Is your life this week more like being afloat on a river or on a lake?
In spiritual terms, we need to be careful that going with the flow of the river of this world doesn’t cause us to drift from Jesus. Instead, we need to remain close to Him, moored to Him, and not moved away by anything in the world (a bit like being anchored on a lake). If we do this, we will share in the glorious inheritance He has prepared for us!
LOOKING BACK (Hebrews 2:1-4)
God challenged us to make sure we are not drifting from Jesus, warning us in the light of Who He is:
- To pay “much closer attention to what we have heard” (the “great salvation” in the gospel) because:
- It comes from the incomparable Jesus Himself.
- It (or He) is the good news that everyone needs.
- It is credible.
- Not to Drift Away from Christ but to remain anchored to Him. Drifting from Him is dangerous. It generally happens gradually, but unless it’s stopped, the end is tragic. We took some time to examine the cause (the “journey syndrome”, compromise and laziness) and signs that we may be drifting now (self-centeredness, self-deception. self-sufficiency. self-righteousness).
Finally, we were shown the antidote to drifting away from Christ – paying close attention to the gospel we hear, so we will remain firmly anchored to Him.
LOOKING AHEAD (Hebrews 2:5-18)
Why did Jesus become a man?
Man had offended God infinitely, so man had to pay for that offence. But to pay for an infinite offence requires a sacrifice of infinite value, which only God could offer. So Jesus (Who is God) was made like us in every way except for our sin. Like us, He was made lower than the angels for a little while in order to become the sacrifice (and the merciful High Priest who offered it) that could fully atone for the sins of His people. Through His death, He destroyed the one who has the power of death – the devil – and delivered us from the lifelong slavery that was ours through the fear of death. That is the good news – the gospel! Because He tasted death for everyone, He will be crowned with glory and honor, and the world to come will be subjected to Him by God.
In this action, Jesus has joined Himself so closely to us that in a wonderful, but mysterious sense, we have God as Father in the same way He does. Just pause and think about the honors and titles that rightfully belong to Jesus, and the power that is His (see Chapter 1) and then read verse 11 again:
If you have trusted Him to save you, He is not ashamed to call you His brother or His sister!
The outcomes of our union with Jesus are staggering:
- Having been made like us, He is perfectly suited to be sympathetic to us as our Great High Priest during our time in this world – when He was here, He was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
- Since we are joined to Christ in His Life, Death, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension, in the world to come (which will be subjected to Him) we shall surely be joined to Him in His reign! It would be staggering audacity and even blasphemy for us to suggest such things, if God had not made the truth of them very clear in His Word (Romans 6:1-11, 1 Corinthians 6:3, Colossians 2:12, 3:1, Ephesians 2:4-7, 2 Tim 2:11-13).
Songs:
How Deep The Father’s Love
Man of Sorrows
Sovereign
My Worth Is Not in What I Own