Hebrews
2:10-18
1.
One of Ann Landers’ classic newspaper columns was entitled "A
hysterical view of the historical."
In that column she listed what are purported to be actual statements
made by high school students on history and English exams. She got the information from the works of
Richard Lederer, a well-known American author.
Listen to what some high school students had to say about some major
historical figures--
--Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who died from an overdose of
wedlock...
--William Tell shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his
son's head...
--Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling
papal indulgences. He died a horrible
death, being excommunicated by a bull...
--Sir Walter Raleigh invented cigarettes...
--Sir Frances Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper...
--John Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote
"Paradise Regained."
--Gravity was invented by Isaac Walton.
It is chiefly noticeable in autumn, when apples are falling off the
trees.
--Bach and Handel were famous composers.
Handel was half-German, half-Italian, and half-English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present.
--Beethoven was so deaf that he wrote loud music. He expired in 1827 and later died from this.
--Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers...
2. I suppose those statements
should serve to remind us that it's easy to get the facts of history
confused. But it's important that we not
make that mistake when it comes to understanding who Jesus is and what He does
for us.
3. In our last session began
looking at a paragraph in Hebrews 2 which clearly sets forth the identity of
Jesus and the work of Jesus. The
paragraph begins at verse 9 and goes to the end of the chapter. From Hebrews 2:9, the first verse of the
paragraph, we saw that when we really see Jesus we see--
--humility (Jesus was made for awhile a little lower than the
angels...He left the glory of heaven to dwell on the earth...)
--sacrifice (He died on the cross)
--substitute (He died in our place)
In this session, from the
remainder of this paragraph, we are going to focus on some specific things
Jesus does for us.
Want you to think for a moment of the most significant
thing anyone has ever done for you...perhaps was some gift given out of
love...perhaps some kind word or compliment...maybe some personal favor done
for you at great sacrifice of someone else...hold that thought in your mind for
moment...want you to know that no matter how significant or how great the thing
another person did on your behalf, it pales in comparison with what Jesus has
done and continues to do for you...and from this rather long, complicated
passage want share with you in summary form five things Jesus is doing for
every person who trusts his or her life to Him...
I. Jesus shows us the way to
salvation
1. One of most descriptive titles for Jesus to be found in Scripture
is in verse 10...called "the author of ... salvation"...word
translated "author" in NASB and "captain"
in the KJV is archegos...word literally means "pioneer"
or "leader"...
2. Jesus is like a pioneer who
has gone before us and blazed a trail for us to follow...and as we follow after
Him, He leads us into salvation...
3. William Barclay illustrates the meaning of the word archegos this way...says suppose ship
was stuck on some rocks not too far from shore...the only way get passengers
safely to shore was for someone to swim through the surf with a line so that
once the line was secured the other passengers could take hold of it and follow
it safely to shore...Barclay says the one who was first to swim to shore would
be the archegos...that person
would have blazed the way to safety for the others...
4. That's what Jesus has done for
us...He has gone before us and shown us the way to salvation...
II. Jesus makes us holy before
God
1. Verse 11 describes those who
are followers of Jesus as "those who are sanctified"...word
"sanctified" is from same word family as word "holy"...there's
a wonderful thought here...
2. From our perspective, it is
very difficult to think of ourselves as holy...after all, we are very aware of
our sinful nature...we know our evil thoughts and we know our un-Christlike
actions...
3. But as a result of the
sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, in eyes of God we are holy...that's because
instead of seeing our sin, when God looks at our lives, He sees the sacrifice
of His Son for our sins...
4. Our holiness in God's eyes is
not something we have achieved in our strength...it's not a result of our good
conduct...it's what Jesus does for us...one writer put it this way: "Before God, those who are in His
Son are holy. We may not act holy, but
we are holy -- just as a child who often does not act like his father or please
his father is still his father's child.
We are holy in the sense that before God the righteousness of Christ has
been applied and imputed in our behalf." [McArthur, p.67]
III. Jesus
makes us part of God's family
1.Family terminology permeates this section of Hebrews--
--in v.10 we are referred to as "sons"...
