Hebrews 2:1

Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him? God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.

For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels, but one testified in a certain place, saying, "What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet." For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one; for which reason He is not ashamed to be called their brethren, saying, "I will declare Your name to My brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to You."

And again, "I will put My trust in Him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me." Inasmuch then, as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed, He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.

Therefore, in all things, He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Father, we sang just a few minutes ago, "Holy Spirit, You're welcome here." I pray that You would meet us here. You promised that wherever two or more are gathered in Your name, there You are in their midst. So we ask that You would be here and that You would teach us by Your Spirit. Give us insight into the things of Scripture, that we would not only understand them intellectually, but that we would apply them practically.

The things we consider here in Hebrews chapter two today would, in some way, affect and impact our lives this afternoon and the rest of this week. We want to be able to show and display Your glory, Your good and perfect will in our lives, so that people would see You transforming us and bringing forth the evidence of Your presence in our lives. So God, do work in us. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

Smartphones are better than Android smartphones. That's a little better response than in the first service. Chick-fil-A is better than KFC. There's only one downside: they're not open on Sunday, which is kind of a good thing but also kind of a bad thing. Target is better than Walmart. Oh, goodness. All right, this is going to get me in trouble. Chevy is better than Ford. Oh, that's way better than the first service. Apple is better than Microsoft. Oh, pity you all. Home Depot is better than Lowe's. The New King James Version is better than the English Standard Version. Oh, there are some people.

My mom is better than—never mind. There are a number of things I know when I start in that way or when someone, myself or someone else, makes strong declarative statements like that. I know that I may have made some new friends, maybe, but I also know that I've probably lost some.

I have more friends than I've made, and I know that I might have made some of you angry, so maybe I'll get some emails. Who knows? There are a few things I know that some of you are thinking when I or someone else makes strong statements like that. You may be thinking, "Gosh, that guy is very opinionated." Some of you might be thinking, "That guy doesn't know what he's talking about." Others might be thinking, "That guy's a complete idiot," as you go through those kinds of statements.

However, there are a few things that I think we would probably agree upon when we hear someone make strong declarative statements like that. We know that every one of those statements is an opinion. We understand that those are the opinions held by some. It tells you a little bit about the individual you're hearing from when you hear someone make strong declarative statements that reflect opinions like that. We know that each one of those statements can maybe be disproven. By using different scales or different measures, you might be able to put forth other information because they are objective statements, but they are subjective realities. They reflect issues of preference when someone makes strong statements like that.

Now, making strong statements like that isn't necessarily a good way to make friends. For the record, I don't necessarily believe all those things that I just said. I won't tell you which ones I do believe. Well, I do believe the one about iPhones and Apple, but we won't go any further than that.

The author of the Book of Hebrews is making the point that Jesus is better than whatever it may be. It is a very strong declarative statement that Jesus is better. I think we would probably agree that in making that statement in the 21st century, it is rather politically incorrect to say that Jesus is better. But understand that 2,000 years ago, when the author of this book made the statement that Jesus is better, it was not very politically correct then either. He is writing this very letter from prison. He was in chains because of his strong position on this view about Jesus.

These kinds of polemical propositions, when someone makes strong statements like this, are not necessarily the kind of "drop the mic" moments. I won't do it because our sound guys would kill me, but they're not the sort of thing you say and then it's done, you're out, and everybody agrees. It's not all good, and I've said my piece.

When someone makes a statement like those, there is the expectation that you need to back that up. You need to give a reason for why you hold that view or position. When someone gives a reason for why they hold something, we call that an apologetic. You're not making an apology; you're giving a defense, a reason. It's similar to what a lawyer would do if they were arguing a case; they provide their defense on why they believe the evidence and the testimony point to a particular conclusion.

They may make the concluding statement at the beginning, a propositional statement, but the whole point is that you have to go back and establish why it is that you believe what you believe. The author of the Book of Hebrews is doing that here in this passage of Scripture. He has made the statement that Jesus is better. In the first chapter, he asserts that Jesus is better than angels. He will elaborate on this as we get into chapters three, four, and five over the next several weeks. He will point out that Jesus is better than Moses, better than Abraham, better than the priesthood, and better than many other things that came out of Judaism.

