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He Is Able (Hebrews 2:14-18)
11 Plays17 days ago
The New Testament records these three words 10 times, “He is able”. Today we are going to learn from one of these passages what the Lord Jesus Christ is able to do. We will focus our attention on Hebrews 2:14-18. The closing verse of our text says, “…He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Since Hebrews 10:1-2, 11 signals that the temple was still in operation in Jerusalem, most bible scholars place the writing of this letter between AD 64-69. We don’t know the author of this letter, but it is clear that the theme is the supremacy of Christ. We see within these pages the repetition of the word “better” – Christ brings a better life through salvation, promises a better hope, offers a better sacrifice and assures us of a better inheritance.
This an incredible bridge between Old Testament typology and New Testament fulfillment. He most definitely a superior Person, a superior Priest and gives His followers a superior life. Let’s look at these five verses and learn about the ability of the Son of God.
1. He is able to relate to humanity, 2:14, 17
2. He is able to defeat the devil, 2:14
3. He is able to deliver from fear, 2:15
4. He is able to help against temptation, 2:16, 18
5. He is able to forgive our sin, 2:17
Jesus asked two blind men who came to Him for healing this important question, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They answered, “Yes, Lord.” What if He asked you that question. What would your answer be to Him?
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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Prayer
00:00:08
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message. If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, FBCColumbusTX.org. And now take your copy of God's timeless word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Jesus as 'Able' in New Testament
00:00:42
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace. I do pray that you're still growing in grace, that you're not on some spiritual treadmill, that you're moving forward in your walk with the Lord. There's just so much to to know and so much to experience whenever you're walking with Jesus on a daily basis.
00:01:01
Speaker
And I really pray that this message today will help you in that respect. You know, 10 times in the New Testament, it says that Jesus is able. You can find it in Romans 14, 4, 16, 25. You can find it in 1 Corinthians 10, 13, 2 Corinthians 9, 8.
00:01:23
Speaker
Ephesians 3.20, Philippians 3.21, 2nd Timothy 1.12, Hebrews 7.25, Jude verse 24, and right here in this text we're gonna look at today in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 18.
Authorship and Themes of Hebrews
00:01:40
Speaker
You're gonna hear him say, he is able to help those who are being tempted. That's what we're gonna talk about this day, and I pray that it will bless you. You know, um The book of Hebrews is a little bit mysterious because knowing that the Holy Spirit wrote it, that gives me great confidence about it. But we don't know which human um author that he used. Whose pen was it that he moved to write these things? Was it Paul? Or was it Luke? Was it Barnabas? Or was it Apollos? We don't know for sure. Most Bible scholars say that because of chapter 10,
00:02:20
Speaker
verses 1 and 2 and verse 11, that it looks like that the temple was still in operation. And we know that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. So they say it was probably written from AD 64 to AD 69, somewhere in that that neck of the woods. And we know that it was written to a Jewish Christian community, and likely they were in Rome, but we don't know that for certain either.
Jesus' Superiority in Hebrews
00:02:49
Speaker
But another thing we do know for certain is this thing is laser focused on Jesus, specifically the supremacy of Jesus. Many times in this book, ah you'll hear them use this word better. He offers a better life through salvation. He is better than the angels.
00:03:11
Speaker
He offers a better hope and better sacrifice and better inheritance. And so it's just a wonderful book. And I encourage you, if you've never done a personal study or even just reading through the book of Hebrews, to really give it a read, I think you'll be blessed. It doesn't focus so much on salvation and what Jesus did on the cross and all of those good things that are very important, but it speaks about his high priestly role, the ministry of Christ right now, as he sits at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus' High Priestly Role
00:03:45
Speaker
And so it's really interesting if you haven't studied much in that um that area. But let me read through Hebrews chapter two, verses 14 through 18. And I wanna share with you based on this passage, ah some of those things that the Bible reveals to us
00:04:04
Speaker
that remind us of just how able Jesus Christ is. So let's think about his ability and you think about what you're facing in life. Here's what it says in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 14. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise, partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death. That is the devil.
