Christ The True and Better - Hebrews 2:5-9 - The Better Adam pt.1

writer wrote what he wrote. So before we get started, let's pray we're gonna be going through

a walk. This is, we are literally gonna talk about three verses. That is it. But it's a lot. So I was

hoping to get through the whole chapter and I'm studying and, and got stuck on verse five. And

all of a sudden I watched John Piper. All of a sudden it just flooded my brain, all this information.

So I'm going to hopefully, by God's grace, present it, not overwhelmingly, but biblically. And you

guys will see why God wrote what he wrote. So Father, I want to thank you so much for your

faithfulness. Thank you Lord for your word. Thank you that it is true that everything you have given

us is for life and godliness, that we would exemplify you and glorify you throughout every aspect of our

lives. And Lord, we ask you to forgive us, that we have taken what you have given us and we have

squandered it. So Lord, we come before you and we thank you that you, Christ, are the better Adam. To

you be honor and glory forever in Jesus name. Amen. So the message today is Christ the better Adam.

And you'll see why I say that. I can't help but look at the book of Hebrews and see that it is

really truly about Christ the better in every aspect. So we dealt with Christ the better messenger,

Christ the better message. And now we are Christ the better Adam and the importance of that message

that was given by him. So verse one through four says this, chapter two, verse one through four,

therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we've heard, lest we drift away from it. For

since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, in every transgression or disobedience

received in just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? There's your

food statement. It was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard,

while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy

Spirit distributing according to his will. What would you do if you neglected such a great salvation?

That's really the issue here. In Luke chapter 14, verse 15 through 24, I want you to notice something.

Luke 14:15–24

Luke 14, 15 through 24. You guys can turn here, I'll wait. And thinking about this great salvation,

just being able to watch Pepper's message and he brought up Luke 14, I went and studied it. And

there's some things that really popped out at me concerning this passage that really fits the

reality of that statement, don't neglect such a great salvation. Here's what it says, when one of

those who reclined at the table with Jesus heard these things, he said to him, blessed is everyone

who will eat bread in the kingdom of God. But Jesus said to him, he said to him, a man once gave a

great banquet and invited many. And at that time, at the time, at that time for the banquet, he sent

his servant to say to those who have been invited, come for everything is now ready. But they all

alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, I bought a field, I must go out and see it,

please have me excused. Another said to him, I bought five yoke of oxen, I go to examine them,

please have me excused. Another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So

the servant came and reported these things to the master, the master of the house became angry and

said to the servant, go quickly to the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in the poor and

the crippled and the blind in the lane. And the servant said, sir, what you have commanded has

been done and still there is room. And the master said to the servant, go out to the highways and

the hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those

men who were invited shall taste my banquet. They have neglected such a great salvation. It doesn't

matter if God served it on a silver platter. They don't want to be in his house because they don't

want him. So what did Jesus do? He went out and told the disciples, go into Jerusalem and to Judea

and to the region and out to the other parts of the world. That's exactly what he did. He went in,

it went out, it went out to the closest regions of Jerusalem and Judea and they brought people in and

there was still room. And guess what? They're still coming in because we are from the highways and the

hedges and we are being compelled to come into the house so that his house will be filled. That's

an important thing for us to understand when we get into why man neglects such a great salvation.

This is the tale of two worlds. The tale of two worlds. The world to come and the heavenly

kingdom. Verse five. For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come. What world to

come? The kingdom. Turn to verse 14. What's it say? And are they not all ministering spirits sent out

to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? So this kingdom to come, this world to

come is the kingdom. It's God's heavenly world. Look what it says. For it was not to angels that

God subjected the world to come of which we are speaking. What is he speaking? This great

salvation. He's speaking of chapter two verses one through four. This is what we're talking about.

We're talking about therefore pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest you drift

away from it. This message that was declared by angels through to be reliable in every transgression

was taken care of in Christ. And that God bears witness to this reality of the kingdom of salvation

in Christ. And so chapter two verse five is about the world to come. It's important that we think

about this. Now look what it says in verse six through eight. The world we lost. It has been

testified somewhere. What is man that you are mindful of, for the son of man that you care for

him? You made him a little lower than the angels and you 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 of his control. At present we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. Who

is him? That's the question here. Many would assume because the word here put everything in

subjection under his feet is Jesus. That is not true. Jesus comes later in the conversation in

verse nine. Verse six through eight is dealing with the him. Who is the him? It's a very important statement. This word

subjection means to have dominion. That God had given dominion to him and left nothing outside of

his control. He left nothing past tense. What did he leave in subjection or in dominion to this man?

Genesis chapter one verse 25 through 27. Turn there. Now what's interesting is this Psalm, what is man

that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him, you made him a little lower than the

angels and you found him glory and honor in everything in subjection under his feet. Now I'm putting

everything in subjection. That is actually Psalm eight, which we will go to after Genesis. Because I think

it's important that you see this so that you can understand Psalm eight. Look what it says in

Genesis one 25 to 27. Then God said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness and let him have

dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the livestock and over all the earth

and over everything that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him

male and female. That's important. Kind of puts a lot of monkey wrenches in a lot of things. We're not going to

get into those. This word dominion means subjection to. God has subjected the fish of the sea, the birds of

the heavens, the livestock and all the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth to the man.

