HE CAME TO DESTROY DEATH - Hebrews 2:14-18

All right, if you have a Bible, go ahead

and meet me in Hebrews chapter 2. We're

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

going to be in Hebrews chapter 2 this

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

morning as we begin to unpack what it

means that Jesus came near. When we

think about the Christmas season, so

often the images that are painted in our

mind are surrounded by stars, by the

angelic chorus, by shepherds who are

worshiping the Lord. and ultimately

comes to the baby being placed in the

manger. And while that is absolutely

what we celebrate during Christmas

season, one thing that we need to

recognize is that we live in the in

between.

The in between of the first advent,

which is the birth of Christ, and the

second advent, which is his return.

And all of that is what stirs hope and

greater affection in and through our

lives. So that not only do we celebrate

what Christmas is about, but we reflect

on the baby who would later grow into

adulthood to die in our place.

You see, Christmas reminds us not only

of the baby who was laid in the manger,

but the baby who would grow to die on

the cross for us. As we dive into our

passage here in just a moment, we're

going to answer the question, why did

Jesus have to die? Matter of fact, often

times we're faced with the question, why

did God have to become human? Surely God

is powerful enough that he could have

conquered death and forgiven sin from

the throne of the heavenly kingdom.

And of course the answer is a resounding

yes. God could have absolutely done

that.

But God taking on flesh in the person

Jesus Christ

aligned with his character

for justice, faithfulness, hope, and

trust.

And because sin entered through

humanity,

humanity has to pay the price for sin.

But there's a problem that arises.

Humanity can't pay a price for sin.

Because the price for sin is the

shedding of blood that is pure,

spotless, unadulterated, undefiled, and

unpolluted.

And there is no human being outside of

Jesus Christ that can fulfill the law

perfectly and serve as the atoning death

and sacrifice for the holy God of

creation.

And so because sin entered through

humanity and I don't want us to hear our

message this morning and situate

ourselves outside of humanity sin.

So often it's easy for us to gather in a

place like this, maybe a Sunday school

class, maybe a Bible study, or maybe

situated around the dinner table or in

the living room as we discuss the

scriptures, theology, and biblical

doctrine. And it's easy for us to place

ourselves outside of the circle

that insults God's holiness,

that rebels against God's standards and

plans for our life. But I want to make

it absolutely clear that when we discuss

sin, when we discuss rebellion against

the holiness of God, insulting his

sacredness and really establishing idols

in our life in the place that only God

should be, we are all guilty of that.

It's not them who are guilty. It's us

who are guilty.

And because we stand guilty before the

holy God of creation, we stand separated

from the holy God of creation.

And as long as we stand in that

separation,

if our numbers drawn and we draw our

last breath and we have never placed

whole faith and trust in Jesus Christ,

the scripture calls that the second

death. And the second death means that

you will be eternally separated from God

for ever.

And that's not what we want. We don't

want to gather in this place and sing

songs together as we lift up the name of

Jesus, as we open up the scripture and

expound on understanding who God is and

what he desires for our life to then be

living a life that is indicative of

someone who continues in rebellion

against God.

But what we have happening here in our

passage

is you have the Jewish people, remember

in a Roman context. We don't know who

Hebrews was written to. We know that it

was Jewish individuals, but we don't

know if it was written to the Jews in

Jerusalem. Was it written to the Jews in

Rome? Theologian, Christian historians,

they have their ideas.

But when it gets down to it, it's

addressing questions that Jews had.

And their question was this.

If Jesus indeed suffered

for the sins of the world,

and if he died the way he died,

does that make him God at all?

Surely God could have overpowered death

and forgiven our sin right from where he

is. So why did Jesus have to come and

suffer? This is the passage that we get

into. And the author of Hebrews, the way

we don't know who the author of Hebrews

is. There's some debate that maybe it

was Paul, maybe it was one of the other

apostles, but ultimately we don't know

who the author of Hebrews is. But they

take it upon themselves

to explain the theology and the

necessity

behind the death of Jesus

on why God would choose

to send his son

to be born on Christmas day

to be laid in a manger to have the

angelic chorus

with resounding voice worshiping the God

of creation to invite lowly shepherds

into the story to be the first

evangelists

of the gospel story. Why did he have to

do all this? We pick up here in verse

14.

