Why Jesus became a Man

INTRODUCTION

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How many of you read the newspaper daily? Weekly? I like reading the paper to get caught up on the local news/sports, do the crossword puzzle, and believe it or not I like to look at the add inserts that highlight what’s on sale at different stores. Typically I’ll look through the Target insert and the the Dunham’s sports insert. Perhaps you’ll glance through the Menard’s or Walmart insert? If we opened up the add inserts during a specific month in the summer you’ll likely see an ad that says “Christmas in July!” The store is trying to convince you there are “Christmas” prices in the heat of summer. I don’t know if anyone feels very “Christmasy” in July so I’m not sure if these adds are effective. When you see a “Christmas in July” sale do you go shopping? Well, there you go! I discovered that this phrase goes beyond shopping for there are several countries in the southern hemisphere that celebrate Christmas in July because that’s their winter season (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)

Today we’re having “Christmas in January!” Don’t get too excited, we’re not exchanging gifts or decorating the tree, but we’re going to open up God’s Word to consider “Why Jesus Became a Man” which is what the celebration of Christmas is all about.

Need

Jesus’ incarnation is one of the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith—that the eternal Son of God left the heavens and “put on flesh” by being born of a virgin—and we believe that Jesus is fully/truly God and fully/truly human. Do you understand the purpose of Christ’s incarnation? Do you know why Jesus became a man? Was this necessary? If someone asked you “why” Jesus became a man, what would you say? (Share) We all know the Sunday School answer…He was born to be the Savior of the world…and that’s true but have you grasped a deeper understanding of the purpose for Jesus incarnation. Jesus’ incarnation is an essential part of God’s eternal plan of salvation! Today we are going to answer the question “Why Jesus Became a Man” and the answer will move beyond the surface to a deeper understanding of His great act of humiliation.

If you have your Bible, and I hope you do, turn to . Hebrews Chapter 2. Today we return to our series in HEBREWS: “Encountering the Greatness of Jesus.” The letter to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who were being tempted to return to Judaism due to pressure and persecution. The penman writes to encourage them to persevere because Jesus is greater than the Old Covenant. Up to this point we’ve discovered that Jesus is greater than the prophets and greater than the angels—and as a result we must pay more careful attention to the gospel so that we won’t drift away—but one might ask “how can Jesus be greater than the angels if He was human? The penman builds upon his argument that Jesus is greater than the angels despite being human. We’re going to discover “why” Jesus became a man—to do what angels could not do—and to declare His superiority over the angels as despite his humanity.

Preview

Today we pick up where we left in Chapter 2. . .. It’s here where we find the penman’s final proof that Jesus is indeed far greater than the angels. highlights life-changing impact of Jesus’ incarnation. It’s here we discover five reasons why Jesus became a man. (Read )

I) WHY JESUS BECAME A MAN

Wow! There is a lot of depth to this text and I don’t want us to get lost in the details. is the concluding argument that Jesus is greater than the angels. We learn a great deal about Jesus’ humanity. The argument will address an important question that would have been on the minds of the Jewish Christians—“How can Jesus be greater than the angels if He became a man?”—and so this section reveals that He is greater because of His authority and His nature. takes us back to Christmas—the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation—when the eternal son of God put on flesh to bring salvation to sinful humanity. In we find five compelling & life-changing reasons for Jesus’ incarnation. Let’s take a look at each one and how they impact our lives today!

1) Jesus became a man to fulfill our divine destiny (2:5-9)

Number One: Jesus became man to fulfill our God-given assignment. Jesus became a man to fulfill our God-given assignment. The penman declared that God had given mankind the authority to rule this earth, but humanity failed to fulfill this divine role, but Jesus’ incarnation made it possible to fulfill what we failed to do. Jesus’ fulfillment of humanity’s failure is highlighted in . (Read) The penman once again cites an OT text as the foundation of his argument, a quotation from that outlines humanity’s God-given task of ruling over the earth, and then explained that since Jesus became a man He has fulfilled mankind’s task of ruling over the earth. We can’t get into all the details of this section but hopefully we’ll grasp the main flow of the argument.

