Hebrews 2:1-9 — Don McClure

The Warning Not to Neglect So Great a Salvation

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and Disobedience received a just recompense of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which had first begun to be spoken by the Lord and Was confirmed to us by them that heard him and God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with diverse miracles.

And with gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak. But one in a certain place Testified saying what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visitest him.

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels and crownest him with glory and honor and to set him over the works of thine Hands thou has put all things in subjection under his feet for in that he put all things into subjection under him.

He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not see it all things put under him but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death that crowned with glory and honor that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Lord, we thank you now for your word and we ask that you would take it and speak to us and Lord that who we are in you and we would Understand it Lord. No one has anything to say to us as wonderful as you and any hope in any power to make it happen.

Lord as we look at your word this morning I pray that you would cause us to know it's true and these things that you say of us in the future. That we would understand it and Lord We believe it and the result is we'd find ourselves just in awe of you all the more.

So we thank you for your love and your goodness and your wonderful commitment to us. In Jesus wonderful name we pray. Amen. Well here as we Continue on in the book of Hebrews. Here we are given one of about four warnings through the book to be heeded there to be taken very seriously.

I'm sure obviously that wouldn't be there. But as he begins chapter 2, he says therefore we ought to give the more Enos earnest. You know, I suppose I think in the original Greek. It's Enos heed of The things which we have.

I wouldn't the Lord speaking to me. I know he is The more earnest heed of the things which we have heard lest at any time. We should let them slip for if the word spoken by angels was steadfast in every transgression and disobedience.

Received a just recompense of reward. How should we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first? Began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. Now if you recall if you are with us in these last couple of weeks here as we're looking at the book of Hebrews The writer of the Hebrews is writing there to a Jewish congregation of people that have been converted to Christ and Yet the Judaizers has been trying to bring them back to the temple.

Their argument was was hey, you may believe in Jesus, but are you trying now to say that God didn't give us Moses? He didn't give us the law. Didn't God give us the priesthood didn't give us the sacrifices didn't he give us the temple and all of this and now you're saying Those are not true.

You're walking away from all those and they were thinking well No, we know God gave us those and so they were being pulled back into Judaism being pulled back into the temple and so the writer of Hebrews is wanting to Communicate with them in this book and want them to know that they are to walk away from all of these things because they were All foreshadowing that which was perfect which was yet to come and here.

It was something where the writer of Hebrews is if simply going to lay out for us on the how that Jesus is better Than anything in anybody. He's better than Moses. He's better than the law. He's better than Aaron.

He's better than the high priest and the priesthood itself he's more than the temple more than the sacrifices more than anything ever given because he is the Fulfillment of them all and what that which was in part you need not now when he that it all Typlified is now here.

So yes, you do leave them. Were they true? Absolutely, but now that Christ has come he is the focus of our heart in our life and our worship. You don't need those things and they won't work for you anymore.

He is also as we looked at last week one of his first tasks was to show that Jesus is greater. He's going to go on other than you know with Moses and Aaron and the priesthood and all sorts of human beings and say not Only Jesus greater than them.

But first of all, he wanted to say Jesus is greater than any angel. For the Jews thought that Jesus was perhaps an angel and that he was actually not an angel. He's the Son of God that we looked at last week in his deity and his identity is a member of the triune Godhead was established and Now though he did state as we also saw if you were with us last week on how that the law as Stephen said and Paul Was dispensed by angels and ordained by angels.

God used angels tremendously in the Old Covenant but now he is giving us a warning there to say listen if you believe the Old Covenant and you believe what Moses said and You believe what the law gave and all of these other things and these things that were given to us by angels that did appear.

