The Champion of His Church

Introduction

As we continue in our time of worship this morning, we’re going to be studying from God’s Word in Hebrews 2:10-18 if you want to begin making your way there in your copy of God’s Word as we look at what the Champion of His Church has done!

Why do our hearts love a heroic story of someone stepping up and helping turn the tide in a battle or in the middle of corruption? That plucks our heart strings and moves us often times because we recognize the need for those types of people in our lives today as well. Perhaps we remember a real-life hero that we know who did something remarkable for someone else at the expense of themselves. If you look at the movies that routinely make billions of dollars at the box office they might have different characters, but the plots are similar as there is a hero who wins the day. If you look at best-selling books, the characters and authors might change, but the theme of a hero is often present throughout. If you look at top news articles, often times the ones that are viewed and shared the most are whenever someone steps up and saves someone else and becomes the hero of the story even though that’s not what they were trying to become.

The same thing is true in our Bible’s. Think about it this morning, what is your favorite Bible story? At the Missouri Baptist Convention the bookstore always has dozens of amazing children’s books and Lindsey and I grabbed several for Gabriel… but what’s always fascinated me about most Christian children’s books is the amount of Old Testament stories in them and the relative lack of New Testament stories. Why do you think that is the case? Why did Veggietales almost exclusively stick to Old Testament stories? Because of this love for a hero. If you look at surveys of people’s favorite Bible stories you discover that people love a hero. People flock to Noah and the Ark, Moses parting the Red Sea, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, and Jonah and the Whale/or fish depending on what team you’re on! Don’t tell me Christians are immune to loving hero stories, we human too! But as we begin to study Scripture, especially in Hebrews, we’re reminded that the Bible has many stories that are all apart of 1 massive story of redemption. Who is the true hero in the true story of David and Goliath? It’s not David and it’s not you or me… It’s Jesus who gives David strength to do what He does and who slays the giant of sin and death that you or I could never kill on our own.

Jesus is not just an ordinary hero, though. Jesus is the undisputed champion. If you like sports there are all sorts of debates about who the greatest of all time is. Who is the GOAT of basketball, baseball, quarterback? You have an opinion, your grandfather probably has a different opinion and your grandchild will probably have a different opinion because we like different things and appreciate different talents. Here’s the thing about Jesus. He’s the undisputed GOAT. He’s the champion who doesn’t fail. He’s the Savior who suffers and succeeds. He’s the warrior who wins. He’s the priest who perfects sinners. He’s the Son of God who gave His life on Calvary and doesn’t bask in His glory and victory… instead he shares that victory with His brothers and sisters even though we did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Let’s remember what He has done for us today

Hebrews 2:10–18 CSB

10 For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12 saying: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will sing hymns to you in the congregation. 13 Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me. 14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. 17 Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Jesus was tempted. Jesus experienced suffering. Jesus won the victory for His followers. He is the champion for His people - let’s ask Him to open our eyes and hearts to see the truth of His Word and apply it faithfully to our lives this day.

Jesus: The Source of Salvation (10-13)

In our world that craves excitement, entertainment and experiences, there are times where we pause and wonder what exactly are we doing? What do we do whenever we worship Jesus? What do we do whenever we gather at church on Sunday or Wednesday? Why do we take the time to gather and worship? Ultimately, we come to church not primarily for ourselves… we don’t come because it’s just what we’ve always done… truly, the reason that we worship is because of Who Jesus is and because of what Jesus has done. I heard a story from an individual who visited a church on mother’s day and the pastor preached on the joys of motherhood. Mom’s, is motherhood a joy? It can be incredibly challenging at times, but we know that life and family are a gift from the Lord. This individual is listening through this message and he affirms the truth that motherhood is a joy but no where in this message was there a mention of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Friends, if we ever gather for corporate worship and you don’t hear or see Jesus, shame on that pastor - I promise you at FBC Salem, the person at this pulpit will proclaim Jesus. Because if we come to church and we have fun, sing some cool songs, have a wonderful experience but we don’t see Jesus, we haven’t truly worshipped. If you look at your Bible and fail to see Jesus, you need to go back and read it again. It’s always been about Jesus and it will always be about Jesus and everything that we do individually and as a church must be to glorify Jesus!

Hebrews 12:2 CSB

2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Why is Jesus such a big deal? Why must we always proclaim Jesus at this church? Why is Hebrews all about Jesus?

It isn’t because Jesus makes us feel better about ourselves. It isn’t because Jesus makes us smarter or wealthier or happier. It isn’t to unlock our best life now or any of those bumper sticker theology slogans.

Ultimately, the reason we faithfully proclaim Jesus is because He alone saves sinners!

