The Suffering Son (part 2) - [Hebrews 2:10ff]

Some of you might know the mythical character Hercules He had all kinds of adventures

All kinds of things he had to do in the Roman Greco world He had to make an atonement.

So he was sent on by the king to do 12 incredible tasks I don't know if you know some of those tasks

One was to kill the lion the hide of that particular line was so tough

That an arrow could not pierce the hide He snuck up on the beast that is Hercules did with an olive wood club

Strangled the line with his bare hands skinned it and used it for a robe

He had to capture deers. He had to capture boars Even clean stables as one of the incredible tasks

The stables of these horses had not been cleaned for 30 years and he had to clean them in a single day

To make sure that happened he had two rivers bend so they flowed into the stables sweeping them clean of the filth

He had to capture a Cretan bull. This was a savage bull Said to be insane and breathe fire.

He wrestled it to the ground Brought it back to the king Sadly the king let it go and it terrorized more people

Hercules was a leader Hercules was a captain Hercules was a mighty man

Hercules was a man who fought with death half God half man Winning great victories leading the way as great as these tasks were

Hercules was known for the man who went point. He ran point. He was out at front

He led men into battle. He led them to victory. He led them as no leader could

But that's just mythology If you'll take your Bibles, please and turn to Hebrews chapter 2, we're going to see the real leader

We're going to see a better leader. We're going to see a more supreme leader a more superior leader

Jesus not half God and half man, but fully God and fully man Jesus the leader

Not mythology but true and we have the Word of God to prove that and so today we're in Hebrews chapter 2 once again looking at Jesus the eternal

God man who adds humanity so that he might become a faithful and Sympathetic high priest chapter 1 in Hebrews is simple.

Jesus is God. So you have the Eternal Son. He never Was non -existent he was co -equal with God the

Father and the Spirit Had the same essence as the Spirit and the Father But in time he added human nature and he had to do that because he needed to die for sinners

He needed to be their representative. And so today again, we're talking about the Incarnation of Jesus it needs to be discussed at some length because you're probably going to say wait a second

How can Jesus be great? How can he be greater than angels if he's a human don't humans have?

weaknesses in Inherently inhumanity there is weakness. I Think of even

Isaiah 64 all of us wither like a leaf We're so frail

It doesn't take you very long to watch a baby and think how frail is a little child all the things you have to remember

How to feed them how to put them down on the on the in the crib the right way and and roll them up I mean,

I remember those days don't you? Okay. Well, what about Sid's and what about this? Is it on the front? Is it on the back? What do we do roll them up with towels tuck them in all these little things this little baby weak and frail

How can Jesus be great? If he's human and that's what the writer of Hebrews does now

One of the things that we want to make sure we understand as we come to the book. This is a dumb moment

I know but this is a book written to Hebrews and That means think like a

Jew regularly and often in this sermon I'm gonna say think like a Jew how would a Jewish person think and here's how that person would think

They would think I'm gonna make up a word for you this morning. They would think Old Testament Lee They would think in light of the

Old Testament their Bible In fact, Jesus's Bible was the Old Testament and if you can understand the

Old Testament, you'll get Hebrews That's why I love the book of Hebrews because it forces me to go back to the

Old Testament if you can think of Hebrews Building upon the

Old Testament you will be well served especially with this particular event in mind

God Takes Israel out of Egypt You say

I know that but if you get that you'll understand Temporally saved God takes

Israel out of Egypt. He rescues them with his mighty right hand He saves them.

He delivers them. And if you get that down, you'll understand Hebrews so much better Hebrews 1 is all about Jesus is great because he's

God and chapter 2 Jesus is great, even though he is man God with us

Emmanuel Say why is the incarnation important? Well lots of reasons to fulfill prophecy

To destroy the devil in his works to give abundant life To be our representative to be our sin bearer

To obey the Father all those are true But Hebrews is specifically focused on that.

