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Ephesians 3:14-17, Genesis 3:16, Hebrews 2:5-8

Jesus: A Man among Men!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 9, 2019

Up to these verses, Hebrews 2:5f, the writer has been focusing on the deity of Jesus and how His superiority to the prophets and to the angels should drive us to “think more carefully” about Him. We should fix our attention on Jesus because there is so much for us to see and understand about His person and His work. The deeper we sink our roots into Jesus and His sacrifice on our behalf, the stronger our branches will be in life. Paul prays that the Ephesians would do just that in Ephesians 3:17-19. He explains that Jesus is God’s love demonstrated to us in the flesh and wants them to sink their roots into that so “…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Growth in the spiritual life comes not from trying harder, but from sinking our roots into God’s love as expressed on Calvary. There is so much nourishment to be drawn from the person and work of Christ.

The author of Hebrews gives us more wonderful truths about the person and work of Jesus to which we should pay close attention. He moves on in these verses to talk about Jesus’ humanity. He writes in Hebrews 2:5-8, “For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.’” The title “Son of man” was Jesus’ favorite designation of himself. It’s the focus on His humanity as foretold in Genesis 3:16 that He would come into the world as the seed of the woman. The Psalm that is quoted here is normally taken to refer to mankind in general because in Genesis, God gave dominion over all creation to us! But we gave it away. Hagner observes, “Jesus is the true embodiment of humanity, the last Adam who realizes in himself that glory and dominion that the first Adam and his children lost because of sin. In him the words of the psalmist have their fulfillment. If the words were meant originally to apply to human beings, they find their fullest realization in the one who is preeminently human, who reveals humanity as humanity was meant to be.”[1]

Jesus was not like the angels because He was fully human. He knows what we know. He feels what we feel, as the author tells us later in his letter in Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” We must sink our roots down deep into God’s love as expressed in Christ. His divine position in eternity past as creator of all things was set aside because He loved us. He took upon Himself the nature of a man, being born of a woman, and experienced the pain and sufferings of death because He loved us. As a man without sin, He restores to us the dominion God had planned for us over all creation. Here is where we should focus our attention! These are the things we should be thinking carefully about. Only in Christ will we find peace and rest with God and dominion over the world. The law brings nothing but condemnation.

[1] Donald A. Hagner, Hebrews, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 45.

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Hebrews 2:3b-4, Romans 5:8, 1 John 1:1

God’s Law or God’s Love?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 8, 2019

We are all in the same boat as the author of the book of Hebrews. He was not around when Jesus proclaimed the good news and died on the cross to seal the fate of all believers. Whoever wrote this book is relying on the testimony of the original hearers. He tells us in Hebrews 2:3b-4, “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.”

It was Jesus Himself that declared salvation. God used to speak to man through His prophets, but not anymore! It wasn’t prophets or angels who mediated God’s final word to man, it was the Son Himself. The importance of Jesus’ message in comparison to the mediated message of angels and prophets is like comparing the beginning of a story with its conclusion. The whole Old Testament is about God’s love for mankind. But Jesus gives us God’s final word regarding His disposition toward us. Again, I must quote Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrated his own love for us in this. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” From the creation account in Genesis 1 through the end of Malachi, God expressed His love for mankind in many different ways. But in Christ God “demonstrated” that love in an undeniable way! Jesus is both the messenger of God and the message of God. How does the Bible end? With Jesus!

Those who heard the message first hand attest to its validity. John is referring to the apostles when he begins his first epistle. He writes in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” He’s expressing the validity of the testimony of the apostles about the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, their message has been validated by God with many signs and wonders. Allen helps us understand this validation. He writes, “The confirming testimony of God via the miracles was given to those who heard the Lord, not to the author and his readers.”[1] If God was still performing these signs and wonders at the time of this writing the author would surely have referred to them as evidence of the authenticity of the Gospel. If we focus on the continuation of these signs and wonders we miss the point. The beginning of the story of redemption in Exodus was validated by miracles. The ultimate conclusion of the story of redemption is also validated by miracles and confirmed by reliable witnesses. Prophets and angels did not have the final word. Only Jesus did! Do we focus on God’s law or do we focus on God’s love? As Hughes says, “It is more blameworthy to sin against love than against Law, to ignore God’s mercy than to break his Law.”[2]

[1] David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010), 198.

