Day 3 - Hebrews 2:7 - 2:18

Hebrews 2:7-18 

7 Yet for a little while you made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
8 You gave them authority over all things.”
Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

11 So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 For he said to God,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
    I will praise you among your assembled people.”
13 He also said,

“I will put my trust in him,”
    that is, “I and the children God has given me.”
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.


16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Terrie's Comments:

Through Jesus becoming a man He also became equal to us for a little while.  He became like us in every respect so He could be our Merciful (giving undeserved favor) and faithful High Priest(our mediator before God).  Jesus did not come to earth to help the angels but to help those who trust in Him alone (descendants of Abraham).  It is amazing that God calls us His children, His flesh and blood.  He sent His son to earth to become like us so that we know Jesus is able to sympathize with us when we suffer and go through trouble.  Jesus went way out of His way to understand what His children go through when they are tempted in every way just so we have an awesome advocate with our Heavenly Father.  Jesus tasted death just so that we don`t have to taste eternal death.  Every punishment that is ever deserved has already been paid for.  You just have to accept that fact.

My brothers and my sisters.... We are in excellent hands!!  Trust that Jesus has your back.



Tori's Comments:

So many things that stuck out to me in this section! A few highlights were that we are legitimately in Jesus's family (vs. 11) and that God is truly the comforter because he himself was tempted (vs. 18). When the struggling is too much we can run to the one who has fully shared our pain.

Verse 15 in particular has definitely resonated with me. 

"and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

And it's time for....

STORYTIME WITH TORI

When I was a child, I had a strange fear of death. I say strange because when it came time to rest my head on my pillow at night, the thought of it plagued me constantly. I would be visited by nightmares of dying by natural disasters, gunshots, and things I assume aren't a regular part of any 7-year-old's sleep ritual. It was a very real thing for me. Somehow, this may sound confusing, but somehow Satan had convinced me that God wouldn't let me die if I wasn't saved. So I chose not to follow Jesus, and Satan made sure I didn't lose that fear, so he could keep that grip on me. Reading this verse brought the memories of those chains (it certainly felt like slavery) back, ones I am so thankful God has freed me from. Once I realized it was a lie and gave my life to God, there was no more room for Satan in my head, and I certainly let him know that. :)

STORYTIME WITH TORI OVER

My favorite day yet, which isn't saying much (considering it's only day 3), but at least it's saying something.


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 2 - Hebrews 1:11 - 2:6

Hebrews 1:11-2:6 

11 They will perish, but you remain forever.
    They will wear out like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a cloak
    and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
    you will live forever.”
13 And God never said to any of the angels,

“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
    until I humble your enemies,
    making them a footstool under your feet.”
14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

2 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

5 And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,

    or a son of man that you should care for him?

Tori's Comments:


"So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." (vs. 2:1) 

I blame the social acceptance of backsliding partly on how easy it is. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ignored God for weeks because I was too "busy" for the One who created time itself. It's usually during this time away that I fall easily into temptations, getting dragged farther away from him. I think that's why the writer of Hebrews urges us to be so careful. If we don't know the truth of the gospel, how can we be bold in our faith? If we don't know God's voice, how can we be sure it's Him that we're hearing? 
And in hindsight, why would we stray? Following Jesus is is waking up every morning knowing you are loved and made pure and that others could know this too. Following the world means a constant emptiness you continuously search to fill. (hopefully during my weak moments in the future, I can look back on this post to shake myself out of the funk)
We've been freed from that, not barred.  Don`t forget what`s been done for you. Know it, memorize it, and don't let anyone tell you differently. 


Terrie's Comments:

(Con't) from yesterday...
-Heaven and Earth will wear out eventually and they will be changed but Jesus will remain the same and He will never end. (v 11 &12)
-The angels are ministering spirits who serve those who put their trust in Jesus Christ.  (v 12 &13)

Chapter 2
-Because Jesus Christ has proved to be all that was mentioned in Chapter 1 we must pay MUCH CLOSER ATTENTION to what we have heard (referring to what was told to them by the prophets, Jesus and his apostles) so that we don't drift away from the truth. (v1)
- The message that was declared by angels regarding Jesus Christ was proven to be reliable (See Chapter 1) and through what was accomplished at Calvary every sin was taken care of and the punishment of everyone was taken on by Jesus Himself.  Therefore if we neglect to trust in Jesus Christ alone as our only way to God then we will not escape taking on that punishment for ourselves... not that we need to take that punishment on our selves but if we say we don't want to take advantage of what Jesus did for us then we are responsible to take care of it ourselves.  Jesus declared it and the people that surrounded Him in his time on this earth affirmed it.  God also affirms this by providing signs, wonders, miracles, giving the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are distributed according to His will.  (v2-4)
-Again we see it stated that Jesus is placed above the Angels.  (v5-6)

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!