HEBREWS 3


     We will begin this lesson in Hebrews 2:1 "Therefore we ought to
give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let [them] slip."

     It appears to me, from the Scripture above, that Paul is trying
to tell us the importance of learning  God's ways and then living the
life God would have for us. We must not only be saved, but walk in
that salvation. These Scriptures from Proverbs tell us the best.
Proverbs 2:1 "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my
commandments with thee;" Proverbs 2:2 "So that thou incline thine ear
unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding;" Proverbs 2:3
"Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for
understanding;" Proverbs 2:4 "If thou seekest her as silver, and
searchest for her as [for] hid treasures;" Proverbs 2:5 "Then shalt
thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God."
Proverbs 2:6 "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh]
knowledge and understanding."  In our society today it seems as if the
standards God gave us in the Bible are being totally ignored. Men are
doing whatever is right in their own sight. This society is interested
in fulfilling the lust of the flesh. The only solution to the problems
we face is a return to God and His ways.

     Hebrews 2:2 "For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and
every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of
reward;" Hebrews 2:3 "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was
confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];"

     The angels who followed Lucifer sinned in full knowledge. They
were in the very presence of God and still decided to go against God
and follow Lucifer. Isaiah 14:12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the nations!"  Revelation 12:4 "And his tail drew
the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon as it was born."  It is much worse to
sin in full knowledge than it is to sin unknowingly. These fallen
angels [devil spirits] recognized Jesus, because they had been in
heaven with Him. When they came into contact with Jesus, they would
ask Him if He had come to torment them before time. Matthew 8:29
" And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the
time?" They know that their fate is to burn in the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
[are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

     I Corinthians 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall."  You see from this that it is possible for us
to fall. Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:16 "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned."  There are only 2 ways to go. One way [belief in
Jesus] leads to heaven. To reject Jesus as your Saviour brings
damnation. Believeth means to continually believe. You must not put
off salvation.  To put off salvation is to reject it for right now.
There may not be tomorrow.  I Thessalonians 5:3 "For when they shall
say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."  There is
a great falling away of even the Christians, what in the world will
happen to them who do not believe? I Peter 4:17 "For the time [is
come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first
[begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the
gospel of God?"  I Peter 4:18 "And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

     Hebrews 2:4 "God also bearing [them] witness, both with signs and
wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,
according to his own will?"

     Just as God gave Moses the power to do miracles before the
pharaoh, He gave the disciples power to perform miracles before the
people. We read that Jesus did so many miracles that if they were all
written down there would not be enough books in the whole world to
hold them all. John 21:25 "And there are also many other things which
Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose
that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be
written. Amen." No one but God could bring sight to a man who had been
blind from birth. Everyone should have believed who saw these
fantastic miracles of God, but they did not. Jesus told them if they
did not believe for any other reason to believe Him for the works.
John 10:37 "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not."
John 10:38 "But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works:
that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is] in me, and I in
him."   Notice, in verse 4 above, that all of the miracles are
according to God's will. Paul found this to be true when he prayed
three times for God to remove the thorn in his flesh, and God said no.
Signs and wonders will still follow those who believe. The difference
in Jesus and us is that we must do these miracles in Jesus' name. Read
the 14th chapter of John beginning with the 12th verse. I will give
just two verses here. John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son."  Notice in verse 12 who
can do this, [he that believeth].

     Hebrews 2:5 "For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection
the world to come, whereof we speak."

     Revelation 11:15 "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become
[the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for
ever and ever."  Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy [is] he that hath
part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years."   We can all clearly see that the angels
will not rule. Jesus will be the supreme ruler and His followers
[Christians] will rule with Him as His subordinates.

     Hebrews 2:6 "But one in a certain place testified, saying, What
is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou
visitest him?"

     This son of man is not Jesus. If this were speaking of Jesus, Son
would be capitalized. Another reason we know this is not speaking of
Jesus is that Jesus here is the one visiting the son of man. In our
church services I love to sing the song [WHO AM I]. In this song it
says who am I that a King would bleed and die for? It also says who am
I that He would pray "not my will thine for"? The answer I may never
know; why He ever loved me so. If we stop and really think about this,
it is almost unbelievable. Why would God the Father be willing to
sacrifice His only begotten Son so that someone as unworthy as I am
might live? It is a big question isn't it? I John 4:10 "Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son
[to be] the propitiation for our sins."  Propitiation means atonement.

     Hebrews 2:7 "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou
crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works
of thy hands:"

     When Jesus came to the earth, He took on the form of flesh that
He might be tempted in all the ways we are. He took on the flesh of
man that He might relate to us better. John 1:14 "And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as [we are, yet] without sin."  Jesus was tempted in all things
when Satan tempted Him 40 days and nights while Jesus was fasting.
Jesus did not succumb to the temptation, but withstood the devil. He
also tells us, if we will withstand the devil, he will flee from us.
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you."

     Hebrews 2:8 "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his
feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing
[that is] not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put
under him."

     Matthew 28:18 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."  We know this was true
even when Jesus walked the earth in His house of flesh. When He told
the sea to quiet down and it did, the disciples were amazed that even
the sea had to obey Him. He spoke to unclean spirits and they had to
leave. Even the 2000 devil spirits asked permission of Jesus to go
into the hogs that ran violently into the sea. He had to give
permission for them to go, because they were subject to Him. We could
go on and on about how three times he told the spirit to go back into
someone assumed dead.  Jesus is the God of the living and the dead.
Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that
are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and
power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
for ever and ever."

     To sum up this lesson, we would have to say that Jesus Christ our
Lord is also King of kings and Lord of lords. That the real power and
authority is the Word of God [spoken and written].  We must truly
accept the spoken and written Word as absolute Truth and continue in
the teaching of both to the end.










































                             Questions 3

1.  In verse 1, why are we told that we should take earnest heed to
    the things we have heard?
2.  After we learn God's ways, what is the next step we must take?
3.  In Proverbs 2-4, we are told that we should search for the truths
    of God as one would look for what?
4.  Who giveth wisdom?
5.  What is the mistake being made in our society today?
6.  What is the only solution to our problems?
7.  What is the most important question asked in Hebrews 2-3?
8.  Why can the angels who followed Lucifer not be forgiven?
9.  What portion of the angels in heaven followed Lucifer?
10. What are these fallen angels referred to on the earth?
11. Why did they recognize Jesus when He cast them out of people?
12. What is the terrible fate awaiting the devil, and the beast, and
    the false prophet?
13. What warning is given to those who think they are standing?
14. What does this tell us is possible ?
15. Mark 16-16 tells us who will be saved, who are they?
16. What does believeth mean?
17. To reject Jesus as our Saviour brings what?
18. Where does judgement begin?
19. How did God bear witness that what they were teaching was the
    Truth?
20. We could say that miracles are according to whose will?
21. Name 2 other people God gave miracle ability to, besides Jesus.
22. How many miracles did Jesus do?
23. Does God always do a miracle when we pray?
24. Give one example when God said no.
25. In whose name do we do miracles ?
26. How long shall the saints reign with Christ on the earth?
27. How do we know that son of man is not Jesus in Hebrews 2-6?
28. What question do most Christians ask themselves about God giving
    His Son to save us?
29. Why can Jesus know the temptations and hurts that we feel, if He
    was God the Son?
30. Hebrews 2-8 says that all things are subject to Jesus, name 3
    different things that happened when He was on earth that let us
    know this is true.
31. Who is Jesus God of?
32. How can we sum this lesson up?