Elmhurst CRC

Sunday's Comin' #286 - Hebrews 2: 10-11;14-16

January 16, 2023 Kyle Groters Season 1 Episode 286
Elmhurst CRC
Sunday's Comin' #286 - Hebrews 2: 10-11;14-16
Show Notes Transcript

Kyle Groters, Student Ministries Coordinator

Kyle Groters 0:07

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's daily dose of the Word of God. Today is Monday, January 16. This is Kyle Groters, and today I'll be reading from Hebrews 2 in the NIV. We’ll look at verses 10 -11 and 14 -16 as we look into this week’s Alpha series question: "Why did Jesus die?"

Kyle Groters 0:24

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 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—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.

Kyle Groters 1:04

I love that these verses so clearly describe that Jesus is just like us. In fact they do more than that, they show us that it was necessary for our salvation that Jesus be just like us. We are of the same family with the one who saves us, Jesus is our brother and our messiah. But even though he is just like us, he also goes far beyond us, he is the pioneer of our salvation. He paves the way for us and then invites us as his family to come travel the way with him. When we read that Jesus was made “perfect” through his suffering, it may be confusing as we often think of perfection along moral lines. But here perfection means completion, it means a fulfilling wholeness and totality, a climactic ending of sorts.

Kyle Groters 1:54

This fullness is what Jesus pioneers for us. Of the many things that mark out creatureness, that are radically opposed to wholeness and fullness, is death. Yet it is death that Jesus goes to in order to pioneer perfection. He does not run from it, but approaches it willingly. He does so knowing that he alone, as a human like you and me, yet also as God for whom and through whom everything exists, can enter into death for us. In taking on the fear of death, the shattering reality of death, he somehow makes it whole through his sacrifice. In dying, Jesus paradoxically puts death to death and in doing so breaks the ultimate power of Satan. And in Jesus’s wake is freedom, wholeness, fullness...perfection! And lest we forget, the writer of Hebrews reminds us clearly, this all was done for you and for me. Jesus pioneers the way to salvation through his death; and invites us to follow him on the way!

Kyle Groters 3:00

Let’s pray. Jesus, thank you for pioneering the way to salvation. Thank you for being just like us, a sibling to us even as you’re the one that brings us into your family. We are amazed by the mystery of your victorious death, we are in awe of your wholeness, of the perfection that you invite us into. As we explore different questions through these weeks, help us to come to you honestly with the questions in our hearts. Help us to be curious and give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you’d like to tell us. We pray these things in your name, Amen.