[2] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul, vol. 1, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993), 52.

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Acts 7:53, Hebrews 2:2-3, Galatians 6:7, Isaiah 64:6, Matthew 11:28

The Law Only Condemns!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 7, 2019

The author of Hebrews is still talking about angels in Chapter 2. In Chapter 1, he clearly laid out the case for the superiority of Jesus to all the angels in that they simply do His bidding and when they’re not, they are worshipping Him. But now, the role that angels filled in the past is compared to their role regarding Jesus. The Jews believed that angels played a role in delivering the law to Moses at Sinai. The Jewish priest and historian, Josephus, makes this clear when he says, “We have learned the noblest of our doctrines and the holiest of our laws from the angels sent by God” (see Antiquities XV:136, or XV,5:3 in Whiston’s translation). Stephen includes this fact in his sermon before being stoned to death. In Acts 7:53 he says, “…who have received the Law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.” The most interesting thing in Stephen’s quote is the fact that the law ministered through angels was not kept. This affirms the truths of the Old Testament regarding Israel’s failure under their own law.

Hebrews 2:2-3a says, “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?” Failure to keep Moses’ law resulted in the destruction of Israel, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In concluding the law in its second giving (Deuteronomy) there are blessings and curses: blessings for keeping the law and curses for violating the law. This is sowing and reaping. “Don’t be deceived,” Paul tells the Galatians, “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” The law establishes firmly the principles of sowing and reaping. We all live under that law and we’ve all sowed seeds to the flesh. Even our righteous deeds are not good in God’s eyes. Isaiah 64:6 tells us that even “our righteousness is as filthy rags.” The ESV puts it this way: “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

The author is saying “under the law, you cannot escape your judgment.” It is very reliable and every failure will have its consequences. But Jesus paid the consequences for our sins! Yes, we made our  bed but Jesus slept in it for us! It’s God’s pure demonstration of His love for us! “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” If you ignore, diminish, demean, or dismiss this truth in favor of works righteousness there is no remedy for your sin! As Hebrews 1:3 says, Jesus “made purification for our sins.” Focusing on the law, works, my own righteousness, and my own efforts will bring no peace. There is no rest in the law! But Jesus calls us out of the law to Himself. “Come to me,” He says, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

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Hebrews 2:1, Romans 5:8, Galatians 1:6

Drifting away from Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 2, 2019

After discussing at great lengths the importance of Jesus, His person and work, the author of Hebrews begins chapter 2 with a connection with what he’s already said in the first chapter. He’s demonstrating that Jesus is superior to prophets, to angels, and to all creation. Well, what should that mean to us? Hebrews 2:1 begins, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” What does it mean to pay “closer attention?” The BKC on Hebrews says, “The truth he had just enunciated has important implications. The therefore shows that this admonition arose directly from the preceding material. Since the Son is so supremely great and is destined for final triumph over His enemies, the readers would do well to pay more careful attention to these realities.”[1]

What is the content of “what we have heard?” It’s got to be the good news about Jesus Christ. The message that was spread by Paul and the other apostles!  It’s the good news about the appearance of the Messiah of the Old Testament in the person of Jesus of Nazareth who made purification for our sins (Hebrews 1:3).  Our focus should be on Jesus. Even the Old Testament prophets spoke about Jesus. Focus our attention on that. The Angels are all about Jesus. We should learn about Jesus from the conduct and activity of the Angels. The whole world was created, choreographed, and is being sustained by Jesus. It’s all about Him. The God of love is revealed to us through all creation and all the records of the law and the prophets. Ultimately, His love for all mankind is fully demonstrated on Calvary. Romans 5:8, says, “But God demonstrated His love for us in this; while we were yet sinner Christ died for us.” God’s love for us should get our more diligent attention.

