GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
WE SEE JESUS
By Jim Murriner
HEBREWS 2:7-9
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels."
Oh! what a thought, that He the Creator of angels, the Lord of them, the one who before He was made flesh, was worshiped by them, should be made lower than they; and this for our sakes!
COLOSSIANS 1:16 shows us that Christ created the angels as well as all things.
"For by Him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they are
thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by
Him and for Him."
PSM. 148:2 commands the angels to worship Christ.
"Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye
Him, all His host."
And now he is made a little lower than the angels for our sakes.
"..for the suffering of death"
The Greek word that is in this place translated "for" is "dia" instead of the usual word that is translated "for". Most generally the word "dia" is translated "by", so the thought here then is that Jesus was made lower than the angels "in that" He was made capable of death.
We must note however that it was not a germ, nor the hand of man that killed our Lord, but He laid down His life.
JOHN 10:18 declares that He laid it down.
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it
down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received or my
Father."
NOONE ELSE CAN DO THIS.
Our Lord's departure from physical life was not an easy one, nor a gentle one.
PHIL 2:8 tells us it was a terrible way to die.
"And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the
cross."
"...crowned with glory and honor.."
HEBREWS 3:3
"For this man was counted worthy of more
glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who
builded the house hath more honor than
the house."
HEBREWS 5:4-6
"And no man taketh this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God,
as was Aaron."
"So also Christ glorified not himself to
be made an high priest; but he that said
unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I
begotten thee."
"As he saith also in another place, Thou
art a priest forever after the order of
Melchisedec."
Have you "crowned with glory and honor "
Him whom the world has cast out? Do you in a practical way own Him as your Lord and Master?
ACTS 16:31
"and they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house."
This does not mean the easy believeism that is so popular today. Will you follow Him as well as trust Him to save you? We need to notice that no one is saved by following Him but by believing in His finished work upon the cross.
JOHN 10:27
"My sheep hear my voice and I know them,
and they follow me."
This does not mean that following Christ is part of our salvation, but that it is the result of what God has done in us, when He gave us the new birth.
IICOR. 5:17 tells us that we have become a new creature.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ he is
a new creature: Old things are passed
away; behold all things are become new."
EPH. 2: 8-10 stresses the same thing.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God:"
"Not of works, lest any man should
boast."
"For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jusus unto good works: which God
hath before ordained that we should walk
in them."
If salvation were by works then following the Lord would be part of salvation.
"..that He by the grace of God should
taste death for every man."
The Greek word translated "that" here is (horos) which means "to the end that". With the use of this particular Greek word in this place we can see the purpose, the reason, the cause for Him being made lower than the angels,
His whole purpose, was that He might die for my sins!
MATT. 1:21 told us this before Christ was born.
"and she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He
shall save His people from their sins."
The thought here is, not that He would try to save, but that He definitely would save. We are told "He shall save."
It was by the grace of God that Jesus Christ died for us upon the cross.
It was no accident that Christ died. God did not change His plan between the old and new testaments.
EPH. 1:4 shows us that this was God's plan all along.
"According as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him in
love:"
THIS IS GRACE
Not only was the death of our savior not an accident, neither did Christ die upon the cross because man desired Him to.
EPH 1:11 tells us that it was according to God's purpose.
"In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of Him who
worketh all things after the council of
His will."
"that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
The Greek word used here for "every man" is "panta" which means "every one".
If we take this literally then we could interpret this to mean that Christ paid the full penalty for everyone including Judas and some of the most wicked men who ever lived and who died in their wickedness, or we could take it literally within the context here, and understand it to mean that Christ died for every one or those who form the subject of this entire pasage of scripture.
He tasted death for us in becoming our substitute, so that we would not have to die the second death in hell.
JOHN 3:16 states clearly that He died in the place of those who should perish in hell, because of their sins.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
If you trust His death to be payment for your sins, you will not perish because He is your substitute!