Salvation's Warning: Hebrews 2 and the Humble Majesty of Christ

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Today, we step into the urgent and sobering words of Hebrews 2, a chapter echoing with divine warning, the peril of drifting away and the relentless call to anchor our souls in the salvation that was declared, confirmed and sealed by God himself.

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Sounds of distant hammers echo in the air, mingling with the rustle of sandals over sun-baked earth.

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A breeze stirs dry fig leaves.

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Outside a modest home nestled among the sandstone buildings of a bustling first-century Jewish town, the day is already warm.

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Inside a shaded room lit only by the soft flicker of sunlight bouncing off palestone walls.

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A man leans over a parchment.

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He is a scribe, once a student of Torah, now something more, not less, a Jew, but something fuller.

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His quill dances over the scroll.

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As he writes, slowly and carefully, the parchment stretches taut before him and every letter he inks is a prayer, a testimony, a bridge.

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This man is not merely writing a letter, he is documenting a revelation.

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He pauses, his hands, calloused from years of labor, and ink, tremble slightly, not from fear but from awe.

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What he is recording is holy.

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The words carry the weight of centuries of prophecy, of covenant, of yearning.

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But now something new has arrived, not a replacement of the old, but the fulfillment of it.

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He dips his quill again and writes, not just for his generation but for all those who will come after, for Jews struggling to understand who Jesus truly is and for Gentiles just now coming to taste the sweetness of the promise.

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He is crafting an epistle not simply to instruct but to awaken hearts, to show them the sun outside.

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The city is alive with the rhythms of daily life.

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Merchants call out their wares in the marketplace.

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The smell of fresh bread mingles with the scent of oil lamps burning indoors.

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Scent of oil lamps burning indoors.

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The people are devout, familiar with the law, the sacrifices, the stories of Moses and the prophets.

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But even among the faithful, questions linger.

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Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?

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Can he truly be the Messiah?

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What of angels and Moses in the temple?

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The scribe feels this tension in his bones.

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He's lived it, this struggle between the law he was raised in and the Messiah he now believes in.

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But now he knows the law pointed forward to something greater, not to diminish it but to bring it to its intended glory.

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And in this chapter, the second section of the scroll, he sets out to clarify something profound the supremacy of the Son and yet the mystery of his suffering.

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He wants them to understand that Jesus is not merely above the angels in status.

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He is the radiance of God's glory and yet he was made lower than the angels for a little while.

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Why?

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So that he could taste death for everyone.

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This is no contradiction.

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This is divine humility.

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This is the way of redemption.

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The scribe lifts his eyes toward the hills in the distance, perhaps thinking of the place where Messiah was crucified.

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He remembers the whispers in Jerusalem, the veil torn in the temple, the silence that fell over the land.

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It was no ordinary death.

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And now he understands this suffering was not failure, it was purpose, it was love.

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The son became like us so that we might become like him.

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He writes of a family redefined not by blood but by spirit no-transcript of a high priest who does not remain distant but steps into our weakness, into our temptation, into our death, and breaks its power.

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And in every stroke of ink, every carefully chosen phrase, the scribe is inviting his readers and us to see Jesus not only as exalted king but as compassionate brother.

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This chapter is more than theology.

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It is a call to endurance, to faith, to worship, because if we neglect, so great a salvation, how shall we escape?

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Neglect, so great a salvation, how shall we escape?

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The parchment is almost full now.

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His hands ache, but his spirit burns.

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He's not just writing doctrine, he's telling a story that began before time and continues in the lives of those who believe.

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A story of glory wrapped in humility, of majesty, clothed in flesh, a Messiah who doesn't just rule from above but walks beside us in the dust and sweat of our humanity.

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So now imagine yourself in the room with the scribe.

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Feel the warmth of the oil lamp against the cool stone, hear the scratch of quill on parchment, smell the ink, the earth, the olive wood.

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You're there in the field as ancient truth takes shape in real time.

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As we prepare to hear Hebrews 2, I invite you to step into the quiet world of the scribe, hunched over his scroll by the dim light of an oil lamp.

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Feel the weight in his chest as he writes not just words but warnings and wonders meant to awaken a weary, wavering people.

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He carries the burden of reminding his brothers and sisters not to drift away, not to forget the salvation that has been proclaimed with such power and clarity.

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In every line, he feels the tension between heaven and earth, between angels and the sun, who became flesh, tasted death and now wears a crown of glory.

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Let these words draw us in, not just as observers but as participants in a divine rescue, for even in our weakness, even in our suffering, Christ is not ashamed to call us his own.

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He stands with us, he speaks for us, he has made a way.

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Now let's take a moment to quiet our hearts and listen to the word itself.

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Let these words sink deep into your spirit, bringing comfort, conviction and encouragement, whether you're sitting in a quiet place or out in the world.

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Allow Scripture to meet you right where you are.

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I hope you have your favorite cup of tea or coffee.

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Sit back, relax and let's step into the sacred text of the Epistle to the Hebrews 2.

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The Epistle to the Hebrews 2.

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So we must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard.

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Then we will not drift away from it.

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Even the message God spoke through angels had to be obeyed.

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Every time people broke the law, they were punished.

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Every time they didn't obey, they were punished.

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Then how will we escape if we don't pay attention to God's great salvation?

