Livestream

1. Hebrews repeatedly declares that Jesus is better (Hebrews 1:4–14). What are some practical ways your daily choices reveal whether you truly believe Jesus is better than success, approval, comfort, or control?

2. Read Hebrews 1:8–9. What “lesser things” tend to compete for your worship or allegiance? How do those things promise joy but ultimately fail to deliver?

3. Dennis Johnson says, “God’s Word affirms the reality of a realm of unseen spiritual forces who influence our lives (read Gen. 19:1–15; 2 Kings 6:15–17; Job 1; Ps. 91:11; Matt. 18:10; Acts 10:3; 12:7–8; Heb. 13:2), but Scripture is sparse in details about their activities.”

4. Angels refuse worship and point all glory to God (Revelation 22:8–9). What subtle forms of misplaced worship’ can creep into a Christian’s life today, and how can you intentionally redirect worship to Jesus alone?

5. Jesus alone sits at the right hand of God with all authority (Hebrews 1:13; 1 Corinthians 15:25–27). How does trusting Jesus’ authority change the way you respond to fear, uncertainty, or suffering?

6. Read Hebrews 1:10–12 and Hebrews 13:8. How does Jesus’ immutability (His unchanging nature) give you hope when your circumstances, health, relationships, or culture feel unstable?

7. Hebrews 2:1 warns us to “pay attention…so that we will not drift away.” What are some early warning signs of spiritual drift in your own life, and what practices help keep you anchored to Christ?

8. Reflect on Hebrews 2:3. What does “neglecting” salvation look like in everyday life, even for someone who claims to believe? How can you actively treasure and steward this great salvation?

9. Consider the three roadblocks mentioned: intellectual, willing, and ignorant. Which one do you most commonly see in your own heart or in people around you? How does Scripture speak hope into that roadblock (John 3:16–17; Romans 10:13)?

10. R. Kent Hughes says, “Various influences and pressures lure people away from commitment to Christ. For the Hebrew followers of Jesus who first heard this sermon, factors such as rejection by family (Heb. 13:12–13), public shame (10:32–33), loss of property and freedom (10:34; 13:3), or the threat of martyrdom (12:3–4) may explain why some neglected meeting together (10:25). Such costs of discipleship still confront the global church today. When faced with such challenges, those who see the supreme glory of Christ find courage to follow the suffering footsteps of OT people of faith, ‘of whom the world was not worthy,’ anticipating a better resurrection and a better and abiding possession (11:35–38; 10:34).”

R. Kent Hughes cites stories of the protective work of angels: On a dark night about a hundred years ago, a Scottish missionary couple found themselves surrounded by cannibals intent on taking their lives. That terror-filled night they fell to their knees and prayed that God would protect them. Intermittent with their prayers, the missionaries heard the cries of the savages and expected them to come through the door at any moment.

But as the sun began to rise, to their astonishment they found that the natives were retreating into the forest. The couple’s hearts soared to God. It was a day of rejoicing! The missionaries bravely continued their work. A year later the chieftain of that tribe was converted. As the missionary spoke with him, he remembered the horror of that night. He asked the chieftain why he and his men had not killed them. The chief replied, “Who were all those men who were with you?” The missionary answered, “Why, there were no men with us. There were just my wife and myself.” The chieftain began to argue with him, saying, “There were hundreds of tall men in shining garments with drawn swords circling about your house, so we could not attack you.” This story, recorded in Billy Graham’s book Angels , is one of the great tales of missionary history. The missionary was the “legendary” John G. Paton of the New Hebrides.

What an astounding story! One of a kind, we might think. Actually, it is just one of several similar accounts. Perhaps over the years our Lord has dispatched the same detachment of angels to protect his missionaries again and again—a special “missionary protection platoon.” Possibly tall soldiers in shining clothing is the MO of angelic protectors.

Norwegian missionary Marie Monsen, who served in North China, experienced the intervention of angels on several occasions. In her autobiography A Present Help, published in 1960, she tells how looting soldiers had surrounded the mission compound but never entered—leaving the missionaries unharmed and happily perplexed. A few days later they learned why when a marauder explained that as they were about to enter the compound, they saw “tall soldiers with shining faces on a high roof of the compound.” Miss Monsen said: 

The heathen saw them, it was a testimony to them, but they were invisible to us. It came powerfully to me and showed me how little we reckon with “the Lord, the God of Hosts,” who sends forth his angels, mighty in strength “to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 RV).

