A Word about the Greatest Minister

 

Today I want to share a word about the Greatest Minister as I commment on Hebrews 2:5-18.

Today we will continue in a series of sermons from the Book of Hebrews that I am calling the Greatest of All Time. We have already seen that Jesus is the Greatest Revelation, that He is the Greatest Agent, and that He is the Greatest Savior. In this episode, we see that Jesus is the Greatest Minister.

A huge difference exists between being a preacher and being a pastor. Preaching is only one dimension of ministry, while being a pastor is a much more holistic role. Billy Graham preached to many thousands of people as a part of his ministry, but he was a pastor to only a few dozen people at best. That is no criticism of him by any means, but it reminds me of a story related to our class by one of my seminary professors.

A church pastor realized that a family in his church has stopped attending and so he made a visit. They told him that they for worship, they now watched the broadcast of a well-known television preacher from California, saying, “We just love him! He’s such a wonderful preacher!”

 The same pastor ha heard that some church member had just been told of a death in their family. He reached out to them, and they invited him to come to their home, and so he made a visit on the same day as he visited the family above. He counseled with the grieving family, helped them organize the arrangements for a funeral at their church, and prayed with them.  As the pastor left he thought, “I wonder where that television preacher is today?”

When Jesus came into the world He pursued a holistic ministry, including preaching, teaching, counseling, and addressing the physical needs of people. In our passage for today, we will find that He was the Greatest Minister. Let’s read Hebrews 2:5-9.

For He has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. But one has somewhere testified: What is man that You remember him, or the son of man that You care for him? You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death. 

His Humble Authority:

Jesus did something remarkable, and unique among the stories of gods in our world. He voluntarily demoted Himself to minister to us.

When I refer to the stories of gods in our world, I am in no way implying that any other so-called god compares with Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which people can be saved, because Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As Jesus claimed Himself, He is one with the Father. If we have seen Jesus, we have seen God, because He is God.

Jesus is both Creator of all things as well as God’s Heir, and everything that exists does so because of Him and everything that exists is subject to Him. He rightfully and righteously owns all things, including all of us. Today He is sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven where He reigns for eternity.

All of that is true, but it is also true that Jesus did something that no god, and very few, if any, ministers would do. Jesus demoted Himself. He became a little lower than they angels, and He walked on the earth as a man. Philippians Chapter 2 says that He emptied Himself, and that He thought this action was nothing remarkable. He demoted Himself, because He loved us.

The closest human story I that might compare to what Christ did is from the American Civil War. Gouverneur Warren was the Chief Engineer for the Army of the Potomac, and on the second day at Gettysburg he was scouting the line of battle. He discovered that the two hills on the south flank of the Union line, Little Roundtop and Big Roundtop, were unoccupied. On his own authority, Warren diverted Union troops to those places just minutes before the Confederates attacked there. He was an unsung hero of that battle. For the last two years of the war, Warren, now a Major General, was a corps commander over a major portion of the Army of the Potomac. That is, until one of the last battles of the war.

During a battle in the Appomattox Campaign, Warren was under the command of Phillip Sheridan. Sheridan was hot-headed and decided that Warren had moved too slowly. He sought permission to relieve Warren, and when it was received, he did so. Just days before the end of the Civil war, Warren, a faithful and effective commander, was fired and sidelined.

After the war, Warren reverted to his permanent rank of Major, a fall of four grades. He served as an engineer in the Regular Army for another 17 years, being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1879. Warren worked faithfully and diligently all those years. He was finally exonerated by a court of inquiry, but by that time he had died. His last words were, "The flag! The flag!"

Warren was humble. Although he was demoted, he served faithfully and effectively all the rest of his life. A difference between Warren and Jesus was the element of authority. Warren worked for Sheridan, and Sheridan had the authority over him. No one has authority over God, and Jesus was not demoted by a higher authority. No! Jesus demoted Himself so that He could exercise authority for us by defeating death and hell on our behalf. Then, He ascended back to the right hand of God the Father.

Jesus is the Greatest Minister because He exercised His humble authority to do for us, what we could not do for ourselves. Indeed, He did what no one else could do for us, even at the cost of his voluntary, if temporary, demotion.

Now, let’s read verses 10-12:

For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for Him and through Him—should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying: “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing hymns to You in the congregation.” 

His Suffering Perfection:

Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd for a reason. Shepherds are responsible for the safety and security of the sheep, and they do so by living among them. When the English translation of the Christmas Story in Luke says that the shepherds were “abiding in the fields,” that is exactly what he meant. The shepherds were living with the sheep and experiencing everything that the sheep experienced. They suffered or were blessed in exactly the same ways that the sheep suffered or were blessed.

Paul recorded his sufferings as a minister in 2 Corinthians 11:21-28:

I say this to our shame: We have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare: Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, near death many times. Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing. Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches.

Before Paul had these experiences, however, Jesus had already had them. Because Jesus walked with people, and because He suffered with people, and because He put-up with people, He understands us and we understand Him. He was hungry and thirsty. He walked miles upon miles of dusty roads. He was in danger upon the water, and on land as well.

Jesus has walked in our shoes, and He calls us His brothers and sisters. The difference between us and Jesus is His perfection. Despite all the frustrations of this imperfect world, Jesus never sinned. Despite all the testing and temptation of Satan, Jesus never sinned. Despite experiencing everything we have experienced, Jesus never sinned, and that made Him the perfect sacrifice for us.

