Sermon

Hebrews 2:5-9

Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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  1. And turn to Hebrews 2, 5-9.

  2. As you turn to the passage, I would like to give a quick introduction to Hebrews 2,

  3. !

  4. It says,

  5. But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with suffering,

  6. sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction,

  7. sometimes being partners with those so treated.

  8. For you had compassion on those in prison,

  9. and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property,

  10. since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession than an abiding one.

  11. God, in the book of Hebrews,

  12. He is using the author to exhort and encourage a small church on how majestic the Lord is.

  13. And He wants the church to know that Jesus Christ is grander.

  14. He is more supreme.

  15. He is more marvelous than all other things.

  16. In this book, we're reminded of Colossians 1.

  17. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

  18. Therefore, those who pay attention to King Jesus,

  19. and those who take refuge in Him will receive the blessings of the Son,

  20. and those who do not will drift away, as we see last week.

  21. So, this is important as we approach Hebrews 2, 5-9.

  22. Let's keep this in mind.

  23. Pray with me as we seek God's Spirit to help us understand the text.

  24. Lord, we thank You that You are the God who speaks and has spoken.

  25. We thank You that You have revealed Your Son.

  26. And Lord, today I ask that You teach us more and more about Jesus Christ and how marvelous He is.

  27. And Lord, how we can find a refuge in Him.

  28. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

  29. Perfect.

  30. So, in the Chronicles of Narnia,

  31. the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,

  32. we see the scene where Peter and his army is fighting the witch and her army.

  33. And it's at a point where you see Peter and his army is overwhelmed.

  34. They're in a place where they're exhausted.

  35. You know the end is coming.

  36. They're about to be crushed and destroyed.

  37. But then, out of nowhere, you see, it's built up,

  38. but you see Aslan come.

  39. And as Aslan comes, hope is restored in the people.

  40. And as hope is restored,

  41. eventually Peter and his army overcomes the witch and her army through Aslan.

  42. And I bring up this introduction to relate to the Hebrew Christians.

  43. They are enduring great suffering.

  44. They, at this point, are not to the point of death,

  45. but have been afflicted in every way,

  46. but not crushed.

  47. They are not perplexed,

  48. but not driven to despair.

  49. They are persecuted, but not forsaken.

  50. And in this point, they're struck down, but not destroyed.

  51. It is here, these believers are struggling

  52. to endure and persevere in their relationship with God.

  53. And that's the setting that the author of Hebrews gives them,

  54. this beautiful truth.

  55. The author of Hebrews encourages these storm-beaten Christians

  56. that God has given an original purpose to man.

  57. Although man suffered loss of that purpose through the tragedy of sin,

  58. God has brought about an everlasting hope in the better Adam.

  59. So today, I hope that you would glean from the text that Jesus Christ

  60. is the better Adam,

  61. the second Adam,

  62. who has tasted death for man

  63. and has raised man up to glory with him.

  64. That we're saved through him and are secured in him,

  65. ultimately, is what I believe the text today

  66. is telling us about who Jesus Christ is

  67. and what he's done for us.

  68. So, let's read Hebrews 2, 5-9.

  69. Now, it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,

  70. of which we are speaking.

  71. It has been testified somewhere,

  72. what is man that you were mindful of him,

  73. or the son of man that you cared for him?

  74. You have made him a little lower than the angels.

  75. You have crowned him with glory and honor,

  76. putting everything in subjection under his feet.

  77. Now, in putting everything in subjection to him,

  78. he left nothing outside of his control.

  79. But at the present time,

  80. we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

  81. But we see him,

  82. who for a little while was made lower than angels,

  83. namely, Jesus,

  84. crowned with glory and honor

  85. because of the suffering of death,

  86. so that, by the grace of God,

  87. he might taste death for everyone.

  88. In today's passage,

  89. we are going to go through four points.

  90. Point number one is that man is the crown of creation.

  91. Point number two is that man has lost his crown.

  92. Point number three is,

  93. Jesus Christ is the second Adam

  94. who has restored man through his death.

  95. And point number four is,

  96. Jesus Christ is the reigning king

  97. and secures a great salvation for man.

  98. Number one,

  99. man is the crown of creation.

  100. Verse five says,

  101. now it was not to angels

  102. that God subjected the world to come,

  103. of which we are speaking.

  104. It is important to note this word,

  105. subjection,

  106. or subjected.

  107. It's used three times in this one passage,

  108. five through nine.

  109. So obviously,

  110. it has an important role to play.

  111. This word,

  112. subjected,

  113. it communicates some sense of hierarchy.

  114. In ancient Greek,

  115. it was used a military term to rank under.

  116. So,

  117. this idea that's being portrayed

  118. is that God is not subjecting the world to come,

  119. the heavenly dwelling to angels.

  120. They're not going to rule in this world to come,

  121. but that man's going to rule.

  122. And that's what we see here

  123. in the first few verses of the text.

  124. Also,

  125. we see fulfilled in Christ.

  126. There is this royal language

  127. that depicts that man

  128. will inherit salvation

  129. in a great inheritance.

  130. So,

  131. we also see in the text

  132. that the next phrase

  133. is that

  134. the world to come.

  135. This phrase literally means

  136. an earthly inhabitation,

  137. and to come is looking forward.

  138. So,

  139. he's saying there's this

  140. earthly habitation to come

  141. of which he is speaking.

  142. This term is really

  143. looking forward to

  144. a heavenly dwelling,

  145. a beautiful

  146. and glorious

  147. security

  148. that is expected

  149. that they have

  150. coming before them

  151. as they

  152. persevere,

  153. make it through

  154. this time of hardship.

  155. Lastly,

  156. the last phrase

  157. in this first verse

  158. we have is

  159. of which we're speaking.

  160. And this is

  161. kind of like,

  162. you're a little shocked

  163. at this moment

  164. because it reveals

  165. something to the reader

  166. at this point in time.

  167. It reveals that

  168. what the writer

  169. so far has been talking about

  170. is stuff to come,

  171. that is looking forward.

  172. So,

  173. I believe

  174. in this passage

  175. as we trek through

  176. Hebrews

  177. and we understand

  178. who Jesus Christ is,

  179. that he's talking about

  180. who Christ

  181. presently is,

  182. but also

  183. looking forward

  184. to what's coming,

  185. what our salvation

  186. looks like.

  187. It's a great salvation

  188. to come.

  189. So,

  190. I think in the context

  191. of the book of Hebrews

  192. what we've discovered

  193. so far

  194. and we've learned

  195. so far

  196. is that it's all

  197. talking about

  198. what we have

  199. to look forward to.

