The Cost of Bringing Many Sons to Glory

Paul Hamilton

Exposition of Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 91 views

Notes

Transcript

Hebrews 2: 10-18 > Pray

In Acts 16 – the Philippian Jailer was overcome with emotion when Paul and Silas and the other prisoners did not escape after an earthquake opened the prison doors…

he turned to Paul and, the Bible tells us he said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” God used their words and their actions to reveal the truth of the gospel to that Jailer and he was moved to repentance.

Paul replied to him “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!” That is a question we must all personally wrestle with.

If you are a Christian, God brought us to a place where we cry out, what must I do to be saved? And the answer came Repent and believe.

Repent (turn from our lives of self and sin) and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. That may seem hard at times, but if we have come to know Jesus, nothing will keep you from faith! He is worth it!

But for God, there was a very different question to answer. The question was, what must God do to save us? HOW CAN A HOLY GOD BE RECONCILED WITH A SINFUL PEOPLE?

That question what is in view in this section of Hebrews we are looking at this morning.

I’m using human language here of course, there was no time when God wondered what he had to do to save us, he knows all… but you get my meaning.

As we look at this, this morning as we see what God had to do to accomplish our salvation I want this to stir up in us a DEEPER LOVE FOR GOD, a DEEPER APPRECIATION for HIS SAVING WORK.

AND a RICHER COMMITMENT TO LIVE FOR HIM. This morning we are looking at The COST of BRINGING MANY SONS to GLORY.

But before we jump into the text I need to make a correction from the sermon last week. I spoke incorrectly at one point. When talking about death and the holiness code, I was not careful enough. The primary focus of the holiness code was human death, not animal death.

So if you touched a dead human body you were unclean – the person taking a Nazarite vow had to shave his head if he accidentally touched a dead human body. Now there were some occasions where touching a dead animal body made you unclean too, but that was not the focus.

That doesn’t change the point very much – it would have made the point stronger – human death is the ultimate expression of the result of sin – God’s image bearers dying. But I want to be clear with you all and own my mistakes. I went from memory on that subpoint and I should have taken the time to look up the passages to verify. Forgive me for my lack of diligence.

I. CHRIST SAVES THROUGH SUFFERING (Hebrews 2: 10)

Hebrews 2:10 (ESV) — 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

A. This Salvation Was Fitting

I don’t know about you, but that phrase seems to imply something nice. That was appropriate that was good. But when I think of that, it doesn’t mean necessary, just fitting.

But that is not how we should understand this word here. “It was fitting” means it FIT perfectly, and it was necessary, without it, it would not be complete.

Jesus said at his baptism –

Matthew 3:15 (ESV) — 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

The same Greek word is used here. His baptism wasn’t a nice to have, it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. That is the idea here. This was the only salvation that was fitted to our need.

B.This Salvation Was From Our Father

The writer here is making a phenomenal connection that I don’t want you to miss. There is a new theme in Hebrews – up till now the focus has been that God has called Jesus his Son.

But here the focus shifts to MANY SONS. This was the fitting salvation for GOD to bring his Many Sons to glory. So don’t miss how incredible this is.

He describes God as the one FOR WHOM and BY WHOM all things exist.

God the FATHER for whom and through whom are all things, and AGAINST WHOM we have sinned and so we deserve this death - yet he calls us his SONS! This was the fitting way to bring many sons to glory.

In the introduction, I talked about how, if you have come to know Jesus, nothing will keep you from faith. Nothing is too much – Christ is worth it!!

Here we see God making the amazing determination that nothing will keep him from bringing you to faith,

Nothing will keep HIM from bringing you to glory!

if you are his! Isn’t that incredible. We’re drawn to Christ because of his glory and beauty, he’s drawn to us because of our need. His mere mercy. To display his glory in doing us good!

C. The Founder of This Salvation Was Made Perfect Through Suffering

Here it all comes together, as the writer is just introducing this new section, he makes the big point, if we are to be saved, it is only possible through suffering. The price has to be paid!

