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December 31, 2006
Christmas 1c
Hebrews 2:10-18
Pastor Ben Berger

We have a Big Brother

How many of you ARE big brothers? How many of you HAVE big brothers? How's that relationship working out? I've been a big brother for 30 years now. I love being a big brother. When my sister and I were young, it wasn't so great. We fought a lot; she didn't see things my way. But now that we've grown up, we enjoy our relationship. The part I like best about being a big brother is protecting. Big brothers are protectors. We look out for our younger siblings. I've even applied that to ministry as I now consider myself a spiritual big brother to our youth. Today, the Holy Spirit shows us that we all have a big brother. Our big brother is Jesus. The author to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus calls us brothers and that as our big brother he fights our battles.

I'm not sure how many of us really want a big brother or want Jesus as our big brother. Most of us don't really want someone looking over our shoulder. We think that we can handle everything on our own. We don't need anyone to protect us. When we do want someone in our lives, it usually isn't Jesus. As infants we craved our parents, especially mom. We wanted someone to feed us and clean us. As we got older, we wanted friends. It's nice to have someone around to listen to us, to laugh with us and to cry with us. Then we really wanted that special boy or girl in our lives. We would do just about anything to get his or her attention. After we get married, we want children of our own and then grandchildren and so on. But do we ever want JESUS? Do we ever work just as hard to establish a relationship with Jesus as we do with all the others? Why would we? The best reason to want Jesus as our big brother is so that he can fight our battles.

First, Jesus became our big brother to destroy him who holds the power of death - that is the devil (14). The devil wants to have a relationship with us too, and he sounds fun. The devil acts like our friend. He tells us that he can make our lives more fun than God ever could. He tells us that if God really loved us, he wouldn't hold us back from so many good pleasures. The devil tells us that he can set us free. What a liar! The devil is like the boy who tells the girl whatever she wants to hear so that he can get what he wants. And all the devil wants is to drag us to hell with himself. Misery loves company; the devil is misery and he wants our company in hell.

We all have to realize that following the devil leads to death. We have to understand that the devil does not have our best interest in mind. We have to listen to our big brother when he tells us that the devil is a liar and can't really deliver all he offers. We also have to realize that we can't fight the devil ourselves. We need our big brother to fight that battle for us. And that's exactly what Jesus came to do.

The devil's strongest hold over us is death. He knows that every time we follow him, we take one step closer to death. He also knows that we're afraid of death. Jesus defeated the devil and set us free from our fear of death by dying himself. When Jesus died on the cross, he took away the devil's only hold. Because Jesus died in our place, the devil can't demand our death any longer. And because Jesus rose from the dead, he showed us there's nothing to fear.

The second battle Jesus fights for us is against sin. Following Satan makes us slaves to sin. As slaves to sin we're also slaves to death. Any relationship with Satan is an abusive relationship. Once we're in, it's tough to get out. Even after we realize this relationship is hurting us, we don't know how to leave. We don't know how to fend for ourselves. In the case of sin, we don't know how to pay our debt. The wages of sin is death and until we can pay that debt, we remain slaves.

As our big brother Jesus pays the debt of sin for us. The writer to the Hebrews said he had to be made like his brothers in every way in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people (17). Jesus had mercy on us. He felt sorry for us. We looked so pitiful he couldn't help but help us. He went to talk to his Father for us. He offered to pay the debt we owe. Can you imagine a brother or sister that would volunteer to be grounded for you when you break the rules? That's what Jesus did. He volunteered to die for our sins. As our high priest he sacrificed his own blood on the cross and presented it as atonement. His blood made us at one with God again. He smoothed everything over.

Finally, as our big brother Jesus helps us fight the battle against temptation. Even though Jesus has already defeated Satan, sin and death by his own suffering and death in our place, the battle still rages on. Satan will not give up. He wants to lead as many of us as possible to follow him in sin so that we'll also follow him to death in hell. He fights by tempting us to push Jesus away. He still doesn't want us to believe that Jesus loves us or is looking out for us.

Once again Jesus steps in as big brother to help. Because Jesus has already fought these same battles against Satan (when Satan tried to convince Jesus that his Father wasn't watching out for him), he knows how to win. Jesus promises not only to help us fight against Satan, he even promises to fight for us. He arms us with his word and promises to prove to Satan that Jesus is the one who really loves us.

Thank God that Jesus is our big brother. God is the one who sent Jesus to become our big brother. While Satan is fighting to bring us to hell, God the Father is fighting to bring many sons to glory (10). God's greatest goal is to bring you into heaven. To do that he first must bring you into his family. The one who made everything for himself, including each of you (which gives him the right to call you his child in the first place), wants you in his family. Because we enslaved ourselves to Satan and his family, God must now rescue and save us. He chose to send his only Son, Jesus, to become the author of our salvation.

Jesus himself was willing to become our brother. The writer to the Hebrews says that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers (11). He even gives three passages to show that Jesus already calls us brothers. This is a most amazing fact. Jesus should be ashamed of us. We don't deserve Jesus as our big brother. We've rejected him and pushed him out of our lives so many times he should stop trying. How often haven't we told him that we can take care of ourselves! How often have we told him to quit looking over our shoulders! How often have we told him that he can't run our lives! Yet, whether we want him or not, Jesus became our big brother.

And Jesus went through a lot of suffering to become our big brother. It all started when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. The Son of God became man; the Word became flesh. Because we have flesh and blood, he too shared in our humanity (14). With a newborn at home, I can tell you that life as an infant is not easy. And Jesus was born as a man just so that he could suffer. He really suffered when he went out to fight our battles. It wasn't easy living a perfect life and resisting all of the devil's temptations. It was hard not fighting back when his best friend betrayed him and the rest ditched him. It was most difficult to suffer death on a cross and to go to hell with the sins of the world. Jesus did it anyway. That's what big brothers do.

Jesus became OUR big brother. He didn't come to save the devil. He didn't come to save the angels. He didn't come to save himself. Jesus came for you. Jesus wanted you in his family. He wanted to call you his brother and sister. He wanted to live forever with you at home with his Father in heaven.

I don't know how many of you are big brothers. I do know that you all have a big brother. That big brother is Jesus. He is the best big brother you could ever have. I pray that you will welcome him into your life as your big brother. He is the most important relationship in your life. He is more important than your parents or your friends or that special guy or girl - more important than your husband or wife, your children or grandchildren. Only Jesus can fight your most important battles for you. By his suffering and death, he has already defeated sin, death and the devil for you. By his word he promises to fight off temptation with you. And he promises to come back to take you home with him to your Father in heaven. Trust that Jesus is looking out for your best interest. Trust that he is always protecting you. After all, what else are big brothers for?