Christ Came

Christ Came

Hebrews 2:9-18

Introduction: The book of Hebrews is the closest book in the New Testament to being pure doctrine. It is written to Christians who had been converted from Judaism and had been Christians for awhile. But now they were in danger of drifting back into their old Judaistic ways. The writer of Hebrews makes the point throughout the book that Jesus is “better.” Jesus is better than Moses, Jesus’ covenant is better than Moses’ covenant and so forth. He starts his letter first by saying that Jesus is better than the angels.

Why angels? Because under the Old Covenant up to the time of Christ’s ministry upon the earth, they were one of the means through which God communicated his will to men upon the earth. They, along with the prophets, were God’s spokesmen and as such were to be heard and obeyed. Jesus is presented as God’s new messenger, one much better than the angels. In Heb. 1:1-4, we read . . .

Why is Christ better than the angels? The writer explains in 1:5-14 . . .

The ramifications of the fact that Christ is better than the angels is laid out in 2:1-4 . . .

In 2:5, the writer begins to lay out another reason that Jesus is better than the angels. First of all he compares the angels to you and me, human beings. 2:5-8 reads . . .

Mankind, as originally created by God was intended to be better than the angels and given the world to subdue. However, when Adam and Eve sinned, mankind became a “little lower than the angels.” So that phrase, “a little lower than the angels” came to describe human beings. You and me.

Then in verse 9, the focus moves to Jesus when the writer says, “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus . . .” The writer is saying quite bluntly, Jesus came from heaven to become a man, a human being, a little lower than the angels. The One who has already been introduced in 1:2-3 as the One who created and sustains the universe, has left the glory of heaven and come to earth to become a human being. The Creator left his home in glory to become like one of his created ones in a world filled with darkness and sin. The apostle Paul in Phil 2:8 says that Jesus “humbled” himself. Why? What was the purpose of our Lord Jesus Christ when he left heaven and came to this earth?

I. Jesus came to suffer and die!

A. “So that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone.” (Vs.9)

Jesus came to die, not just for you, or for me, but for everyone, and in the process bring God’s grace to all mankind. “For God so love the World . . .”

B. “For it was fitting for Him . . . to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” It was the right thing for God to do to send Jesus to this earth to endure suffering so that he might become the “author” or our salvation. The word author means leader or prince. He is one who show us the way to salvation. To put it in pioneer terms, he is our “trailblazer.”

ILLUS: (Define trailblazer). In the days of the pioneers in this country, people were entering deep forested areas that had never before been seen by a white man. As they walked through the forest, they would take a hatchet or ax and cut a piece of bark off the side of the tree. The term they used for this act was to “blaze” the tree. In that way they could know where they had been and also mark the trail for others to follow. Jesus blazed the trail for us through his suffering so that he might make salvation available to us all.

C. “ . . . because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor . . .” (Vs. 9)

Because Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us, God crowned him with glory and honor. Phil. 2:9-10 . . . “For this reason also, God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow . . .”

D. “ . . . in bringing many sons to glory . . .” (Vs. 10) This was and is the great plan of God, the “mystery” as Paul calls it, for you and me to be brought into glory, into the presence of God, that we might enjoy the eternal bliss of heaven. In John 12, Jesus has come into Jerusalem and it is a very short time before his death. He is speaking to his apostles and in verse 32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” Because Jesus died, was resurrected and has now returned to glory at the right hand of God the Father, you and I have the hope of eternal life in glory.