1) God’s appointment of mankind to rule the world (2:5-8a)

In this opening section the penman’s quotation of highlights God’s original appointment of mankind to rule over the earth. The penman reminded his readers of God’s original intent was not for angels to have dominion over the world—"It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking—Angels are great celestial beings and they were created to minister to mankind (1:14) but they were ot created to rule over “the world to come.” The “world to come” has been described as “the future world” or the “age to come” (Millennial kingdom). The Greek word οἰκουμένην used here denotes “the inhabited world” or the “inhabited dwelling place of mankind (earth).” And yet “the world to come” takes us back to when the penman quoted to speak of day when the One exalted at the right hand of God would rule over all things in heaven and earth. The angels were never given the task of ruling over the inhabited world in the past, present, or future.

The penman’s opening statement is followed by a quotation of which reveals that God intended mankind to rule over the earth. The penman quotes to prove his point—"But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is mankind (man) that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? You made them (him) a little lower than the angels; you crowned them (him) with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.”—this quotation from a section of is used to validate that God designed mankind to rule over the inhabited world and not angels. Most translations have “him” but the NIV says “them” to speak of humanity as a whole.

The opening disclaimer seems odd, but he hasn’t forgot “who” uttered this testimony, the penman simply wanted the focus to be on “what was said” as opposed to “who said it.” The quote is taken from which testifies to God’s appointment of mankind to rule over the inhabited world. was not traditionally interpreted to be a Messianic psalm about Jesus. is about God’s creation of mankind and His position as ruler over the inhabited world. depicts King David meditating on the story of creation. As he reflects on the creation of Adam/mankind, he pondered the immensity of the universe and the frailty of man, and man’s exalted place in God’s plan. reveals that God was mindful of humanity and His care for mankind. King David pondered that God thinks about mankind and has the continuous responsibility of looking after (take care of) humanity. The Psalm speaks of Adam (mankind) as being “made a litter lower than the angels” and yet God “crowned them with glory and honor and put everything under their feet” (2:7-8). Mankind was positioned below the angels and yet is adorned with glory, honor, and authority to rule over the inhabited world. It might seem as though Adam (humanity) would be inferior to angels in status, he/they are actually superior to angels in status as God’s appointed agents to rule over the earth. God created mankind to have dominion over the world. We see this from the very beginning (Genesis).

- "Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” [1]

In the beginning, God created man in His image to subdue the earth and rule over the earth. Adam and Eve were given the original charge and humanity after them was given this God-given authority to rule over the earth. Mankind, not the angels, were given the task of ruling over the earth.

2) Mankind’s failure (2:8b)

And yet the penman of Hebrews reveals mankind’s failure. God appointed humanity to rule over the earth but they failed to fulfill this task—" In putting everything under them, God left nothing that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them”—God had given them authority to rule over all things and yet this wasn’t seen as a present reality. The penman declares “Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them”—the penman reveals man’s inability to serve as God’s appointed ruler perfectly. God subjected all things to Adam (mankind) and yet as a result of sin mankind was unable to fulfill their divine destiny to rule the inhabited world. Mankind was given the authority to rule but failed due to sin which has infected all humanity. Man lost that dominion to Satan in the fall so he became the “ruler of this world” (, , , , , , and )

Ray Stedman – “There is the whole story of human history in a nutshell.”

Mankind has failed to fulfill its divine destiny due to sin. We don’t “see” all things subject to mankind due to the fall. Mankind was unable to fully fulfill this God-given assignment as the God-ordained ruler over the earth because of sin. Mankind fell into sin, thwarting the fulfillment of everything in creation being subject to him.

3) Jesus’ fulfillment of mankind’s destiny (2:9)

What sinful humanity failed to do, Jesus the perfect Man came to accomplish. Jesus became a man to fulfill this God-given task as the Second Adam. Man’s failure to fulfill their position as ruler of the earth is ultimately fulfilled (fully realized) through Jesus. What sinful humanity failed to do perfect humanity came to do! We can’t miss the contrast between mankind’s failure and Jesus’ fulfillment—" but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.”—a section of is now applied to Jesus to highlight His humanity and His ultimate fulfillment of our assignment. Jesus “was made a lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor. This is a description of Jesus’ incarnation—when Jesus “put on flesh” He was made a little lower than the angels. Jesus’ status was lower than the angels for a short time. Jesus’ incarnation (becoming a man) made His status “lower than the angels” temporarily. Jesus became a man, in this act of humiliation He was set below the angels for a time, but now we see Him now crowned with glory and honor. We now see Jesus exalted to the position of highest honor and “crowned with glory and honor.” And yet the connection of this to the quotation of (1:13) reminds us that we live in the tension of the “already, not yet.” Jesus is exalted and reigning at the right hand of God until the day “all the enemies will be at his feet.” Jesus’ reign and rule over all things in the world has been inaugurated and will be fully consummated when He returns.

