HEBREWS 2:5-182008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Hebrews 2:5-18

This morning as we finish up Hebrews chapter 2, we're looking at

at the humanity of Jesus Christ. We've been studying through the first part of chapter 2 and all of chapter 1 at the deity of Jesus Christ, learning that Jesus Christ is more than an angel because He in fact is God. And we saw that in very many ways and the author of Hebrews proved it from the scriptures quite clearly that Jesus Christ is God.

And yet, the wonderful mystery of godliness, the wonderful mystery of Christianity, is that although Jesus Christ is God, Philippians chapter 2 describes that He emptied Himself out

and came in humility in the form of a man. But not only did He come in the form of a man, but He humbled Himself even to come as a servant. And not only did He come as a servant, but He came and He was obedient even to the point of death, the death upon the cross. Not a glorious death, not a death to rejoice in or be proud of, but it was a shameful death, the death of criminals, the death of common thieves.

Jesus Christ being God humbled himself and subjected himself to the cruelties of the Roman soldiers. He humbled himself and lived this life. I remember quite a while ago reading through a book by Max Lucado and he was dealing with the humanity of Jesus Christ and considering the things that that meant and how possibly he stubbed his toe. He experienced those things

Well, those things that we've experienced, the daily aches and pains of life, the groanings of this body when we run into things or hit ourselves with the hammer or stub our toe or get hurt in some way, the daily things that we experience in emotions,

The daily things that we experience in being tired, of losing energy, and all of the things that we go through constantly. Jesus became a man. He humbled himself and he subjected himself to those feelings, those experiences, those pains. The amazing truth of this salvation that we have is that the captain of our salvation is

Being God became man. This does not make Jesus half God and half man. We need to be clear on this. Not like the legend of Hercules, you know, he's 50% God and 50% man or some other ratio in there. No, in fact, Jesus is fully God and

And He is also fully man. He is 100% God, 100% man. Jesus Christ being God added to His deity the character, the nature of humanity. Fully God and fully man. And here in Hebrews chapter 2, the author of Hebrews is explaining this took place. Jesus Christ became a man because it was necessary. Right?

The humanity of Jesus Christ is not just a kind of a nice extra. You know, just kind of the frosting on the top. You know, God gives us salvation. And, you know, in addition, He made His own Son, Jesus Christ, become a man. And, you know, that's a nice addition to what God has done. When we're looking at the humanity of Jesus Christ, we're looking at something that had to be done. It was absolutely necessary.

For Jesus Christ to become man. You and I could not be saved if Jesus Christ did not become man. We would have no hope of heaven if Jesus Christ did not empty himself and come in the form of a servant. If you take away the deity of Jesus Christ, he is no savior. If you take away the humanity of Jesus Christ, again, he is no savior.

Only in this unique position of being fully God and fully man is Jesus Christ able to save those who call upon His name. The truth of Jesus Christ must include His humanity. He had to become man. The author of Hebrews will deal with this in a variety of ways. I'm going to narrow it down to three for us to examine this morning. Pretty easy to remember. Past, present, and future.

Although we won't be looking at them in that order, those are things that we're familiar with. The past, the present, and the future. The humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had to become a man for the past, for the present, and for the future. And the first one we'll look at is the future. The future subjection of the world. Verse 5 says, "...for He has not put the world to come of which we speak in subjection to angels."

Now as the author is continuing to compare Jesus Christ with the angels to show that Jesus is far superior to the angels...

Again, He showed that and demonstrated that by the deity of Jesus Christ, but also in Jesus' humanity, He is far superior to the angels. Why? Well, because He has not put the world to come. God has not placed the world that is yet to come, the future world, He has not placed that world in subjection to angels. Why?

Simply put, Jesus had to become a man because God has appointed man to have dominion over the earth. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, we're familiar with the first part. God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness.

But he goes on to say there in verse 26, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. When God created man, he did so with the intent, with the purpose, that man would have dominion over all of creation, over all the earth.

He did so with the intent that man would rule, that the earth would be in subjection to man, to humanity. Angels are not going to rule the earth. They're not going to rule the world that is to come. It's not the order that God has established. And so, if Jesus were an angel, which He's not, but if He was, then He would not be able to establish His kingdom. Because, well, the world that is to come is not...