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The Lord first announced the salvation.

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Those who heard him gave us the message about it.

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God showed that this message is true by signs and wonders.

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He showed that it's true by different kinds of miracles.

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God also showed that this message is true by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

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God gave them out as it pleased him.

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God has not put angels in charge of the world that is going to come.

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We are talking about that world.

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There is a place where someone has spoken about this.

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He said what are human beings that you think about them?

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What is a son of man that you take care of him.

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You made them a little lower than the angels.

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You placed on them a crown of glory and honor.

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You have put everything under their control.

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So God has put everything under his son.

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Everything is under his control.

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We do not now see everything under his control, but we do see Jesus already given a crown of glory and honor.

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He was made lower than the angels for a little while.

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He suffered death.

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By the grace of God.

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He tasted death for everyone.

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That is why he was given his crown.

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God has made everything.

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Given his crown, God has made everything.

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He is now bringing his many sons and daughters to share in his glory.

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It is only right that Jesus is the one to lead them into their salvation.

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That's because God made him perfect by his sufferings.

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And Jesus, who makes people holy, and the people he makes holy belong to the same family.

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So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

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He says I will announce your name to my brothers and sisters.

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I will sing your praises among those who worship you.

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Again he says I will put my trust in him.

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And again he says here I am.

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Here are the children God has given me.

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Those children have bodies made out of flesh and blood.

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So Jesus became human, like them in order to die for them.

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By doing this, he could break the power of the devil.

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The devil is the one who rules over the kingdom of death.

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Jesus could set people free who were afraid of death All their lives.

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They were held as slaves by that fear.

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It is certainly Abraham's children that he helps.

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He doesn't help angels.

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So he had to be made like people, fully human in every way.

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Then he could serve God as a kind and faithful high priest, and then he could pay for the sins of the people by dying for them.

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He himself suffered when he was tempted.

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Now he is able to help others who are being tempted.

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As we come to the end of our time together, let's pause and reflect on the deep truth woven through Hebrews 2.

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These words aren't just theology, they are a lifeline.

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In this chapter we see the majesty of Christ wrapped in the humility of humanity.

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He didn't remain distant.

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He stepped into our suffering, our temptations, our mortality.

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This isn't just a story from long ago.

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It's a mirror held to our lives today.

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Hebrews 2 reminds us that we are not alone in our struggle, that Jesus calls us brothers and sisters, and that through his death he broke the power of fear itself.

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It's a call to trust more deeply, to walk closely and to live as those who have been rescued, not by effort but by grace.

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Let it remind you today your Savior knows your weakness and he chose to enter it so you could be free.

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The scroll has been rolled, the ink has dried and the scribe has set down his pen, but the words of Hebrews 2, are far from finished.

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They are alive, carried now on the wind that moves through the stone alleyways and olive groves, whispered in prayer gatherings, tucked beneath Roman watch and still echoing through hearts like yours and mine.

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The scribe, likely alone in the quiet after dusk, may have wondered if his words would reach beyond his time.

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He couldn't have known that centuries later you would be listening.

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But God knew.

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The spirit that stirred his heart to write now stirs ours to reflect.

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He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

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Let that sink in.

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The Son of God, seated in glory, chose to descend through pain, through suffering, through the cold grip of death itself.

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The people of the first century needed to hear that, Torn between the ancient strength of Judaism and the radical, disruptive grace of Christ.

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They walked a narrow path, sometimes celebrated, often cast out.

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Maybe you know what that feels like.

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Maybe you're standing at the intersection of tradition and transformation, wondering if there's room for both reverence and renewal In your story.

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The scribes answer there is, and Jesus is that bridge In the dust of that ancient world where sandals scraped against limestone and prayers floated upward from candlelit homes.

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People wrestled with fear, with identity, with purpose Not so different from today.

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They needed courage to trust a suffering Messiah.

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We, we need that courage too.

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So let's take this chapter with us into the fields of our lives, into our work, our worship, our waiting.

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Let it remind us that God is not far off, nor unfamiliar with our struggle.

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He took on our skin, he shared in our sorrows and because of that he is able to help those who are being tested, those like us.

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Are you weary today, pressed by the expectations of the past or the uncertainty of the future?

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Look to the one who shared in your humanity.

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Are you trying to walk faithfully between the deep roots of Jewish heritage and the living reality of Christ?

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You are not alone.

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The early church walked this road before you.

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The scribe, somewhere in the shadows of that world wrote these words.

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For such a moment as this, take time to reflect.

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How can you live in light of this truth?

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How can you carry it into your relationships, your prayers, your understanding of yourself and others?

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Perhaps it begins with listening, perhaps it continues with serving.

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Perhaps, like the scribe, your quiet obedience will write a story that echoes far beyond your own life.

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Thank you for joining me today as we journeyed through the Epistle to the Hebrews 2.

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I pray that you carry these reflections with you into your day, into your week, and that you find strength in knowing God is with you in every trial, every temptation and every step of obedience.

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If this time in God's Word has encouraged you, take a moment to share it with someone who might need it, and be sure to join me next time as we continue walking through the scriptures, learning, growing and staying faithful in the field of life.

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Until next time, may you find peace in the quiet trust in God's call and rest in His unchanging love.

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This is In the Field Audio Bible, where we Listen to the Bible One Chapter at a Time.