And now he wants to say you better give an even more earnest heed now. For if even angels said things and yet there was a just Recompensive reward based on how you responded to what an angel said how much more important it is now that the Son of God himself Is spoken that we would listen to what he has to say and and respond to it Adequately and sufficiently with a full, you know Trust in it also now though that as he gets into this chapter after he lays out this warning He says I want to warn you don't you dare neglect so great a salvation as he calls it there the Salvation you thought you had in the Old Testament as wonderful as it was that was offered by the blood of bulls and goats and through The priesthood there is now a salvation given to us in Christ.

That is so enormous and he's going to be looking at that this morning. So awesome. He says this is you don't you dare neglect a salvation this great. He says I'm gonna say some very heavy things to you essentially here and he says I want you to listen.

I want you to grasp these things because they're life-changing. I hope if I can even do the simplest job with this thing. It ought to be awesome. I'll never Touch it. I know for what it's worth but to try to grasp it here what he's talking about here.

And this is the salvation that is really laid out not just simply for man in the sense of eternal life given to us. Where one day we'll go to heaven. But it's a far greater salvation than even that in the sense He is going to be talking here about the total restoration essentially here of God's plan even in all of creation and of the earth as well where man will one day yet again rule and Reign with Christ and so hereafter he is now getting into the text here after he's given this warning.

Humanity's Intended Dominion Over Creation

I want you to listen. There is a great salvation I want to talk to you about but he wants us to know one thing here. First of all in verse 5 he says for under the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak.

He said I'm gonna be talking about a restoration and a full work of God. There's yet to happen and he says and when it happens angels will not have part in any form of ruling. Any form of reigning in it?

They will not have any source of power or authority in that sense angels will not rule but they will minister. They will be as they were actually to be doing in the sense of as we left off in the last chapter identifying angels.

He says are they not all yet ministering spirits sent forth to minister under the airs of salvation. When God created man angels were there to minister to him and to serve him. Man had the higher and greater glory even than the angels then and now he wants us to know although when God puts everything back In order angels will not have the position that they appear to have to man now.

But rather than that man will be ruling and we're told that of course as well in Romans chapter 13. Where Paul talks about there the the rulership of man, but in the world to come angels will will not be sovereign at all.

Man will rule in the ages to come and this is what we'll be looking at right now. Today what we'll be looking at in the text, but here today angels have an authority. We'll be looking at how and why in a few moments.

But it is only a temporary authority and allowed for now as Paul tells us in Ephesians. He says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities. Against spiritual wickedness rulers of darkness in high places.

He says there is this great battle that is going on that we are all caught up in and this wrestling that we do day By day by day all of us whether we're conscious of it or not. The wrestling in the spiritual battle and warfare is constantly going on.

But here he wants us to know that it will not be that way In the earth to come as he says here in verse 5. He says the angels will not be put Pardon me. But unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come.

The world that is to one day come back and that we are going to be involved in yet ahead it is one there essentially there where the angelic power will be gone and The angels will no longer be in any form of power.

But man the world to go the world we're in right now. Angels are powerful. Fallen angels are powerful demons or power. Satan is very very powerful. We live in a world that's filled with tremendous spiritual conflict.

For as I said, Paul said we don't wrestle against flesh but we think it's husband against wife or parent against child or neighbor against neighbor employer and employee or all of these other things and though it appears in the Conversations and the anger and the hostility and all the emotion is carried on between human beings.

It Paul says the behind it all the real wrestling is going on. Is it spiritual that is really occurring? They're trying to break down and destroy the home the marriage the family and turn people one against another.

But it was never of course originally that way in the sense that there were this spiritual authority or power over man. Man, you know and God, you know did the work of creation. The world was subject to man and we'll look at that more but never to angels.

Until back in the Garden of Eden as it's recorded for us there on how that when Satan came into the garden. As he came in and began speaking to Eve there the Bible calls him an usurper in the Bible. He's called a beguiler to a serpent is to usurp authority.

It's to come in through beguiling or through deception to take somebody else's authority away from them. That's why Satan is called the usurper or the beguiler and when he came into the garden he usurped an authority that was not his.

