You sit down. It would be great if you could get a Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 2.
A couple of years ago, around this time of year, quite a mature believer in our old church said to me,
Stuart, I understand that Jesus is God. I get that. I don't really understand what it means for Jesus to be a man.
I don't really relate to that. And I think she was, as I say, she was a mature believer.
I think probably she was speaking for a lot of us. And we're so used to talking about Jesus as God on earth
that we don't really grasp what it means for, if we ever could, for the eternal Son of God to become a man.
So that's what we're going to be looking at over the next couple of Sunday mornings.
We all know the stories of angels and shepherds. What is the significance of all that?
What is the significance of the incarnation of God taking on human flesh?
And so we're going to be looking at Hebrews chapter 2, which probably of all the Bible is a chapter which focuses so much
on Jesus in the flesh, God becoming a human being.
So this week we're going to look at him as our Jesus, our representative and restorer.
And next week, God willing, we'll see him as our brother, our champion, our priest.
This letter to the Hebrews is written to a bunch of Christians from a Jewish background,
but they were struggling with their faith.
They were considering chucking in the towel and just going back to Judaism and leading this Christianity business.
It's just too much like hard work.
And I suspect if we're honest with ourselves, while we may not come from a Jewish background,
perhaps among us today, there are those of us who wonder, is it really worth it?
Is it really that great with the struggles in the Christian life?
Well, the writer to the Hebrews wants us to see it is that great.
And so he starts by showing us this big picture of who the eternal Son of God is.
Those words we read earlier in chapter 1, verse 2, that he's the one through whom all things were created.
He is the one who angels worship, chapter 1, verse 6.
He's the radiance of the glory of God.
He's so much better than the angels.
That's the whole point of chapter 1.
Then we get to chapter 2.
Look at verse 3 for a moment.
See what he says about this great salvation.
How will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?
The salvation that Jesus has won for us.
Now what is salvation?
It's a very Christian word, isn't it?
We use it so often and so easily.
If you look it up in a dictionary, it says salvation is an act of saving something from harm or destruction.
But even then, what does that mean?
Let me try to illustrate it like this.
Sometimes we can think about salvation and think it's the same as salvaging something.
But it is not.
You may remember, when was it?
It was a couple of years ago now, three years ago now.
That huge ocean liner, huge cruise liner, the Costa Concordia, right aground and sank off the coast of Italy.
Well, there is now a salvaging operation going on.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that earlier this year, at great expense, they lifted the wreck up from the seashore to the bottom of the sea.
They towed it 200 miles up the coast to Genoa.
Now it's a port in Genoa being salvaged.
Which means essentially it's being destroyed.
They're going to recycle the metal that they can and everything else goes.
That's salvaging.
Just trying to rescue what is still of some use and recycle it.
I mean, salvation for the Costa Concordia would look like going down to the seabed, raising it up, bringing it back into port and then kind of remaking it somehow.
So it could float again.
That would be salvation.
But a great salvation, if you could do it for Costa Concordia, would be to go down, raise it up, turn it into port and then make it renewed completely.
With all the beauty, all the seaworthiness that once it had.
And not only that, a great salvation would be to make it unsinkable.
So it could never be destroyed again.
As we turn to Hebrews 2, we find out that the eternal Son of God has become man.
To work a great salvation.
To take what is broken, to bring it up, make it new so that it is now unbreakable.
And perfect forever.
That's what he has done.
That's what this chapter is about.
Let's look at verse 5 as we start the section that was read to us earlier.
The psalmist is quoting, the writer is quoting from Psalm 8.
So he says this,
Now it's not to angels that God subjected the world to come of which we're speaking.
This great salvation is a world to come.
We don't have it all yet.
It's a world to come.
But what's it like?
Well it's been testified somewhere.
What is man that you are mindful of him?
And so he goes on.
He goes back to use Psalm 8.
Written about what the world was like originally.
To show us how Jesus fulfills it.
So what we're going to do now is look at what Psalm 8 originally meant.
See how the writer uses it to show how Jesus fulfills it.
And then more briefly ask the question,
So what difference does it make for us?
What difference does it make for us?