Last week we were reminded that Jesus was God’s Plan A all along and that He came to suffer death in order to save dead sinners. Isn’t it hard to wrap your mind around God suffering? We often talk about God creating all things and how He knows all things and how He is in control over all things - we talk often about the deity of Jesus Christ and we occasionally mention the humanity of Jesus Christ. We’ll talk about how Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem and died on the cross, but we often fail to truly understand that He suffered just like you and I suffer. In fact, many people today have the same problem that people in the Roman world had, they cannot grasp the idea of a perfect God suffering. In our minds we’re tempted to think that if we obey perfectly, we won’t suffer! This is what the Old Testament Law demonstrated, if you obey, you’ll be blessed but if you disobey you’ll have a consequence. We think the same today - if I just obey God’s Word then I won’t suffer. What is the problem with this logic, though? You and I never can obey perfectly. We all deserve a consequence. Therefore, God had to do something… God had to take our suffering upon Himself and this is what our text reminds us of today.

In order to bring many sons and daughters to glory, Jesus had to suffer. This doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t already perfect and that through suffering He became perfect… Jesus was perfect and never once failed. Instead this is in reference to His work as a priest. He worked perfectly and trusted fully in God even though it means His death. Through this sacrifice on the cross, Jesus serves as the pioneer, author, founder, or captain of our faith. The Greek word for that word in verse 10 is “Archegon” and it was used in Greek Mythology to describe Hercules as a champion. The idea here is that through Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, He becomes the champion of all who repent of their sins and place their faith in Him as Lord and Savior. Again, we love a good champion.

Sometimes, though, champions are a little embarrassed of their teammates. You’ve never met someone like that, have you? Someone who acts one way when its just you and them but a completely different way around others because they want to look popular or cool in the eyes of others? This is all too common in the world of politics, but it must not become the norm in the church because Jesus wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed to call us His brothers and sisters. If Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us His family members, why are we ashamed to call others ours? There are some things in life worth being ashamed and embarrassed about. Whenever I was 3 my parents went out to eat with some friends at a restaurant in Springfield and I had to go to the bathroom and my dad said that he’d take me. Now I guess I really had to go because I was moving pretty quick and opened the door and my dad was following and we made our way to the bathroom. After a few moments, though, my dad heard a strange noise and we came to the realization that in my urgency to go to the bathroom, I had gone into the women’s restroom and this was before you might be able to get away with something like that in a larger city! My dad said, “Joel, I know that we always tell you to wash your hands after going to the restroom, but we’re not going to do that this time.” I’ve never lived that embarrassing story down and I’m sure that you have an embarrassing story or two of your own! Being ashamed, though, is so much deeper than simply being embarrassed. Take Peter denying Jesus 3 times before His crucifixion, the feeling that he had is one of being ashamed. Whenever we fall short and we know that fell woefully short!

Yet, even in the midst of our sin and shame, there is hope and encouragement for the Christian because the Savior of the Universe is not ashamed to call you His brother or sister! Hold onto that truth in the midst of your uncertainty and frustration. Jesus wins the victory for His family and congregation. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 8 find their true fulfillment in Jesus as He wins this “for the children that God gave Him” as John 6 tells us. He is the sinless Savior who dies for sinners and is not ashamed to call you His own - what a joy that this is the Jesus of Scripture!

Jesus: The Redeemer of Rebels (14-16)

Hebrews continues to share with us what exactly Jesus saved us from. Have you ever wondered that question? We talk often about how we are saved and how Jesus is the Savior, but what exactly are we saved from? That’s a good question and one that we’d better study to answer carefully. Sin separates us from God and sin makes us deserving of eternal separation from God in hell. Jesus, and Jesus alone, saves us from that punishment. Jesus and Jesus alone bears our sin and shame on the cross. Not only does Jesus save us from the punishment of our sins, but Jesus also saves us from ourselves. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

How is Jesus able to do this, though? How can Jesus redeem sinners? By suffering!

Think of redeeming something. Say you get a Visa gift card and you want to use it, usually you have to activate it in order to redeem it. There was one time where Lindsey and I were eating at a nice restaurant and we were planning on using a gift card we had just received earlier and a panic came upon me whenever the waitress came back to our table and said that our card declined! That had never happened to me before and I pray it never happens again. The card was brand new. The card had more than enough money on it to pay for our meal… why didn’t it work? Because I hadn’t activated it! I was supposed to call a number and enter the pin number on the card in order to turn it on. Because of this, I couldn’t redeem the card or exchange the money on it and pay for my meal. Whenever you use money, you are redeeming those funds and exchanging them in the place for an item. This is what Jesus does for us - He redeems us - but how? Do we have to call a 1-800 number in order to get Jesus to redeem us? Praise the Lord that’s not what the Bible tells us because if so, we’d be put on hold for a long long time!