He came to man who was there to rule and Through his deception did God say that you can't eat of that? Well, yes, he did and carries on the conversation. Well, do you know why he said that? Well, not exactly.

Well, I'll tell you why because you'll be like him and he doesn't want that and so there it was. You know when man was deceived in aid of it. Well, I want to be like God who wouldn't want to be like God.

So when man was deceived took the bait lied. Not only did what happened did man fall into sin and did man spiritually die? But there was another great thing that oftentimes we don't think about but at that point in time.

Not only was man brought down. But Satan was lifted up and he be usurped in authority that was not his through beguiling and deception. He took over essentially the place of rulership that God had created man to know man Essentially was created to be king.

We'll look at that more in a moment, but the and and to be ministered to by angels not to be ruled over influenced by Angels man was the the sovereign and yet he gave his sovereignty away there through deception to an angel.

But of course wasn't created that way God when he created man. He created him with a majesty and with a glory and an identity way beyond anything that you and I can even comprehend. We can speak of it.

We can read of it. We can try to grasp it, but I'm convinced at least myself I have yet to even dream. I has not seen ear has not heard neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love him.

There is a plan that God has that was once in place forfeited in sin now recouped by Christ Sacrificing himself for me offered again that is going yet to be occurring in every one of our lives. But it hasn't but when that does the glory of it David had a little glimpse of it.

David's Vision of Humanity's Glory and Majesty

I think and it's quoted here. That's where when it says here in verse 6 it says but one in a certain place testified that's out of Psalm 8. That is David as he writes of this psalm and Psalm 8 is a wonderful psalm because in that particular Psalm David one time as he seemingly may be out.

He loved creation and may be looking around at it Contemplating it thinking of God and somehow another began to flash on him something that God had Knew and planned when he created man for as David writes He says O Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name and all the earth whose glory is above the heavens and Then he says out of the mouth of sucklings and babes as thou ordained strength because of thine enemies that thou mightest still the Avenger and he said when I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained and David finds Himself he looks out there and he just sees himself there looking at God in his glory looking at creation.

And then realizing there as he said early he says out of the mouth of sucklings and babes has thou ordained strength. He says that thou mightest still the Avenger. He says God you created man. There he said I David realized I'm just a suckling.

I'm just a babe. I'm just like a little child and yet you have ordained something to happen. You have set something in motion. There is something in the mind of God that you long for for man to realize.

What you created man for. I think maybe David when he was young and he just loved the Lord so innocent so precious and went Out and served him and God anointed him and blessed him Protected him and maybe when he went out and he killed the lion.

He came back as a young man and reported to his family. Yes, what a lion came after the sheep and I killed it and they brought David kill a lion. Yes, I did. And they probably you know wondered I wonder if that's true and then another time a bear comes and he takes off and he kills The bear he comes home.

I killed a bear. It's David. David David. Come on, and then he then he goes out of course later on with Goliath now. They had witnesses, you know. And now another a giant falls and he finds himself there.

Then they run after and take take off after him and the whole nation is inspired to battle to get their lands back. And then the next thing, you know, though David he goes out he becomes a warrior and a thousand followed his side and then ten thousand in his right hand and Then after it starts off with a lion and a bear and then it goes to Goliath and then a thousand and then ten.

Ten thousand then he starts looking at entire nations. Moab is my washpot over Edom. I cast out my shoe. He looked at the Philistines the Jebusites the Jesuits the Hittites to him and the Hittites the Ammonites one after another after another.

They're nothing. Entire nations and he's watching God as he took this little suckling this little child this little babe who simply loved God. And he brought him up to a place of majesty and glory and authority and David realized this was no mistake.

First maybe when the lion fell Wow the bear maybe when there's some of the battles when Goliath Oh, I must be something then one day he comes to realize I'm nothing. This is so over-the-top. This is so beyond anything human.

There is something that God has set in motion that he has there was an a plan for humanity that I think I'm just Touching. I'm just beginning to comprehend for a moment because then after he says where I consider the heavens the moon and the stars with Our stain he says that then he says what's quoted here.

