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By Rev. Marvin
McKenzie
Heartland Baptist Bible College,
Oklahoma City, OK
Text: Hebrews 2:5-9
Introduction: As a means of introducing this morning's message, allow me to give you a little material concerning the context of the passage. The Book of Hebrews is one of the most important and yet most difficult of the books of the Bible to grasp. The authorship is uncertain, however, most Fundamental Scholars agree that Paul is most likely to have been its author. It is interesting to me that, those who are not so fundamental almost always ascribe the authorship to someone other than Paul.
Some say it was Barnabas, Some say it was Peter Others say it was written after all of the apostles had died away, by some strange person no one knows about anymore. I have come to the place that I just about determine whether a person is a theological liberal or fundamentalist based upon their view of the authorship of this book!
We believe that Hebrews is written to a persecuted and scattered population of Jewish Christians. And the writer's desire is to encourage them in their faith by telling them about some BETTER THINGS! As you study through Hebrews you hear repeatedly about Better Things and New Things.
A BETTER PRIESTHOOD
A BETTER SACRIFICE
A BETTER COVENANT
A BETTER REST
A BETTER FUTURE and so forth.
In chapter 2, the author is writing of Jesus Christ, explaining how he is BETTER THAN THE ANGELS. Now, notice in our text a few points concerning man's present condition;
His worthlessness - What is man?
(vs. 6)
His powerlessness - Lower than the
Angels (vs. 7)
His Helplessness - Not all things
put under him (vs. 8)
***Man was created the crowning point of God's Creation, now he is so sinful and wicked that it is a wonder that God would even take note of him.
***Man was created with glory and honor. A being, unlike the angels, in that we were made in the image of God and for the express purpose of fellowship with God. Now, through sin and rebellion, we're just "lower than the angels."
***Man was created to subdue the earth and conquer it. Now, due to the curse, this earth is the death of us. We earn our bread by the sweat of our faces. We suffer and struggle to scratch out a living from the earth, but eventually, time, and the forces of the nature of this earth take its toll on us and we return to the dust.
The author is being honest.
THAT'S WHAT LIFE CAN BE!
If he had tried to pull one over on these Christians, he would have been laughed out of town. No one would have given him a second thought.
THEY KNEW THEY WERE SUFFERING!
And, when a man is hurting, some pie in the sky by and by type message won't be much help to him! So the author admits times are tough. But then, look at verse 9
BUT WE SEE JESUS!
As bad as it is, the author, under divine inspiration says,
THERE IS A BRIGHT LIGHT TO LIFT UP AND LOOK AT!
We see Jesus!
And I want to submit to you today, that, when we see Jesus,
--We can find the hope to hang in
there.
--We can find the strength to keep
on for Christ.
--To keep doing what is right.
--To keep a joy about our countenance
I saw this phrase this week and began to think about all of the ways we might see Jesus today. And I want to tell you what I found, because I believe when Jesus is lifted up, you can't help but want to come to Him!
First, We See Jesus
I. AS WE LOOK BACK THROUGH BIBLICAL HISTORY
Look into the pages of history and, nearly everywhere you look, you will see the Lord Jesus Christ!
1. We see Jesus as the Promised Seed
Promised first to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15
Again to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-2
This seed was then promised to Jacob, then Judah, and then David.
He is promised in Isa 7:14 thus;
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV)
He is promised in Isa 9:6 like this;
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (KJV)
And He is promised in Micah 5:2 with these words;
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (KJV)
All of the hopes of the world, both in the Old Testament and in the New, rested upon this one promise made by the God. And one day. Not when men would have expected it, But in the fullness of God's time
GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE!
A special Star singled His arrival, the Angels of God sung about His appearance, and Even the sin filled world today celebrates His birth. That Promised Seed came for you and me!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
Secondly
2. We See Jesus as the Powerful Son of God
I refer here to the miracles Jesus did in His life on earth.
Walking on water
Calming the storms
Healing the sick
Raising the Dead
Feeding the Multitudes
The centurion had it right when,
at Christ's cross he exclaimed "...Truly this was the
Son of God..." Matt 27:54
Every miracle Jesus did in His earthly
lifetime has some application for you and me today. They tell us
how to be free from sin
How to live victorious over our
self and How to be servants to those around us.
Third, whenever we look through Biblical History
3. We See Jesus as the Impoverished Servant
While the promised seed was expected, He was not expected to come in the way he did. They all figured He would come in glory and splendor to defeat the Roman bad guys and make the Jewish nation the greatest one in the world. Frankly, most of the world of Christ's day were not ready to receive Him the way He was.
Isaiah says Isa 53:2
For he shall
grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground:
he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no
beauty that we should desire him. (KJV)
Christ came in humility for two very important reasons:
First,
So people would be attracted to Him through faith and not because of what He could do for them. I can tell you this with absolute certainty. If you come to Christ for the wonderful things He can do for You, You will be disappointed! Christ isn't our personal genie who makes all our troubles go away and smoothes out every rough spot in out road. He just won't work like that! But, if in faith you come to Him as the only hope for to have you sins forgiven and to have an eternal home in Heaven. Christ will grant you those, AND MAKE LIFE MUCH MORE ABUNDANT TOO!
