Jesus: Our Merciful and Faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:5-18)

Over the last few weeks, we've been looking at the book of Hebrews.

And if you remember from week one, when we were talking about Hebrews,

we mentioned the fact that William Barclay said there was many difficulties that we can experience when looking at the book of Hebrews.

There's many things that that are difficult for us to understand, possibly from our cultural standpoint of not having a Jewish background in different things.

And there's so many things that it could be difficult to understand at times.

And if I'm honest, this week was one of those weeks for me as I was studying and diving into this passage.

I was just wrestling with the kind of the outline of of what I wanted to use for this this week.

And so just wrestling through those things, it was challenging at times.

However, after finally arriving at an outline that I was excited about and comfortable with,

it was like God just just opened the open the gate.

And it was just so easy to see what it is that that he was wanting to speak to me this week.

And so I hope and I pray that that is something that comes across to you today.

But also say that as an encouragement to you.

I think all of us at times have had those moments where we read God's word and we struggle with understanding it,

where one day it seems like the words just jump off the page at us.

And other times it feels like we have to dig a little deeper.

And so I just want to encourage you when those times happen to dig deeper.

Many times I can say from personal experience,

some of the most meaningful times alone with God and spending that time with him

are digging in and diving into his word in a deeper way.

And so I want to encourage you with that.

Today we're going to be looking at the book of Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

We're going to spend our time focusing on verses 5 through 18.

And so if you have a copy of God's word with you,

I invite you to open with me to Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

And we're going to start reading in verse number 5.

This is what the word of the Lord says.

It says,

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,

of which we are speaking.

It has been testified somewhere,

What is man that you are mindful of him?

Or the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the angels.

You have crowned him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under his feet.

Now in putting everything in subjection to him,

he left nothing outside his control.

At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him,

but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,

namely Jesus,

crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death,

so that by the grace of God,

he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he,

for whom and by whom all things exist,

is bringing many sons to glory,

should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source.

That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

saying,

I will tell of your name to my brothers.

In the midst of the congregation,

I sing your praise.

And again,

I will put my trust in him.

And again,

behold,

I and the children God has given me.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,

he himself likewise partook of the same things,

that through death,

he might destroy the one who has the power of death,

that is the devil,

and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

For surely it is not angels that he helps,

but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

Therefore,

he had to be made like his brothers in every respect,

so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God,

to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted,

he is able to help those who are being tempted.

In this passage this morning,

there's three takeaways that I want us to be able to see clearly.

And it's my hope and prayer that by the end of this morning,

we will see each of these clearly.

Those three things that I want us to be able to see today are,

first of all,

I want us to be able to see God's plan from this passage.

Also,

I want us to clearly see how God accomplishes his plan,

and finally,

what this means for us today.

And so to begin with,

I want us to take a look at God's plan.

What does this passage tell us about God's plan for us?

And we see part of this in verses 5 through 8,

where it says,

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,

of which we are speaking.

It has been testified somewhere.

What is man that you are mindful of him?

Or the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower.

You made him for a little while lower than the angels.

You have crowned him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under his feet.

Now in putting everything in subjection to him,

he left nothing outside his control.

At present,

we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

We spent some time a couple of weeks ago

talking about the significance of angels

and the significance of the author declaring

that Jesus is superior to the angels

when we were looking at chapter 1.

In fact,

much of chapter 1,

when you take a look at it,

is spent,

there's a lot of real estate that is given to the fact

that Jesus is superior,

he's greater,

he's better than the angels.

And this was significant for the audience

that he was writing to.

They were often seen as,

and rightly so,

as co-ministers under God's direction.

In fact,

Kent Hughes talking about the angels,

he says,

this is what Jacob's vision of the ladder was all about.

Because as he looked at the ladder,

he saw angels going up to heaven and coming down.

The message was clear.

There is an angelic commerce between heaven and earth

on behalf of God's people.

And now the author is going to shake things up

a little bit for them.

He's going to kind of rattle them a little bit,

but when he says,

it was not to angels

that God subjected the world to come

of which we are speaking.

Angels are not going to rule the world to come.