  200. And at this point

  201. in time,

  202. now we're here

  203. and the Hebrew

  204. Christians are suffering

  205. and again,

  206. he wants not to

  207. anchor their hope

  208. in this world,

  209. but he wants to

  210. anchor it in the world

  211. to come.

  212. So,

  213. as we trek

  214. through Hebrews

  215. and learn about

  216. these wonderful things

  217. that the author

  218. is telling us about,

  219. we need to let the author

  220. direct us

  221. and carry us along

  222. to see what we have

  223. to come.

  224. The writer picks back up

  225. on this glorious world

  226. to come throughout the book.

  227. So,

  228. note some important things

  229. he says in this book.

  230. He speaks of

  231. an everlasting

  232. Sabbath rest,

  233. an eternal redemption,

  234. a sure and steadfast

  235. anchor of our soul,

  236. a permanent priesthood,

  237. a better

  238. and abiding possession,

  239. a city that has

  240. foundations,

  241. a better

  242. and heavenly country,

  243. a city of the living God,

  244. the heavenly Jerusalem,

  245. and a kingdom

  246. that cannot be shaken.

  247. So,

  248. what we see

  249. is that

  250. throughout this book,

  251. the author wants

  252. the audience

  253. and these Hebrew Christians

  254. to understand

  255. that there is hope

  256. to come

  257. amidst their affliction

  258. and their suffering

  259. and the losing

  260. of their home

  261. and the persecution

  262. they experience,

  263. that there is

  264. an everlasting hope

  265. in Christ

  266. that is so much better

  267. than the present things

  268. they are experiencing

  269. in this world.

  270. So,

  271. I encourage you guys

  272. as we spend time

  273. in the text today

  274. and as we move forward

  275. that we should let,

  276. we should linger

  277. before the text

  278. and believe in this

  279. coming reality.

  280. And the more we linger

  281. and the more we believe,

  282. the greater our hope

  283. and joy will be

  284. because ultimately

  285. we are those who

  286. walk not by sight

  287. but by faith

  288. towards the everlasting kingdom,

  289. the kingdom

  290. that cannot be shaken.

  291. So,

  292. ultimately the first verse

  293. is telling us

  294. a really important reality

  295. that we see

  296. the world to come

  297. does not belong to angels

  298. but it belongs to man.

  299. And what we'll see

  300. in this few verses

  301. is that man was originally

  302. the crown of creation

  303. and man will be restored

  304. and inherit

  305. and heavily habitation to come.

  306. Verse 6 through 8

  307. in the text

  308. is actually a quotation

  309. from Psalm 8.

  310. Instead of spending time

  311. right here,

  312. I'm actually one

  313. to take us to Psalm 8

  314. so we can understand

  315. what the author

  316. meant in Psalm 8

  317. and how we can understand

  318. it in Hebrews.

  319. So if you will,

  320. take a copy of God's Word

  321. and turn to Psalm 8 with me.

  322. We'll read verse 1 through 6.

  323. O Lord,

  324. our Lord,

  325. how majestic

  326. is your name

  327. in all the earth.

  328. You have set your glory

  329. above the heavens.

  330. Out of the mouth

  331. of babies and infants

  332. you have established strength

  333. because of your foes

  334. to still the enemy

  335. and the adventure.

  336. When I look at your heavens,

  337. the works of your fingers,

  338. the moon and the stars

  339. which you have set in place,

  340. what is man

  341. that you are mindful of him

  342. or the son of man

  343. that you care for him?

  344. Yet you have made him

  345. a little lower

  346. than the heavenly beings

  347. and crowned him

  348. with glory and honor

  349. and given him dominion

  350. over the works of your hands.

  351. You have put all things

  352. under his feet.

  353. And considering Psalm 8,

  354. what we see

  355. is the sheer greatness

  356. and majesty of God.

  357. This Psalm is celebrating

  358. in who God is.

  359. The author at the beginning

  360. is just saying,

  361. O majestic is your name.

  362. Just celebrating

  363. in who God's character is.

  364. And then he has a moment

  365. where he talks about

  366. the puny small human.

  367. What is man

  368. that you're mindful of him?

  369. In the Bible,

  370. oftentimes man

  371. is mentioned

  372. as a drop in the bucket.

  373. The Bible says

  374. the nations

  375. are a drop in the bucket.

  376. And in reality,

  377. if we look at

  378. the vast greatness

  379. of the universe,

  380. this question

  381. makes so much sense.

  382. What is man?

  383. When we look at

  384. how big the universe is

  385. and how great God is,

  386. this reality is like

  387. we really are small

  388. in a physical sense.

  389. But the author

  390. goes on to tell

  391. how important man

  392. is to God

  393. and how precious

  394. man is to God.

  395. One thing,

  396. before we move on to that,

  397. I want to really consider

  398. how vast God is

  399. and how vast

  400. his creation is.

  401. The Bible says

  402. that God created

  403. the heavens and the earth

  404. to praise God,

  405. to give him glory.

  406. So in that,

  407. have y'all ever

  408. hiked a mountain?

  409. Or if you're going

  410. over a Blenton Mountain

  411. driving,

  412. and you stop

  413. and you look over

  414. the expanse

  415. of the mountain

  416. and you see

  417. how great it is.

  418. And I don't know

  419. if it's just me,

  420. but when I sit there

  421. and see how big

  422. creation is,

  423. I think just how small I am.

  424. There's a humble feeling,

  425. a humiliation

  426. that comes upon me

  427. because I'm just amazed

  428. by just who God is

  429. and how wonderful

  430. his creation is.

  431. Some really great facts

  432. about the universe

  433. that just really continues

  434. to discuss how vast

  435. God is by how

  436. he created the world.

  437. Fact number one,

  438. talk about how big

  439. the universe is.

  440. The earth is tiny

  441. in comparison

  442. with the rest of the universe.

  443. It could fit into the sun

  444. 1.3 million times.

  445. When we think of

  446. the vastness of the universe,

  447. there are more stars

  448. in the universe

  449. than grains of salt

  450. on all the beaches.

  451. That's at least

  452. a billion trillion.

  453. And according to

  454. recent discoveries

  455. from the Hubble telescope,

  456. there are hundreds

  457. of billions

  458. of galaxies

  459. across the universe.

  460. So again,

  461. the universe is massive

  462. and the question

  463. we have to ask ourselves

  464. is why?

  465. Why did God create

  466. a universe this big?

