Christ, the Superior Message, Part Three

I. CHRIST, the SUPERIOR MESSAGE

A. An Exhortation, Heb 2:1-4

1. John Brown (1784-1858)
2. Adolph Saphir (1831-1891)
3. John MacArthur (b.1939)

B. An Explanation, Heb 2:5-18

1. an objection raised:

• a. "How could Jesus be better when He had a human body? Are not the angels better than He because they had no human bodies to limit them?"

2. answers to this objection:

• a. Jesus came to be the last Adam, Heb 2:5-13
• b. Jesus came to defeat Satan, Heb 2:14-16
• c. Jesus came to be the sympathetic High Priest, Heb 2:17-18

C. An Examination, Heb 2:5-10

1. world to come, v5b

• a. οἰκουμένην τὴν μέλλουσαν
  --- i. oy-koo-MEN-an tan MEL-loo-san
  --- ii. "inhabited world"
• b. not to angels that God subjected, v5a
  --- i. MacArthur: "God never intended to give angles rule over the world to come."

2. Word from the Holy Spirit, vv6-8a

• a. quoting Psa 8:4-6
  --- i. quotes it anonymously, v6a
  --- ii. quotes the Septuagint
  --- iii. considers the entire psalm
• b. the humility of humanity, v6b
  --- i. see v9; Psa 8 is about Jesus
• c. the hint of Christ's cross, v7
  --- i. see Psa 8:3; Matt 27:45-46
• d. the honor of Christ's sufferings, v8a

3. Weighty Majesty of Christ's Humiliation, v8b-10

• a. Christ is a complete Victor through the cross, v8b
• b. Christ is coming again to make the world subject to Him, v8c
  --- i. see Psa 8
  --- ii. see Heb 1:10-12 (& v5 above)
• c. Christ is crown with glory & honor, v9
  --- i. the excellence of Christ's humanity, v9a
• a. Christ Jesus suffered death unto glory, v9b
• b. Christ Jesus tasted death unto honor, v9c