What man? Adam. Him. He subjected it to him. So the him right now seems to be Adam. It's important because

when we get to verse nine, this will rock our minds. Look what it says in Psalm eight. We're going to read the whole

Psalm. Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens

and out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes to still the enemy of

your danger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in

place, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? This is not talking about

Jesus. Look at the vastness of everything you see every single night. Why would God even take it thought to us?

Why would he not have other grandness that man should be mindful of us? He shouldn't even think of us. But the

reason why he does so is because we're the only thing in all the creation that is created in his image. We are the

only image bearers. So there are no UFOs. Now, that being said, keep reading. You have made him a little lower than the

knees. Yes, we are. And crowned him with glory and honor. Yes, we did. We were the apple of his eye. And you have

given him dominion over the works of your hands and you have put all things under his feet. If this was talking

about Jesus, that would imply Jesus wasn't the one who did it. Jesus is the one who created all things. He created

man. He is the spoken word. All sheep and oxen and also the beasts of the field and birds of heavens and the fish

and the sea. Whatever passes along the path of the sea, doesn't that sound like Genesis 1? Oh, Lord, our Lord, how

majestic is your name in all the earth. I think just based on these few scriptures in Genesis and in Psalm 8, we

can come to a very clear conclusion that the man that God is talking about here is Adam, mankind. So what is man

that you are mindful of him, son of man that you care for him? Remember verse 5? That it was not to angels that

God had given dominion. And it's not to angels that God has given dominion to of the world to come. There has to be

a better man because the first man screwed it all up. The first Adam didn't hold on to the dominion. He lost it all.

That's the problem here. This is what the writer is bringing us to. Not only is Christ the better messenger and he is

the better message, the only message, but he is the better Adam because the first Adam didn't do it. And that we will

be brought back to what God has originally intended for us. We will one day have dominion, but he will rule as king.

And this is what it says. Look what it says. This is Christ the better Adam, the one and true dominion. Verse 9.

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus. Christ for a little while was made

lower than the angels. You see the difference there? The first Adam was made lower than the angels. The second Adam is

a little while lower than the angels. He became man for a little while. Jesus, who was crowned with glory and honor

because of the suffering of death. What was the one thing that separated us from our dominion, from the very reason why God

created us? To glorify him, to work, to enjoy him forever, and to walk on this earth that he's given us.

Adam sins. And the wages of sin is death. So that second Adam, in order to have dominion, must die. That's the point.

There has to be a suffering of death. So that dominion, when he raises from the dead, dominion will be given to him and

him forever. That's what it says. So that by the grace of God, he, meaning Christ, might face death for everyone.

So that mankind will have dominion one day. Through Christ. In the same way that we have to have righteousness through

Christ, justification through Christ, our inheritance through Christ, dominion must come through Christ. Everything revolves

around him and through him and for him. Here is my point. What Adam could not do, Christ has done. What Adam did do,

Christ destroyed. What Adam failed to do, Christ accomplished once and all. Adam could not keep dominion, so Christ rules

and all authority has been given to him. Philippians chapter two. Adam did sin and lost all dominion. Christ destroyed sin and

death and brought us to life. Adam failed to keep the righteousness of God by disobeying him, but Christ accomplished by

obeying the Father and so fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law. Christ is the better Adam. That is the point.

Who is better? So when we read chapters two, five through nine, we cannot help but come to the realization that Christ is the better.

What is man that you are mindful of? The son of man that you care for him. The only thing I can say is I'm thankful for the

failure of the first Adam because now I can experience a grace that in all creation we are the only ones who experience it.

God doesn't give grace to the animals and the birds and the creeping things. God gives grace to us. Not even the angels can experience that grace.

Can you imagine if there was never sin? Would you really understand the grace of God? If sin didn't exist, would you really come to understand the mercy and grace and the faith of God? Would you even know what it is? God is grace and mercy and he is faith. And because of the failure of one man, we've experienced in abundance what we don't deserve. And he's freed us from what we do deserve. And then he's going to give to us what we failed to care for. But he will reign. The God man will reign. And we will work his garden. We will enjoy the fruit. And we will sit at his table. We'll eat at his banquet. We're going to enjoy him forever. So when you read chapter two. see that. Next week, we'll pick up in Hebrews chapter two, verse 10 through the rest of the chapter. If something else doesn't pop out. But don't walk away without understanding the importance of the second animal. The better Adam. The God man. Father, I want to thank you so much, Lord Jesus, that you are so faithful and so good. Thank you that you have spoken to your people through your word. Thank you that you are the better animal. Thank you that you have dominion and all authority and rule. You are sovereign. And you became for a little while, a little lower than the angels to redeem and purchase back what was rightfully belonging to you, to your people. We thank you that through the suffering and death, you have brought a people to yourself, that you have traveled the highways and the byways and the hedges and you're continually bringing us in. We praise you and thank you. We thank you that you love us so very much. Do you be honored with your friend. In Jesus name, Amen.