00:04:34
Speaker
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation.
00:05:02
Speaker
for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Jesus' Victory Over the Devil
00:05:13
Speaker
Let's talk about how he is able. The first thing I noticed is verses 14 and 17. You know, I think it's amazing that God, especially the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, he is able to relate to humanity. You know, in verse 14,
00:05:32
Speaker
He says, since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same. But then again, it talks about in verse 17, therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect. So that's what the incarnation is all about. That's what Christmas celebrates. But you know, have you ever thought about how the Lord chose humanity? Jesus became a man.
00:06:02
Speaker
But he didn't become an angel. Don't you find that interesting? Because the Bible reveals that one-third of the angels chose to follow Satan when he rebelled against the Father, against the Lord God the Almighty. And that was a big mistake, of course. But they also, these fallen angels, they're without hope. They're without help.
00:06:26
Speaker
But He did not take their nature, nor did He come to down across to atone for their sins. Isn't that amazing that He loves us that much and that whatever it is that we're going through, He would say, I understand. I've been there. I know what you mean by that. You know, Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11 has incredible depth to it when it describes how Jesus actually left heaven. He had been with the Father for all eternity past, perfect, united fellowship. They were one together and He gave it all up to come down here to this broken world and to become like us. You know, it's amazing. Before salvation would have ever been acceptable on the basis of a perfect life, death and burial of Christ,
00:07:23
Speaker
The incarnation of Christ must be addressed. And so I thought, wow, if he had never come, the father would not be able to accept ah the sacrifice. He had to become just like us. And so it's an amazing thing to think that he retained his identity as the son of God, his deity, but at the same time, he became a man.
00:07:51
Speaker
and became the son of man, son of God, yes, 100%, but also son of man, 100%. To me, I think that's just incredible and hard to understand that he can relate to humanity. So please don't think of the Lord Jesus Christ as being someone who's so far removed from your problems and all that you face that he cannot possibly you know have any empathy about it.
00:08:21
Speaker
No, he does.
Freedom from Fear of Death
00:08:22
Speaker
He does. He is able to relate to humanity, but that's not all that he did for us. Look at verse 14. You know, verse 14 says um that through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death. That is the devil. Did Jesus destroy the devil?
00:08:42
Speaker
You know, I think it could be semantics here. It could be all of us on this side of the English equation trying to understand what did he mean when he wrote that word destroyed. I like what Warren Worspe says in his commentary, Satan is not destroyed, he is disarmed. And then Ray Steadman says in his commentary, the devil is not eliminated He's rendered impotent. There's a big difference. And so what I got to doing was I started looking in all these Greek ah textbooks and saying, what do the Greek experts say that the word destroy here in this verse means? And what they said was it means ineffective. It means powerless. It means useless. It means to nullify. And so isn't that incredible?
00:09:36
Speaker
that whenever Jesus came and he died on the cross, no wonder it says he made a public spectacle as he triumphed over Satan and all his demons and so forth on the cross. Because, get this, all of his life, all of his human life,
00:09:54
Speaker
He had been tempted and yet he never once was guilty of sin. He was perfect. He lived a perfect life. That did not happen before. And so he lived a perfect life. And so no wonder when the father raised him from the dead, no wonder it says in Revelation 1, 17 through 18, that Christ now holds the keys of death in Hades. Isn't that amazing?
