Comfort in the Midst of Suffering
0 Amens
Comfort in the Midst of Suffering
Hebrews 2:5-18
July 22, 2007
Series 3 Sermon 6
5
Now it was not to angels that God subjected
the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It
has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the
son of man, that you care for him? 7You
made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with
glory and honor, 8putting everything in subjection
under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left
nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in
subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little
while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and
honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might
taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for
whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make
the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For
he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why
he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation
I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust
in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” 14 Since
therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power
of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through
fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For
surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore
he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has
suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Introduction
One of the aspects of New Testament Christianity that we at Grace Fellowship have looked at intently is the truth that Christians are called to suffer in varying degrees. Suffering is a constant theme in the New Testament and many of the epistles are written to churches that were enduring, had endured, or were about to endure often severe persecution and suffering. It was not uncommon for first century believers to be killed, to be thrown into prison, to be beaten, to be mobbed, to have their property stolen, and to endure intense financial suffering because of their faith.
The Biblical command for believers enduring trial and tribulation is to endure. They are to glorify God in the midst of this suffering by counting it all joy, by rejoicing in the opportunity to suffer for the sake of the Lord. They are not to complain and not to question why but understand that in their reaction to suffering they are either going to bring glory or disgrace on the name of Christ.
The people in our letter that we are studying were really enduring the reviling and persecution that came along as they left Old Testament Judaism for New Testament Christianity. Listen to Hebrews 10:32-34.
32 But remember the former
days, when , after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of
sufferings, 33 partly by being made a
public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming
sharers with those who were so treated. 34 For
you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better
possession and a lasting one.
And what the writer of Hebrews has been doing two chapters into his letter is exalting the Lord Jesus Christ above prophets, priests, and angels. The focus has been on the deity of Christ and that is the reason that we are commanded to pay much closer attention to what we have heard. Because Christ is the word finally spoken and the only way of salvation for all men everywhere we are commanded as we saw two weeks ago not neglect such a great salvation and risk spiritual apostasy. We are to sink our claws into the wall of faith that is Christ and hold on for dear life in the midst of difficulty.
But all that is well and good as we sit comfortably on the sideline and watch the world treat us well, we can rejoice in the deity and sovereignty of Christ. But when the persecution and trials come our way we often wonder why and if God is truly sovereign then why doesn’t He take better care of His people.
Why do Christians have to suffer? Why does God see fit to allow the world to treat us with contempt and to denigrate our faith and to speak evil of us? It is coming to the point in our nation where conservative evangelical Christians are being compared to Jihadists. Homeschoolers are considered radicals and if you really live out your faith you are strange at best. It will not be long before the reviling gives way to possible intense persecution. Legislation could be disguised that would make it illegal to preach against certain sins, illegal to homeschool your children, illegal to evangelize, and basically illegal to have a Bible. After all it is filled with hate speech.
Nations rise and fall.
Some last longer than others. And
as
What we know about this group of Christians in the Epistle to the Hebrews is that they were suffering. Many had lost a lot because of their faith. According to the letter some had even defected in order to alleviate the suffering at hand. It is possible that the entire church was about to collapse under the weight of pressure and persecution.
So what could the writer of Hebrews write to this group to encourage them to stay the course? What could he say to them that would build up the internal fortitude that is needed to endure when the world seems to be caving in on you?
In a masterful way, the writer of Hebrews takes this group on a reminder tour of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ to show them that what they were enduring was not something outside the plan and purpose of God. It was no surprise to God that they were suffering and it should have been no surprise to them.
I don’t want you to make the mistake this morning of separating chapter one from chapter two. In chapter one the writer highlights the superiority of Christ by showing us that He is superior to both angels and prophets precisely because He is the divine Son of God. Chapter 2 verses 1-4 was an interlude of exhortation reminding us that in light of what the truth is we are to hold fast to Christ and not drift away. Chapter 2 starting in verse 5 and going through the end to verse 18 summarize the humanity of Christ.
So what could the writer of Hebrews say to this group of people in order to make them understand their present situation and endure it trusting in Christ alone? He begins by showing them that even though all things are out of the order in which God created everything they will eventually be set right. Look at verses 5-8 with me as I set up for you what the writer is setting up for his listeners. Start in verse 5.
And if you will bear with me as I am a running commentary for a few minutes I can get this set up. Verse 5.
5 Now it was not to angels that God
subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
Two quick notes here: first, the writer reconnects us with
his argument in chapter one of Christ’s superiority to angels. Which is very important in us understanding
Christ’s humiliation in taking on human flesh.