Put under the subjection of angels. Who is it put in subjection to? Well, we see that in verses 6 through 8. But one testified in a certain place saying, this one that he speaks of is David, and it's in Psalm chapter 8 verses 4 through 6. And it goes like this. What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands.

You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. Here quoting from Psalm chapter 8, the author of Hebrews along with David asked the question, What is man that you are mindful of him? As Jonathan was mentioning earlier, as we look at the heavens and we examine and we see things,

How big God is. This is what David experienced. David, perhaps out in the field watching the sheep one night, sees the stars, sees the expanse of the universe, sees all of creation. And he says, what is man that you are mindful of him? He asked God, what is man? Why do you care so much about these human beings that you have created? Do you ever ask that question?

Why does God care so much about us? Why is it that He pays us so much attention? Why is it that the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Creator of the universe, desires to have fellowship and relationship with us? What is man that you are mindful of him? David goes on to say, you have made him a little lower than the angels. In our current bodies, we're inferior.

to angels. We're more limited than they are. Now, in our glorified bodies, things will be turned around. We were created in the image of God. We have a unique place of being called the children of God. And so God has in store for us a place that is not a little lower than the angels. But in our current form, what are we? We're dust. Dust and 70% water. So what is that? We're just mud. We're just

That's all we are. Why does God pay attention to us? What is, man, that you are mindful of Him? We're lower than the angels and yet it goes on to say you've crowned Him, you've crowned humanity and mankind with glory and honor and set them over the works of your hands. You've given man dominion. You've...

placed creation in subjection to Him. Although man is inferior to angels, God has crowned mankind with glory and honor. He set man in a role of authority and dominion over the world, the world that is and the world that is to come. This is not a position or a place that we have earned. It's just the place that God has given to us. It's the place that God intended back in the beginning in Genesis chapter 1 when He created man.

He gave man this role, this place. But he says, now we do not yet see all things put under him. This is the place that God has given to man. You've put all things in subjection under his feet. Again, emphasizing the point, this is the role and place that God has given to mankind, not to angelic beings. But what we see now is not...

Man fulfilling this role that God has appointed to him. Although man has this place of glory and honor, we do not yet see it. And why don't we see it? Well, it happened, we estimate, about 6,000 years ago. Adam and Eve in the garden sinned against God. In doing so, they surrendered the rightful place that God had given to them.

Sin came in and impacted and affected Adam and Eve. Not only them, but their offspring, all the way down to you and I, were born with a sinful nature as a result of that act there, that sin in the garden. But not just us, but all creation was subject to bondage as well because of this sin. This was a fall that impacted the whole world and creation itself.

Now, this is why we're talking about the future. Right now in the present, we don't see this. But the clear teaching of Scripture shows in the future, this will be fulfilled. Although man blew it there in the garden, although you and I continue to blow it today,

God's not done with us. He's not given up on us. And He still promises to fulfill His Word in the future. And the way that He's going to do that, the way that the world to come will be in subjection to man, well, it takes place through the person of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus had to become a man in order to reverse the effects of the fall. The fall there in the Garden of Eden reversed everything.

The world reversed humanity. Now we are in subjection to our flesh. Those without Christ are under subjection and under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. We once walked among the sons of disobedience. There's disorder in the universe because of sin. But Jesus Christ became a man to reverse that effect, to reverse what took place there in the garden.

You see, he had to become a man so that the world to come would be in subjection to man. Primarily, we're talking about the man Jesus Christ. Jesus will return and establish his kingdom on this earth. And he has the right to because it's the place that God has given to man. Jesus Christ had to become a man so he could have that rightful place and that he could establish his dominion.

He became a man for the future subjection of the world. And so there's glory yet to come. And man, we could spend weeks on end just in these few verses, but let's continue to move on.