Jesus is the Greatest Minister because He is the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd laid down His perfect life for His sheep.

Next let’s read verses 13-17:

Again, I will trust in Him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave Me. Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the Devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 

His Merciful Faithfulness:

In my ministry career, I have known many different church pastors, but in terms of this passage of Scripture, two of them stand out, but for opposing reasons.

The first one was a man of strong convictions. He was convinced of the absolute righteousness of God and of the infallibility of God’s Word. If God said it, that settled it, regardless of if anyone believed it or not. When an issue arose in his church his response was, “What does the Bible say about it?” And then, “O.K., that’s what we will do!”

The second pastor was a man of great compassion. He loved God, and He loved God’s people, and He loved everyone who was ever created by God. His watch word was “God is love,” and he acted accordingly. When an issue arose in his church his response was, “What is the loving thing to do?” And then, “O.K., that’s what we will do!”

In some measure, both of those men were right, and yet both of those men were wrong. For the first pastor, his convictions overwhelmed his compassion. For the second, his compassion overwhelmed his convictions. Both were limited by their inability to balance the two.

This is not so with Jesus. He is the Greatest Minister because of His merciful faithfulness. Jesus always acted out of compassionate conviction. He always kept conviction and compassion in balance, and He still does today.

• Jesus could heal the centurion’s servant from a distance, but He could also turn-over the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple in person.
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• Jesus could be compassionate to the woman at the well, while calling out Peter and saying that he was doing the work of Satan.
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• Jesus could sit with the scholars in the Temple, meditating with them upon God’s Word, while He also could turn water into wine so that a wedding would not be spoiled.
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• Jesus can sit at the right hand of God in Heaven, while also interceding for us.

One thing we must remember, is that indulging sin is not the most loving thing to do. Later in Hebrews 14:5-11 we will read,

And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him, or the Lord disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He receives. Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Jesus is the Greatest Minister because He can be faithful to us while also being faithful to God in perfect balance.

Finally, let’s read verse 18:

For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.

His Victorious Sacrifice:

One of the most memorable lines from a popular television show that tested the validity of myths and urban legends was,

Don’t try this at home. We’re what you call professionals

Considering the different experiments that were highlighted on that show, many of which were explosive, that was sound advice. Yet, until you have tried to do something, you really don’t know you can do it.

Ted Williams, the greatest technical hitter in baseball was quoted as saying, “The hardest thing you can do in baseball is to hit a round ball with a round bat, squarely.” Hitting therefore is simple, but not easy. I found this to be true when I was a child.

One spring, parents gave me a plastic baseball bat and ball set. My sister and I went out to our driveway for my first attempt at hitting a ball with a bat. I said brazenly, “Mickey Mantle has stepped up to the plate, and he is going to hit a home run.” My sister threw me the ball, and it was a swing and a miss. This happened three times in a row. I was embarrassed, but what made it worse was my sister was throwing the ball underhanded!

The National Football League for many years had a slogan, “On any given Sunday!” That was shorthand for, “On any given Sunday, any one team can beat another.” If it all came down to statistics and other data, there would be no need to play the game, but it doesn’t just come down to numbers. The intangibles can often outweigh the quantifiable, and so that’s why you must play the game, and that’s why you must play the game until the final gun. Many underdog teams have left the playing field victorious, and many last second miracle wins have been recorded.

When the time comes to put up or shut up, many people who talk the talk can’t walk the walk. Jesus came to that point in the Garden of Gethsemane. He faced certain death, and He sweat drops of blood over the prospect, but He moved forward and leaned into the events of the next day instead of running away.

On the day Jesus was crucified, He was condemned by a court for crimes that He didn’t commit. He was rejected by His countrymen, the ones He prioritized for His ministry and the ones He came to save. He was beaten and abused, and He was publicly humiliated by the first ever recorded perp-walk. He was executed between two common thieves. Even then, He had the grace and love to ask God to forgive those who had done this to Him. He invited the thief who repented to join Him in paradise that very day.

If offered this opportunity, few people would take it. If this opportunity was thrust upon them, most people would flee. Jesus not only accepted it, but leaned into it, because just when the Jews and the Gentiles and Satan were celebrating Jesus’s death, so was He, because He had them right where He wanted them.

Jesus experienced the ultimate test, and He passed with flying colors. He suffered and bled and died, but He rose again the third day to defeat death and hell and offer us eternal life. 

None of us have ever experienced the horror of the Cross, and the horror of having God the Father turn His face away from us, but Jesus has. What this means for us is that whatever we may experience, Jesus has experienced worse, and He came through it victoriously. Because of this, regardless of what we face, we have a helper who has been there before.

Recently a man I knew had a heart procedure. He was concerned about this delicate procedure, and he asked his cardiologist if he had ever performed it before. The doctor told him, “Oh, about 3,500 times.” The man was reassured, of course. Jesus has far more experience than any human, and far more power to help us!

Jesus is the Greatest Minister because wherever we go, He has been there before. He knows the way, and He will help us get there as we walk with Him!

Conclusion:

Who is your favorite minister? I am sure he was a wonderful pastor and a good preacher. The truth is, however, he couldn’t hold a candle top Jesus.

Jesus is the greatest minister because He is better than all other ministers and because He will pursue His ministry for eternity!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt