The Wonderful Work of Christ

0:00Good morning.

0:01Good morning there, preacher.

0:03Go ahead and open to Hebrews chapter 2. We're going to be covering verses 14 through 18, which finishes out chapter 2 of Hebrews. We talked a little last week about a balanced view of Christ as both our Lord and our brother, right? Our King and our friend, and how that view impacts our salvation and sanctification. And fundamental to that balanced view is at least some understanding of the dual natures of Christ. And I say some understanding because I don't think we can ever really fully grasp the concept of Christ as both fully God and fully man. And many in the past have tried and failed to reconcile the paradox of Christ's nature by saying that perhaps Christ is less than the eternal God, if even ever so slightly. This view held by the Arians was deemed a heresy of the Council of Nicaea in 325, and it was from that council that the church confessed of Christ that he was God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father. At the same time, there were the Docetists who claimed that Jesus only appeared to be man, right? Only appeared to be flesh, but was actually just God looking like man. In either case, these aren't just theological squabbles about spiritual matters that don't mean anything to us. And there certainly are some theological squabbles, perhaps not worth engaging in, but this isn't one of them. These are salvific matters. And they have massive implications for our view of Christ and of his nature. In order for Christ to be worthy to help us, as we will read, he has to be the self-existent, perfect God. And in order for him to stand in our place, though, he also had to be human like us. So when our text tells us this morning that he himself likewise partook of the same things, we have to balance that against the other passages that we've already covered in Hebrews that claim Jesus as Lord and God. This balanced view of Christ as both God and man is a necessary component of salvation. And I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry for over-emphasizing this. But faith in Christ or faith in a Christ that is not fully God and fully man is not saving faith. It's not saving faith because that's not who the Bible says Jesus is. And the word gives us very specific reasons why that is important. Some of those we will cover this morning. And I'll circle back around to that point a few more, uh, a few more times. And in that effort, I'll do my best to guide us through three kind of three specific main points, I guess, presented in the passage. And the first of those is the work of Christ to defeat death and to defeat the one who has the power over death. Secondly, we're going to look at uh the work of Christ in atoning for or making propitiation for our sins, and lastly, we consider the present work of Christ to help us in times of temptation. Uh so as always, I pray it pleases the Lord to uh teach us, to comfort us this morning. So stand with me once more as we read uh Hebrews 2, starting in verse 14. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he like he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power over death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not to angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 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. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. This is the word of the Lord. Lord, we thank you so very much again for this word. Lord, we ask that you would please speak now for Christ's sake. It is in his name that I pray. Amen. I obviously was not alive for this, nor have I gone back, and I probably should have this week, uh, and watched any of the shows or appearances, but as I am told, in the 1960s, a comedian rose to fame whose name was Flip Wilson. Do you know this guy? Okay. That's where I'm going. One of Mr. Wilson's famous catchphrases was, as Brother Dave said, the devil made me do it. And as I understand, Wilson's character would confess or get caught in all manner of things and deflect responsibility in a playful or humorous manner, saying, the devil made me do it. This was obviously done in jest, right? But such an attitude is unjokingly prevalent in our culture today. Not just deflecting responsibility, because we see that all the time, but more subtly blaming sin, blaming Satan. Whether or not we ever say it out loud, comically or comedically on stage, most Christians, when we fall, whisper subconsciously in our hearts, the devil made me do it. The reason why I know this to be true is because I see this attitude play out in friendly and peer-to-peer counseling and relationships all the time. Perhaps one confesses to another that they've had a stressful day and they snapped angrily at their kids, and the response is always generally the same. Don't beat yourself up about it, you're doing the best you can. I do this all the time. Personally, I do this all the time, and at times it is appropriate, but often this is a way to minimize the sin and to maximize its power over us. This is our way of saying too often when we are powerless to resist the temptation to sin, and despite our best efforts, our wills aren't stronger than the devil's. Don't beat yourself up. The devil made you do it. The question is, is that true? 