Jesus is the sympathetic high priest so he could be our priest Everything in Hebrews 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 10 is

Designed for you to think better and more biblically and more precisely about the object of your faith

The just shall live by faith and so that faith has an object. We are not believers faith in faith

We are not believers in Kierkegaard Ian leap of faith into the blind leap Faith has an object it focuses on it looks upon the

Lord Jesus Christ And here chapter 2 Jesus is greater than angels

Our outline today is an extension of last week's. It's a continuation of last week's outline

Certainties about the incarnation of Christ that give you assurance Certainties facts verities about the incarnation of Jesus so that you have more assurance

And just quickly to review we saw last week number one The first certainty is that the incarnation and death of Jesus was planned

Do you notice in verse 10 of chapter 2 in the book of Hebrews? For it was fitting it befitted his nature that he

The father who for from whom and by whom all things exist in bringing many sons to glory

The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates the word fitting as it was entirely appropriate

So so God has it worked out in his master plan that Jesus the

God -man is going to redeem humans It was fitting it was proper. That's the idea It was true to his nature true to his purpose true to his sovereign plan

Secondly we saw That the incarnation proved that man could not save himself or herself

Certainly number two we couldn't save ourselves or otherwise why have the eternal Son of God add humanity a true or false

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse True because it's in the

Bible I just quoted Galatians chapter 3 curse would be everyone who does not abide by all things

Written in the book of the law and to do them. I mean we are under the obligation of perfect holiness perfect Righteousness perfect obedience to the law who could do that therefore

God the Father Son and Spirit Pre -temporally pre -genesis one comes up with a plan to go rescue sinners and Jesus the

God -man now can perfectly obey That is why Jesus became man so he could not only die in our place, but live for us

We need divine intervention we are hopeless without it Certainty number three we saw last week as well about the incarnation is that it shows

God's love for sinners It shows God's love for sinners. I mean what was the motivation for the plan of God to rescue sinners?

It was found in the love of God his condescending love Romans would speak of it this way for while we were still weak at the right time

Christ died for the ungodly For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die

But God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners Christ died for us

Not only did the Father love the Son and the Son loved the Spirit and the Spirit loved the Father But there was so much love in the

Trinitarian Essence of God that he wanted to show the love to other people and he does that by sending

Jesus into the world God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten Son and when we think about the cross, that's true

But it starts with the cradle But that's not all we saw last week number for this fourth certainty the incarnation highlights the only way of salvation the only way of salvation

If there was another way to get you to heaven God the Eternal Son would not have cloaked himself with humanity and stooped so low for us

But there's no other way and lastly we saw number five the fifth certainty

The incarnation must have been a shock to the system It must have been a shock to the system think big picture for a second chapter 1

Jesus is God and throne mint Coronation royal King language.

He's it's just like, you know, you think of trying to think of a great wedding What's the greatest wedding you've ever seen even on TV?

I'm sorry. My default is Diana right and Charles. It's just this huge just splendor.

Has there been another big wedding? Pardon me. Oh I'm not even gonna repeat it for the sake of all prosperity process.

We're not prosperity either You give me the wrong illustrations and I can't talk so together we make a great team

This pomp and circumstance and regalia of chapter 1 It's all

Jesus is God and he deserves all the praise and honor and glory And all of a sudden now we come to chapter 2.

Wait a second. He's he's weak. He's frail He's a sympathetic high priest. He's really a man.

He's human doesn't Flesh wither and grass fades away It must have been a scandal

One man said the shift from such a robust treatment of the sons exaltation Supremacy and power of chapter 1 to the sons suffering and death

Must have seen abrupt seemed abrupt to the first listeners Paul would say the cross is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness

But now we come to new material the sixth certainty That the incarnation gives us

The incarnation was successful. The incarnation was successful mission accomplished goal achieved

Not just one saved not just a few saved not just men saved not just Jews saved

But many saved you see it in verse 10 Hebrews 2 10 For it was fitting that he from whom and by whom all things exist

It was according to God's nature and plan the father in bringing many sons to glory