If God does not use angels to rule the world to come,

then who will he use?

The answer may come to a,

as a surprise to many of us today.

And I can promise you

that the answer would have greatly surprised

this first audience of believers

that he was writing to.

And the fact is,

he's going to use us,

his children to rule.

God's ultimate intention

is to have his kingdom ruled

by redeemed men and women.

Hughes again notes the significance

of this realization

when he says,

those insignificant people

in that Harried House church,

a minuscule dot in the Roman Empire,

were going to rule everything.

No doubt that this would have floored

the early church in hearing this news

because surely they felt insignificant.

Surely they felt like there wasn't much to them.

They were just a small body of believers

outnumbered by everybody else around them.

And so I want to use this

as an encouragement to us today.

Those moments when you feel insignificant,

those moments when you feel like your circumstances

or the happenings in your life

are weighing in and pressing down

where you don't feel significant

in the sense of who God is and who you are.

Let me encourage you to do something.

I want to encourage you

maybe to possibly go outside at night.

Take a look up at the stars.

Encourage you to maybe drive somewhere

where there's not as much light pollution.

Just to take a look up at the stars

where you can see as many stars

as you possibly can with a naked eye.

Or maybe go on a drive

just to take a look at God's creation.

Just take a look at all that He has created,

all that He's spoken to existence.

The mountains, the beach, lakes, valleys,

ponds, trees, whatever the case may be.

Take a look at all of those things.

Stand in awe of God's creation

and then remind yourself

of the truth that we find in Scripture.

That when Jesus left the glory of heaven,

lived a humble yet perfect life

and then willingly went to the cross,

He didn't do that for those stars in the sky.

He didn't do that for the mountains

and the oceans and the valleys

and the ponds and the trees

and the animals, all of those things.

He didn't do that for them.

He did that for you and me,

for those that are created in His image.

You know, oftentimes when it comes to the question

of what it means to be a human,

we will either often overshoot

or we're undershoot what that means.

Some think of humans as little gods.

Everything is measured by what we think, feel,

and we think that the world revolves around us

and our needs and our wants

and we are the center of the universe.

Others might say that there is nothing significant

or unique about us at all.

We are no different than anything else.

And then others will try to have one foot in each place,

in each location of these categories.

On the one hand, they talk about

how insignificant humanity is in the universe.

And on the other hand,

they act like everything revolves around them.

Michael Kruger gives a sobering reminder

when he says this about this passage.

He says,

it tells us that humans have glory and dignity and honor

because we are made in the image of God.

And at the same time, we are not God.

We are not the measure of all things.

We have messed up the world and we need to be redeemed.

Again, in verse five, we're told it was not to angels

that God subjected the world to come.

In other words, humans stand out in creation.

We are greater than the angels.

And one day we are going to rule the world.

But why is this the case?

What is his grounds for making this statement?

Well, he goes on to say, he says it like this.

It has been testified somewhere.

You know, it almost sounds like the author here

is having a senior moment, you know,

where he's like, you know,

I believe that somebody somewhere possibly had said this.

But that's not the case at all.

Because he actually goes on to then perfectly recite

and quote Psalm 8, which says,

what is man that you are mindful of him

or the son of man that you care for him?

You made him for a little while lower than the angels.

You have crowned him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under his feet.

God has made us for a special purpose,

to reflect his glory.

This is part of what it means to be created in his image,

to reflect his glory.

God made human beings to be the guardians,

protectors, and rulers of his world.

He intended it that way for his glory and for our blessing.

This is why the angels are not given dominion over the world.

In fact, in 1 Corinthians 6,

we are told that one day we're going to be the ones

who are judging the angels.

Do you know what that means?

I'm not exactly sure either exactly what that means,

but it does tell us

that there's something distinctively different about us.

There's something distinct about human beings.

Kruger says,

every person, poor or wealthy,

notorious sinner or respected member of the community

should be shown dignity and honor.

And let that be the thought that comes to mind

as we seek to serve,

as we seek to minister to,

as we seek to interact,

and maybe even disagree with those that are around us.

May we always remember

that we are created in the image of God.

But verse 8 also reminds us

that things are not as they should be.

