and find something, don't we?

So I guess I so love, I love that we fact.

There's a lot that I'm joyful about.

I'll say that.

Anyway, Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.

Thank you, Lord, for your word.

Thank you for this amazing letter to the Hebrews.

Thank you that you are the better messenger and that you are the better message and there

is no message greater.

Lord, I pray that as we start off in chapter two that we really understand the importance

of the message of the gospel and the testimony and the witness by which you have provided

to show and to declare the proof that the message is true.

So Lord, we praise you and we thank you.

To you be honor and glory forever in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So I'm going to start off with Hebrews one through four.

Hebrews one is just a clear declaration about who the better messenger is.

There's no need for me to really go through verse five through the end of the chapter

because it's really just showing the difference, the comparison of Christ and the angels or

the messengers and the clarification of that.

What we really need to see is chapter one, one through four, and this is the reason why

he starts off in chapter two, verse one through four with this statement.

So chapters one, one through four is the reason for chapter two, one through four.

That's where we're going to start.

Long ago, at many times in many ways, God spoke, Laleo, to our fathers by the prophets.

But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of

all things, through whom also he created the world.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high,

having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent

than theirs.

So therefore, chapter two, therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have

heard lest we drift away from it.

Verse one.

So in other words, because of this, chapter one, therefore knowing that Christ is the

better messenger, Christ is the better prophet, the better messenger, we should pay much closer

attention to what you have heard.

Now, this word, therefore, is diahutos.

This word, diahutos, means by means of or because of this reason.

It's a very clear reason why you should pay much closer attention to this message.

That the messenger is the reason why you should listen to the message.

The message is highly important.

It's the most important, as it says in 1 Corinthians 15.

Now, the word here, we must pay much closer attention.

Not going to give you the Greek for this one, but I'm going to give you the definition.

It means it's necessary to be more earnest or more exceedingly.

It's necessary to be more earnestly or more exceedingly.

In other words, the reason why you should be paying attention is because it's necessary

for you to be earnest and exceedingly earnest.

That's what he means.

Must pay much closer.

How important is it to you?

How exceedingly great is this message?

How earnest is this message for you?

Now, this word, attention, interesting word, to pay attention means to turn the mind to,

to give heed to, or to devote thought and effort.

That's the one thing I think we really have a hard time with.

Do we really give our thought and effort to the gospel?

Or is Jesus some fast food spiritual provider for you?

Do you go to him and ask him whatever you want, then when you're done, you just sit

him on his shelf.

Do we really give our thought and effort?

Do we spend our time?

Do we give our full attention?

It's important because we have to give our full attention to him and to his gospel.

Everything in your life is revolving around him.

You want a happy marriage, husbands?

Love your wives.

Let Christ reign.

Wives, you want a happy marriage?

Love your husbands and honor them.

Let Christ reign.

You want to be a good employee?

Let Christ reign.

Christ is the preeminent in every aspect of your life.

There's not a place in your life that Christ should not reign.

You should be paying attention to his message and especially to him.

If you're not paying attention to him, then he's just a means to an end for you.

And what the writer here is saying is that no, you should be paying much closer attention.

You should absolutely devote every thought and every effort of your life to him.

Not only thinking, but doing.

Now, why?

Because if you don't pay every attention, give every attention to what you have heard,

what did you hear?

The gospel.

You will drift from it.

And we see this all day long.

Most churches, and I say most churches, a lot of people, let me say that, a lot of people

actually just give no heed to Jesus at all.

He's a means to an end.

And after a while when struggle happens and life happens and all the difficulties in life

come into your life, they drift away.

They give up.

Why?

Because Jesus didn't give them what they demanded.

So how important is this amazing story about Christ?

The gospel is the thing you fall in love with.

You fall in love with the gospel so that you will fall in love with the person of the gospel

so that you will tell others about the gospel.

So we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest me pote is this word.

This word lest me pote means in no way.

So he's saying if you pay attention to what you have heard, in no way will you drift from

it.

People go, how do you not give up?

Because my attention, my thought and my effort, my devotion is solely his.

So whatever happens in life, in no way will you drift.

You won't be like a ship without a rudder just floating around somewhere.

You will not drift.

Important.

Why?

Because you must focus your mind, your heart, your actions to Christ and his gospel.

Christ is the better message.

That's what he's saying here.

Second, the reliability of the gospel of Christ.

Christ's gospel is reliable.

Hebrews 2.2, for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every

transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.

