He Gave Himself for You

(Hebrews 2:5-18)



I. Introduction.
A. Orientation.

The author sets out to show

Why his readers shouldnt

Abandon Christianity for Judaism,

Leave the danger of illegal religion

For the safety of legal

Why they shouldnt forsake Christ

Even to save their lives.


Its same reason you and I shouldnt:

Because of who He is,

And what would happen to you if you did.


Who is He?

Hes greater than the prophets

Through whom He gave OT Scripture

They were His instruments

Through whom He wrote and spoke.


He is Greater than the angels

Who delivered the Law on Sinai

They were His messengers,
2

But He is the King.


He is commander in chief of the angels,

The Son of God,

The eternal Creator,

Who holds the universe in His hand,

Who controls history,

The Heir of all things,

The King of all creation,

To whom one day every knee will bow.

You should listen and not forsake Him

Because of who He is.


What if you dont listen to Him?

What happened to those

Who didnt listen to prophets/angels?

They missed out

On only way they could possibly escape

The consequences of their sins.


What happened to these readers

Who didnt listen to Jesus?

They might have saved their lives,

But they lost their souls.

3

What if you dont listen?

Might gain friendship of world,

Might gain what world has to give,

Might keep self safe from persecution for while,

But you will lose your soul in the end.


Every day youre faced with the same temptation

To leave Christ for the world,

Perhaps some day

To leave Him to save your life.

But consider the price.


The authors trying to bring them to their senses,

To stir their hearts towards God and Christ.

You need your heart stirred

Both to fear Him

By remembering who is,

And what He can require of you

And to love Him

Remembering what He has done

To save you from your sins.


B. Preview.

The author has many more things

4
To tell you about Jesus

To help you hold fast to Him.


This morning, he breaks ground

On what Jesus did to save you:

He who infinitely greater than angels,

Was made lower than angels

That He might die for you.


Well look at two things:

1. Jesus became one with you to die that you might go to heaven.

2. And that He might be better able to help you.

II. Sermon.
A. First, He became one with you to die that you might go to heaven.


The One infinitely greater than angels,

Stooped lower than angels,

To became man.


The author showed that Jesus was greater than the angels

Because He is God/Creator

But also was because of the reward for His work

He was exalted to highest place.


But before He was exalted,

He was first humbled.

5

The author shows this predicted in Psalm 8.

What is man, that you remember him? Or the son of man, that you are concerned
about him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; you
have crowned him with glory and honor, and have appointed him over the works
of your hands; you have put all things in subjection under his feet (vv. 5-8).


David/author wasnt speaking about angels,

But about Jesus

Being God,

Would be made lower than angels,

Would become man,

Before becoming King,

Before everything subjected to Him.


He points out the second part

Hasnt been fulfilled yet

We havent yet seen everything subjected.

Just look around,

Most people still living for themselves,

Living in sin,

Not living for God.


But there is a day coming

When every knee will bow,

Every tongue confess,

Everyone will serve,
6

When everything will be subject to Him.

But that day obviously hasnt come yet.


But, he says, we do see the first part fulfilled

We see the One

Who for a little while

Was made lower than the angels Jesus.


The author is speaking of the incarnation:

When God became a man

When the Son took on Himself your nature,

Was born of the Virgin

When the Creator became a creature.


And why?

That He might taste death for everyone

That is,

Not just for Jews,

But also Gentiles,

For everyone under heaven

Who would trust Him

That He might taste death for you

If youre trusting Him this morning.


The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
7

Thats what you deserve.

You sinned in Adam.

Youve sinned many times over.

You were filling up

Gods cup of wrath,

And you would have drunk it all down,

But Jesus drank it for you on the cross,

If youre trusting Him.


Notice, that He didnt do this for the angels,

But only for man: For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives
help to the descendant of Abraham (v. 16).


It was Gods plan

To take something out of this world

When everything was said and done.

What was it?

Those He would adopt

As His own sons and daughters,

His own children.


Who are these children?

Those Jesus redeemed through His work.

Those He calls brethren (v. 12)

Their being the Fathers children
8

Makes them Jesus brethren

As He is the Son of God.

Those the Father gave Him as a reward,

Behold, I and the children God has given Me (v. 13).

Another name for them is the descendants of Abraham (v. 16).

Jesus became the seed of Abraham

He became a Jew,

Became a man

So could help seed/descendants of Abraham

Those who would trust Him,

As Paul writes, For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that
which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his
praise is not from men, but from God (Rom. 2:28-29).


He didnt take the nature of angels

He didnt provide salvation for them;

Those who fell remain fallen,

And will suffer in hell for ever.


But He did take the nature of man

He became flesh and blood

So that through death

He could defeat the one who threatened you

The one who had the power of death the devil

9
And set you free from the fear of death (vv. 14-15)

By setting you free from death.


Hes taken the sting out of the grave for you,

If youve trusted Him.

You dont have to be afraid any longer.


Death would have ushered

Your body into the grave

And your soul into hell.

But Jesus suffered hell on the cross

And rose from the dead,

So now death brings you to heaven,

To wait until your body is raised from the grave.

If youre trusting Him,

You dont have to be afraid.


If you havent trusted Jesus

If you havent turned from your sins,

And received Him as your Lord and Savior

You still have every reason

To be afraid,

Because every moment

Youre in danger of entering into hell forever

From which you will never escape.
10

If you havent repented and believed,

Then do so now:

Pray and ask for His mercy,

So that you can.


But for those of you who do know Him,

Remember, He became one with you to die for you

That He might save you.

He did this because He loves you.

Remember how much He does

And stir your heart up to love Him

So that you will never want to leave Him.


B. Second, remember that He also did this

That He might be better able to help you

Get to heaven.


The author to the Hebrews

Will speak much more on this topic,

So well just touch it in closing.

He also became flesh and blood

A man

So that He could experience

What you have to go through,

11
To understand what you go through,

So that He can be your merciful and faithful high priest.


A priest not only makes a sacrifice

For those he represents

To reconcile them to God

And Jesus did this

By sacrificing Himself (v. 17)

He also prays for them

Using his own experience to guide him

How best to do this.


Jesus lived as one of us

For thirty three years,

And in those years

Experienced everything you will have to go through,

Even the sufferings of death (v. 18).

He knows how to help you,

Even when faced with death.

And He will help you,

If you will only look to Him,

If you will only trust Him to do it.


Know that He stands

Willing and ready to do so
12

In the way thats best for you,

Because He knows what that is,

And because He loves you. Amen.

http://www.graceopcmodesto.org