We read in verse 14 that Jesus redeems us by sharing in flesh and blood and becoming fully human. He does this in order to redeem His children - the ones God gave Him - His brothers and sisters - by destroying the one who holds the power of death, the devil. What does Jesus exactly do here? Jesus defeats 3 things

He defeats the devil

He defeats death

He defeats the fear of death

What does it mean that the devil holds the power of death? The Bible tells us that God is the giver and taker of life

Psalm 139:16 CSB

16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.

Job 14:5 CSB

5 Since a person’s days are determined and the number of his months depends on you, and since you have set limits he cannot pass,

All of our days are numbered not by Satan, he’s not that powerful! They’re numbered by God! As Job 1:21 tells us, the Lord gives and takes away. How does Satan hold the power of death? Is Jesus dying a death and paying a debt to Satan? The answer is no. Satan is not God’s rival - he’s not that powerful. What leads to death? The Bible tells us that the answer is sin. Sin leads to death and sin is the result of our rebellion to God and in the Garden, Adam and Eve listened to the devil rather than their Creator. So, how can death be defeated? It can’t be defeated by a sinner. It must be defeated by a sinless person who dies a death they do not deserve. By dying, Jesus renders Satan powerless over Christians because Satan’s greatest force of fear, death, no longer has power in the life of God’s people

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 CSB

55 Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus redeems us by dying and freeing us from the penalty of our sin and also from the fear of death in the first place! He could only do this as a human. Sure, we’ll all die physically but death isn’t the end, we don’t have to fear it. This seems crazy for people in our world. Even the most brilliant humans to walk this planet feared death. Shakespeare stated that “Death is a fearful thing” and we know that without the hope of Jesus Christ, this is true! But once you understand that Jesus has defeated these things, suddenly you are no longer afraid and that fear is replaced with fearlessness because of the blessed assurance and hope you have in Christ Alone who redeemed a rebel like you and me! This is good news that we have been set free from this slavery to sin and death.

See, Satan loves a bloodless cross. He wants preachers to not proclaim this from the pulpit. He wants teachers to not talk about this around town. He wants Christians to be confused about the cross. He wants people to think they’re perfectly fine based on their performance and to deny the fact that they need the Provision that Jesus alone can provide!

So, why did Jesus become a human?

To destroy the one who has the power of death

To free those captive to the fear of death

To save helpless sinners like you and I

This is good news and it’s all because Jesus didn’t simply come as a human but He grew up and lived a perfect life and eventually died on the cross, bearing our sin and shame and became

Jesus: The Propitiation for His People (17-18)

God made a promise in Genesis 3:15 to send a Savior to reverse the curse. Technically, God could have sent Jesus and He could have died on the cross, rose, and went back to glory without the pain along the way… Yet that’s not what we see in His life. We see that He suffers and was tempted. Have you ever had an illness or chronic condition and had to see a doctor who is telling you all of this information on what you need to do to treat the sickness but who never actually suffered what you suffered? As a Type 1 diabetic I routinely hear from my doctor that you need to do ______ or your body needs that but they themselves aren’t a type 1 diabetic with a broken pancreas that doesn’t produce insulin. They haven’t suffered low blood sugars at 2am or high blood sugars that make you unable to concentrate… They might know the right answer, but they haven’t experienced the suffering like someone who actually has the disease. Is that how it is with Jesus? Does He just give us the right answer while failing to understand the suffering and sorrow we experience as humans? The Bible shares that this isn’t the case - He is well versed with sorrow.

Dane Ortlund in his book, Gentle and Lowly, shares that “Jesus isn’t Zeus. He was a sinless man, not a sinless superman… He knows what it’s like to be thirst, hungry, despised, rejected, scorned, shamed, embarrassed, abandoned, misunderstood, falsely accused, suffocated, tortured, and killed!” Jesus got tired. He was stressed out. He sweated drops of blood in Luke 22:44 for crying out loud! This man knew suffering more than we ever well and yet we think at times that He doesn’t understand what we’re going through… The Bible shares that He HAD to be made like His brothers and sisters in every way so that He could be our merciful and faithful high priest. Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted publicly and privately and He never gave an inch. We wonder, why? Why not take the easy way out, of all people Jesus deserved to! The answer is so that He could save sinful humans like you and I. Not only does Jesus know what you’re going through but in your greatest moment of desperation, He promises to give you mercy and grace

Hebrews 4:14–16 CSB

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

What has Jesus done? He is our great high priest who canceled our debt by bearing the wrath of God against our sin! He has given us access to God through His suffering on the cross and victory over the grave. Only a human being can do this. Only Jesus could satisfy the wrath of God against the sins of His people as verse 17 reminds us. See, church, there are some who believe that the death of Jesus on the cross means that everyone is a winner and will go to heaven forever. Everyone benefits. It is true that the death of Jesus is sufficient for everyone to be forgiven, but we know that there are those who reject Christ as Lord and for those people, they will bear the punishment of their sins for all eternity. His sacrifice does you no good if you reject Him as Lord and Savior because He is the propitiation for His people.