Now since the children that that's you

and I

have flesh and blood in common, Jesus

also shared in these things. what things

did he share in what we have in common

regarding flesh and blood. We're going

to unpack this here in just a moment,

but just to give us a little teaser,

just to give us a little preview. This

is talking about the fact that you and I

are susceptible to the weaknesses of the

flesh, to the pain, the suffering, the

vulnerability, the temptations that we

encounter daily. Jesus

did not choose to remain far and away.

God did not choose to just be an

observer of all that we encounter in

life, but he chose throughout his grand

love for you and I to enter to our pain,

to step into our suffering so that when

we come face to face with the God of

creation,

he's not a father in heaven who is

outside of our situation. Of course, God

exists outside of the realm of time. God

is above and beyond creation. He is

creator.

But creator steps into creation. So when

we are face to face with God, there's

not just sympathy for your pain. There's

not just sympathy for your weakness and

your suffering and your season and your

trial, but there's empathy. We say,

Roland, what's the difference? Our

father who is in heaven through his son

Jesus which we all experience through

the indwelling power of the holy spirit

can look you in the eye and say I've

been there and I know the pain of loss

and I know the hurt and the suffering

that this world brings. I know the

chaos. I know the evil. And Jesus

will look you in the eye and say, "I've

experienced it.

I felt lashes on my back that weren't

just indicative of physical pain

but stirred my spirit to understand the

pain that you endure the pain that you

undergo.

And so this is what Jesus shares in

common. Now now watch this the second

part of verse 14.

So that through his death

he might destroy the one holding the

power of death, that is the devil,

and free those who were held in slavery

all their lives by the fear of death.

This is why the gospel is so beautiful

because we don't have to live in fear.

We don't even have to live in fear of

death. Now, if you're anything like me,

you don't necessarily fear death, but

maybe you fear the way in which your

death will occur.

And if you're anything like me, then

your mind starts to just go crazy. Will

it happen this way? Will it happen that

way?

But what what the author of Hebrews is

getting underneath this this theology

that he's painting is that when we have

this this firm, true and steady

foundation in Jesus Christ, watch this,

there is nothing that can topple that.

that the life that we build, men, the

family that we build, the marriage that

we build, the businesses that we build,

our life, everything about it,

everything that we build, if it is

centered on the foundation that is firm,

solid, and true. A foundation that the

scripture says time and time again is

unshakable.

that no matter what we encounter,

suffering, pain, season, mountain tops

and valleys, that no matter what we

endure, death itself,

we stand true, firm, and solid. Now,

this is outside of where we're going,

but I just feel led to share this,

especially men in the room.

What are you building your family on?

What are you building your marriage on?

Are you being laxidasical? Are you

expecting your wife to pick up the

leadership role that God has ordained

for you? That God has said is yours

and your family thrives. Families thrive

under leadership of women. This is do do

not hear me negating the power of women.

But hear me encouraging men

to stand strong and to stand firm and to

stand true. Not on what we've built,

but on what Christ has freely given us.

And your marriage, your family. It won't

be perfect. Yes and amen. But it will

thrive

when you choose to lead under the power

and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let me

continue. Verse 16.

For it is clear

that he does not reach out to help the

angels. We'll unpack that. Seems like a

like a random addition here to what the

author is talking about, but but but

it's pointing us to a theological

understanding. It is clear that he does

not reach out to help the angels, but to

help Abraham's offspring. This is

covenant language.

And this is what's called a double

entandre. This is not just referring to

the Jewish people. This is referring to

the Gentiles who through Jesus have now

been grafted in. We've now been attached

to the salvation story. We are now part

of the vine. We have been grafted into

the gospel story, which by the way,

which has been God's plan all along,

God will use his covenant language even

in the Old Testament, mind you, to point

us to the fact that though Jesus would

come through the line of Abraham, though

salvation would enter into the cosmos

through the Jewish people, salvation was

always intended for both Jew and Gentile

alike.

And if you sit here and you think, well,

well, what's the difference? Well, the

difference is is if you cannot trace

your ancestry

back to the Jewish nation, then you are

by effect a gentile. A gentile is a

biblical term to mean everyone else who

is not a Jew.

