REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE
Bible Passage: Hebrews 2: 13-15
Lesson Prepared by: krisha of Solomon Wisdom FB page
Lesson ideas taken:
LESSON KEY VERSE:
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles
in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the
circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
EPHESIANS 2:11-12
INTRODUCATION:
If we were
asked what our life was before without Christ, you would give so many spiritual
ideas and reflections. And if you’re serious, dedicated and give your best to
live like Christ and serve Him faithfully, your words of wisdom have impact to
somebody’s life because God reflects on you.
I have given
paper strips for you to answer, and I will try to read them all – what is the
character or attitude God has changed in you? (Read the paper strips and
comments from FB live)
Read Ephesians 2:11-12. Remember, Paul tells the Ephesians that you were once separated, alienated,
estranged,
hopeless. Because then, and only then, will it mean something that in Christ
you are reconciled, welcomed, adopted and saved.
So too with
us. If we are going to love much, we need to remember the depths from which he
saved us. If we are going to treasure all we have in him, we need to remember
who we were without Him. Also, in order to remember God’s goodness, we need to
remember who we were without Him.
God’s goodness
connects with Christ birth. Why we need to remember God’s goodness through
Christ’s birth? Why Christ’s birth happened?
LESSON POINT:
- 1. BECAUSE WE ARE HUMAN (HEBREWS 2:14)
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same; that through death he might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is,
the devil;
Since then that the children –we
are partakers of flesh and blood which means human, Christ Himself,
likewise took part of the same. We are human therefore He became human. According
to the prior verses, Jesus' role
as the "Captain" of our salvation includes taking on the suffering we experience as human beings. The writer of Hebrews has already explained that the Messiah could not
be an angel, according to passages in the Old Testament. In addition, angels cannot truly experience human
suffering, so they cannot be an example for people to follow. As a man, however, Jesus Christ
is able to do exactly that.
Why it needed for Christ to become human?
In
the early chapters of the Book of Genesis we are told that God created Adam and
Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. There before them were many trees.
Two of these trees were the "tree of life" and the "tree of the
knowledge of good and evil." They were forbidden to eat of only the one
tree--the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." God told them
that in the day they ate of the fruit of this tree they would surely die (Genesis
2:16-17). The devil tempted Eve and she
and her husband ate of the forbidden fruit. From that time on they sensed a
nakedness, and we're not at ease in the presence of God, so that they hid from
Him. The fall of man from sin led God the Father, to give the promise from
Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel.
On the first line of 14th verse, “Forasmuch then as
the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same”, what
implies to you? The Lord Jesus Christ
was incarnated because of us. His humanity allowed Him to experience the same
things normal
people do. With this, as being human, He thinks and feels like us and the most comfort is...
He understands us.
- 2. BECAUSE HE COULD DIE (HEBREWS 2:14; MATT. 20:28)
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
He
couldn’t die so He could die is why He came. In order that through death you
can’t die if you’re not human. The purpose of incarnation is to die – BORN TO
DIE. Jesus Himself said that He came
“to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Who are the lost? The Bible tells us that “all have
sinned” and that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
In order to save the world, Jesus had to die for it. He came and lived the
perfect life and
then died the death we should have died. The true meaning of Christmas is that
Jesus was born
to die. Because He was crucified and then rose from the dead, forgiveness of
sin and assurance of heaven is now
offered to all who believe (John 1:12).
Christ’s
birth is also about death. Every time we remember Jesus’ birth, we should also
remember WHY
he was born. Jesus was born so that one day, he could die for us. Without his
death, his birth doesn’t
carry the same significance.
The
Christmas story reminds us of the need for Jesus to come and redeem humanity.
In Matthew 2,
there is a recount of a horrific act that leads to the death of many. King
Herod hears from the Magi
that a new king has been born. So, he asks them to let him know when they’ve
found the king. Herod is disturbed - he doesn’t want a new king to take his
power!
Matthew 2:16
reads, “When Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was
furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned
from the Magi.” It’s a horrific mass murder that results in great mourning
throughout the land. We often leave this part out of the Christmas story,
because it’s so awful. But it is an important reminder about exactly why
Jesus came. We live in such a broken world, where people like you, me and Herod
fight against God and his glory in different, but always awful ways. We might
have never killed a whole bunch of toddlers, but our sin, too, is bringing
death and destruction to our lives and the world God has made.
Christmas is
about birth. But more importantly, it’s about death - the death we would face
without Jesus, and
Jesus’ death that saves us.
- 3. BECAUSE TO DESTROY THE DEVIL (HEBREWS 2:14)
Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of
the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil;
Satan is referred to here as wielding the power of death, which
follows from his role in the fall. It was Satan who
tempted man to sin (Genesis 3:1–7), and Satan who continues to tempt men today (Ephesians 4:27; 1 John 3:8; 1 Peter 5:8).
Following that temptation leads to both physical and spiritual
death (Romans 6:23). Sin, rather than making us free, makes us its slaves.
By
dying, He destroyed the one who has the power over death, the devil. The word
“destroy” doesn’t mean that He put the devil out of existence. It means He
nullified him; He broke the back of his power and took away the capacity to
cause the slavery to fear. How did He do that? Colossians 2:13-15 have the
answer.
13 And you, being
dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
(Explain while reading) How the Lord Jesus Christ spoiled
(disarmed) the principalities and powers? He did it by nailing something to the
cross. What did he nail to the cross? He nailed to the cross the
– handwriting of ordinances (record of my debt) that was against us. Which
means that
He took away the one weapon that could damn (to condemn to hell) me. Satan is
the greater accuser, right? So, he stands before God with the big folder and
the folder has in it my sins, all of them and He accuses me before God day and night but when
I trust Christ and reunite to Him and his death counts for me and the record of
that debt with all those things against me is taken out of the devil’s hands.
Through death, He destroyed, nullified, cancelled, made powerless the one who
has the power of death. How he has the power of death? He has the power of
death by turning death into a doorway to hell instead of doorway to heaven by
damning me with all the records of my debts and by His death took that out. He destroyed him by taking out of his hands
the weapon and so now he is helpless to damn me or destroy me and thus he
delivers me from the fear of death and that awful slavery and so this is our
next point.
- 4.
BECAUSE TO DELIVER US FROM THE SLAVERY TO THE
LIFELONG FEAR OF DEATH
The fear of death that has kept me
all my life worrying and if we are freed from this horrible slavery of death, we
are to free us, people and that is owing to the fact that the devil is
destroyed by having his accusations removed and that happens because Christ
died. Also, that happens because Christ
partook of the nature.
CONCLUSION:
Have you seen the point of our lesson for today? Christmas is about
salvation. Therefore, if we have issues regarding the celebration like
financial crisis, loneliness because loved ones are apart from us, heartbroken,
career and so many more let’s remind ourselves “REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE WITHOUT
CHRIST” and having Him is a great blessing and gift.
