Hebrews 2:14-16 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; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Last week we saw that Jesus was NOT an Angel. Angels are superior to humans in strength and duration. Angels are spirit beings, composed of light. Humans are carbon based, who have limited earthly lives. We saw that:

Hebrews 1:4 {Jesus is} … so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Jesus is God the Son. He is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus is Creator God. Hebrews 1:2 noted that through Jesus God made the worlds. So Jesus is NOT an Angel, He is BETTER than the Angels. But Jesus is also – willingly – LESSER than the Angels. We read:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Jesus was made LOWER than the Angels. Why?

Jesus Was Made Like Us To Defeat Death

“Monster” movies just don’t scare me anymore. I remember as a child going to see movies like “Dracula” or “Frankenstein”, or watching something produced by a man named Alfred Hitchcock. It wasn’t long before I started noticing that monsters always hid behind doors, in the back seats of cars, in dark places, and always attacked just before the scary music started playing. When I’d hear the music I’d want to yell “Get out! Can’t you hear the music!” But they inevitably went to the wrong spot – the dark alley – and suffered the consequences.

What made the “Monster” movie scary wasn’t the monster, but the fact that the imaginary monster brought with it the real monster we call “death”.

We’re all familiar with death. We’ve been to funerals. We’ve seen unfortunate animals lying in horrid piles on the side of the road. We’ve seen vultures and crows feasting on the sides of roadways. But what actually is “Death”? Is it just the cessation of life? Atheist Richard Dawkins – now 82 years old – said of death “It will be like being unborn, a great nothing. Or rather as much of a nothing as before we were born.” How does he know this? He doesn’t for sure. He also said “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

What is death? Let’s define the word “Death”, not by our experiences or opinions, but by what the Bible says. The first time the word “Die” (Hebrew mûṯ, pronounced mooth) is found in the Bible is in a warning God gave to Adam. God told Adam:

Genesis 2:16-17 (NKJV) … Of every tree of the garden {the Garden in Eden} you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die {mûṯ}.

God was very specific. Adam had free reign over the Garden, in fact, over the whole earth. God told Adam and Eve “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over {all the earth}” (Genesis 1:28). Humanity had absolute control over creation. In the midst of the Garden there were two trees: “The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). Adam and Eve – along with their progeny – were free to eat of the Tree of Life. But they were forbidden to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned Adam, “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die {mûṯ}”.

God promised Adam that death would immediately come on him when he ate of that forbidden tree. Adam, just like all of us, paid little attention to God, and ate of that which was forbidden.

Did Adam “cease to live” or “stop functioning as a human being” IN THE DAY he ate of the forbidden tree?

The Bible says in Genesis 5:5, “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died”. Wait a minute. Did God err? God said “IN THE DAY you eat of the forbidden, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE”. But Adam lived to be 930 years old. Did God LIE? As the Scripture says:

Numbers 23:19 (ESV) God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

What God has said He would do, He did. What God warned Adam against was not PHYSICAL death, but SPIRITUAL death. Richard Dawkins is SPIRITUALLY dead. He may still be walking the earth at 82 years old, but he – along with many others – is SPIRITUALLY dead. You see, God is the Source of Life and Light. It is God Who said, “Let there be LIGHT – and there WAS LIGHT” (Genesis 1:3). It is God Who “breathed into Adam the BREATH OF LIFE” (Genesis 2:7), and because of this “man became a LIVING SOUL”. God is the Source of Life. Moses told Israel to be …

Deuteronomy 30:20 (ESV) … loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days …

And the Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

And King Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

God was not telling Adam that he would PHYSICALLY die the day that he disobeyed and ate that which was forbidden. God was telling Adam that he would SPIRITUALLY die, that he would be separated from the Source of Life by his sin. When the Bible speaks of Adam’s sin and it’s repercussions, it states:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

When Adam sinned against God, he IMMEDIATELY – IN THAT DAY – separated himself from God. The Bible says that Adam first tried to cover his sin with fig leaves. Then when Adam heard God coming,

Genesis 3:8 … Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Before Adam sinned, he walked with God in the cool of the day. After Adam sinned, he hid himself from God. Those who are SPIRITUALLY dead have no thought of God.

Psalm 10:4 (ESV) In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek {God}; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

The SPIRITUALLY dead are dead because they are separated from God. If you are SPIRITUALLY dead you will eventually PHYSICALLY die – but you will STILL be separated from God, the Source of Life.

Illustrate: We see the evidence of SPIRITUAL death daily. I was at Wendy’s just today getting their “two sausage biscuits for three dollars”. I’d been there before, so I knew that the bill would be a certain amount. I had a bunch of change, so I gave the attendant more than the bill, thinking he’d give me a few pennies back. He put the money in the register, closed it, and gave me the biscuits. It wasn’t much money so I didn’t grouse about it. But either that man was lazy and didn’t count the money, or was a thief and stole it. Either way, it is dishonest – spiritual death.

Illustrate: We see spiritual death in other ways in our world. We see it in people who murder, in school shootings. We see spiritual death in people who deny their own existence, their own DNA and sexuality. We see spiritual death in broken families, orphaned children, and aborted babies. We see spiritual death in racism and hatred. A young man just the other day – an Airman in the US Air Force – stood in front of Israel’s Embassy and – pouring lighter fluid over his body, set himself on fire. As he died screaming, he cried out “Free Palestine”. To so treat the life God gave you is spiritual death. There is spiritual death in the suicide, the alcoholic, the drug abuser, the child molester. All that is evil and horrid in this world is a result of SPIRITUAL death.

Jesus Defeated Death By Defeating The Devil

Hebrews 2:14-15 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; {15} And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Who has the power of death? Look at the latter part of verse 14: “through death He (Jesus) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”. Who has the power of death? Satan! Again, going back to the proper definition of “death”, death is “separation from God”. Satan was the very first one to rise up in revolt against God, separating himself from God, dying spiritually as it were. The Book of Revelation speaks of the Angel Lucifer. Created by God as an Arch Angel, it was Lucifer’s job to lead the other angels of Heaven in celebrating the God Who created all things. But Lucifer revolted from God, and led a third of the angels of Heaven in revolt against God (Revelation 12:4). Trying to take over Heaven (a lesson in futility) the Bible says:

Revelation 12:9 … the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Cast to the earth Satan, “that old serpent” was in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden. “You shall not surely die – but the day you eat of it, you’ll be like gods!” (Genesis 3:5). It was the devil who tempted Adam to betray God. Adam took the bait, and brought SPIRITUAL death into the world.

Adam is a sinner, and his children are sinners. Spiritually dead because of sin, Adam and his children are separated from God by our own sin. We cannot make ourselves right with God. We are broken, in a hopeless and helpless situation. The devil, the author of sin and death, continued to egg us on to reject God. The scripture said:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What hope do we have? We have Jesus. The Scripture says:

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;

Jesus took upon Himself “flesh and blood”. He brought Himself into the creation that He made. Though Eternal God Jesus Christ stepped away from glory to become like us. Imagine! The Creator became the created! Though …

Colossians 2:9 … in {Jesus} dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Jesus did not hesitate to take humanity upon Himself. He did not come to this earth in robes and splendor as was His right. He did not come with a crown upon His head, or a scepter in His hand. He did not come with ten thousands of angels heralding His approach. He did not come on a chariot of fire, nor did He come to the applause of thousands. The Bible says that Jesus …

Philippians 2:7 .. made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men …

Jesus came as a Servant. He was born the Messiah in a little town of David called Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy (Micah 5:1-2; Matthew 2:1-10; Luke 2:1-21). Jesus grew up in Nazareth to fulfill Messianic prophecy (Matthew 2:23; Isaiah 11:1). It was a saying in those days “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46), as Nazareth was such a poor and pitiful area. Jesus came from the least and the less. Though He is the “blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto” (1 Timothy 6:15-16), Jesus came into the world lowly. Why?

The Greatest of all became the Least of us so He could reach the Lowest of us. Jesus took death on Himself so that we could receive life through His sacrifice.

