The Anchor of my soul

The destiny of mankind — Hebrews 2:5-10

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and some of the comments of the class.

Comforting the afflicted
In these verses, the author shows how Christ, through His superiority, gives massive significance to God’s ultimate desire for believers. What do you believe God’s ultimate desire is for you?

The class came up with various responses very quickly; still, some of the later responses included God’s will that we:
- Transform to become like Christ
- Bear witness to the good news that Christ died for us
- Praise God
- Rule with Him as believers
God’s desire for mankind
- God’s desire to rule with His believers
  
  It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. (Hebrews 2:5 NIV)
  
  Angels are not going to rule the world to come. God’s intention and desire is to have this kingdom ruled by redeemed men and women. How does this verse impact you?
- God’s original intention for humanity
  
  But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.” (Hebrews 2:6‭-‬8a NIV)
  
  The author establishes the ultimate intention of God with the original intention of God for humanity by quoting Psalm 8:3-6.
  
  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: (Psalms 8:3‭-‬6 NIV)
  
  This was originally spelled out in Genesis 1:26-28.
  
  Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26‭-‬28 NIV)
  
  Think about man’s position — “made a little lower than angels”. We are limited in ways in which angels are not and we have less power. But, we are not lower in spirituality or importance.
  
  Think of man’s honor — “you have crowned him with glory and honor” — Adam and Eve were the king and queen of the original creation and God set them in a glorious paradise and walked with them.
  
  Consider man’s authority — “putting everything under his feet” — we were given rule over the whole world.
  
  God original purpose was stupendous, to say the least. If this original intention had been carried out, we would be living with our primal parents in the same astounding position and honor and authority.
  
  Can you imagine?
Man’s destiny stalled
- A perfect life averted
  
  In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. (Hebrews 2:8b NIV)
  
  As encouraging as God’s intention for mankind, obviously, something has gone wrong. The writer intentionally gives it a dramatic expression by using the double negative – there is nothing in this world that is not under man’s control. He wants us to take exception and say, “wait a minute – that’s not true.”
- A believer’s response to this perfect life lost
  
  Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. (Hebrews 2:8c NIV)
  
  The author verbalizes our response for us. Adam sinned and as a consequence, his God-given dominion was subverted. His rule over the creation is a disaster; his rule over the animal world is superficial — he achieves it by intimidation; he cannot rule over himself, let alone others. We are not what we were meant to be.
Man’s destiny recovered by Christ
- - Redemption in Christ
    
    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. (Hebrews 2:9 NIV)
    
    God’s original intention and ultimate intention is achieved in Christ, the second Adam. Jesus Christ became man that He might suffer and die for man’s sin and restore the dominion that was lost because of sin. Psalm 8 was also a messianic psalm that had its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
    
    When Jesus came into this world, this passage was fulfilled in His incarnation. Man is made a little lower than angels and for Jesus, this was the depth of his humiliation. Significantly, this is the first use of the name “Jesus” in the book of Hebrews. This emphasizes His humanity and His work of salvation. The only way the kingdom will be restored and man will be given the crown again is a payment for sin, which is death. The only way man can ever be a king again is to have the curse removed. The only way the curse can be removed is for the penalty to be paid. If we are to be restored to reign as a king, we must die and be resurrected as a new creation.
    
    For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:5‭-‬11 NIV)
    
    To accomplish this great work on our behalf, Jesus had to become a man. If a man dies for his own sin, he is doomed forever to hell. Christ came to die for us because His dying conquered death.
    
    And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9‭-‬10 NIV)
    
    I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NIV)
    
    When asked for the defense they would offer in response to the challenge “do you believe that Christ’s death really saves you from your sin,” class members offered these responses:
    - Christ was resurrected and that resurrection was noted in numerous extra-Biblical sources
    - Christ is a central figure in history that cannot be denied (extra-Biblical sources citing Christ outnumber those citing Aristotle)
    - If you study Christ, you will discover love beyond your comprehension
“But we see Jesus” is reminiscent of Revelation 5:1-14.

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:1‭-‬14 NIV)

This is man’s one hope.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 NIV)

Jesus became a man to recapture our destiny. Life apart from Jesus is death. When we are in Jesus, our destiny is fulfilled!

“(N)ow crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death…”

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Philippians 2:8‭-‬10 NIV)

We see that in Christ, man’s glorious potential was realized – everything was put under His feet. The way this happened is revealed – “so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone” – Jesus’ death procured for us our reign.

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17 NIV)

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6‭-‬7 NIV)

Christ on the cross is the measure of our worth. Christ on the throne is a prophesy of our significance and dominion. Jesus is our promise – He is God’s ultimate intention and destiny for us.

A God-worthy salvation — Hebrews 2:10

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:10 NIV)

The opponents of this community of believers were aggressively asserting the absurdity of a suffering Savior. Have you ever faced such cynicism or criticism? The author turns the tables on the critics with an eloquent assertion that the cross is the most fitting and most God- worthy way of salvation.

This verse emphasizes that the way of salvation is not arbitrary but befits the character of God “for whom and through whom everything exists.” God is the author of all that exists and correspondingly, Jesus is the pioneer/captain or author of salvation. As the work of creation is totally of God, so also is the work of salvation.

Creation came into existence by the spoken word of God. However, speech was not enough for salvation as it took the Word, His Son incarnate who was humiliated, suffered, died, rose again, ascended and sits at the right hand of God to effectuate salvation. Our salvation is the greatest display of His power and character. Do you want to see the character and power of God? Look at the cosmos. Do you want to see even more the character and power? Then, look to Christ Who is the pioneer/captain of our salvation made perfect through suffering. How could Jesus, who has always existed in perfection, be made perfect? The idea is that He is the perfect pioneer of salvation. His perfection or completeness came through His incarnation, temptation, atonement and His identification with us.