Christ is the founder or captain of our salvation. It was sometimes used either way…

Acts 3:15 (ESV) — 15 and you killed the Author of life, …

Acts 5:31 (ESV) — 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Both those ideas are fine and can be used together as Christ is both the originator and leader of our salvation – he is made perfect through suffering.

Well that’s a little tricky. That doesn’t mean that Christ was imperfect before, but it means he had to be made suitable (fitting) to be our savior through suffering. He was made perfect for that purpose. And through his suffering he accomplishes our salvation!!

Through suffering he is made complete – for the work of salvation. Our Captain accomplishes our salvation through suffering.

Let’s just reflect on that before we jump to the next point. The question for God “how to save my people?” there was only one fitting answer “through the suffering and death of your son”

And God’s answer was YES! YES because in CHRIST we are his sons too! Let the love of God astound you again. Here is love! …..

Romans 5:8 (ESV) — 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

But for Christ to suffer, he must come to be one of us.

II. CHRIST IS UNITED WITH HIS BROTHERS (Hebrews 2: 11-14)

Hebrews 2:11 (ESV) — 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

A. The Sanctifier Must Become Like the Sanctified

The writer of Hebrews is beginning to emphasize the close connection between Christ and humanity. For this salvation to be fitting it was required that he be one of us.

So the Sanctified (us) and the Sanctifier (Christ) are from one…. Something. Now the Greek here is a little ambiguous. Literally it reads the Sanctified and the Sanctifier are from one.

The New American Standard adds the word FATHER - so those translators are interpreting this to mean as family we are from the same father – that is certainly true. Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers because we have the same father… that is certainly true

The ESV use the word SOURCE,

The New King James leaves it plain with “are all of one”

But I think, following Robert Martin and many other commentators, that the writer here is emphasizing not our coming from God, but our shared humanity. CHRIST is NOT ASHAMED to CALL US BROTHERS BECAUSE HE IS ONE OF US!

We’ll see that more clearly in a few minutes in the next paragraph (verse 14ff) , Christ must partake of the flesh and blood of God’s Children to save them.

What is emphasized here is that it is Jesus who Sanctifies us.

Sanctifies means to make holy. He takes on the humanity to SANCTIFY US… TO make us HOLY.

We know we must BE HOLY!

1 Peter 1:15 (ESV) — 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

There is an ongoing aspect of that, we are to purpose and choose to make our conduct holy – that means set apart for God.

We grow in that APPLICATION OF HOLINESS by the power of the Spirit by becoming more set apart to God in our thinking and speaking, feeling and doing. I am CHOOSING to set my thinking apart to God.. etc.

But that is ROOTED in the reality that we have a savior who made us Holy! He Sanctifies us!!

1 Corinthians 1:2 (ESV) — 2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

We are sanctified – set apart – called holy ones in CHRIST. Because our Sanctifier came and shared our nature in order to be the founder of our salvation and the captain of our new life! But Christ binds himself even more closely.

B. Christ Is Not Ashamed to Call Us Brothers

Have you ever been ashamed of someone? Or have you ever had someone ashamed of you? Sometimes that is not fair. People can be ashamed of things that are not shameful.

But sometime our actions have cause people to be ashamed of us. That’s a pretty bad feeling to know someone is ashamed of you, especially if you know you’ve done thing that are shameful.

The Bible says that we were

Colossians 1:21 (ESV) — 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

Ephesians 2:3 (ESV) — 3 … we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Christ had every reason to be ashamed of us. We did what was shameful. But it says here, he was not ashamed to call them brothers!

Now picture that person ashamed of himself, at his lowest broken point, and that upright person – who should be ashamed instead, gets down on the floor with you, in your filth, puts his arms around you and calls out for all to hear – THIS IS MY BROTHER!

Now multiply that by infinity. The God whom we have offended, we’ve wrecked his world, polluted his beautiful creation with sin, we’ve tried to sit on his throne… yet Christ stoops down and calls us BROTHER.

For you dear sisters, that doesn’t exclude you. You are family!! He is not ashamed of you. He comes all the way down… to where you are and calls you family. And he washes you and makes you holy.

