Sermon 4
Hebrews 2 – Jesus is the I Am
Hebrews Chapter 2, Part 1
This chapter, as well as throughout the Book of Hebrews, is the revelation from God concerning Jesus that God’s theme is repeated throughout the chapters of a book concerning the supremacy of Christ, the sufficiency of Christ Jesus for salvation, faith, hardening of the heart (becoming Dull of Hearing) and spirituality immaturity being carried away by popular opinion and fear of persecution for their faith in Christ Jesus, instead of holding fast to the word of God. This chapter 2 starts with the warning and exhortation regarding neglecting our salvation, using the disobedience of Hebrews as an example. Who ended up wandering the desert for 40 years because of their lack of faith and unbelief. Until they die in the desert, unable to enter God’s rest in the land of promise!!!
[Hebrews 2:1-4 NKJV] 1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard [Him], 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? First, whenever we see
[Hebrews 2:1 NKJV] 1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
The question is why is the author warning us to give more earnest heed. In other words more serious and zealous attention to the word to the Gospel. The author first establishes who God is claiming the Son of God is by drawing us back to chapter 1 with “Therefore” giving us the reason to why we must earnestly obey.
[Hebrews 1:1-3 NKJV] 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of [His] glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Scripture clearly establishes who Jesus is in the Old and New testaments as God. Remember in Exodus 3, Moses tending to the sheep, when he sees the burning bush. When the Angel of the LORD appears in a burning bush.
Moses not only heard God’s voice; he saw God the pre-incarnate Christ.
[Exodus 3:2 NKJV] 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed.
Next
[Exodus 3:5 NKJV] 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand [is] holy ground.”
Moses takes off his sandals and bows down to worship the Pre-Incarnate Jesus.
Moses asked God who shall I say sent me?
[Exodus 3:14 NKJV] 14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “
I Am in Hebrew is Haya & in Greek is Ego Eimi
[John 8:52-59 NKJV] 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 “Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw [it] and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The importance of this statement is that Jesus was invoking and claiming to be Yehova/ Yahweh and the Jewish leaders understood that was claiming to be God!!!
There are seven other times Jesus uses the I AM
1st, [John 6:35 NKJV] 35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
2nd, John 8:12 I am the light of the world, 3rd, John 10:7 I am the door of the sheep, 4th, John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep., 5th, [John 11:25-26 NKJV] 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”, 6th, [John 14:6 NKJV] 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. & 7th, [John 15:1 NKJV] 1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
After Paul draws us back to see who Jesus is [God], he warns us not to drift away and to heed the word of God/Jesus. First establishing the word of Christ is the word of God.
What is meant by drifting away?
For Christian/Believers it doesn’t mean losing our salvation. It will probably cause a loss of rewards. It causes new believers to remain immature and mature believers to fall into spiritual sluggishness. Then being carried away by the worldly culture, Philosophy and popular opinion.
[Colossians 2:1-10 NKJV] 1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and [for] as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and [attaining] to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your [good] order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
[1 Corinthians 1:19-23 NKJV] 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where [is] the wise? Where [is] the scribe? Where [is] the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
Jesus called us the Church to be salt and light!!! I am afraid that the “Church” in America has drifted away. The “Church” has become more interested in filling the set, rather than fulfilling the great commission.
Being Salt and Light does not mean the Church stand by when;
Prayer out of schools, no fault divorce, abortion, same sex-marriage, Etc. Most importantly salt and light does not stand by when the word of God is taken out of the Church!!!
[Amos 8:11 NKJV] 11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
[Revelation 3:14-22 NKJV] 14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked– 18 “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, [that] the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eyesalve, that you may see. 19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ‘ “
[Romans 1:16-17 NKJV] 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
[Hebrews 2:2-3 NKJV] 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard [Him],
Paul is describing the event that took place in the wilderness when God instructed Moses to send out twelve spies to search out the land of Canaan Number 13. This is the LORD’s response.
[Number 14:11-12 NKJV] 11 Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 “I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
I believe some who die in the wilderness will not be in heaven, because they never believed in God. Explain
I also believe there are some in the so-called “Church” who profess to believe, but don’t believe because the word is not being preached.
We are called to work out our salvation from the inside out.
[Philippians 2:5-16 NKJV] 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
[Titus 2:11-15 NKJV] 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself [His] own special people, zealous for good works. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
[1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NKJV] 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 The last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