00:10:25
Speaker
You know, we know even from the Old Testament, from, well, let's say Psalms 139 verse 16, when God says, you know, before you were in your mother's womb, already knew the number of days. I wrote them down in my book that were gonna be in your life. And so I think, okay, sounds to me like that God is the one who's in charge of life and death. But then in Job, in Job chapter one, verse 21,
00:10:54
Speaker
I mean, if the father would have led him, I believe Satan would have destroyed Job, but he didn't. He said, you can touch him, but you can't take his life. And so don't you think that it's amazing that God is the one that truly has power over death? But what I think happened here is through Christ's death, since he had lived a perfect life,
00:11:20
Speaker
He paid the penalty so that now anybody who trusts him and goes through him, the devil's been defeated and the devil's been silenced so that if the accuser of the brethren were to stand before the throne of God and say, this guy committed so many sins when he was in high school. He committed so many sins when he was in junior high. You know what the father would say? The father would say,
00:11:50
Speaker
All of those sins to which you are referring Satan, all of those things have been washed away by the perfect blood of my son. He he caused Satan's, ah all of his ah accusations to be ineffective, powerless, useless. That's why he says he's overcome him. He's defeated him. He doesn't have any power. He's been disarmed.
00:12:18
Speaker
So I think that's amazing, because I sure couldn't beat the devil myself. Could you? I think only Jesus, the Son of God, could do that. But let's move to the third thing. I believe that verse 15 tells us that also Jesus is able not only to relate to humanity, not only is he able to defeat the devil, he's also able to deliver from fear. He's able to deliver from fear. You know, chapter 15,
00:12:48
Speaker
ah Two of Hebrews in verse 15 says, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Wow. I think that is that is like servitude, isn't it? When a man or a woman, a boy or girl,
00:13:07
Speaker
when they're so afraid of dying. It's like the the devil is like a terrorist. He's like a bully. He's like someone who takes another person hostage. And he says, I could kill you if I wanted to. And so they're so afraid of death that they just cower down.
00:13:26
Speaker
But you know what? All of that changed whenever Jesus took away the keys to death and hell, the grave and so forth, because now it says in Galatians 5.1, it was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoko slavery. And so this whole idea of having been in the past subject to lifelong slavery, oppression, bondage,
00:13:55
Speaker
being ensnared to the devil, that's not true anymore. Not for those who are in Christ. you know Not for those who are under the blood of Christ. One of my favorite presidents is President Abraham Lincoln.
00:14:09
Speaker
you know They say that um the White House, I don't know if it's still there, but they used to have a certain Bible that was preserved in a case. And you could only ah look at it, but you couldn't really touch it. But they say that within that Bible that Abraham Lincoln used to look at,
00:14:28
Speaker
If you were to just close the Bible and let it fall open where it wants to, it would fall open to Psalm 34. Isn't that something? It just opens up on on its own every time to Psalm 34. And then at Psalm 34,
Jesus as Helper Against Temptation
00:14:44
Speaker
they noticed that there was this incredible smudge, like someone had placed their finger right at Psalm 34 for many, many times. And what they say happened was,
00:14:58
Speaker
President Lincoln, he had so many burdens that he must have carried for the United States at that time during his presidency. But he would go to that passage of scripture and he would say, I sought the Lord. I sought the Lord and he delivered me from all my fears.
00:15:20
Speaker
Do you have a fear? Is there something that's just got you in bondage? You know, I really believe that the Lord can set us free of whatever it is that is making us feel afraid. So definitely He is able to deliver us from fear, even fear of death. He's able to defeat the devil. He's able to relate to humanity. But verses 16 and 18 tell us a fourth thing He's able to help against temptation.
00:15:51
Speaker
You know, Hebrews 2.5 says that God placed man on the earth to rule. The role of the angels was simply to serve mankind, those who inherit salvation. That's what it says in verse 14 of chapter 1.
00:16:11
Speaker
that the the angels are there, are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. So that's that's what the angels, no wonder that it says in this verse here that ah he didn't come to help the angels, for surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. So he didn't come to help the angels, he came to help those who are of faith, those who are like Abraham, who were men and women of faith. And so I think, thank the Lord so much that he says, I came to help you with what? With temptation, it says, at the end of this chapter, for because he himself has suffered when tempted, he's able to help those who are being tempted. That's incredible, right? That he can help us with temptation.
