Showing Christ's Love
Hebrews 2:5-18
The Founder of Salvation
"Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 'What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting 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. 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. 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. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.' And again, 'I will put my trust in him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.' 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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every aspect, 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. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
Now there is a lot in there! But the main point that I would like to look at is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God himself, came to earth in the form of man! He had a great purpose for this, and that purpose was this: "For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every aspect, 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."
God became one of us so that He could go through everything that we go through! He was tempted in every way that we are tempted and He didn't sin! "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." He helps us, because he has gone through it!
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."
God became man in Jesus Christ! Paul becomes like the people he is witnessing to!
We also need to do the same!
Not that we should do drugs so that we can witness to a drug addict, or become a prostitute so that we can witness to prostitutes.
But we must look for the thing that we have in common to one another! We must go to them where they are hurting, not bring them to us!
What do we all have in common?
Have we lied? Cheated? Stole? Hated? Coveted?.....
Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
This is what we all have in common!!!
Jesus came to us to lift us up!
Romans 3:24-26 "And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
We fulfill this great gift by taking it to others in Love!
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Colossians1:24-25 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,"
Romans 10:13-17 "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
We are commanded to go! Paul says it fulfills what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body --- the church! And Faith come through hearing the word of Christ!
First we need to show the Love of Christ to all people by loving them and going to them where they are at, where they are hurting! Then we can share with them, the love that is within us! The love of Christ.
1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
It's weird, but from the non-believers viewpoint, we must first earn the right to share the good news of Jesus with them. They must see that we genuinely care about them before they will be open to listening to us about what Jesus can do for them.
In Christ,
David
The Founder of Salvation
"Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 'What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting 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. 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. 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. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, 'I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.' And again, 'I will put my trust in him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.' 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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every aspect, 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. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
Now there is a lot in there! But the main point that I would like to look at is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God himself, came to earth in the form of man! He had a great purpose for this, and that purpose was this: "For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every aspect, 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."
God became one of us so that He could go through everything that we go through! He was tempted in every way that we are tempted and He didn't sin! "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." He helps us, because he has gone through it!
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."
God became man in Jesus Christ! Paul becomes like the people he is witnessing to!
We also need to do the same!
Not that we should do drugs so that we can witness to a drug addict, or become a prostitute so that we can witness to prostitutes.
But we must look for the thing that we have in common to one another! We must go to them where they are hurting, not bring them to us!
What do we all have in common?
Have we lied? Cheated? Stole? Hated? Coveted?.....
Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
This is what we all have in common!!!
Jesus came to us to lift us up!
Romans 3:24-26 "And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
We fulfill this great gift by taking it to others in Love!
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
Colossians1:24-25 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,"
Romans 10:13-17 "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
We are commanded to go! Paul says it fulfills what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body --- the church! And Faith come through hearing the word of Christ!
First we need to show the Love of Christ to all people by loving them and going to them where they are at, where they are hurting! Then we can share with them, the love that is within us! The love of Christ.
1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
It's weird, but from the non-believers viewpoint, we must first earn the right to share the good news of Jesus with them. They must see that we genuinely care about them before they will be open to listening to us about what Jesus can do for them.
In Christ,
David
posted by Mark 1:17 at 7:56 AM
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