Homecoming: Back to Glory
Hebrews 2:3-11
I think the most devastating thing man has been unfortunate to suffer is separation from God. Romans 3:23 bears the truth about the state of every man: we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! Romans 6:23 delivers the most damning verdict as a result of this fallen state, deception in its full form produces death, and every man was doomed to this fate. Hence, the glory of God then would be that man was without sin, made in God’s image, not less than the angels, crowned with glory and honour! Psalm 8 tells us that man was made a little lower than Elohim, a little lower than God and as a result, glorious. It was magnificent for God to delegate the extension of His kingdom on earth to man.
Notice that Adam called every animal its name, meaning God would have called it the same thing if God had named it Himself. No angel was made like man; the privilege of having God’s spirit living in man and making man a living soul is a thing of glory. Our text says, What is man that you are mindful of Him! That’s a glorious thing. The God of Heaven and the creator of all the earth and galaxies, by whose breath the planets form, at whose voice the mountains skip like goats, who owns a thousand cattle on a thousand hills, has man on His mind. That’s simply glorious. It’s a thing of glory to know that of all things God made, man was hand-fashioned. Genesis 2:7 tells us God formed man from the dust of the earth, so it means that God got His hands dirty making you. When He was done, God saw it and said it was good! That’s glorious.
So then it makes sense for God not to let such a good thing He made go to waste. Sin ruined things, separated man from God and in that separation came death. Because if in Him was life, then away from Him is death. Death, therefore, is the separation from God. Sin does that, and that’s a fall from glory. Nothing is glorious about sickness or disability! Sin brings these things. God is glorious, and He rubs off on all that He does, and it is inglorious to be separated from God! Isaiah cried out; your sin has separated you from God. This is a statement of the problem, but God doesn’t stop at problems; if the formlessness and void that was the earth we now call home is anything to go by, then you’d know we are dealing with a God that can turn messes into messages and pull out beauty from ashes. So, no, the story doesn’t end there.
God didn’t just make man for the fun of it; God is big on family, and to prove it, mankind didn’t start as a unicellular organism but as a family. God’s dream is to be Father not only of the One begotten son but of many sons, and Adam was supposed to be the start to that…might I add, that’s also glorious. Adam was, therefore, by creation, a son of God as a result of the spirit of God, which He breathed into man, and it was God’s plan that by reproduction, God would have many other sons. Now, even though the first Adam fell to the inglorious trenches of death, which is the wages of sin, God didn’t shelf His family plans. He had already set in motion a plan to bring the plan to fruition, which was, in a way, much better than the first. If, by one man, all men were dragged into the inglorious dungeons of death and decay and separation from God, the very weapon of separation would also be the key to salvation! God’s plan was simple: by death, pay the price of sin, as a man for man, thus bridging the chasm of separation to bring his many sons back to life and glory: now notice how He did it.
By believing in Jesus, we can now regain what was lost. He is the way back to glory…Glory beckons; God is making His appeal. Would you come home?
Hebrews 2:9-11
Jesus was made a little lower than angels because the Word was made flesh. When God first created man, Adam meant mankind. So, to pay for man’s sin, a man must die for himself and represent all humanity, just like the one who sinned in the first place. Jesus suffered death for us! The legal requirement for sin in the eyes of justice was death; it’s the only thing sin brings. And he that is dead is freed from sin. So then, by substitution, Jesus suffering and dying, we who were destined for death have now become exempt because all mankind was in Jesus as He walked to Calvary! God chose to bring many sons into glory. Where did he get them? Adam reproduced as God intended, but those who were born were born into sin. When Jesus came, the Only begotten became the perfect sacrifice, for He was willing and without sin.
So by His sacrifice, He bridged the chasm between God and man who He dearly loves. So then, salvation means God has chosen to bring many sons to glory. He didn’t want Heaven without us. Hence the warning: how shall we escape if we neglect the great salvation preached to you? Paul proclaimed to the Corinthians, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT.
God is making His appeal through us. The blood of Jesus’ sacrifice has paved the path back to glory. He is the captain of our salvation and now the first begotten of the Father because for as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become the sons of God. We are now heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Jesus even prayed that His glory be poured to those who believe in Him (John 17:22). By believing in Jesus, we can now regain what was lost. He is the way back to glory. God’s family still has room for one more.
Those destined for death can now enjoy eternal life with the assurance from a God who cannot lie; that’s glorious! That this corruptible will put on incorruptible, and life will swallow up this mortality! That’s glorious! All sick and oppressed by the devil can live in divine health, which is glorious. Jesus is the way back to glory, and that glory is home. That’s why this is themed homecoming; men used to have this. And now you can enjoy it again. Glory beckons; God is making His appeal. Would you come home?