That's where we want to focus right now for a while in bringing many Sons to glory it doesn't say he made it possible

And now you just have to believe God did his part now you'd finish the rest. It doesn't say you

Cooperated God did all the work mission accomplished on May 1st 2003

President George Bush became the first setting president Our sitting president to land on an aircraft carrier in a fixed -wing aircraft

He landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln in a Lockheed s3 Viking and it was dubbed

Navy one Just off off of the San Diego coast and he gave a speech

Now it's interesting in his speech he said things like this we have difficult work to do in Iraq We are bringing order to parts of the country that remain dangerous

He also said our mission continues the war on terror continues yet. It is not endless we do not know the day of the final victory, but we have seen the turning of the tide and George W Bush also said major combat operations in Iraq have ended in the

Battle of Iraq the United States and our allies have prevailed Well, he had a speech and it was written and it went to Rumsfeld first and Rumsfeld said let's make sure we don't use the word mission accomplish when asked by Bob Woodward Rumsfeld said

I was in Baghdad and was given a draft of that thing to look at and I just died and said to myself It's too conclusive and I fixed it and sent it back.

They fixed the speech, but they left up the sign the banner mission accomplished and of course for the critics of the war

Bush is jumping to conclusions It's unrealistic. The goals aren't done big controversy as they see in England Controversy with George W Bush But there's no controversy for Jesus he brings many

Sons to glory. It was not potential. It wasn't kinetic. It wasn't all these other things

It was done and you notice the language they're bringing many sons to glory Now earlier

I tipped my hand to you by saying think like a Jew Think like a person who knows the

Old Testament. He brings many sons to glory. What does that make you begin to think about?

Jesus brings many sons to glory What's the most important part of the Ten Commandments If you said the first commandment or the second or the third or fourth or all the way to the tenth

You've missed it. The most important part of the Ten Commandments is the beginning the the the umbrella statement.

I The Lord God who what? Brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery

God the language of Exodus everywhere is God brings people out of Egypt He brings his people out of Egypt Exodus 16 you shall know that it was the

Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt Exodus 32 whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt And even present tense language before it happened in Exodus 3

And I will come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land a land flowing with milk and honey to the place of the

Canaanites the Hittites the Amorites and the other ite's Do you see what's happening here?

He's telling the Hebrews remember Jesus Brings many sons to the glory to glory.

That's that should be an echo even though he's human He's saying Jesus is in fact

God You're getting the connection where this is the language of the Old Testament the elect people of Yahweh get rescued

He's deliberately using language of God rescuing Jesus now is a human.

Yes, but he's more than a human. He's a God and he's a God who rescues This is the new Exodus saving sons and daughters

And notice not just a few what's the text say many Many sons many daughters you could say that's the idea.

So this is scope. This is many This is not just a few he didn't just save Adam. He just didn't save Eve He just didn't save Moses or David or Abraham or Isaac.

He see he saves many It's expansive and how does he save them?

What does he save them unto? fascinating to glory

Do you see that? Do you see it in Hebrews chapter 2 10? He brings many sons to glory now if you wanted to understand the book of Hebrews How could you understand it the best you would understand it by knowing the

Old Testament? Would you not I knew you would say that Glory, think about Shekinah glory.

Think about the Old Testament And where the glory was God was that's the idea both in the

Old Testament and the Septuagint the Greek version of the Old Testament when there's the glory of God, he was there his power his essence and Then you would say

I would eventually Enter into the glory of God because that's what heaven is the glory of God.

Listen to Isaiah 60 verse 19 The Sun shall be no more your light by day nor for brightness shall the moon give you light

By the way, wasn't that pretty awesome in the last week that shining moon? No more one day.

What will it be like in heaven? What gives light in heaven? But the Lord Yahweh will be your everlasting light and God will be your glory

What's the point? He's going to bring you to his glory. He's going to bring you into his presence He's going to take you to heaven.

He brings many sons to glory This is the goal of the redemptive work of Jesus when it says he purifies sin in chapter 1 verse 3.

