Change Your Life - Know Your God
- Paul Downie
- 2 days ago
- 19 min read
Hebrews 2:14-18 NIV
[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. [16] For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. [17] For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. [18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
One of the particularly isolating aspects of temptation is believing that you are the only person enduring that particular temptation, and that therefore you are alone. The purpose of inducing this emotion is ruthlessly simple:
To get you alone.
If you have ever seen predators hunting a pack of animals, you will know how this works. The predators seek to divide off some of the weaker members of the herd, then isolate them still until they are alone, and then take them down.
The old saying of ‘safety in numbers’ is very true.
Which is why temptation isolates.
Just as a predator cannot take down an entire herd of animals, so the world and the devil cannot take down an entire group of Christians. We must be isolated one by one.
And that is where temptation comes in.
We saw this earlier:
1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
[13] No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
But if we forget this verse, we start to believe that the lure in front of us has been hand-crafted for us. Then, when we succumb to its wiles, satan tries to use our sharp conscience and our conviction of sin against us. He tries to convince us that we are the absolute worst of sinners and that God could never forgive us. He denies the very nature of grace and persuades us that we are so far from redemption that we could never earn it, when that’s the point: it can’t be earned.
Everything he does is designed to separate us from God; alienate us from Him.
These verses are the antidote to the devil’s poison. They tell us four things that God did, and does, for sinners who have succumbed to temptation and whose flesh has led them to swallow the lures of the flesh and the devil.
The first of these is that He Shared.
He Shared
Hebrews 2:14 NIV
[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
At the turn of the century, British and American TV companies were enamoured with reality TV. These shows, which invariably were at best tacky and at worst trashy, permitted ordinary folks a level of exposure to the general public that they sought, whether or not they were ready for the notoriety it would bring.
Among the trashy reality TV showe that became a hit was a show called ‘Wife Swap’. Given the channel that hosted it was not exactly known for propriety, the very name conjured up the idea for something more trashy than a landfill site. However, somehow they kept it on the right side of good taste.
The idea was that two wives from families of a different class, cultural background or with entirely different outlooks on life would swap families for a while and then meet after this time was up to compare notes.
It made cheap entertainment out of the idea of walking for a mile in someone else’s shoes.
Yet somehow this show ran for fourteen years.
It probably says a lot more about the state of British culture than it does about the quality of the show.
The concept of spending time in someone else’s situation so you can understand them is never a bad thing. But Jesus did it first. As John stated:
John 1:14 NIV
[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Or as Eugene Peterson rather brilliantly paraphrased it:
John 1:14 MSG
[14] The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into tuhe neighborhood.
The Greek word that is used for ‘make his dwelling’ had particular resonance for first century Jews. It literally meant ‘to pitch his tent among’ them. As a former nomadic people who traded along lengthy trade routes to North Africa and the Middle East, pitching a tent among them would imply both seeking a close relationship and a measure of trust. It would also imply a sharing of resources and of threats as they travelled.
More than that, on their long sojourn through the desert, right up until the Temple was finished under Solomon, the worship of God was carried out in a tent.
God pitched His tent among them (Exodus 26).
Now John is taking up that image to refer to Jesus. He is talking about Jesus coming to earth and facing the same joys, the same pains, and yes, the same temptations as us (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).
This information ought to have a very specific positive effect on us:
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV
[14] Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. [16] Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Do you see it? Do you really see it?
When we are tempted – even when we succumb to temptation and repent – we have someone in heaven who knows, who understands and who sympathises with our every weakness.
That Someone is Jesus Christ.
That is, of course, not an excuse to sin some more. As Paul taught:
Romans 6:1-2 NIV
[1] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? [2] By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
What it does mean is that the isolating grip of temptation on our lives is absolutely broken.
Because, while we might struggle to talk to anyone else about the temptations we face out of shame that they even exists, Jesus knows, Jesus has been there, and so we can go to Jesus in prayer at any time, confident that He will hear, understand and act in our best interests at all times.
Let me tell you, if you are beset by temptations and addictions, that is a game-changer.
Having wise counsel you can turn to in your struggles for help and advice is always really helpful. However, in most situations, these people can’t do too much to help you change your situation. There are many instances where all they can do is help you cope with matters that you cannot control.
However, Jesus is fundamentally different. He didn’t just share our burdens, He Freed us from them.
He Freed
Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
This is a remarkable text.