“(I)n bringing many sons to glory” – Jesus, as the Pioneer/Captain or Author of salvation, brings/leads many to eternal life in heaven. This is a picture of the Conquering/Victorious Son preceding the saved saints on the road to heaven There are many, not a few.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9 NIV)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25‭-‬26 NIV)

The following comes from page 65 of The Practice of Piety: Directing a Christian How to Walk, that He May Please God, written by Lewis Bayly in 1680.

Soul	Lord, wherefore didst thou wash thy disciples’ feet?
Christ	To teach thee how thou shouldst prepare thyself to come to my supper.
Soul	Lord, why shouldst thou wash them thyself? (John 8:4)
Christ	To teach thee humility, if thou wilt be my disciple.
Soul	Lord, wherefore didst thou before thy death institute thy last supper? (Luke 22:19&20)
Christ	That thou mightst the better remember my death, and be assured that all the merits thereof are thine.
Soul	Lord, wherefore wouldst thou go to such a place where Judas knew to find thee? (John 18:2)
Christ	That thou mightst know that I went as willingly to suffer for thy sin, as ever thou wentest to any place to commit a sin.
Soul	Lord, wherefore wouldst thou begin thy passion in a garden? (John 18:1)
Christ	Because that in a garden thy sin took first beginning. (Gen. 3:3)
Soul	Lord, wherefore did thy three select disciples fall so fast asleep, when thou didst begin to fall into thy agony? (Matt. 26:40.)
Christ	To shew that I alone wrought the work of thy redemption. (Isa. 63:5)
Soul	Lord, why were there so many plots and snares laid for thee? (Matt. 26:4)
Christ	That I might make thee to escape all snares of thy ghostly hunter (Psalm 134:7)
Soul	Lord, why shouldst thou suffer Judas, betraying thee, to kiss thee? (Matt. 26:49.)
Christ	That by enduring the words of dissembling lips, I might there begin to expiate sin, where Satan first brought it into the world (Gen. 3:4&5)
Soul	Lord, why wouldst thou be sold for thirty-pieces of silver? (Matt. 27:3)
Christ	That I might free thee from perpetual bondage.
Soul	Lord, why didst thou pray with such strong crying and tears? (Matt. 26:39; Heb 5:7).
Christ	That I might quench the fury of God’s justice, which was so fiercely kindled against thee.
Soul	Lord, why wast thou so afraid, and cast into such an agony? (Mark 14:33)
Christ	That suffering the wrath due to thy sins, thou mightst be more secure in thy death, and find more comfort in thy crosses.

The Anchor of my soul

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Don’t neglect so great a salvation — Hebrews 2:1-4

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and some of the comments of the class.

Audience
When Adam and Eve had sinned and hidden themselves in the garden, God went seeking after them. Specifically, He sought out the one he put in charge.

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9 NIV)

Similarly, God uses this passage in Hebrews 2 reaches out to the reader.

This passage is a parenthesis or pause from emphasizing the preeminence and superiority of Christ to focusing on the audience.

How many people do you know who love Jesus?

Just about every class member noted that they knew people who love Jesus (of course, including themselves).

How do you know they love Jesus?

One class member noted that he would look to the way the people act: he would examine the fruit of their life.

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:43‭-‬45 NIV)

Another class member remembered the words of Jesus.

“If you love me, keep my commands. (John 14:15 NIV)

Yet another class member pointed out that Christ taught us to start our prayers with praise and seeking the fulfillment of God’s rule.

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9‭-‬10 NIV)

How many people do you know who have continual gratitude for the gift of eternal life? Would you include yourself in the answer to these questions?

By the time the writer gets to Hebrews 2:1, he is impassioned. He cares about the salvation of his audience. He is not satisfied with setting out doctrine and then going on his way. He longs for his audience to respond positively to what he is saying. He not only wants Christ to be seen and exalted but also to be accepted. God’s Word demands a response and a faithful teacher of the Word teaches for a response.
Hebrews 2:1-4 — an overview

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1‭-‬4 NIV)

To the non-Christian, it says, “do you realize the eternal consequences of your choice? Why would you ignore or neglect the truth about Jesus? Why do you want to run away when His purpose is to bless you?” To the Christian, the writer is saying it is not enough that we know Jesus Christ. We must walk with Him daily. We are subjected to frustration, confusion, fear, anxiety, worldliness and emptiness without Him.

There is no doubt that many true Christians are drifting in the currents of the world’s river and are missing the victorious Christian life.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15‭-‬17 NIV)

They will at least make it to heaven but likely receive a paucity of rewards at the Bema seat.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV)

The other group who thinks they are Christians and who outright deny Christ are in grave danger of perishing eternally. To each of these groups, the writer is saying, “what we do with Jesus today determines what He will do with us when we stand before Him.” Does this have any impact on you?

It is interesting that one of the ancient symbols for the church was a ship. That is a fitting picture of the church sailing the contrary seas of this world. How do people drift away from a relationship with Jesus or what are some of the causes which lead to drifting away?

One class member suggested that a reason a Christian might drift might be that they did not internalize the lessons of the Word. Another class member said that laziness might be behind the drifting. A third suggested that we might be under the influence of sin or lust of the world. A final class member said that there might be some influence from peer pressure.

What are the consequences of drifting away? Have you ever experienced “drifting away” from Christ? What was the result?

One class member said that one consequence would be a damaged relationship with God.

If you/someone “drifts away”, how do you/they become re-engaged?

Several class members reminded the class that we should not stop meeting.

not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 NIV)
First admonition — Hebrews 2:1

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1 NIV)

This is the first of five admonitions found in Hebrews. Their purpose is to encourage all readers to pay attention to God’s Word and obey it. These admonitions become stronger as we progress throughout the book. God does not sit idly by and permit His children to rebel against Him. He will continue to speak and, if necessary, He will discipline and chasten His own.

This admonition is “Pay More Careful Attention or You may Drift Away”. This exhortation warns against a wasted life, a life of neglect and indifference to the great salvation and the unlimited potential of such a salvation.