  467. And what we see

  468. in Psalm 91

  469. is that the heavens

  470. and the earth

  471. proclaim the glory

  472. of God.

  473. When we consider

  474. God's hand

  475. and his handiwork,

  476. we should be in awe

  477. by how great he is.

  478. But then,

  479. it should amaze us

  480. that how much

  481. he cares for man

  482. and how he created us.

  483. So if you will,

  484. take your copy of God's word

  485. and turn to

  486. Genesis 1.

  487. And I want to go back

  488. to God's original intent

  489. in creation

  490. and show you

  491. just how much

  492. God cares for man

  493. and then the commission

  494. he's given man.

  495. starting in verse 26.

  496. And God said,

  497. let us make man

  498. in our image

  499. after our likeness

  500. and let them have dominion

  501. over the fish of the sea

  502. and over the birds

  503. of the heavens

  504. and over the livestock

  505. and over all the earth

  506. and over every creeping thing

  507. that creeps on the earth.

  508. So God created man

  509. in his own image

  510. and the image of God

  511. he created him.

  512. Male and female

  513. he created them.

  514. And God blessed them

  515. and God said to them,

  516. be fruitful and multiply

  517. and fill the earth

  518. and subdue it

  519. and have dominion

  520. over the fish of the sea

  521. and over the birds

  522. of the heavens

  523. and over every living thing

  524. that moves.

  525. So when we get

  526. to Genesis 1,

  527. we see a beautiful structure

  528. that just adds

  529. to this account

  530. in verse 26 through 28.

  531. When we come to Genesis 1,

  532. starting with day 1,

  533. God says,

  534. God says,

  535. God speaks,

  536. and then God says

  537. it is good.

  538. So in verse 1

  539. or verse 3,

  540. we say,

  541. and God said,

  542. in verse,

  543. and then in verse

  544. 6,

  545. I think, yeah.

  546. Anyways,

  547. God said,

  548. and then God said

  549. it was good.

  550. And we see this day 1,

  551. and God speaks,

  552. and then he said

  553. it was good.

  554. Day 2,

  555. day 3,

  556. 4,

  557. 5,

  558. and then he gets

  559. to day 6.

  560. He creates animals,

  561. and God says

  562. it was good.

  563. But then,

  564. God decides

  565. to fashion man

  566. in his own image,

  567. and then he gave them

  568. dominion.

  569. There are so many

  570. great things

  571. in this passage

  572. that I'm tempted

  573. to linger over

  574. and want to spend

  575. time discussing.

  576. That man is

  577. the prophet,

  578. priest,

  579. and king of creation,

  580. and other things

  581. along those lines.

  582. But our text

  583. doesn't give way

  584. for that time.

  585. But one thing

  586. we do need to see

  587. is that God

  588. created man

  589. in his image

  590. to represent him

  591. well in this creation.

  592. And that God

  593. gave man

  594. dominion over

  595. this creation.

  596. And after God

  597. created man,

  598. after God

  599. gave man

  600. his purpose,

  601. God then said

  602. creation was

  603. very good.

  604. It wasn't until

  605. creation wasn't

  606. complete or very good

  607. until once

  608. man crowned

  609. creation.

  610. Until man

  611. completed creation.

  612. This word

  613. very good,

  614. the word very

  615. is a word of

  616. emphasis,

  617. an adjective

  618. that means

  619. exceedingly

  620. or great.

  621. It's trying to

  622. emphasize just

  623. how great,

  624. how pleasing

  625. this creation was

  626. that God

  627. has made.

  628. And I think

  629. the purpose

  630. that this is

  631. communicating with

  632. the God spoke

  633. and it was good

  634. to where it was

  635. very good

  636. is that

  637. creation was

  638. made

  639. ultimately

  640. to praise God

  641. and man

  642. crowned creation

  643. to praise God

  644. and serve

  645. as his

  646. creature

  647. king and

  648. queens.

  649. That they're

  650. supposed to

  651. function

  652. and operate

  653. under God's

  654. lordship

  655. and honor God.

  656. And I think

  657. that's what

  658. Psalm 8 is

  659. getting at.

  660. That he

  661. created them

  662. lower than

  663. angels

  664. and gave

  665. them glory

  666. and honor

  667. and crowned

  668. them.

  669. This idea

  670. that man

  671. and woman

  672. will reign

  673. in creation

  674. and spread

  675. God's presence

  676. and glory

  677. in creation.

  678. But in

  679. that we see

  680. that God

  681. deeply cares

  682. for human

  683. beings.

  684. Out of all

  685. creation he

  686. chose us.

  687. Small,

  688. weak humans

  689. and made

  690. us in

  691. his image

  692. to represent

  693. him throughout

  694. all creation.

  695. He chose

  696. to set

  697. his love

  698. upon us.

  699. In

  700. Exodus 19

  701. God calls

  702. his people

  703. his personal

  704. treasure.

  705. That out of

  706. all the things

  707. he's made

  708. his personal

  709. treasure

  710. is his

  711. people.

  712. It's kind

  713. of like a

  714. very carefully

  715. crafted ring

  716. that shines

  717. beautifully

  718. but the gem

  719. that shines

  720. the most

  721. is his

  722. people.

  723. So I want

  724. you to consider

  725. the sheer weight

  726. that this means

  727. to the current

  728. Hebrew Christians

  729. who are

  730. suffering.

  731. And even

  732. consider

  733. what it

  734. means to

  735. us that

  736. we have

  737. a God

  738. who deeply

  739. values his

  740. children and

  741. has set

  742. his love

  743. upon us

  744. from creation

  745. to new

  746. creation.

  747. Isaiah 40

  748. 25-26

  749. says,

  750. To whom

  751. then will

  752. you compare

  753. me?

  754. That should

  755. be like

  756. him,

  757. says the

  758. Holy One.

  759. Lift up

  760. your eyes

  761. on high

  762. and see

  763. who created

  764. these,

  765. who brings

  766. out their

  767. host by

  768. number,

  769. calling them

  770. by name,

  771. by greatness

  772. of his

  773. might,

  774. and because

  775. he is

  776. strong in

  777. power,

  778. not one

  779. is missing.

  780. In our

  781. lives,

  782. when things

  783. get heavy,

  784. when we

  785. feel the

  786. weight of

  787. suffering,

  788. when we

  789. feel the

  790. deep effects

  791. of sin,

  792. when we

  793. feel a deep

  794. sadness or

  795. an anxious

  796. stirring in

  797. our hearts

  798. during those

  799. times that

  800. it is hard,

  801. let us

  802. remember that

  803. we have not

  804. been forsaken.