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 over death, that is, the devil. What the word tells us this morning is that not only did Christ defeat death, a point we have often labored now, but he also defeated the one who has the power over death, that is, the devil. Not only was sin dealt with on the cross, and we'll get to that a little more in a minute, not only was death dealt with on the cross, but the devil was dealt with on the cross. The strong man was bound. His power was vanquished, his head was crushed. He has nothing on you any longer. 1 Corinthians 10, 13, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. The context of that verse is in regards to idolatry, licentiousness, or grumbling against God. More often than not, we fail and we fall. Not because of the strength of indwelling sin, although it is certainly strong, but because we subconsciously assume that we don't possess the power to escape it or to endure it. We assume that a sinner is who I am. So I'll try, but you know, I'm still a sinner. But that's not really what we teach exactly, is it? I had the great have had the great privilege of baptizing a number of you. And what do we confess in baptism? That we have been buried with Christ. That is, dead to our former self and our former sin. And now we are raised to walk in new life, that is, rebirth in him. Death has been destroyed. Amen and amen. But with that, Christ has also destroyed the power of the thing and the power of the one that brought death in the first place. And why wouldn't he do that, right? What fairy tale have you ever read or watched? And when the curse is broken, everything stays cloudy and dark and gloomy. That sounds silly, right? Of course, when the curse is broken, the fields turn green again, the flowers bloom, and the birds come out of hiding, the blue sky opens up. Then why do we still live under the shadow of what once was? I think one of those reasons is that we don't understand who Christ really was and what he came to do. We think that we can make people's lives better when we emphasize that Christ came to earth and was just like you and he came to serve as this perfect moral standard for us to live by. Or that Christ came maybe to make our lives better and to heal us from all of our ailments, our aches and pains. He certainly can do those things for us, but only when we see him for who he really was. He was and is God. And in Christ, God took upon himself the same flesh and blood, that is our nature, so that through death he might destroy the enemy. God died to break the curse and to free us from the result of sin, that is death, and also the bondage of sin. This is why Christ came. He came to die. And in dying, coupled with his subsequent resurrection, he defeated death. He defeated Satan and he freed us from lifelong slavery. Can a man who is less than God do that? Can a man who only appears to be a man do that? No, we needed a God. And we needed a brother. And Christ was both of those for us. And because he was, you are or you can be free. Because of the curse-breaking, death-destroying God man, you don't have to sin anymore. The question is, will you? That's another question altogether, and we certainly will because our wills are weak, right? They're still weak from their slavery. We're yet to be perfected in this life. So in that respect, yes, don't beat yourself up, please. But we have been freed. You can, by the power of the Spirit, resist sin and temptation. You can be transformed into the likeness of Christ starting today. You can walk joyfully in the glorious light under the blue sky and the blooming flowers of our blessed Savior. And in that respect, I reject Flip Wilson's comedic sentiments. For the Christian, the devil can't make you do anything. We have been freed from his slavery. And we now walk according to the Spirit of Christ. To the praise and honor and glory of our gracious Savior, brother, and King. Amen. The second thing we need to pull from our text this morning is the reality that Christ has atoned for our sins. And the word used in the text is one that's not often in our vocabulary, but it's an important word. The word is propitiation. Propitiation. This is the very end of verse 17. So let's define this word propitiation. It's the act of appeasing the anger or the wrath of another by some action or gesture. In biblical terms, it's much more than just calming down the anger of God, it is satisfying the anger and wrath by bringing about reconciliation between the two parties. Man in general, and each man and woman specifically had built up or has built up a sin debt with a holy God to such a degree that this debt can never be paid. I saw recently how large the U.S. debt has ballooned to. As large as that debt is, it is tiny compared to the debt that we owe God. This massive, unpayable sin debt brought about the anger and wrath of God upon us, and these debts had to be paid. How could it ever be possible to pay these debts and to appease the wrath of God against us? Here's what Anselm says, written about sometime before the year 1100. Quote, it could not have been done unless man paid what was owing to God for sin. But the debt was so great that while man alone owned it, only God could pay it. So that the same person must be both man and God. Thus it was necessary for God to take manhood into the unity of his person so that he, who in his own nature ought to pay and could not, should be in a person who could. Going back again to what I said at the beginning, saving faith requires a belief in a Savior who is both fully God and fully man, because God