Hebrews 2

Book of Hebrews 2:1-18

Mike Barnett, January 14, 2007

Hebrews 2:1-18 says:

1We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Jesus Made Like His Brothers

5It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6But there is a place where someone has testified:
   "What is man that you are mindful of him,
      the son of man that you care for him?
7You made him a little^[a] lower than the angels;
      you crowned him with glory and honor
    8 and put everything under his feet." ^[b]

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says,
   "I will declare your name to my brothers;
      in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."^[c] 13And again,
   "I will put my trust in him."^[d] And again he says,
   "Here am I, and the children God has given me."^[e]

14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. 17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for^[f]the sins of the people. 18Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Review of Chapter 1

· In Hebrews 1:1-4, the writer described the eternal son of God, who is God’s final and complete revelation of himself.

· In 1:5-14, he contrasted the son with the angels proclaiming how superior Jesus is to the angels.

· This is because the Jewish Christians wanted to put angel worship ahead of Christ.

· As we saw last week, the author portrayed the son as the creator (1:2).

· The sustainer of the Universe. (1:3)

· The heir of all things. (1:2)

· The one now exalted to God’s right hand (1:3)

· The angels on the other hand are created and temporal (1:7)

· And they worship the one exalted to God’s right hand (1:6)

· Thus in every way the son is superior to them.

Insights from Hebrews Chapter 2:

1) We need to continually hear and focus on God’s Word so we don’t easily drift away from God V. 1

· We drift away when we do not pay attention to what we have heard from God in the past. V. 1

· We drift away when we do not remember to apply past lessons learned from the Bible. V.1

· We easily drift away by listening to our culture more than we listen to God’s Word.

· Most of us have forgotten what the sermon was about before we go to our car in the parking lot – that’s why it is so important to have a daily quiet time.

· Having a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading, prayer and thanksgiving keeps a Christian focused on Jesus Christ and God’s direction for their life. V.1

2) If the angels meant business by their words, then Jesus did all the more by sharing the good news – His message of salvation is far superior than the law shared by the angels and the prophets. Vs. 2-3

· The inability of mankind to keep the Law of God which sends them to Hell and eternal damnation is the bad news primarily proclaimed in the Old Testament.

· And while bad news is sometimes important – good news by definition is even more important.

· “That God so loved the world, that He who believes in Jesus, the Son shall not perish but have ever lasting life” is the good news primarily proclaimed in the New Testament.

· In the Greek, “Gospel” means good news.

3) God confirmed the Gospel message through signs, miracles and spiritual gifts and He still does today – only our doubt and disbelief can hinder them. V. 4

· On numerous occasions when people sought out Jesus for a healing, he replied, “Let it be done according to your faith”.

The other implication is:

· There is only one way to God which is through Jesus the son, but there are many ways to Jesus. Vs.3- 4

· Some of you came to faith in Christ through signs and wonders.

· Others through Bible study.

· Some through friendships.

· Some of you may have had a vision from God.

· Others of you, did not see visions or miracles or signs, you just knew it was time to surrender your life to Christ.

· We all have our own unique experiences pertaining to how we came to faith in Christ because there are numerous ways to Christ and God chose the best way for you to understand the “good news” based on your personality, temperament, past experiences and so forth.

· In Vs. 5-18, The preacher reiterates that Jesus is superior to the angels.

· In providing purification, the Son again stands in contrast to the angels.

4) JESUS IS IN CHARGE OF THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT. V. 5

5) JESUS DELEGATED HIS AUTHORITY TO BELIEVERS UNTIL HE COMES AGAIN TO SET UP THE NEW KINGDOM. Vs. 6-8

Mark 16:15-18 says:

15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

NOTE: In Hebrews 2:6: Man and “son of man” are synonymous terms which refer to humanity in general.

6) Even though God created man a little lower than the angels, it was man that God trusted the rule the world – It was his plan from the beginning as stated in the book of Genesis. Vs. 5-8

· These verses are quoted from Psalm 8

· It was Jesus who redeemed the plan of mankind ruling the world – the deal is still on.

· When Jesus comes again to set up the New Earth we will finally see the fullness of God’s plan in operation.

Psalm 8 says:

1 O LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
       you have ordained praise ^[b]
       because of your enemies,
       to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings ^[c]
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

· In this Psalm, we see that the author, King David marveled at the high dignity God had bestowed on puny man by entrusting him with dominion over the other creatures.

· Psalm 8 is a hymn addressed by a human being to God.