  805. We are not

  806. people who

  807. are forsaken,

  808. but we

  809. remember deeply

  810. because not

  811. one is

  812. missing.

  813. God cares

  814. so deeply

  815. about us

  816. that he

  817. created us

  818. in a

  819. personal way

  820. and ultimately

  821. sent a

  822. savior to

  823. die for

  824. us.

  825. So I

  826. think it's

  827. very deep

  828. as we

  829. get right

  830. here to

  831. remember

  832. that

  833. wonderful

  834. truth that

  835. God has

  836. not forgotten

  837. us,

  838. that the

  839. one who

  840. upholds

  841. creation

  842. still deeply

  843. cares and

  844. remembers us

  845. day to

  846. day.

  847. This brings

  848. to our

  849. second point.

  850. man has

  851. lost the

  852. crown of

  853. new creation.

  854. So God

  855. created man

  856. in his

  857. image,

  858. set him

  859. in this

  860. wonderful

  861. garden to

  862. rule and

  863. have dominion

  864. over the

  865. earth,

  866. but something

  867. tragic happened,

  868. something that

  869. changed

  870. everything.

  871. But before we

  872. get there,

  873. I want to

  874. remind you of

  875. Hebrews.

  876. It says,

  877. now in

  878. putting

  879. everything in

  880. subjection to

  881. him,

  882. he left

  883. nothing outside

  884. his control.

  885. This is

  886. verse 8.

  887. At the

  888. present,

  889. we do not

  890. see everything

  891. in subjection

  892. to him.

  893. So what we

  894. see is after

  895. Psalm 8 is

  896. quoted,

  897. after God

  898. is emphasizing

  899. his purpose

  900. in creation,

  901. he then says

  902. nothing was

  903. left outside

  904. of man's

  905. control.

  906. But then he

  907. goes,

  908. he shifts.

  909. This moment

  910. when he says

  911. nothing was

  912. left outside

  913. of man's

  914. control,

  915. there's a

  916. moment of,

  917. but this

  918. doesn't seem

  919. right,

  920. it doesn't

  921. seem like

  922. everything's

  923. under control.

  924. But then the

  925. next sentence

  926. in Hebrews

  927. says,

  928. at present,

  929. we do not

  930. see everything

  931. in subjection

  932. to him.

  933. So just

  934. the,

  935. he almost

  936. answers it,

  937. because like

  938. when you're

  939. reading the

  940. text,

  941. you're like,

  942. this doesn't

  943. seem like

  944. everything's

  945. under the

  946. control of

  947. man right

  948. now.

  949. And then he

  950. says the

  951. present,

  952. it isn't,

  953. pretty much.

  954. Because we

  955. had something

  956. tragic happen,

  957. that in the

  958. garden,

  959. in Genesis

  960. 3,

  961. we see that

  962. the serpent

  963. came into

  964. God's creation,

  965. and man and

  966. woman were

  967. ruling over

  968. creation,

  969. and God

  970. gave him

  971. good commands

  972. to follow.

  973. And they

  974. were supposed

  975. to honor him

  976. well,

  977. and love him,

  978. and serve him,

  979. and be his

  980. personal treasure.

  981. But through

  982. the attacks

  983. of Satan,

  984. who deceived

  985. man and

  986. woman,

  987. they chose

  988. not to

  989. honor God.

  990. What did

  991. they do?

  992. They chose

  993. to sin

  994. and rebel

  995. against their

  996. king,

  997. against the

  998. God who

  999. created them.

  1000. And at

  1001. this moment,

  1002. what we see

  1003. is that

  1004. humanity

  1005. is forever

  1006. changed.

  1007. When Adam

  1008. and Eve

  1009. rebelled

  1010. against the

  1011. almighty

  1012. God,

  1013. they ultimately

  1014. lost their

  1015. crown for

  1016. now,

  1017. and sin

  1018. was corrupted.

  1019. Isn't it

  1020. interesting,

  1021. the effects

  1022. and experiences

  1023. we experience

  1024. under sin?

  1025. We experience

  1026. what it's like

  1027. to hate God

  1028. and love

  1029. ourselves.

  1030. We understand

  1031. the idol

  1032. of self

  1033. better than

  1034. anyone else.

  1035. Since Adam

  1036. and Eve

  1037. rebelled

  1038. against God,

  1039. creation

  1040. has totally

  1041. been corrupted.

  1042. All of creation

  1043. was totally

  1044. corrupted.

  1045. The creation

  1046. began to

  1047. experience

  1048. corruption

  1049. of sin.

  1050. Romans 8

  1051. says creation

  1052. is subjected

  1053. to corruption

  1054. and fertility,

  1055. and that is

  1056. longing for the

  1057. sons of God

  1058. to be raised

  1059. up and be

  1060. restored to

  1061. its original

  1062. state.

  1063. We see

  1064. that the

  1065. physical human

  1066. bodies

  1067. experience

  1068. pain,

  1069. and we

  1070. suffer

  1071. through our

  1072. physical

  1073. experiences,

  1074. and we

  1075. will ultimately

  1076. die.

  1077. We also

  1078. see that

  1079. spiritually,

  1080. man is

  1081. in bondage

  1082. to sin.

  1083. We are

  1084. under

  1085. lifelong

  1086. slavery

  1087. in our

  1088. natural

  1089. state,

  1090. and we

  1091. desire our

  1092. fleshly

  1093. desires.

  1094. Naturally,

  1095. man hates

  1096. God.

  1097. It cannot

  1098. do anything

  1099. in his

  1100. natural

  1101. state.

  1102. this is

  1103. a problem,

  1104. a major

  1105. problem.

  1106. The Bible

  1107. says all

  1108. have sinned

  1109. and fought

  1110. short of

  1111. the glory

  1112. of God,

  1113. and this

  1114. sin deserves

  1115. a punishment.

  1116. It deserves

  1117. death.

  1118. Romans 6

  1119. 23 says

  1120. the wages

  1121. of sin

  1122. is death.

  1123. So what

  1124. we see here

  1125. in our

  1126. natural

  1127. state,

  1128. we would

  1129. all stand

  1130. before an

  1131. everlasting

  1132. God,

  1133. and we

  1134. would be

  1135. silent and

  1136. judged for

  1137. us and

  1138. for all

  1139. these things

  1140. we've done

  1141. wrong.