And I'll probably say that each section we go into because there's so much here. I really encourage you to dig in more on your own and allow God to speak to you and meditate on these things because it's just amazing what it means for us that Jesus Christ became a man. So first, it means the future subjection of the world will be to humanity, will be to mankind under the rule of Jesus Christ. But second, we see that it also...

was important, it was essential for our past. Verse 9, but we see Jesus. Now, jumping off of verse 8 where it says, we do not yet see all things put under Him. Here's what we do see. Verse 9, we see Jesus who is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. We do not yet see the world in subjection to man, but what we do see...

What has already happened, what has taken place in the past, is Jesus Christ became a man. For what purpose? For the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor. Jesus Christ became a man so that he might suffer and die. Now the truth of this whole section here that we're getting into is that Jesus had to become one of us in order to save us.

The author of Hebrews will make that clear a couple of times. He had to become like us. He had to partake of flesh and blood. He had to become a man in order to save man. Again, this is not just an extra added nice thing that He did for us. This is what was required. This was what was necessary. This was the only way for you and I to have relationship with God. For Jesus Christ to become man

for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor. He had to become a man so that he could die. So that he could experience the death of man, he had to become man. We needed a perfect sacrifice. Now we can look around the room. Where do we find one of those? A perfect sacrifice. We won't find one here. That is only found in the person of Jesus Christ. He had to become man so that he could suffer death.

That He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone, the author of Hebrews says. Not just to die. It wasn't just that He came so that He could die, but to die for everyone. In everyone's place. On behalf of everyone. He died taking our place so that we do not have to. It's why Jesus was able to tell Martha, whoever believes in Me, though he may die, yet he shall live.

He tasted death for everyone. The grace of God is that Jesus died in my place and in your place. He took your place there upon the cross. He took the place of every human being because that's what was necessary. Someone had to die. Someone had to pay the price for our sin, for our sinful nature. There needed to be a price that was paid.

And you couldn't pay it and I couldn't pay it and I certainly couldn't pay it for you and you couldn't pay it for me. But Jesus Christ being God, becoming man, was able to pay that price not just for Russell, not just for Jay, but for all of humanity. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is praying to the Father. And He says, Lord, if there's any other way, nevertheless, not My will, but Your will be done. If there's any other way, let this cup pass from Me.

If mankind can have relationship with God any other way but Jesus Christ drank of the cup that was given to him. He tasted death for everyone. Why? Because there was no other way. That's why there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. There's no other way. Jesus Christ had to die. It was necessary for him to taste death for everyone else.

to pay our price, to take our place so that we can have relationship with God. Verse 10, For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. It was fitting. It was right. The right thing to do for God in bringing many sons to glory, in bringing many people to the glory of God.

and bringing many people into eternity. The right thing to do was to make the captain of their salvation, the captain of our salvation is Jesus Christ, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. In wanting to bring you to glory and me to glory, God did what was fitting. He did what was right. He did the only thing that would make it possible for

He made Jesus Christ perfect through sufferings. And you might say, well, isn't Jesus already perfect? Yes, He is. He was already perfect. This word perfect simply means to be complete. He made the captain of our salvation complete through suffering. And what was that completion that was done? What needed to be completed? He could not be a complete Savior until He had suffered.

Just let your mind absorb that for a second. If Jesus Christ had not suffered, He could not be our Savior. If He had not been crucified and beaten, if He had not been put to death, He could not be our Savior. There's another aspect of making Him complete that I think is worthy of consideration, and that is that we are the body of Christ. Scripture speaks about the fullness of the Gentiles being brought in.

And at that time, God will begin those last days, the last things that He has in store for the earth, the tribulation period and such. He made the captain of our salvation complete through suffering. And that through His suffering and through His death, we being the body of Christ might be brought to completion. That we might be brought to perfection. That Jesus would not be complete without you as part of His body. Because you're a member of the body of Christ.

He's brought to completion as those who will respond, those who will receive His gift of eternal life, turn to Him and receive that offer and enter into relationship with Him. In both cases, He was not a complete Savior until He suffered. Verse 11, For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one.

Again, we're the body of Christ. For which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Jesus had to become a man. He had to become one of us because the one who sanctifies is one with those who are being sanctified. So the one who's doing the sanctifying is united, is in fellowship, is in communion, is in likeness with those who are being sanctified. And I think we would probably all say in unison, What? What?