· When we first read the psalm quoted in 2:6-8, it does not appear that the Son is the one who rules the world to come.

· The preacher has already said that it is redeemed human beings who will inherit salvation (1:14)

· The writer of Hebrews is aware that Psalm 8 was written to give thanks for the position God has given humanity in his creation.

· God has shown his care by giving human beings an exalted position just a little lower than the angels.

· However, in the light of Christ’s coming, the Hebrews’ preacher sees a new depth in this psalm, both in the way it relates to humanity in general and its relationship to Jesus the perfect human being.

· The author interprets the three lines quoted from Psalm 8:5-6 in Hebrews 2:7-8

THREE TRUTHS REGARDING CHRIST DISCIPLES AS STATED IN HEBREWS 2:7-8

1. GOD MADE HIM A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS).

2. GOD CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR.

3. GOD PUT EVERYTHING UNDER HIS FEET.

· In verses 5-8, the Hebrew author is no longer talking about Christ – he is now talking about his disciples – they have been elevated to the status of God’s son!

7) WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN, WE WILL SEE THAT EVERYTHING IS SUBJECT TO HIM – “EVERY KNEE WILL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS THAT JESUS IS LORD!” V. 8

· We do not yet see everything subject to him, for this subjection will only occur at Jesus’ second coming.

· It is the heavenly homeland – the new Heaven and the New Earth into which Jesus the pioneer leads God’s pilgrims.

8) JESUS DIED PHYSICALLY SO HIS FOLLOWERS COULD LIVE SPIRITUALLY. V. 9

· Jesus suffered in order that He might be made perfect as our Savior.

· By his death He was made perfectly able to save them.

· A pioneer is often a person who enters and enables others to enter a new country.

· Like other pioneers, Jesus opened the way to this Promised Land only through hardship and suffering.

· We will experience the salvation He provides in its fullness when we complete our entry into that heavenly homeland at Christ’s return.

· We begin to enjoy that salvation now as we enter into intimate fellowship with the Father.

· The Son of God, of course, is and always will be perfect.

However, by becoming a human being and dying He became perfect as our pioneer and Savior.

9) BECAUSE THE SON OF GOD AND THE PEOPLE OF GOD ARE BOTH RELATED TO GOD, THEY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER! Vs. 10-12

Hebrews 2:10-13 says:

· Both one who makes men holy (Jesus) and those who are made holy (redeemed sinners) are of the same family – so Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters in Christ. Vs. 10-12

· The Son of God is not ashamed to call them brothers.

· Jesus acknowledges God’s people as his brothers in the words of Psalm 22:22, quoted in Hebrews 2:12 “I WILL DECLARE YOUR NAME TO MY BROTHERS; IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISES”.

· The psalmist declares God’s name to them and praises God by telling them all that God has done for them.

· The pioneer who has now entered God’s presence declares to God’s people all that God has done through Him for their salvation.

· By so doing, Christ confirms that they are his brothers.

· Christ the pioneer, who suffered rejection in order to become the Savior, expresses confidence in his vindication by God, a vindication that occurred when he sat down at the Father’s right hand.

· This salvation spoken of in chapter 1 is the same thing as the “glory” into which, according to 2:10, God is bringing his people.

· The author of Hebrews will describe it as the “rest” that the Old Testament wilderness rebels lost (3:7-19) and the heavenly homeland that has always been the goal of God’s people (11:13-16).

· EVERY BELIEVER HAS BEEN ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY IN WHICH JESUS IS THEIR BIG BROTHER AND GOD IS THEIR FATHER. Vs. 10-13

· His faithful trust in and obedience to the Father were crucial to accomplishing the salvation of his brothers.

· His trust and obedience are the basis of their assurance that he has opened the way for them into God’s presence.

· Because people were plagued by the fear of death and sin, Jesus had to become fully human so that He could, through his own death, deliver them from the fear of death.

10) Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave destroyed the Devil’s destructive work of intentionally trying to separate people from God. V. 14

11) Christ followers are free from the fear of death when they realize they will never die in Christ – but only exchange their old physical body for a new one! Vs. 15-16

· Those who trust Jesus for salvation will live forever!

· And freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. V. 15

· Jesus shared our humanity and for this reason had to be made like his brothers in every way. Vs.17

· And that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

QUESTION: What does the Son’s acceptance of God’s people as His brothers and children entail?

· Since the children have flesh and blood, it required that he too must share in their humanity.