Behind what might seem to be quite a dry historical and theological retelling of the Gospel is something so powerful that it completely flips the script.
The most powerful lure the devil or the world can use to tempt our flesh is the negative lure of the threat of death. Nothing is more powerful than that. Human beings fear it more than anything else. It is by far and away their most effective and most harmful weapon.
Yet because of the cross it is neutralised.
That is what these verses say.
The devil and the world’s most powerful weapon has no hold on us.
1 Corinthians 15:55, 57 NIV
[55] “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
[57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are freed from the power of the fear of death because Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead.
Because of that glorious truth, all things are beneath Him, even death itself (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). As Paul taught the Philippians:
Philippians 2:8-11 NIV
[8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There is an implications of this that perhaps you have not considered.
Your greatest enemy has been conquered. Death itself has been defeated. It is now under Jesus Christ’s feet. There is nothing that can stand against Him.
If even death is defeated, and all things are beneath the feet of Jesus, do you know what else is there?
The world.
The devil.
Your temptation.
Your addiction.
Your bad habits.
They are all subjugated under Jesus Christ.
Since even the thing you feared more than any other has been subjugated, that means all of these have been subjugated too. They have been conquered. They have been beaten.
Which means you are not captive or held in slavery to them.
You are free.
Which is why Jesus said:
John 8:36 NIV
[36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
And Paul taught the Galatians:
Galatians 5:1 NIV
[1] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
It is not enough – it is never enough – for someone to simply feel sorry for us or compassion for us. It’s nice, but it’s not enough.
What we need is to be free. And because of Jesus Christ, we are.
He has broken the chains that bind us.
He has opened the cell door.
He has paid for our pardon.
He has set us free.
It’s up to us to believe in it and walk in it.
But Jesus has not just shared our pain and freed us, He has also Atoned For us.
He Atoned For
Hebrews 2:16-17 NIV
[16] For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. [17] For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
We’ve been to a few countries, such as China, Thailand, Montenegro, Georgia and Greece, where a different alphabet is used and it’s difficult to read it if you don’t know the language.
Modern translation tools are often quite useful to enable you to read signs and suchlike, but occasionally they aren’t completely correct.
Like a sign in Georgian for a public restroom was translated into English as ‘angle of relief’.
Well, I suppose it was half right!
Atonement is a beautiful concept. However, it has long slipped out of modern language. It’s a concept that just isn’t used very often outside of religious circles.
Like those words in another language, we might need someone to translate it and explain it to us.
So let me explain it.
Atonement occurs when one person (Person A) offends another person (Person B). Person A realises they need to do something to fix the relationship and reconcile themselves to Person B. So Person A makes an effort and does something nice for Person B by way of an admission that they have done wrong and an assurance that it will not happen again, as well as a form of compensation for the damage caused.
That process of repairing the relationship is atonement.
The Jews have an annual festival of atonement – Yom Kippur – where people consider their sins, confess them to God in prayer and fasting and, back in the days when the festival was instituted, they would sacrifice animals to pay the price for their sins (Leviticus 16, 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7-11). This festival has always been quite a sombre occasion.
This verse talks of Jesus as both the High Priest who makes the sacrifice (that is, does his duty to make atonement with God) and also the sacrifice itself:
Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
[27] Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, [28] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
In other words, God is responsible for both being the One to whom atonement is necessary, carrying out the act of atonement and being the sacrifice.
All we have to do is repent and believe in it.
The Day of Atonement rituals had a somewhat curious element to them:
Leviticus 16:20-22 NIV
[20] “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. [21] He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. [22] The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
The High Priest confessed the sins of the nation. The scapegoat bore those sins to a desolate place.
That is exactly what Jesus did on the cross, as we saw in my Easter studies.
We see something quite wonderful in these verses. Jesus not only understands our human condition, He also frees us from slavery to our sins and pays the atonement price in His blood to reconcile our relationship with God. But there is one more thing He does, which is equally as special: He helps.
He Helps
Hebrews 2:18 NIV
[18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
I have a colleague who is a massive fan of super hero and science fiction comic books, TV shows and movies. He has whole shelves full of comic books, rooms full of memorabilia and even converted his garage to contain lots of precious figurines.
On the surface, there are many who think of him as being a little strange.
However, the reason why he is into these things – as a grown adult – came out during a conversation.
He was badly bullied at school.