Well we already know what angels are.

Angels is the word angelos and angelos literally just means messengers.

For since whether they're heavenly messengers or earthly messengers, here heavenly messengers

is a messenger.

We'll prove this out in Daniel chapter 9 because Daniel literally prays and God sends Gabriel

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

the messenger to bring him the message, which actually fits really well in this verse.

For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, this word proved is ginomai.

Second favorite word in the Bible.

Erichomai is my first.

I just like the way it sounds and what it does.

Ginomai.

Remember what we talked about ginomai last week.

It means to be brought on the stage, to be absolutely proved, to be genuine and real.

This is the message that was brought out onto the stage of all human life.

The grand theater of life.

And this message was brought to us and this message was proved to be reliable.

Now I like this word reliable because this word reliable means stable, fast, firm or

a sure footing.

In other words, if you were to walk on the ground, you know that this is real and reliable

because when I place my foot down, I have full confidence I'm not going to sink.

That's what that means.

Reliability, stable.

The gospel is stable.

Christ is stable, fast and firm.

He is our sure footing.

He is a rock which he places us on.

He places our feet on the rock.

An amazing thought.

Every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.

This word retribution means payment or wage, atonement.

He paid the full price, received past tense and continues to receive.

Every transgression means every law that was broken that you broke.

Every transgression or disobedience.

Now that being said, Daniel 9 verse 24.

Daniel 9:24

It's going to be difficult but it's okay because you got to be able to see this.

When the weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city.

So Daniel is praying.

They're coming to the end of their captivity.

Daniel knows when that captivity ends, they have no place.

They feel abandoned by their God because of their sin.

Daniel knows this.

He knows that, wait a minute.

What's going to happen to us when we're let go?

So Daniel prays fervently for his people that God would please forgive them of their sin.

Please don't forget about us.

Please give us away.

Please be there.

Please.

He's begging.

So on doing this prayer, God sends Gabriel, the messenger.

Gabriel brings a message.

Interesting because it fits here.

Gabriel brought the gospel and here it is.

70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city.

To finish the transgression.

To put an end to sin and to atone for iniquity.

To bring in everlasting righteousness to seal both vision and profit and to anoint a most

holy place.

What's really interesting about Hebrews is Hebrews answers this question.

Every transgression received a just retribution.

To finish the transgression.

Do we follow the law of God or do we follow Christ?

Is the law of God finished in Christ?

What did he say on the cross?

It is.

We follow the law because we follow Christ.

Christ fulfills the law for us and in our submission to his will and purpose in our

lives as followers of Jesus, we do what the law requires because Christ has completed

it for us.

He has finished transgression.

Transgression is over in Christ.

You read Romans 2.

Paul clarifies this.

It's interesting.

He says he completed it.

Then he says he put an end to sin.

Sin is disobedience.

Rebellion against God.

Did Jesus put an end to that?

Yes.

So every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution.

The end of sin has been fulfilled in Christ.

That does not mean you're not going to sin.

But the penalty of our sin is gone.

The penalty of sin is death.

And in Christ you are alive.

The wages of sin is death.

We are not dead because of sin.

We are alive because of Christ.

And Christ has raised us from the dead spiritually and will one day raise us from the dead physically.

Third, the just retribution and to atone for iniquity.

Atonement.

The payment required for sin.

A payment on behalf of you that someone else paid on your behalf.

It's atonement.

That's exactly what the writer here says.

I keep wanting to say Paul.

I've got to be careful.

That's exactly what the writer here says.

Sin completed.

Sin disobedience completed in Christ.

Atonement paid for.

Why?

Because the reliability of the message of the gospel of Christ is sure.

It is firm.

It is stable.

What an amazing thought.

So this completed work of Christ has been done.

Why?

Because not only has he put an end to vision and profit because he is the last.

He is the better prophet.

He has also anointed a most holy place.

Where is the most holy place?

You.

In you is a most holy place.

And Paul reiterates this in Romans.

He says you are living stones.

A temple built by God.

You are a most holy place.

God does not reside in the building of man.

Building made by man's hands.

God resides in the building that he built called the church.

An amazing thing.

Why?

Because his gospel is reliable.

Christ is the better message.

He is the greatest message.

Hebrews 2, 3, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard.

How is this important?

How can we know that what we have heard matters?

Well let's look at this.

First, how shall we escape?

How shall you escape the wrath of God if you neglect the greatest gift of salvation ever

given to man?