What sinful humanity failed to do, Jesus the Second Adam has accomplished, for a day is coming with the Perfect Man will return to bring the whole world into submission to Himself (, , , , and ). Jesus was made lower than the angels for a time so that He could fulfill man’s God-given assignment of ruling over the world. One day that will be come to fruition.

The penman of Hebrews also highlights Jesus’ humiliation eventually resulted in death. We find the ultimate path to glory and honor meant death—Jesus was “crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”—to say that Jesus “tasted” death for everyone means that He experienced death to its full extent. By God’s grace, His unmerited favor towards sinful humanity, Jesus tasted death for sinful humanity so all who trust in Him by faith could experience the benefits of His death. Jesus became lower than the angels, He humbled Himself to become a man, and He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death ().And as we will see, Jesus’ full experience of death is how God the Father will bring many to glory (2:10).

Jesus became a man to fulfill mankind’s God-given assignment. Jesus became a man to fulfill/restore mankind’s destiny (2:5-9). God intended for man—not angels to rule in the world to come—and man’s failure set the stage for the coming of Jesus who would fulfill the promise of . Jesus become the perfect man and the second Adam to fulfill what sinful humanity’s failure to rule over the world. Even thought Jesus was made lower than the angels He is greater than the angels as the One who will return to reign and rule over all things in the heavens and earth.

APPLICATION

Jesus became a man to fulfill our destiny—to reign and rule over all—Jesus is and will be Lord of all. We live in the tension of the “already, not yet”—His reign has been established but not yet fully consummated so we wait in hope. As we wait in hope for Jesus’ future rule, may we “see Jesus” (2:9) as the exalted Lord each day of our lives. May we “see Jesus” as the exalted Lord in every circumstance we must face. May we “see Jesus” as the exalted Lord in joy and suffering. May we “see Jesus” as the exalted Lord who will one day defeat all the enemies and put our hope in Him! We must “see Jesus” as the exalted Lord of all and know He is our only hope.

2) Jesus became a man to be the pioneer of our salvation (2:10-13)

Number Two: Jesus became a man to be the pioneer of our salvation. In we find the Father’s perfecting work in Jesus who is the One who leads us to salvation. We find the end goal of God’s saving work is “bringing many sons and daughters to glory” and this was going to be accomplished through Jesus. Therefore it’s fitting for God (Father) to perfect Jesus through suffering. We glean some great truth about God in the text. We’re reminded that the Father is the Creator, by Him everything exists, and we’ve learned that the Father created all things through Jesus (His agent of creation.

We discover that God (Father) perfected Jesus—"it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered” (2:10)—How should we think about and understand the Father’s perfecting work in Jesus? Jesus is the sinless Son of God—He is perfect so He doesn’t need to be perfected—and yet we read that it was “right” for the Father to make Jesus perfect through His suffering (death). The word “perfect” refers to the completion of Jesus’ His work. The same word is uttered from Jesus’ mouth on the cross when He said “It is finished” (). It was “fitting” and “appropriate” for the Jesus to suffer and die—it was the completion of His work—and it qualified Him to be the pioneer of our salvation. The word “pioneer” (archegos) reveals that Jesus is divinely appointed “initiator” “captain,” or “founder” of salvation. Jesus’ suffering (death) was necessary before Jesus could lead others to experience the glory of salvation. Jesus didn’t need to die to save Himself, He didn’t need saving, but through His death He became the One who would lead many to glory. The completed suffering of Jesus is linked with His ability (qualification) to lead others to salvation.

Upon this declaration the penman proceeded to declare Jesus’ solidarity (unity) with humanity—"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family” (2:11)—Jesus’ leading of many sons and daughters to glory is connected to sanctification which unites them together. Typically the Scriptures separate “salvation” from “sanctification into two almost linear stages. God saves and then begins to sanctify us (progressively grow us in holiness. In Hebrews sanctification is not seen as something that happens progressively but something that is accomplished through salvation. In Hebrews sanctification is defined as narrowly, not as the progressive process of growing in holiness but as the being “set apart” by God and for God at the moment of salvation. And yet the emphasis is not on the act of sanctification but on the solidarity between the sanctifier and the sanctified. The penman speaks of Jesus as the sanctifier. Jesus, the pioneer of salvation is the one who makes people holy—He sets them apart for God through His saving work. The penman speaks of believers as those who are made holy—the have been set apart for God’s service through Jesus’ saving work. Jesus and those He saves to set them apart for God’s service are of the same family. Since Jesus became a man He identifies with humanity. The penman drives home this point by quoting several OT passages to highlight that “Jesus is not ashamed to call those He has saved and set apart for God “brothers and sisters.” The penman applies these OT texts to Jesus as if He said them personally (He says)

