Prepare

What is it that keeps you faithful to Christ? Have there been times when you’ve felt that you weren’t?

Hebrews 2:1–9

Hebrews 2

Warning to Pay Attention

Jesus Made Like His Brothers and Sisters

    ⁷ You made them a little lower than the angels;
       you crowned them with glory and honor

    ⁸ and put everything under their feet."

    In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. ⁹ But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Main point

God and man
There’s clear concern here for the readers, who like a boat coming loose from its moorings and floating slowly away on the tide might drift away from the knowledge of salvation (vs 1–4).

The author of Hebrews, as well as portraying Jesus’ divinity, also wants to stress the importance of his humanity. Jesus is God himself, but readers are reminded that he is also a man who came to earth and died, tasting death for everyone and receiving glory, honour and authority.

Living with sin
Although the Father has given all authority to Christ, human beings are rebellious and don’t always submit to it. We live with the tension between seeing that, although Jesus was and is victorious over sin and death, the world is still full of it, and we have to deal with the effects of it day by day in ourselves and others.

In the face of evil our own moorings can easily come loose. We can become angry or disillusioned or feel hopeless, especially if the kind of work we do exposes us to things we’d rather not know about. Being in the world but not of it isn’t easy but with Jesus it’s always possible.

Maintain the message, support WordLive

‘We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.’

Today’s opening verse underlines the importance of paying attention. We have heard and continue to hear God through reading the Bible and prayer. This is exactly why WordLive was created. However, keeping WordLive running, and full of creative ideas to help you engage with the Bible, comes at a significant financial cost.

We believe WordLive should be free to use for everyone to deepen and strengthen their relationship with God. Therefore, we are completely reliant on your gifts and generosity and we thank everyone who has already given to maintain this ministry. But the financial need to keep WordLive running doesn’t go away, so we always need your support.

Please consider donating to WordLive, to help with the ongoing costs associated with this multimedia ministry. Click here and choose either a single or regular donation.

Respond

Pray about any struggles in faith you or anyone you know is having. Ask the Lord for a sense of his presence and upholding.