Colossians 1:22 (ESV) — 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

No longer are we shameful, but in Christ, we are holy, blameless and above reproach. He is not ashamed to call us brothers. That may be hard for us to get our heads around. His love is real. He really loves you. He calls you FAMILY.

The writer then takes three Old Testament references and attributes them to Christ. First he quotes from Psalm 22.

Psalm 22:22 (ESV) — 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

Psalm 22 is a clearly messianic Psalm. This is the Psalm the Jesus began on the cross.

Psalm 22:1 (ESV) — 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

So this has long been attributed to the Messiah. The writer here focuses in on the 22nd verse, and I think we should just take his point. Jesus calls us brothers!

It’s Like the writer is so proud! He calls me brother! (Aslan and the lions, “we lions”) He speaks God’s name to us! That is who the CHURCH is – the congregation of Christ’s Family and in that congregation he praises God.

But the next verse is more challenging… the meaning is plain but the purpose is less clear. He quotes (probably from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 8: 17

Isaiah 8:17 (ESV) — 17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. (Septuagint reads “I will trust in Him”)

It’s possible that he’s quoting from 2 Sam. 22:3, but it is hard to be sure. The reference is so short and indistinct it’s hard to imagine the writer expected the reader to have special knowledge of the context, it seems most probable to me that he want’s us to just focus on these words.

So, if we are not supposed to know some special information from the context why does the writer put this here? This is not about being family.

Obviously the writer is not simply providing proof texts that Jesus sees us as brothers, so I think looking at all three referenced passages together the writer is making about Jesus’ solidarity with his brothers.

Jesus the GOD/MAN tells his brothers about God, and he trusts in God along with his brothers. As the final reference comes from the next verse in Isaiah 8: 18

Isaiah 8:18 (ESV) — 18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

Jesus came into the world to take upon himself our human nature, to call us brothers, and he praised God, trusted in God, all perfectly as our perfect older brother so he could bring along all the children God had give him. All his brothers and sisters!

Christ Jesus is united with us. He shares humanity with us, one with us! He calls us brothers.

III. CHRIST ACCOMPLISHES ALL HIS PURPOSES! (Hebrews: 14-18)

In these verses we see God accomplishing three things.

A. Christ Suffered to Defeat the Devil

Hebrews 2:14–16 (ESV) — 14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

Since we share in flesh and blood, Jesus put on flesh.

Philippians 2:6–7 (ESV) — 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

He took on flesh so he could die. Without death he could not defeat death! That THROUGH DEATH he destroys the one who has the power of death, the Devil!!

Now, going all the way back to the garden… the seed of the woman crushes the head of the seed of the serpent – Jesus died so that he might be raised victorious and with him all who are united to him!!

That is what it means to defeat death - to liberate all his people from the grave!

1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (ESV) — 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Colossians 2:15 (ESV) — 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The Devil is defeated, and we are delivered from the slavery of the fear of death! Death is swallowed up in victory! O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting?

Our chains are gone! We’ve been set free! Free from the bonds of death, free to live lives of righteousness! Free from FEAR.

1 John 4:18 (ESV) — 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Here is the perfect love! Christ died to free us from Fear! Fear is the is the result of sin.

What will the New Earth be like when there is NO FEAR? because there is no sin, nothing to fear.

He does not do this for Angels, but for the offspring of Abraham. Does he mean only Jews? He is speaking from New Covenant understanding:

Galatians 3:7–9 (ESV) — 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

In the New Covenant the family of Abraham is clarified to those of the faith of Abraham – not the blood, the unbelieving branches have been cut away, and we the believing branches have been grafted into the family! So we can trace our spiritual roots back to Abraham, we are Abraham’s offspring!

This was some of the shocking newness of Christ’s work – and a stumbling block to the Jews!

But this also clarifies who this salvation applies to. The ones for whom Christ died are the offspring of Abraham, God’s blood bought children who have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light, who, by God’s Grace have been given faith in Christ and are united to him!

Christ defeated the Devil - so DON’T BE AFRAID! Trust in CHRIST!