In 1956 during the Mau Mau uprisings in East Africa, a band of roving Mau Maus came to the village of Lauri, surrounded it, and killed every inhabitant including women and children, three hundred in all. Not more than three miles away was the Rift Valley Academy, a private school where missionary children were being educated. Immediately upon leaving the carnage of Lauri the natives came with spears, bows and arrows, clubs, and torches to the school with violent intentions.

In the darkness lighted torches were seen coming toward the school. Soon there was a complete ring of terrorists around the academy, cutting off all avenues of escape. Shouts and curses could be heard coming from the Mau Maus. They began to advance on the school, tightening the circle, shouting louder and louder, coming closer. Then inexplicably, when they were close enough to throw spears, they stopped. They began retreating and soon were running into the jungle. The army was called out and fortunately captured the entire band of raiders. Later, at their trial, the leader was called to the witness stand. The judge questioned him: “On this particular night, did you kill the inhabitants of Lauri?” “Yes.” “Well, then, why did you not complete the mission? Why didn’t you attack the school?” The leader of the Mau Maus answered, “We were on our way to attack and destroy all the people and school . . . but as we came closer, all of a sudden, between us and the school there were many huge men, dressed in white with flaming swords and we became afraid and ran to hide!”

Jim Marstaller recounts the following story, told to him by his “Uncle Clyde,” Clyde Taylor, founder of the National Association of Evangelicals:

Dr. Clyde Taylor, who married my grandfather’s sister . . . and my Uncle Charlie Marstaller were missionaries in the early 1920’s to a head hunting tribe in South America. They were beside a river in the forest living in a thatched hut.

One day, late in the afternoon, they noticed a dugout being paddled down the river with only one man in it. Their immediate thought was that the warriors were coming to kill them that night. The dugout could hold over 40 men and they realized that the men were probably going to try to kill them that night.

Uncle Clyde and Charlie had a .22 rifle in their hut and took it and some ammo out into the tall grass off to the side of their dwelling. There they stayed all night, in their own private prayer meeting, expecting that if attacked they would fire the gun into the air to frighten the head-hunters.

Nothing happened that night and they had no trouble with the tribe for the rest of their term in South America.

They both returned home after their term was over, and it wasn’t until 9 years later that Clyde was able to visit the field. One day he encountered one of the men from the tribe who had since become a Christian; so he asked the native about what happened that night.

The former head-hunter said, “I remember that night, there were 44 of us and we were coming to set fire to your hut. When we got there and surrounded the hut we realized we could not attack because there were hundreds of men, dressed in white, with swords and shields, standing all around your hut and even on the roof. That is why I am a Christian now.”

Uncle Clyde realized then that God had protected them with His angels and used this account to be an encouragement to many others throughout the rest of his life.

In March 1980 I taped an interview with Mrs. Carol Carlson, a missionary from the church I serve as pastor, College Church in Wheaton (Illinois). Mrs. Carlson and her husband, Edwin, served in China and Tibet for over fifty years. Mrs. Carlson told of several deliverances, including this one:

It was early in 1922 that we arrived in West China at the station called Titao, and the gatekeeper there impressed us as a man rather different from the type of Chinese we had met thus far during our first days on the field. He was bold and forward and sometimes rather brassy, not the quiet, polite Chinese we had met thus far. But he seemed to be very greatly loved by all the people on the station and we understood this when they told us he had been a professional brigand; that is, a member of a robber band that worked the area not too far from Titao, and that the band had come one very dark night expecting to attack the mission station. They were on their way down a side street and as they drew near to the walls of the mission compound, the men were terrorized by the sight of men in white walking up and down on the wall. Of course they couldn’t go any farther. But his curiosity was aroused as to what kind of people the missionaries might be and what it was they were teaching there in the church. So, little by little, he began to come and listen, which, of course, resulted in his conversion—and he was indeed a faithful, very loyal, and very useful helper for many years there on the station.