Second, we can see the nature of communication the writer is using by
the last phrase. Look at the last phrase
in verse 5. of which we are speaking.
The readers have not been speaking but the writer is using
this to draw them in to what he is saying.
He cares for this group of believers deeply and is interested greatly in
their perseverance. Then he quotes to
them part of Psalm 8. Look at verses 6
through the first part of verse 8.
6 It has been testified somewhere
(somewhere being Psalm 8), “What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him? 7You
made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with
glory and honor, 8putting everything in subjection
under his feet.”
The Psalmist and the writer of Hebrews asks the same question. “God, Why do you care about people? They are sinners and they are rebellious. They have violated your Law and trampled your holy commandments.”
The three phrases in verse seven are the key to what the writer is getting across to us. Look at verse 7.
7You made him for a little while
lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8putting
everything in subjection under his feet.”
By the way, this is the way creation was intended. The Lord made man in order to rule over and subdue the earth. But we had a little problem in the Garden of Eden that wrecked all of that. Adam made from the dust a little lower than the angels for a time was crowned with glory and honor and the whole earth was under his command. Then the fall happened and the created order was changed. That is what the rest of verse 8 is speaking of. Look at the text with me. This is the commentary for Psalm 8.
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.
That is the present reality. The earth is not in complete subjection to humanity because of the Fall. So what had to happen? Look at verse 9.
9 But we see him who for a little
while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and
honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might
taste death for everyone.
In other words Christ came, took upon Himself humanity and in His death began the process of setting all of the created order better than originally intended.
What would have been very nice for these First Century believers would be for the Lord to have immediately set things back on course. The wicked would perish the righteous would flourish and things would be as they should be. But what they found out is that God had other plans and through Christ’s suffering would save all His elect and through the suffering of His elect He would be glorified. And this did not sit too well with some of these early believers. And believe me, it does not sit too well with 21st century believers either.
Let me say to you this morning that these verses are ripe with much fruit of sound doctrine. The writer of Hebrews in just a few words paints a masterful picture of the glory of Christ in His humanity and in His suffering. He calls the readers or hearers attention to the fact of Christ’s humanity and suffering in order to encourage them to press on in the face of their own suffering. The key verse and by the way, the point of this section of chapter two is in verse 18. Look at verse 18 with me. Notice the writer begins with the word “FOR” and he does this because he is bringing to a point what he has been saying. Look at verse 18.
18
For because he himself has suffered when
tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
The question to be asked is, “In times of severe suffering when persecuted, what or who can we hold onto in order to successfully persevere?” What can we as frail sinful yet redeemed humanity do in order for our flesh not to get the best of us and allow us to seek temporary alleviation from the trial trading our heavenly inheritance for a mess of pottage?
PNP
This morning from our text I want you to see two reasons why we can trust in Christ in the midst of suffering because of His humanity.
1. We can trust Christ in the midst of suffering because He has already tasted death on our behalf.
2. We can trust Christ in the midst of suffering because He is our great High Priest.
Purpose
My purpose in preaching this passage is what I believe was the purpose in the writer of Hebrews in writing this section. It is to shore up your understanding of the glory of Christ in His humanity and to show forth the works of His hand in redeeming you, sanctifying you, and ultimately bringing you to glory through perseverance in suffering. This is truth that we can sink our teeth into in the time of suffering. This is eternal truth that is necessary in order to walk through this life filled with trial and tribulation and then be able to say at the end, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
The Christian not rooted in the truth of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ will be hard pressed to endure real suffering for the sake of the Gospel.
RPNP
So let’s look together at these two reasons why we can trust in Christ in the midst of suffering because of His humanity.
1. We can trust
Christ in the midst of suffering because He has already tasted death on our
behalf.
Notice again verse 9.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
The reminder from verses 5-8 rings clear. Man has corrupted the created order by sin and now even though we do not see everything set in its proper place we do see something even more amazing. Look again at the beginning of verse 9.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,
namely Jesus,
The writer of Hebrews has for the first time called the Son of God by His name. He affirmed the deity of Christ in the first chapter and now affirms the humanity of Christ in the second chapter. He affirms that in Christ’s humanity He was in status for a little while as Jesus of Nazareth a little lower than the angels.
But the writer also tells us the present situation. Look again at verse 9.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels,
namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death,
Here we have the teaching that in Christ’s death, He has
begun setting in order what man has ultimately corrupted through sin. In the death of Christ on the cross we see
the fulfillment of what is called the proto-evangelium found in Genesis 3:15
after the Fall and the disordering of man’s dominion over the earth. This was the promise of redemption given as
Adam and Eve were being cast from the Garden.
