The Source Of Significance Series

In The Last Days Newsletter, Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a scenic little village. They walked by an old man sitting beside a fence and asked him, “Were any great men born in this village?”

“Nope,” said the old man, “only babies.” (Leonard Ravenhill, The Last Days Newsletter; www.PreachingToday.com)

I guess that’s the way all of us start, so How do people become truly great? How does anyone find any real significance in life? How can you make your life actually count for something? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 2, Hebrews 2, where we discover the source of significance.

Hebrews 2:5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. (ESV)

If the angels are not in charge of the world, then who is?

Hebrews 2:6-8a It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. (ESV)

In other words, man was in charge of the world. The human race was in control.

When God created man, He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26).

When God made man, God put him and his wife in charge of His creation. God gave him control of the world and everything it. But that’s not what we see, is it? Look at it in verse 8.

Hebrews 2:8b At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (ESV)

Man is not in control today. Most people cannot control even themselves, much less their environment and the world around them.

What happened? I’ll tell you what happened: Sin happened. God put man in charge of His creation, but man abdicated that role. Man gave that role to Satan when he submitted to that Serpent in the Garden.

Now, let me make it clear: In all of this, God NEVER lost control of the earth. There are some false teachers out there who teach that God gave control of the earth to man; and when man gave control of the earth to Satan, God lost His control. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible makes it very clear: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1); and the Lord “works ALL things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).

God NEVER lost control of the earth, but WE did. When we sinned, we went out of control; we lost our status, our significance as rulers of this world, having become slaves of Satan.

“But,” verse 9. Oh, I love the “buts” in the Bible. Man is out of control, BUT…

Hebrews 2:9 We see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (ESV)

Man is out of control, but we see Jesus. We see Him, who became a little lower than the angels, just like us! We see that Man crowned with glory and honor. So if you want to find any real significance in life, then don’t look to yourself…

LOOK TO JESUS WHO BECAME A MAN.

Pay attention to Christ, who became fully human. Focus on the Lord, who became lower than the angels for a little while, so He could be our Sovereign Savior.

In Hebrews chapter 1, we are urged to pay attention to Christ, because He is fully God in a position higher than the angels. Now, here in chapter 2, we are urged to pay attention to Christ, because He is fully human, who for a little while took a position a little lower than the angels.

Jesus became one of us, so He could become the Crowned Sovereign of the world. He became one of us, so He could regain control where we lost control.

You see, as a man, Jesus never submitted to Satan like we did; He never lost control. So as a man, Jesus elevates all men (and women) who align themselves with Him. You see, when you submit to Christ, you regain your position, because you are no longer slaves to Satan. Instead, you are under Christ’s rule, who conquered Satan on the cross.