Sermon – December 27
Text: Hebrews 2:14-18
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
In the name of Jesus, the Word made flesh, dear fellow redeemed:
It’s pretty easy to think back a couple of days and say what you received or what you gave for Christmas this year. But what about 2014? I would have a really hard time remembering though I know that I enjoyed the giving and receiving a year ago. Some of those things we may not even have anymore. I think for children it’s even more extreme. What may have been interesting a year ago may not be so much when you’re a year older.
This is another reason why the gift of Jesus is so precious. He is a long-lasting gift to us. He means the same to us year after year. This second chapter of the letter to the Hebrews examines the ramifications of Jesus becoming a human being. The long lasting effects for the children of God are freedom from the fear and slavery of death, as well as continued compassion from One who walked in our shoes. May’s God’s Spirit open our hearts to receive His message today.
1. Jesus gives freedom from the fear of death to the children of God
Have you ever had a family member or friend that embarrassed you or made you so angry that you’d like to disavow them? Do you maybe make a conscious effort not to be like them? Or maybe you were the one that people wanted to keep their distance from? There’s every reason why Jesus would want to keep His distance from us. We’ve brought shame to His name. We’ve disobeyed Him. We’ve done some really stupid stuff though He has warned us of the danger. Yet in the verses previous to our text we’re told, He’s not ashamed to call them brethren. And in verse 14 we read, Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same.
His incarnation – that is His taking on flesh and blood – is different than our coming into this world. We were all born in the image of Adam, inheriting his sin and the death that accompanied it. Jesus became human in a different way, bypassing the sinful nature of a human father and being conceived by the Holy Spirit. We can call Him our brother, and He was no less true Man than anyone in all human characteristics except sin, but we have to note the critical difference of a holy rather than sinful birth.
This was a step down from His heavenly throne, but it was a necessary one to accomplish His goals. That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. He had to die in order to take away the power of death, and that could only be accomplished with His own death, a sacrifice of perfection.
Now we do acknowledge that the Lord has control over life and death. He says, I kill and I make alive. But it is also true that the devil has used death as a weapon. It was he who through the instigation of the fall into sin brought death into the world. He knew full well that God was not exaggerating when He said that Adam and Eve would die in the day they ate of the fruit. So in accomplishing that, the devil tore Adam and Eve away from God and His life-giving connection. God restored that in the promise of a Savior, but physical death would follow in which the soul is torn from the body. These are no little things.
But Jesus took the devil out of commission and nullified him (a better translation) by His own death. That may seem to be contradictory that Jesus had to die to defeat death. It’s almost like when firefighters cause an explosion to defeat a fire. By doing so they remove the oxygen and the fire cannot be fed anymore. So also Jesus in a death that conquered sin took away power from the devil. He cannot use death as a weapon anymore because Jesus has removed the sting from it.
This gives us a different outlook not only when it comes to death, but when it comes to life. [Jesus] release[d] those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Even with the knowledge of our Savior’s work we can feel death breathing down our necks at times. We know the clock is ticking. Death is feared more than terrorism, poverty, or suffering. People are shackled to it, and even though people can be in denial of it up until their last hours, it is part of our future.
Jesus came to release us from the fear and slavery. This is not to say that death is not difficult or without cost, but it doesn’t have to be feared for the believer. For the child of God death is the future to something far, far better. We’re going into it not as the unknown, but with eyes wide open knowing what’s on the other side. This was accomplished by Jesus taking on flesh and blood and becoming our Brother. Christmas did not end in the stable. It keeps on going because Jesus grew up.
2. Jesus has compassion for the children of God
The fact that Jesus took on flesh and blood indicates His target of salvation. Verse 16: For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. It’s quite something to consider that you are valuable to God than His angels. The angels never got a second chance and were not redeemed. Those who joined Satan in his rebellion will pay the penalty of an eternity in hell. For them that was a permanent decision. There would be no redemption.
There was intervention on your behalf. Jesus showed compassion for the children of God. Even though we were born with a shipping label that showed hell, Jesus entered into time and became like us. He became flesh and blood to save flesh and blood. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it. The angels who remained on God’s side glorify Him and are just as amazed as we are concerning the love of God, and you are the beneficiary of the actions of Jesus.
Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Now we know that all things do include being made like us in sin, but Jesus did enter the world with all the possibilities and potential pitfalls that we face. In this way He was like the high priests of the Old Testament who made sacrifices for their fellow human beings. They walked shoulder to shoulder with them and knew their fragility because they could see it in themselves.
Jesus is the same, but better. He’s the same in His humanity, but so much better because of His holiness. Sometimes people want to elect a president who seems down to earth, and like them. I can understand that, but I want somebody better than I am to be my leader.
We have that in Jesus. He is a merciful and faithful High Priest who covered all of our sins. He did His work perfectly in offering up the sacrifice of His perfect and holy flesh and blood – the same flesh and blood by the way that He shares with us in His Holy Communion. In His faithfulness He carried out the work of redemption perfectly and so our sin cannot harm us.
We continue in verse 18: For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. This is perhaps one reason why humans are pastors and not angels. There is a commonality that can be helpful in empathizing with the pitfalls of life. This is true with your High Priest, Jesus. He is not made of stone. He understands the problems that we have, but He doesn’t have to be hip deep in the muck of sin to know of it. He walked the earth and experienced first hand all that goes on here. So when you’re tempted, know that Jesus experienced that very same temptation.
In fact, we face only a fraction of what Jesus did in the area of temptation. Satan was allowed to unleash his full arsenal on Jesus. Beyond the forty days of temptation in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus found Satan using Peter to tempt Him. His own disciple betrayed him. And this went on and on every day. While we know what it’s like to be tempted and lose, Jesus shows us how to win against temptation.
This is the doldrums of the church year for some. Attendance dips. We cannot find anything nice to say about the cold and snow. Some of those who had great enthusiasm for Christmas and got here super early on Christmas Eve had to make a great effort to be here today. Or just didn’t bother to come at all. It doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. His incarnation led to your redemption, and the freedom from death that He gives and the compassion that He lavishes on you continue go on every day. That effect of Christmas never grows old. Amen.