  1142. But this

  1143. also,

  1144. this part

  1145. of the

  1146. passage in

  1147. Hebrews,

  1148. it also

  1149. brings us

  1150. to a

  1151. different

  1152. sense of

  1153. when we

  1154. look at

  1155. sin,

  1156. we feel

  1157. this heavy

  1158. and deep

  1159. experience

  1160. of this

  1161. world.

  1162. We see

  1163. the devastation

  1164. of nature,

  1165. and we see

  1166. the depravity

  1167. of man.

  1168. We start

  1169. to experience

  1170. wrongness,

  1171. like this

  1172. is not how

  1173. it should

  1174. be.

  1175. The more

  1176. we're in

  1177. this world,

  1178. the more

  1179. we see

  1180. how pervasive

  1181. sin is.

  1182. Panama City

  1183. and destruction,

  1184. we see

  1185. shootings

  1186. throughout

  1187. the country

  1188. feeling totally

  1189. helpless.

  1190. We see

  1191. the murder

  1192. of babies

  1193. in our

  1194. felt with

  1195. despair,

  1196. and then

  1197. we see

  1198. our own

  1199. heart and

  1200. selfish

  1201. thoughts,

  1202. and we

  1203. hate it.

  1204. So,

  1205. obviously,

  1206. there's

  1207. something wrong,

  1208. there's

  1209. something at

  1210. the present

  1211. that's not

  1212. right with

  1213. creation,

  1214. and how

  1215. all things

  1216. have been

  1217. subjected.

  1218. Man's

  1219. lost a

  1220. crown,

  1221. and right

  1222. now,

  1223. the rule

  1224. of this

  1225. world is

  1226. not man.

  1227. It's

  1228. angels.

  1229. Ultimately,

  1230. it's Satan.

  1231. He's the

  1232. ruler of this

  1233. world,

  1234. the upsurper.

  1235. Right now,

  1236. we see

  1237. humanity in

  1238. rebellion to

  1239. God,

  1240. and we

  1241. see Satan

  1242. leading humanity

  1243. to destruction.

  1244. It is here

  1245. that I

  1246. hope you

  1247. can feel

  1248. the weight

  1249. of this

  1250. massive

  1251. problem,

  1252. and it's

  1253. here that

  1254. we should

  1255. feel despair,

  1256. and it

  1257. should be

  1258. evident that

  1259. we are

  1260. in need

  1261. of help.

  1262. We are

  1263. desperate.

  1264. But,

  1265. that's not

  1266. all.

  1267. Although we

  1268. are sinners,

  1269. and we

  1270. deserve the

  1271. justice of

  1272. God,

  1273. isn't it

  1274. a beautiful

  1275. thing that

  1276. God has

  1277. loved us and

  1278. sent a

  1279. son for

  1280. us?

  1281. So,

  1282. this brings

  1283. us to our

  1284. third point.

  1285. Jesus is the

  1286. second Adam

  1287. who has

  1288. restored man

  1289. through his

  1290. death.

  1291. If you go

  1292. back to

  1293. Hebrews

    Hebrews 2:9

  1294. chapter 2,

  1295. verse 9

  1296. says,

  1297. Hebrews 2,

  1298. 9,

  1299. parallels with

  1300. Psalm 8.

  1301. We see that

  1302. man was made

  1303. lower than

  1304. angels and

  1305. crowned of

  1306. glory and

  1307. honor.

  1308. Everything was

  1309. put in

  1310. subjection under

  1311. him.

  1312. In Hebrews

  1313. 2, 9,

  1314. we see that

  1315. Christ was

  1316. made lower

  1317. than angels,

  1318. and then

  1319. he was

  1320. crowned with

  1321. glory and

  1322. honor.

  1323. And then

  1324. 1 Corinthians

  1325. 15 tells

  1326. everything was

  1327. subjected to

  1328. him.

  1329. What we see

  1330. here is that

  1331. although man

  1332. was a crown

  1333. of creation,

  1334. and the man

  1335. rebelled against

  1336. God and

  1337. lost his

  1338. crown,

  1339. ultimately

  1340. Psalm 8

  1341. is talking

  1342. about man

  1343. in his

  1344. original state

  1345. and looking

  1346. forward to

  1347. the son of

  1348. man, to

  1349. the one

  1350. who's going

  1351. to fill

  1352. Psalm 8,

  1353. who's going

  1354. to bring

  1355. about the

  1356. new heavens

  1357. and new

  1358. earth,

  1359. and ultimately

  1360. save man

  1361. from this

  1362. depravity,

  1363. this wrongness

  1364. that we are

  1365. experiencing.

  1366. So we

  1367. see that

  1368. sin is

  1369. deeply

  1370. corrupted

  1371. reality,

  1372. and things

  1373. are not

  1374. subjected to

  1375. man,

  1376. but we

  1377. see that

  1378. Christ in

  1379. his

  1380. fulfillment

  1381. is going

  1382. to bring

  1383. all things

  1384. in subjection

  1385. to him.

  1386. Hebrews

  1387. 2.9

  1388. ultimately

  1389. helps us

  1390. better understand

  1391. Hebrews 1.

  1392. You guys

  1393. remember the

  1394. phrase,

  1395. pure

  1396. occasions for

  1397. sin,

  1398. and he

  1399. sat down

  1400. at the

  1401. right hand

  1402. of the

  1403. majesty.

  1404. I think

  1405. ultimately

  1406. that Hebrews

  1407. 1 was

  1408. our

  1409. introduction,

  1410. and the

  1411. rest of

  1412. the book

  1413. is going

  1414. to

  1415. exposit

  1416. or explain

  1417. more about

  1418. who God

  1419. is,

  1420. about his

  1421. nature,

  1422. and his

  1423. roles,

  1424. and how

  1425. he functions.

  1426. And here

  1427. I think

  1428. that verse

  1429. 9 is

  1430. explaining

  1431. more about

  1432. the one

  1433. who purified

  1434. us,

  1435. who came

  1436. as the

  1437. lamb of

  1438. God,

  1439. and the

  1440. one who

  1441. sat down

  1442. at the

  1443. right hand,

  1444. that is

  1445. now the

  1446. king.

  1447. So as

  1448. we finish

  1449. this passage

  1450. and walk

  1451. through this

  1452. last bit of

  1453. text,

  1454. we will

  1455. observe more

  1456. into Jesus'

  1457. humiliation,

  1458. and then we'll

  1459. get into his

  1460. exaltation.

  1461. We're going to

  1462. walk through

  1463. text to

  1464. understand how

  1465. Jesus is

  1466. the better

  1467. Adam,

  1468. who has

  1469. tasted death

  1470. for us,

  1471. that he

  1472. experienced

  1473. death on

  1474. our behalf.