00:17:09
Speaker
You know, I think temptation is one of those things that it can box your jaws, especially, you know, if you get in the ring with it and you don't have Jesus in there to help you, then wow. But the Lord Jesus not only took hold of man's nature, you know what he also takes hold of? Our hand. He says, follow me. Let's go face this bully and he'll take on sin. He'll take on temptation.
00:17:35
Speaker
And so I just think, wow, isn't it interesting that it says he didn't come to help the angels. He came to help the offspring of Abraham. You know, he could have said the seed of Adam, but he didn't. He chose the seed of Abraham. And I think it's because Abraham was a man known for his faith, his simple faith. Will you trust the Lord to help you with temptation?
00:18:05
Speaker
It's interesting how that word helps there is ah epi-lambanomai, epi-lambanomai. It means to grasp, to take by the hand, to rescue from peril. And so it's just so incredible that the Lord can help us and take us by the hand and say, let's go fight this sin together.
00:18:29
Speaker
And let me tell you, he knows how to win because Hebrews chapter four and verse 15 says, for we did not have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who is who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Wow, so yeah, he got tempted, but he never gave in. What a great hero to take in the ring with you.
00:18:59
Speaker
To come to the aid, it says. That word, come to the aid of, there in that last verse, 18, is botheo. It means to run toward whenever you hear a cry. It was used of physicians whenever physicians would be treating a patient.
00:19:17
Speaker
and perhaps they had them in a back room. And then all of a sudden they hear them cry, help, help, help. And so the physician would run to the rescue to come to the aid. That's the word here when it says he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hey, I think sometimes we don't call out to him.
00:19:39
Speaker
We should call out to him and he will come and help relieve that pain and that grief from whatever sin it is that's pushing us all around the ring of life.
Jesus as Merciful High Priest
00:19:50
Speaker
But let me give you one last one. When you look at verse 17, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 17 says, therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful.
00:20:08
Speaker
high priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. You know, this is the very first mention of the word, the words high priest in the book of Hebrews. It's mentioned of Jesus in this book, the book of Hebrews 13 times. It calls him a high priest. But you know, the high priest was different from just sort of like a regular priest. How so?
00:20:37
Speaker
well The high priest was the only one who was permitted on the Day of Atonement to go into the very Holy of Holies. And that's the name that is ascribed to Jesus Christ. But you know what I think is really cool? How Jesus Christ is such a model of perfection because look at the perfect balance he has between mercy, being merciful, and being Faithful, being merciful and being faithful. you know When you think of merciful, what do you think of? Somebody who's compassionate, somebody who's sympathetic, somebody who's tender and caring, who loves you. I think it's ah really cool how a commentator from the past named J.C. Ryle wrote these words, the son of God, mighty to save, the son of man, mighty to feel.
00:21:37
Speaker
That's the kind of Savior we have, one who has that incredible love, that empathy, that sympathy. He has mercy in his heart. But I think it's just so amazing that also it's based not just with mercy only, that would be off balance. If he only loves, but he can't represent truth,
00:22:02
Speaker
He can't represent holiness. He can't represent obedience and faithfulness. Oh, but he can. He can, because that's why it says that he came so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. And so that is so cool that he he bridges the gap between someone who is caring and loving and compassionate, but also someone who says, you know what? I am caring. I am loving. I am compassionate. But it doesn't mean that anything is okay. You know, I still stand for holiness. I still stand for righteousness. There's still a standard. And so he is faithful. So what you're looking at here is someone who came to this world
00:22:56
Speaker
and had perfect love, perfect compassion, and balanced it perfectly with obedience.
Jesus' Sacrifice and Justice
00:23:04
Speaker
Always, I mean complete complete obedience to the Father in everything He did. No wonder it says in Hebrews chapter four, in verses 15 and 16, that we can come to Him ah He says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Did you hear the balance there? Let us then draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You know, he came with that love. He came with that holy life.
