He left nothing that is not subject to him

Hebrews 2 from the daily reading in the One year Bible

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, ³ how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, ⁴ God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

⁵ For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. ⁶ But one has testified somewhere, saying,

“What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? ⁷ “You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands; ⁸ You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

⁹ But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying,

“I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.” ¹³ And again, “I will put My trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”

¹⁴ Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

The overall theme of today’s text is that Jesus, having come as a man, not only paid for our sins, but also because He has experienced the same things we experience, He is not only our Lord and Savior, but He is also able to: come to the aid of those who are tempted.   Hebrews 4:15 says:  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.    1 Corinthians 10:13 says:   No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.    James 4:7-8 says:  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.     The way of escape from temptation is to submit to God, to draw near to Him. The devil cannot stand in the presence of God. If we draw near to God the devil, with his temptations, will leave our presence. He will flee from us. The psalmist says:   Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.  Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. (Psalm 37:3-6)     As we are submitted and committed to the Lord, as we trust in Him, as we dwell with Him, near to Him, as we actually take delight in the Lord’s presence, our lusts, the temptations of the devil no longer affect us, instead God Himself gives us the desires of our heart. When we are close to God we cannot be tempted because we want what God wants and what He wants for us. Rather than sin from temptation God brings forth righteousness. That is the victory we have through Christ.

But there is even more. There is a powerful underlying truth in today’s text, which should also affect how we live.  The text says:  “What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? ⁷ “You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands;  You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.    Jesus referred to Himself as the “Son of Man.”  Indeed everything has been put in subjection to Him. After the resurrection, Jesus said:  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth “ (Matthew 28:18)   All authority, everything in heaven and on earth, is subject to Jesus. Now look what Jesus says to the church, to His followers, those He has called apart to Himself.  In Matthew 16:15-19, following a time when the disciples has seen and experienced miracles performed by Jesus, He has this dialogue with them:    He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”       Jesus says He will build His church, not on Peter, or on any man, but rather on the revelation that he received from the Father, the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior, the Redeemer, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one who is head over all. Jesus says, not only that He will build and establish His church, His called apart ones, but that He will give them the keys to heaven. Jesus promised the keys to heaven, the authority He has over everything, to us, His church. He says whatever we bind and loose here on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven. Jesus taught us to pray:  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.    Bringing the realities of heaven here to earth, God’s kingdom, God’s will, should be more than our prayer. It should be how we live. It should be the authority we have in this world, through Christ. Jesus says the gates of Hades will not stand against us.

Through Christ and His finished work on the cross, we are more than able to overcome temptation and sin. In today’s text it says:   How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,  God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.  Those signs and wonders, those miracles are not to have stopped when Jesus left this earth. Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)   He says:    “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”(Matthew 17:20)     Nothing will be impossible, if we have faith in Christ. Jesus says:  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.  These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;  they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)    The same signs and wonders Jesus did, we too are called and commissioned, empowered to do through Him.

My prayer today is Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 1: 18-23:      I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.      Amen