They are not as they should be

and that we need help.

We need a rescue.

We need a savior.

It tells us very clearly that we need Jesus.

And so the next thing

that I want us to take a look at is this,

and that is how God accomplishes this plan.

We see his plan,

but now we want us to see

how God accomplishes this plan.

Verses 9 through 11, it says this,

But we see him who for a little while

was made lower than the angels,

namely Jesus,

crowned with glory and honor

because of the suffering of death,

so that by the grace of God

he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he,

for whom and by whom all things exist,

in bringing many sons to glory,

should make the founder of their salvation

perfect through suffering.

For he who sanctifies

and those who are sanctified

all have one source.

Primarily, this section

is showing us the necessity

of Jesus really being human.

This section is trying to show us

very clearly

and the necessity

that Jesus Christ was a human.

Now, this isn't something

that we typically have to convince people of today.

This isn't something

that we have to make arguments

with people today.

In fact, most people,

whether they're Christians or not,

would believe that Jesus actually existed.

That it's pretty hard to argue

that when you look at the evidence,

both in the biblical

and extrabiblical evidence

that is out there,

that Jesus actually existed.

No, very few people are arguing that.

Very few people are arguing

that Jesus actually existed

and that he was a human.

Today, most people were having

to make the argument

that he was truly divine,

that he actually was God as well.

But this wasn't the case,

always the case in the first century.

In fact, there was a group,

there were a number of groups,

but most prominently the Gnostics

who struggled to believe

that Jesus could both be human

and God at the same time.

For them, since Jesus was divine,

they couldn't understand

how he could also be a human,

how the divine could humble himself

in that kind of way to be a human.

And let's be honest,

this is a difficult concept

for us to understand as well,

this incarnation,

this hypostatic union

of both being fully God

and fully man all at the same time.

It's a difficult thing

for us to understand.

But it is necessary

for us to believe.

It's necessary for this to be true

because this is exactly

what makes it possible

for God to accomplish his plan.

You see, Jesus is uniquely qualified

to pay for our sins

because he is both God and man.

This is why the incarnation

is such a big deal.

This is not a doctrine

we can waver on.

This isn't something

that we can agree to disagree with.

The qualifications needed to pay

for the sins of the world

would require him to be God.

In order to bridge the infinite chasm

between us and God,

it would require an infinite sacrifice.

We also see that this person

would have to be human,

like us and familiar with our weaknesses.

If he was going to represent us

then he had to be one of us.

But finally we see that this person

would have to be perfect.

If that person had ever sinned,

then all of a sudden

they would need somebody

to make a sacrifice on their behalf.

And so what we see

as far as the qualifications

are to make atonement for the world

is they have to be like man,

like God,

and perfect.

There is only one person

that has ever lived

that meets these requirements

and his name is Jesus.

That is why there is no other name

on which we can be saved

other than calling on the name of Jesus.

There is no one else

with these qualifications.

And I often feel like

this is a doctrine

that we take for granted

or at least I find myself

taking it for granted.

Especially the part

about how significant it was

for Jesus to take on flesh.

This week I was

spent some time

reading Martin Lloyd-Jones'

reflection on this

as he reflected on the incarnation.

He at length

detailed the significance of this.

Noting at different points

in Jesus' life

what this humbling meant.

He went through

the whole life of Jesus

showing at different moments

what it meant

for him to take on flesh

and how in each

of these situations

it was him

humbling himself.

And he started

by saying this.

He says,

we're trying to look

at something

that is quite inconceivable.

Our minds are overwhelmed

with the very thought of it.

But this is the essence

of the New Testament message.

That helpless baby

lying in the manger

is none other than

the eternal Son of God.

He has deliberately

come down

to this level

within these limits.

He is making himself

subject to suffering

and mortality

and death.

And he did it

all so that you

and I

could be redeemed.

Lloyd-Jones goes on

to look at

how Jesus humbled himself

all throughout his life.

Looking at

how he was born

in a humble manger

and how he came

in a very humble way.

But other than that

he also lived this life

all the way through

up until his death

where he put himself

under his parents' teaching.