· The first is a quote from —“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” records David’s cry of anguish due to the persecution of Saul followed by his rejoicing at the throne of God because of His deliverance. The psalm is a Messianic prophecy of the Lord who quoted this psalm as He cried out in anguish on the Cross followed by His public thanksgiving following His resurrection. It’s as if the now exalted Christ is heard praising God for His victory along with His followers which highlights the relationship Jesus has with His people—the congregation or Christian assembly—are members of His family.

· The second declaration is a quote from —"And again, “I will put my trust in him.”

· The final declaration is a quote from —"And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

The penman is using these OT texts to drive home Jesus’ identity and solidarity with humanity/mankind. Jesus became a man to become the One who leads many to experience the glory salvation. Jesus became a human to save humanity. As a result, Jesus identifies with and is united to humanity. Jesus’ incarnation in no way makes Him inferior to the angels. Jesus’ humanity enabled Him to become the one who leads many to salvation and identify with them.

APPLICATION

Today we’re reminded of the hope of the gospel. Today we’re reminded of the good news of God’s saving work in Jesus. Jesus is the “Pioneer” of our salvation—He blazed the trail of suffering and glory—and Jesus is the One who will lead us out of suffering to glory. As the pioneer of our salvation Jesus completed His course of suffering for us so that He could lead us to eternal glory. Again, He is our only hope!

One day we’re going to our glorious home. Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await the return of our Savior—the Pioneer of our salvation—but until that day we have the joy of a deep, joyous, and satisfying fellowship with Him. Jesus, the great Pioneer of our salvation identifies with us, He calls us brother and sister, and we have this fa

3) Jesus became a man to disarm the power of the devil (2:14)

Number Three: Jesus became a man to disarm the power of the devil. Jesus became a man to disarm the power of the devil. We find this truth in —Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil (2:14)—Jesus became a man to break the power of the devil.

Jesus shared our humanity. Jesus is fully God and fully man, He was like us, He had skin like we have skin and He had blood pumping through His veins like we do. When Jesus was a young boy, running around with His friends in Nazareth, when He fell down and skinned His knee it hurt, broke the skin, and it bled. When Jesus was working with Joseph as a carpenter, when He hit his finger with a hammer it hurt. Jesus shared our humanity to the point of death—He became a man so that He could suffer and die for us—and by His death He broke the power of the devil.

· Lucado

Satan, God’s great adversary, a fallen angel himself, is called by the name “devil” and described as the “one who holds the power of death.” The word “devil” (diabolos) means “slanderer.” Why is the devil referred to as the one who holds the power of death—doesn’t God have power over all things? Yes, the only power the devil has is given to him by God. The description causes us to pause and give careful thought to the reality of death. We don’t like to think of death. People have weird beliefs about death. Death is not good. In the Scriptures “death” is the result of sin (Genesis). “Death” is actually our worst enemy (). The devil was the one who brought temptation to the garden which led to sin which brought death. The devil is the “murderer.

Jesus became a man to die on a cross so that He could conquer death through His resurrection. When Jesus died on the cross the power of the one who holds the power death was broken, it was rendered completely inoperable, Jesus’ death and resurrection annulled the devil’s power. The apostle Paul reveals this “disarming” of the devil’s power as well.

· - And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. 2:14 He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 2:15 Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. [2]

Jesus’ death did not eliminate Satan in the sense that he ceased to exist nor did His death cease his activity on the earth. We still have death on this side of the Kingdom but Jesus has disarmed the power of the devil. The devil is no longer the master of death. The “sting” of death remains but “victory” over death has come in Jesus. One day Jesus will defeat this enemy once and for all, and there will be no more death ().

Jesus’ incarnation in no way makes Him inferior to the angels! Jesus became a man to disarm the power of the devil.

APPLICATION

Jesus became a man to render disarm the devil’s power. We have an enemy. We know the devil came to “steal, kill, & destroy” () our lives. We know that the devil is a liar, murderer, thief, slanderer, and accuser of the saints. We know that devil is depicted as a lion on the prowl seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter). We don’t want to deny the reality of his presence, be ignorant of his schemes, or downplay his attacks. And yet Jesus became a man to render the devil powerless. The devil is a defeated enemy. Just as our hope is in Jesus—he will lead us to glory! Our victory is in Jesus—He has disarmed the devil’s power.

