What do you expect of Jesus? Furthermore, what do you expect from your religion?
Today, we live in a society that picks and chooses that they want to believe about God based on different religions. These expectations have made it into the minds of many people who want to make Jesus what they want Him to be.
1. Some want a visible Jesus; so they do all they can to seek miracles, signs, and wonders.
2. Some want a non-offensive Jesus; so they self-style Jesus, discard things he said, and simply
make Jesus non-offensive.
3. Some do not want a weak, despised, or crucified Jesus so they simply focus ignore the cross
and divert to his good deeds.
4. Some want a Jesus that is only a good friend, but never a demanding Jesus who calls for
discipleship, therefore people adopt a cheap grace type of salvation.
Yet, the writer of Hebrews adjust the lens of life and brings Jesus into focus in high definition (HD). The writer clearly removes the blur and presents Jesus in perfect view.
When the Book of Hebrews, we know that the most recognizable symbol of religion was angels. Yet, suddenly, the writer of Hebrews lifts Jesus up as “the one and only” focus of God’s revelation of Himself to us.
He makes this clear by saying in verse 9: “But we do see Him...namely Jesus...”
Transition: In this passage it is almost like a person adjusting the lens of a camera. Perhaps today you need an adjustment when it comes to your understanding of Jesus. What does the author of Hebrews reveal about Jesus?
In verses 11-18, the writer of Hebrews not only reveals that Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the dead (vs. 10) but he affirms that Jesus is active. He is at work. He has things on His agenda. Jesus is at work. He has gone to work on and for you. (John 5:19)
In this passage he reveals some primary things that Jesus is up to. He provides a complete picture of Jesus and helps us see, understand, and celebrate His work in our life every day.
What are the primary things that Jesus is doing right now for you and me.
Transitional Sentence: What is Jesus doing right now?
I. Jesus is Transforming Our Lives
vs. 11- “ For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren (brothers)
Explanation:
After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He ascended into heaven. You might wonder, what’s he up to? The Bible says that “He is seated at the right hand of God” yet I assure you that His throne is no Lazy boy. Jesus is at work.
While on earth Jesus said: “My father is working and I am working...” The same remains true today as He is at work on and for you and me.
So what is He doing? In verse 11 we read that He is sanctifying us. That may sound like a big word but it simply means that He is “cleaning us up.” Someone said that “fishing for men first requires that we be reeled in; then after we’re caught; God cleans us.”
In verse 11 we read: ““ For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
There are two words here that give us the first clue of what Jesus is doing:
a) Brothers
b) Sanctify
The word “brother” reminds us that Jesus is building a family. The second word “sanctify” reminds us that he is cleaning us up so we can bear His image in the family as He transforms our lives.
You see, when you meet Jesus, you’ll never be the same. The reason why is because the living, resurrected Christ goes to work on you. As we studied last week, we were once fallen, subjected to our own sin and a lifestyle of that is the Bible calls it; “un-regenerated” or simply said, “untouched and unchanged.”
Yet, God’s redemption story never closes. There’s no “the end” to God’s story as long as people are bringing their lives to Jesus.
The Bible says in verse 10 that He is the “author” of our salvation. The word “author” (archegos) which means “pioneer” – “leader”—architect---” yet in Acts 3:15 and 5:31 the word is used to describe Jesus and is translated “Prince” which refers to someone who includes others in his endeavor.
Therefore, we see why Jesus wants to “sanctify” us. He broke sins mastery over us and now, He wants to live through us allowing others to see Jesus through us.
What is interesting is that God wants His family to represent him. Therefore, in verse 12 we read: “He is not ashamed to call them (us) brethren (brothers)...” Then in verse 14 he calls us “children.”
He invited us into the family to join Him and represent Him—so that the world would see what He can do in a life. He can transform and recreate a person from the inside out. That’s what sanctification is. It’s Jesus living through us others see His love, His purity, and His person in and through our live.
Illustration: The $10,000 refrigerator
Tony Evans told a story about a guy he knew that went an bought a top of the line commercial refrigerator for his home. It was a $10,000.00 refrigerator. It had every feature under the sun; you open the door and the trays automatically slide out and features that only the elite wealthy would spring for.