This is the goal All with Old Testament language the goal of his redemption

To bring you to glory Now what is encouraging about this what gives you assurance

What if your salvation was based on? 75 % of God's work and 25 % of your home.

How would you fare? What if it was 90 % God's work and 10 % your work?

What if it was 99 % God's work and 1 % yours? What if God said, you know what?

I'm done. I've done my part. The rest is up to you But here he says he brings many sons to glory.

This is to give you confidence He's writing to the Hebrews to say you're losing your homes You might lose your life one day

Jesus did it all he paid it all he the God man did everything

When my kids used to tuck him into bed or tuck him into the crib I do the same thing every single night.

I take my hand kind of put it right there on their thorax

Put it lay it right here and just firm enough to like hey daddy's here and I would sing

Jesus paid it all All to him I can remember

Dave Jeffries to this day Jesus paid half of it now It's all up to you doesn't rhyme and it's awful theology

I mean just to suffer to suffer just to be a martyr to be a martyr.

No Jesus death accomplished something It was mission accomplished when Jesus says it is finished. He meant it paid in full and So what does

Jesus do Jesus says in eternity past the second person of the Trinity? Yes, I know you love me

I know you love sinners I know you love the Spirit and Since you so love me

You're gonna send me to go rescue other sinful people and by the Spirit's power and my death in your

Architectural work we're gonna make them look like the Sun and I'm gonna present them back to you and let's have many of those people

Let's make many sons conform to the image of God. Let's make a whole host of them And that's exactly what happened

I want you to turn to Revelation 5 and I want you to see heaven is populated to the gills and will be

Did he really in fact bring many sons to glory are just a few how many people are in heaven?

What's it going to be? Like why would God want to populate? heaven with so many people

Of course, we believe there's a hell, of course, we believe many are called and few are chosen

Of course, we understand all that but how many people are in heaven? I think it shows you that in fact

Jesus brought many sons to glory Revelation 5 verse 9 and following gives us a little taste of it and it's good to think about heaven today

Revelation 5 9 and they sang a new song saying Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open it seals for you were slain and by your blood your

Vicarious death your death on our behalf you ransom people for God and from every tribe and language and people and Nation you have made them a kingdom and priest to our

God and they shall reign on the earth all kinds of people side note

Congregation if you think about the incarnation correctly You will not fall prey to the unbiblical thinking of white black and brown when it comes to race

There is Adam and you are in Adam and you are a human being Are you're in Christ and you're a human being?

It's the race baiters that want us to think white black and everything in between The categories in the

Bible are Adam and the last Adam the categories in the Bible are Jew and Gentile I have more to say on that, but I'll do that another

Sunday He populates heaven with all kinds of people some have a lot of pigment some don't have so much

There's one race Not white race our black race our yellow race or anything else There's one human race you mark that down and Adam and the last

Adam should forever Make you think that way when people talk to you about white and black and all that they're trying to manipulate you

It's not biblical thinking Jesus dies for more than just Jewish people and he's populating heaven

He brings many sons to the glory and look what happens to these people who are in glory. Some are already there

We're gonna get there one day verse 11 and I looked I Heard around the throne and living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands

By the way, sane with a loud voice Not plural sane with many voices, what's he trying to focus on?

unity Solidarity everybody's singing in tune Sane in tune perfect as one

They say in a loud voice a mega voice a large with intensity large with degree loud

Thousand times thousands. No ten thousand times ten thousand. That's a hundred million But it's in the plural myriads of myriads hundreds of millions times hundreds of millions

Worthy is the Lamb verse 12 just who it was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and glory

Blessing side note the

Father and the Son both receive worship and I heard every creature in heaven and On -earth and under earth and in the sea and all that is in them verse 13 saying to him who sits on the throne and to the

Lamb be Blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever and the four living creatures said amen and the elders fell down and worshipped

It was breathtaking. It will be breathtaking You for a quick second say to yourself how many moments of awe have