can only pay our debts. But it was only man who owed them. So to say that Christ atoned for our sins, what we mean is that God took on manhood, as Anselm said, that he became like us in every respect, as our text says, so that he could pay our debts and propitiate, appease the Father's wrath. To use the high priestly language that our passage uses, Christ standing as a priestly mediator for us, he offered himself on the altar as sufficient payment for our sins. And in doing so, paid the eternal debt to the Father that we owed. God became like us to pay the debt for us and free us from sin forever. To quote Dr. Phillips again, this is why Jesus was, quote, this is why Jesus was born into this world. So that by his death both God and man, so by his death, as both God and man, he might break the hold of death and set us free. While making propitiation to the holy wrath of God against our sins. As one of our great Christmas carols puts it, good Christian men rejoice with heart and soul and voice. Now ye need not fear the grave. Jesus Christ was born to save. End quote. I would be remiss if I passed on the opportunity here to call us again to repentance in light of this wonderful work of Christ. I'm not sure how this makes you feel to hear of Christ's work of propitiation, perhaps relief, or joy that you have been saved by uh saved from such a difficult situation. Can I push you toward an emotion that you may try to avoid, though? To quote another song that we sing often, behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon his shoulders. Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life. I know that it is finished. We sent the Prince of Glory to a rugged cross. You didn't drive the nails, but your sin pierced his hands and his side. Sin is personal. And often we talk about sin as though it is some abstract third party who comes in and swoops in and messes everything up. No, our Lord and our brother in a state of grief and sorrow beyond our imagination. He sweated blood under the stress of the torture that he was to endure on account of you and me. This is personal. And it should be. Because Christ didn't atone for some abstract third-party sins, right? Our text says he atoned for the sins of the people. He went to the cross for you, because of you. Repent then and receive his grace. Feel the godly sorrow for the debts you have incurred, and cry out, My Lord, what have I done to you? To which his reply is, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I feel quite certain that because of the great love with which he loved us, our Christ, our Lord, Christ, would go to the cross a thousand times if he had to. But because of the infinite value of his sacrifice, he only had to go once. It is finished. The debt has been paid. Freedom from that sorrow that you might have felt and the sin that you committed, that has been won. Won't we receive this morning the blessed forgiveness and peace offered to us by our faithful high priest? This is why the word became flesh. And is perhaps the greatest of his many wonderful works for us. The final point I want to touch on then in our text is his ability and promise to help us in our temptation. Okay? Because we are tempted. This is, of course, his continued role as our high priest forever. Jesus is a great help to us because he has been tempted so greatly. Right? His temptation was far beyond anything we will ever experience, yet he endured it. This brings up the question of how could God really be tempted if he could not sin? And right, this connects to the doctrine of impeccability that we talked about. This has been a few weeks ago now. And I'll say this: one need not give into temptation or ever have the ability to give in to temptation to be greatly tempted from without, as we know Christ was. And this is the argument that B. F. Westcott makes, quote, he says, quote, the sympathy or sympathy with the sinner in his trial does not depend on the experience of sin, but on the experience of the strength of the temptation to sin, which only the sinless can know in its full intensity. He who falls yields before the last strain. That is to say that when one gives into temptation, the strain of temptation necessarily goes away, right? So to say that one must be greatly tempted because they keep failing, this is backwards. I'll say that again. To say that one must be greatly tempted because they keep failing is backwards. Those temptations are actually not great because they're given into before they have a chance to be great temptations. You see what I'm saying? But Christ, having never given in to a lifelong of temptations, in his human nature would have been under an unimaginable strain. Quite literally, the weight of humanity was on him, on his shoulders, crushing him at every minute. So to say that he can sympathize with our temptations and that he is able to help us is a very true statement. It doesn't necessarily matter whether he could have given in to those temptations or not, really. He was clearly under the unrelenting strain of temptation. And as a result, he is able to sympathize with us in ours. We have further evidence to this in the fact that Christ sympathized with us emotionally while he was on the earth, right? He wept when Lazarus was in the grave, he got angry. When God was mocked or when sin is blatant, he often showed compassion for and defended the helpless, the lame, the blind, and the weak. He was tender, he was merciful, he