A Better Message

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Introduction

Have you ever neglected something valuable you were supposed to take care of? For years Autumn and I neglected our marriage. We were busy raising kids and working and we just didn’t have time. What we found was that over time, we had drifted away from each other. It took intentionality and consistency for us to grow closer together.

This morning we are continuing our series in the book of Hebrews called Jesus is Better and we are going to look at why the better message of Jesus should encourage us to not neglect the great salvation we have received. I have notes on the back table and loaded in your app.

Main Text

Hebrews 1:1–2:4 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke 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 angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Jesus Is Better Than The Angels

The Theme of the book is Jesus is Better. This is where the author starts and he continues this theme throughout the book. In our passage today, we see that he is better than the angels.

Angels were and are often worshipped. Angels in biblical times were seen as the superior way to know about God. They were seen as messengers. When God wanted to speak to his people, he would often send an angel.

Think about the New Testament, how did Mary and Joseph find out about their coming pregnancy and the birth of their son? Through an angel. How about the Shepherds? They heard from angels and not just one, but they saw a multitude of them. How about the resurrection of Jesus? Angels. Angels have always been seen as important messengers in God’s plan.

Today, while we may think we don’t worship angels, the new age side of our culture most certainly worships spirits and being spiritual. Most people would rather say they are spiritual than Christian. Many think each person has a guardian angel or an angel protector. There are people who pray to angels. I’d venture to say some of the ways we look at angels today is good and in some ways unbiblical or unhealthy.

The point of Hebrews though is not that Angels are bad. Indeed, we learn in verse 14 that they are ministering spirits sent to serve Christians. Now, it should go without saying that we are not to worship them, but even the Apostle John, the beloved, struggled with this in the vision of the Revelation having to be told by the angel to not worship him. I imagine if you saw one standing in the room today, the entire room would fall down as dead and many would begin to worship. That’s how majestic they look to our eyes.

The point though is that Jesus is better than the angels. He’s deserving of our worship and we should aim our worship towards him, not towards the angels.

Why is that?

The Son Is Better Than Angels - This idea is unpacked at length in this book and it starts in Chapter 1. Verse 4 begins with the idea that Son is a better name. If you are a son, you are a member of the house, you are an heir. Your name is the better name.

Starting with verse 5, and following, the author unpacks this idea by quoting numerous texts from the Old Testament. I want to remind you that the OT was their bible, it is considered inspired Scripture and Paul says that it’s good for exhortation, rebuke, reproving and training in righteousness. We should not unhitch ourselves from the OT, but we should seek to understand it in the context of the New Covenant.

Here’s your homework. Read each of these passages quoted in chapter 1 in their context and see how the author of Hebrews uses these texts to make his argument. It may appear he is taking these verses out of context, so I’m going to give you the hermeneutic that the author of Hebrews uses with these passages. Jesus is the point. He is the point of the entire bible. Everything in the OT points forward to Him and everything in the NT exists to exalt Him. All of the NT that happens after the gospels exist to point back to Him. He is the center of human history and it’s on Him that we should build our lives.

Because he is under the New Covenant, He sees the entire OT as pointing us toward Jesus. Even in passages that seem to have very little to do with Jesus, like the 2nd Samuel passage he quotes in verse 5. All of these are listed in your notes for you to study later.

Here are the passages to study later:

Psalm 2:7

2 Sam 7:14

Deut 32:43

Psalm 104:4

Psalm 45:6-7

Psalm 102:25-27

Psalm 110:1

The Point of Angels - Why is he bringing up angels in our passage? Well it’s going to become more clear as we carry on into chapter 2 in a moment, but remember the primary way in which angels interacted in the world…they were messengers. They brought a message and the author is going to ultimately make this argument in chapter 2, the message coming from the Son is greater or better than the message coming from angels.

The Son Is Superior To Angels - This the ultimate point of the author in chapter 1…He is higher, he has more authority, he is the heir. He is better in every sense of the word. And, the author states, he has a better message.

A Warning - With this in mind, the author issues us a very important warning.

A Better Message Demands Greater Respect

Hebrews 2:1–4 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

We Must Pay Closer Attention To What We’ve Heard - The author starts by comparing these two ideas. If the message we received from angels is trustworthy and reliable and there were consequences for not obeying it, how much more should we obey a message that we received from God’s son??

In other words, this greater message requires us to take heed. To listen closely. It requires us to respond in the right way. This isn’t a message we should take lightly or to throw away.

Lest We Drift Away - The warning here is that it’s possible to drift away from this message. That you may hear this message, but not obey it. That you may hear this message and you would treat it so poorly that it wouldn’t take root in your heart and produce lasting fruit. That’s the warning.

