I want to start today by giving you youngsters a history lesson. This is a 5 ¼ inch floppy disk. It was first produced in 1978, and could hold a massive 360 KB. Which means the original 18 MB file of this PHOTO of a floppy disk would take 50 floppy disks to store. I remember saving some University assignments on a disk like this in 1986.
And this is a Tandy Radio Shack TRS80 personal computer. I remember using it in about year 8 in 1978. It had 4KB of RAM, expandable to 48KB, and a cassette tape to load programs. I remember learning to write programs in BASIC. But that was about it. It couldn’t even cope with lower case letters.
These are old technologies. A history lesson is about all they’re good for. They were a good place to begin. (A foundation for NEWER technology to build on.) But there’s no way you’d ever go back and USE them. They’re useless and obsolete. And THE NEW IS SO MUCH BETTER.
Which is the EXACT argument the preacher of Hebrews is using. But instead of new and old COMPUTERS. It’s the New and Old COVENANTS. Of Judaism. And Christianity.
Today we’re looking at the start of the letter to THE HEBREWS. Which is another name for JEWS. And it’s got the title Hebrews/ because this is a letter, first and foremost, WRITTEN TO CHRISTIANS WHO USED TO BE JEWS. Even more particularly, to those who are TEMPTED TO GO BACK. Who want to give up being Christian. And go back to being Jewish. They’re being tempted to turn on the old computer. Or the old floppy disk drive. Because they think the good old days were better.
The danger is/ they’re throwing away THEIR FREEDOM. And going back to their old laws. Throwing away the CONFIDENCE they have before God. And going back to THE UNCERTAINTY OF THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE. Throwing away the once-for-all effective cleansing of Jesus. And going back to the temporary, symbolic cleansing of animal sacrifices. The biggest danger of all is/ they’re planning on rejecting JESUS HIMSELF. And going back to priests and temples. Who they think can do a better job at bringing them to God.
And Hebrews is written to convince them NOT TO. If you want a single sentence summary of the message of the letter, it’s this. JESUS IS BETTER. SO DON’T TURN BACK. It’s a message that gets repeated in slightly different ways all the way through the book. In terms that are very Jewish. But time after time, the theme is the same. JESUS IS BETTER THAN WHAT CAME BEFORE. So don’t go backwards.
I don’t know what GOING BACKWARDS is going to look like for you. Most of us aren’t Jewish. Perhaps you know the joy of forgiven sin. Don’t go back to feeling guilty. Perhaps know for certain your identity and purpose. Don’t go back to confusion and aimlessness. Perhaps you know the confidence of asking God for anything, because you ask in Jesus’ name. Don’t go back to doubt, and coping on your own. Perhaps you know contentment. Don’t go back to complaining and dissatisfaction. Whatever it is, Don’t go back to what you knew BEFORE. Because Jesus is BETTER.
And the first way Jesus is better is that he’s A BETTER MESSENGER FROM GOD. V1.
In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets, at many times and in various ways.
Now, just before we think about those words. Notice what’s NOT there. There’s no “From Paul, to the church at…” It’s just straight into his introduction. Because Hebrews is unique in the New Testament. It’s written as SERMON TRANSCRIPT. There are clues all the way through that it’s meant to be spoken. And heard. And this beginning is one of the clues.
In the Christian Reformed Church, this sort of thing happens quite a bit. That in a vacant church, rather than a church member preparing a sermon, ANOTHER MINISTER will SEND his sermon. And then one of the local elders will READ IT OUT. It’s the same thing here.
And the first thing we find out is that God COMMUNICATES. Which, if you stop and think about it, IS PRETTY SPECIAL. No other nation’s god does it. Just open your Old Testament and see. God spoke through the prophets IN DREAMS. One time, God spoke by making A HAND APPEAR AND WRITE ON A WALL. Another time he spoke through A DONKEY. Other times he’d send a message to a prophet and say “Tell the people this”. With Moses on the Mountain, God gave him Israel’s law WRITTEN ON SLABS OF STONE. Apparently hand-delivered by an angel. Which might have seemed pretty cool.
In the past, God spoke to our ancestors in lots of different ways. But v2, “in these last days, ” (by comparison)… “he’s spoken to us by his son. “
Now here’s the point. You and I think that having a dream, or having an angel turn up with a message from God, would be special, don’t we? And yet that’s OLD TECHNOLOGY. It’s been replaced. That’s all the sort of stuff God did BEFORE he revealed himself ONCE AND FOR ALL… in HIS SON.
