Devote Your Mind to God's Truth, Part 4

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Jesus is the great rescuer, but not as some distant, unattached hero. No, He makes you His brother. He became one of us to rescue us, then He makes us family. From Hebrews 2, 5-18, Pastor Rich lays out a clear account of the Gospel message, reminding us that Jesus is the main point. Let's listen to today's message titled, The Best Brother You Could Ever Have. Now, would you turn once again with your copy of the Scriptures open to Hebrews chapter 2 for our study this morning, Exposition of the Word of God. As we begin our study through the book of Hebrews in the first four verses, we saw that God has come in person to communicate.

And a little bit of review here. A message is much more meaningful and much more important when a person comes in person to communicate versus just sending someone to speak for them. It is a highly important message. And the author of Hebrews then argues who this person is that came to communicate. And we find in chapter 1 verses 5 through 14 that He is not just another messenger.

He is the God-man. He is God Himself coming to us. And so the question is asked, Who do you say that I am? He Himself is the one who asked that question, that God came in person to communicate. And that one who came to communicate asked, Who do you say that I am? And it became very real, very arguable, unarguable in fact, that having known this one who has come to communicate from then on, it could no longer be said that He was just another messenger, that He was just another man. Who do you say that I am?

The Apostle Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is God who has come in the form of a man to communicate to us in person. And then when we come to the beginning of chapter 2, in the first four verses of chapter 2, there is a warning for us. If in fact God has come in person to communicate, and we know that it is God who Himself has communicated, that there is a very important message, then the warning of the first four verses of chapter 2 is, Devote your mind to God's truth. We ought to pay the more earnest heed to what God has said.

This is the infinite sovereign of the Creator, the One who made you, who came in person to communicate to you and me. It follows that we should pay very close attention to what He is saying. We can't just treat it commonly.

We can't just treat it with whatever attitude. We pay very close attention. We devote our minds to what He has told us. Otherwise, if we do not devote our minds, then we will neglect it, and our neglect will lead to drift. We do not drift in a positive direction.

That drift will lead us to destruction. If we do not devote our minds to the truth that God has revealed to us in person. Very, very important message. For that reason, this is one of the reasons why we as a church, jumping off of some of the announcements that Dwight made earlier this morning, we are very intent on bringing the Word of God to our day to day. And as our vision of Grace Bible Church is an intentional community of grace that loves God, manifested by loving people in a culture of discipleship. That's our vision. That's the direction that we're moving in.

That's the tape at the finish line. What we want to be as a church. Our vehicle to get us there is the mission connect, grow, serve.

And you will be hearing from us the idea of life groups that we're going to be developing that is intent on connecting, growing, and serving. Developing community through discipleship where we bring the Word of God to our day to day. And that we minister, we look outwardly to draw others to Jesus Christ. That is devoting our minds to this truth that God has given us. I will be speaking more of that this evening.

If you would like to hear more information about that, we'll be presenting it on a regular basis from here on. But it is becoming an intention of ours to be what God has called us to be. To follow the directives, for example, of Hebrews 2 to devote our minds to this truth that God has revealed. Now, as we continue in Hebrews, Chapter 2, then we come to this text of Chapter 2, verse 5 through 18. This is the Gospel according to Hebrews. The Gospel according to Hebrews. The Gospel means good news.

And it isn't about angels. And that's what the writer of Hebrews says. That's what he's arguing.

It's the main overarching point that he's arguing right now. This one who has come to communicate. The one who is the subject of the good news. The object of our faith. It's not about angels.

It's about Him. And the title of today's message is the best brother you could ever have. Now, in honor of the Lord and His Word, I ask that you would stand with me, please, as we ask the Lord to teach us from His Word. Father, it is with great delight that we bow before you this morning, acknowledging you as our Maker, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sustainer. Father, we thank you for giving us your Son, the Lord Jesus. Thank you that as we place our faith, our trust in Him, that you grant us eternal life.