We don’t drift towards God, we drift away from Him. The hymns of old shine some light on this idea by encouraging us instead of drifting, we should be anchored in Jesus. In the Lewis Jones’s Hymn, I’ve Anchored to Jesus it says…

Upon life's boundless ocean where mighty billows roll, I've fixed my hope in Jesus, blest anchor of my soul; When trials fierce assail me as storms are gath'ring o'er, I rest upon His mercy and trust Him more.

Refrain: I've anchored in Jesus, The storms of life I'll brave, I've anchored in Jesus, I fear no wind or wave, I've anchored in Jesus for he hath pow'r to save, I've anchored in the Rock of Ages.

Or as the author of Hebrews will put it later in the book…

Hebrews 6:19 ESV

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,

Are you anchored to Jesus today? That’s the question the author is asking. If you aren’t anchored to him, you will drift away. You will be tossed by the storms of life and you will find yourself full of fear and doubt. Anchor yourself to Him! Fix your eyes upon Him! A better message requires greater attention and respect!

This brings me to my last point…

Salvation Is To Be Nurtured, Not Neglected

The First Of Several Warnings - Verse 3, marks the first of several warnings issued in the book of Hebrews. “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

A Great Salvation - Let me first note that the author tells us that salvation is great and one of the dangers we are getting ready to discuss is brought about by not seeing it as great. This is the Better Message of Jesus!

Salvation Came At A GREAT Cost! (The Blood of the Son!)

Salvation Came Via A GREAT Savior! (He that upholds the universe by the power of his word)

We Are Saved From A GREAT Penalty! (eternal separation)

Do you see salvation as great? Or has it lost its luster? God’s salvation is great and our hearts needs to be reminded of the greatness of it. Lord, rekindle the greatness of your salvation in our hearts today.

Now, this is a severe warning and we need to ask a question. What does it mean to neglect your salvation?

It is easy to drift with the current, but it is difficult to return against the stream. Our salvation is a “great salvation,” purchased at a great price. It brings with it great promises and blessings, and it leads to a great inheritance in glory. How can we neglect it?

Warren W. Wiersbe

We need to look at the word neglect, that’s essential to understanding this passage. The word neglect (Gr Ameleo) means to be unconcerned, or to disregard. It’s the same idea that is presented in “drifting away”. This speaks to the fact that this isn’t an adamant renunciation of their beliefs, but a slow cooling of the fire of belief.

How do we neglect it?

Indifference (We fail to see the GREATNESS of it)

Inattention (We stop paying attention to the message, either we stop listening or we don’t put ourselves in a position to hear it)

Ingratitude (We take for granted the salvation we’ve been given)

If we neglect it, the context implies a more severe judgment. If the message of angels resulted in a just retribution, how much more shall those who are Christians be judged if they drift away from what they have heard?

Now for the people who grew up in a tradition that teaches, “once saved always saved” or if you believe that believers won’t be judged, this verse creates a theological conundrum for you. What are we to do with this verse?

And I’m not keen on answering it for you. I think this verse is supposed to make us uncomfortable. I think it’s supposed to make us uneasy. It’s a warning, that’s what warnings do and the author of Hebrews wants to warn us against spiritual indifference. If that makes you uneasy or uncomfortable, good. We don’t grow when we are comfortable, we grow when we are uncomfortable.

Personal Story - I was telling my new friend Pete this week about a time when God made me very uncomfortable. When Autumn and I first moved back to Johnston County in January of 2017, I really struggled. We had left a good church community, where I was quite comfortable and moved here where I didn’t have friends or community. For the first year that we were here, we really struggled to find a good church. God was undoing me and it was pretty painful. But in the end, it helped me grow closer to Him.

Warnings like this are meant for us to hear them and to grow. It’s meant to give us the motivation to swim upstream rather than to drift with the current.

The Point Is That We Don’t Neglect Our Great Salvation - If we aren’t to neglect, what are we to do? We are to nurture it, to pay attention to it, to focus in on it. That’s what God is asking you to do right now, the question is how…

Next Steps…

How are we to Nurture our salvation?

Fix Our Eyes On Jesus - Realize that it’s by his grace that we are saved, not by our works and fix your eyes on the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

Pay Closer Attention To His Message - Put value on the word of God. Read it. Not just randomly, read entire books of the Bible. Read this book of Hebrews.

Anchor Ourselves In Him - by practicing the Spiritual Disciplines - bible study, prayer, silence and solitude, giving, service. As Jesus says, Abide in Him.

Anchor Yourselves In Community - One of the driving points later in the book of Hebrews is that the people of God should not neglect gathering together in community. This must be intentional and it must be a priority or we risk drifting away.