· Flesh and blood is a phrase that emphasizes the finiteness and weakness of humanity.

· It conveys the exact opposite of the description of God in 2:10 “for whom and through whom everything exists.”

· Most important of all. Those who share in flesh and blood are mortal and destined to die!

· It is this transient, mortal humanity in which the son shared discussed in 2:14

· Humanity was not a part of Jesus’ nature, but at a specific time and place, He entered into it and made it His own.

· The son shared in our dying humanity so that we might “share in the undying heavenly calling”.

· He took on our mortal humanity with the intention of dying because it was only by his death that he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is the Devil.

· Pioneer connotes the idea of a champion in the Greek.

· Our pioneer is our champion who overcomes the one who has power over death over us, but only at a great cost, the cost of his own death. Jesus is our pioneer.

· If we would know how our pioneer delivered us from the fear of death, it is important to know how the Devil enslaved us by the fear of death.

· THE ENSLAVED THROUGH SIN. Hebrews 2:16-17

· By following the Devil’s enticement to sin, human beings receive God’s condemnation and punishment at the judgment which they must face after death.

· Through the work of Christ, the Christian will receive not condemnation, but the fullness of salvation at judgment.

· Christ replaces humanity’s common fear of punishment and separation from God after death with the assurance of joy in God’s presence.

· Before Christ came, any of God’s people who wanted to be cleansed from sin would naturally go to a priest and offer a sacrifice.

· A priest’s business was to deal with the sin which prevented one from approaching God.

12) Jesus understands our suffering because he suffered like we did and did not doubt, sin, or complain. V.18

13) Jesus paid the price to become our high priest. Vs. 17-18

· Christ came as our pioneer to enable us to enter the heavenly promised land.

· The Son takes charge of God’s people in order to bring them into the fullness of salvation that he provided. Their term is particularly appropriate for the Son as the Pioneer who takes hold of God’s people by the hand and leads them into the heavenly promised land.

· Jesus’ complete identification with humanity was so he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God.

· Those who first heard Hebrews would now understand more clearly why the Son had to become completely human.

· To them it was axiomatic that a priest must be part of the group he represents.

· Merciful implies that the Son will be a high priest who can help his people.

· Faithful indicates that he will be fully obedient.

· His purpose in becoming completely human was to become a merciful and faithful high priest.

· His purpose in becoming a merciful and faithful high priest was to make atonement for sins of the people.

· Atonement means to right a wrong.

· All people are under God’s judgment for their sins.

· God is angry about our sin.

· Disobedience brings the wrath of God.

· Christ’ sacrifice is pleasing to God ultimately because He has perfectly done the will of God.

· The main thrust of Hebrews is the holiness of heart and life that Christ’ high priesthood provides and is expected to all the people of God.

· The pioneer does not deliver His people from the Devil’s power by fighting a battle with him or by paying him a ransom.

· The pioneer delivers them by satisfying the just displeasure of God against sin and effectively cleansing the heart of sin.

· When sin is removed, the enslaving power of the devil disappears because the believer’s fear of judgment after death has vanished.

· The author of Hebrews encourages his readers to be faithful despite the pressure they face to turn away from Christ.

· Christ can help them to turn away from sin because he was tempted just like us but without sin.

· BECAUSE JESUS WAS TEMPTED BUT DID NOT SIN – HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN EMPOWER US TO DO LIKEWISE!

· The Israelites at Mt. Sinai lacked food, water and provisions. Their faith was put to the test.

· But instead of trusting God – they trusted their own wisdom and turned back.

· They failed to trust God. They turned away from Him and thus lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land.

· Any time we face pressure to compromise our stand for Christ, we are facing the kind of testing or temptation that the preacher is addressing.

14) Because Christ was victorious in the face of all such pressure and temptation, He can help us to be victorious also. V. 18

15) JESUS BECAME LIKE US IN THE FORM OF A MAN, SO WE COULD BECOME LIKE HIM IN BEING A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS. Hebrews 2:1-18

THE BEST WAY TO APPLY HEBREWS CHAPTER 2 TO YOUR LIFE IS TO ACCEPT YOUR POSITION INTO GOD’S FAMILY OF BEING JESUS’ BROTHER/SISTER – IN GOD’S EYES YOU ARE ON EQUAL FOOTING WITH CHRIST THROUGH THE ATONING BLOOD OF THE COVENANT PURCHASED FOR YOU. JUST EMBRACE IT BY FAITH AND TRUST THE COVENANT!

Hebrews 2:1-18 says: