5/29/19
Tom Lowe
Lesson #7: To Destroy the Devil and Deliver Saints (Hebrews 2:14-16)
Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-16 (NIV)
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
Introduction:
Drawing attention to the humanity of Christ, the writer of Hebrews drove home the point that we can trust Jesus. He was the only sinless person to ever exist. Jesus didn’t become a man so He could know us, prove anything to us, or convince us that He understood our condition. He had redemption in mind? to save us. The manger, the cross, and the empty tomb demonstrate his intention to set us free.
Jesus gave Himself for us to deliver us from the grip of Satan. The Devil has always been portrayed as the adversary of God and His kingdom. In the Old Testament, he was called the accuser whom the Lord rebuked (see Zech. 3:1-2). Jesus referred to Satan as a murderer from the beginning and a liar (see John 8:44). One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter, described the Devil as a roaring lion in search of prey to devour. The Lord’s life, death, and resurrection wiped out Satan’s scheme to gain control.
Jesus also delivered us from the power of death. He set us free from spiritual slavery. Because of His resurrection, we no longer need to face death with terror. Instead, we understand that physical death gives way to eternal life in heaven with Him. In time, death will be destroyed (see 1 Cor. 15:54). We still face death but through His sacrificial death, Jesus removed the sting of death that came as a result of sin. As Christians, we can face death with confidence and anticipation. Christ became human because we needed His help as sinners. If He had not taken on flesh and bones, we would still be under the control of Satan, dreading death and without hope. His willingness to come to us and to die in our place points to His love for us.
There are several major truths expressed over and over again in the book of Hebrews. One of these truths is that we should grow up and go on in spiritual maturity. Remember, the writer constantly reminds us that Jesus is better in every way than anyone and anything that has preceded Him in the past. This book exalts Jesus Christ the Lord as superior to all. Deuteronomy 6:23 is a great reminder that Jesus Christ brought us out, in order to bring us in. As we view Christ in these writings for who He really is, and all He has certainly done, one can’t help but love Him more.
Lesson #7
(2:14) Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
Jesus is the One who expresses trust in God as the dominant attribute of His life. He is the one who puts His arms around others and says, "I will put my trust in him." . . . "Here am I, and the children God has given me" (v. 13b). The Holy Spirit of God then begins to clarify this last statement: since “the children” share a common human nature, “he too shared “fully” in their humanity.” Jesus’ solidarity with humanity is brought out in their common origin in the Father (v. 11), their sharing in flesh and blood (v. 14), and above all their sharing in death itself.
What was the purpose of this shared situation? Jesus shared our humanity so that by His death He might destroy our Adversary, the Devil, who held the Power of death.
One of the most astonishing claims in the entire Bible is that when Jesus was born, God became a man. Just think about it. One moment He was dressed in robes of glory; the next He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. One moment He was walking on the streets of Gold; the next moment He was lying on the coarse straw of an animal trough. When Jesus Christ took upon Himself flesh and blood, it was God come down to earth in human form.
Jesus the Champion of Love
Jesus is depicted as the Champion{1] who came to the aid of God’s oppressed people. He identified Himself with them as their representative. He became locked in mortal combat with the fearsome adversary who held the power of death. He overthrew the devil in order to release those whom this evil tyrant had enslaved. Jesus is the Champion who secured the deliverance of His people through the sufferings He had endured. The translation “Champion” takes into account the distinctive and fresh presentation of the significance of Christ’s death in the passage as a whole.
Perfect Through suffering
The expression used in verse 10, “perfect through suffering” anticipates the idea developed in this section, which progresses from the thought that Jesus is the Champion of His people (vv. 10-16) to the presentation of Jesus as high priest (vs. 17-18).
Jesus the perfect man stood solidly alongside all humans. But He didn’t become a man and suffer just to become an example that inspires and motivates people to live better lives. The suffering and death of Jesus is much more than an example. His death was a redemptive act that set believing people free from the power of sin and death.
Up to this point, Paul has declared the fact of the sufferings of Christ, he has set forth certain results of those sufferings, and in verses 14 and 15 he begins to point out the necessity of Christ’s sufferings.
Flesh and Blood
Children of men are partakers of flesh and blood which they receive from their parents. Jesus Himself likewise took part of the same. The Greek word rendered here as “took part” is not the same word translated partakers, but rather implies taking part in something outside of one’s self. Jesus received His flesh from the Virgin Mary, but His blood was from Almighty God.
Can you find proof of this statement in the Bible? Yes, you can. When Gabriel brought Mary God’s message that she would give birth to a son whose name would be called Jesus, she was troubled. She asked, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Mary was only betrothed to Joseph, she was not married to him. From the Human standpoint, her question was a natural one. Gabriel answered her, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Jehovah God) shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
The Holy Ghost did overshadow Mary, she did conceive and did give birth to a Son, and she called Him JESUS. Later, in Paul’s instructions to the local assemblies, He said, “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:27-28).
Would you or anyone else dare to deny that the blood of Almighty God ran through the veins of JESUS? He was very God, yet He was just as truly man. I repeat, He did not get His flesh and blood from Mary. He only took His flesh. His blood came from God the Father.
The Devil’s Power
The Devil’s power over us had to be broken in order for us to be brought to God. The Devil’s primary power over man and supreme weapon against Him is death. Sin, of course, gives Satan his power over us; but the power itself is death. The only way to destroy Satan was to rob Him of his weapons, death (spiritual, physical, eternal). Satan knew that God required death for us because of sin. If you have a more powerful weapon than your enemy, his weapon becomes useless. God’s weapon was eternal life. The way to eternal life is through resurrection, but the way to resurrection is through death. Jesus’ dying destroyed Satan’s power over death.
(2:15) and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
The Devil’s Power (continued)
The purpose for which the eternal Son of God entered human life was to vanquish our adversary. He assumed a mortal human nature in order that He might nullify the power of an evil tyrant who possessed the power of death and so rescue those who had been enslaved. The identification of the tyrant as the devil indicates the depth of the human plight. The devil gained power over the human race when he seduced the man and the woman to rebel against God. This turn of events allowed the reality of death to enter into the human experience. The fear of death has been a fact of our experience since that time.
The devil is the main title for the angelic being who is the supreme enemy of God and man. Satan is his name, and devil is what he is - the accuser and deceiver.
The devil is man’s worst enemy (Matt. 13:25, 28, 38). This is the one enemy Jesus does not want us to love. He is an enemy of Christ, the church, and the Gospel; and he is tireless in his efforts to uproot good and sow evil.
“He was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44) are the strong words from the lips of Jesus. The devil killed Abel and the prophets, and he wanted to kill Jesus before his time (8:40).
Starting with Eve the devil has attempted to deceive every living soul (Rev. 20:10). Evil men operating under the power of the evil one will continue to deceive (2 Tim. 3:13).
Three times Jesus called the devil “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). The devil offered the world to Jesus if He would worship him (Luke 4:5-7) but the Lord refused with these words, “Get behind me Satan” (4:8). At Calvary, God dealt a death blow to this world ruler. It is only a matter of time before God will win the final victory at the end of time (1 John 3:8; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7).
The devil is strong, but Christians are stronger through the Lord (Eph 6:11). The devil tempts, but God provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 12:13); the devil tries to take advantage of people (2 Cor. 2:11), but he will flee if fought (James 4:7). The devil should not be feared, for Jesus is more powerful than this deceiving prince of demons (1 John 4:4).
The Fear of Death
It is ironic that the person who was destined to rule over the creation, celebrated in Psalm 8, should find himself in the posture of a slave, paralyzed through the fear of death. Apart from the intervention of God, hopeless subjection to death characterizes earthly existence. An awareness of the reality of death is exhibited in feelings of anxiety. The experience of phobias shows that we can become enslaved to the fear of death. This is precisely what had happened to the men and women of the house church that received Hebrews. The reference to “the fear of death” is the first indication in the sermon of the seriousness of the situation. The crisis these believers faced was demonic in nature. It was this power that placed men in great danger from the roaring lion, the devil that sought those whom he could destroy. But those who were saved by grace through faith in Jesus were safe because Jesus conquered death when He died on the cross. There would be no aspect of human experience that He would not share. But in this instance death was not the consequence of human rebellion. It was an expression of consecration to do the will of God. For that reason, the devil's ability to wield the power of death was rendered ineffective in relation to the Christian.
By sharing the identical human nature which we have, Jesus became subject to human death and “he shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those whom all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (vv. 14-15). Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit of which God had said, “In the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gen. 2:17). Then, just as God had said, the moment they willfully disobeyed Him, they began to die, and the human race has been dying ever since. In our fallen and sinful condition, we are enslaved to death. We are now by nature terrified by death. It is our last great enemy. This last great enemy, however, Jesus conquered in the resurrection. In the resurrection, He took the sting out of death and the victory out of the grave; and now death is swallowed up in life (v. 15). Jesus identified not with angels (v. 16) but with us “so that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest” in the service of God, to make expiation {3] for the people” (v. 17).
Death can bring on fear, but it is no longer the great unknown, for Jesus had charted a course through it. It is no longer a “leap into the dark, “for He has kindled the bright and morning star of the resurrection. Jesus had taken the “sting of death” in His own body.
The author may have had this passage in mind when he wrote verses 14-15.
Can plunder be taken from a champion,
Or captives rescued from a tyrant.
This is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from the champion,
and plunder retrieved from the tyrants;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
And your children I will rescue . . . .
Then all the human family will know
That I, the Lord,
Am your Savior,
Your Redeemer, the Champion of Jacob (Isa. 49:24-26).
This passage seems to offer a model for the depiction of Jesus as the Champion who delivered God’s people from an evil tyrant.
(2:16) For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
The Seed of Abraham
In order that Jesus’ death might be for all liberation from slavery to the power of death (vv. 14-15), Jesus had to share their human nature fully. He is a brother to human beings, and like them, he praises and puts his trust in the Father. Jesus solidarity with humanity is also brought out in their common origin in the Father (v. 11), their sharing in flesh and blood (v. 14), and above all their sharing in death itself.
In verse 16, Paul is not occupied with the settled fact that the Son of God took a body of flesh, he declared this in verse 14. The point here is that the Son of God has taken into his own hands the cause of men, not the cause of angels.
The words rendered “Abraham’s descendants” are to be taken literally. It speaks of Israel, God’s chosen people. Salvation was offered first to the Jew (Rom. 1:16) and then to the Gentile. Jesus did come through “the seed of Abraham,” as promised in Genesis 12:1-3.
Christ did not take upon Himself the nature of angels - angels do not die. Therefore, redemption could not be accomplished through the instrumentality of angels, neither is the world to come to be put into subjection to them. The angels who were brainwashed by Satan and led to leave their first estate, “He (God) has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). A fallen angel is beyond even God’s grace.
Special notes and Scripture
[1} “The LORD will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.” (Isaiah 42:13)
[2} “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder” (Luke 11:21-22)
[3} Expiation has to do with removing something or taking something away. In biblical terms, it has to do with taking away guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of atonement