Just like I was.
He didn’t fit in. He wasn’t sporty. He was slight and nerdy. So the bigger kids gave him a hard time.
And he took refuge in fantasies.
While I took refuge in my faith.
But one thing unites us: the belief in someone who will come to our rescue.
In comic books and some science fiction, it’s a hero figure.
In Christianity, it’s Jesus Christ.
One is nothing more than a fantasy.
The other is absolute reality.
This verse is very, very special.
Think about it.
The writer to the Hebrews wrote it to a bunch of people who were being persecuted and were under pressure to deny their faith and betray their Lord.
They were also tempted to turn against Him by doing things He had told them were not right.
The world and the devil had set out their lures.
These Hebrew Christians were battling their own fleshly desires for safety and to just be like everyone else.
They were being tempted: tempted to turn from Jesus Christ.
Yet who understood them? Who freed them? Who paid the price of atonement for their sins?
Jesus Christ – the very One they were being tempted to abandon.
That is the very definition of grace.
Yet this verse also tells us why Jesus does that.
It’s because He understands what it feels like to be in our place. He suffered just like us.
As we are earlier, God was already compassionate towards His erring children:
Psalms 103:8-14 NIV
[8] The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. [9] He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; [10] he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. [13] As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; [14] for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
But when He came to earth, Jesus stepped right into our humanity.
You can look at it this way. There are very many people who go to countries all across the world and live in gated compounds or in five star, all-inclusive hotel complexes. They have very little idea of what the world is truly like outside of their whitewashed walls and air conditioned SUVs. They glimpse at reality from behind double-glazed windows. They have no idea what it really means.
Jesus did not do that.
But there are others who forgo the five-star luxury and spend time with the locals, getting to know them as people, trying to understand their situation, and in some cases, trying to help them.
Jesus did that – and then some more. A whole lot more.
The Bible tells us that He made Himself nothing (Philippians 2:7-8).
He experienced everything our life could through at Him – and then some more.
As I said earlier, one of the most insidious aspects to temptation is how it isolates us from others, and from God in particular. We wrestle with it. We believe we are the worst for experiencing it. We believe we are even worse if we succumb to it. We are bitterly ashamed of what we have done. We fear God’s people will reject us because of what we have done.
We fear God will reject us because of what we have done.
Yet He helps us. Jesus helps us.
If that does not touch us profoundly then our hearts must be made of stone.
We saw earlier how He helps us, in that He is the priest who offers a sacrifice of atonement on our behalf, and He Himself is the sacrifice. As the writer to the Hebrews explains:
Hebrews 7:25 NIV
[25] Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
And Paul added:
1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV
[5] For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.
This is all remarkable, but all very ‘theological’.
But there is another way He helps, as we saw earlier:
Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV
[15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. [16] Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
In other words, despite the temptation, and despite what we have done, we can still come to Jesus, confess our sins, repent and be confident that He will forgive us, cleanse us, free us, restore our relationship with God and let us live again.
In one of the most obscure, surreal books of the Bible, there is a beautiful image of this:
Zechariah 3:1-7 NIV
[1] Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. [2] The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” [3] Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. [4] The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” [5] Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by. [6] The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: [7] “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
Joshua was a High Priest without a Temple, living in a ruined city without walls and even his close relatives had caused him disgrace by not obeying the law (Ezra 10:18-19). Satan’s accusations would have had more than a grain of truth in them.
Yet God rebuked satan, cleansed Joshua – this failure of a High Priest – gave him the chance to repent and recommissioned him into His service.
That is remarkable.
Your sin might be ‘big’. It might be ‘small’.
Your habit might seem like nothing. It might be all consuming.
You might think that your addiction is under control. You might spend every night begging to be rid of it and wondering if only death will give you relief.
Whatever your situation, there is hope. Because although there are a great many people who might not understand what you are going through, and might be lightning quick to write you off and condemn you, Jesus understands you. He understands you better than you understand yourself.
Because He walked your path. He wore your skin. He felt your pain.
And He came to earth to free you from it.
Conclusion
Hebrews 2:14-18 NIV
[14] Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. [16] For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. [17] For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. [18] Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
This technological age of ours might often be derided – and often that derision is fully deserved – but there is one thing it can both create and resolve: loneliness.
Through technology we can find other people who look like us, think like us, believe like us, act like us. We can, as people call it these days, ‘find our tribe’.