Why should we keep our focus on Jesus? Because everything around us tries to distract us! Like Peter walking on the water, as long as he had his eyes on Jesus, he was fine. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and put them on the situation around him, the waves and the wind, he began to sink. The Handbook for Translators says about this phrase “drift away”, “In secular Greek it is sometimes used to describe a ship drifting away.” It quotes Barkley who says, “Otherwise, we may well be like a ship which drifts past the harbor to shipwreck.”[2] In religious circles, it’s often easy to lose our focus on the gospel and the person of Jesus. Instead of focusing on Him, we look to religious rituals, regulations, and disciplines to save us. It’s not that we deny the truth of Christ, but we live as if it doesn’t matter. We are more concerned about what we do than what He did for us. Paul was disturbed by the Galatians who had drifted away from Jesus and slipped back into a life of religious obligations and observations. Some were preaching good works instead of faith in Jesus, as the basis for life. It’s in this passage that Paul brings up angels. He says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Don’t drift into a focus on good works rather than on Jesus!

[1] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 783.

[2] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 27.

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Hebrews 1:13-14, Psalm 103:20-22

Look for Jesus

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 1, 2019

After exploding with the glorious truths about Jesus being the founder, choreographer, and sustainer of the whole universe, the author will now go back and wrap up his discussion about the angels. In Hebrews 1:13-14, He writes, “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?” No one sees the created order of the universe and all the galaxies and all the molecules and atoms as clearly as the angels do. What do they do? They worship Jesus! The Old Testament proclaims this everywhere but nowhere more beautifully than in the Messianic Psalms of David. In Psalm 103:20-22 we read, “Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!”

You see the Prophets acknowledge the superiority of Jesus! The Angels acknowledge and proclaim it! The whole earth stands as a miracle wrought at the hands of Jesus. The skies and the universe declare Jesus’ superiority! Jesus is the subject of the whole Bible. The author of Hebrews is pointing that out to his readers who are struggling over the role of religion in their lives. Is it the Law that needs emphasized? Is it the words of condemnation and judgement of the Prophets that should be proclaimed to scare the world into submission? Is it the accumulation of knowledge in the world of sowing and reaping that we should worship. Should understanding social dynamics be elevated above the worship of Jesus? The Bible is not about me and how good I am or how good I can or cannot be! The Bible is not a self-help book designed to give you good relationships and promotions on the job although there is much truth in them regarding such things. The Bible is about Jesus! Any ministry that gives prophecy, good works, or knowledge a stronger focus is not focusing on what matters most! It’s all about Jesus!

We should evaluate every book we read, every song we sing, every sermon we hear, on the basis of this truth. Is it about Jesus or is it about me or something else! Look for Jesus!

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Hebrews 1:10-12

Jesus is Supreme over Everything

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 28, 2019

Almost every commentator observes the fact that the author of Hebrews speaks of the superiority of Christ over the prophets. His arguments are around the need to give Jesus supremacy over God’s earlier spokesmen. He then adds the same is necessary regarding the angels. Jesus reigns supreme over them. He’ll next talk about, in a little more detail, how Jesus is supreme over Moses, and then specifically address the law and its sacrificial system. But I haven’t noticed any commentator pointing to the fact that Jesus is supreme over the whole creation! God has been banned from the classroom as secular teachers force evolutionary theory down the throats of our children. They want to teach science as if it’s something apart from God, or that it can in some way be divorced from its designer and creator. The author of Hebrews says that it’s better to know a little bit about Jesus than everything about the world! Hebrews 1:10-12 says “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.’” John and Paul aren’t the only two New Testament writers that attribute the creation of the world to Jesus.

You can never really understand the natural world and order of things until you understand Jesus. Everything you and I can learn about science, math, the arts, the languages, etc., is nonsense if it doesn’t illuminate the reality of its creator. Jesus was the first philosopher! Jesus was the first painter, writer, sculptor! As the physical manifestation of God’s love for mankind, without a grasp of that knowledge, everything else is meaningless. God, through His Son (the expression of His love) gave us everything. He made the world and filled it with color and gave me eyes! God loves me! He made the world and filled it with birds and sounds of the night and gave me ears to enjoy them and the music of life. God loves me! He filled the world with foods of every imaginable variety and gave me the most sophisticated taste system so that I could taste every single one of them. God loves me! I could go on and on.