And the scripture says that the true

offspring of Abraham, the true children

of Abraham are not those

who were Jewish through DNA or ancestry,

but those who are the children of God

through Jesus Christ and the indwelling

power of the Holy Spirit. We become sons

and daughters of Abraham, which makes

the song Father Abraham make more sense.

Father Abraham had many sons and many

sons and daughters too had father

Abraham. I am one of them and so are

you. So come on guys. So let's just

praise the Lord. Right arm, left arm,

right? We get the story.

He has many children because God is

calling people. He's calling all people,

every tribe, every tongue, every nation

into his kingdom. Verse 16. Therefore,

he had he had to by necessity he had to

be like his brothers and sisters in

every way so that he could become a

merciful and faithful high priest in

matters pertaining to God. Here it is to

make atonement

for the sins of the people. And that

includes you and I. That includes your

sin last night. That includes your sin

this week. That includes your sin 10

years from now.

God sees your life.

He knows every decision that you will

make. He exists outside of what we know

is time, of what we measure this life

with. He exists outside of that from

beginning to end and everywhere in

between. And yet he chooses

to call you his own

despite the insults you hurl his way.

And you may not verbally insult God, but

every time you sin and rebel against the

God of creation, you insult his

holiness. You shake your fist at his

glory and majesty. Our God is sacred.

Amen. And when we rebel before him, we

scoff at his sacredness. I've shared

this over the course of this series. We

spit at his holiness.

And the scripture says that it's through

his death, through the life he lived,

the baby that was placed in a manger

whom we celebrate, yes and amen,

would grow to die, not because of

anything he did, but because of

everything wrong we did. And what does

it do? It makes atonement for us. Verse

18, for since he himself has suffered

when he was tempted, he is able to help

those who are tempted. And all God's

people declared, "Amen." Lord, would you

bless your word? Holy Spirit, would you

stir our hearts this morning?

It's a powerful letter. Hebrews is

amazing.

Hebrews centers

on one main theological truth and that

is Jesus is better. He's better than the

angels. He's better than Moses. He's

better than Abraham. He's better than

anything humanly speaking. He is the

best. Jesus is better. He is the one who

provides satisfaction. He gives

contentment.

He's better than any rules we can ever

follow. He is the one who's obeyed the

rules on our behalf. This is written to

people wrestling

with questions.

They didn't doubt their faith. They

didn't doubt Jesus. They struggled to

understand why the path God chose for

his son involved weakness and involved

suffering. Why did he have to take on

human flesh?

And I love that the passage, really the

entirety of the book of Hebrews doesn't

soften the truth. The Bible never

softens the truth. What the Bible does

is the Bible clearly and explicitly lays

down the character of God. What God

requires, what his holiness not only

does for our life, but how it stirs us

to be holy as he is holy is what the

scripture declares.

When we look to who God is, we see who

we truly are.

And if we've never placed in Jesus, then

then when we look to who is

the goal, the idea, the prayer is that

we would recognize our sinfulness before

God. And if you are a child of God, if

you are his son or his daughter, you've

placed your hope, faith, and trust in

Jesus. Whether that was 30 years ago,

whether that was three seconds ago, then

we see God as a holy God of creation who

now approves of me, who loves me, who

cherishes me, who treasures me, not

because of any good in me, but because

of everything that's good in Jesus

Christ.

And so, I love how the scripture answers

faithfully

by pointing us to the faithfulness of

God. that God doesn't save by cutting

corners,

that he saves in a way that's faithful

to his character. Remember, God is

unchanging. He's the same yesterday,

today, and forever more. He's faithful

to promises. He's faithful to his

holiness. And let's not miss this this

morning. He's faithful to his promises,

faithful to his character, faithful to

himself when it's going to cost him

everything.

And what did it cost him? the life of

his one and only son.