And that is a good thing. A positive thing.
Of course, when it is used to being people together who have evil intentions, it’s definitely less than a good thing, but the same screwdriver that makes furniture can also wound.
The internet and social media are tools. That’s all they are. They cannot be blamed for evil deeds when evil people use them.
However, when we are tempted, and worse, when we succumb to them, we feel alone. Isolated. Like we are the worst in the world. Like no-one would love us and everyone would reject us if they only knew.
It is an awful state to be in.
And it’s not one that God made.
Yes, our conscience should cause us problems if we do wrong, in the same way that we should feel burning when we get close to a fire. That is normal.
In fact, as the Bible is clear, if we feel nothing when we sin, that is a much bigger problem (Romans 1:28-32).
But the isolation we feel if our lack of confession and repentance goes on too long and our addiction grows? That is not of God.
That is demonic.
There are critical, and rarely preached, truths in the verses we have studied over the past week. These verses have been a complete revelation to me, and I hope they have to you too.
They have taught us that temptation can strike along the latitudes of the things we do, the places we go and the things we see. We learned the utter necessity of cutting ourselves off from sources of temptation, or, when this is not possible, seeking to change our perspective so that we understand these things are bad for us.
We saw who the real enemy is when it comes to temptation, and we reached the disturbing conclusion that it is not the world or the devil – they just set out their lures.
No, the real enemy us our own sinful nature. And that gave us hope, because we are not innocent victims of a cosmic war. If we are to blame, then we can change it.
We saw how necessary it is to come into the light and be honest about who we are and what we have done, and how it’s safe to do this with God because of who He is and what He knows already.
We saw the true nature of our temptation – that it is something common, and not something specifically designed trip us up. We saw that God provides a way out of it, and so we can endure it with hope.
We saw the reality of sin as a hateful act which must be put off like dirty clothes, how we must come to God for cleansing and put on attitudes and actions that are motivated by love instead.
We saw how God can give us victory over our temptation, if we confess our need, and how what happens in our eternal future depends on what happens now.
Lastly, we have seen the character of our God: how He understands us when we are tempted; how Jesus has redeemed us and freed us, and how help is there from God to get us through it.
We live in times when temptation is everywhere. Content and photos that used to be relegated to the highest shelves of newsagents and supermarkets is now being pushed into the phones of children. Videos that used to be hired by men in overcoats from the back rooms of shady video stores can be accessed for free and in seconds from the internet.
And then there are the constant assaults on our mental health from those who flaunt their youth and their wealth and their artificial beauty because they lack any other source of significance in their life, which in turn makes us feel bad because we don’t look like them.
And then there is the incessant, unrelenting flow of advertising onto every gadget on our home, tailored specifically to empty our bank accounts and fill up those belonging to large corporations and their voracious shareholders.
Temptation is everywhere.
I have shared my secrets to defeating it. They have been a tremendous help to me. I’m sure they will be to you too.
But let me share one last secret. It’s hidden in plain sight, in one of the most famous Psalms ever written:
Psalms 23:1 NIV
[1] The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee. The same goes for the world.
But do you know how?
Remind yourself – and them – of Psalm 23:1, again and again and again.
Don’t just recite it – believe it.
Don’t just read it – believe it.
Don’t just memorise it – believe it.
Because if you truly believe that the Lord is your Shepherd, and the Lord is good, then none of their lures, however insidious, will have any hold on you, and you will not be tempted.
The Bible teaches this:
John 8:36 NIV
[36] So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
I believe this with all of my heart.
So should you.
So if there is anything – anything at all, be it coffee, nicotine, alcohol, pornography, extra-marital sex or illegal narcotics, or any other sin or addiction – that holds you captive, let me tell you the two essential truths to learn from the past three weeks of study:
You are not alone. Many others are being tempted just as you are.
You can be free, if you resist the devil and trust in the goodness of God.
My sincere and heartfelt prayer is that you will escape your temptation and be free.
Because that is the will of God for your life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to be free. I know that You understand me and want to help me, so I am coming to You right now for that help. I repent of my sin. I am done with it. Set me free, I pray. Cleanse me of it. Clothe me in Your righteousness. Help me to live a new life. Amen.
Questions
What do you think is completely remarkable about the passage you have just studied?
What was God saying to you through it?
What have you understood from this series that has particular application to your situation? What will you do about it?
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