Father, this is good news. And I pray, Lord, that you would help us understand it from the perspective of Hebrews 2, this morning. Help us understand what you revealed to us because we know that it is your objective to conform us more into His image. Open our hearts and our minds, Father.

Rescue us from simply seeking information. But Father, may we, through submission to you and to your Word and the leading of your Spirit, be transformed by the hearing of your Word this morning. It's in His name we pray. It's in His name we pray. Amen.

Please be seated. So the writer of Hebrews is emphasizing the supremacy of Christ, the supremacy of Jesus Christ. In fact, the overarching message of the whole book of Hebrews is the futility of any system, whether it's a philosophical system, an ethical system, a religious system, the futility of any system that ignores the supremacy of Jesus Christ.

That's what he's arguing. So he is focusing on and emphasizing the supremacy of Jesus Christ, even here in this particular text. And as we said before, if you neglect what God has communicated, you will drift away from it and you will head for destruction, like headed for a waterfall. What do you have to do to go over a waterfall? Nothing.

Just sit there and do nothing, right? If you're going to avoid the waterfall, you have to paddle away from it. There is a destruction to be avoided. But listen to this. Destruction is not God's intent for you.

Destruction is not God's intent for you, which is why He gives the good news of rescue, of salvation. So as we're looking at this and we see all these pieces coming together, it's like we're looking at the pieces of a puzzle. You've put together a puzzle before. You dump the box out. You've got all these pieces on a table. You're like, wow, this is almost overwhelming. And you try to put all the pieces together.

But God here says, all right, I'll pull you back from the pieces. Now here's the box top. Look at the box top. This is the big picture.

This is what it looks like in the end. So He's given us the box top here in Hebrews chapter two. And this perspective of the gospel tells a story. There is a story, a saga that is counted here in Hebrews chapter two.

And it begins with a kingdom. Look with me, if you will, at verse five. For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak in subjection to angels.

What is He speaking of? The world to come. That's not here yet. But there is a world that is coming. And it's going to be put into subjection to us, not to angels. Therefore, we are the focus of the story of rescue, not the angels. And the one who has come to rescue us is not the angels themselves. But this kingdom was an earthly kingdom. It was a physical kingdom.

Right? God is eternal spirit and He has created man in His image. So if you look at verses six through eight here, He says, quoting Psalm eight, what is man that you were mindful of him or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands.

You have put all things in subjection under his feet. That is a kingdom that the sovereign creator has made. It is a physical kingdom. And He made a kingdom. He made a people in His image.

We are made in His image. And He says, I am placing you in the kingdom. And this kingdom is for you to rule over.

And His kingdom is going to help provide for you and sustain you. God is love. And therefore, love creates to draw to Himself and to enjoy Him. And so we then, in this physical kingdom, we recognize that we are creatures and we are limited by space and time.

And therefore, we are in this physical kingdom in a physical context. Now, as He made this physical kingdom, within which you and I live and walk and work, we are placed here by God. We see that in Genesis chapter one, verses twenty-seven and twenty-eight. God created man in His own image. In the image of God, He created him.

Male and female, He created them. God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over everything in it. So there they are in the Garden of Eden. It's like God the Creator comes to them and He says to them, He looks at Adam and Eve and He says, you're in charge here. This is where you can lovingly serve Me and enjoy My presence in this physical kingdom. So, grow this kingdom and take good care of it. This is what God said to them. So in this kingdom then, the highest function is loving God.

Perfect. The highest function is loving God and everything is as it ought to be. Well, it was for a time and then something happened.

What was it that happened? We know something happened because if you will look with me at verse eight, look at the end of verse eight. Well, just look at verse eight altogether. He put all things in subjection under His feet. That's God creating the earth to be ruled by mankind for in that He put all things in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not under Him. But now there is the problem. That means there is a contrast. What does He say?

But now we do not yet see all things put under Him. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.