Where he allowed himself

to be questioned

by the Pharisees.

Where he was hurt

by his friends

who didn't believe.

Who pushed him away.

Even family members.

And he humbled himself

over and over again.

The challenges he received

from the Pharisees.

He humbled himself

to death on the cross.

Separation from the Father.

Noting example

after example

after example

of what it meant

for Jesus

to take on flesh.

Finally stating

of all of this

Lloyd-Jones said

what is meant

for him

was this.

He who was

co-equal

and co-eternal

with God

and in the bosom

of the Father

for all eternity.

He who had never

been separated

from God

he whose supreme

delight

had forever

been to have

fellowship with God

came to a terrible

moment

when he could not

see the face

of God.

He felt forsaken

and cried out

my God

my God

why hast thou

forsaken me?

That was the thing

he was speaking

about back in the

garden of Gethsemane.

Where he prayed

in essence

is this the only way?

If this is possible

let this cup

pass from me

he asked three times

but that was

but that was

the only way

whereby man

could be forgiven

and he submitted

himself

to it.

Hopefully we can

clearly see

the necessity

of Jesus

to be both

fully God

and fully man.

But verse 10

also provides

some helpful

understanding

about this

necessity

when it says

this

it says

for it was

fitting

that he

for whom

and by whom

all things

exist

is bringing

many sons

to glory

should make

the founder

of their salvation

perfect

through suffering.

When it says

that Jesus

was made

perfect

through suffering

what does he

mean?

Well obviously

he's not talking

about the moral

perfection

of Jesus

after all

he was always

perfect

always will be

perfect

you can't

improve on

perfection

but this

refers to

his effectiveness

as our

representative.

Michael Kruger

notes he says

by suffering

as a man

he became

a more

sympathetic

more appropriate

more fitting

high priest

for us.

Here is where

we see

how our

salvation

depends

as much

on Jesus

humanity

as it

does

on his

divinity.

If he

was not

really human

then he

could not

really

represent us

and if he

couldn't

represent us

then he

couldn't

save us.

So as we

consider how

God

accomplishes

his plan

there's a

few aspects

of our

union

with Christ

that I

want us

to quickly

bring our

attention

to.

First of

all we

are united

with Christ

in death.

It says

that by

the grace

of God

he might

taste

death

for everyone.

We're also

told in

scripture

where it

says for

our sake

he made

him to

be sin

who knew

no sin.

Or in

Galatians

where it

reinforces

this by

saying Christ

redeemed

us from

the curse

of the

law

by becoming

a curse

for us.

Jesus

tasted

death

became our

sin

became our

curse

for all

those

who

trust

in

him.

But we're

also

told

that we

have been

crucified

with

Christ.

You see

the penalty

we deserve

is death

and Jesus

paid that

for us.

He took

our death

on himself

and so we

are united

with him

in that

death

but we're

also united

in him

as we

put to

death

our old

self

our old

desires

and be

renewed

in his

likeness

but we also

see that

we're united

with Christ

in glory.

The passage

tells us

that Jesus

was crowned

with glory

and honor

and that he

brings many

sons to

glory.

We're also

told that

finally we

see here

especially in

verse 11

that we are

united

with Christ

in holiness.

It tells us

that Jesus

sanctifies

and that we

are

sanctified

because of

Jesus

when God

looks at

us

he doesn't

see

our sin

our shame

those things

that we

regret

the most

in life

but when

he looks

on us

he sees

his son's

holy and

perfect life

that was

given in

our place.

We are

united

with him

in this

so that

God

when he

looks down

on us

he's not

disappointed

he's not

ashamed

of who

we are

but he

looks on

us

and he

sees

his son's

life

given

for us.

This is

wonderful

news.

We are

united

with Christ

in death

we are

united

with Christ

in glory

and we

are united

with him

in holiness.

In this

passage we

have seen

God's plan

we understand

how he

accomplishes

his plan

and now

finally I

want us

to spend

the remainder

of our

time

and think

about what

this means

for us.

What does

this mean

for us?