4) Jesus became a man to set us free from the fear of death (2:15-16)

Number Four: Jesus became a man to deliver us from the fear of death. Jesus became a man to deliver us from the fear of death. Immediately after declaring Jesus came to disarm the power of the devil we find this declaration— “and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (2:15)—the context highlights that this is one of the ways the devil has a grip on the hearts of so many people. And yet Jesus conquered death and has rendered the devil’s power to enslave people with the fear of death inoperable, ineffective, and inactive. Jesus’ disarming of Satan’s power enables hearts to be freed from the slavery of fearing death.

Jesus became a man to set people free from the fear of death. Every heart held in bondage by the severe distress of being afraid to die can find freedom in Jesus. Anyone who has lived their whole life enslaved by the fear of death can be set free, for Jesus put on flesh, tasted death, conquered death, and through His resurrection disarmed Satan’s power to hold people in bondage to the fear of death.

We find our hope and help in Jesus—"For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants: (2:16)—the penman writing to a Jewish audience wanted to remind his readers that Jesus came to help His own people who were the descendants of Father Abraham. And yet this help is certainly offered to non-Jews for the hope of salvation came “first to the Jews and then the Gentiles.” Once again God’s promise to Abraham that “all the nations would be blessed through his seed” has been fulfilled through Jesus. Jesus became a man to help us—to set us free from the bondage of fear—for Jesus has rendered the power of the devil inoperable and so we can be set free from being slaves to the fear of death.

APPLICATION

Jesus became a man to set us free from the fear of death. Jesus’ disarming of the devil’s power sets us free from being enslaved by the fear of death. I think if we’re honest, we all fear death because of the unknown.

· Woody Allen: “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

Unless Jesus returns before the day of our death, death is inevitable. We are all gripped with the realty of death! We can try to ignore it, deny it, and avoid it in various ways and yet it only takes one funeral of someone we know to remind us that we will experience death.

· Appointment in Samarra (Somerset Maughm)

We can try to escape the clutch of death but it will catch us to us eventually. Death is undeniable, unavoidable, and inevitable. You might be uncomfortable thinking and talking about it, and don’t like the fact that someone in this room is going to be the next to die. Most of us won’t escape death but we don’t have to live our lives fearing death. Jesus has set us free being enslaved by the fear of death. Are you enslaved by the fear of death?

Are you enslaved by the fear of death? Some of you might be paralyzed by the fear of death. Your fear of death is connected to incompleteness (Not accomplishing all you want to do in this life), your fear of death is connected to being separated from loved ones, or your fear of death is connected with apprehension of the unknown. And yet there is victory and freedom from the fear of death in Jesus—He has conquered death through His resurrection—He died so that we might live! Our fear of incompleteness is counterbalanced with the hope of eternal future, our fear of separation from loved ones is counterbalanced by the hope of reunion with them, and our fear of apprehension due to mystery is removed because He promises a bodily resurrection and union with Him. Satan wants to bind you up in fear but your are free—his power has been rendered inoperable in our lives—you do not have to live enslaved by the fear death because of Jesus.

5) Jesus became a man to become our high priest (2:17-18)

Number Five: Jesus became a man to become our high priest. Jesus became a man to become our high priest. We find this final declaration in —For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted”—Jesus’ incarnation enabled Him to fulfill the work of the OT priests of old once and for all.

We are reminded once again of Jesus’ humanity. Jesus “had to be made like the sons of Abraham” and become fully human in every way to fulfill His role and responsibilities as high priest. Jesus’ position and ministry as the great high priest will become one of the dominant themes in this letter. Jesus is the great high priest who provides the ultimate sacrifice for sins and serves as the mediator between God and man. Jesus had to become a man—He become like us in true human nature without ceasing to be God—and He identified with us in every way. Jesus experienced hunger, sickness, sweat, desire, joy, sadness, and boredom. Jesus experienced disappointment, pain, betrayal, and temptation. Jesus was fully God and fully human to become our great high priest.

Jesus came to be “a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God.” Jesus came to be a high priest that shows mercy to sinners. Jesus was not like the Levitical priests that had gone before Him. The OT priests are never described as “merciful.” In the writings of Philo there is an emphasis on the priests to separate themselves from natural human affections. Jesus is also a faithful high priest. Jesus is a high priest that is trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Jesus was faithful in His service to God that He was faithful in His service to God. Jesus was faithful to God in the work He was to do as a high priest.