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1)

Whenever we observe the terms, “therefore” or “for this reason”, which is a term of conclusion, we need to ask the natural question, “for what reason” which usually leads to reading the preceding verses – Hebrews 1:1-14 – the superiority of Christ to the angels and the prophets and because of this superior revelation, the reader must make an appropriate response.

What have we heard? Jesus is Creator, Heir of all, One with the Father yet distinct in Person, Upholder of all things by His word, Purifier from sin, Seated by the right hand of the Majesty on high, having a better name than the angels, Firstborn = preeminence, God, Lord, King, Victorious Warrior, Immutable, Eternal, God testifying He is His Father fulfilling the Davidic Covenant, better Than the angels who serve and worship Him.

In short, the new revelation in Christ is superior to the old. The hearers have received a revelation superior to that given in the Old Testament and it has been given by the One who is superior to the angels. Now, you must respond to this truth!

Do you think you are immune to drifting? Explain.

All responded with a meek but definite “No, we can sin. We can drift.”

Having heard about Jesus, how have you responded? How would you explain your relationship with Him?

One class member said that she, like Paul, did not want to sin. But she found herself sinning just when it was not expected.

The mark of a true child of God is that they do not drift for long. One of the signs that you are born again is that you are convicted by this passage if you are drifting and to turn your eyes, heart and mind to Jesus. A sign that you are not born again is that you hear this message and feel no desire to guard against drifting.

How do you respond when convicted by the Holy Spirit?

Our right response is obedience.
Light and heavy — Hebrews 2:2-3a

For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:2‭-‬3a NIV)

you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:53 NIV)

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. … As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. (Exodus 19:16 and ‬19 NIV)

He said: “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes. (Deuteronomy 33:2 NIV)

The “less heavy” or “light” or “qal” argument is that there were serious consequences for those who broke the commandments. The “heavy” or “homer” argument is “How much stricter would we expect judgment to be for someone who neglects or ignores the superior message of salvation proclaimed by Him and accomplished by His superior Person and work?” The audience knew quite well that obedience to the Law of Moses brought temporal blessings while prolonged disobedience increased severe temporal judgments. It is vital to remember that the Law of Moses never offered eternal life or heavenly rewards or warned of eternal damnation. Temporal blessings were on the line for disobedience to the Law (light) while eternal blessings are on the line for rejection of Jesus Christ. (heavy)
Why is this salvation so great? — Hebrews 2:3b-4

This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:3‭b-‬4 NIV)

It is easy to drift with the current, isn’t it? No resistance – just drift along with the culture and its morals and ethics – no conflict, no tension, no confrontation. But it is very difficult to return against the current once you realize you’re off course. We are not meant to drift. We have been given this incomprehensible and wondrous salvation purchased at a great, unfathomable price. Nothing demands our greater attention than our relationship with Jesus. The crucial question is this: how is your relationship with Jesus Christ?

The Anchor of my soul – Hebrews 1:4-14

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Jesus is superior to the angels

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and as many of the rapid-fire responses the class provided.

Angels
How do you view angels?

One class member noted that angels are commissioned with protecting believers.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; (Psalms 91:11 NIV)

For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; (Luke 4:10 NIV)

Among a flurry of other responses, another class member noted that Jesus has control over the angels, because angels came to minister to Him after his wilderness temptation.

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:11 NIV)

Why do you think the writer had to persuade his audience that Jesus is superior to angels? Do we have such temptations today in proclaiming the superiority of Jesus? What about “Jesus is the only way?” The temptation is not to deny Him outright to get along – a simple change of emphasis on the person of Christ. Here, Christ must be shown to be better than the bearers and mediators of the Old Testament – namely, the angels.

To establish the superiority of Jesus to the angels, the author of Hebrews skillfully builds his case from a string of Old Testament passages.

Does this tell us anything about being knowledgeable about God’s word?
Jesus is superior to the angels
- Christ is the Son — Hebrews 1:4-5
  
  So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? (Hebrews 1:4‭-‬5 NIV)
  
  The writer establishes superiority of the name of Jesus, first, from Psalm 2:7 – Hebrews 1:5a.
  
  I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. (Psalms 2:7 NIV)
  
  Psalm 2 was already a famous messianic psalm, understood to be fulfilled in the future by a descendant of David. The words were recalled at the baptism of Jesus – Mark 1:11.
  
  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11 NIV)
  
  Jesus was always God’s Son but the phrase, “today, I have begotten you” or “today, I have become your Father” refers to Christ’s exaltation and enthronement as Son subsequent to the resurrection.
  
  and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:4 NIV)
  
  “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “ ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’ (Acts 13:32‭-‬33 NIV)
  
  “Son” is Jesus’ name that was given exalted declaration in His resurrection and exaltation. No angel ever had that and no angel was ever promised kingship or rule over the heaven and earth. The author also grounds his argument from 2 Samuel 7:14 – “Or again (implying, to which of the angels did God ever say), “I will be to Him a Father and He shall be to Me a Son.” This is also a quotation from a well-known messianic passage, commonly called the Davidic Covenant. The fulfillment of this ancient promise was celebrated in the angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary.
  
  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32‭-‬33 NIV)
  
  How dare anyone ever think of demoting Him to the position of an archangel, much less to a good man or good teacher. What is your response when you are faced with this comment?
- Christ is the firstborn who receives worship — Hebrews 1:6
  
  And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6 NIV)
  
  If the angels worship Him, He must be superior to the angels.
  
  Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people. (Deuteronomy 32:43 NIV)
  
  “Heavens, rejoice with Him, let all the angels worship Him.” These words are the final lines of verse 43 in the song of Moses and the Jews considered these final lines to be messianic. Amazingly, this key phrase, “let all the angels worship Him”, is left out of most modern texts as they follow the Masoretic text. The explanation for why this phrase was omitted is that the Jews removed the annoying reference to worshipping Christ from their Torah. All the literary and archeological sources contained the key phrase up to 150 A.D.
  
  Dead Sea scroll 4Q44 includes the key phrase.
  
