"Above, Yet Made a Form Below"
By Sterling Franklin
Hebrews 1:1-5 -
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Jesus was created above the angels, even from the beginning, since the creation of the World. Even though angels were created above men, Jesus was created above angels.
Though we are sons of God in Him if we receive Him (John 1:12), Jesus was God’s Only Begotten Son (John 3:16), and God said to Jesus, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee."
Jesus also was made heir of ALL things. Jesus is superior in rank to both angels and humans, but He came to earth as a human being. What significance does that make?
Hebrews 2:9-10 -
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Jesus became a man - Fully God, and fully man, that He might experience death, and conquer death by rising again, so that satan would be conquered.
Hebrews 2:14-18 -
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
So, Jesus conquered satan - the devil - who had the power of death, by resurrecting from the grave as a human.
Satan is conquered by the Blood of the Lamb. Jesus’ Blood is POWERFUL. Powerful, and very pertinent for the atonement of our sins.
In order to be a proper means by which atonement was made for sins, Jesus had to be fully human (see verse 17) - He had to be made like unto his brethren (us).
Jesus was tempted just as we were, and what He did for us on the cross in His human flesh was bridge the gap - the chasm made by sin - between us and God, so that if we believe on Him, we will inherit eternal life in Heaven with Him.
Because of Him, death is swallowed up in Victory! "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55)
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:57)
Without Him we can do nothing (John 15) but we can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13) and are more than conquerors through Him who gives us strength (Rom. 8:28). It’s not through us, it’s through Him.
Hebrews 4:14-16 -
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
In the wilderness, during the forty days He was fasting there, Jesus was tempted by satan. Jesus never sinned, and He just used Scripture to back Himself up, as His main defense against satan.
We err, because the Scripture is not in us, and Jesus was (and is, and will be) the Word. No sin was found in Jesus.
Matthew 22:29 -
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
Even when Jesus got angry with the merchants in the tabernacle, He never committed a sin. We CAN be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). He was perfect in all means, which is quite a feat, as we all know and can testify to, since we are highly imperfect beings.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus was the glory of God, and by no means did He fall short. He was the Perfect Sacrifice for our sins.
We are all sinners, but if we have Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives, and ask Him to forgive us, we are made blameless in the sight of our Holy God (Colossians 1:22). Praise His Name!
Hebrews 5:1-6 -
1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Jesus was appointed and anointed as a High Priest for us by God the Father. A normal Old Testament high priest had temptations himself, and could have compassion for his people, but he had to offer for his own sins as well as the sins of his people. Jesus had no sin, so how much more could He focus atonement on those who ask Him?!
Hebrews 5:7-9 -
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Jesus had a humanity, and that humanity did not cause Him any imperfections. He showed us the way to overcome in this life. He was tempted in ALL POINTS, just as we were, so he was a proper ’High Priest’, making an atonement for our sin to the Father upon repentance.
Hebrews 7:15-16 -
15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
Melchisedec had no traceable origin - no father and no mother. Abraham gave Melchisedec tithes in the desert, signifying that Melchisedec was even greater than Abraham! (Heb. 7:4 - Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.)
Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Ghost to a virgin (Luke 1:35) and had no origin of an earthly father. Joseph was not Jesus’ father.
There was a part of the Tabernacle called ’the Holiest of All’ or ’The Holy of Holies’, where the High Priest had to go in once every year with a blood sacrifice, sprinkling the walls with the blood offered for his and his people’s sins.
Before Jesus came, there was a veil in between the first part of the Tabernacle and the Holy of Holies that no man but the high priest was allowed to enter.
Also before Jesus came - in the times of the Old Covenant (or Old Testament) - a high priest had to offer sacrifices in the tabernacle a LOT more than once a year for the sins of his people and himself. There were many types of offerings, and for sins, a blood sacrifice of an animal was the means of payment.
If you were guilty of a sin, you had to bring an offering to the high priest, and he would sacrifice it properly to the Lord. People had to come back again and again with a sacrifice for their sins.
Jesus doesn’t have to go back time after time or year after year to sacrifice to God. He offered Himself for our sins once and for all, and in Him is the redemption through His blood.
Hebrews 9:11-12 -
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
He opened up the door for us, to eternal redemption. When he died on the cross, the veil in the tabernacle of the Holy of Holies was ripped - from the top to the bottom. Jesus got rid of that barrier, and now we can have fellowship with Him directly.
Glory to God, Help is just a breath away.
Hebrews 9:13-14 -
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
According to the Old Testament Law, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).
Just one drop of Jesus’ Blood can take away a lifetime of sin.
Hebrews 9:24-28 -
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Once and for all, He offered Himself, a sacrifice made by God the Son in flesh, for the complete payment for our sins.
Even though we are mere humans right now, and even though we are imperfect and sinful beings, we are offered a chance for forgiveness and deliverance.
God isn’t willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance, to Him (2 Peter 3:9).
Jesus was made heir of ALL things, but we can be made joint-heirs with Christ if we believe on Him (Romans 8:17). He died on the cross and rose again on the third day, that all who believe on Him, accept Him as Savior, believe in what He did, and ask His forgiveness will receive His eternal inheritance - Perfection in Heaven.
If you want Him as the Lord & Savior of your life, I invite you to pray this with me, out loud. . .
Dear Lord, I praise and thank You for dying on the cross, paying for my sins, and rising again on the third day. I ask You to be the Lord and Savior of my life. Forgive me of my sins, Lord, and cleanse my heart, make it new. Thank You, Lord, for the promise of Eternity with You upon simply asking You to be my Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Once and for all, Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice, and once and for all, He died and rose again. He will come again soon, and it’s definitely worth rejoicing over!
May we Praise His Name in all we do and say, and show forth His Glory even until He comes back, taking us Home with Him.
Though He was made above the angels, yet Fully God, He became fully man and showed us the Way to the Father. He is the Light of the World, and this Christmas, may you remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas - the Lord who came to earth a baby boy, left wearing a crown of thorns, and is coming again wearing a beautiful crown of Glory.
He is worthy of all our Praise, and may we exalt Him! Praise the Lord for the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ! Even though He could have stayed in Heaven in a state of exaltation, He came and was humble, as a servant, yet is a King who loves us so much that He gave His life on the cross for us. Thank the Lord for His Provisions!