What does that mean? What is that even talking about? I would ask you to consider it this way. There are those who are very brave and they fly out in helicopters and they jump out of them into stormy seas in order to save someone from drowning in that sea. The way to save them is to dive in with them. Think about a mountain rescue. You're mountain climbing. You need to get rescued. How are you going to get rescued?

Well, the rescuers got to go on the mountain with you. Recently, with the threat of the hurricane, the mayor of New Orleans announced a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. And he made it very clear. We want everybody, he said, we want 100% evacuation. If you decide to stay, you are on your own. Why did he say that? Well, because anybody who would...

be available to rescue those who decided to stay behind, would have to go through the devastation that would be there if that hurricane hit at full force. In order to be rescued, they would have to go through, they would have to be in the same environment, the same situation. Now carry that on to Jesus Christ. In order to save us from the pit of death, Jesus had to jump in.

He had to become one of us and conquer death so that we could be free. He who is sanctifying us is one with us because He jumped in with us. He became man. He entered into our dangerous environment. He entered into that which was killing us. That which threatened to destroy us forever in order to save us out of this sinful body that we have. So that now, the author of Hebrews says...

He's not ashamed to call us brethren. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. We're not just His creation, although certainly we are that. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. Why? Because He became man. He became one of us. We are His brethren because He became a human being. Verse 12 and 13 says,

Emphasize this, saying, Here the author of Hebrews quotes from a couple different portions of the Old Testament. Psalm chapter 22, Isaiah chapter 8 says,

Again, pointing out that Jesus is able to call us brethren. And in the midst of the assembly, how we're united together, there's this fellowship. We're one together with Jesus Christ. And he's not ashamed to be, well, to be called, or for us to be called and him to call us brethren. Here I am and the children whom God has given me. He's not ashamed to be in our midst, to be part of us.

He's not ashamed for us to be a part of the body of Christ because He became one of us. Verse 14, "...inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Jesus had to become a man looking in the future for the future subjection of the earth. He had to become a man now looking back for us in order for him to conquer death. That through death he might destroy him who had the power of death and release those who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Just as you and I are flesh and blood, He had to share in that. He had to experience that. He had to participate and put on flesh and blood. He had to become man in order to save us from death. And how did He save us from death? Through death. He saves us from death. Through His own death. In order to save us from death, in order to save us from the fear of death,

And that bondage that we were subject to, Jesus became a man to conquer death. He destroyed the one who had the power of death, which is Satan or the devil. And how did he destroy him? By his own death. By his perfect sacrifice. The devil is destroyed because now, by the grace of God, you and I can be forgiven. He tasted death for us on our behalf, in our place.

We can be released from the fear of death. For the Christian, we are set free from the fear of death because Jesus died on our behalf. And again, for those who believe in Him, He said, though He may die, yet He shall live. We can be released from that fear. Jesus went through it. He went through death to conquer death, but also to show us it's okay. In a sense, jump on in, the water is great. He went before us to show us you can do it. Nothing to fear.

Just as I was resurrected, you will be as well. Jesus had to become a man so that he could suffer death for you and I. His humanity was necessary for the future subjection of the world. His humanity was necessary for his death done in the past in our place for our sin. But there's also the present. Jesus' humanity is necessary. He had to become a man

In order to aid us in the present. Look at verse 16. For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. He does not give aid to angels. This word aid, it means to help, but it also means to help in such a way that you take hold of something or someone. Jesus Christ became a man in order to take hold of you and I.

Right now in the present. The future glory, the world that is to come, hallelujah, there's some great things that God has in store. The past and taking care of our sins so that we can enter into eternity, that's done. And Jesus Christ became a man to accomplish those things. But it's not just for later that God sent His Son to die.

His humanity doesn't just mean later on when I die I can enter into heaven or when the rapture happens I'll go to be with Jesus. His humanity means that right now in the present He can take hold of you and He can help you. Just as Peter when he climbed out of the boat and he started to walk on the water as Jesus commanded him but he saw the waves and the wind and he gets freaked out and he starts to sink and he cries out and Jesus grabs hold of him and

picks him up and puts him into the boat. That's the idea here. He doesn't give aid to angels. And although we are in this place of being a little lower than the angels, God has chosen to pay attention to us. And he's chosen that when we're in a time of need, we can call upon him and he will give aid to the seed of Abraham. Jesus Christ became a man for our present aid. Understand, this life is important. He didn't just die for us for the next life.