Of course, this letter was written to Christians who came out of Judaism. Therefore, the apologetic, the defense, the answer, is oriented towards those who had a certain worldview, specifically the worldview of Judaism. If we were writing a similar book for our day, it would look different. We would recognize that there is a significant segment of our population in the Western world, especially in the United States, Canada, and Europe, that holds a materialistic, humanistic worldview.

Thus, we would orient our arguments towards a materialistic or humanistic perspective. Many authors and books have been written on that subject, providing an apologetic for our time. If you're interested in that, I would recommend Timothy Keller's book, The Reason for God, or Ravi Zacharias' book, Can Man Live Without God? or Jesus Against All Other Secular Gods. There are numerous great books in that area. Even looking back at some of C.S. Lewis' writings, those authors were essentially doing what the author of Hebrews is doing; they were establishing an apologetic for a certain segment of people.

He makes the claim that Jesus is better than angels in Hebrews chapter one. That's the propositional statement he has made. Then he goes back to prove that argument, which for the audience he is addressing, is based on the holy Scriptures that they all understood.

They all held to the belief that their entire worldview was shaped by this statement: Jesus is better than angels. The author starts at ground level; he doesn't immediately go to the idea that Jesus is better than Abraham because he understands that this group of people has a very strong view of Abraham. He builds up to that, but he begins with this foundational point. Perhaps it was like the low shelf one: Jesus is better than angels.

Then, he proves it from the Scriptures, which declare that Jesus is the eternal, uncreated Creator who came down from heaven as a man to the earth. That is why he is called the Son of God. He is called the Son of God because he is God in human flesh. "God incarnate" is the term used here so that we can behold the glory of God among us. However, he is greater than angels. The author emphasizes that he is not just a man; he is greater than a man.

As we come into chapter two, the author states, "Therefore, because of that, there are certain things that should be applied or changed in our lives." If it is true that Jesus is greater than angels, and if it is true that the Scriptures point to the fact that he is the eternal, uncreated Creator, the Son of God come down to earth, what does that mean for us?

Every apologetic must reach that point where we ask the question: What does that mean? If you argue that Jesus is God, if you argue that he is greater than angels, then what does that practically mean for my life? The author tells us here in Hebrews chapter two, verse one: "Therefore, because of that, we must give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard, lest we drift away." The Scriptures show that Jesus is objectively better than angels.

Point number one on your outline is that we must hear and obey Jesus. If Jesus is better than angels, we must hear and obey him. Another translation states that we must pay much closer attention to him. If he is greater than angels, we should pay much closer attention to him. The Jews who would have been reading this, these Christians who came out of Judaism, had a high regard for angels and for the message delivered by angels.

Look at chapter two, verse two: "For if the word spoken through angels proves steadfast..."

The word spoken through angels was understood by the Jewish readers as the law that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, recorded in the book of Exodus. After the children of Israel had come out of Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai. Moses went up on top of the mountain, and God delivered to him the law, the Ten Commandments. However, it was not just the Ten Commandments; it was the whole of the law. Jewish tradition held that it was the angels who delivered that message from God to Moses.

The text states that if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, strong, and trustworthy, and if every transgression and disobedience against that law received a just reward or punishment, then if Jesus is God and greater than the angels, we should pay attention to the message that He spoke. We should listen to what He has to say.

In acknowledging that truth, we all recognize that we live in a world with a million competing voices. We are constantly bombarded by many different views and opinions, perhaps more now than at any other time in history, because we can easily interact cross-culturally with people from all over the world. We are inundated with various perspectives, especially regarding the purpose, meaning, and value of life.

We live in a nation that, culturally and traditionally, has been very focused over the last hundred years on a humanistic, naturalistic, and materialistic worldview. However, that is not the only worldview around us. In San Diego County, for example, there are 3.2 million people, and 110 different languages are spoken. Each of those languages represents a different belief and worldview. You go to school with, work with, and live next door to people who speak differently, look differently, and have different frames of reference regarding the meaning, value, and purpose of life.

As we interact with these individuals, we hear all these different views, and we are often told that we need to recognize that all of those views are equal and ultimately the same. This is the position that we are constantly being presented with in our culture today. Yet, here comes an individual who asserts that Jesus is better. Amid all the competing voices and the multitude of perspectives, this claim stands out.