And so our passage carefully explains

why

Jesus had to become human, why he had to

suffer. Jesus had to become for us what

we become for ourselves,

the atoning sacrifice for the sins of

the world. So here's what I want to do

with our remaining time. I want us to go

back and I want us to draw out some

truths from the passage. I want us to

look at these truths so they not only

magnify and deepen our affections for

who God is, but perhaps we'll point out

some areas in our life where we need to

repent, where we need to get better,

where we need to get sharper, and and

maybe some things in our life that we

walked in with this morning that we need

to just leave before the throne of God

and say, "No more, not any longer will I

go back to those things." And so, if

you're taking notes, here's the first

thing I want to look at. Jesus became

fully human to represent us.

This is why it's necessary.

Humanity brought sin into the world.

Therefore, humanity needs to pay the

price, the atoning price for the sin

they brought into the world.

But we can't do that on our own. And I

love how our passage begins by grounding

everything in this shared reality. Did

you pick up on that? Go back with me to

the first part of verse 14.

Since the children have flesh and blood

in common, Jesus also shared in these

things.

What does that mean?

Well, it means what we mentioned

earlier. Humanity is marked by weakness,

by vulnerability, by limitations, by

mortality.

I want us to think about our own lives.

What are the areas that we struggle?

What are the vices and the temptations

that that we so easily fall victim to?

You know what that is for you?

Maybe that's the bottle. Maybe that's

images on a screen. Maybe it's an anger

that takes root and it lashes itself out

in the way you talk to people.

We all have a vice and a temptation that

we know better that if we are not

intentional to combat against it will

take root in our life and take us back

to a place that we at one point said I

don't ever want to go back there. part

of my testimony.

I was a punk, man. I tell you, I was a

punk.

And one of the reasons I am so easygoing

today, I'm a guy, you've probably

noticed this. I'm a glasses half full

guy. I'm an optimist. I'm an encourager.

At least I try to be. But that's because

I came out of a bitterness and I came

out of an anger and I came out of get in

my face, I'm striking you back type of

attitude.

And I grew up that way because I grew up

in a town and I grew up in a

neighborhood where it was necessary to

live that way if you wanted to survive.

But there are moments where I get

stirred in conversations. I get stirred

with people and I say, "I don't ever

want to go back there." You know what

your vice is. You know what your

temptation is. And Jesus didn't stand

above it. He entered into it so that you

don't have to face that battle on your

own. you don't have to deal with the

pain of it on your own, but that you can

be empowered and strengthened and you

could overcome. What does it mean? It

means Jesus is in the mud with us.

There's something amazing when you know

you don't stand alone,

but you have someone right there. Now, I

love this. Jesus is not just there next

to us.

Jesus is there leading us. And so he

steps into the muck and the mire. He

steps into the mud of our life to

empower us and strengthen us and bring

us to a place where Psalm 40 as it

declares, he makes my footsteps firm. He

places me upon that solid rock, that

gospel foundation that is immovable and

unshakable. And not only does he place

us there, the scriptures declare that he

puts a new song in our mouth.

The letter to the Corinthian church

calls this new identity.

Romans calls it new focus, a renewed

mind,

an empowered sense of worship. And so

the text calls Jesus flesh and blood.

Not partially human, not half human,

half God, but 100% human, 100% God.

This is called the hypostatic union.

That's a theological term for us. That

means that Jesus wasn't partially God.

He wasn't partially human. He wasn't God

sometimes and human another time, but

both existing simultaneously. 100% God,

100% human. Now, if you're anything like

me, you hear that and you say, "Well, of

course Jesus could overcome temptation."

HE WAS 100% GOD. God's not subject to

the futility of this world. Now, that is

absolutely true. But I want you to

understand this. Jesus said he did not

count his equality with the father as

something to be grasped.

But he took on the form of human

so that knowing the mission that was

before him, he would endure death and

death on a cross.

You remember the story of Jesus prior to

his betrayal, his arrest, his trials,

crucifixion, his death. He's in

Gethsemane

and he is praying.

I mean he is he's has his heart just

this posture before the father and you

remember what he says

if this cup can pass me by

let it be done I don't want to die

if there's plan B if there's another

option I'll drink from that cup

but what what does he say how does he

conclude the prayer not my will but your

will be

He knew the cost and he stepped into it.

He knew the pain, he stepped into it. He

knew the suffering and he stepped into

it. What does this do for us

when we lack in our understanding or or

maybe maybe we refuse

to understand the fact that Jesus serves

as human as a human representative on

our behalf when there's a lack of

understanding. I think oftentimes, and

maybe you've been there before, we begin

to downplay our sin.