Jesus’ “mercy” and “faithfulness” is on full display in His priestly work of making atonement for the sins of the people. The word “atonement” (hilaskomai) or “propitiation” (NASB) refers to the “means by which God is satisfied and the forgiveness of sin is accomplished. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross satisfied God’s payment for sin. On the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death atonement for sin is complete, God’s wrath is satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice, and provides the basis for God’s forgiveness of sin.

Jesus’ mercy and faithfulness as high priest is also seen in His ability to help us when we face temptation—"he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted”—since Jesus suffered when He was tempted and overcame every temptation He is uniquely qualified to help us when we are tempted. Jesus faced intense emotional, mental, and physical suffering as a man and as a result of His divine mission. And Jesus endured suffering as a result of temptation. Since Jesus is fully man He experienced temptation like we experience temptation. Many have questioned “how” it was possible for Jesus to be tempted since He was God and to “what” extent He was tempted as a man. We’ll come back to those important theological questions when Jesus’ temptation is addressed again in . The primary focus here is Jesus’ power (ability) to help us when we are tempted because He too experienced and endured the suffering that comes from temptation.

· Donald Guthrie – (the main burden here is) to demonstrate the perfect suitability of Christ to be the representative of his people in their approach to God.[3]

Jesus is a “merciful and faithful” high priest in His work to atone for our sins through His death and His ability to “help” us when we face temptation. Since Jesus suffered when He was tempted He has the “power” to provide everything we need to help us overcome temptation. Jesus is a merciful and faithful high priest who has the power to help us in our time of temptation.

Jesus’ incarnation in no way makes Him inferior to the angels, Jesus’ humanity enabled Him to become a merciful and faithful high priest who provides atonement for our sins and help to endure and overcome temptation.

APPLICATION

Jesus came became a man to become our great high priest. Jesus is our merciful and faithful high priest who paid the price for our sins. We don’t have to perform penance or do good works to pay for our sins—Jesus’ finished work on the cross satisfied God’s wrath and provides cleansing for sin—our forgiveness has freely come through Jesus’ work as high priest. Rest in Jesus’ finished work on the cross to atone for your sin.

Jesus became a man to become our great high priest—a merciful and faithful high priest who is able to help us when we face temptation. I don’t know about you but that’s a life-changer for me because I face temptation every day? Maybe I’m the only. I don’t know, maybe your life is all peaches and cream, and you have the uncanny ability to handle things on your own? Seriously!? Sure you’re a “self-made man” and you’ve been taught to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” I don’t care how strong you are and how great things are going for you but one day you’re going to come to the end of your human ability—you’re going to discover the limitations of your humanity—and your strength, knowledge, wisdom, and skills eventually won’t be enough. You need Jesus to help you face temptation.

· What temptations are you facing in your life?

· Are you trying to tackle them in your own strength/by yourself?

The book of Hebrews is going to continually remind us the Jesus is the greater high priest who is here to help us in temptation and in our time of need (). Jesus is able to help you in temptation as mediator and minister. You don’t have to face temptation alone, there is a merciful and faithful high priest who can help you through each and every day! Jesus is our hope! Jesus is our Victory! Jesus is our helper! Don’t be prideful. Don’t reject Him. He is ready to help you overcome the temptations you face each day.

CONCLUSION

Image – Much to the dismay of the many businesses, today we’re celebrating Christmas in January!

Need

Jesus’ incarnation is a vital Christian truth/doctrine. The truth of Jesus’ incarnation is more than boring theology and points for debate. The truth of Jesus’ incarnation sustains our souls and has profound implications for our lives. We need hope. We need freedom. We need help.

Restate - Today we have considered “Why Jesus Became a Man.”

1) To Fulfill Man’s Destiny

2) To Be the Pioneer of our salvation

3) To Disarm the power of the devil

4) To Set us free from the fear of death

5) To Become our great high priest

In we discover further proof that Jesus is indeed “greater than the angels” even though He became a man. No angel has ever and will ever do what Jesus did, has never been and will never be greater than Jesus is! The blessings of Jesus’ incarnation have life-changing implications for our lives. Jesus is our Lord, our brother, our hope, our victory, and our helper.

Pray!

[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), .

[2] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), .

[3] Donald Guthrie, Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1983), 100.