He said that immediately they delivered the refrigerator to his friends home, but on the way back to the house, his friend stopped by the supermarket and bought all kinds of “top of the line” foods to store in his new fridge. He wanted it stocked completely with his favorite things.
Yet, the next morning when he got up for breakfast he noticed that everything in the fridge was warm and ruined. His milk had turned, his ice cream melted, his veggies were changing colors.
In anger, he called the store and asked for the manager and said: “Sir, I bought this fridge for 10k and it’s a lemon. It’s destroyed all that I put in it overnight. It does not work.”
The manager apologized and said: “Will you do me a favor? Will you go and put your ear on the bottom of the refrigerator and see if you hear a low hum?” The man said, “Nope, no hum.”
Then he asked: “Will you open up the refrigerator door? Do you see a light come on?” The man said, Nope, no light!”
The manager then said: “Will you look behind the refrigerator and see if its plugged in to the outlet?” He did and sheepishly responded: “Nope, its unplugged.”
The manager then said: “You have an expensive refrigerator. You paid a big price for it. Your refrigerator has all the manufactured specifications to do and be all it was designed to do and be, but not without power. Unless it is connected to power; it will not do all that you paid for it to do.”
Application:
In verse 9 the Bible tells us that “He (Jesus) suffered... he tasted death for everyone...”Yet, despite the fact that such a high price was paid for everyone; only the someone’s who are
connected to the power of God through the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to empower us,
Sanctification happens when you plug into Jesus and the Holy Spirit does just that; He makes you like Him, as you become holy as He is holy.
I Peter 1:15-16: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” This happens when Jesus plugs you into the Holy Spirit.
Transitional Sentence: What is Jesus doing right now?
II. Jesus is Standing Against Our Enemy
Vs. 14- “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and might free those through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Explanation:
In verse 14, we are told that we share something with Jesus. We share in “flesh and blood.”
All human beings have flesh and we have blood; it’s what we have in common. Yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus “partook” of the same. The word “partook” (metecho) means: “to take on something that is not naturally one’s own kind. We are naturally made of flesh and blood; yet Jesus was not.
He willingly took on flesh and blood, so that we might die in our place and in doing so, ultimately we could take on a new nature.
For this to happen, Satan’s power had to be broken. The only way for Satan to be defeated was for his greatest weapon to be taken away from him. He had to be disarmed. The weapon Jesus took away from Him was the power of death.
The thing that terrifies people more than anything is death. It is a terrifying fear. Yet, in Jesus, the fear of death can be taken away.
Paul illustrates it as he said:
a) “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
b) “O death where is your sting, O grave where is your victory? I Corinthians 15:55
Death no longer holds any fear when we know the one who conquered it. The Psalmist even foresaw it as he said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
When Jesus rose from the dead, He made a pronouncement. He said in Revelation 1: 18: “I hold the keys of death and hell. I was dead and now I am alive forever. I have the keys of death and hell.”
Illustration: Holocaust
One if the creepiest things about visiting the concentration camps of the Holocaust is going to the camp at Auschwitz and Dachau. Above the entry into the camps is a sign that still stands that says: “Arbeit macht frei.”
This phrase means: “Work sets you free.”
”Arbeit macht frei”. One reason that phrase haunts me is because it is the spiritual lie of this age. It is a satanic lie. It's a religious lie. It is a false hope—an impossible hope for the many people in the world that believe it.
In the same way that it was a lie in Germany; it is a spiritual lie around the world.
Many believe their good works will be great enough to outweigh their bad works, allowing them to stand before God in eternity and say, "You owe me the right to enter into your heaven."
But that will never be true. The writer of Hebrews tells us who holds the keys of death and hell and how eternity is unlocked for you and me.
It's the blood of Jesus Christ that liberates. He died in my place, and I am free.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Do you want to know what Jesus is doing for you? He is rose up on Easter morning, ascended up to heaven, and stands up against the devils accusations against you as he disarmed him from death and through His finished work for you and me--- set us free from the fear of death and gives us confidence and sets us free from Satan’s slavery over our lives. (vs. 15)
Transitional Sentence: What is Jesus doing right now?
III. Jesus Is Sympathizing With Us and Helping Us Daily
vs. 17-18- “ For clearly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Explanation:
The writer of Hebrews finalizes his revelation of the workdays of Jesus by reminding us again that we are His focus. He says: “For clearly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham...”
In other words, Jesus did not come to redeem angels; He came to redeem us. He became a man like Abraham and his descendants. Jesus became a guy, a guy that was a Jew.
The Bible tells us why he took of the form of a Jew. Deuteronomy 7: 7-8 says: “The Lord did not set his love on you nor chose you because you were more in number than any other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples...”
The point is: God does not chose the popular or most populated; He sympathizes with the ordinary and became ordinary to prove it to us.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the heart of God sympathizes with normal people who understand the struggles of life; so he subjected himself to the struggle himself.
In verse 17, because Jesus became a human he experienced our way of life and it allowed him to become a “merciful and faithful high priest” who not only understands our struggles and suffering but aids us when we are tempted. (vs. 18)
Do you understand what is being said here: He understands and helps humanity because He knows what it is like to be human. And as your ever-present Savior; He not only went through it Himself; He still goes through it with you.
Illustration: The half of sandwich
How many of you have a husband or wife that packs your lunch when you go to work?
Tracy Howell of Leonard, Texas has been doing this for her husband Clifford for 41 years. Yet, what is interesting is that she would always make a sandwich and cut it in half. The reason? As a local construction worker, she would join him for lunch every day she could—so she always “halved” the sandwich so they both would have a half.
Clifford said that he always knew when she could not come to lunch because she would still make the same size sandwich, cut it in half, and put it in his lunch box. Yet, there was one difference: One half of the sandwich had a bit out of it.
Here’s a picture of one of the actual sandwiches:
She said she did this so that he would be reminded that even if she was not able to be there personally; she was there with him in mind and heart.
Application:
After 41 years of this Clifford says it’s been the most constant reminder of the love of his wife in their marriage and the fact that He has a constant companion in her. What was a little thing to her has become a big thing to him. He said it was one of the greatest symbols that his wife is consistently “present” in his life.
When we think of the fact that Jesus came, we often think, “That was a long time ago”—“He was once present on earth”--- yet, the reality is, it’s more than that—His incarnation secured the presence of God with us—continually.
The incarnation is not just a symbol of the presence of God in the past; it is your security of God in your present. When Jesus came physically; it locked down His presence with you always (as He put it) “I will be with you always; even till the end of the ages.” Matthew 28:20
Here’s what I know: Satan can’t keep Jesus from being with you; but he sure can keep you from recognizing that He’s right beside you can’t he?
Listen: Jesus do you recognize Jesus is with you right now? He is. It’s real and He understands everything you are going through:
a) He knows what it is like to be tempted because He was tempted in every way and sinned not.
b) He knows what it is like to be hungry; because he experienced it.
He’s been angry. He’s been loved. He’s been thirsty. He has cried. He been grieved. He’s been happy. He has laughed. He was unfairly judged. As a child he was taught. He experienced loneliness. He struggled. As a man he was rejected. He was part of a family. He was everything you are and more.
Yet the Bible says: “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. “ Hebrews 4:15
The Bible says that he is able to “aid” those who are tempted. The language here literally means: “to come to the aid.” (Greek- Bonthesai)
In other words, when we have a need; Jesus is on the move. He doesn’t just send angels. He doesn’t pass the buck. He doesn’t assign angels a work order to help you; he comes to our aid Himself. He’s on the move and has been for ages.
Conclusion: Jesus, help me!
Have you ever prayed that three-word prayer: Jesus, help me? It’s been said that that is the prayer we always pray as a last resort while it should always be our first option.
Listen: Jesus is right here. He’s met you today. He is present. He is ready for you to call on Him. To receive Him as Savior and Lord. To follow His lead. To see His will done in your life. He’s not asking you to do something He won’t do with you.
Where’s Jesus? Right here, right now.