He died for us so that we could live this life, an abundant life. Don't discount this life. Don't just live this life however you want, thinking that Jesus, well, that all matters for eternity, but it doesn't matter right now. The whole point of Jesus' death is so that you can have relationship with God starting right now. So that you can have life in His name starting right now.

So that you could walk with Him starting right now in the present. That you could have abundant life right now in His name. That you could have His strength as God told the Apostle Paul, My strength is made perfect in weakness. What is God telling Paul there? I'm going to give you aid, Paul. I'm going to strengthen you through this. I'm going to get you through this. He doesn't give aid to angels, but He does give aid to

to the seed of Abraham. This life and the way that we live matters. God gives us aid and He helps us in this life because He desires for us to live it well. For us to store up treasures in heaven. To build up those rewards and prepare us for eternity. This life has a unique place in that preparation, in that time, in God's plan for us for the rest of eternity. And so He gives us aid that we might live this life well.

He says he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Who's the seed of Abraham? Well, if we're just looking physically, we would be talking about the Jewish people. Which, of course, that's who is being written to. This book of Hebrews written to the Hebrews. Yet Galatians chapter 3 tells us that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. We're talking spiritual children of Abraham.

Those who are of faith. Those who have believed in Jesus Christ. God gives aid to those who have put their faith and trust in Him. Verse 17, Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. He gives aid to the seed of Abraham. He gives aid to those who put their trust in Him. And so therefore...

He had to be made like his brethren. He had to become a man. He had to partake of flesh and blood like you and I so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest. We're going to deal more with the high priest later on in the book of Hebrews, but let's just look at merciful and faithful. Merciful, he doesn't deal with us according to our sin. And faithful means that he's reliable and trustworthy and does not fail.

Jesus mercifully and faithfully made propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means to appease. Jesus appeased the wrath of God because of my sin faithfully and mercifully once and for all upon the cross. He took care of the debt that I owed. Jesus became a man. He had to share everything.

just like His brethren. He had to share humanity, become flesh and blood, so that He could be the High Priest that would faithfully and mercifully take us into the presence of God. Having abolished our sin, having appeased the judgment that was due to us because of our sin, now we have this High Priest

who is available for our present aid. Verse 18, For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Jesus Himself suffered. Why? Because He became a man. He suffered this life. He went through it. Even more than you and I have ever experienced or could ever experience, Jesus experienced. He suffered, being tempted. And because He did, He is able to aid those

He's able to take hold of those who call upon Him, those who are being tempted. Whatever you go through, however you suffer, Jesus Christ is able to aid you, to help you, to take hold of you in the midst of that trial. The worship team is going to come up right now and we're going to prepare our hearts for communion. And what a perfect time as we've been looking at the humanity of Jesus Christ to prepare our hearts for communion.

Before we enter into communion, though, they're going to lead us in one song. And during this song, I want to encourage you just to go before the Lord and use this time to spend it with Him, to prepare your heart to remember what He has done for us, to go into the throne room of God, into the presence of God. In Hebrews chapter 4, we'll get to it in a couple of weeks,

It tells us we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Because Jesus Christ became a man, he is able to aid us, take hold of us right now in the present. And so right now in the present, as they lead us in this psalm,

I want to ask you, encourage you, because we have a faithful and merciful high priest, enter boldly into the throne of God, the throne of grace, and find mercy and grace to help, to aid you in time of need. And so as they lead us in this first song, just meditate, go into the presence of God. You know, I think it'd be really appropriate, forgive me for putting you on the spot, Rosie, but if some of you ladies would just gather around Rosie and

lay hands upon her and lift her up and the loss of her father yesterday. I know there's a very real sense of the aid that's necessary of Jesus Christ taking hold of and walking with because He went through this life. He suffered these things. So if you ladies would like to lay hands on her and just pray for her, we'll just spend some time in the presence of God and allow Him to work in our lives and preparing our hearts for communion.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.