  This is probably also a reference to LXX (Septuagint) of Psalm 97:7-“All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols – worship Him all you angels!” The psalmist proclaimed that all the angels were to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. By citing the Greek text, the author of Hebrews makes a sweeping claim: all supernatural beings — angelic or demonic — are inferior to the Son. He also asserts something profound about the person of the Son: He is identified as Yahweh of the Old Testament. Finally, against the unbelieving Jews who may have claimed that worshipping the Messiah as God was tantamount to idolatry, the citation of Psalm 97:7 turns the tables: to not worship the Son, who is both God and man, is blasphemy.
  
  The title, “firstborn”, is one of rank and honor, not chronology. It has nothing to do with time and everything to do with position. The firstborn receives the inheritance and special blessing. Christ is the firstborn of all creation because He created all things.
  
  The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NIV)
  
  “Again” – this is probably a reference to the second coming.
  
  Why do you worship Jesus? How do you worship Him?
- Christ is served by the angels — Hebrews 1:7
  
  In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.” (Hebrews 1:7 NIV)
  
  This is a quotation from Psalm 104:4.
  
  He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. (Psalms 104:4 NIV)
  
  Angels sometimes served the Lord when He was on the earth and they serve Him and us now. The emphasis of the writer is that angels sometimes spectacularly inhabit wind and fire to do God’s bidding but they are still only servants. Christ, on the other hand, is eternally sovereign. It is Jesus who created the angels.
  
  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NIV)
- Christ is God, enthroned and anointed — Hebrews 1:8-9
  
  But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (Hebrews 1:8‭-‬9 NIV)
  
  This is a quote from Psalm 45:6-7.
  
  Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Psalms 45:6‭-‬7 NIV)
  
  Angels minister before the throne. They do not sit on the throne. One of the main teachings of Psalm 110 is that Jesus Christ, God’s Anointed (Messiah, Christ) is now enthroned in glory. Jesus refers to this Psalm in Mark 12:35-37. When Christ ascended and entered the heavenly glory, He was anointed for His heavenly ministry with the “oil of gladness.”
  
  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (Hebrews 1:9 NIV)
  
  Angels praise Him but they cannot share His position or that joy and His throne is forever, which means He is eternal God.
- Christ is the Eternal Creator — Hebrews 1:10-12
  
  He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Hebrews 1:10‭-‬12 NIV)
  
  Psalm 102:25-27 is cited here.
  
  In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalms 102:25‭-‬27 NIV)
  
  The angels did not form the earth – they are part of creation. Jesus Christ is the Creator and one day, He will “uncreate” the current world/universe and bring in a new creation. Revelation and 2 Peter. Everything around us changes but He will never change. He is the “same, yesterday, today and forever.”
  
  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)
  
  Christ is immutable and eternal. To the suffering Jewish believers who heard these words about Christ, they must have felt complete relief. The world was falling apart but their superior Christ remained the same – eternal and unchanging. Does this bring you any relief, comfort or peace? Explain.
- Christ is sovereign and the angels are servants — Hebrews 1:13-14
  
  To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:13‭-‬14 NIV)
  
  The writer quotes Psalm 110:1.
  
  The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (Psalms 110:1 NIV)
  
  Jesus is at the right hand of the Father (the place of honor) which is mentioned many times in the New Testament. Angels are the ministering spirits who serve the Lord on the throne. They also minister to us who are the “heirs of salvation” through faith in Christ rules. Angels serve.

The Anchor of my soul – Hebrews 1:2-3

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The superiority of Christ

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey.

The fulfillment of promises
Many times, the prophets of God wrote about the secrets of God while not fully understanding them. In Jesus, the secrets of God are fulfilled and understood.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV)

Every promise of God resolves itself in Christ. All the promises become “yes” – verified and fulfilled. Jesus Christ is the supreme and the final revelation.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1‭-‬2 NIV)

“In these last days” (as shared above) – in the Old Testament, the Jews saw the last days as the days when the promises would be fulfilled. “In these days,” the Messiah would come and the Kingdom would come and salvation would come and Israel would no longer be in bondage. The age of Kingdom fulfillment began when Jesus arrived and will end when we enter in the eternal heavens.

“He has spoken to us by His Son” – Jesus is the final and last revelation of God, in whom all promises are fulfilled. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

Do you see Jesus as the Promise Keeper? Explain.
Sevenfold presentation of the excellencies of Jesus Christ
- His Heirship — Hebrews 1:2a-b
  
  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, (Hebrews 1:2a-b NIV)
  
  Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalms 2:8 NIV)
  
  And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. (Psalms 89:27 NIV)
  
  “First born” does not mean that Christ did not exist before He was born in Bethlehem. This is a legal term – especially those of inheritance and authority – not a chronological term.
  
  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NIV)
  
  For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36 NIV)
  
  Remember in Revelation 5:7-14, Jesus, the Lamb, took the scroll out of the right hand of God? Why? Because He, and He alone, had a right to take it – He is the Heir of the earth. In Revelation 11:15, the earth is His.
  
  As Redeemer, He has also earned a vast inheritance of souls renewed through His atoning work of reconciliation on the cross. We are His inheritance! We are His treasure.
  
  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, (Ephesians 1:18 NIV)
  
  How does this truth impact you?
- His Creatorship — Hebrews 1:2c
  
  and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:‬2c NIV)
  
  “Through whom He made the universe” – Christ is the agent through whom God created the universe.
  
  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1‭-‬3 NIV)
  
  He created everything material and spiritual. He created time, space, energy and matter.
- His Radiance — Hebrews 1:3a
  
  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3a NIV)
  
  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5 NIV)
  
  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:4‭-‬5 NIV)
  
  Without the Son of God, there is only darkness. The great tragedy is that most people do not want to see, much less live in God’s light.
  
  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV)
  
  His light gives us purpose, meaning, joy, peace and fellowship for all eternity.
  
  Have you experienced darkness and yet have been rescued by the light of Christ? Explain.
- His Being — Hebrews 1:3b
  
  and the exact representation of his being, (Hebrews 1:3b NIV)
  
  “The exact representation of God’s being” – He is the express image of God.
  
