Hebrews 2:5-9

Hebrews 2:5-9 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In his great kindness, God brought us near to him through the blood of Jesus Christ. Before the cross, we were aliens, recalcitrants, lost, outside of God's Kingdom; but now because of the mercy and grace of God, we who are IN CHRIST come boldly into God's very presence. God chose to put all things under Christ, under his authority. Now we who live by faith live under and in his authority. However, the Bible says, God put Jesus a little lower than the angels where He faced the hardships and vicissitudes of life as a man. He would even experience the fear of death: Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36) Jesus experienced all the weaknesses and temptations of life, for He was made wholly man. Yet, as a man, He lived a victorious, sinless life in the Spirit. He did only the will of the Father. Because of his perfect life, He became the PERFECT SACRIFICE for sin. Only the Lamb of God without blemish could deliver God's children from the bondage of sin and the devil's work just as the lamb's blood over the doorposts in Egypt delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh's hands.

God required the children of Israel to bring him a perfect, unblemished animal for their sin sacrifices. Only a perfect animal would be acceptable to God, for only perfection could withhold God's wrath towards sin. But the blood of animals could never wash away sin. The blood could only protect sinful man from the wrath of God for a while; therefore, animal sacrifices had to be offered often. But Jesus, the Son of God, became our PERFECT SACRIFICE, our eternal sacrifice for sin, once and for all time. For believers, his sacrifice cleans our slate of sin. His sacrifice continually eviscerates sin from our innermost being. His cleansing and redemptive power allows the Holy Spirit to write the law of love and righteousness upon our hearts because if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) From the innermost being of every Christian flows living water. God's eternal Spirit activates our souls to live a freedom and holiness as we testify of God's goodness. Now, because of the work of the cross, those who place their faith in Christ have his nature and his eternal life, for He created new creatures who will never taste death.

My breakfast companions, praise God, for He is good, and He is faithful to keep his promises. He has brought new life to you because of his Son's sacrifice. He loved us so much that He gave his only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins. What a debt we have to God; therefore, our lives should reflect this same love to others that God displayed towards us. This is our reasonable sacrifice as God's beloved children. In the book of Philippians, we read that we should take on the nature of the only begotten Son. As He became a servant to all, we should also become servants to others. His sacrifice was for every human being, even his enemies. We also should love our enemies, not just our friends. We are commanded to love everyone, sharing the grace and mercy of God. To do so, we need to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We need to allow him to show us how to love, how to fulfill God's will. Oh, what a great sacrifice God made for us! Consequently, we also should be a sacrifice of love to the world, especially to those who lack the light of Christ.