He says what is man? What in the world is man that thou art mindful of or the son of man that thou visitest him God? I don't understand this unbelievable obsession. I looked at the Magnanimity of you.

That's a word. I look at how huge and glorious you are the heavens the moon and the stars and Yet I see of all the things that that God could ever think about and pre be preoccupied with your focal point is obviously man.

What do you see that? We don't what do you know? We don't what in the world is in your mind that you are you are mindful of them that you're literally it means obsessed God you have this unbelievable obsession with man.

What in the world is it that you see? What is man that thou visitest him that you want to come you literally want to spend the day with me. You want to empower me? You want to lead me guide me? You want to bless me?

You want to watch the enemies fall you want to have me rule and reign you have established a kingdom. I don't understand this. And as he looks at that he then he responds and saw made and he finds himself There with this wonderful insight after he says what is man that our mindful of the son of man that thou visitest him.

He says for thou madest him he understands thou madest him a little lower than the angels and has crowned him With glory and honor and made just him to have dominion over the works of thy hand. Now has put all things under his feet.

City all sheep and oxen and all cattle and all beasts of the field. Fowl of the air the fish of the sea and all that passed through the paths of the sea. He looks there and he says God when you created man you created man and you gave him dominion you created.

He said now you have dominion over it. You rule it. The fowl of the air the fish of the sea all that even passed through the channels that we didn't when David wrote this they didn't even realize there are huge just channels in the ocean themselves and the paths that they now have realized thousands of years later that Are in the seas and David there he realized God when you created man, we were to rule over all of life.

And all of this creation all of this earth all of this planet you gave it to us. And he says Oh Lord our Lord. How excellent is that name in all the earth? But as David begins to comprehend this he perceived there.

He realized there that when God had created man, it wasn't just David. It was all man every single one of us that he had a plan. He had a majesty had a glory that when he there somebody was a human being and by Identity of being a human being they were created in the image of God to share his glory.

To share his majesty none higher none lower none greater none lesser all his all. With it such a majesty was such a glory. And then as he goes on he says about him he says but thou has made it first of all when you made angels you made man, pardon me, you made him a little lower than the angels of Which we are in one sense lower and in in creation in the sense that man is out of the dust of the earth.

Angels are spiritual, you know beings they have spiritual bodies man is natural. Angels are supernatural as first Corinthians 15. There are bodies terrestrial their bodies celestial. Their bodies made out of terra firma out of earth and then there are heavenly bodies.

Angels have heavenly bodies. To men God must reveal we're lower that way angels have access to his presence in his throne men, we have choices on how to live and walk and talk and behave and function to serve or obey or sin or whatever.

And Angels that appears ever since the fall of Lucifer and the third of the angels of heaven. We believe went with him at that point in time. They've all been locked in. They don't going back and forth and trading sides and making any new decisions.

Men and human beings we die. Angels there's no death. You know in a sense there so there were man are made lower than the angel though not lower. Spiritually in terms of being an object of love man is is the object of God's love.

We are the apple of his eye. We are his children. No angel is God's child. There is creations, but not as child not the object of his affection. So we're higher in that sense, but lower in creative design.

But here the point of it is in this chapter is that Hebrews Wants us to know how great of a salvation we have and he says it is so great. He says that this what we once had. When God had made man He gave him dominion over the work of his hands the moon and the stars.

And all the end of the flesh of the earth in the sense over it man will have that again. This will occur. This is what redemption is truly all about. Daniel 17 718 says. But the Saints of the Most High.

They shall take the kingdom and they shall possess the kingdom forever. Even forever and ever here the Bible tells us that what God created man originally to be. It is going to happen. It just isn't something that's just gonna be a memory in God's eyes.

Yeah, it was great while it lasted never happened again fine for a time, but who. Well No here the Bible says know what there once was. Will yet be again for man. Daniel 727 says. And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven Shall be given under the people of the Saints of the Most High.

Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominion shall serve and obey him here. He said I'm going to give it there. Well, once again, what was created to be at one time will happen again. It will occur man will rule and it is something there that Jesus promised that redemption or promised that that salvation.

Specifically to those who are his redeemed. Luke 20 35 says but they which shall be accounted worthy To obtain that world and the resurrection of the dead and he says neither shall they die anymore. Being the children of the resurrection here Jesus said that those that come through the resurrection.

Those that have given their life to me those that will see later have been washed and cleansed in his blood and forgiven for their sins. Those who are the redeemed they will be find themselves in that world.

Yet to come ruling and reigning. I mean just to stop and think of it eternal life. You see eternal life is not just simply Endless life as far as God is concerned eternal life is in Jesus. In John 17 3 He said and this is life eternal.

That they may know thee the only true God in Jesus Christ whom thou sent. All that eternal life is is sharing the life of the one who is eternal. We think eternal life was the day our sins were forgiven the day Christ died for us.

Now that started it that initiated it that opened the door to it. But eternal life is not simply as far as God is concerned of getting me, you know out of hell and into heaven someday. The real great salvation that Jesus is talking about here is that when Jesus Christ gets out of heaven and back into me When he rules and he reigns within me again when he now can come back to a human being and rule and reign and live with Within the heart in the life in power and glory and majesty and he can rule and reign and have full dominion in our hearts and in our lives as We were created to be.

God looks and he says this is what you were created for. This is what it's all about. I think sometimes, you know, we Need to stop and realize that the wonderful thing is that when when Jesus Christ what he did for us what he has planned for.

Every one of our lives still yet Will be crowned with him. It's something near Ephesians chapter 1 verse 20 tells us on how Christ will reign for it says for he Wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him in his own right hand in heavenly places far above all Principality and power and might and dominion and every name that isn't named not only in this world But also in the world to come here.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus Christ died when he rose from the dead He sits at the right hand of the majesty on high and he has dominion over all power all Principality over all names that is named in this life and in the life and in the world to come.

But then it goes on in Revelation 3 21 and it says to him that overcometh. I Will grant to sit with me in my throne Even as I also overcame and sat down with my father in his throne. In other words, it won't just be I'm going to heaven.

Jesus ain't even before you go to heaven I am going to bring heaven back to earth and I'm gonna rule and I'm gonna reign and you're gonna rule and you're gonna reign with me as you were created to as You were created to know and share.

Ephesians 1 21 says that you and I when we reign we too we will be above Principality and power and might and dominion there when you and I rule and reign to think of the of angels once again. Ministering spirit sent forth to minister Under the heirs of salvation and the wonderful thing when we realize the redemption that you have as a Christian.

What Jesus Christ offers again is not just simply when the role is called up yonder. I'll be there. But Jesus wants a before that. When I come back to heaven, I come back to earth. You'll be there and you'll reign with me and you will rule with me and you will live with me and you will have that Dominion and that power and that life and that victory that God created man to know in the very first place.

Says there in Hebrews 2 80 says and thou has put all things in subjection under his feet. When God created man, everything was it was in subjection to him of all creation. All of it there in his support and that he put all in subjection to him.

He left nothing that is not put under him. Imagine see when God when he created man and he gave him dominion. Last night. I was sitting out my backyard and a little sparrow. I was seeing their motion.

I said just flew and just landed right on that fence. Just only a couple feet from me. It didn't see me obviously. And but it just had their chirping away kind of and then I made a little motion or noise and boom.

And you could just see it looked off and took away. I was just thinking as I just kind of looked at that and thinking about Hebrews and realized that was he was in subjection to Me he I mean he was to be right now.

He's in fear of me right now. He's just enjoying everything having a nice day. No, it's all a human get out of here. You know, I mean he he's that it's gone but to realize the Bible literally says That when God had created us we had dominion over all of these things.