  The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15 NIV)
  
  He is the exact reproduction of God.
  
  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, (Colossians 2:9 NIV)
  
  He is the exact imprint of His nature. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. We know how he thinks; we know how He talks; we know how He relates to people. God, the Father has spoken in His Son.
- His Administration — Hebrews 1:3c
  
  sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3c NIV)
  
  He is sustaining all things by His powerful word – the Greek word for “sustaining” (φέρων) is in the present tense, implying continuous action. How does the universe stay in the kind of fantastically delicate balance? (Example: the distance from the sun to the earth – if it was any closer, the earth would be incinerated; farther away, we would freeze; the tilt of the earth at 23 degrees; the distance of the moon in relation to the ocean tides; the carbon dioxide and oxygen balance, etc.) The answer: Jesus Christ maintains it all. The universe is a cosmos instead of chaos, an ordered and reliable system because Jesus upholds it and sustains it.
  
  A life, just as the universe, that is not sustained by Jesus Christ is chaos. Remember this wonderful promise:
  
  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
  
  We, as believers, join Jude in his excitement when he proclaimed:
  
  To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24‭-‬25 NIV)
  
  Do you believe Jesus sustains you? Explain.
- His Sacrifice — Hebrews 1:3d
  
  After he had provided purification for sins, (Hebrews 1:3d NIV)
  
  He provided purification for sins –
  
  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:12‭-‬14 NIV)
  
  But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26b NIV)
  
  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 NIV)
  
  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18‭-‬19 NIV)
  
  Neither earthly humans nor heavenly angels could have accomplished this. A greater work than making and upholding the universe is that of purging mankind of sin.
  
  We are all sinners. We either pay the penalty for our own sins, which is eternal death, or we accept Jesus Christ’s payment for them in sacrificing Himself, for which we have eternal life.
  
  Jesus dealt with the sin problem once and for all. It had to be done. We could never fellowship with God unless sin was dealt with. So, Christ went to the cross and bore the penalty of sin for all who would accept His sacrifice, believe in Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior. Sin was purged, wiped out.
  
  What is your response to this?
- His Exaltation — Hebrews 1:3e
  
  he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3e NIV)
  
  He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The Majesty in heaven is God, the Father. Right hand is the power side.
  
  He “sat down.” He is the perfect High Priest. In the priestly procedure under the Old Covenant, there were no seats in the Tabernacle or the Temple sanctuaries because it was never appropriate for the priest to sit. His responsibility was to sacrifice and sacrifice over and over again. But Jesus offered one sacrifice and said, “It is finished.” It was done.
  
  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13 NIV)
What does this mean to us?
God says that His Son is preeminent in all things. So, what does that mean to us? It means everything. To receive Him is to enter into all that He is and has. To reject Him is to be shut out from His presence into an eternal hell. There are no other choices.

The Anchor of my soul – Hebrews 1:1-2

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The superiority of Christ

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and the responses of the class.

The superiority of Christ — Hebrews 1:1-2

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:1‭-‬2 NIV)

The writer doesn’t delay in getting to the point. These verses are simple and to the point They tell us that Christ is superior to everyone and everything. As we study, we need to be mindful that all through this book that Christ is presented as better than the best of everyone and everything that was before Him.

Remember that this letter is written to three different groups-Hebrew Christians, Hebrew Non-Christians who were intellectually convinced and Hebrew Non-Christians who were not convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. Many of us are surrounded by similar company. What do you think of the writer’s approach with such a mixed audience? Do you have a similar approach or not?

Several class members responded by telling of the ways that God uses them in sharing His love. The first pointed to how she invited another shopper to class. Therefore, she practiced both a direct (as the writer of Hebrews does) and non-direct approach. The second shared the recent conversation with a reluctant neighbor. So he used a definite non-direct approach. A third mentioned his Jewish co-worker and the continual struggle to overcome misconceptions about the Christian faith.
The preparation for Christ — Hebrews 1:1

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, (Hebrews 1:1 NIV)

Here is an indication of how God wrote the Old Testament. Its purpose was to prepare for the coming of Christ. Whether by prophecy, type or commandment or whatever, it made preparation for Christ. Therefore, in the Old Testament, the writer reminds us “God … spoke.”

What is your response when someone says. “I am a New Testament Christian?”

One class member responded with Hebrews 13:8, John 10:30, and Psalms 102:25-27.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)

I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 NIV)

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalms 102:25‭-‬27 NIV)

He went on to point out that, as the verses point out, God does not change. God is loving at the same time that he is holy and jealous.

God used men as Instruments, but was Himself behind them, enlightening and energizing them with the words written in the Old Testament.

Notice how God spoke in many portions and in many ways” (at many times and in various ways) “Portions” is interpreted as “books” — there are 39 books in the Old Testament in all these “portions” or books, God spoke to men through visions, parables and sometimes through a type or a symbol.

Men were used — their minds and their personalities — but they were totally controlled by the Spirit of God.

“Many ways” includes therary ways Narrative, poetry, law, prophecy, doctrine, warnings, encouragement, etc.

The Old Testament was written over the course of 1,500 years by some 40+ writers and was fragmentary and incomplete. It remained incomplete until the New Testament was finished. It progressed from promise to fulfillment. The Old Testament is promise and the New Testament is fulfillment.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17 NIV)

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, (Hebrews 11:39 NIV)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. (1 Peter 1:10‭-‬12 NIV)

The Old Testament was not erroneous but it was refined and finalized in the New Testament.

“Long ago, God spoke to the fathers or our forefathers” — these are our spiritual ancestors or our physical ancestors if we are Jewish.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21 NIV)

(“Prophecy” referring to the Old Testament).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)

Do you consider the Old Testament as God’s revelation is preparing His people for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ?
Heir and Creator — Hebrews 1:2

but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. (Hebrews 1:2 NIV)

“In these lest days” is probably making a messianic reference. This terminology was very familiar to the Jews and had a distinctive reference to the coming Messiah. So, the writer is saying “In these promised last days Messiah (Christ) has come and spoken the revelation of God.” God has finalized His revelation through Christ.

