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January 5, 2003
2nd Sunday after Christmas
Hebrews 2:14-18
Pastor Robert Raasch

Jesus, the One Who Shared in Our Humanity

1. To Destroy the Devil by His Death
2. To Help Those who are being Tempted

As you maybe read in today's bulletin, today is the 2nd Sunday after Christmas. That means, that according to the church calendar, we're still in the Christmas season. So, let me ask you, are you still celebrating Christmas at your house? Now, maybe when you hear that question, you're thinking to yourself, "Well, yeah, I guess we're still celebrating Christmas. We still have our Christmas decorations up; haven't taken down the tree yet. And at the rate we're eating those stale Christmas cookies, we may be "celebrating Christmas" for a couple months yet.

Or, maybe you're thinking to yourself, "No, actually, we've already taken down our decorations. That old Christmas tree we bought was raining needles so fast, we figured we'd better get that thing out to the curb before it experienced spontaneous combustion. We were afraid it was a fire hazard.

But actually, I wasn't asking whether your house is still decorated for Christmas. I'm asking whether you're doing what Pastor Berger encouraged you to do on Christmas Eve? Are you still celebrating Christmas? Are you still walking in the light of the Christmas message, that unto us a child is born? Are you still marveling in the fact that God loved you enough to send you his very best?

Those of you who were here on Christmas day know that our sermon text that day allowed us to truly marvel in the fact that in that Babe of Bethlehem, God is with us. The all-glorious God, all-powerful God of the universe allowed himself to be wrapped in human flesh and born in a barn. In that Christchild we truly have what the name Immanuel means, namely God with us. And even though many of Jesus' own countrymen did not recognize it, and even though many people still today do not believe it, still Scripture makes it very clear that Jesus Christ is true God. He is 100% divine.

Now, in our text for today, we have a chance to focus on what we might call the other side of the coin. Rather than emphasizing Jesus' divinity, our text for today is centered on Jesus' humanity. What can we know about Jesus' human nature? Can we say that Jesus was really a human being just like you and I are human beings? Or maybe to take it a step further, did Jesus really have to be a human being? Could God have saved us from sin without going to the trouble of having Jesus come down here and be born as a baby? Is it all that important to have Jesus become one of us? My friends, these are the sorts of questions which the writer to the Hebrews addresses for us in our text for today. This morning we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we take a little closer look at:

Jesus, the One Who Shared in Our Humanity

And why did Jesus share in our humanity? The writer tells us that he shared our humanity:

1. To Destroy the Devil by His Death
2. To Help Those who are being Tempted

Our text begins with the words, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity." In other words, because we are human, Jesus, the very Son of God from eternity, also became human. At the time of his incarnation, Jesus took on a second nature. In addition to being true God, he also became true man. The writer says he "shared in our humanity"; he became a human being in every sense of the word.

But now someone might say, "Wait a minute, pastor. How can you say that Jesus became a true human being? Aren't all human beings by nature sinful? How could Jesus be a true human being if he wasn't sinful? To answer that we need think back to the Garden of Eden. Is it possible for someone to be a true human being without being a sinner? Sure it is. Adam and Eve were both true human beings in every sense of the word when they were created without sin. So it is with Jesus. In fact that's why Jesus is sometimes referred to as the second Adam. He was the second sinless man the world has ever known.

But now the larger question is, "Why? Why did Jesus have to become a human being? Our text tells us, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil." Now, maybe I should clarify a couple of things there. First of all, notice that in this case, "the one who holds the power of death" is the Devil. Even though God is the one who has absolute control over who will die and when, still because the wages of sin is death, that means that as long as Satan keeps leading people into sin, he'll keep bringing death upon them. In that sense, Satan holds the power of death.

The question is how does Jesus release us from that power. Or as the writer to the Hebrews puts is, how does Jesus "render Satan powerless," for you see, that's what that word "destroy" literally means-"to render powerless, to nullify." How does Jesus nullify Satan's power? He nullifies it by saying, "Don't worry, Christian. I'll die in your place. I'll suffer the punishment your sins deserve, so that you won't have to." But in order to do that, in order for Jesus to die, he had to become true man. Think about it, God himself is eternal. He is immortal. He can't die. So in order for the Son of God to rescue us from death, he had to put himself into a position where he could die. Jesus the Savior had to become a man.