But what’s so special about a SON? Keep reading. The son, Jesus, v2, he’s the one who INHERITS all things. This is the son THROUGH WHOM GOD MADE THE UNIVERSE. Unbelievable, ultimate power! And then, v3, he sent him to earth. In human form like us. But also THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD.
People say I’m a lot like my Dad. Who’s ALSO a Presbyterian minister. There are TWO Rev Balzers around the place. People I haven’t seen for years will OFTEN say how much I sound like Dad, or even LOOK like him. Which is a little annoying, since Dad is 25 years OLDER than me!
Well, Jesus is LIKE THAT. Not BALD with bad eyesight, but JUST LIKE HIS FATHER. You want to know what God’s like? Then just look at Jesus. V3: The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being;
Which means that if God’s the sun, then Jesus is like the light shining OFF from the sun. Or, he’s like the coin stamped out of the die. (An image of the original) The exact representation of his being.
To top it off, verse 3 says, “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” This incredibly great one, the greatest human of all time; died on a cross as a sacrifice. To bring forgiveness of sins. Then went into heaven to rule beside his father. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven. Because he’d FINISHED the work of purifying. And because he’s now RULING. He’s not only the CLIMAX and GOAL of the Universe, but its KING, and SAVIOUR.
And yet some of these Jewish Christians are saying, “Ah, no. We’re TIRED of Jesus. Let’s go back to the OLD ways. Let’s go back to the rules and laws of the Old Testament. Because they were given to Moses… BY AN ANGEL” Jewish writings between the OLD and NEW Testaments reveal that people then were FASCINATED with angels.
There’s not a LOT of detail in the Old Testament about angels. But what IS there describes them as VERY IMPRESSIVE. Most people who SEE an angel fall down TERRIFIED.
At FIRST sight perhaps Jesus doesn’t seem as exciting as angels. I mean, Jesus had no wings. And most of the time, he didn’t glow with a dazzling light. And he was born in a cowshed as a helpless baby. And he died covered in dirt and blood on a shameful cross. While angels fly in and do stuff or say stuff and look powerful and white and impressive and they never get their hands dirty. Which is the most impressive?
Until you remember that when that baby was being born in the cowshed, there were THOUSANDS OF ANGELS SINGING ABOUT IT. Because THEY KNEW who was boss.
Verse 4 says, after he returned to heaven, it was very clear: So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. Way better! And the rest of chapter 1 keeps saying that. Quoting verses from the Old Testament to prove it.
V5, God never called an angel HIS SON, did he?
And, v6, when God’s firstborn comes into the world, THE ANGELS WORSHIP HIM.
Or jump down to v13. To which of the angels did God ever say, SIT HERE BESIDE ME as my second-in-charge. “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? (Quoting Psalm 110.)
And here’s something you may not have thought about. Do you know what angels are? Verse 14. Angels are serving spirits. Sent to serve US. Not GREATER than us at all. And certainly not greater than JESUS. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Yes, they are!
But what’s the point? I mean, why all this stuff about angels? Look at v1 of chapter 2. Notice the “therefore”?
The other good thing about the book of Hebrews being written as a sermon is it makes it easy for me as the preacher. BECAUSE THE APPLICATION IS ALREADY THERE. I don’t have to think about it myself. See there in v1 of chapter 2? What’s the point of Jesus being a better messenger than angels? 1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
These Jewish Christians are being tempted to let go of Jesus. They’re tempted to turn back – not so much to angels. But to THE MESSAGE angels gave to Moses. (The Jewish laws and rules and regulations.) And to turn their backs on Jesus. But if Jesus really IS God’s Son, who speaks with all God’s authority. And who sits at his right hand. And who the angels WORSHIP. Then WATCH OUT if you don’t PAY ATTENTION to him.
Verses 2-4 is a warning. Like the high voltage sign on a power transformer. It’s to stop fooling around. And start paying attention. Pay more careful attention to what you’ve heard, so you don’t drift away. V2
For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?
Which is saying/ if you think the word that came from ANGELS was scary, don’t try messing with Jesus. Because he’s come with the message of how to escape God’s punishment. A message of GREAT SALVATION. From God HIMSELF. And, v3. A message backed up by the apostles who first preached it to us. A message, v4, supported and reinforced by God himself when he did miracles among you.
You know, every day we’re constantly bombarded with information. Whether it’s advertising in all its forms, scam emails or fake phone calls. Whether it’s twitter tweets, social media notifications. Or fake news stories. Even phone calls tell us who is calling, so we can decide whether to accept the call or not.
And we have to decide what to DO with it. We make decisions about who to listen to, and who to ignore. Whether to listen to it, and accept it. Or just reject it. Who is RELIABLE, and SIGNIFICANT and RELEVANT and USEFUL? You turn OFF notifications for SOME sources. And leave them ON for others. Out of all the different messages you need to filter and rank. And accept or reject. THIS MESSAGE FROM JESUS. IS ONE YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE.