We also see the Son rightly rules as heir of all things “All things” means all things.

Secondly, the Son created the universe of time and space.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16 NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1‭-‬3 NIV)

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36 NIV)

The grand theme of these verses is the supremacy of Christ as God’s final word.

Do you ever think of Jesus as God’s final Word? John 1:1-3

Why is it important to emphasize the supremacy of Christ?

As believers, we must establish the priority of Jesus. He is fully divine. He is greater than the prophets. He is greater than any revelation in the Old Testament. There is nothing in heaven or earth that surpasses the superiority of the Son. God has fully expressed Himself in Christ. (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-equal and divine in nature but distinct in person)

Jesus says, “the Father and are one” — John 10:30 — but in John 14:28, He says “the Father is greater than I.” What is your explanation?

One class member noted that the members of the God-head may be equal, but they do not have the same function. In John 1:3, Christ (the Word) is credited with creating all.

The incarnation — Jesus was temporarily “made lower than the angels.”

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. (Hebrews 2:9 NIV)

Jesus took on human besh and was fully buman but did not relinquish His divine nature. When Jesus took an human form, He made Himself nothing.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5‭-‬11 NIV)

So, the “greatness” that Jesus speaks of in sohn 14:28 relates to His role at the time of His words, not to His essence He was less than the Father in His humanity but equal to God in His divinity.

Christ — and Christ alone — is superior to our greatest challenges and our lowest despair. He knows each of us intimately, cares about as deeply and most importantly, has the superior power, wisdom and love to save you for all eternity. Do you believe that?

To fully understand this, then, the book of Hebrews is for you.

…

Introduction to the Anchor of my soul

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The study of the book of Hebrews

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and the responses of the class.

Preach Jesus
When Charles Spurgeon opened his Bible to teach the book of Hebrews, he gloriously announced, “I have nothing to do tonight but to preach Jesus Christ.” Look what the Bible says about this:

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 5:42 NIV)

Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. (Acts 8:5 NIV)

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. (Acts 8:34‭-‬35 NIV)

and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. (Acts 9:19‭-‬20 NIV)

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV)

As we begin this study, that is our same game plan.

Do you preach Jesus and, if so, how do you preach Jesus?

One class member shared that he shared Christ by mentioning Christ with kind acts to people that otherwise did not listen to a gospel presentation.

To dig further into this topic, we know that God gave us the parable of the seeds to describe the reception of the gospel (seeds) to the soil (hearts) around the sower (the Holy Spirit).

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:3‭-‬10‭, ‬18‭-‬23 NIV)

Your thoughts?

One class member noted that she had assurance of her salvation from an early age, but often felt during her teen years like the seed among thorns. During those years of trial, she felt as if her faith were choked by the world.

That is why we put the word and faith before feeling.

Another class member recounted how his seed fell on rocky soil until he reached his 25^th birthday. Thankfully, then, by the prayers of his godly mother, he came to see the light and became fertile soil.
Authorship
This epistle was written by an unknown author. Some say Paul, others say Apollos while others say Peter. Based on the style, vocabulary and pattern of personal reference in the epistles known to be Paul’s, it does not appear to be written by Paul. agree with the theologians that respect as to the exact human authorship – “No one knows.” How fitting, since the purpose of the book is to exalt Christ. Throughout this study, we will refer to the fact that it was written, as all Scripture, by the Holy Spirit- whom we do know.

We do know that it was written with the pen of a believer, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to a suffering, persecuted group of Jews, somewhere in the East, outside of Israel.

Before we begin this study, we might ask ourselves, “How do exalt Christ?” Explain.

One class member explained how they witness, primarily in a manner of lifestyle that lifts up people to God. That class member described having talked to an unaccepting neighbor for years, only to help that neighbor when the natural gas lines were recently cut. Then that neighbor became much more receptive to the message of Christ.

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:6 NIV)
Audience/Time
This letter was written after the ascension of Jesus and before the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Therefore, it was probably written between 65-70A.D. Three different groups in the Jewish community are addressed in this epistle – Hebrew Christians, Hebrew Non-Christians who were intellectually convinced and Hebrew Non-Christians who were not convinced. (There is no reference to Gentiles in the book).
- Hebrew Christians
  In this Jewish community, there was a congregation of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah, there was tremendous hostility from their own people – ostracism from their families and persecution and suffering from the Jewish people. They lacked full confidence in the gospel and consequently, in the Lord. They were still hung up on the Temple ritual and worship. This letter was written to give confidence to these floundering believers. Sometimes, do you need reassurance in your faith? Explain.
  
  Many class members responded with accounts of low times in their faith where a brother or sister with a Word became pivotal. Some even related accounts where God intervened directly by way of a Bible study.
  
  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:3‭-‬8 NIV)
- Hebrew non-Christians who were intellectually convinced
  They had heard the truth of Jesus Christ and were intellectually convinced that He is who He claims to be but they were not willing to make a commitment of faith in Him. Maybe, they loved the approval of man more than the approval of God. Maybe, they weren’t willing to make the sacrifice required. Do you know anyone like this?
  
  One class member told of a Jewish friend who “is almost persuaded,” but cannot let go of the Goya/Jewish divide.
- Hebrew non-Christians who were not convinced
  Do you know anyone who does not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, our Redeemer, our Lord and Savior?
  
  Everyone simultaneously admitted that these people were the majority of our working acquaintances.
  
