Hebrews 2:5-9

1. Intro.
1. Hebrews is one of the most important and one of the most difficult books in the Bible to understand
2. Hebrews is written to a persecuted and scattered population of Jewish Christians
1. the writer's desire is to encourage them in their faith by telling them about some better things
2. in Hebrews we hear repeatedly about better things and new things
1. a better priesthood, a better sacrifice, a better covenant
2. a better rest, a better future
3. in chapter 2, the writer explains how Jesus is better than the angels
4. notice in our text a few points concerning man's present condition
1. his worthlessness - what is man (vs. 6)
2. his powerlessness - lower than the angels (vs. 7)
3. his helplessness - not all things put under him (vs. 8)
4. 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
5. man was created with glory and honor
1. a being unlike the angels, in that we were made in the image of God and for the express purpose of fellowship with God
2. now, through sin and rebellion, we're just "lower than the angels"
6. man was created to subdue the earth and conquer it
1. now, due to the curse, this earth is the death of us
2. we earn our bread by the sweat of our faces, we suffer and struggle to scratch out a living from the earth
3. eventually, time and the forces of nature will take its toll on us and we will return to the dust
5. the author is just being honest, that's what life can be
1. if he had tried to pull one over on these Christians, he would have been laughed out of town
2. when a man is hurting, some pie in the sky message won't be much help to him
3. the author admits times are tough, but then, look at verse 9 "but we see Jesus"
4. as bad as it was, the author, under divine inspiration says, there is a bright light to lift up and look at
1. no matter how rough things get in this life, we see Jesus
2. no matter how hard it may be to feed the family, we see Jesus
3. no matter how wicked this world seems to be, we see Jesus
6. we can see Jesus today
1. we can find the hope to hang in there
2. we can find the strength to keep on for Christ
3. we can keep doing what is right
4. we can keep a joy about our countenance
2. we can see Jesus when we look back through biblical history
1. look into the pages of history, and nearly everywhere you look, you will see the Lord Jesus Christ
2. we see Jesus as the Promised Seed
1. promised first to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15
2. promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-2
3. this seed was then promised to Jacob, then Judah, and then David
4. He is promised in Isa 7:14, Isa 9:6, Micah 5:2
5. All of the hopes of the world, both in the OT and in the NT, rested upon this promise made by God
6. one day, in the fullness of time, God kept His promise
1. a special Star singled His arrival
2. the angels of God sung about His appearance
3. even this sin filled world today celebrates His birth
4. the Promised Seed came for you and me – John 3:16
3. we see Jesus as the powerful Son of God
1. we see this in the miracles Jesus did in His life on earth
1. walking on water, calming the storms, healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the multitudes
2. the centurion had it right, when watching Christ on the cross he said "truly this was the Son of God"- Matt 27:54
2. every miracle Jesus did in His earthly lifetime has some application for you and me today
4. we see Jesus as the impoverished Servant
1. while the promised seed was expected, He was not expected to come in the way He did
2. they all figured He would come in glory and splendor to defeat the Roman bad guys, and make Israel the greatest nation in the world
3. most of the world in Christ's day was not ready to receive Him the way He was – Isaiah 53:2
4. Christ came in humility for two very important reasons
1. so people would be attracted to Him through faith and not because of what He could do for them
1. if we come to Christ for the wonderful things He can do for us, we will be disappointed
2. Christ isn't our personal genie who makes all our troubles go away; He just won't work like that
3. if we come to Him in faith, as the only hope to have our sins forgiven and to have an eternal home in Heaven, Christ will grant us this, and make life much more abundant too
2. to teach us to serve and live humbly
1. Jesus taught the disciples that the servant is the greatest of all
2. there is no greater endeavor, that a man can put forth, than to strive to serve others
5. we see Jesus as the spotless, sinless Sacrifice – Hebrews 4:15
6. we see Jesus as the risen Savior - I Cor 15:3-4
1. Jesus is alive today, and because He is alive …
1. He is able to save all who will come to Him
2. He cares about what you and I are going through
3. He is praying before God the Father for us right now
2. thank God for a risen, living Savior
3. we can still see Jesus today
1. we can see Jesus whenever someone trusts Him as Savior, and especially as they grow in spiritual things
1. those who were once vial, have become victorious
2. those who were once lost, have been found
3. those who were once hateful and proud, have become humble and loving
2. we can see Jesus today in His local Church
1. this church is the body of Christ, and we demonstrate the truths about Christ to the world around us
2. the only thing some people will ever know about Jesus, is what they see through this church
3. that's scary, isn't it; but it is the truth
3. if you want to see Jesus today, look into the Bible
1. one of the names of Jesus is "the Word" - John 1:14
2. the relationship between Jesus Christ the Living Word, and the Holy Bible the written Word, is undeniable
3. wherever we look in the Bible, we see Jesus
4. we will see Jesus in the future – Revelation 1:7
1. there are three very notable events in the future in which we will see Jesus
1. when He calls His people to heaven at the rapture – I Thes 4:13-18
1. for the Christian there is nothing so positive as the blessed hope of Jesus’ return
2. that which we look for and long for is going to be a terrible experience for those left behind
2. when He comes to end the Tribulation - Revelation 19:11-13
1. after all the Christians are taken off of this earth, Satan will have almost complete dominion here
2. those left on earth will experience seven years of events so horrible, that the Bible says there has been nothing like it
1. natural disasters such as the world has never seen
2. wickedness and violence running rampant
3. demonic forces torturing and tormenting men
3. when He sits on to His eternal throne - Revelation 22:1-3
1. imagine how wonderful that will be, no sin, no sickness, no death and no tears
2. the Bible says there isn't even any sun or moon there, because Jesus Christ is the light of the place
3. just think of how wonderful it would be to live in a place where there was no hunger, no more worry, no more fear, and where everyone gets to see Jesus face to face
4. this dreamland is real, but it is not for everybody - Rev 21:27
1. 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
2. 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