What does that word exactly mean?

You have 2 words often used to describe the atonement of Jesus Christ: expiation and propitiation

Both are true to an extent but one tells the full story and one does not

Expiation means that our sin is washed away and our debt is cancelled but we don’t really know what God does with us now. Propitiation, on the other hand, means that our debt is cancelled because God’s justice was poured upon Christ, therefore sin can be forgiven and God becomes “for us” as Romans 8:31 tells us! Jesus took God’s wrath against sin upon Himself. He took our place and succeeded where every other human being fails. See, Jesus knows what it’s like to suffer… but He never once sinned! He can relate with you in your suffering and you can trust that He is with you in the mountain high and the valley low. He is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep - have you repented of your sins and placed your trust in Him as Lord? Are you following after Him each day as your Savior?

Application

Last Sunday, Lindsey and I went to St. Charles for the Missouri Baptist Convention and I talked with dozens of pastors at MBC and many are discouraged and their congregations are discouraged. Some of you are discouraged today because of something. Some of you are tempted to begin complaining about something. Some might be upset or concerned. Guys, I’ll be honest, I’m not upset, concerned, discouraged, or frustrated. Why? I take Jesus at His Word that He’s already done the work necessary for my salvation and he’s already won the victory. So what do I have to fear? Only things that I put in the way. Things that I elevate to an ungodly pedestal. We all have to stop falling victim to this temptation! We must trust God, knowing that He loves us and calls us His own. Whenever we study this text of Scripture we are reminded that Jesus isn’t ashamed to call you His brother or sister… not because of your good works or nice thoughts, but because of His perfect sacrifice in our place on the cross! Has that truth changed your head, heart, and hands today?

As we seek to apply this text, let’s reflect on Who Jesus is:

Because Jesus is the Savior, I must Serve others Faithfully

In our world, we want things to go our way. We like being in control. We prefer being served to serving others, especially people that we don’t like or agree with. Yet, this isn’t what Jesus did. Jesus came to seek and save and serve lost sinners. This is the command He gives to us as His followers. Who is someone that you can serve today?

Because Jesus is the Redeemer, I must Repent Immediately

Jesus is all about reversing curses and rewriting stories. If you are here this morning and you don’t know Christ as Lord, I encourage you to reflect on this text of Scripture and see what He was willing to do for humans like you and me. He commands us to repent of our sins - to turn away from the things that God hates and allow Him to change us from the inside out. If you haven’t done that, then today your responsibility is to repent immediately while there is still time to do this.

Others of you have repented of your sins and placed your faith in Christ as Lord, but maybe you’re living in sin today and you simply need to repent and ask Jesus to forgive you. When was the last time you prayed for the person that you’re tempted to gossip about? Don’t tell me we don’t have things to repent for - we’re all guilty! And praise the Lord that He is a greater Savior than we are a sinner. Repent today and don’t continue to live in sin.

Because Jesus is the Propitiation for Sinners, I must Proclaim the Gospel Urgently

BBC shared in 2017 that less than 10% of non-Christians believe in the Resurrection and only 60% of self-proclaimed Christians do as well. Friends, we are living in a world that doesn’t understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we serve a Savior who not only died but one that rose from the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf as our merciful and faithful high priest. We are living in a community where 70% of people don’t go to church. We have too many in our families, neighborhoods, schools, and communities to fail to proclaim the Gospel with urgency! We have to make the most important thing the most important thing. We’re quick to talk about business and our preferences, but why are we often so hesitant to talk about the Gospel? When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone that you complain about often?

Jesus is Greater - He is the champion. He’s not ashamed of His people even though we all fall short. He rescues us from the penalty of our sin. He saves us from the fear of death. He saves us to bring Him glory in all that we say, think, do, and what we don’t do as well.

Living He loved me. Dying He saved me. Buried He carried my sins far away. Rising He justified, freely forever. One day He’s coming - oh Glorious Day. Has the Champion of His Church Converted your Corrupt Heart and Made You into a New Creation? Only Jesus has the power to do this. There is no other way. He knows what you’re going through. He loves His children. He delights in saving sinners. Turn your eyes upon Jesus today - He is a merciful and faithful high priest.