That's why the road is wide and many will neglect this.

And they will not escape the wrath of God because of it.

But we who are on the narrow by God's grace and mercy has placed us on the narrow road

and we have come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We can and have and will escape the wrath of God.

We have not neglected the great gift of salvation.

But if you do, how should you escape?

You can't escape it.

Why?

Because this message was declared, Laleo, first by Jesus.

This message was attested, Bebiaho, to us who heard, to us by those who heard.

Those who heard the gospel, those who witnessed the gospel, those who lived with the gospel,

they told us.

This Bebiaho means to make firm, establish, or confirm.

It's an interesting word because when you end up reading the rest in verse four, you

understand why this word attested, this was established or confirmed by the apostles.

To guarantee, matter of fact, we're going to even use one of them, 1 John chapters one,

chapter one, verse one through five.

This is what John says.

I listen to how many times he says, heard, seen, looked.

This is just five verses.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard and which we have seen with our

own eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life,

the gospel, Jesus, the life was made manifest and we have seen it and testified to it and

proclaimed to you the eternal life, which was with the father and was made manifest

to us.

It's like he says the same thing two different ways and he includes all the same terms.

When God does that, what's he trying to tell you?

Pay much closer attention.

Here we go.

It gets better.

Verse three he says, 1 John one, verse three, that which we have seen and heard we proclaim

also to you, this is three times, so that you may have fellowship with us so that you

and I will be in unity and indeed our fellowship is with the father because we are in communion

in Christ and as a result of being in Christ, we are in the father.

Verse four, and we are writing these things, which we have seen, heard, proclaimed, touched

so that our joy may be complete.

Why?

Because here is what they have seen, heard, proclaimed, touched and testify.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you that God is light and

in him there is no darkness.

Gospel.

How many times does John have to say it for us to get what he's talking about?

How can you escape if you neglect such a great salvation?

So the witness of the gospel of Christ, the witness of the gospel of Christ, there's a

lot here.

Hebrews chapter two, verse four, while, interesting word, God also bore witness.

Now I'm going to try to say this word.

This word is a long one.

That's how you say it.

I've listened to it like 20 million times and I got the R rolling because my wife is

Puerto Rican and I can roll the R's.

You're not spitting, you got to roll it.

Here we go.

It means to attest together, to join in bearing witness or to unite in adding testimony.

So I want you to get that.

So when God says he also bore witness, he, God, Elohim, is bearing witness with all of

these things.

Now why does he do that?

And there's one reason, is because when you're looking at bearing witness, in order for you

to bring an accusation or charge against somebody, you must have what?

Two or three witnesses.

That principle still holds the same for those who claim something that you need to prove

that that is true.

So you need two or three witnesses.

So listen, God does everything overboard.

He just does because he's God.

He doesn't just give you two or three witnesses.

He gives you like eight witnesses.

You ready for the witnesses?

Here we go.

All right.

Soon, epi marturayo to unite and adding testimony by signs.

Simeon.

This word Simeon means that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and

is known.

So when we're looking at signs, we're not looking at miracles here.

This is something that God does which brings a distinguished difference between everything

else.

There's a lot of signs.

There's something clear about Christ that gives him the difference, the distinguished

difference compared him to others.

So signs and wonders is the next word.

This word wonders is terras.

The word is a remarkable event or an amazing thing out of the ordinary, something outside

of nature.

I think we can think of wonders.

Raising someone from the dead is a miracle.

That's not a wonder.

You know what's a wonder?

A star sitting in the sky for three years pointing to the place where Jesus was so that

the wise man could find him.

You know what's a wonder?

A virgin given birth to a child whom she did not have any consummation with her husband.

That God had chosen her out of all of the women because of who she is and who she's

connected to providentially thousands of years before.

That's a wonder.

You know what else is a wonder?

Him raising from the dead.

You know what else is a wonder?

That God in all of creation, the creator became human.

That's a wonder.

So when we're looking at the issue of wonders, that is a terras.

Next, various miracles, dynamis.

It's an act of power.

It's something only God can do.

And you remember what Jesus said?

He says, if you don't believe my word, believe what I have done.

We just got done talking about the resurrection of Lazarus out of the grave.

Miracle.

It's an act of power.

Why?

For the glory of God.

And Jesus says, glorify your son.

Why did he die?

So that you will see the glory of God.

That is a miracle.

Next, by gifts.

By gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

So far we have had three witnesses.

That doesn't include the witnesses I'm about to give you.