So that's where we're going.
And the first point is going to, or the second point is going to take more or less forever.
Just warn you that now if you're taking notes.
So, Psalm 8.
What is Psalm 8 all about?
Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
That's how it begins.
And then rejoices in God's care and attention for mankind.
And really it's a poem, a song, rejoicing in all that God had done in Genesis chapter 1.
Where he makes men and women in his own image.
Crowned with glory and honour as God's image bearers in the world.
Set to be rulers over God's world.
That's the crowning with honour as well.
So God said, Genesis 1.26,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and over the livestock.
And over all the earth.
That's what the Psalm is celebrating.
What is man?
What are we little creatures?
That God should love us so much and give us such responsibility.
So it celebrates the dignity God gave us and the responsibility he gave us.
Crowned with, you're made in lower than the angels, but crowned with glory and honour.
Verse 7.
But as we look around at the world today, we see, don't we, it's not the same as it was in Genesis chapter 1.
Yes, we're still made in God's image.
But the world is not perfectly under our rule anymore.
Just over this weekend, they've been fixing new climate change agreements in Lima, haven't they?
Worried about what man is doing to the environment around us.
We see in the news, mudslides in Indonesia are killing people.
We know we live in a world that is no longer perfectly under human rule.
But in a creation that is now often hostile to human existence.
Why is that?
Well, in a nutshell, it's because the first man wanted to be God.
The first man wanted to be God.
So if you read on through the story of Genesis, in chapter 3, we read men and women rebelling against God.
God had put some trees in the garden.
He said you can eat the fruit from all these trees, but not this one tree.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And Satan crept into the garden, disguised as a snake,
and said, Genesis 3, verse 4,
He said to the woman,
You will not surely die.
God said you'll die if this happens, but you will not surely die.
God knows that when you eat of it,
your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.
See the temptation?
You see the attraction?
They wanted to be like God.
They weren't content with being made in God's image.
They wanted to be God themselves,
defining good and evil for themselves.
That's the human story, isn't it?
Every one of us wants to be God, naturally.
He wants to be in control of our own lives,
our own destinies.
And the result?
The result was disaster.
Death enters in the world,
the beautiful creation unravels,
and the world becomes hostile to us.
Just as when a nation suffers in unjust, bad government,
so society falls apart.
Look at Syria.
Look at Iraq.
So the world,
being no longer ruled by
beings doing what God wanted,
but by being ruled by those who turned away from God,
the creation unravels,
suffers the consequences of bad human leadership.
So the world is broken,
in a sense.
Now what do you do when something breaks,
when something you own breaks?
You can either
just chuck it out,
forget it.
Or you can make do.
The lock on our back door is not working right now,
it's actually locked shut.
Which is quite good,
because no one else can get in,
but it means we can't get out.
But you know what?
It's wet and horrible outside,
so we don't really care right now,
so we'll just make do.
We won't worry about it.
So you make do,
you can just throw things away,
or you can decide to fix it.
And our great God,
in his mercy,
in his commitment to the world he made,
has decided not just to make do with our rebellion,
not just to bid us all like we deserve,
but to come and fix what we broke.
As one writer put it,
God does not make junk,
and he does not junk what he has made.
He is committed to his world,
committed to his people.
So he's chose to fix the problem,
from the inside as it were.
The problem began,
with a man wanting to be God.
The problem is solved,
by God becoming man.
Coming down,
to fix what we broke.
And so that's how the psalmist now,
the writer of the Hebrews rather,
uses Psalm 8.
He says,
we don't see this perfect world God made,
but we do see what God has done,
in Jesus.
So let's have a look now,
secondly,
at how he applies,
this psalm to Jesus.
Look at verse 7 for a moment.
In a sense,
he breaks down Jesus' life and ministry,
into three parts.
Verse 7,
humiliation to begin with.
You made him for a little while,
lower than the angels.
Secondly,
exaltation.
You crowned him with glory and honour.
And finally,
putting everything in subjection,
under his feet.
The final triumph.
Humiliation,
exaltation,
then the final triumph,
when we see his exaltation.
So we're going to run through,
those three stages.
