But We See Jesus, Hebrews 2:5-18

 

Hebrews opened not like a letter, but a sermon full steam ahead saying that God spoke through prophets and angels and His very own Son. Confirmed by those who heard Him, and He Himself endorsed the Word with signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of His Holy Spirit.  

And what did He say? That the Son is Heir of all things, Creator of all things, He holds the Power of the Almighty in His Word, He is unchangeable, immutable, worshipped by angels, He Himself purged our sins, and is in all ways like the Father.  

Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. (Heb. 2:1). For how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?(Heb. 2:3).

It’s not, “lest they drift away” it’s, “lest we drift away.”

The Word of God is solid, stable, unchanging, not drifting.

However, if we neglect to give the more earnest heed, (ship securely moored), we will drift away from so great a salvation.

The current of the world is drifting toward the eternal lake of fire and so are we, unless we can Truthfully say, “on Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...”

⁵ For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. 

Take earnest heed, be not deceived, His Word, points to His Son, not angels.

Back then, there was a group that believed the Messiah had no more authority than the archangel Michael.

Since the devil is a fallen angel, it appears he specializes in deception about angels.  

About 610 AD Muhammad showed up and said the angel Gabriel appeared in a cave near Mecca and gave him the religion of Islam.

Reportedly, today they’re about two billion strong. One fourth of the world’s population has fallen for this demonic deception. Islam population is second only to Christianity.

Around 1823, Joseph Smith showed up with a similar story, saying the angel Moroni showed him some golden plates that birthed, Mormonism, with a population today of over seventeen million.  

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim Jesus is the Archangel Michael. They have a population of about 8.8 million.

Don’t be deceived, it’s not angels, but Jesus that’ll be running the show in the world to come.

What is meant by: the world to come?

World means: the inhabited earth.

Matthew 24:14: This gospel shall be preached in all the inhabited earth.

 Romans 10:18: Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the inhabited earth.

The world to come is not heaven, but the closest this earth has seen to it since the Garden of Eden.

The world to come is speaking of the Millennial Reign of Christ.

The world to come will not be under subjection to angels. Angels were created as messengers and ministers, to serve, not be served (Heb. 1:14). Angels who tried to leave their calling were cast out of heaven and are on their way to the lake of fire. 

One day, at least seven years from today (if the rapture takes place today and if the tribulation countdown starts simultaneously) Jesus will set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem and from there He will rule and reign. Christians, not angels, will have the honor, and responsibility, of helping Jesus govern the world.

⁶ But one testified in a certain place, saying:

"But one testified in a certain place", is like saying: somebody somewhere said.

So, don’t feel bad if you don’t know the address, the chapter and verse aren’t nearly as important as the Words.

Here he is referring to: Psalm 8:4-6.

“What is man that You are mindful of him,
Or the son of man that You take care of him?
⁷ You have made him a little lower than the angels;

Lower than angels in power & might, not authority.

You have crowned him with glory and honor,
And set him over the works of Your hands.

⁸ 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...

This takes us back to the beginning: Genesis 1:27-28, So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Man  was created with the glorious honor of being made in the image of God. No other created being has this honor.

That competitive nature, to overcome, to subdue and have dominion, is God given.

In all seven Revelation letters it’s the overcomer who receives the heavenly prize. That theme is true to the end. Revelation 21:7, He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

So, God made man and handed him a crown on day one. Man didn’t work for it, do anything to earn it or deserve it, he was just born (made, created) into the world as the heir to the whole world. 

Imagine that. A perfect world, the way God intended. No thorns, thistles, storms, no sickness, death, dying, crying. Kids behaving, no whining, complaining. No crime, no wars, no sin, no gossip, no politicians.

Everything in subjection, under your feet.

Can you see it?

Better take a picture because it won’t last long...

⁸ ...But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

Wow. That was fast. Crowned him, everything under him, there was nothing not under him...

BAM. Just like that, not all things under him.

How’d that happen? In the same verse, the same breath, we went from awesome to awful. Light to dark.

Sound familiar? It should. It’s the first thing God told us. Genesis 1:1-3.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” 

We know from that one verse a lot about what was created.

It was good.

For God is good. Psalm 100:5, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1, 1 Chronicles 16:34.

For every creation of God is good. 1 Tim. 4:4.

Every day of creation God said it was good, very good.

It was light with no darkness at all.

God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5.

By knowing God, we know what He made was good.

But then something happened...

^2 “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep...” 

The earth became a chaotic mess covered in darkness.

God would not make a chaotic mess filled with darkness. 1 Corinthians 14:33, God is not the author of confusion, disorder.

What happened?

The same thing that happened to man.

The fallen angel and his hoard is what happened. They did what they always do, kill, steal and destroy. Everything they touch goes dark and turns into a chaotic mess.

But never fear because God did what God does.

He stepped in to bring light and life.

² ...And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Which brings us back to our text in Hebrews where the Light of the world shows up and shines.

 ⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels...

That sounds familiar. Oh yea, verse 7, You have made him a little lower than the angels...

Because man blew it, we see Jesus, volunteer to be made a little lower than the angels, to take off Divinity and put on humanity.

...for the suffering of death 

Wait, that’s not how it goes. Verse seven says, You have made him a little lower than the angels, You have crowned him with glory and honor.

But we see Jesus inserts “for the suffering of death” before being crowned with glory and honor.

He became like us, to pay the penalty for us.

He knew the rules He set with man way back in the Garden. Don’t touch that tree or you die. Gen. 2:17.

They did. They died. Game over for mankind. Our eternal destiny set for the lake of fire with the god we chose.

But God, is good. God is an overcomer.

So, abiding by the exact same rules, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Gal. 4:4-5.

Because God is love. Love never fails.

He just wanted His family back.

⁹ ...crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Another echo from Eden.

Genesis 3:6-7, the first Adam gave death to everyone by tasting from that cursed tree.

The second Adam (Jesus) offered Life to everyone by tasting death on that cursed tree. 

Some erroneously believe Jesus was half God and half man. It was called Docetism, which stated that Jesus only seemed to be human. That His suffering was only an illusion.

The Truth is that Jesus was fully God and fully man.

He fully tasted death.

You are a spirit. You have a soul. You live in a body. 

You are fully human and fully spirit.

Jesus showed us how it’s supposed to be done, to live and walk by the Spirit.  We too often live and walk by the flesh.

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. 

I made them, I’ll make a Way for them. They’re family.

Jesus wasn’t made perfect, He already was perfect, but He perfected the Perfect Plan of God, through His Perfect Sacrifice on the Cross, thus providing so great a Salvation.

Now, by Christ, there is a Man in glory, and there is glory in man (for those filled with His Holy Spirit).

¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Jesus is perfect, we’re... not so much. Yet, He’s not ashamed to call us family.

Imagine you’re the awkward ugly kid that everybody makes fun of. Until the hot jock walks in and says, “Hey, that’s My brother, and He picks you up and brings you to the cool kids table to sit by Him.”

Jesus is the hot jock, and He’s not ashamed to call you friend, brother, family.

 ¹² saying:

“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” (Psalm 22:22).

¹³ And again:

“I will put My trust in Him.” (2 Samuel 22:3, Isaiah 8:17).

And again:

“Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.” (Isaiah 8:18).

Each quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures builds a bridge straight to Jesus.

Notice God’s heart in the familial language, sons, brethren, children.

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, 

He became like us, so He could die for us, and in dying sinlessly, He destroyed the devil’s claim of death over us.

¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Release those who walked by faith under the law, under bondage, looking forward to the glorious appearing of Christ, His resurrection and their redemption.  

When He saved Abraham and the Old Testament saints, He paid on credit, in the fullness of time, He paid in full, on an old rugged cross; on the same hill Abraham offered his son, God offered His only begotten Son, so He could adopt many into His family.

 ¹⁶ For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 

Aid: Take hold of to move out of harm’s way.

The original text basically says, He does not take on the nature of angels, but takes on the nature of the seed of Abraham.

In other words: He didn’t become an angel He became a man.

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. 

¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to AID those who are tempted.

This time the word for aid is a different word that actually means, aid. 

The high priest represented man to God and God to man.

Jesus our Great High Priest, stood in the gap to bridge the gap, to make propitiation, reconciliation, atonement, at-one-ment, with God and man.

Hebrews 4:15, For 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’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank You for not leaving. We left You, rejected You, ignored You, yet, You stayed. Thank You. Help us walk in Your Love, so You flow through us, touching lives around us, so of all those You’ve given us, none are lost.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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