Now, you realize that on Good Friday offered his life as payment for our sins. And on Easter Sunday, God announced to the world that death no longer had a hold on mankind. The grave had lost its sting and the Devil had lost his number one fear tactic. Satan is like that babysitter or older brother who used to tell you that there was monster living in your closet and if you didn't behave, he'd come out and get you in the middle of the night. And then the day came when you realized that there was no monster in your closet. You no longer had to be a slave to your fears any longer. You were free. Friends, that's exactly what Jesus has done for you and me, by his sacrificial death on the cross. In the words of Hebrews 2, Jesus has "destroyed him who holds the power of death and [in so doing has] freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." To God be the glory for the freedom from fear that Jesus has given to us!

But you know we have reason to praise God for more than the fact that Jesus became a human being to die for us. We can also thank God that Jesus came to earth as a human being so that he could: II. Help Those who are Being Tempted.

I don't know about you, but I think that this is an aspect of Jesus' ministry to us that is often overlooked. Sometimes we can find ourselves feeling like no one knows the struggles we're going through. The secret battles, the inner temptations. The warfare in our minds: the lust, the anger, the depression, the worry. We maybe feel like the Devil is picking on us like nobody else. Wait a minute. Do you think there is one single temptation that Satan has used on you or me that he didn't use on Jesus? Absolutely not! Scripture says that Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

Tell me, what temptation are you struggling with right now? Maybe Satan is tempting you to use all the resources at your disposal to simply make your life comfortable for yourself. Isn't that the temptation Jesus faced when Satan tempted him to use his divine power to turn the stones into bread to satisfy his hunger in the desert? Or maybe what you're wrestling with is the temptation to use God's promises as a license to sin, whether it be God's promise of protection or forgiveness. Rather than trusting God, you end up tempting God. Against, isn't that the same temptation that Jesus faced when Satan invited him to jump off the roof of the temple, because God promised to send his angels "to guard you in all our ways?"

Or maybe there are other burdens that you are carrying right now. Maybe you feel like the friends who once stood beside you are now turning their backs on you. They're acting like they want nothing to do with you. They're running away from you and that leaves you feeling like you're standing all alone. Do you think that Jesus can relate to what you're going through? Isn't that what happened to him in the Garden of Gethsemane? One of the people whom he considered to be a friend figuratively stabbed him in the back and the rest of his disciples deserted him in his darkest hour. Jesus knows what it feels like to be abandoned. Isn't that what Jesus experienced on Calvary? Jesus was absolutely forsaken by his own father. There is no one who has ever felt quite as alone as Jesus felt on that day we call Good Friday.

Or maybe the burden you're carrying involves the loss of a loved one. Every time you think about that special person, you get a lump in your throat and your eyes start to mist up. It's like that pain is still so fresh and you wonder, "Man, does anyone know what this feels like?" But now look at Jesus after he hears about the death of his good friend Lazarus. Is he able to maintain his composure? Does he just keep a stiff upper lip? No, Scripture says, "Jesus wept."

And how about when it feels like you've been praying so hard for something and it seems like God just isn't answering your prayers the way you want him to? Then think about how Jesus fervently prayed in the Garden, "Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." But, of course, that cup of suffering was not taken away from Jesus. Instead, he drank it down to the bitter dregs.

My friends, when you feel like nobody knows what you're going through, when your parents don't understand you, when your children can't relate to you, when even your best friend can't quite put himself or herself in your shoes, then be assured that Jesus can. Jesus shared in your humanity. Scriptures says that Jesus was "made like his brothers in every way." When he cut himself, he bled; when he missed a meal, he was hungry; when he didn't get enough sleep, he was tired. And when he was tempted to sin, he suffered.

So, what does that mean for you and me? First of all, it means that when we come to our Lord with those things that are weighing us down, Jesus is not going to say, "I don't know what you're talking about. What? You're bothered by that little thing? I can't see why that is such a problem for you." No, my friends, Jesus sympathizes with what we're going through. Because he was and still is a true human being, he's been where we are now. But even more important than the fact that Jesus can sympathize with us, more than that he can feel our pain, is that he can do something about it.

Because Jesus was tempted to sin, just like we are, yet overcame every one of those temptations, he has become our champion. Because Jesus has already won the victory over Satan as our substitute, he now gives you and me the power to say to the Devil, "Get behind me, you loser. You've got no control over me. In Jesus Christ, I can say, "No!" to what you want me to think and say and do!"

My friends, isn't that the real freedom that God has given to you and me in Christ? If you think about it, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas means far more than keeping our Christmas decorations up past Christmas Day. Rather, it means taking to heart the fact that God became man to die in our place, to free us from the fear of death, to assure us that we are not in this alone, and to grant to us the power to overcome the temptations we face in life. God bless your on-going celebration of Christmas in this New Year. In Jesus' name. Amen.