Of the incarnation,
of Jesus,
the son of God,
becoming flesh.
He unpacks those a bit more,
in verse 9.
Look at what he says,
in verse 9.
We do not see the world,
in subjection,
to human beings,
or to Jesus,
right now.
Verse 8.
But,
we see him,
who for a little while,
was made lower than the angels.
Namely,
Jesus,
crowned with glory and honour.
This is the first time,
in the book,
the writers use,
the name Jesus.
He's told us about,
the eternal son of God,
made in God's image,
the glory of God,
the exact imprint,
of his being,
of him being worshipped,
by the angels,
being greater than the angels.
And now he uses,
his human name,
Jesus.
This eternal God,
in his humility,
becoming lower than the angels,
to be worshipped by him.
Those who were worshipped,
by the angels,
now coming,
to take care of the earth.
Coming to do,
Adam and Eve's job,
the one who upholds,
the universe,
by the word of his power.
Verse 2.
Now coming,
to live as a man,
among us.
A couple of years ago,
Prince William spent,
I think a night,
out on the streets,
living as a homeless person,
identifying with them,
to highlight their need.
That was a,
wonderful thing for him to do.
He didn't need to do it.
Great thing.
But the eternal son of God,
didn't just identify with us,
for a night.
But after that moment,
in Bethlehem,
where he was born as a baby,
for all eternity,
he bears human flesh,
now renewed human flesh,
on the throne of heaven,
as the resurrected one.
But that journey,
that started in Bethlehem,
continues forever.
He so strongly,
identifies with us.
And he comes to do,
what Adam failed to do.
He comes to make amends,
to sort out the damage,
that was done by the first man.
And to see that,
a bit more clearly,
I want us to go back for a moment,
so I don't leap around a bit,
to Luke chapter 3 and 4.
So if you can turn back to page 859,
if you're using one of those
black church Bibles,
to Luke chapter 3.
I want us to see how Luke,
also,
as well as the writer of the Hebrews,
presents Jesus,
as the man who's come to do,
what Adam didn't do.
So Luke chapter 3.
The context here,
we want to see Jesus has been born,
he's been baptised,
the voice has come from heaven,
saying this is my beloved son,
with you I am well pleased.
And Luke 3 verse 23,
we begin with Jesus,
when he began his ministry,
was about 30 years of age,
being the son,
as we suppose,
of Joseph,
the son of Heli.
And then we get a genealogy.
And what do most of us do
when we hit a genealogy in the Bible?
Glaze over and flip over it
as quickly as possible.
That's right, isn't it?
That's what we do.
But look careful,
well don't look too carefully
at this one,
because you look down,
you see Luke does something
that Matthew doesn't do,
he traces Jesus all the way back,
yes,
through David,
verse 31,
through Jacob,
verse 34,
and Abraham,
verse 34,
and he keeps going back,
he goes back to Noah even,
verse 36.
And verse 37,
to the Methuselah,
who's lived for a long time,
back in Genesis 5.
And look where he takes it back to you,
verse 38.
The son of Enos,
the son of Seth,
the son of Adam,
the son of God.
There's a contrast between
two sons of God,
isn't there?
The son announced at the baptism,
my beloved son.
And the first one made in God's image,
made in God's likeness,
who in a sense was God's son
in his likeness,
Adam.
But what did Adam do?
In the garden,
he fell into temptation
and disobeyed.
What does Jesus do?
Where does Jesus go next?
What does it say at the top of chapter 4?
What's the headline there?
The temptation of Jesus.
As Adam was tempted in a garden,
as Israel was tempted
in the wilderness and failed,
now we get Jesus,
tempted in the wilderness.
And what happens to him?
Chapter 4, verse 1.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness
for forty days,
being tempted by the devil.
And he ate nothing
during those days,
and when they were over,
he was hungry.
See, Luke wants us
to see the contrast.
What Israel had failed to do,
what Adam had failed to do,
what now the Son of God,
the eternal Son
in human flesh,
comes to do.
We're going to look
very briefly
at these temptations
and want us to see,
as Luke wants us to see,
the humanity of Jesus,
but also the victory of Jesus
in Adam's place.