Well, it's not that bad. It's it's not

that important. It's it's just a small

sin.

But if your sin was small, if your sin

didn't matter, then the incarnation,

Jesus coming to earth, Jesus dying for

his people

would have no effect.

And if sin could be overlooked, God

could have absolutely forgiven from

heaven. But sin is a rebellion against

God's holiness. And when we downplay our

sin, I don't want us to forget this.

When we downplay our sin, we downplay

the very reason Jesus came into the

world.

Your sin is serious.

And often times we begin to compare

sins, do we not?

We'll look at the murderer on death row

and then we'll look at the individual

who has bitterness and anger in their

heart and we don't put them on an equal

playing field

and and there's a sense where yeah

they're not on an equal playing field

humanly speaking and yeah there are

different justices for both people.

There are different consequences and

ripple effects for both people. But when

it comes to missing the mark and

rebelling against the holiness of God,

the sin of murder, Jesus talks about

this, or whether it's just hate in the

heart,

it is both rebelling, rebelling against

the holiness of God. But oftentimes

we've fallen into the trap and we played

the comparison game

and we've thought because my sin is not

like him or her,

it's different. Don't fall into the trap

of downplaying your sin. Your sin and my

sin is heinous before God.

It's an insult to God. It's rebellion

before God. But I love this.

Our problem is not just our weakness

where Jesus steps in and becomes our

representative.

Our problem guilt.

We are guilty before God. And so what

does our guilt need? Our guilt needs

atonement.

Our sin must be paid for. Remember the

character of God. God is being faithful

to his character. Sin entered through

humanity. Therefore, humanity must pay

for sin. And this is standard throughout

the scriptures that there is no

forgiveness of sin without the shedding

of blood.

And the shedding of blood must be

innocent blood. It must be pure,

spotless, perfect. And all the

sacrificial system in the Old Testament

was all a shadow pointing to the lamb of

God who would come and take away the

sins of the world.

The animals on the altar weren't the

sacrifice in and of themselves,

but they were a reality of the greater

sacrifice, Jesus Christ himself. So

here's the second thing that we see.

Jesus died to make atonement and destroy

death. Go back with me to the second

part of verse 14.

So that through his death

he might destroy the one holding the

power of death that is the devil and

free those who were held in slavery all

their lives by the fear of death. I I I

want us to really understand this. Death

isn't just an event.

The fact that death is present is a

result of rebellion.

Death is a judgment

that was cast

because God is just. Death comes into

the world not because God is some cosmic

killjoy or that God wishes anger upon

his people, but it was the right

consequence for the evil that entered

into the universe. And what does death

do? It enslaves us. The scripture says

it enslaves us through fear.

And just like Jesus didn't bypass

entering into life, Jesus doesn't bypass

entering into death. He steps into it.

And and I want to really clarify

something here.

This is not a power struggle between the

devil and God.

There's there's there is a cosmic

battle. There is a spiritual war that is

happening. The scripture says in the

unseen realm where we don't battle

against flesh and blood. We battle

against powers and principalities and

the authorities of darkness that are not

of this world. But don't don't you dare

get caught in the trap of thinking this

is a power struggle between holiness and

evil

because it's not. It's not God engaging

in this war, his angels engaging in this

war. You and I engaging in this war as

if we will lose. The victory has already

happened. Now we live in what we refer

to as the already but not yet. We get

small tastes of what that victory

entails. We get small previews of what

that victory means for us. And we will

see its fulfillment and all its glory

when Christ returns, the second advent.

But make no mistake, this is not a power

struggle.

Rather, this was about Jesus fulfilling

the requirements

of God's character.

Death must pay for death.

This is what it's about. It's not God

versus the devil. That is no match. If

you remember, devil,

Satan, was called Lucifer.

He used to be an angel in heaven.

And at some point after creation, he

rebelled against God. How did God deal

with it?

He sent an angel to deal with it.

And the angel cast him out. Boom. You're

done. This is not a power struggle. The

devil is not God's equal. The cross is

not just about God demonstrating power

over Satan. It's about God dealing with

sin truthfully, faithfully, and justly.