  1475. And then we'll

  1476. understand more

  1477. how he is

  1478. the reigning

  1479. king,

  1480. and how by

  1481. him we are

  1482. secure,

  1483. and we have

  1484. everlasting

  1485. hope.

  1486. So,

  1487. in Philippians

    Philippians 2:4–8

  1488. 2,

  1489. verse 4-8

  1490. says,

  1491. let each

  1492. of us not

  1493. look to his

  1494. own interests,

  1495. but the

  1496. interests of

  1497. others.

  1498. Having this

  1499. mind among

  1500. ourselves,

  1501. which is

  1502. yours in

  1503. Christ Jesus,

  1504. who though

  1505. he is in

  1506. the form of

  1507. God,

  1508. did not

  1509. count equality

  1510. with God

  1511. a thing to

  1512. be grasped,

  1513. but made

  1514. himself nothing,

  1515. taking the

  1516. form of a

  1517. servant,

  1518. being born

  1519. in likeness

  1520. of man,

  1521. and being

  1522. found in

  1523. human form.

  1524. He humbled

  1525. himself by

  1526. becoming

  1527. obedient to

  1528. the point

  1529. of death,

  1530. even death

  1531. on the

  1532. cross.

  1533. So we

  1534. have,

  1535. as we go

  1536. back to our

  1537. last point,

  1538. is this

  1539. massive

  1540. problem.

  1541. The weight

  1542. of sin,

  1543. the problem

  1544. that God

  1545. is holy

  1546. and just,

  1547. and man

  1548. is sinful

  1549. and deserves

  1550. God's just

  1551. wrath.

  1552. And as we

  1553. talked about,

  1554. this is a

  1555. massive problem,

  1556. and if we

  1557. don't have a

  1558. redemption,

  1559. we're in a

  1560. desperate state.

  1561. So how can

  1562. this be resolved?

  1563. And I think

  1564. Philippians 2

  1565. and Hebrews 2

  1566. both answer

  1567. this question

  1568. for us.

  1569. It can be

  1570. resolved by a

  1571. God who is

  1572. rich in

  1573. mercy,

  1574. a God who

  1575. demonstrated his

  1576. love for us,

  1577. and that while

  1578. we were sinners,

  1579. Christ died for

  1580. us.

  1581. This God

  1582. who created

  1583. the world,

  1584. and in whom

  1585. all things

  1586. exist,

  1587. and who holds

  1588. together all

  1589. things,

  1590. subjected himself

  1591. to sinful

  1592. flesh.

  1593. He brought

  1594. himself lower

  1595. than angels,

  1596. and put himself

  1597. in sinful

  1598. flesh,

  1599. so that we

  1600. might find

  1601. redemption.

  1602. Jesus Christ,

  1603. our Savior

  1604. and Lord,

  1605. willfully and

  1606. obediently took

  1607. the form of

  1608. a servant,

  1609. and was found

  1610. in the human

  1611. form.

  1612. He never

  1613. endured sin.

  1614. He lived

  1615. perfectly,

  1616. and endured

  1617. the fullness

  1618. of temptation.

  1619. And 2 Corinthians

  1620. 5-21 reminds us

  1621. that he became

  1622. sin.

  1623. He who was not

  1624. sin,

  1625. became sin,

  1626. endured the

  1627. just punishment

  1628. of sin.

  1629. This makes us

  1630. ask another

  1631. question.

  1632. For what?

  1633. Why would

  1634. someone do

  1635. this?

  1636. Why would the

  1637. eternal Son of

  1638. God become

  1639. man?

  1640. And this should

  1641. be a deep

  1642. question to us,

  1643. because it

  1644. doesn't make

  1645. sense.

  1646. God

  1647. is

  1648. God

  1649. deeply

  1650. loves

  1651. his

  1652. children

  1653. and deeply

  1654. cares for

  1655. us.

  1656. For our

  1657. sake,

  1658. he who

  1659. did not

  1660. know sin

  1661. became sin,

  1662. so that we

  1663. might become

  1664. the righteousness

  1665. of God.

  1666. It is for

  1667. those who

  1668. believe,

  1669. Jesus

  1670. subjected

  1671. himself to

  1672. sinful

  1673. flesh and

  1674. became sin,

  1675. endured the

  1676. just of God

  1677. for our

  1678. sake,

  1679. so that we

  1680. might be

  1681. righteous.

  1682. So,

  1683. brothers and

  1684. sisters,

  1685. remember that

  1686. you have not

  1687. been forgotten

  1688. or forsaken

  1689. in your

  1690. earthly

  1691. toils,

  1692. but remember,

  1693. we know this,

  1694. that we see

  1695. him who

  1696. remembered us,

  1697. who subjected

  1698. himself to

  1699. sinful flesh,

  1700. endured the

  1701. weight of

  1702. temptation and

  1703. sin for

  1704. our sake.

  1705. This should

  1706. warm and

  1707. stir our

  1708. hearts.

  1709. We should

  1710. be amazed

  1711. that the

  1712. God of the

  1713. universe

  1714. sent his

  1715. Son because

  1716. he loved

  1717. us,

  1718. and he

  1719. deeply

  1720. cares for

  1721. us.

  1722. And let's

  1723. talk more

  1724. about the

  1725. word death,

  1726. or taste

  1727. of death.

  1728. This idea

  1729. of taste

  1730. it is an

  1731. experience.

  1732. When you

  1733. eat something,

  1734. there's a

  1735. taste.

  1736. You experience

  1737. it,

  1738. you feel

  1739. it.

  1740. And when

  1741. it says

  1742. that Christ

  1743. tasted

  1744. death,

  1745. it's saying

  1746. that he

  1747. experienced

  1748. death,

  1749. that although

  1750. he did not

  1751. deserve this

  1752. death,

  1753. Jesus tasted

  1754. it for our

  1755. sake.

  1756. And ultimately

  1757. he tasted

  1758. death so

  1759. we could

  1760. have life.

  1761. Since

  1762. Christ tasted

  1763. death,

  1764. we are now

  1765. resurrected with

  1766. resurrection life,

  1767. and we can

  1768. now taste the

  1769. goodness of

  1770. God.

  1771. 1 Peter 2,

  1772. 2-3 says,

  1773. like newborn

  1774. infants,

  1775. long for the

  1776. pure spiritual

  1777. milk that you

  1778. may grow into

  1779. salvation,

  1780. if indeed you

  1781. have tasted

  1782. that the

  1783. Lord is good.

  1784. So because

  1785. Lord Jesus

  1786. has died for

  1787. us, we can

  1788. now really

  1789. live and

  1790. grow into

  1791. our salvation,

  1792. knowing and

  1793. tasting that

  1794. God is

  1795. actually good.