So first of all,
he resists the temptation
to use divine power
for his own ease.
Do you see that?
Verse 3.
The devil came to him
and said,
if you are the Son of God,
command this stone
to become bread.
Of course,
we see Jesus' humanity here.
God cannot be tempted.
James chapter 1,
verse 13.
We also see his humanity
in the days,
hungry,
like we get hungry.
Like some of you,
by the time I finish this morning,
will probably be hungry,
and at least want your tea
and biscuits
at the end of the servants.
Well, Jesus was hungry.
But you see his humanity,
he restricts himself.
He doesn't use his divine power
to make bread for himself
and make life easy.
Rather,
as the one
who's made lower
than the angels,
he submits to his Father's will,
submits to the restrictions
of just being a human being.
For the second temptation,
verse 5,
the devil took him
and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world
in a moment in time
and said to him,
to you I will give
all this authority
and their glory
for it has been delivered to me
and I will give it
to whom I will.
But what human
and what man particularly
is not tempted
by power
and prestige
and honour.
And yet the man Jesus
resists that temptation.
He's not going to take
the shortcut
of fatal worship
to the devil
but the long way
of costly obedience
to the Father
so that he can get
the honour
and glory
of the nations.
And look at the third temptation,
the temptation
to test God.
Verse 9,
the devil took Jesus
to Jerusalem
and set him
on the pinnacle
of the temple
and said to him,
if you are the son of God
throw yourself down
from there
for it is written
he will command
his angels
concerning you.
What was the temptation?
The temptation
to put God
to the test.
It's never okay
for human beings
to put God
to the test.
If you look through
the Bible
you find it's a good thing
when God puts humans
to the test
as you put Abraham
to the test
it resulted
in Abraham
being blessed.
But it's never good
for us
for mere men
to test God
to test whether
he is true
to his word.
It's not even okay
for the incarnate
son of God
to test his father.
See in his human nature
Jesus had to learn
to trust his father
just as you and I
are men and women
boys and girls
need to learn
to trust
the living God
who makes great promises
to us.
So you see
Jesus' humanity
in these temptations
but you notice
also the victory.
He does not give in.
And there's a bit
of a parallel
with the way
Adam was tempted
in the garden
isn't there?
The first temptation
is to do with food.
Well Adam succumbed
when he and his wife
saw fruit
that was pleasing
to the eye
and good to eat.
The second temptation
was for God
like authority.
What did the serpent
say to Adam
and Eve in the garden?
Eat this
you'll become like God.
What did Satan
say to Jesus?
Worship me
and I'll give you
all the kingdoms
of the earth.
You can be like God.
Again Jesus
resists
claiming that
for himself.
And also
the temptation
to put God
to the test.
Satan's first
words to Eve
did God
really say?
Did God
really say
you died?
Is that what
God really said?
You test him
to see if that's true.
Yet Jesus
does not put God
to the test.
He will not
throw himself
off the temple
to see if the angels
catch him.
The very points
at which Adam
failed
the new Adam
Jesus
our new representative
the son of God
succeeds.
And what did he have
to resist
Satan's temptations
with?
What does verse 1
tell us?
Chapter 4
he was filled
with the Holy Spirit
and how did he
meet each temptation?
He quoted
the word of God
back at Satan.
See he resisted
with the resources
that we have.
He resisted
as a man
in his human nature
filled with the spirit
armed with the word
of God
what every believer
has as we battle
temptation today.
Well this is the
first part of this
humiliation
that he was
made lower than
the angels
made a human being
subject to all
our temptations
and difficulties.
If you want to
turn back to Hebrews
or get on with
that passage
back to page 1002
if you're a church
Bible
Hebrews chapter 2
So he was made
a little lower
than the angels
and then we see
his ultimate
humiliation there
if you look down
to verse 9
we see him
who for a little
while was made
lower than the angels
namely Jesus
crowned with glory
and honour
why?