Have you ever noticed the safety card they put in the pocket in front of your seat on aeroplanes? If your plane goes down in the water, there are these inflatable chutes you slide down. Into the inflatable raft. It’s all there on the card. How to be saved. If your plane ditches in the water.
Most people don’t pay any attention to it at all. Perhaps they think they KNOW IT ALL. That they’re such experienced flyers, they don’t need advice.
But I wonder whether you’ve ever noticed this. Down the bottom of the card, it says this. It shows you the inflatable raft. It shows you the inflatable slide you slip down. And it says, if you’re a woman, make sure you take off your high heel shoes. Which may puncture the lifeboat.
It’s a warning you need to TAKE NOTICE OF! I mean, imagine for a minute. Your plane’s just crash-landed into the water off Sydney Heads. And you’ve survived. Fantastic. The plane’s filling up with water fast. But your brave cabin attendant has pressed the button and the inflatable chute has dropped off into the water with the life raft. Fantastic. And you’re sliding down it thinking how incredible it is to be alive. And then you land in the life raft full force with your high heels. And it goes pssssssssst. And you drown.
Because salvation was there. The warning was there. Announcing a great salvation. And you’ve just taken it for granted. You didn’t pay attention. And now it’s gone.
Hebrews says, Jesus has come. A truer salvation than anything that came before. And there’s judgment for ignoring the message of ANGELS. But HOW MUCH GREATER is the danger if you ignore the message JESUS brings?!
These Jewish Christians, (if you keep reading in Hebrews), they were turning away from Jesus. And turning back to LAW and PRIESTS and SACRIFICES that were only supposed to PREPARE them for Jesus. Which means they’re FINISHED. Because they’ve stopped paying attention to Jesus.
What about you? Notice the warning. PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION to JESUS. So you don’t DRIFT AWAY. Like a boat that’s gradually drifting away from the dock. Little by little. Nothing drastic or definite. Just baby steps. Most people don’t CHOOSE to drift away. It just happens one small step at a time.
I see it happen. People take their eyes of Jesus in ALL KINDS OF WAYS. Bible reading becomes less important. Because you’ve read it before. You don’t bother with Home Group. Or reading any Christian books. And, little by little, you’re listening to Jesus speak to you LESS. Until the Bible STAYS on the shelf, gathering dust. And you’re doing your own thing.
Or perhaps, you used to be so sure about what was right and wrong. But then you chose what you knew was wrong. And the world didn’t fall apart. So you did it more often. And occasionally felt bad, and repented. But, little by little, your conscience hardened, like a callus. Until it no longer felt wrong. And you STOPPED feeling guilty. You stopped paying attention to Jesus.
Or there’s something you long for that’s pulling you more strongly than Jesus. Perhaps it’s fitting in with your friends. Or that new romance. Or the big mortgage on the new house. Or the chance of promotion. Or saving for the holiday. And the importance of Jesus’ opinion of you fades. Little by little.
I see it when hard times come. Some kind of suffering. And you say, how can God put me through that? And you grow bitter. You complain. You stop praying. You blame God. As if God had somehow promised that life would go smoothly.
I even see it with Christians who start looking for more from God than just Jesus. Who start looking for a fresh experience. A new prophecy, a fresh revelation and fresh touch of God. Not realizing that every new thing like that is just a way of going backwards. Losing sight of the fact all those things are second rate when God has spoken to us by his son.
Or Christians who give up on church because PEOPLE disappoint them. Either there are no friends to connect with. Or someone messes up and they’re hurt. But church is all about how we ALL need JESUS.
And I can see it when people who’ve been around churches for DECADES / start thinking that salvation comes through THE CHURCH rather than through Jesus. Through CORRECT THEOLOGY. Or declaring the RIGHT CONFESSIONS, or singing the right HYMNS. Or SERVING THE DENOMINATION, rather than through TRUSTING Jesus.
But salvation comes through NONE OF THAT STUFF. It’s only found in Jesus. There’s no BETTER way. No OTHER way. No EASIER way. No SMARTER way.
There’s no other way to God than through Jesus – the FINAL word from God. SO PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION to him. So you don’t DRIFT AWAY from Jesus. He’s WORTH it.
God appointed him HEIR of all things, and THROUGH him he made the universe. The Son is the RADIANCE OF GOD’S GLORY and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of his being. SUSTAINING ALL THINGS by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, HE SAT DOWN at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became AS MUCH SUPERIOR TO THE ANGELS as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
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