Does your life have any meaning if it ends in death anyway? That question drove Leo Tolstoy to the edge of despair, and the second chapter of Hebrews answers it (Hebrews 2): the great God was made lower than the angels for a while, in order to die as a human being. The sermon speaks of a God who does not merely look down on us but comes down to us, and of freedom from a fear that steers our lives more often than we admit. Listen and see how close God is willing to come.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 8: "What is man that you are mindful of him?" How would this psalm have sounded to the first readers of the letter, who were discouraged and living in fear of death?
- Hebrews 2:14-15 says that through death Jesus destroyed the devil and freed those held in slavery by their fear of death. According to this passage, why did Jesus have to become human?
- In the story of Kitty Genovese, 38 people watched from their windows and no one came down. What does this picture show you about the difference between a God who watches from above and a God who comes down to us in Jesus?
- The sermon showed how the fear of death can control our lives, as with Tolstoy or the millionaire in whose presence no one could say the word "death". Where do you see this fear in your own life or in the world around you?
- Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers, and as our high priest He understands our trials because He Himself was tempted and suffered. How does this change the way you come to God with your struggles?
- A man in Dallas keeps a mop in a display case because seeing undeserved suffering changed his life. What concrete thing could change in your life this week as you look at the cross of Jesus?