Because of the
suffering of death
so that by the
grace of God
he might taste
death for everyone
death
he took on flesh
so that he could
die
he tasted death
for all of us
not just a sip of
the cup
but he drank it
to the dregs
so that we do not
need to drink it
death is not natural
in God's world
death is an enemy
an intruder
that's how the Bible
tells us
death came as a result
of Adam and Eve's
rebellion
the sin of the
first man brought
death into the
world
but this sinless
man comes
who does not
give in to
temptation
who does not
deserve death
but drinks the
cup of death
for us
so there can be
new life
and why?
verse 9
is by the grace
of God
through Adam
death came into
the world
through Jesus
the sinless one
who drinks death
death can be
done away with
he dies as our
representative
so that we can
have life
see this is the
great salvation
this is the great
salvation
all the consequences
of sin
being taken by
the sinless one
who lived the
sinless life
so this salvation
could come
all that's been
the humiliation
but don't worry
we're getting on to
exaltation now
verse 7b
actually look back
to verse 9
the fuller account
he'd been
crowned with
glory and
honour
because of
the suffering
of death
our first
parents
Adam and Eve
were in a sense
crowned with
glory and honour
being made in
God's image
being made to
rule his world
but that was
marred by their
sin by their
rebellion
still human
beings are still
in God's image
still have great
dignity
we don't have
all the honour
we had
but now Jesus
comes into the
world
and he is the
only
he's only the
second man
created
in perfect
fellowship with
God as God
intended
created without
sin
the man
Christ
Jesus
and yet he
takes death
for us
he's raised
to new life
with glory
and honour
to restore
the blessings
that Adam
and Eve
lost
to restore
the dignity
and the
hope
that was lost
through their
sin
but how do we
know he's
exalted in
glory and honour
now
how do we
know that
we know it
because the
tomb is empty
don't we
we know it
because of
the resurrection
we cannot
just speak about
Christmas
we have to
speak about
Easter as
well
don't we
because that
tomb is empty
he's raised
to new life
he's now
reigning
in glory
and honour
at God's
right hand
the apostle
Paul puts
the contrast
between Jesus
and Adam
like this
1 Corinthians
15 verse
21
for as by
a man
came death
by a man
has come
also the
resurrection
from the
dead
for as in
Adam all
die
so in
Christ
all should
be made
alive
so in
the end
there are
two types
of human
beings
there are
those who
are on
Adam's
team
and those
who are
on
Jesus
team
those who
are still
on Adam's
team
the team
we're
naturally
born
onto
will
inherit
the death
that comes
through
him
those who
by grace
through
faith
are on
Jesus
team
he is
our
captain
we will
go his
way
inheriting
life
so that's
the exaltation
the leadership
and the rule
that human
beings are
supposed to
exercise
is now
entirely
with Jesus
who rules
on our
behalf
who rules
as our
king
but we
don't see
that rule
completely
manifest
yet
do we
we still
see sin
and pain
and death
in the
world
we still
see many
people who
will not
bow to
king
Jesus
who will
entrust
themselves
to his
gracious
rule
the kingdom
has not
yet fully
come
so after
the exaltation
sorry after
the humiliation
that has
happened
the exaltation
which is now
the present
experience
that Jesus
is raised
Jesus is
reigning
there's still
one final
stage
his return
in triumph
and that's
what's described
in verse
verse 8
first line
of verse 8
putting
everything
in subjection
under his
feet
you know
in psalm 8
it was only
the living
beasts
the cattle
the fish
of the sea
the birds
of the air
that were
under the
rule of
Adam and
Eve
but the
writer of the
Hebrews
sees that
for everything
to be restored
absolutely
everything
will be put
under the
feet of
the Lord
Jesus
Christ
so he
goes on
verse 8
now in
putting
everything
in subjection
to him
he left
nothing
outside his
control
at present
we do not
yet see
everything
in subjection
to him
but one
day we
will
one day
the man
who is on
the throne
of heaven
will come
back
as judge
of all
and everything
will be put
right
the kingdom
will fully
come
all who have
turned from
living for
themselves
to seek
his forgiveness
to seek
life
will be
forgiven
will be
forgiven
will enjoy
the glory
and honour
that Jesus
now has
his humiliation
his past
his exaltation
his present
the final victory
is still to come
that's how
psalm 8
