Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Reminder of last week's passage
• Very challenging Heb 2:1-4
• Challenging passage about Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen 19:1-17]
• Thinking about the judgement of God
• Mercy often quickly follows judgement
• Verses 5ff are very encouraging
• Jesus is crowned with glory and honour
• Jesus is restoring our fallen humanity
• We were made a little lower than then angels but one day we will be placed higher than the angels, being seated with the Lord Jesus Christ
• This week is all about God's intention to those who love Him
• The Bible is often about contrast
• The contrast helps us to be humble

God's intention to humanity

• Jesus is higher than the angels
• Angels are just servants
• Angels will not rule the world to come
• In the world to come humans will be superior to the angels and will reign with Christ
• The testimony is given in Psalm 8
• Remember God's love to humanity
• God's glory in creation
• God's glory in being mindful of man
• The world was to be subject to man
• However, the world is out of control
• We
  cannot control nature
• Aids, Ebola, cancer increasing, illness
• All things are not yet subject to man (v8) as they were in the Garden of Eden
• However Adam and Even were cut off by God and the world was cursed
• "We see Jesus" (v9)
• Only one name - only one man
• He was made a little lower than the angels
• He has been crowned with glory and honour
• He experienced death but He overcame death
• Think of the glory and talent of man, but also the suffering and pain
• Do you see Jesus as different to every other man?
• He
  rules over the wind and waves
• He
  produced bread and fish
•  The demons were subject to Him

How God plans to fulfil this intention

• God's plan
• "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren..." (v17)
• "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same" (v14)
• "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (v10)
• He had to suffer
• He had to become man
• There was only one way:
• That we could be redeemed
• To bring many sons to glory
• There was only one way ... that God should taken upon Himself a human form
• He came in the likeness of man but was without sin

• Consider v10
• Jesus is qualified to be our Saviour only through suffering
• Consider v11
• We are one with Him
• God is not ashamed of us, even though He has every right to be ashamed of us
• Have we got a friend who is closer to us than any brother
• Consider v12 and 13
• Consider v14
• People are afraid of death
• Jesus can release us from this fear of death
• For the Christian death is a doorway into heaven

The means is through the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus

Present help promised

• (v16-18)
• God gives aid not to the angels but to man
• Jesus is able to aid us when we are tempted
• Think of the testing in the wilderness and the garden of Gethsemane
• Remember the cross of the Lord Jesus
• Jesus is the propitiation for our sin
• Jesus is our wrath bearer - He took our sin
• Remember that we have a faithful and merciful High Priest
• Jesus gives aid and strength
• There is promised help in time of need