I felt in this life? Sheer awe sheer awesomeness remember 30 years ago

Everybody said everything was awesome so much that you know pastor said you can't use that unless you speak of God But just awe sheer all how many moments you watch those be

I mean I remember watching those four children that I have be born and just think it's just all just complete all but but they're few and far between not just children being born but Experiencing all you stand at the

Grand Canyon and for those first few moments. You just go awesome You stand at Niagara Falls, and you think this is awesome

But can you imagine you're in heaven and there's not just little blips of awesomeness sprinkled through life, you know

I've experienced ten times. I've felt all This is just what heaven is awesomeness for he who sits on the throne and to the

Lamb both barnhouse Never will such music have been heard in the universe

Never so many voices have in tone such mighty praise The armies of armies come to the last note the mightiest of God's creatures sound the

Amen we gaze upon the scene with no voice for utterance and prostrate we fall and Worship the

Lord Jesus who now proceeds to the most awful seeds of judgment in the book of Revelation with actions rooted in his cross

If you haven't been to the Shepherd's Conference You have to go sometime just to have 4 ,000 guys sing together

It's pretty amazing When my mom was sick and dying of cancer 4 ,000 men in the

Shepherd's Conference singing and I would just have my cell phone. I think it was a BlackBerry at the time Some flip phone and I would just hold it up like that.

So she could hear 4 ,000 men sing. It is well with my soul Maybe you've been to the

T4g together for the gospel. How many men Steve? 6 ,000 singing it's awesome.

I mean once in a while. We've seen pretty well around here, too all these people every tribe tongue

Nation all singing he brought many sons to glory and is doing it Such an awesome scene no wonder in the book of Revelation Later for those that spurn his love and spurn his atonement.

There is judgment go to chapter 7 It's the same thing in the book of Revelation chapter 7 just the population of heaven and how loud it must be

I wonder what the decibel level is like Revelation 7 9 basically says the same thing in terms of how many people from how many different backgrounds and this

I looked and behold a Great multitude that no one could number from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the

Lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and Crying out with a loud voice.

You've never heard anything louder in your life salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the

Lamb Jesus brings many sons to glory

He won't lose one not one single person Let's go back to Hebrews, please certainty number seven

Hebrews certainty number seven all talking about the Incarnation Jesus Adds human flesh

And we move to certainty number seven the Incarnation means that Jesus the leader will lead all his people to glory

Jesus the leader will bring all his people to glory I said it earlier, but now we want to focus on a particular word in verse 10 of Hebrews 2 10

For it was fitting that he from whom and by whom all things exist and bringing many sons to glory

Should make the founder that's the key word of their salvation perfect through suffering

Now sometimes if you do a Bible study a word study You can kind of go off the deep end with all these different nuances

This is a good word to study if you'd like to do a Bible study Archegos is the name

The Greek word He's trying to say Jesus is the one who's the hero the rescuer the captain the pioneer

He's the leader by the way This is why I used Hercules as an intro because some commentators have even said this is the word that would be a

Herculean kind of word and of course Jesus isn't pagan. He isn't a myth.

He isn't sinful He isn't half God and half man but this is the idea where Hercules leads his men into triumph and the same kind of idea except Jesus is greater

He brings his people because he's the founder this is the word that you would give to someone who founded a city back in those days and Gave it a name and he would be the guardian of the city

This is the word who would you would use a someone was a founder of a school of philosophy or a head of a family

But especially this word founder Archegos was used in the military and it meant the man who went ahead just like in Israel The officers in Israel don't lead from behind Coordinate the troops they lead from the front.

This is that word to blaze the trail to go ahead of the men To lead them.

I think it's better to think to yourself leader May be captain

The captain of our salvation, I think that's the King James anybody here have King James Some do okay, and some will admit it.

Okay good. Just kidding That's the idea captain leading his people into heaven

How are you gonna get to heaven on your own build the Tower of Babel? How are you gonna get to heaven on your own?