Amidst all these competing ideas and views, some may be familiar, some may be enticing, and some may be more attractive than others. In the chaos of these competing voices, we need to give the more earnest hearing. We need to pay closer attention to the voice of Jesus. That's a pretty strong statement. There are a lot of worldviews, and we are confronted with them every single day. The Scriptures tell us that if you believe the Scriptures, then you believe that Jesus's view, what He says, is better, more important, and should be heeded above all other views. That's a very strong perspective, and of course, it is not highly regarded by a growing populace in our nation.

There is a wonderful story presented in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus is with three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, and they are on a mountaintop somewhere in Israel. It seems from the Scriptures that they were there to pray. As night came, as you might expect, Peter, James, and John fell asleep on the job. It's good to know that the apostles sometimes fell asleep praying, isn't it?

In the middle of the night, they were shocked and startled, awoken by something phenomenal. Jesus, the Scriptures say, was transfigured before them. He became bright and shining, His clothes whiter than any launderer could have made them. As He was there, transfigured before Peter, James, and John, in their stunned shock, they saw two individuals speaking with Him, who the Scriptures tell us were Moses, the representative of the Law, and Elijah, the representative of the Prophets.

As Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus, Peter, overcome with the situation, interjected a thought—hard to imagine, but he did. He said, "Lord, it's good for us to be here. Let us build three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." In this moment, you have these competing voices: the Law, the Prophets, and Peter. In the midst of this, the Scriptures say that they were overshadowed by a bright cloud, and from the midst of the cloud, a voice came and said, "This is my beloved Son."

In whom I am well pleased, hear Him. I think that's good counsel. Among the competing voices—legal voices, prophetic voices, apostolic voices—amidst all the competing voices, that's good counsel. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him. And so, it's imperative that we do so.

Why is it imperative that we do so? Well, notice what the author of the Book of Hebrews, going back to Hebrews chapter two again, says. He states in verse one, "Therefore, since Jesus is the eternal uncreated Creator of all things, the Son of God come down to you, greater than angels, therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard, lest we drift away." The implication here is, lest we drift away and experience judgment. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward—a judgment—how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which began to be spoken first by the Lord? If we neglect the word that He speaks, we must consider the consequences.

Point number two on your outline: the cost of defiance and disobedience to Jesus is dire. The author of the Book of Hebrews tells us that the cost of defiance and disobedience to the word of Jesus is dire. He is the eternal uncreated Creator, the Son of God, the preacher of the message of salvation, greater than any message delivered by angels. This message was accompanied and authenticated, as he tells us, by miracles—the greatest of which was the resurrection of Jesus, which we will be celebrating in just about a month as we observe Resurrection Sunday, Easter Sunday.

So, it was a message spoken that was accompanied by miracles, the greatest of which was the resurrection of the one delivering the message. If we defy, if we disobey, if we neglect that message of salvation and grace, how shall we escape? Escape from a judgment—a judgment that the Scriptures show is eternal and complete, with no way to return. In the Book of Romans, chapter one, verse 18, the Apostle Paul says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." One day, God's wrath will come.

It's a sobering reality. I think that if any of us were to receive even just a fraction of a second of a vision of what that wrath would look like, it would radically transform the way we interact in the world we live in. The descriptions of it, though we probably have never experienced it and hopefully never will experience even just a momentary blip, a microsecond of that judgment, are phenomenally terrible. They are terrifying.

We need to pay close attention to Jesus. Why? Because He speaks of salvation—salvation from that coming day of wrath. The wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and Jesus has a word of salvation and rescue from that.

Have you ever been in a crowded area with a lot of people, where everybody is talking all at once and the volume continues to increase as people try to speak and hear? In the midst of that situation, you might see someone across the room trying to get your attention—maybe it's a friend or your spouse. You key in and pay attention, discerning what they are telling you amidst all the competing voices.

That's what the author here says: amidst all the chaos, pay attention to Jesus. In Revelation chapters two and three, the words are repeated over and over again: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." At one point, Jesus, speaking to one of the churches, says in Revelation chapter three, verse 20, "I stand at the door and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens, I will come in to him and dine with him." He continues, "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne."

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church. We need to pay attention to Jesus, which brings a challenging, simple question: Are we? Are we paying attention to what Jesus has said? Are we taking in the words of Jesus by reading or listening to His word?

I commend you for being here to hear His word taught. However, there is a difference between listening and hearing. Every wife sadly knows this truth. Are you listening to me? Yes, I'm listening. But that is the wrong question. The real question is, are you hearing me? If you have children, they might be listening as well. What are they hearing? Do we hear Him? He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.