  The Holy Spirit seeks to show them clearly that Jesus is who He says He is and this is the main thrust of chapter 9. The key to understanding any part of Hebrews is to understand which group is being addressed. In Hebrews, there is confidence and assurance to believers. To the intellectually convinced, there is a warning. Finally, there is a convincing presentation to the unbelieving Jews who are not even intellectually persuaded that they should believe in Jesus.
- The overall theme
  The overall theme is the superiority, or the preeminence, of Jesus Christ. As we study this book, you might find yourself asking, “What am really trusting in? Am I trusting the Word of God or am trusting the things of this world that are shaking and ready to fall away?” In Hebrews 12:25-29, God was shaking the order of things. He wanted His people to have their feet on the solid foundation of faith. He did not want them to trust in things that would vanish. Do you think God may be shaking the order of things today? If so, why do you think he is? Many of us can sense the heat rising in our ever-increasing anti-Christian culture and the pressure to conform to values and priorities of this darkening culture. As the Hebrew believers, we need to come to grips with the sufficiency of Christ and His absolute superiority over all things. Christ- and Christ alone – is superior to our greatest challenges and our lowest despair. Do you believe that?

A follow-up to God’s final Word, concluded

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WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DIE AND CANNOT BELIEVE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey.

Review.
1. What about those who cannot believe?
  By “those who cannot believe,” I am not referring to those who choose not to believe. I am referring to those who lack the capacity to believe or those who do not have information available to them.
  
  What is the hope of such people? Is there any hope for such people?
2. All people are born into sin
  1. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3 NIV)
  2. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalms 51:5 NIV)
3. The problem
  1. Salvation by faith
    1. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)
    2. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NIV)
4. Our premise
  “To have faith in Jesus Christ or to reject Jesus Christ, we must first have the ability to do one or the other. God receives those who believe because they can believe.”
The provision
We have a problem and a premise. In order for the problem to be solved by the premise, God must make a provision.
1. General revelation
  1. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:18‭-‬20 NIV)
  2. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. (Psalms 19:1‭-‬4 NIV)
2. Testimony (witness)
  1. where they continued to preach the gospel. (Acts 14:7 NIV)
3. Savior of all mankind
  1. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:9‭-‬10 NIV)
    1. God saves all mankind generally
    2. God saves some of mankind specially
  2. God saves all mankind generally
    1. Guilty of original sin
      
      For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV)
    2. Because of the death of Jesus on the cross, people do no go to hell because of original sin
      1. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: (2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV)
      2. 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. (Hebrews 2:9 NIV)
      3. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. (John 1:9 NIV)
  3. Deep in the jungles of a foreign land
    1. Always remember this: When a person with limited knowledge responds to what they know, God then takes personal responsibility to provide that person with more information about Himself.
      
      And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
      
      You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)
      1. Missionary
      2. Supernatural revelation
      3. Another dispensational category
The choice
We cannot confuse the love of God to the point that we miss the holiness of God, the righteousness of God, the justice of God, and, yes, the wrath of God.

One thing that God will never tolerate is one who rejects Him after He has gone through such great lengths to reveal Himself to us.

God has taken care of those who cannot believe. We can believe. Most of the people we know, can believe.

Heaven and Hell are real. One eternal destiny is up to each one of us and our own decisions and choices.

The final question every person must ask themselves is this: Do you have peace and comfort about the choice you have made?

A follow-up to God’s final Word

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WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DIE AND CANNOT BELIEVE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and the responses of the class.

Questions.
1. What is the spiritual status of a mentally retarded child who dies? What is the basis for your answer?
  One class member responded by noting the story of the death of King David’s baby by Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:13-23). In that event, David noted that the baby would not come to him, but he would go to the baby (in Heaven). That class member maintained that the innocent child (whether by age or by mental ability) would enter Heaven by God’s grace.
2. What is the spiritual status of those who have never heard the name of Jesus and die? What is the basis for your answer?
  Since Romans 1:18-32 reminds us that the law of God is written on the hearts of men — the problem comes with the darkening of our hearts. Therefore, the problem comes when those of us over the age of accountability start twisting our conscience to fit our sinful selves.
3. What is the spiritual status of the infant who dies? What is the basis of your answer?
  Again, that one class member pointed to the story of the death of King David’s baby by Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:13-23).
4. If the Bible declares that all people are born into sin, how do those who fall under a-c get to Heaven?
  Just about the whole class responded with “the only way any of us get to the portals of Heaven is by the sacrifice of Christ.”
  
  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)
What about those who cannot believe?
By “those who cannot believe” I am not referring to those who choose not to believe. I am referring to those who lack the capacity to believe or those who do not have information available to them.
All people are born into sin

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3 NIV)

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalms 51:5 NIV)
The problem
1. A God of love
  
  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16‭-‬18 NIV)
  
  While God by nature is love, God is also holy and cannot tolerate sin. Therefore, God the Father provided a way for people through God the Son.
2. Baptism
  
  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 NIV)
  
  Salvation is a gift that we can willingly accept by faith, but cannot work to earn.
3. Salvation by faith
  
  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16‭, ‬18 NIV)
4. Belief versus rejection
  
  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV)
  
  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NIV)
The premise
1. Our premise “To have faith in Jesus Christ or reject Jesus Christ, we must first have the ability to do one or the other. God receives those who do believe because they can believe.”
2. The command to believe
  The one who cannot believe is also the one who cannot reject. Those who do not have the capacity to believe also do not have the capacity to reject. If you cannot say “yes” to Christ, then you also cannot say “no.”
  
  That is why John 3:18 is so important. He said that we must believe and that the ones who do not believe are the ones who reject.
  
  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (John 3:36 NIV)
  
  You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39‭-‬40 NIV)
  
  If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17 NIV)

Are you a Christian soldier or a Christian citizen combatant?

Do you march as a soldier of Christ’s army or are you a secret service agent? You may well know which of these fits for you; however, if you need some prodding, here are some indicators.

Who provides your armor and equipment?