  1796. This is a

  1797. reality in our

  1798. lives, that

  1799. he is good

  1800. and he's also

  1801. good to us,

  1802. and he deeply

  1803. cares for us.

  1804. Therefore,

  1805. let us

  1806. remember that

  1807. before the

  1808. marvelous grace

  1809. of our

  1810. Savior and

  1811. almighty

  1812. justice of

  1813. God that

  1814. he lavished

  1815. upon his

  1816. son, if

  1817. we are

  1818. harboring any

  1819. sins in our

  1820. hearts this

  1821. morning, we

  1822. need to turn

  1823. from these

  1824. sins and

  1825. turn to

  1826. God.

  1827. We need to

  1828. repent from

  1829. our sins and

  1830. turn to God

  1831. who sent

  1832. his son for

  1833. us, that

  1834. deeply cares

  1835. for us.

  1836. We need to

  1837. turn from

  1838. our rebellion.

  1839. And ultimately,

  1840. if there is

  1841. anyone here

  1842. that does

  1843. not know

  1844. God, there

  1845. is anyone

  1846. here that

  1847. does not

  1848. have a

  1849. relationship

  1850. with God

  1851. and has

  1852. no evidence

  1853. of God

  1854. in their

  1855. lives,

  1856. this truth

  1857. needs to be

  1858. wrestled with.

  1859. We need to

  1860. wrestle the

  1861. good news of

  1862. Jesus Christ.

  1863. Deeply consider

  1864. eternity.

  1865. Where are you

  1866. going?

  1867. Why are you

  1868. here?

  1869. But also, we

  1870. need to deeply

  1871. consider what

  1872. would happen if

  1873. you died.

  1874. And ultimately,

  1875. if you don't

  1876. know Christ,

  1877. one day you're

  1878. going to die

  1879. and you have

  1880. to face this

  1881. reality.

  1882. So, I

  1883. plead with you

  1884. now, today

  1885. is a favorable

  1886. time.

  1887. Now is the

  1888. day of

  1889. salvation.

  1890. God has

  1891. made every

  1892. day and now

  1893. is the right

  1894. time if this

  1895. is something

  1896. you're wrestling

  1897. with.

  1898. But ultimately,

  1899. we do need

  1900. to stop and

  1901. think the

  1902. wondrous thing

  1903. that Jesus

  1904. Christ has

  1905. suffered for

  1906. us.

  1907. And in

  1908. him, we

  1909. find salvation.

  1910. But the

  1911. good news of

  1912. the gospel

  1913. does not

  1914. stop at

  1915. the life

  1916. and death

  1917. of Jesus.

  1918. He not

  1919. only lived

  1920. as the

  1921. Lamb of

  1922. God, but

  1923. he also

  1924. rose from

  1925. the dead

  1926. and conquered

  1927. death.

  1928. And the

  1929. Son of

  1930. God was

  1931. raised by

  1932. the almighty

  1933. power of

  1934. God from

  1935. the dead.

  1936. And what

  1937. does Hebrews

  1938. 1 say?

  1939. He took

  1940. a seat at

  1941. the right

  1942. hand of

  1943. the majesty

  1944. on high.

  1945. So this

  1946. brings us

  1947. to our

  1948. last point

  1949. in the

  1950. text.

  1951. Jesus

  1952. Christ is

  1953. the reigning

  1954. king and

  1955. secures a

  1956. great salvation

  1957. from man.

  1958. Hebrews 2

  1959. 9 continues

  1960. to say,

  1961. Jesus is

  1962. crowned of

  1963. glory and

  1964. honor because

  1965. of the

  1966. sufferings of

  1967. death.

  1968. This brings

  1969. us back to

  1970. psalm 8.

  1971. In this

  1972. psalm 8,

  1973. man is

  1974. crowned of

  1975. glory and

  1976. honor and

  1977. everything is

  1978. put in

  1979. subjection to

  1980. him.

  1981. Now Jesus

  1982. Christ is

  1983. crowned of

  1984. glory and

  1985. honor.

  1986. In 1

  1987. Corinthians

  1988. 15 27 says

  1989. that God

  1990. has subjected

  1991. all things under

  1992. his feet.

  1993. the original

  1994. intention of

  1995. man is

  1996. ultimately

  1997. fulfilled in

  1998. Christ.

  1999. And

  2000. Jesus

  2001. Christ's

  2002. life,

  2003. death,

  2004. and

  2005. resurrection

  2006. on our

  2007. behalf.

  2008. Now that

  2009. Jesus sits at

  2010. the right hand

  2011. of God

  2012. and reigns

  2013. of God,

  2014. we can

  2015. better understand

  2016. this passage

  2017. and understand

  2018. Philippians 2,

  2019. the last part

  2020. of it.

  2021. therefore God

  2022. has highly

  2023. exalted him

  2024. and bestowed

  2025. on him the

  2026. name that

  2027. is above

  2028. every name,

  2029. so that at

  2030. the name of

  2031. Jesus every

  2032. knee should

  2033. bow in

  2034. heaven and

  2035. on earth and

  2036. under the

  2037. earth,

  2038. and every

  2039. tongue confess

  2040. that Jesus

  2041. Christ is

  2042. Lord to

  2043. the glory of

  2044. God the

  2045. Father.

  2046. So at

  2047. the present

  2048. time,

  2049. presently where

  2050. we're at

  2051. now,

  2052. we see

  2053. Jesus who

  2054. willfully

  2055. subject himself

  2056. from heavenly

  2057. glories to

  2058. sinful flesh.

  2059. For our

  2060. sake he did

  2061. this,

  2062. and he has

  2063. now been

  2064. restored to

  2065. his rightful

  2066. place as

  2067. his son.

  2068. At this

  2069. point,

  2070. it reminds

  2071. us of

  2072. chapter 1

  2073. and how

  2074. Jesus'

  2075. name as

  2076. the son

  2077. is greater

  2078. than the

  2079. angels.

  2080. Jesus'

  2081. throne is

  2082. forever and

  2083. ever,

  2084. and his

  2085. scepter is

  2086. the uprightness,

  2087. and he

  2088. loves righteousness

  2089. and despises

  2090. wickedness.

  2091. This also

  2092. reminds that

  2093. Jesus has

  2094. inherited

  2095. this heavenly

  2096. glory as

  2097. the son

  2098. and the

  2099. firstborn

  2100. from the

  2101. dead.