It's like people say well you climb up self -righteous behavior Like a ladder that gets all the way to heaven

Can't make it no access to heaven unless you have a leader unless you have the pioneer you have the captain

Who takes you there? When this word is used in the New Testament always talking about Jesus Acts 3 but you denied the

Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murder to be granted to you And you killed the author our leader our pioneer of life whom

God raised from the dead it's also used in Acts 5 31 God exalted

Jesus at his right hand as leader and Savior and It's used flip over to Hebrews used in Hebrews 12 to for the fourth and final time in the

New Testament In a verse that you probably are very familiar with Hebrews 12 to looking to Jesus The archagon the beginning leader.

That's really the root of the word put together the beginning leader the Ultra leader the founder and perfecter of our faith for who the joke for excuse me

Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne?

of God Jesus is the forerunner Jesus is the leader

Now earlier I said the best way to think of the book of Hebrews is to think like a Jew What happens when you think about this

Old Testament Lee? What begins to pop into your mind? God leads

Israel out of Egypt true or false true and He's at the front.

How can he be at the front leading? Well, this is fascinating and you begin to do you've been to ponder for a moment and say all right

This is just a picture of the writer of Hebrews trying to tell the people Jesus is

God and what did God do in the Old Testament Jesus is doing now He actually did it then and he's doing it now.

He's a pioneer. He's a trailblazer. He's the leader didn't Moses lead the people

Who was in front of Moses if you had to paint the scene? Here's the two million people men and women and children and here's

Moses at the front with Aaron and Miriam and others Was there anybody in front of him are them

We'll go to Isaiah chapter 52 for a moment and let's think through this Because then it just opens up and you think okay.

I get it now Jesus is the leader and if I read this in light of the fundamental truths of the

Old Testament, I Can get this? understanding simply

Jesus the leader Isaiah 52 12, you're probably used to Isaiah 53

But the Prophet here in Isaiah 52 Says in verse 12 For you shall not go out in haste and you shall not go in flight

For the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard

What's he talking about There's somebody in front and in back and it's the Lord and he's taking them and leading them to what is he referring to?

Pillar of fire in the front. Yes. Let's find out Exodus chapter 14.

And here we have the great Exodus account You hang in there with me and it'll all come together

Jesus is the leader and he uses the writer of Hebrews uses the

Old Testament concept to draw this out Jesus the

Christ leads to glory via suffering

Exodus 14 Verse 10. Let's go there Exodus 14 10.

Isaiah is talking about this very event, that's what he was alluding to verse 10 of chapter 14 when

Pharaoh drew near the people of Israel lifted up their eyes and Behold the Egyptians were marching after them and they feared greatly and the people of Israel cried out to Lord They said to Moses Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?

What have you done to us by? Bringing us out of Egypt Is this not what we said to you in Egypt?

Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians for would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than die in the wilderness Fear not

Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today for the

Egyptians whom you see today You will never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent

The Lord said to Moses Why do you cry to me tell the people of Israel to go forward lift up your staff Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it that the people of Israel may go through the sea on the dry ground

I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians So they shall go in after them and they I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host his chariots and his horsemen

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh his chariots and his horsemen

Here we go verse 19 the angel of God Who is going before the host of them?

Moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud from before them moved from before them and stood behind them coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel and There was the cloud and the darkness and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night

Do you see you see what's happening there? The writer of Hebrews is saying there's one who leads and his name is

Jesus and it's actually the same Person who is the angel of God in chapter? 14 verse 19 the angel of Lord who is going before the host

Everything in this passage in Hebrews and now in Exodus is pointing you to the fact that yes

In fact, although Jesus is God, but he's man. You still can trust him.

You still can praise him He is the Old Testament God You can think about it this way the writer of Hebrews is saying this

Jesus is God Jesus is God, even though he's added human flesh.

He's still God He's the God that did these things in the Old Testament That's the idea now.

