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5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
On Monday’s episode I closed our time together noting that while it is great Christ that was born into this world, it is more important Christ be born in you. Let’s consider this thought further and from a different angle.
“Jesus, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous for good works.” Titus 2:14
I picked this passage because it uses the word “peculiar.” As Kenneth Weust says, “Christians are the peculiar people of God.”
This is a word sometimes we use for people who are odd or strange. I have definitely met some people who claim Christ and are strange but that is not what is meant here.
The word here in the original language is a compound of two words, “around” and another word “to be”. Mentally, picture a circle with a dot in the middle.
As the circle is around the dot, so God is around His people. He has the dot all to himself. These people are His own unique possession. Peculiar!
There are days when my obedience and pursuit of God, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would put at a 7 or 8. Then there are those days or seasons, where things just are not going well. I might put it at a negative 5.
God is the constant. In speaking about the believer’s security, Jesus says, “My Father, who has given me (the sheep) is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” John 10:28
Good seasons and bad, we are circled by the Father. Keep that picture in your head and let it be and encouragement. As a believer, we are God’s circled people. His possession.
So, the different angle is, this season, it is not only to have Jesus in us (Colossians 1:27) but also, us in Christ (Colossians 2:6). What a beautiful gift!
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 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, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. English Standard Version
3 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 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”?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed.[a] But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
13 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”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Little over a year ago while driving down the interstate there was a suitcase on the side of the road. It had sat there for over a week, and I just had to investigate.
One of the very few treasures that made me chuckle was these gloves. These gloves made me go back in time, all the way back to college. We had intramural football. My buddies and I were average, maybe a little below average football player.
I knew what I needed to be great was a pair of gloves. Yes, these would make me much better. The cheapest I could find were around $70 which is way too much on a college budget. So, I kissed intramural football greatness goodbye.
That is the thought that made me laugh at myself. The gloves, NOW FREE, would have made no difference in my ability to catch the ball (unless I lathered on some stick ‘em). My best with the gloves is horrible.
Those gloves on the hands of Jerry Rice? Now you are talking. That would be perfect. It is not the gloves that make the receiver, it is the receiver who makes the gloves. I would need Jerry Rice hands, arms, legs and the gloves to be better. This is the exchange I need- his for mine. This is unrealistic and silly to consider.
How does this relate to Jesus? One of my favorite New Testament passages in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Martin Luther called this passage, “The Great Exchange.” Why?
“For our sake, God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
For the believer an exchange took place. Christ is my righteousness. Christ is in my place. Christ took my sorrow and shame (and there was and is plenty of it) and gave me His perfect righteousness. This is the exchange. realistic change. Christ in my place. I will take that all day!
This week we begin a new sermon series on Hebrews. For those who desire to see how the entire Bible fits together, this is a study for you.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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. 3 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, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 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”?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed.[a] But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
13 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”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
I have not been one who follows the Royal Family in England yet there is one story that retains my attention. This is not an in-depth interest but when I see a headline I will read it. The story of which I am referring is Mr and Mrs. Prince Harry leaving the Royal family which happened a number of years ago.
When he and his wife left, they lost several things like titles, a place in the Royal Palace and they left a family with a net worth of $60 Billion.
They left this life in England to go to California and do podcasts, write a book and have occasional acting appearances, leaving behind all the financial security imaginable to be everyday working stiffs.
Think about this: They now have to make arrangements for internet service, pump gas, grocery shop, change oil in the car, arrange and plan for health and car insurance.
As a believer, did you ever consider this in terms of Jesus?
The book of Hebrews begins:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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.
Jesus left infinitely more in comparison to what Harry left.
These opening words of Hebrews are deep but today consider just one thing. Jesus, very creator God, enters the fallen creation to encounter hunger, thirst and fatigue.
ALSO, for the saved, he faced death. The wages of sin is death. For those who are of the faith, He encountered this death, in our place. On our behalf. God FOR US!
Welcome to Rightly Dividing where we marry theology and Scripture. The idea is to promote loving God with all our minds. Each short session we will take Scripture and tie it to the appropriate pieces of theology (the study of God and the doctrines of God).
This first session we discuss the covenant with man. We are introduced to the covenant with man in the Garden of Eden by principle. It is not until Hosea 6:7 that we see the principle defined.
So, do the temptations that Adam and Eve faced in the Garden have any relation to the temptations that Jesus faced in the wilderness after his baptism and 40 days of fasting? Watch and see 🙂
Jesus completed, in the flesh, what Adam was unable to do.