Second,
To teach us to serve and live humbly. Jesus taught the disciples that the servant is the greatest of all. There is no greater endeavor a man can put forth than an endeavor to serve others! When we look through Biblical History
4. We See Jesus as the Spotless, Sinless Sacrifice.
Hebrews 4 says
"He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
While that has countless points of significance for us, the greatest of them all is that Because He is sinless, He can pay for our sin!
2 Cor 5:21
He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
And, finally, as we look back at Biblical History
5. We See Jesus as The Risen Saviour.
Matt 28:6
He is not here, He is risen, as He sad, come see the place where the Lord lay.
1 Cor 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (KJV)
Jesus is alive today! And because He is alive
Number two
Theme. WE CAN STILL SEE JESUS TODAY
The influence Christ had on the world in the first five centuries AD was enormous.
***Those who once were vial become victorious
***Those who once were lost became found
***Those who once were hateful and proud become humble and loving.
2. ---We can see Jesus today in His local Church.
This congregation as the body of Christ, demonstrates the truths about Christ to the world around us.
The only thing some people will ever know about Jesus is what they see through this church!
THAT'S SCARY, ISN'T IT!
3.--- But as I considered it, I think there is one way in which Christ can most clearly be seen today.
If you want to see Jesus today
Look into the Bible.
One of the names of Jesus is "The Word."
John 1:14
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
1 John 5:7
There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.
The relationship between Jesus Christ the Living Word and the Holy Bible, the written Word and undeniable to any who would only study this Book! And because of that relationship, wherever you look in the Bible, you see Jesus!
In the Genesis, He is the Word which Created all things.
In the Pentateuch, He is the Passover Lamb, and every other Sacrifice.
In the Historical Books, He is the angel of the Lord who fights for Israel.
In the Poetical Books He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
In the Major Prophets, He is the stone, cut without hands and
In the Minor Prophets, He is the soon coming King.
In the Gospels He is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.
In Acts, He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
In Pauline Epistles, Jesus is the purchaser of our salvation and the builder of His Church.
In Hebrews, Jesus is the one Better than all before and any after.
In the Petrine Epistles, Jesus in the lively cornerstone.
In the Johannan Epistles, He is our Advocate when we sin.
In Jude, Jesus is the only Lord God and Our Lord Jesus Christ and
In Revelation, He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
AND HE IS COMING BACK.
I am saying, We see Jesus when we look in the Bible! Sometime, just for fun, read through the Bible looking for things that remind you of Jesus. It may not appear to have anything to do with Him on the surface, but think about a chapter, a Book, or a section of the Scriptures and see if you can see Jesus in it! It will bless your soul!
We See Jesus as We look to Biblical History
We Can See Jesus Today as We Study His Word and Finally,
III. WE WILL SEE JESUS IN THE FUTURE
Revelation 1:7 says of Jesus
"Behold, He cometh, and every eye shall see Him..."
There are three most notable events in the future in which we see Jesus very prominently;
1. When He Calls His People to Heaven
1 Thess 4:13-18
Vs 16 "For the Lord Himself shall descend ...."
What an experience that is going to be!
Jesus described it in Matthew like this;
---Two people will be working in the fields: one shall be caught up and the other will be left.
---Two women will be working at a grindstone: one will be caught up, and the other left.
Imagine a husband and wife. One is saved and the other is not. Jesus calls his own to heaven, and there is a wife, suddenly, without warning, alone! A young man and his brother are playing together. One is saved, and the other isn't. There is a great crash of thunder and the unsaved one is standing by himself! You know, many of the things that are the biggest blessings to the Christians are the worst curses to the unsaved. I heard a lady on a radio talk show one time complaining about her pastor. She said "He likes to preach over and over about how Jesus is coming soon. WHY CAN’T HE BE MORE POSITIVE!"
For the Christian THERE IS NOTHING SO POSITIVE AS THE BLESSED HOPE OF JESUS’ RETURN. But that which we look for and long for is going to be a terrible experience for those left behind! We'll See Jesus Again in the Future
2. When He Comes to End the Tribulation
Revelation 19:11-13
After all the Christians are taken off of this earth, Satan will have a chance to have almost complete dominion here. And those left on this earth will experience seven years of events so horrible that the Bible says there has been nothing like it!
Matthew 24:22
Finally, well see Jesus in the Future
3. When He Climbs on to His Eternal Throne
Revelation 21:22-23
Imagine what a wonder that will be! No sin, No sickness, No death and No tears. The Bible says there isn't even any sun or moon there, because Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is the light of the place. Just think of how wonderful it would be to live in a place where there was no hunger no worry about unemployment no fear of being robbed, mugged, or murdered. Where the news can never report anything horrible because nothing horrible happens. Where loved ones will not die. Where friends will not move away. And where everyone will get to see Jesus face to face!
This dreamland is real, but it is not for everybody (Rev 21:27).
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life get to go there!
Everyone else goes to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.
Oh Listen, today, if you are not in that Lamb's Book of Life, please let us show you from the Bible how to be saved for sure and forever!
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