00:23:50
Speaker
with that perfect life, and because he came that way, he was able to do something that no one else could have ever done. It uses the word to make propitiation for the sins of the people. What does that mean?
00:24:06
Speaker
It means to satisfy the righteous demands of God's judgment and God's justice. You know, in other words, our sin is offensive to God. He's holy. He can't just ignore it. And so we have to say, okay, okay, aye I need God to wipe away my sins, but how can He wipe away my sins if I committed them? He can because Jesus took the penalty.
00:24:35
Speaker
He took the judgment. You see, the word propitiation there means an offense is taken away, and the offended is now reconciled, and the guilty is now pardoned. Why?
00:24:50
Speaker
because there was a satisfactory, sufficient sacrifice that was offered up for atonement. That's why. Man, oh man, I'm just telling you, Jesus, He's like no one else in our
Faith in Jesus for Life Challenges
00:25:06
Speaker
lives. He is completely able to help us with whatever we're facing. Why? Well, because He's able to relate to humanity. He's been here. He's able to defeat the devil.
00:25:19
Speaker
He's able to deliver from fear. He is able to help against temptation. And lastly, He is certainly able to forgive our sins because of His propitiation and because now we have this high priest seated right at the right hand of the Father who intercedes for us always, saying, Father, please apply my blood to that one that's talking to you now. Wow.
00:25:49
Speaker
I think that's incredible. You know, there were two blind men in the book of Matthew. It's recorded in Matthew 9.28. And they went to Jesus. They went to Him hoping that He would heal them of their blindness. And when they got there, Jesus didn't ask them a physical question. He asked them a spiritual question. And I want to close by asking you the same spiritual question that He asked them.
00:26:18
Speaker
But it says in Matthew 9.28, when he entered the house, the blind men came to him and Jesus said to them, do you believe that I am able to do this? And they said to him, yes, Lord. So friends, I wanna ask you this day,
00:26:40
Speaker
What is it you are facing? Something that you're not able to resolve. Some kind of mountain you're not able to climb. There's something that's just too hard for you. But I think that today, the Lord Jesus Christ is wanting to look at you and look at me. And he's wanting to ask both of us, do you believe that I am able to do this? I hope, friend,
00:27:07
Speaker
that your answer to him would be the same answer that those two blind men gave Jesus when they said, yes, Lord. Let's close in prayer. Lord, I thank you so much for our friends at Growing In Grace. They mean a lot to me and I pray that you would always take your word and feed them. I know that what they need is not me, they need you. They need the promises, they need the instruction that comes from your word.
00:27:35
Speaker
ah They need the revelation. Sometimes, Lord, we need to see who you are. We need to continue growing in the knowledge of God. And so I pray, dear Lord, that you would help our friends at Growing in Grace to keep growing and knowing who you are. We know that you're worthy. We know that you're righteous. We know that you're holy. We know that you're merciful. We know that you're gracious. We know that you're loving. We know that you're faithful.
00:28:06
Speaker
But we also know, based on passages like this and those other nine passages across the New Testament, that also one more thing about you that is true and revealed to us in scripture, you are able. You're able. And so Lord, help us to go through the rest of our day and the rest of our week knowing that you are able. May we have that quiet trust that quiet confidence that says, I'm gonna trust in the Lord my God. It's in Jesus name that we pray, amen. Listen friends, we're not that far away at this point with Thanksgiving. We know Thanksgiving is just around the corner. If you're looking for something that you could say, Lord, I wanna thank you for this, why don't you say to God this Thanksgiving season, Lord, I'm thankful that you're able
00:29:03
Speaker
to handle whatever it is I'm praying to you about, whatever's in your life. Don't look at your ability. Don't look to the abilities of other people. They're just flesh and blood like you. Why don't you look to the Lord Jesus Christ and say, Lord, I know that you're able. You have a blessed day today. Thank you so much. Bye bye.
00:29:31
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.