Verses

11 through

18 it

says this

that is

why he

is not

ashamed

to call

them

brothers

saying

I will

tell of

your name

to my

brothers

in the

midst

of the

congregation

I will

sing

your

praise

and again

I will

put my

trust

in him

and again

behold

I and

the children

God has

given me

since

therefore

the children

share in

flesh and

blood

he himself

likewise

partook

of the

same

things

that through

death

he might

destroy

the one

who has

the power

of death

that is

the devil

and deliver

all those

who through

fear of death

were subject

to lifelong

slavery

for surely

it is not

the angels

that he helps

but he helps

the offspring

of Adam

therefore

he had to be

made like

his brothers

in every

respect

there it is

again

the necessity

of him

to take on

flesh

so that he

might become

a merciful

and faithful

high priest

in the service

of God

to make

propitiations

for the sins

of the people

for because

he himself

has suffered

when tempted

he is able

to help

those

who are being

tempted

now when we

look at this

passage

there are so

many things

that we could

spend time

looking at

and reflecting

on of

what it is

to

how this

benefits us

what it means

for us

to trust

in Jesus

as our

savior

how it

changes

and I

would encourage

you

to spend

time

reading

through this

over and

over again

this week

being reminded

of the

difference

that Jesus

makes in our

life

but there's a few

things that I want

to bring our

attention to this

morning

and to begin

with I want us

to see that we

are a part

of God's

family

he uses this

brothers over

over again

he's not ashamed

to call us

brothers

the author

is clearly

wanting us

to understand

that part

of being

a follower

of Christ

means that

we are

adopted

into

God's

family

this is

significant

this is a

reality that

should change

the way

that we

think about

everything

this is

significant

in our

daily walk

and I know

that I quote

this book a lot

but if you've

read it

you've probably

quoted a lot

too

but J.I.