When God told Adam “the very day you eat the forbidden, YOU SHALL DIE”, God was serious. Adam brought spiritual death on himself and on us all. Jesus saves us from this death by being punished in our place. Jesus died to Heaven – separated Himself from Heaven – so that He could reunite us with God. Jesus died to glory – separated Himself from the glory that was rightly His – so that He could “bringing many sons unto glory”. What does the Scripture tell us?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus Christ took death on Himself for you and for me. All of your offenses and my offenses against Eternal God were nailed to His Cross – and Jesus was then nailed over top of them! The rain of Judgment struck the Son of God on that terrible Hill Golgotha. Jesus bore the penalty for our sin then, though Immortal God, willingly surrendered His physical life. He said:

Luke 23:46 … Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

He suffered SPIRITUALLY for us, then died PHYSICALLY. Laid in a grave, He was sealed in His tomb for three days and three nights. The Devil thought he had defeated the Messiah, but he was wrong.

Jesus delivered us from spiritual death. Jesus crushed the power of the devil. Jesus defeated physical death. Oh, how Satan hated that day when death died! When Jesus Christ took the penalty of our sin on Himself He made a way whereby God could make us alive again through the operation of the Holy Spirit. ALL Trespasses are forgiven the Christian. As The Scripture aptly puts it:

Colossians 2:13-15 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 show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Before you believed on Christ, you were dead in trespasses and sins. You walked apart from God. Once you believe on Jesus, repenting of your sin and calling on His Name, God sends the Holy Spirit to you. You are made alive apart from the works of the Law.

The Christian Is Dead To The Law Of Sacrifice, But Alive To Righteousness

Hebrews 2:16-17 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

When Jesus came, He came by showing us that God keeps His promises. In the Old Testament God promised a man named Abraham:

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God promised to give Abraham children, to bring a nation out of Abraham, and to bring the Messiah through Abraham and thus bless “all the families of the earth”. God keeps His promises. When Jesus came to this earth, the Messiah came from “the seed of Abraham”. Jesus came to replace the sacrificial system, where animals were killed to cover or “atone” for our sins. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as:

John 1:29 … the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Those who are saved are saved from SPIRITUAL death by believing on Jesus. We are saved because we are ransomed …

1 Peter 1:19 (ESV) … with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

The Christian is “BORN AGAIN” or “QUICKENED” because we have received the Word of God as our own. We have heard and believed the good news that, though we are sinners, Christ died to cover our sins.

Dying for our sins as the Lamb of God, Jesus rose from the Grave and is now our Great High Priest. He is “a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”. His death defeated Satan. His death defeated SPIRITUAL death. His resurrection defeated PHYSICAL death. Satan has no hold on the child of God.

God keeps His promises. Jesus is God. Jesus keeps His promises. He has promised:

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Those who believe in Jesus are passed from death unto life. We are no longer separated from God, but we are intimately bound with the Source of Life. Furthermore, the Christian knows that he or she has passed from death to life. How? The Scripture says:

1 John 3:14-16 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. {15} Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. {16} Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

How does the Christian know that he is a Christian? Life reigns in Him. God the Source of Life is also defined as Love, and He lives in the hearts of those who are His. Dead things exude death, but New Creatures in Christ exude Life. We as Christians are saved to LIVE above death, to LIVE outside the devil, to LIVE in victory. The devil condemns. The world condemns. The spiritually dead condemn. We who have believed on Him are ALIVE!

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Death is dead, it’s Source is defeated, and we who believe have a High Priest Who sits in the Heavens representing us before the Heavenly Father. We are saved to the uttermost. I conclude with this.

Are you part of the Redeemed? Are you part of the Saved? Does Jesus make reconciliation for you? If you do not have a relationship with God by faith in Him then you are yet dead in your sins. The monster is out of the closet, and rules your life with glee. My prayer is that you know Him and the power of His resurrection. That you know death is dead for you. That you know Satan is a defeated enemy because He Who loves you gave Himself for you. And if you don’t know Him, today is a great day to come unto Him and be saved. May God touch your hearts with His Word. Amen and Amen.