He Came to Give Us Abundant Life

Hebrews 2:16-17 says, "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Christ came to save men, not angels (v. 16). That is why he was "made like His brethren" (v. 17a).

But there is more to it than that. Yes, Jesus came to redeem us, glorify us, sanctify us, and give us eternal life, but the writer of Hebrews gives yet another reason why Christ became a man. He also came to help us when we are tempted.

In Hebrews 4:15 we are told, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." He felt everything we feel. He experienced every aspect of life and temptation that we experience. There is nothing you can experience that Jesus has not also experienced, yet Jesus was without sin. That is why He is "merciful and faithful" as our High Priest (v. 17b). He came to turn away God's wrath from us. That is the meaning of the word "propitiation" (v. 17c).

He also came to give us aid. "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted" (v. 18). He knows when we hurt. He knows when we are weak. He knows when we are tempted. He is the God we can go to no matter what we are going through. He is the One who will bring you through to other side. He is the One who will give you strength for the journey of life.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Jesus came to give us abundant life. He came to aid us in living the Christian life to the fullest. Only as we live by faith and allow Jesus to live His life through us can we truly experience the Christian life as it was meant to be. It is indeed a most exciting life! Once you begin to experience the life Christ has for you, you will not want anything to ever get in the way of your fellowship with Him.

Billy Graham once said, "The greatest moment in human history was not when man set foot on the moon, but when the infinite and eternal God set foot on the earth in Jesus of Nazareth" (Bruce A. Demarest, Jesus Christ: the God-Man, The Victor Know and Believe Series, [Victor Books, a division of SP Publivations, Inc.: Wheaton, Illinois, 1978], 39).

That is ultimately what Christmas is all about. Christ becoming man that we might have life, both eternal and abundant. Amen.

He Came to Give Us Eternal Life

Hebrews 2:14a says, "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same." To "partake" or to "share" appears twice in this verse. These are actually two different words in the original Greek text.

The first means "to share" in the sense of having fellowship, communion, or partnership with someone. It refers to having something in common with others. All human beings have "flesh and blood" (v. 14a). In this way we are all alike.

The second word means "to partake," and is the idea of taking hold of something that is different in nature or is not naturally of your own kind. That is what Christ did for us.

By nature we are "flesh and blood" (v. 14a), but not so for Christ. He left the glory that was His in heaven and willingly took hold of something that was different, something that was not naturally His. He was not by nature "flesh and blood" as we are, yet He became as we are in order to die in our place and give us eternal life.

Why did Christ become man? "That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (vs. 14b-15). Jesus came not only to conquer Satan's weapon, sin, but to destroy the power of Satan, which is death.

People fear death because God requires it because of our sin. When a sinner dies apart from Christ he spends eternity apart from God's presence in hell. That is why Christ had to become a man. He went through death for us and came out the other side of death through the resurrection, thereby conquering death for us. And so, through His resurrection He gives us eternal life.

As a result, we need no longer fear death because death simply releases us into the presence of God. When you trust Christ for your salvation, He gives you eternal life. Jesus simply leads us into one side of the grave and out the other side into eternal life. That is why "Jesus... was made a little lower than the angels" (v. 9a). That is why Jesus became a man—to give you eternal life. That is what Christmas is all about—Jesus became a man to die for you and give you eternal life. Amen.

He Came to Give Us Sanctification

Hebrews 2:11 says, "For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Jesus came to redeem us and to lead us to glory. In the meantime, He came to sanctify us. He came to set us apart as His brethren. He came to restore the relationship between God and man.

To sanctify means "to set apart" or "to make holy." "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). We therefore stand before God in Christ as one who is pure just as God is pure, as one who is righteous just as Christ is righteous, and we are called His brethren because we, through faith in Him, share in His righteousness. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

Through Christ's death on the cross, sin's mastery over us was broken and His eternal righteousness was placed on us. We are "fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17) because He has made His holiness our holiness. The righteousness of Christ not only makes us holy but makes us His brethren.

While positionally we are righteous in Christ, as believers who are human we still experience sin. And so Christ came to sanctify us. Through faith in Him we can begin to experience His righteousness in our life right now. Slowly, through practicing what we believe—spending time in the word daily, praying at every opportunity, spending time together in church—we can become more like Christ. We can begin to become righteous just as He is righteous. He came to give us sanctification—to make us like Himself. Amen.

