Above, Yet Made a Form Below Sterling Franklin |
Hebrews 1:1-5 - 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? Jesus was created above the angels, even from the beginning, since the creation of the World. Even though angels were created above men, Jesus was created above angels. Though we are sons of God in Him if we receive Him (John 1:12), Jesus was God’s Only Begotten Son (John 3:16), and God said to Jesus, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Jesus also was made heir of ALL things. Jesus is superior in rank to both angels and humans, but He came to earth as a human being. What significance does that make? Hebrews 2:9-10 -
Jesus became a man - Fully God, and fully man, that He might experience death, and conquer death by rising again, so that satan would be conquered. Hebrews 2:14-18 -
So, Jesus conquered satan - the devil - who had the power of death, by resurrecting from the grave as a human. Satan is conquered by the Blood of the Lamb. Jesus’ Blood is POWERFUL. Powerful, and very pertinent for the atonement of our sins. In order to be a proper means by which atonement was made for sins, Jesus had to be fully human (see verse 17) - He had to be made like unto his brethren (us). Jesus was tempted just as we were, and what He did for us on the cross in His human flesh was bridge the gap - the chasm made by sin - between us and God, so that if we believe on Him, we will inherit eternal life in Heaven with Him. Because of Him, death is swallowed up in Victory! "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55) "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:57) Without Him we can do nothing (John
15) but we can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13)
and are more than conquerors through Him who gives us strength (Rom.
8:28). It’s not through us, it’s through Him.
Hebrews 4:14-16 -
In the wilderness, during the forty days He was fasting there, Jesus was tempted by satan. Jesus never sinned, and He just used Scripture to back Himself up, as His main defense against satan. We err, because the Scripture is not in us, and Jesus was (and is, and will be) the Word. No sin was found in Jesus. Matthew 22:29 -
Even when Jesus got angry with the merchants in the tabernacle, He never committed a sin. We CAN be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). He was perfect in all means, which is quite a feat, as we all know and can testify to, since we are highly imperfect beings. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Jesus was the glory of God, and by no means did He fall short. He was the Perfect Sacrifice for our sins. We are all sinners, but if we have Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives, and ask Him to forgive us, we are made blameless in the sight of our Holy God (Colossians 1:22). Praise His Name! Hebrews 5:1-6 -
Jesus was appointed and anointed as a High Priest for us by God the Father. A normal Old Testament high priest had temptations himself, and could have compassion for his people, but he had to offer for his own sins as well as the sins of his people. Jesus had no sin, so how much more could He focus atonement on those who ask Him?! Hebrews 5:7-9 -
Jesus had a humanity, and that humanity did not cause Him any imperfections. He showed us the way to overcome in this life. He was tempted in ALL POINTS, just as we were, so he was a proper ’High Priest’, making an atonement for our sin to the Father upon repentance. Hebrews 7:15-16 -
Melchisedec had no traceable origin - no father and no mother. Abraham gave Melchisedec tithes in the desert, signifying that Melchisedec was even greater than Abraham! (Heb. 7:4 - Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.) Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Ghost to a virgin (Luke 1:35) and had no origin of an earthly father. Joseph was not Jesus’ father. There was a part of the Tabernacle called ’the Holiest of All’ or ’The Holy of Holies’, where the High Priest had to go in once every year with a blood sacrifice, sprinkling the walls with the blood offered for his and his people’s sins. Before Jesus came, there was a veil in between the first part of the Tabernacle and the Holy of Holies that no man but the high priest was allowed to enter. Also before Jesus came - in the times of the Old Covenant (or Old Testament) - a high priest had to offer sacrifices in the tabernacle a LOT more than once a year for the sins of his people and himself. There were many types of offerings, and for sins, a blood sacrifice of an animal was the means of payment. If you were guilty of a sin, you had to bring an offering to the high priest, and he would sacrifice it properly to the Lord. People had to come back again and again with a sacrifice for their sins. Jesus doesn’t have to go back time after time or year after year to sacrifice to God. He offered Himself for our sins once and for all, and in Him is the redemption through His blood. Hebrews 9:11-12 -
He opened up the door for us, to eternal redemption. When he died on the cross, the veil in the tabernacle of the Holy of Holies was ripped - from the top to the bottom. Jesus got rid of that barrier, and now we can have fellowship with Him directly. Glory to God, Help is just a breath away. Hebrews 9:13-14 -
According to the Old Testament Law, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Just one drop of Jesus’ Blood can take
away a lifetime of sin.
Hebrews 9:24-28 -
Once and for all, He offered Himself, a sacrifice made by God the Son in flesh, for the complete payment for our sins. Even though we are mere humans right now, and even though we are imperfect and sinful beings, we are offered a chance for forgiveness and deliverance. God isn’t willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance, to Him (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus was made heir of ALL things, but we can be made joint-heirs with Christ if we believe on Him (Romans 8:17). He died on the cross and rose again on the third day, that all who believe on Him, accept Him as Savior, believe in what He did, and ask His forgiveness will receive His eternal inheritance - Perfection in Heaven. If you want Him as the Lord & Savior of your life, I invite you to pray this with me, out loud. . . Dear Lord, I praise and thank You for dying on the cross, paying for my sins, and rising again on the third day. I ask You to be the Lord and Savior of my life. Forgive me of my sins, Lord, and cleanse my heart, make it new. Thank You, Lord, for the promise of Eternity with You upon simply asking You to be my Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Once and for all, Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice, and once and for all, He died and rose again. He will come again soon, and it’s definitely worth rejoicing over! May we Praise His Name in all we do and say, and show forth His Glory even until He comes back, taking us Home with Him. Though He was made above the angels, yet Fully God, He became fully man and showed us the Way to the Father. He is the Light of the World, and this Christmas, may you remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas - the Lord who came to earth a baby boy, left wearing a crown of thorns, and is coming again wearing a beautiful crown of Glory. He is worthy of all our Praise, and may
we exalt Him! Praise the Lord for the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ!
Even though He could have stayed in Heaven in a state of exaltation, He
came and was humble, as a servant, yet is a King who loves us so much that
He gave His life on the cross for us. Thank the Lord for His Provisions!
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Study Date: December, 2001 - Jesus is Waiting Chat Category: Sermon Note: Given to the Jesus is Waiting chat room at a 'weekly meeting' |