The Lord said directly to the serpent Satan in Genesis 3:15: 15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise
you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel."
Christ’s death on the cross was the fulfillment of this
passage. But notice what the writer says
in verse 9. But we see him who for a little
while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and
honor because of the suffering of death,
Because of His death Christ has been crowned with glory and honor. This is the testimony of the New Testament. Listen to Philippians 2:5-11.
5 Have this attitude in
yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped , 7 but emptied Himself, taking
the form of a bond-servant, and
being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For
this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name, 10 so that at the name of
Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of
those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and
that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
Everything will ultimately in Christ be reconciled to God. Everything will be put back in the God intended order. This is the already but not yet view in the eternal council of the Triune God. At present we do not see everything under Christ’s total control but in the foresight of God He has already decreed it and will see it through to its fulfillment.
But remember what our passage is about. It is about these early Christians persevering in the midst of great trial. There is so much more we could say about Christ’s ultimate reign and His death but we would be missing the point. Look at verse 9 again.
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
The declaration that is being made by the writer of this letter is that because of the grace of God in setting things back in order and not simply destroying the creation Christ has tasted death on our behalf, we have nothing to fear. The worst the world can do to us is to kill us and if they kill us it only sends us into the eternal glories of Heaven. Christ has taken the cup of death and has drank it on our behalf. The “everyone” in the text does not refer to all people but to the people for whom Christ tasted death, His elect people. Sinners will taste the bitter cup of death. We as believers will be ushered into the presence of our Lord to forever be with Him in glory.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.
50 Now I say this, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
So when we suffer persecution, Christ in His humanity is our help because He has secured through His death the removal of the sting and victory of death for those who belong to Him. In other words, to live is Christ and to die is gain. We have nothing to fear.
2. We can trust
Christ in the midst of suffering because He is our great High Priest.
Notice verse 10.
10 For it was fitting that he, for
whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make
the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Here the writer begins the inauguration in the minds of his readers of Christ as the great High Priest. The readers would have been very familiar with this priestly role since most of them if not all of them had come from Old Testament Judaism. Hebrews goes on later to explain the lineage of the priesthood of Christ since He was not from the tribe of Levi where all the priests came from.
The writer has already affirmed the deity of Christ and also has and will confirm further His humanity. He has told us that Christ has served in a prophetic role having fully and finally spoken the words and will of God. But Christ now also serves in the role of High Priest. Notice again verse 10.
10 For it was fitting that he, for
whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make
the founder (or Captain) of their salvation (those being
brought to glory) perfect through suffering.
If not properly understood this verse can cause some serious Christological problems. For one, if we do not understand the context it would seem at a superficial reading that Christ was not originally perfect but had to be made perfect through suffering. It almost seems like a purgatory where Christ was purified for His work through suffering in the flesh. But that is not the testimony of Scripture. Christ was and is perfect and has never been anything but perfect. So what is this phrase “God making Christ perfect through suffering” mean? The word “perfect” here in the text is “tela-oo” Within its field of meaning it can mean based on the context complete, finished, perfect, accomplished, or to fulfill. Here in this context it means perfect.
I think what we have here in verse 10 is threefold. First, Christ has indeed completed or accomplished all of the work that the Father sent Him to do and His suffering on the cross was the crowning achievement for His glory. From the cross Jesus used a form of this word “tela-oo” when He proclaimed, “It is finished.”
Second, this word “perfect” has some Old Testament priestly uses. Now no one would argue that any priest in the Levitical system was perfect. They had to make offerings for their sins. So the use of this word would carry with it more of the idea of equipping. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament which the readers of Hebrews would have been very familiar with we find this word used in Leviticus 21:10 where the priest was consecrated or perfected to wear the priestly garment. The normal saying for priestly inauguration was to say “to fill the hand.” This is found in several Old Testament passages. To fill the hand used this word “tela-oo” and it simply meant that the priest was now ready for service. He had gone through the proper training and understood exactly what he was supposed to do.
In essence God filled the hand of Christ with suffering and He is now ready to fulfill His role as Great High Priest in the tabernacle not made with hands.
Which brings us to the third aspect of the use of the word “perfect” in our text. Through suffering God has shown that Christ is fully equipped and ready to serve as our Great High Priest. He is fully equipped because He has accomplished all the works that the Father has given Him. In Christ’s High Priestly prayer in John 17 we read in verse 4:
4 "I glorified You on
the earth, having accomplished the work which You have
given Me to do.