Why should we pay closer attention to Jesus? Look at Hebrews chapter two, verse five: "For He, God, has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels." The Jewish readers who were reading this apologetic, this defense of Jesus being better, had a high regard for angels. They esteemed them because, in creation, they are created higher than humans. In practical terms, they are in the very presence of God and are given the job of being His messengers, taking the message from Him to us.

The author of the book of Hebrews emphasizes that the world that is to come, prophetically, that world which is not yet but will be, will not be put under the control or subjection of angels. In verse six, it is written, "What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him?" This is a quote from Psalm eight, verses four through six. "For You, God, have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You set him over the works of Your hands, and You have put all things in subjection under his feet."

This is phenomenal. The Psalms declare prophetically that God is going to place humanity, though created lower than angels, in a place of glory and a position from which they will rule. He continues in verse eight, stating that in putting all things in subjection under humanity, God left nothing not put under him. However, we do not yet see all things put under him. We do not practically see it.

We see it prophetically in the Scriptures, but practically we don't yet experience it. However, we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels. God became a man; He humbled Himself to stand in a human body. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. Why? Because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

We should pay close attention to Jesus because, point number three on your outline, Jesus is crowned with glory and honor and will rule over all creation or all things for eternity. Jesus is crowned with glory and honor and will rule over all things for eternity. Why should we listen to Him? That's a good reason. He's going to rule and reign over everything for eternity. If that is true and the author of the book of Hebrews is putting forth the defense of this truth from the Scriptures, then we would do well to pay close attention to what he has to say because He will sit and rule over all things.

As the author of the book of Hebrews will do throughout the entire book, he keeps going back to the Old Testament. Here in this passage, he goes back to Psalm 8 specifically, and there he says we should listen to and obey Jesus because it's not the angels that will rule in the world that is to come, that prophetic world that will one day be. Jesus will one day rule. Yes, in order and in rank and hierarchy, man is lower than angels. And yes, Jesus came as a man in a human body that is lower than angels.

But even though He occupied that human body, He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He humbled Himself to this place that you and I occupy, but He did so for a very specific purpose. What purpose? Well, again, look at verse nine. We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Why did He come? Why did He occupy that lowest state, lower than the angels whom He created?

The uncreated Creator occupied a created body and made Himself humble in that created order. I don't think this is a story that humanity could make up because we like to put our gods, if we create them, higher than everything. Yet here, He humbles Himself. Even in coming to the earth, He didn't come as a king. He didn't come with authority, power, prestige, or money.

How did He come? Turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews. Then turn to the left just a few books to the book of Philippians, specifically Philippians chapter two. It follows Galatians and Ephesians, and comes right before the book of Colossians. In Philippians chapter two, verse five, Paul the Apostle writes, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But He made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

Therefore, because of this, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow—of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth. Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

Here in this moment, in this time, in this realm, we do not yet see all things put under Him. However, in the unseen realm, in a world that exists beyond this one, which we cannot gauge or study with the instrumentation of this world, there in heaven, Jesus occupies a throne. We see it prophetically, not yet practically. Yet we were instructed by Jesus while He was here to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That's the prayer of the church: Your kingdom come, your will be done here as it is there.

Listen, that prayer will be answered. It hasn't come to pass yet, but it will be answered. So, God came to the earth as a man, but why? Why did He come? Why was it necessary? The Jewish reader of this book may ask, "Why did we even need Jesus to come?" Listen, we have the law. We have Abraham.

We have Moses, the temple, and the priesthood. We have all of these things. Why would we need Jesus? Well, Hebrews chapter two, verse ten states, "For it was fitting for him. It was necessary for him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."

For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all one. For this reason, he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, "I will declare your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to you." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children that you have given to me."

The author of the book of Hebrews says, "Listen, Jesus had to come. It was fitting. It was necessary that the uncreated creator of all things become like his creation so that he could be the perfect champion for our salvation." He had to become a human being in human flesh to confront the realities of sin so that he could address the problem of sin. He had to be made like us so that he could atone for us, that he could pay the payment for our sin.

Then, the author of the book of Hebrews gives us one of the most beautiful statements in the entire Bible. Hebrews chapter two, verses fourteen and fifteen say, "Inasmuch then as the children, us, have partaken in flesh and blood, he, Jesus, himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those, you and I, who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

When you ask the question, which has been posed by researchers in different cultures for many years, "What is the greatest fear that you have?" the list always gets whittled down to one thing: death. What is the fear that humanity has? Death.