Look at verse 17.

Therefore, he had to be like his

brothers and sisters in every way so

that he could become a merciful and

faithful high priest in matters

pertaining to God to make atonement for

the sins of his people. So, this forces

us to face the reality of our life. It

forces us to face this truth

that if I don't place my hope, faith,

and trust in Christ,

then his death on the cross is not

efficacious for me.

God's love is universal. And be careful

what I'm about to say. God's love is

universal.

His saving grace is not.

His saving grace is for his children.

Which means you need to exercise faith,

hope and trust in him. And if you don't

have faith, hope, and trust in him, then

you have not experienced his saving

grace. And if you are not experiencing

his saving grace, then you are

continually lost in your sin. And if you

are continually lost in your sin, at

your death, you will be separated from

God.

So what does Jesus do? Jesus dies the

death that we all should have died.

so that we can become his.

The savior who died for us does not step

away from us. He steps in closer. Here's

the third thing we see. Jesus stands

with us and he helps us in our struggle.

I love how our passage closes by showing

us what Christ's humanity and death mean

for us. Now, isn't this beautiful that

God doesn't just save us and leave us

alone? He doesn't just transform us and

tell us to figure it out on our own.

Jesus says, "I'm going, but I'm giving

you a helper.

Someone who will be with you. Someone

who will tabernacle with you. I've come

to dwell among you." So no matter where

you are, no matter where you find

yourself, I am there with you. And he's

not just with us, he's in us.

He dwells in me.

And what does his dwelling do?

It guides, it directs, holds us

accountable, convicts, points our hearts

where it needs to be pointed. Verse 18

says, "For since he himself

has suffered when he was tempted, he is

able to help those who are tempted."

This is the beauty of the incarnation,

beauty of Christ's birth. He chooses

unity with you and I over distance.

He enters in and he comes near.

In our pain, in our struggle,

mountaintop and valleys,

he walks with us. He walks in us.

So where do you run with your guilt?

Where do you run with your sin? I'm

reminded of took place in the garden.

You remember Adam and Eve rebelled

against God. They took the forbidden

fruit. They ate. They shared it. The

scripture says their eyes were open.

What was their eyes open to? The

scripture says their nakedness.

But some theological depth there means

that their eyes were open to the sin in

their life, the separation in their

life. And so when God came walking in

the garden, Adam, where are you? Eve,

where are you? I imagine they walked

with God daily. Of course they did.

And God as he enters into the garden,

they're nowhere to be found. Now God

knows where they are. God's all knowing.

He's omnicient, omnipotent, all

powerful.

He's everywhere all the time. And do you

remember the question he asked?

Where are you?

Why were you hiding? Because we were

naked. Who told you? Did you do what I

didn't ask you to do? God didn't lack an

information. He didn't lack knowledge.

But he, like any loving parent, asked

the question that you already know the

answer to

because you want your child to think

through what they're being asked, to

step into the conversation.

Our God is an inviting God. He's not a

distant God.

And in the sin of the very first humans,

he invites them in.

And there even through the consequence

we have the prophecy of Jesus who would

come and stomp

out Satan.

Jesus steps into our struggle. He steps

into our life. He steps into where we

are.

And if Jesus understands

the struggle, if he understands

the pain, then hiding from him makes no

sense.

Because our God is available and he's

available right now. That hope, that

joy, that peace that began in the

manger, it only makes sense in view of

the cross

of Jesus, Jesus living the life that we

couldn't live, dying to death we all

deserved, rising from the grave in

demonstration of his power and

authority. Not because it's a power

struggle between good and evil. The

victory has been declared,

but to remain faithful to the character

of God, to appease the justice

requirements of God on our behalf.

Church, our savior came near and he came

near to invite you in.

I pray that you would know him today.

Let's pray. Lord, would you bless our

time

as we continue to gather and and seek

you and pursue you and worship you?

Would you would you move and work and be

stirred in this place

so that we would come into greater

acknowledgements

of how you're moving and working.

Lord, bless us,

guide us, direct us. May we be a people

who honor you. In Christ's name we pray.

All God's people said, "Amen." Hey,

let's stand together.