  2102. So what

  2103. does this

  2104. mean to

  2105. us?

  2106. Why does

  2107. it matter

  2108. that Jesus

  2109. suffered and

  2110. was crowned

  2111. of glory and

  2112. honor since

  2113. he already

  2114. that before

  2115. he suffered?

  2116. What this

  2117. means is

  2118. answering the

  2119. text.

  2120. It says,

  2121. so that by

  2122. the grace

  2123. of God,

  2124. he may

  2125. taste death

  2126. for everyone.

  2127. Jesus'

  2128. work,

  2129. this great

  2130. salvation we

  2131. have spoken

  2132. thus far,

  2133. not only

  2134. saves us

  2135. from our

  2136. sins,

  2137. but it's

  2138. also our

  2139. security in

  2140. this heavenly

  2141. home,

  2142. this eternal

  2143. dwelling to

  2144. come.

  2145. Jesus Christ

  2146. has reconciled

  2147. us to God.

  2148. He is

  2149. restoring to

  2150. us a beautiful

  2151. crown in the

  2152. new heavens and

  2153. new earth.

  2154. the scripture

  2155. has informed

  2156. us that we

  2157. are crucified

  2158. with Christ

  2159. in his death

  2160. and we will

  2161. be raised with

  2162. him in his

  2163. resurrection life.

  2164. He is the

  2165. resurrection.

  2166. So in

  2167. closing,

  2168. can you turn

  2169. your Bibles

  2170. to Ephesians

  2171. 2?

  2172. starting in

  2173. verse 4?

  2174. But God,

  2175. being rich in

  2176. mercy because of

  2177. his great love

  2178. with which he

  2179. has loved us,

  2180. even when we

  2181. were dead in

  2182. our trespasses,

  2183. made us alive

  2184. together with

  2185. Christ,

  2186. by grace you

  2187. have been

  2188. saved,

  2189. and raised

  2190. up with

  2191. him and

  2192. seated us

  2193. with him in

  2194. heavenly places

  2195. in Christ

  2196. Jesus,

  2197. so that in

  2198. the coming

  2199. ages he

  2200. might show

  2201. the immeasurable

  2202. riches of

  2203. his grace and

  2204. kindness towards

  2205. us in Christ.

  2206. For by grace you

  2207. have been saved

  2208. through faith,

  2209. and this is not

  2210. your own doing,

  2211. it is the gift

  2212. of God,

  2213. not a result of

  2214. work so that

  2215. no one may

  2216. boast.

  2217. For we are

  2218. his workmanship

  2219. created in

  2220. Christ Jesus

  2221. for good works,

  2222. which God

  2223. has prepared

  2224. before us,

  2225. that we may

  2226. walk in

  2227. them.

  2228. Isn't it

  2229. beautiful that

  2230. God cares about

  2231. man from

  2232. creation to

  2233. new creation,

  2234. that he has

  2235. set his love

  2236. on a people

  2237. and treasured

  2238. us and has

  2239. sent his son

  2240. to die for us

  2241. and ultimately

  2242. will be raised

  2243. with his son.

  2244. The beauty of

  2245. Ephesians 2

  2246. should warm

  2247. our hearts that

  2248. we were crucified

  2249. with him,

  2250. our sins were

  2251. placard on him

  2252. in his death,

  2253. and now since

  2254. he's conquered

  2255. death we're

  2256. going to be

  2257. raised with

  2258. him,

  2259. and our

  2260. security isn't

  2261. in things

  2262. that change,

  2263. things that can

  2264. be destroyed,

  2265. but things

  2266. that are

  2267. indestructible,

  2268. and it's

  2269. in something

  2270. secure,

  2271. ultimately in

  2272. the Son of

  2273. God,

  2274. Jesus Christ.

  2275. In the

  2276. Lord's Supper

  2277. this morning,

  2278. Francis talked

  2279. on suffering

  2280. and suffering

  2281. for Christ.

  2282. He says,

  2283. Christians

  2284. participate in

  2285. Christ's

  2286. sufferings,

  2287. and I was

  2288. thinking about

  2289. that and I

  2290. just wanted to

  2291. continue the

  2292. phrase with

  2293. this term,

  2294. I think it

  2295. flowed really

  2296. beautifully,

  2297. that Christians

  2298. participate in

  2299. Christ's

  2300. suffering,

  2301. and they

  2302. will participate

  2303. in Christ

  2304. as he is in

  2305. glory too.

  2306. Not only do we

  2307. participate in

  2308. his sufferings,

  2309. we participate

  2310. in his glory,

  2311. because the

  2312. Bible says

  2313. that we are

  2314. co-heirs with

  2315. Christ.

  2316. Therefore,

  2317. as these

  2318. Hebrew believers

  2319. are in this

  2320. afflicted time

  2321. and struggling

  2322. with their

  2323. lives,

  2324. and experiencing

  2325. deep sorrow

  2326. and pain,

  2327. this is the

  2328. truth that I

  2329. believe the

  2330. Hebrews are

  2331. trying to tell

  2332. them,

  2333. that although

  2334. things are

  2335. hard,

  2336. that God

  2337. had a purpose

  2338. for man,

  2339. and although

  2340. man lost that

  2341. purpose,

  2342. he sent his

  2343. Son,

  2344. Jesus Christ,

  2345. who is the

  2346. better man,

  2347. the second Adam,

  2348. who tasted

  2349. death for him,

  2350. that by this

  2351. better man,

  2352. Jesus Christ,

  2353. we have walked

  2354. from our sins

  2355. to life,

  2356. we've been

  2357. resurrected,

  2358. we were dead,

  2359. and now we're

  2360. alive.

  2361. But then he

  2362. also goes on

  2363. to say that

  2364. we have a

  2365. security based

  2366. in this new

  2367. heaven,

  2368. new earth,

  2369. that we are

  2370. not those who

  2371. walk looking

  2372. at this

  2373. physical present

  2374. reality in

  2375. this suffering

  2376. and say,

  2377. I'm forsaken,

  2378. I'm destroyed.

  2379. No,

  2380. we are those

  2381. who walk for

  2382. the heavenly

  2383. reality,

  2384. that we are

  2385. considering that

  2386. this momentary

  2387. and light

  2388. affliction is

  2389. building for us

  2390. in a heavenly

  2391. way to glory.

  2392. That's our hope

  2393. and that's our

  2394. reality today

  2395. as we linger

  2396. before Hebrews 2.

  2397. So let's pray.