If you comfortably wear the righteousness that God gave you and don’t try to manufacture your own righteousness, you know that you march as a soldier of Christ. Likewise, if you wear the belt of truth, you know yourself to be a soldier of Christ. If you take up the shield of faith, you march for Christ. If you wear the helmet of Salvation, you march for Christ. If you weild the sword of the Spirit, you march for Christ.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:10‭-‬20 NIV)

Who continually supplies your needs

The Christian knows that his or her supplies come from God

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:15-16 NIV)

The carnal and the foolish depend on themselves

“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? (Proverbs 1:22 NIV)

Who do you trust

The Christian Soldier trusts in the Lord

The Christian soldier holds several dimensions to his or her trust in God. This may begin with a learned trust that stems from a daily time in the word.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. (Proverbs 3:5‭-‬7 NIV)

The previously-mentioned trust may be based on the fact that God gave all in order to ransom us when we did not deserve it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

The undercover Christian excludes God from the plans

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13‭-‬15 NIV)

…

God’s final Word – Chapter 22, verses 13 through 21

God’s final Word – God’s last invitation

The following comes through the notes of Mark Ramsey and the responses of the class.

The promised Savior of the world
In these concluding verses, the Bible comes full circle. It opened with the promise of a coming Savior who would redeem His people from their sins.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

Now, the Bible ends with the promise of His second coming. It is only fitting that the book, whose focus is on the second coming, ends with a final invitation in anticipation of that glorious reality. It is an urgent invitation pleading with sinners to come to Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of eternal life before it is forever too late.

Do you feel the urgency to offer such an invitation?

One class member responded with a tale of her grandchildren and their reluctance to accept Bible stories now that her daughter seems less accepting of what she was brought up to believe.

Another class member spoke of feeling the urgency to share the gospel with his neighbors. That neighbor had rejected those overtures for years. Now both were open to the news.
The Person of Christ — Revelation 22:13

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13 NIV)

As Jesus identifies Himself, His identity expresses Christ’s infinity, eternity and boundless life transcending all limitations. He is the source of all that is true, from beginning to end. It is also a statement of His deity as there can only be one Alpha and Omega, first and last and beginning and end — God. He is God the Son, the second Person of the eternal Trinity.
The exclusivity of heaven — Revelation 22:14-15

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Revelation 22:14‭-‬15 NIV)

This section begins with the last of the 7 beatitudes in Revelation. “Blessed are those who wash their robes” graphically portrays the believers’ participation in the death of Christ.

I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:14 NIV)

Those who have experienced the washing from sin that marks salvation will forever have the right to the tree of life. The tree of life is located in the New Jerusalem and this will be a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise:

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7 NIV)

Heaven is exclusively for those who have been cleansed from their sins by faith in the blood of Jesus and whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8 NIV)

In contrast, everyone else will remain forever outside the New Jerusalem in the lake of fire.

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27 NIV)

The inclusion of “dogs” is included because dogs were despised scavengers that milled about the cities’ garbage dumps. To call a person a dog was to describe that person as someone of low character. In fact, the first time blatantly impure sinners are called dogs is in Deuternonmy 23:18 referring to male homosexual prostitutes.

You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both. (Deuteronomy 23:18 NIV)

All those described as excluded are not everyone who have ever committed any of these sins but those who love and habitually practice any such sin, stubbornly clinging to it and refusing Christ’s invitation to salvation.
The truth of the book of Revelation — Revelation 22:16

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16 NIV)

The expression, “I, Jesus” appears only here in the Bible. This verse testifies to the truth of the whole book of Revelation. Like a king affixing a royal seal to an official document, Jesus ties His reputation as Son of David and Son of God to the prophecies of the book. The words of the book are faithful and true because they were given by the One who is altogether faithful and true.

In His deity, Christ is David’s root, and in His humanity, He is David’s descendant.

“The bright morning star” – Jesus promised the overcomers of Thyatira the “morning star” that is, Himself.
Two invitations — Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17 NIV)

The last 5 verses in the book of Revelation represent the last God-breathed words we have before the return of Christ. Let that sink in.

First, God continually speaks an invitation to all who are thirsty – “Come!” Only Christ can quench the deepest needs and necessities of the heart. In fact, the entire book of Revelation can be considered as a long invitation to separate ourselves from the pollution and wickedness of the world and to join God’s eternal banquet. The Lord’s ultimate reason for revealing future events is to draw people to Himself.

Note the first invitation is for Jesus Christ to come back to earth. And notice that the Holy Spirit and the Church, the bride of Christ, long for His soon return. That is the desire of every true believer.

The second invitation is for whoever will take the water of life – that is, the salvation offered to all in Jesus Christ. He said that whoever will drink this water will never thirst again.

but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 NIV)

Revelation 22:17 is God’s final invitation in the Bible.
A stern warning — Revelation 22:18-19

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. (Revelation 22:18‭-‬19 NIV)

How do people add to the book of Revelation? (Predicting the date of Christ’s return; adding ways to salvation, etc.) How do people take away the words of Revelation? (We have this new progressive understanding – everything in this book has already happened – this is history, not prophecy.)

Consider these ways of altering God’s Word: Disobeying the clear commands of Scripture; intentionally ignoring what is written; purposely twisting the true meaning of God’s word to accommodate our opinions and adding other commands or traditions or texts as authoritative truths.
The benediction — Revelation 22:20-21

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. (Revelation 22:18‭-‬19 NIV)

Jesus says He is coming quickly – no promise could offer more hope.

John adds “Amen” – “So be it!” Then John adds a personal prayer: “Come Lord Jesus!”

Is that your prayer? Are you ready for the return of the Lord Jesus? Fittingly, the last words of the Bible – “the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen,” is an expression of God’s grace toward fallen humanity and a desire that all will accept His free gift of salvation.

The destiny of mankind — Hebrews 2:5-10

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Don’t neglect so great a salvation — Hebrews 2:1-4

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Jesus is superior to the angels

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The superiority of Christ

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The superiority of Christ

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The study of the book of Hebrews

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WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DIE AND CANNOT BELIEVE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

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WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DIE AND CANNOT BELIEVE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

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Are you a Christian soldier or a Christian citizen combatant?

Who provides your armor and equipment?

Who continually supplies your needs

The Christian knows that his or her supplies come from God

The carnal and the foolish depend on themselves

Who do you trust

The Christian Soldier trusts in the Lord

The undercover Christian excludes God from the plans

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God’s final Word – God’s last invitation

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