This was the life that man was to know all things were under his feet and it says all things were under his power but as he says there in verse 8 Thou has put all things in subjection under his feet for and that he put all things in subjection under him he left nothing that is not put under him, but Now we see not yet all things put under him.

He says but not but not so for now right now. The world in which he lived because but that terrible word it was so wonderful to think of that. But then he says but back to reality where it is right now, but now we don't see it.

Why? Because man sinned because an usurper came into the garden usurped an authority and took over man's place and When man sinned what a terrible thing it was. We just sometimes don't realize how huge it was.

Genesis 3 17 it says in God or under Adam God said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of It cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow.

Thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life thorns also in thistles. Shall it bring forth unto thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field and in sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until Thou return into the ground for out of it Thou was taken in dust thou art and under dust thou shalt return.

He looked at man and he said now this whole world that you were once in Dominion over that you were the keeper of that you were the steward of there was all under your feet now. You're under it. Now it is going to take over and now instead of you ruling creation creation is going to rule you.

Today the earth isn't men don't rule the earth the earth rules man. You know, we're ruled by ecology essentially in the world in which we're now where you know, we're Living in a world of it is a fallen world with fallen angels and.

And we're fighting it out with him and no sooner of course did Adam sin and the fall happened and there's you know. There's jealousy and then there's hatred and there's murder. There's envy and then death and then two chapters later.

God destroys the planet. It becomes so crop. It's a flood comes and God wipes the whole thing out and starts all over but essentially ever since then Satan has ruled Oh, you know over a cursed earth. And he rules over a fallen man.

Essentially there. I mean what has happened now is that here? We we are looking at everything around us is all fallen and man went there from King to slave. The next thing, you know again as I already said the whole animal world.

Everything that was once Adam named the animals pets no fear but all of a sudden now man the and the whole animal kingdom falls into a fear of the man that had once named them and The ground begins to is that Bible says bring forth thorns and thistles and weeds and there's next thing, you know.

There's temperature radical changes of heat and cold. There's poisonous snakes and reptiles. They begin to flurry so there's earthquakes and floods and hurricanes and disease and bacteria is out of control and man is fighting back with Pesticides and DDT trying to raise our crops before all the pests come and destroy it and we're poisoning ourself in the process of trying to kill everyone else and Meantime they say we're destroying the ozone that protects the earth when the infrared rays coming in we got nation against nation and wars and rumors of wars and famines and pestilence and Evil is waxing worse and worse and men are walking after their own times and it's perilous times.

That's the world in which we live today. And now we are literally man. We find ourselves getting up day by day fighting to exist while we are watching a world die with us. The everything has fallen not just simply man.

And the reason for it is simply as John tells us in first John the whole world lies in the arms of the wicked one. He's called the Prince of the power of the air the God of this world. You see when Satan came in a serpent in authority took over from man.

His place of dominion not only did man fall himself. But all of creation that would have been held up by man in his majesty and glory his birthright from God to rule it. Now all of a sudden a fallen angel who has no power no strength.

No goodness, no ability to rule or reign or bring peace or hope or any unity now next thing. You know he is now ruling over a cursed earth that he brought it upon as he now is the God of it and It's the great tragedy of it is again He won't take any glory for it in one sense.

Because the result is is though he can't rule it. He can't help a home or a marriage or a family. He can't you know, he can't hold the earth together. He can't keep the platelets of the earth from shifting and earthquakes happening.

He can't keep the atmosphere in control. He can't stop any, you know thorns and thistles and reptiles and life getting out of order. It's all out of chaos. He has no capacity to rule no capacity to bring anything good about and the result of it Is is that it's all falling apart in the whole world lies in the arms of the wicked one as a result of that.

You know. The tragic thing is is that many people are running around blaming God for something has nothing to do with you know. We're gods of God of love. Why did why was there a tsunami? Why did we have earthquakes?