So Great a Salvation

Big Idea:

Tension: If the Son is so much better than angels, why would he become a man?

Resolution: So he could die for us that we might have eternal life.

Exegetical Idea: Though the Son is better than the angels, he became a man so he could die for us and give us eternal life.

Theological Idea: By becoming man, the Son of God atoned for our sins and rose for our life.

Homiletical Idea: He became one of us so he could save us.

Outline

Introduction: If the Son is so much higher than the angels, why would he become man.

The Son became man -

God subjected the world to come to humans

Reference to Psalm 8 - A biblical anthropology. The Bible in many ways is an ongoing conversation about God. And different authors in the Bible often reference each other as they are trying to explain the ways of God. And that’s exactly what the book of Hebrews does here.

The Son of man

Man will be crowned with glory and honor - nothing is left out of his control (8b). He is destined for dominion, he’s destined for control and authority.

Yet, at least for the time being, man is “lower than the angels” (9)

So why would God become man? Why would God take on human flesh to himself

So he could save us.

The language of glory: perfection, sanctification… this is all talking about the resurrection. The glory that we’re headed for is the resurrection.

Christ is the “pioneer of our salvation” because he was the first one to be resurrected. He is, as 1 Corinthians 15 calls him the “firstfruits” from the dead (cf. 1 Cor 15). Because he lives, so we can live.

We share in his resurrection, this is why he is hte sanctifier and we are the sanctified. This is why we are his “brothers” and we are called his “children.” Because he was raised we are raised. (vs. 11)

Crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death (9).

he tasted death for everyone - on behalf of everyone, in the place of everyone. (v 9) He was our substitute.

And just as he tasted death for us, he gained life for us. This is what it means by “bringing many sons to glory”. If God is going to bring us to the glory that Psalms 8 predicts, then that has to come through suffering. (v. 10)

This is why God calls him the “founder” or the “Pioneer of our salvation.” (v. 10) Because if he suffered death and came through life, then you and I can suffer through death and come to life.

Resurrection & life only come through death. Two examples.

Psalm 22:1 (vs. 12) - “my God, my God why have you forsaken me” and lament Psalms.

The example of Isaiah (vs. 13).

This is all by his grace. Notice how the complete supremacy is given to God here, it says he “for whom and by whom all things exist.” Notice how God is the source of both the one who sanctifies, that’s Christ, and those who are sanctified, that’s us.

Application:

Stop acting like you don’t need this. Christ became man to save you. God put all his energy into work to save you.

As a pastor I’ve noticed that most of the time our relationships with others are a reflection of our relationship with God. We treat others in a way that reflects how we think he treats us.

Often we try to impress people, because we think we need to impress God. So we spout off our list of spiritual resumes. We tell people how devout we are, how muh we believe,b ecause we want God to love us and we think that if we can impress others, then maybe we impress God.

And all the while what we are doing is pressing our shame and our guilt and our depression and our feelings of unworthiness deep down so that we don’t have to deal with it.

And God says, “Who are you trying to fool?”

Sin boldly.

Start trusting.

Now of course, if we are going to trust him, this means we have to realize what kind of God would do this. Someone who would become man, die in our place to bring us to life.

And the only reason God would do this for us is if he loves us.

And we have to realize that hte reason we don’t believe this, is because we don’t believe that God would reallyh love us this much.

But let me tell you, this is true.

Application

Maybe for the first time, you need to come to him.

And maybe if you’ve drifted from this, you need to return to him.

And maybe if you catch yourself drifting from this a lot, you need to ask why you would drift from this, and you need to find a way to break the cycle.