was also blunt and direct. We see all these things in Christ that demonstrate to us that he was truly like us in every respect. God really took on humanity. Because he was like you, and also still God, he is the great and final high priest who is worthy to help you and is able to help you unlike any other. Okay, so a few bits of application as we close here. First is that the text shows us that Christ, or that in Christ, the shadow of the fear of death has been lifted. The shadow of the fear of death has been lifted. How much of our lives is spent trying to avoid death? How much of our brain space is spent fearing death or considering all the ways in the future we might try to avoid it? I'm not saying be foolish and stop trying to avoid death altogether. Please take care of yourselves. But just like with sin, Christ's accomplished work really has given us freedom from the fear of death. Again, I'm not saying it's ever going to fully leave you or leave your mind, but be assured again this morning that your life is in the hands of Christ. Walk freely and joyfully today, that Satan doesn't have the power over death any longer. Pastor Greg Nicholson, I'm paraphrasing, I'm sure I'm going to mess it up, said that such a truth should give us the strength to walk invincibly today, knowing that your life is completely in the hands of our wonderful Savior. Again, let me stress, don't take that to the extreme, right? Be wise, but trust Christ. Trust in Him. Secondly, the text teaches us by way of implication to learn from our temptations, our failures, and sufferings that we may be an extension of Christ's help to others. The Westminster Confession of Faith says this: the most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruptions of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled, and to raise them to a more close and constant dependent for their support unto himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends. Certainly much of what we go through in this life is for the purpose of our own sanctification. We've taught that many times, and for our continued dependence upon God. We saw that many times as well. Along with that, though, our text shows us that the endurance of and passing through various temptations enable us to better help those who are going through similar trials. Okay? If Christ is able to help us because he has walked where we walked, then we too are able to help those who are presently walking where we have walked once. This is perhaps a reframing of our temptations and trials as required education and sympathy to further serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. This Christianity business is a pretty selfless affair, isn't it? If that's true. And it is. Okay, finally, this text calls us to faith in his work. I'll say his wonderful work. And coincidentally, or not coincidentally, providentially, Stephen said the wonderful works of Christ this morning in Bible study, or something to that effect. The text calls us to faith in his wonderful work, and unending joy on account of what he has done for us. Faith in his wonderful work and unending joy on account of what he has done for us. I'll give you one more quote. This one's from Philip Riken. He says, this quote People are saying all the time today, lamenting in this world of woe, where is God? Why doesn't He do something? Meanwhile, He has done everything, indeed, more than we could ever ask or imagine. God entered into our world. He has walked through the dust of the earth. He who is life has wept before the grave. He who is the bread of life has felt the aching of hunger in his belly. Is there anything more lovely in all of Scriptures than the scenes of Jesus supping with the weak and the weary and the sinners and the publicans? He has taken the thorns that afflicted, that afflict this sin-scarred world and woven them into a crown and pressed them on his head. And he has stretched open his arms in love, that the hands that wove creation might be nailed to a wooden cross. Then he rose from the dead, conquering all that would conquer us, setting us free to live in peace and joy before the face of God. We have so much to be thankful for. We have so much to be joyful for. And this is the wonderful work of Christ that He became like you in every respect to save you from your sins. And to give you peace and everlasting joy. Won't you receive that wonderful work this morning? As a preview then for next week. And the songs that we're going to sing. Hear the words of this great Advent song. Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. Free from our fears and sins, release us. Let us find our rest in thee. Come to earth and taste our sadness. He whose glories knew no end. By his life he brings us gladness. Our Redeemer, shepherd, friend. Amen? We thank you that He is the God man who did come and was made like us in every respect. And the forgiveness and the freedom that is now offered to us in Him, Lord. Help us to receive that forgiveness and that freedom this morning, Lord. And help us now then to go out of from this place and to walk in that new life, Lord. To reject any power of the devil over us, Lord, because we know that that is not real anymore. We have been freed from that, Lord. Help us to walk in this new life that you have given us. Help us to be holy as you are holy. Help us to fight against sin, Lord. We're so very thankful. Ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.