And the witnesses we already talked about, prophets and angels.

Here we go.

You ready?

The word gifts here is merismas.

Yes, it's not the same word that's used in Corinthians.

It's actually the word used in Corinthians is a totally different word.

But the purpose is the same.

For the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

And this is why God uses this word.

God uses this word because it's not about you.

Gifts were not given for you.

Gifts are given so that you will proclaim the gospel.

You see, gifts are merismos.

That was the problem with the church in Corinth.

They bragged about their spiritual gifts as if they were special.

When they didn't realize that the gifts that they had were merismos gifts.

This word merismos means division, partition, or distribution.

See, there's a reason why Paul states this in Corinthians when he says this is the manifestation

of the Holy Spirit.

Because it's the division or the partition or the distribution of the Spirit for the

purpose of the gospel according to his will.

What's the will of the Spirit of God?

Gospel.

What's the will of the Spirit of God?

Point you to Christ.

What's the will of the Spirit of God?

Conform you into the image of Christ.

That's the will of the Spirit of God.

The will of the Spirit of God is the same will as the Father's and the same will as

the Son's.

He is the exact imprint of the Father.

There is no difference in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

They are God.

He doesn't have his own will as if he's doing something outside with his own purpose and

his own way of doing things.

So he does exactly what they do.

And his will is the Father's will.

And his will is the Son's will.

It's Mary's most.

So when we look at the gifts that you've been given or if the manifestation of those gifts

are seen, please give him glory and praise that he would even use you to accomplish a

small task.

Because it's him who is being seen and not you.

It's his distribution among the people to proclaim the gospel.

He is a witness.

So so far we have signs.

God bears witness through signs.

God bears witness of the gospel through wonders.

God bears witness of the gospel through various miracles.

God bears witness of the gospel through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The distribution of the Spirit of God among his people.

Wow.

That's how important the gospel is.

Yes, it's so important that God sends witnesses of the gospel because it's not about you.

About him.

God bore witness through Christ.

John, gospel of John chapter 5 verse 31 and 32, 37 and 39.

John 5:31

If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.

Now you see why?

If God did not bear witness of the gospel and of Christ through signs and wonders and

various miracles and through the distribution of the Holy Spirit according to his will to

his people, then he would be a liar.

But no, God goes beyond that.

He doesn't just give you two or three.

So check this out.

So Jesus says there is another who bears witness about me.

I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.

One that's that's called John the Baptist.

There's another which I didn't add in here.

I just did it now because that's what verse 33 talks about.

Verse 37, and the father who sent me has himself bore witness about me.

There's another, a witness.

His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen.

39, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life.

It is they that bear witness about me.

The scriptures bear witness of the gospel and of Christ the messenger.

So you have the true message.

The better messenger gives the better message and the better message is witnessed, testified

according to signs and wonders and miracles and of the Holy Spirit and the scripture and

the father and John the Baptist and all the things that Jesus did.

His life is a witness.

The whole thing is a witness.

And we go, I don't know if I believe that.

So I'm going to say this to you.

How shall you escape if you neglect such a great salvation today?

Does God need to do anything?

Christ alone is to me is enough witness.

But all that God the father has placed there, now you know why.

Romans chapter one, actually let's do chapter two, verse one.

Chapter one is full of that statement.

Now, therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judge.

None.

Man is without excuse.

God does not have to justify or do anything else than what he's already done.

We are without excuse.

So why does God do it?

Because when you read Romans, he says, do you not know that it's the kindness of God

that leads men to repentance?

Do you know why God hasn't ended all things right now?

Because he's kind to you.

He is merciful.

What more do you need?

The power of an amazing God who has bore witness to the life of Christ and the reality of his

divinity and then gives us an amazing message for us to go and share.

And that's what we're going to see in the rest of chapter two.

That's just four verses.

So I'm going to pray and I'm going to ask John to come up and he's going to introduce

our new members.

And I hope this sinks in a little bit.

An amazing four verses.

Read them again.

So powerful.

The gospel is amazing.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.

Thank you that the better messenger gave us the better message.

That you have freed us from our transgression and our disobedience.

And you have given it a just retribution.

You have paid in full the debt that we owe.

And that in spite of what we are, who we are, you have bore witness by a myriad of things

to the reality of the gospel and to the real true King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus

Christ.

Lord, we give you honor, glory and praise.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

Lord, we thank you.

We eagerly await to see you face to face.

To praise you and to love you.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.