--in v.11 God is called "Father" and we are
described as "brethren" or brothers of Jesus...
--in v.12 we are again called "brethren" or
brothers...
--then in v.13 and again in v.14 we are called "children"
2. Point of all that is when we
gave our lives to Christ, we became part of a spiritual family...under the
Fatherhood of God and the Lordship of Jesus, we are brothers and sisters in the
family of God...
3. I have an older brother who is today and always has been one of my heroes...he's
kind, unselfish person who is always concerned about welfare of others...when I
was small wanted go everywhere he went...would follow him like a shadow...can
imagine this caused some problems in our family...when wanted go somewhere
without me, would wait until my guard was down, burst out the backdoor, and run
around and around the outside house until he lost me...sure there were times he
wished I wasn't his brother...
4. But Jesus never feels that way
about us...told in v.11 that "He is not ashamed to call [us]
brethren..."...He gladly makes us part of God's family...
IV. Jesus
delivers us from the terror of death
1. In v.14 the writer of Hebrews
points out again that Jesus became flesh and He came to our world...and through
His death He defeated the one who holds the power of death, the devil...one
writer put it this way: "The
only way to destroy Satan was to rob him of his weapon, death -- physical
death, spiritual death, eternal death.
Satan knew that God required death for us because of sin. Death had become the most certain fact of life. Satan knew that [all people], if they
remained as they were, would die and go out of God's presence into hell
forever. Satan wants to hold onto
[people] until they die, because once they are dead the opportunity for
salvation is gone forever. [People]
can't escape after death. So God had to
wrest from Satan the power of death. And
just for that purpose Jesus came." [McArthur, p.69-70]
2. And the result of His coming
--of His death and resurrection from the dead-- is spelled out clearly in
v.15...and that is that He "might deliver those who through fear of
death were subject to slavery all their lives."
3. And point of all that is that
while still hurts when we are separated from loved one by death, Jesus has
robbed death of its terror and dread and sting...and in place of those things
has given us hope...and He accomplished that by going before us in death...
4. One of my professors in seminary was Dr. John Kiwiet...at one time
became very ill and had one of those near death experiences...he said
experienced transition from this world to the next like walking through a long
tunnel...tunnel was very narrow and lined with sharp thorns...impossible walk
through without being scratched by the thorns...but as entered tunnel noticed
all thorns had been broken in direction was walking so walls of tunnel were
smooth...on tips of each thorn was drop of blood...realized God's way of
telling him he didn't need to fear death because Jesus had gone before him and
paved the way...
V. Jesus helps
us overcome temptation
1. Look at very last phrase in
this paragraph in v.18...says "He is able to come to the aid of
those who are tempted..."...Why?
Because any temptation we face he has already faced and overcome...
2. When facing some crisis or
difficult problem and need some help, just makes sense to seek the counsel of
someone who has already successfully dealt with the kind of situation with
which you're struggling...
3. And do well to remember that
whatever we may face in this life, Jesus has faced it before us...and whatever
path we must walk, Jesus has walked it before us...and when going gets tough
can turn to Him and with confidence say, "Lord you know what I'm going
through...you understand thoroughly... please help me through this..."
4 .Later in Hebrews we're told
of Jesus, "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet
without sin."...and that, above all else, qualifies Him to help us
with our temptations...
CONCLUSION
1. A man named Tony Bullimore was competing in an around the world yacht
race when his boat capsized in icy water near Antarcita...was trapped in cabin,
in freezing water up to his neck, being thrown about by large waves...expected
to live only for a few minutes...but fortunately an Australian warship heard
his distress signal, sent out a rescue team and extracted him from the sinking
yacht...Bullimore was taken to Australia where was given a hero's welcome...was
given an opportunity to address the nation on national television and simply
said, "Thank you, Australia,
for giving me my life back." [DMN, Jan.14,1997]
2. When look at this passage in
Hebrews and see all the things Jesus does for us--
·
Show us the way to God...
·
Makes us holy before God...
·
Makes us part of God's family...
·
Delivers us from the terror of death...
·
Helps us overcome temptation...
How can we say anything less
than "Thank you Jesus for giving me life?"
