Sermon Tone Analysis

The Overall Theme of Hebrews is “Jesus is Better/Superior”

In the 1st Chapter, the Author of Hebrews Shows Us From 7 OT Scriptures…

How Jesus is Superior to the Angels

There’s a Commentary of Hebrews Titled “The Son’s Supremacy” By a Brother in Christ Named Michael Whitworth

As I Am Studying in Hebrews for This Class…

I Am Relying Heavily On His Study and Research in His Commentary

He is Very Unique in His Style of Writing in That:

He Uses a Lot of Humor and Relatable Illustrations to Help His Readers Understand the Text

And Something I Really Like About the Way He Wrote “The Son’s Supremacy” is That…

He Created a Fictional Character (Loosely Based On Himself) to Bring the Situation of the Hebrew Audience to Life

He Named the Fictional Character Judah

Before He Starts His Commentary On Hebrews, He Gives Us an Introduction into Judah’s Life

We Read This Introduction Before We Started Studying Chapter 1

Recap:

Judah is a Pretty Recent Convert From Judaism to Christianity

And Not Long After Becoming a Christian, Judah’s Son Daniel Died (Michael’s Son Daniel Died at 2 Years Old)

Judah is a Part of the Church in Antioch (the Church that Paul and Barnabas Were Members of)

Judah’s Family and Friends Have Forsaken Him

His Career is Taking a Hit Because of No One Wants to Give an Apostate Business

He Feels His Life Has Become Much Worse Since Becoming a Christian

But One Day, a Preacher Named Timothy Visits Antioch and Begins Preaching

And What He is Preaching are the Words We Read in the Book of Hebrews

By Following the Thoughts and Emotions of the Fictional Judah…

We Get an Example of the Thoughts and Emotions that Might Have Been Going Through the Heads of Many Hebrew Christians in the 1st Century

They Were Being Persecuted and Pressured into Forsaking Christ and Recommitting Themselves to Moses and the Old Covenant

Michael Starts Chapter 2 By Catching Us Up On Judah’s Thoughts as He Listens to Timothy Preach

I’ll Read it for Us to Set the Stage for Chapter 2

As Timothy continued to speak, Judah stole a glance around the room at the faces in the assembly.

The number of Christians in Antioch had declined of late.

When Judah and his wife had joined the Way, the disciples were many.

But friction with both the Jewish community and the civic leaders had taken its toll.

As he noted those who were there that night, Judah thought of who was not.

Nicolaus, a proselyte-turned-Christian, had been among the original seven servants in Jerusalem.

Many years ago, he had returned to Antioch and played a pivotal role in the church’s rapid growth.

More recently, however, he had been imprisoned on false charges fabricated by the local synagogue.

The old man had been released after five months in chains, but only because he disavowed with strong oaths his confession of Jesus as Messiah.

Absent also was Simeon the African; he had been an influential teacher in the Antiochian assembly, one of Judah’s favorites.

Yet something had happened.

Judah never quite understood what the fuss was about, but it seemed Simeon began to teach some things that other leaders in the assembly did not endorse.

He had been a strong advocate for the circumcision of Gentiles and full participation in the festivals of the Jews.

Judah, for his part, had not understood why such practices were wrong.

When asked not to advance these beliefs, Simeon had forsaken the Christians with bitterness and was soon afterward seen eating with the Jews in Antioch once again.

Then there was Manaen and his family.

Manaen was well connected politically and had been quite wealthy.

For many years the church had met in his home.

Yet, when he began to suffer financial losses, Manaen and his household had turned their backs on the church and returned to the synagogue.

The Christians were forced to find a new meeting place, this time in the home of Stephen, Judah’s neighbor.

It seemed to Judah that Manaen’s return to Judaism had been a smart move; his business had quickly recovered, and his losses reversed soon after.

The attrition of former Christians in Antioch had been steady and demoralizing.

Each departure had a different story but ultimately circled back to one reason: it had become too challenging to maintain allegiance to the Nazarene.

Judah wondered how soon it would be before he joined them.

It isn’t worth it anymore.

He struggled to provide for his household.

He struggled with the rift between himself and those friends who had remained loyal to Moses and the covenant.

He struggled with being shunned by his father.

It isn’t worth it anymore.

Judah remembered the miracles he had witnessed years ago; they had been one of the reasons he and his wife had converted.

He had been particularly impressed with eyewitness accounts of the dead being raised, and one story stood out: that of a woman named Dorcas in Joppa.

A man called Cephas, one of the Twelve, had brought her back to life—a miracle!

Where were such wonders when I needed them?

Judah thought resentfully.

Four months ago, when the fever had struck his son at dusk, Judah had prayed fervently for healing.

He did not consider his petition audacious; healing from disease was common among the Christians at Antioch.

So Judah was confused when no one appeared to heal his son, nor was his prayer answered by the Most High.

When it was clear his son was dead, Judah had stood in stunned silence.

Something in his mind prevented him from accepting the permanency of it all.

No one had come forward to heal his son, true.

But this was undoubtedly because resurrection from the dead was a more powerful witness to Messiah’s message than recovery from disease.

Now that his son was dead, someone would surely step forth to raise him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that all might glorify the Most High.

It never happened.

Perhaps God intends to raise my son once he is already in the tomb just as he raised his own Son, Judah had thought.

Thus, most every morning for four months, he would make his way to the tombs outside the city, daring to believe he would find his beloved Daniel perched on a boulder, waiting for him with outstretched arms and an enthusiastic shriek of “Abba!”

Yet every morning, Judah was crushed to discover God still silent and death still a tyrant.

It isn’t worth it anymore.

As Timothy proclaimed in his homily the eternal rule of God’s supreme Son, Judah wrestled with the dissonance of it all.

Jesus?

King?

What proof is there?

His recent experiences argued otherwise, and he knew for a fact he wasn’t the only Christian in Antioch who felt this way.

The days of signs and wonders seemed too long ago; all the church had known of late was darkness and doubt.

He had confided in no one, but Judah was seriously considering withdrawal from the Christians.

He would make no flashy exit; he wasn’t one to be a fly in the ointment.

No, he would slip away quietly.

Judah had told his plan to nary a soul.

That’s why he was startled to find Timothy looking intently at him: “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away…”

That Leads Us to Chapter 2 of Hebrews

We are Only Going to Look at This Warning Section Tonight

Hebrews 2:1–4 (NASB)

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

Several Times Throughout Hebrews the Author Will Stop His Theological Discussion and Give a Warning

Verses 1-4 are the First Warning Passage We Find

Let’s Slow Down and Analyze the Passage

Hebrews 2:1 (NASB)