Crown Jesus: Hebrews 2:8-9
Who rules you? Who should rule you? You probably already know Jesus should rule you. Does He?
Look at Hebrews 2:8, “putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection under him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection under him.” (ESV)
God put everything in subjection under Jesus. The writer of Hebrews says twe don’t see everything under His control now! Obviously, Christ isn’t in control of everything now, or we wouldn’t have all the sin and craziness that exists in the world and in this country.
Right now, the control of Jesus over things in this world is voluntary! It won’t always be that way, but that’s the way it is now!
Hebrews 2:9, “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.” (ESV)
I want to look at three issues from Hebrews 2:9 and tell you why Jesus should become your ruler voluntarily! Think of it like this: We will conclude you should crown Jesus the ruler over you.
First, Jesus was made lower than the angels.
Why is being made lower than the angels an issue here? Angels are created spiritual beings made to serve people as messengers and servants for God.
Guess who created angels. God, the Word that spoke the entire world into existence made angels, along with everything else that was created. God the Word took on flesh in Jesus, making Him lower than the angels for a time.
Jesus was God’s Son, who was God the Word and creator of the entire universe. He became lower than angels when He took on Flesh as the Son.
In the 13 chapters of Hebrews Jesus is called “Jesus” 9 times. Why is that important? It demonstrates the total humanness He took on as a man called by his human name, Jesus.
Think of it like this: He stepped down from His throne as God and came to earth as a man, lower than angels for 33 years!
Guess what angels do? They serve people. Remember in Matthew chapter 4 when Jesus was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He fasted for 40 days and nights. The Bible says he became hungry!
If you hadn’t eaten for 40 days, you would be hungry too. In fact, hunger would be your weakest point, wouldn’t it? It had to be Jesus weakest point too. In that weakened state Satan tempted Jesus three times.
With each temptation Jesus countered with the truth of God in Scripture defeating Satan. Matthew 4:11 says this, “Then, the devil left him, and behold angels came and were ministering to him.” (ESV)
Angels ministering to him affirms he was totally human and needed the help of angels after 40 days of temptation from Satan.
He left Heaven as God and came to earth taking on flesh as one of us! He was God who became man! Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent man! I like to call Him the 200 percent guy!
Just look at Philippians 2:57, “(5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (6) who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form.” (ESV)
These verses are a call for we humans to be humble like Jesus was humble. He was God and didn’t count equality with God as a thing to hold on too. In fact, Jesus was humbled to the point of being a servant. He assumed the position of the lowest servant in the house.
Jesus was making the point to his disciples they were to be servants. In the upper room before the Passover Jesus wrapped a towel around himself and took a basin of water and got on His knees and washed His disciples’ feet, wiping them with the towel. That was the job the lowest servant in the house did.
Jesus left Heaven as God and came to earth to serve people. He was made lower than the angels to serve and that reality is always our call to servanthood!
The second reason Jesus should be our ruler is Jesus tasted death for us!
Jesus “tasted” death for us. If I taste my favorite salsa from a Mexican restaurant, I get the full human experience of that salsa. To taste death is to get the full, painful, human experience of death! Jesus did all of that.
Jesus died by crucifixion. That means a crossbeam was laid on the ground. It was notched and ready to be attached to an upright beam that would be put in the ground upright.
Before being attached to the upright beam, the crossbeam had Jesus nailed to it. Jesus would be laid out on the cross beam with His arms spread out. Great spikes would be driven through His wrists, between the major bones so as not to rip loose when he was pushed upright!.
The crossbeam would be pulled into place on the upright beam and tied in place with Jesus impaled on that crossbeam. Then His ankles would be crossed, and a spike driven between the bones on the top ankle and then through the bottom ankle and into the wood of the cross.
Now, the entire cross with Jesus impaled on it would be pushed up and dropped into a hole prepared for it and it would stand upright with God in the flesh, Jesus hanging on it suspended between Heaven and earth.
He would hang for hours, sagging on the cross unable to breath. Eventually, the lack of oxygen would make His blood thick like molten wax causing His heart to burst!
Do you know what Jesus said about giving His life for us on the cross? He said this, “no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:38A ESV) Jesus chose to taste death for us. No one made Him do it!
Why did Jesus die? Was it for some crime He had done? No! Jesus was sinless! He tasted death for us! He paid our death sentence for our sin so we could go free!
1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. For by his wounds you are healed.” (ESV)
The third reason Jesus should be our ruler is Jesus is crowned with glory and honor.
After suffering death for us Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because by His death, He made grace available to all who would respond to Him in faith.
He made grace available by paying our debt for sin at the cross and by being raised bodily from the dead to provide that same kind of indestructible life to all who would put their trust in Him.
Now Jesus has been raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father in Heavenly glory. He’s crowed with glory and honor as He should be. Why? He came to earth in humility to serve and died for us and was raised from the dead to give us life, which He has done if we surrender to His rule.
Someone is always the ruler of everyone’s life. How do you know who’s ruling? Who’s running the show? How do you know who’s running the show? Ask and answer this question? What fruit shows up in a person’s life?
Look at two of Jesus’ disciples. Peter and Judas. Peter denied Jesus three times. Bad fruit. Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Bad fruit. Who was wearing the crown in the life of Judas? Judas was.
When Peter denied Jesus who was wearing the crown in his life? Peter was.
Judas felt bad about his betrayal and took the 30 pieces of silver back to the temple and tossed them inside. But Judas left the crown on his head. He was crowned king of his life.
What was the fruit in the life of Judas? Suicide. He went and hanged himself!
Peter felt bad about his denial, in fact, the Bible says when the rooster crowed after his third denial, he went out and wept bitterly.
After Jesus’ resurrection He appeared to the disciples in John 21 and asked Peter three times if he loved him. Peter affirmed he did love Jesus three times!
40 days later when it was time to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior for the first time after His death, burial and resurrection Peter preached that first Christian sermon and God used him in a great way!
Judas left the crown on his own head, but Peter took the crown off his head and put it on Jesus. Peter crowned Jesus as his ruler and God used him in a tremendous way!
Judas left the crown on his head and hung himself. Peter crowned Jesus and was used of God in a mighty way.
Jesus humbled himself, served and sacrificed to bring us salvation by grace, was raised from the dead and is now crowned with glory and honor.
Have you taken the crown off your head and put it on Jesus’ head, or have you left it on your head? By His humility, service, sacrifice and resurrection Jesus has earned the crown!
Crown Jesus as your ruler! He earned it.