meant originally
that's how
psalm 8
is fulfilled
by Jesus
the new
Adam
the new
representative
of the new
race
final question
so what does
the incarnation
mean for us
what does this
matter
why should we
celebrate Christmas
not just the way
the rest of the
culture does
well let me put it
like this first
if the second
person of the
trinity
if the eternal
son of God
had not become
a human being
what would we
still have
well we'd still
have a creation
that is imperfect
for us
with death
disease
disasters
we'd still have
to pay for
our own sin
because no
other man
would have
taken our
place
we'd still
face death
and judgment
we would
still not
have any
hope
but that is
not the
state we're
in
is it
because actually
the eternal
son of God
has come
has lived
as a human
being
on this
earth
lives now
as an
exalted
human being
in heaven
so what
difference does
that make
well let me
try and sum it up
very briefly
in about two
minutes
say three
things
to think
about afterwards
and talk
about over
lunch
this
Jesus
ministry
as a
real man
gives us
a pattern
to follow
a hope
to cling
on to
and a reason
to worship
a pattern
to follow
a hope
to cling
on to
and a reason
to worship
so a pattern
to follow
what was the
pattern of
Jesus'
life
humiliation
and then
exaltation
he went down
and then was
raised up
most people
around us
have this
faith that
life will just
keep on getting
better
don't they
that is
as one
political scientist
put it
the faith
of practical
men and women
who believe
they have no
religion
I love that line
practical men and women
who believe
they have no
religion
have this faith
that life will just
keep getting better
that's why there's
astonishment
in the last couple
of weeks
that government
levels of
public services
might go back
to 1930s levels
of investments
now forget any
political points
about that
what's the outcry
it looks like
life isn't going
to keep on
getting better
that challenges
the deeply
held faith
of every
natural
western
human being
but what does
a Christian
know
a Christian
know that
that is not
the pattern
of life
the pattern
of life
is not
that it keeps
getting steadily
better
but that there
is humiliation
followed by
exaltation
we serve now
glory comes
later
we suffer now
glory comes
later
because that's
what Jesus
did
he gives us
a pattern
to follow
secondly
he gives us
a hope
to cling
to
we have
a hope
in the
present
don't we
as Jesus
went into
the wilderness
and had to
do battle
with the devil
who tempted
him
what resources
did he have
he was filled
with the spirit
and he had
the word of
God
we have
those resources
too by
God's grace
more or less
in coming weeks
as we look at
Jesus as our
priest
we have the
same resources
to deal
with the
temptations
we face
so we have
hope in the
present
we also have
hope for the
future
we have this
great salvation
the creation
that was
wrecked and
ruined
has been
brought up
by the
Lord Jesus
been made
new
been made
so that we'll
never be
subject to
failure again
a real world
that is the
Christian hope
not merely
heaven
heaven is good
heaven is what
we get when
we die
but there is
something even
better beyond
it
the new
creation
when heaven
comes back
down to
earth
when Jesus
comes to
reign
and everything
sad becomes
untrue
to steal a line
from Tolkien
for a moment
the Christian
hope is of
a real
physical life
in a real
physical world
no longer
scarred by
sin and
selfishness
and death
and disease
we don't have
the hope of
a Buddhist
nirvana
we have something
much better
something solid
something real
so we have a
pattern to follow
a hope to cling
to in the present
and for the future
and finally a reason
to worship
the triune God
has not given up
on us
that's the message
of the incarnation
isn't it
we broke his
world
he hasn't
binned it
he hasn't
ignored it
he's worked
to restore it
God does not
make junk
and he does not
junk what he has
made
he's so committed
to his creation
that the eternal
son of God
became a part
of that creation
came down
to lift us up
to the heights
God had planned
for us
the first Adam
wanted to be God
so he messed up
the world
the second Adam
the son of God
became man
to fix what Adam
broke
so because
God the son
became
and he
became a man
as our representative
and restorer
and tasted
death for us
we must trust
in him
for hope
in the present
for a pattern
to follow
for hope
for the future
we can trust
him
because he lived
with us
and lived for us
let's pray
a man