Maybe you, here today, find yourself even grappling with that fear. Just yesterday, we had another memorial service here at the church, and there were a number of you who attended that memorial service. When we come to memorial services, we are confronted with the reality of death.

Every single one of us takes stock of our lives and realizes how short this life is. It seems so long when you are young. I mean, you remember how it was when you were a kid. September came around, school started, and all you could think about was Christmas. It seemed like it would take forever to get here. Now, September comes around, and we all say, "Yes, they are back to school." Then we think, "Goodness, they are back off of school for Christmas." How quickly it goes! It gets faster and faster.

As the speed picks up, there is this nagging, reoccurring thought in the back of the minds of humanity: this life will end. We live under the fear of death. So, why did Jesus come? He came that he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release us from the fear of death, under which our entire lives were lived subject to bondage.

Point number four on your outline: Jesus came to release us from the fear of death because of the bondage of sin. I honestly cannot think of any better news than that. The Dow Jones at 30,000 pales in comparison to the fact that Jesus came to release us from the fear of death. It can't even touch it. Your retirement account just went up; you could be set for the rest of your life, but that pales in comparison to Jesus coming to free us from the fear of death because of the bondage of sin.

Let me tell you something: your retirement account, even if you have tens of millions of dollars in net worth, is worthless when death comes. It means nothing when death comes. God became a humble human being to release us, to rescue us from sin and death.

Going on to Hebrews chapter two, verse 16: "For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he gives aid to the seed of Abraham." He didn't come to save angels; he came to save humans. That's why he became a human. He didn't come in the form of an angel; he came as a man. Why? To save us, because we need saving. Therefore, in verse 17, "In all things, he had to be made like his brethren." Why did he have to come? Because he is saving us.

He had to be made like us so that he might be a merciful high priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation. That is, payment for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted.

Point number five on your outline: Jesus suffered the penalty, power, persistence, and presence of sin to free us from the same. For just a quick moment, let's think about what that actually means. The Son of God, in eternity past, the holy Word of God, as called in John's Gospel, chapter one, verses one through four, existed as the eternal uncreated Creator. He made everything. In that place in eternity, he was never affected or touched by sin, completely holy, completely separate, consecrated from sin, with no sin ever in his presence.

Then, two thousand years ago, he stepped down into the darkness, the muck, and the mire of this fallen world, and he suffered in the presence of sin. He came and was touched by that which you and I are touched by every single day: the presence of sin. Not only the presence of sin, but while he was here, he suffered the persistent temptation of sin. Yet, we will see in Hebrews chapter four, verse fifteen, that he was tempted in all points like as we are. Yet he never sinned. He never succumbed to the temptation that you and I are bombarded with every single day. He suffered under the persistent temptation of sin.

Then, two thousand years ago, his lifeless body was laid into a tomb because he experienced sin's power when he died, just like every single one of us will. In the same way that your human body, this nature, this flesh, fears death, his did too. He was there in the Garden of Gethsemane and he cried out, "If there's any other way, let this cup pass from me." Why? Because his flesh feared death.

But he experienced the power of sin and death. Not only did he experience the power of sin, but he also experienced the penalty of sin there on the cross. You need Jesus. He experienced the penalty of sin so that you don't have to. Yes, you and I will experience sin's power. We will die. Every single day, we experience the persistent temptation of sin. Our entire lives, we have walked amidst the presence of sin.

However, because of what Jesus did on the cross, you don't have to experience its penalty. By faith in Jesus, you can be freed from its power through the resurrection and from its persistent presence in the glorification of being with Him in eternity. I can't think of any better news.

He says we must give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard—this message of salvation from Jesus. May it be that we not only hear it, but we declare it. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Lord Jesus, we ask for your grace. We ask that you meet us here this morning. We thank you, Jesus, for your goodness, that you displayed your love, grace, and goodness towards us. While we were yet sinners, you came and lived here in the place where sin is present, where persistent temptation comes against us, where its power is seen on a daily basis, and where we live under the fear of its penalty. We pray, Jesus, that you would increase our joy in that we have been rescued from these things by your grace.

And Lord, make us witnesses of Your grace to those that we come in contact with in every place this week: on school campuses, at work sites, wherever we are.