Let's go back to Hebrews, please Leading many sons to glory just like he led the

Egyptians to death as the Israelites went through the Red Sea and then into the promised land and How does

God do it? How does God lead? Well in many ways, but it's a way that you might not think to be true listeners to the book of Hebrews But we know it's true

Paul knew it was true Jesus knew it was true he had to suffer on the cross and die

Boy, that's got to be hard to take He became perfect through what? suffering

What does perfection mean Jesus wasn't perfect and he made mistakes No, this word perfect means he completed the course.

He made it to the end He did what God had him do fully obedient This is the language of Philippians 2 even death on a cross

How does Jesus become perfect by? suffering Obediently doing what

God said Perfect through suffering the incarnation had a goal and that goal was complete victory over temptations

And he would be fitted for the high priestly Work what's the goal for the incarnation?

Here is the goal? perfect through Suffering and that's the language of a priest

He'd have to suffer So he could identify with the sufferers

Jesus had to keep the law Jesus had to obey Jesus had to suffer one of my favorite theologians is

Machen J. Gresham Machen and And he has a little dialogue between the law of God and a sinful man saved by grace that I think is fascinating Man says the law of God.

Have you obeyed my commands? No, says the sinner saved by grace I have disobeyed them not only in the person of my representative

Adam in his first sin But also in that I myself have sinned and thought word and deed Well, then sinner says the law of God.

Have you paid the penalty which I pronounced upon disobedience? No, says the sinner.

I have not paid the penalty myself, but Christ has paid it for me He was my representative when he died there on the cross.

Hence so far as the penalty is concerned. I am clear Well, then sinner says the law of God How about the conditions which

God has pronounced for the attainment of assured blessedness? Have you stood the test? Have you merited eternal life by perfect obedience during the period of probation?

No, says the sinner. I Have not merited eternal life by my own perfect obedience

God knows and my own conscience knows that even after I became a

Christian. I have sinned and thought word and deed But although I have not merited eternal life by any obedience of my own

Christ has merited it for me by his perfect obedience He was not for himself subject to the law

Nor no obedience was required of him for himself since he was the Lord of all that Obedience then which he rendered to the law when he was on earth was rendered by him as my representative

I have no righteousness of my own but clad in Christ perfect righteousness

Imputed to me and received by faith alone I can glory in the fact that so far as I am concerned the probation of God has been kept and There awaits me the glorious reward which

Christ Thus earned for me the law of God the relentless taskmaster and Jesus Christ the author of our salvation

So what about you? Are you believing in this God? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Are you deceived by thinking I'm not really that bad of a sinner.

There are other ways of salvation We live in a pluralistic world and I just can kind of make it on my own

Unless you believe that Jesus is the high priest Who as God?

Can be our advocate with God and as man can be our representative. You have no hope of seeing

God Only as judges how you'll see him We here at the church

Call you to believe call you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that's why we celebrate the incarnation because Jesus becomes man as the eternal

God and for us as Christians Here's how I walk home with this in my mind as I've studied all week the only reason

I'm going to heaven is because God has made it a Fact he's earned heaven for me

God earns heaven for me, you know Hercules He did something bad to this

King and therefore he had to make atonement by doing those twelve great incredible feats Jesus makes atonement

Not because he did anything bad But he makes atonement following the will of God by one incredible task a life of perfection culminated by the death of Jesus himself and Raised in newness of life.

Let's pray I thank you father for this time in your word where Jesus is the high priest.

He is the author He is the perfecter of our salvation and through his self -sacrifice

Out of love for sinners we can stand in your presence To think about glory we get to go to glory one day

What a day of rejoicing that will be I Pray for Bethlehem Bible Church That we would be thinking properly this

Christmas season even about the incarnation of Jesus help us to be thankful people content people people who say it is well with my soul and Jesus our

Lord is a God who saves and we have loved ones and friends and relatives Maybe there are people here today that need to experience this

Not that they have come to know you but you have come to know them and I pray that would be true today Maybe it's some of the young people here at church that they don't have their own belief

They just believe what mommy and daddy believe and I pray today that you would open their eyes that they might see the wonder of Jesus Christ the eternal

God who adds humanity so that he might become a high priest for us