And then we find out how we fit in all of this. We find out now why the Lord allows the suffering and persecution to take place in the lives of believers. Look at verse 11-13.
11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin.
This again shows the High Priestly role of Christ. The priest would consecrate the people in the Old Testament to stand in the congregation in the presence of the Lord. Christ is doing that same thing except now He is not using blood from an animal but rather His own blood.
The word origin here is ambiguous and could mean that we share a commonality with Christ through human nature or through descending from Adam or Abraham. But I think it is something else that is being hinted at. Look at the rest of verse 11-13.
That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
Think about this with me for a moment. Christ was made ready for His High Priestly role through suffering. He consecrates His people through His blood that was shed in this suffering. He refers to His people as His brothers and in His role as Priest will declare the name of God and sing praises to Him. He calls the people that He consecrates His children. Then we have that ambiguous phrase “all have one origin.” I believe that what the writer of Hebrews is showing his readers is that the suffering and persecution they are enduring is part of the process of their sanctification where they are being conformed to the image of Christ. In other words, Christ suffered and if He suffered then those of us who follow Him should expect to suffer as well.
By the way I am not the only one who believes this. Listen to what the Puritan John Owen wrote in his five volume commentary on Hebrews.
“1. That the Lord Jesus Christ being Priest, sacrifice, and alter Himself, the offering whereby he was consecrated unto the perfection of His office was of necessity part of that work which He, as our Priest and Mediator, was to undergo and perform; 2. The Lord Christ being consecrated and perfected through sufferings, hath consecrated the way of suffering for all that follow Him on their way to glory. Believers are “predestined to be conformed to His image,” and no small part of their conformity consists in their sufferings and afflictions; 3. The Consecration of the Lord Christ by suffering hath made all sufferings for the gospel honourable; not only so, they are useful and profitable; mixing His grace and love and wisdom with these bitter waters, He hath made them sweet and wholesome.”
Christ’s sufferings in sacrificing Himself not only provided salvation for His people but also provides the proof that we need not fear suffering.
Look with me at verses 14-16.
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
We need not fear suffering because we need not fear death. There are a vast number of passages that tell us as believers we have no need to fear death. Christ said “whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.” “Those who believe in Me shall never die.” And then the promise that should make us almost scoff in the face of death is in John 14. “I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am you may be also.”
In all of this taking on human flesh, suffering unto death, and leading His people to glory there are two adjectives that describes our Great High Priest in verse 17 that should provide all of us great comfort not only in times of affliction but in all times. Take a look at verse 17.
17 Therefore
he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people.
You have read of the harshness of the High Priest toward Christ at His trials. You have read of the harshness of the High Priest as the apostles stood before him for preaching the Gospel. It must have been hard to stand there knowing who the real High Priest is. Our High Priest is Christ and He is both merciful and faithful and has made propitiation or satisfaction for the sins of the people by once and for all offering Himself and His blood for our sins. This is why Christ can say with all confidence “never will I leave you and never will I forsake you.”
Because as our faithful and merciful High Priest He stood condemned in our place and now we stand justified by His spilled blood. He was despised and rejected by men and because of that we are loved and accepted by God. He was bruised and battered so that we can forever be with the Lord. He humbled Himself, taking on human flesh in the form of a lowly servant and died a criminals death so that we His people could be brought to glory. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him.
In light of all that Christ has done on behalf of His people it is no wonder that the writer of Hebrews can declare with great confidence to a suffering and persecuted people that were being tempted to fall back in the old patterns and forsake Christ verse 18.
18 For because he himself has
suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
What do you do when temptation and suffering are getting the best of you? You dig your claws into the tree trunk that is the truth of the person and work of our Great, faithful, and merciful High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no hope in man, they fail. There is no hope in things, they rot. Our only hope is in Christ.
Do you know Him? Are you following the Capitan of salvation? Are you looking to the Lord Jesus as your Great High Priest who has made propitiation for your sins? Are you holding on to Him with all of your might knowing that He is the only one who is mighty to save?
If not, you are in grave danger. You may be seeking to justify yourself before God by your lifestyle or by what you do but all that is nothing but filthiness in the sight of God. When God looks at you it better be through the Great High Priest. If this morning you realize your lostness and your need for the Savior then what the Bible says that you must do is to repent from sins and turn by faith to Christ alone for salvation.
One last word of comfort for us from the Old Testament, Isaiah 43:1-3.
1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 "When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you. 3 "For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of
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