Packer

in Knowing

God

he says

something

profound

about this

he says

you sum up

the whole

of the New

Testament

teaching

in a single

phrase

if you speak

of it

as a

revelation

of the

fatherhood

of the

holy

creator

he says

in the same

way

you sum up

the whole

of the

New Testament

religion

if you

describe it

as the

knowledge

of God

as one's

holy father

if you want

to judge

how well

a person

understands

Christianity

find out

how much

he makes

of the thought

of being

God's

child

and having

God

as his

father

if this

is not

the thought

that prompts

and controls

his worship

and prayers

and his

whole outlook

on life

it means

that he

does not

understand

Christianity

very well

at all

for everything

that Christ

taught

everything

that makes

the New

Testament

new

everything

that is

distinctively

Christian

as opposed

to merely

Jewish

is summed

up in the

knowledge

of the

fatherhood

of God

father

is the

Christian

name

for God

when

God

accomplished

his plan

on the

cross

what this

means

for you

and me

is that

we are

in the

family

we're a

part of

the family

if you

place

your faith

and your

trust

in Jesus

then you

have a

heavenly

father

and there

is nothing

that can

separate

you

from

your

father

next

we see

we are

saved

from

death

and the

devil

look at

me

at the

end of

verse 14

and 15

it says

this

that through

death

he might

destroy

the one

who has

the power

of death

that is

the devil

and deliver

all those

who through

fear of

death

were subject

to lifelong

slavery

Christ not

only broke

the curse

of sin

that is

death

but he also

delivered us

from the

devil

who leverages

that fear

of death

to enslave

us

Jesus

death

sets us

free

not only

from

sin

but also

from the

fear of

death

and this

should change

how we

live our

lives

this should

give us

a boldness

and a courage

like nothing

else can

you can really

live for

Christ

if you know

that death

has no power

over you

if you know

that death

has no

thing

if you know

that death

has no power

then you

can begin

to live

for Christ

boldly

like never

before

but what we

also see

in this

passage

and I think

is one of

the most

beautiful

things

is that

we have

a savior

who understands

us

we have

a savior

who understands

us

and this

is one

of the

things

that

that honestly

comforted me

the most

this week

as I was

studying

and thinking

about this

passage

is remembering

that Jesus

understands

us

you see

the point

is not

just that

Jesus

was a real

human being

it is also

that he

experienced

the life

of a real

human

if the point

was just

that Jesus

was a human

and then

died

then this

could have

happened

much faster

than spending

33 years

on this

life

if this

was

that was

the only

point

was for him

to be

born

and then

to die

then this

could have

happened

much faster

or it

could have

happened

in isolation

where he

was born

and then

he separated

himself

and spent

only time

with God

and separated

himself from

this world

not experiencing

hardships

not experiencing

disappointment

or anything

like that

and then

to go

to the

cross

but he

didn't just

become a

human

he lived

the life

of a human

he didn't

just become

a human

he lived

the life

of a human

he experienced

the ups

and downs

that each

and every

one of us

experience

in this

life

Dane

Ortlund

says it

well

when he

states

he says

he came

as a

normal

man

to

normal

men

he knows

what it

is like

to be

thirsty

hungry

despised

rejected

scorned

shamed

embarrassed

abandoned

misunderstood

falsely

accused

suffocated

tortured

and killed

he knows

what it

is to

be

lonely

his friends

abandoned

him

when he

needed

them

the most

Jesus

is not

just a

distant

savior

who wants

nothing to

do with

us

he is a

close friend

who understands

better than

anyone

what it is

that we're

going through

in this

life

he's not

just one

who saves

and then

leaves us

alone

he's one

who saves

and draws

us closer

and closer

to him

no one

is better

at mourning

with those

who mourn

than Jesus

he is a

savior

who is

always

close

our

hardships

our

difficulties

our

sin

does not

push him

away

he is an

ever present

help

in trouble

today

as we have

looked at this

passage

we've gone

over some

pretty amazing

truths

truths that

we all want

to be true

of our life

truths that

are true

of every

person

who places

their faith

and their

trust

in Jesus

but the

question

that I want

us to

all answer

honestly

today

is this

have you

placed your

faith and

your trust

in Jesus

have you

trusted him

as your

Lord and

Savior

we are all

sinners

we are all

dead in our

sins

without hope

but God

but God

sent

Jesus

fully God

fully man

to live

the life

we couldn't

to experience

all the

things that

we experience

to be able

to identify

with us

in every

way

to go to

the cross

and pay

the penalty

of our

sin

so that

we can

experience

new life

in Christ

this new

life not

only changes

it not only

changes our

eternity

but it

changes our

today

it changes

our life

each and

every day

and the

question

becomes

do you

believe

this

have you

given

your life

to Jesus

if not

then I

encourage you

to do

that today

in just a

moment we're

going to sing

a song of

invitation

a song

of commitment

where you'll

have a chance

to respond

and if God

is speaking

to you

this morning

if you're

wanting to

give your

life to

Christ

then I

encourage you

to take

a step

forward

I would

love nothing

more than

to talk

with you

and point

you to

Jesus

the only

one that

can save

but I

also believe

that we

could all

benefit

from spending

time

reflecting

on who

Jesus

is

so much

of Hebrews

is reminding

us of

who Christ

is

and I

think each

and every

one of us

no matter

if we just

placed our

faith and

trust in

Jesus

or if

we've

been a

follower of

Jesus

our entire

lives

I believe

we can

all benefit

from

understanding

and reflecting

on who

Jesus is

and so let

me encourage

all of us

let who

Christ is

change who

you are

let who

Jesus is

shape and

mold who

you are

Father we

thank you so

much

we thank you

for your word

we thank you

for what it

teaches us

about you

Lord we

thank you

for Hebrews

we thank

you as

difficult as

it can

be at

times to

interpret and

to think

about Lord

we thank

you that

it points

us to

you over

and over

and over

again reminding

us that you

are so much

greater than

anything in

this world

reminding us

that our

hope is only

found in

you and

so Lord I

pray that if

there's someone

here today

that doesn't

know you as

their Lord and

Savior that you

would come into

their life

that you

would show

them the way

to the Father

that you

would give

them a new

eternity

set them on

a path that

spends an

eternity with

you and not

only that but

changes our

life each and

every day

but Lord I

pray also that

you be with

each and every

one of us

who may have

given our life

to you many

years ago

may we see

you more

clearly

and may who

you are

change who

we are

and we ask

all this in

Jesus name

Amen