He Came to Give Us Glorification

Hebrews 2:10 says, "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." The phrase, "it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things" (v. 10a) refers first of all to God the Father, while also referring to the Son.

"It was fitting" (v. 10a) means that the purpose fulfilled by God in Christ on the cross was right in line with His character. In fact, the work of salvation through the cross of Christ was right in line with God's nature as well. Through His grace He punished our sin and freed us from our sin. What He accomplished on the cross was entirely fitting for God's purpose.

"Jesus... was made a little lower than the angels" (v. 9a) that He might bring "many sons to glory" (v. 10b) and become the perfect "captain" (v. 10c) or "author of their salvation through sufferings" (NASB). Jesus became a man and suffered and died, that He might become the perfect provider of salvation for us.

The word translated "captain" (v. 10c), or "author" (NASB), literally means a "pioneer" or "leader." Jesus provided for our salvation in order to bring "many sons to glory" (v. 10b). He came to lead us to the Father, not only in restored fellowship now, but ultimately to spend eternity in glory with Jesus. Jesus came to give us glorification—to redeem us and lead us to our heavenly home where we will spend eternity with Christ. Amen.

He Came to Redeem

Scripture does not speak as to how the eternal God took on humanity. It is most likely far too great a mystery for our humble minds to grasp. The fact of Scripture is that God in Christ did become man. John, speaking of Jesus, said simply, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Paul, speaking of Christ Jesus, adds, "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:6-7).

Hebrews 2:9 says, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." It should come as no surprise that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14), or Jesus came "in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7), or "Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels" (Heb. 2:9a) are all references to His incarnation, which occured for the main purpose of saving a lost people from eternal ruin. Christ became a man in every respect in order to provide us our salvation, our redemption from sin.

Christ came that He might taste death—the wages of sin—for each and every one of us (Heb. 2:9). When you think of Christmas, you think of the incarnation—God became man. When you think of the incarnation of Christ, you think of the fact that He came to die a death that was voluntary and substitutionary. He died in our place.

Because of our sin, we deserved to be hung on that cross. Yet Christ hung there and died instead, in our place, as our substitute. "By the grace of God" (Heb. 2:9c) Jesus came to redeem us from our sin. We deserved death, but we received salvation instead. That is grace. Amen.

Please God by Faith

Abel, Enoch, and Noah each "obtained a good testimony" (Heb. 11:2) by their faith. Of Enoch, in particular, it was said "that he pleased God" (v. 5b). Whether we are worshiping God, walking with God, or working for God, our motivating factor must be faith, because without faith there is nothing we can do that pleases God.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is" (v. 6a). The faith that pleases God starts from conviction "that He is." It all begins by settling in your own mind that you do "believe that He exists" (NIV). Believing that the true God exists, pleases Him and is the first step of faith which leads to full saving faith when you follow through on that belief.

The faith that pleases God includes confidence "that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (v. 6b). We must believe that He is moral and just, and that He will reward faith. We must believe that He is personal, loving, and gracious to those who seek Him. When you join belief in God, "the evidence of things not seen" (v. 1b), with confidence in a personal, loving, gracious, rewarding God, "the substance of things hoped for" (v. 1a), you have faith, true saving faith—faith that leads to a changed life, a life patterned after Jesus.

If you are of the belief that we cannot know God, you are wrong. We can know God in a very personal way. It all comes down to faith. It all comes down to trust. To believe in God and to trust Him by faith in Jesus for your salvation is the key. And when you trust in Jesus, your life will be changed, you will begin to live for God by your faith. And that is when God is pleased, when we place our whole faith in Him and live for Him, seeking to please only Him by our faith.

God said, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). And Jesus added: "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened" (Luke 11:10).

Not only must we believe that He is, but we must also believe that He rewards those who seek Him. When we truly seek Him we will find Him, and He will both save us and change us. That is the reward He gives us—salvation. And it is all because of our faith.

Jesus said, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). In other words, every good thing that God has, including eternal life, is the reward for faith. Just trust Him and walk with Him.

God's greatest truths are known only by simple faith. The person of faith knows the truth. Faith is the only way to God. Trust God by faith. Live for God by faith. And you will please God by faith. Amen.