The world with its vastness and glory grips us with its magnitude! One of the headlines this morning (June 20, 2019) says, “Nearby star may be supporting life! This may be the most earth-like exoplanet discovered yet.” I truly doubt that there’s life there, but we’re still looking to the stars. How can you look at them and not consider their origin? To do so, is a waste of time. They declare the greatness of God, Jesus! But in today’s America, knowledge is god! Although He is the creator, choreographer, and sustainer of it all, we want to look at the macro and the micro worlds as something in and of themselves. This author wants us to understand knowledge in and of itself will not save us; not even knowledge of the Bible. Only Jesus can save us. He is not only greater than the prophets, angels, Moses and the law. He is greater than anything! Think about that.

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Hebrews 1:9, Luke 2:10, Romans 1:16-17

The Righteousness of Christ

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 27, 2019

The whole Bible is about Jesus and why we should give more attention to Him than to anything or anyone else. The author of Hebrews wants his readers to get that truth. To those who want to elevate angels, prophets, and even Moses to the prominent position in life, the author uses their own Scriptures to show that it is improper to do so. In the Gospels, God opens the heavens and tells us “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” But the Old Testament carries the same message. It is clear that no one and nothing should have precedence over Jesus.  Hebrews 1:9 continues the quote from the Psalms and reads, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

Concerning this verse, the handbook for translators says, “This whole quotation, in its present context, is a favorable judgment given by God the Father on the total life and work of his Son.”[1] In the Psalms and in the Prophets and in the Law, God bears witness to the Son and His perfection and right to reign. None of the prophets are presented to us as perfectly righteous in every way. Even the most prominent heroes have flaws and weaknesses that lead them into sin. According to both the Old Testament and the New, we’ve all fallen short and have sinned. There is no one righteous. Wait a minute, there is one! His name is Jesus!

“It is not a kingdom at all in the ordinary sense of the word. There are no plush palaces, no visible royal regalia, no elaborate political negotiations with other kingdoms. Yet in some special way he rules in the hearts of his people more thoroughly than any earthly king rules his subjects. He rules with righteousness. He loves righteousness.”[2] He shares his righteousness with those who trust in Him. Joy is always connected to righteousness in the Bible and that was the pronouncement that came from an angel to the shepherds around Bethlehem. Luke 2:10 says the angel declared to the frightened shepherds, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The “Good News” that brings “Great Joy” to “All People” (including you and me) is that Christ’s righteousness can be ours through faith, not through works. The Good News (Romans 1:16-17) is “Joyful News.” It’s the news that even sinful man can be made right with God through faith in Jesus. It’s His righteousness, not ours, that saves!

[1] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 19.

[2] James Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse, Hebrews, The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1997), Heb 1:9.

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Hebrews 1:7-8, Daniel 7:2, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 5:11-12

Worthy is the Lamb

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 26, 2019

In continuing his contrast of Jesus with angels, the author of Hebrews writes, “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.’”

Of the three elements; earth, wind, and fire, the author uses the last two of them to describe the work of angels. This is not unusual in the Old Testament. Daniel says, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.” (Daniel 7:2) Dwight Pentecost comments on this verse and says, “In his vision Daniel first saw the great sea churned by the action of four winds. The word translated ‘winds’ may also be rendered ‘spirits,’ or angels. Elsewhere in Scripture this word is used to refer to God’s providential actions in the affairs of men through angels (Jer. 23:19; 49:36; 51:1; Zech. 6:1–6; 7:14; Rev. 7:1–3).”[1] In Genesis 19, Angels were sent to Sodom and Gomorrah. They destroyed those two cities and the surrounding area with “flames of fire” out of the sky! Angels are nothing more than messengers that God uses to intercede in the affairs of men. They are simply sent forth for certain tasks to accomplish and they obey.

Jesus on the other hand, is the one who sends them. He is “God forever and ever.” The authority of His scepter is over all creation including the angels. He commands and they obey. Angels are simply messengers of God. It’s interesting that both the Greek and the Hebrew word for angel means “messenger.” We refer to Jesus as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This comes from Paul’s letter to Timothy when he closes the first letter (1 Timothy 6:15). He describes Jesus as, “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Again we see it in Revelation 19:16, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” He sits on the throne and wields the scepter. He directs all the affairs of the angels from His position and they obey. Their tasks are temporary, but Jesus reign is “forever and ever.” I believe John tells us what the angels do when their missions are finished. He writes in Revelation 5:11-12, “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne… the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might  and honor and glory and blessing!’” He deserves our focus now and will have it forever and ever. We should say “worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”

[1] J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1350.

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