TEXT: Hebrews 2:5-18
MESSAGE: “Jesus Our Help”
Question: Does God care about me?
“Several years after leaving my religion (Jehovahs Witness), I felt sure I had encountered all the situations I might possibly need to get used to in my new life. What I had not prepared myself for was death. Grief without faith. Which is to say, death without hope…I left my religion behind. I moved to New York and built a new life. I found ways to earn money. I had relationships…I wrestled with my spirituality — mourning, in a sense, the loss of the peace of mind faith had given me. My son was almost 4 months old when he stopped breathing at day care. It was his first day there, the first time I had left his side. Neither the doctors nor investigators could tell us why it happened. Thus he became a story in a newspaper, big black letters in The New York Post…What I had not anticipated about the cost of losing my faith was that it would no longer be possible to deceive myself. I could no longer make a pact with any higher being. No hours of service could convince a God that I deserved to have this child again. Whatever I had done to deserve him once, I was not worthy of him twice. I am not saying there is no God, but I am saying no God would do this to someone.” — Amber Scorah
“Thus far in Hebrews the author has maintained a persistent focus on the exalted status of the Son of God. In 2:5-9, however that focus shifts to His incarnation, a passage crafted specifically to move the discussion from the Son’s heavenly position to his earthly ministry.” — George Guthrie
TEXT: Hebrews 2:5-18
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?” — Psalm 8:4
“…from stars to sea-creatures, only man can look at this…with the insight to ask a question, even in doubt…David’s question can be asked in many nuances…it mocks the arrogance of the rebel…it is a sufferers plea…it shudders at human sin.” — Derek Kidner
Jesus is the…(1. Humble King; 2. Fearless Captain; 3. Protective Brother)
- Humble King (v. 9)
9 But 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.
- Jesus was born a baby (Luke 2:7). He grew tired (John 4:6) and got thirsty (John 19:28) and hungry (Matthew 4:2). He became physically weak (Matthew 4:11). He tasted death (Luke 23:46).
2. Fearless Captain (v. 10; 14-15)
“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.…14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
“Tolstoy, Camus, and a lot of these other greats in the last 100 or 150 years have said the human race will not admit the meaning of death. If death is it, if death is the end, everything you’re doing is radically insignificant. Nothing makes any difference. We repress that fear of death. We repress the horror of death. Yet though we repress it, we still know it down deep, say Tolstoy, Camus, and others. Do you know what that does to us …we’re desperately trying to convince ourselves we count, we matter, things we do make a difference, but they don’t, not if death is the end. We are in bondage politically and socially and culturally and psychologically and spiritually to the fear of death, and we don’t know it. That’s the greatest bondage of all. We don’t even realize how handcuffed we are, how distorted we are, how affected we are.”
— Timothy Keller
3. Protective Brother (v. 17-18)
“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
“The Christ whose Gospel we preach is no unapproachable philosopher… the ignorant and the illiterate may find in Him their best Friend.”
— Charles Spurgeon
TAKEAWAYS: How does Jesus help us? In him we have…
* Hope in suffering