B. Christ Suffered to Pay for Our Sins

Hebrews 2:17 (ESV) — 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

We’ll see this concept of High priest expounded in the coming chapters… The HIGH PRIEST was the only man who could come into the HOLIEST of PLACES.

He came with the blood to make propitiation. Propitiation is one of those theology words. The meaning of the word is rooted in mercy. Through out the old covenant concept is connected to a sacrifice that covers over the sins that deserve wrath.

Numbers 16:46 (ESV) — 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement (Septuagint- propitiation) for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.”

Israel sins, God’s righteous wrath burns against that sin… the sacrifice is a propitiation, it appeases the wrath so mercy can be experienced.

Christ was made like us in every respect so that he could serve as High Priest not only offering a sacrifice to appease God, but offering himself as that sacrifice to wipe away the reality of sin and all it’s punishment.

Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV) — 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

This was not a symbolic sacrifice but the actual payment. The Mercy and love of God purposed to send his Son, so that the sin that stands between us and him could be wiped away.

He stood in our place, and paid for all our sin. For all who would believe on him. For you, today, if you will repent and believe.

C. Christ Suffered to Be Our Help!

We’ll see this more in a few chapters, but see that this salvation is about the future, and it is about today. He is our help.

Psalm 46:1 (ESV) — 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

This is always true of God but what is emphasized here is that Jesus knows our temptations; he knows our weakness and our frames he knows that by experience, in order to be our help.

He suffered so he is our perfect help. He knows your need, your fears, your uncertainties.

They are not alien to him, he is not far off. He loves you. He’s not ashamed of you, he calls you family, and washes you clean, and HELPS in every way.

So that you can live a life please to God, a life filled with his peace, and his joy, his righteousness and holiness. NOT because you deserve it. YOU DON’T, you deserve death, but because of what Christ has done - CHRIST IN US! The hope of Glory! His help is for you. He knows!

Come and live in him!!!

Pray

Sing – Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me

LORD’S TABLE

We are One in Christ. One Body

1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (ESV) — 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

Family we are ONE in CHRIST HOLY and BELOVED! This table proclaims the message! THIS IS THE FITTING SALVTION! THIS IS THE COST! Here Christ accomplished this GREAT SALVATION for us! And here is the proof of God’s unfailing commitment to build us up and keep us in Christ!

So, the Supper is a time to EVALUATE and CELEBRATE.

We evaluate ourselves, we see our need for change, we have sin, we have failed. We have not loved God as we ought. We have not trusted in Christ enough, we value him too little and take this salvation for granted.

In repentance, then we turn to find help. And at the table we remember, there is boundless help for us in Christ Jesus. There is help, so we CELEBRATE! WE REJOICE We are not defeated, we are victorious in Christ. We are at PEACE!! We are not BEYOND GOD’s Power to change! so from that GOSPEL Power we move forward together in peace, for the glory of God.

THIS is for DISCIPLES of CHRIST

“Our understanding of being a disciple of Christ in the New Testament is one who has been transformed through FAITH in Christ, has been baptized into Christ and into his church, and continues to be committed to and serving CHRIST in the body of Christ – a local church. The Lord’s Supper is the fellowship meal for the covenant family of Jesus Christ.”

For those who are not Christians, and this is not for you. This is not for you, you have said no to this, with your life. No to this community, no to Christ. but this SALVATION is for you, Jesus is for you! You’ll see the emblems passing you by… don’t let salvation pass you by again. Make no more excuses, take hold of Christ and live!

Children – boys and girls. I know some of you are believing on Christ, as you wait to take that public step of baptism, and openly commit to be a disciple of Christ, it is good for you to wait to take the Lord’s Supper. For you, feed on Christ as this passes you by, think to yourself, I won’t let this day pass me by without Christ, and call out to him, and then turn and follow Jesus. I know your mom and dad would be delighted to talk with you about what that might look like. Believe on Jesus and live.

BREAD

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 (ESV) — 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

CUP

1 Corinthians 11:25–26 (ESV) — 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

731 Doxology

2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV) — 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Related Media

Related Sermons