The Perfect Christ
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9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Introduction
Introduction
During the month of December so far, on Sunday mornings, we have looked at “The Incarnation of Christ”, “The Infinite Christ”, and the text I’ve read this morning perfectly describes our perfect Lord! So, for a little while this morning, I want to preach on “The Perfect Christ”...
The message today will go deeper into some of the things brought out last Sunday when we look at “The Infinite Christ” from Isaiah 9:6…especially when I talked about how Jesus is Wonderful…So, let’s get into this...
Christ was made a little lower than the angels, made a man, made like us that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man. In bringing many sons unto glory, the captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering.
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
By the grace of God the Captain of our salvation was made “perfect” through suffering.
Though He was a son, yet He learned obedience by the things He suffered; and being made “perfect,” He became the author of eternal salvation for all of us who will accept Him.
To us the word “perfect” means sinless, moral perfection, but the word translated perfect right here refers to a purpose for which a thing was made as being fulfilled.
Let me illustrate this...
An oak tree is the perfection of an acorn…The purpose of the acorn is to grow into a tree, so when it becomes a tree, it has been made perfect…It’s fulfilled it’s purpose then.
That is applied to our Lord Christ: it pleased God to make the Captain of our salvation “perfect” through suffering. Though He were a son learning obedience by the things that He suffered, He was made perfect, having accomplished the purpose that God planned for Him.
Christ came into the world to suffer and to die in order that having achieved the purpose or perfection, He would be the author of an eternal salvation for us who receive His loving grace and the pardon of our sins in Him.
I want you to know today:
I-Christ’s Birth Was Perfect
I-Christ’s Birth Was Perfect
He was born in fulfilment of prophecy...
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, And shall call his name Immanuel.
Isa. 7:14 had an immediate fulfillment and a future fulfillment in our Lord 700 years later. In fact, both Moses and Isaiah prophesied about the virgin birth of Christ. The very first prophesy in the Scriptures is found in the book of Genesis.
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15 is known as the Proto-Evangelium or First Gospel.
It is a prophecy of Christ dealing the future death blow to Satan’s head which began at the cross of Calvary and will finish when Jesus casts him into the Lake of Fire; Satan is only able to bruise the heel of Jesus while Jesus crushes His head!
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin...
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Don’t ask me to explain this…It’s God!
This child was not to be born by the normal biological process. Yes, he would go through the process of birth, being carried for a full term of pregnancy. Yet he was to differ from all humanity in that he did not have a human father.
His conception occurred by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was a miracle!: it was an act that only God could bring to pass.
Only God can bring something out of nothing; life out of death; fertility from a barren woman; a virgin birth!
Christ’s Birth Was Perfect! God orchestrated the entire thing!
II-Christ’s Life Was Perfect
II-Christ’s Life Was Perfect
He was absolutely righteous...
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
The qualities of righteousness an faithfulness are so close to Jesus they are like belts, or girdles around His waist…Everything Jesus does is touched by His righteousness and faithfulness!
18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Jesus was absolutely righteous!
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
I love this verse! Jesus was faithful, Jesus was righteous! He never wavered, His message was never a “Yes” then “No”, but when He said yes, He meant yes, and when He said no, He meant no! - He was not fickle or unstable like man is. Christ was true, dependable, and reliable!
He was all these things because He was absolutely righteous!
He was sinless...
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Judas, who was guilty, knew that Jesus had done no wrong. He knew that Jesus was innocent. He knew that Jesus was sinless.
Spurgeon wrote, “Judas had been with our Lord in public and in private; and if he could have found a flaw in Christ’s character, this would have been the time to mention it; but even the traitor, in his dying speech, declared that Jesus was ‘innocent.’”
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
This verse is disturbing. They couldn’t find anything worthy of death in our Savior, yet they wanted Him dead!
The rulers in Jerusalem along with the people were dead set against the Lord.
They were bound and determined to have Him put to death. They ran Him through a mock trial. They tried to get witnesses to come forward.
Paul reveals to the people that in the trial of Jesus the accusers found no fault with Jesus.
They had no cause to put Him to death.
He had done no crime, He knew no sin!
There was no evidence against Him.
With the facts clearly known the people persisted in their plot to kill Jesus. They hated Him because His life, His message, and His position were a threat to them.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He lived His life according to God’s perfect will...
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
All that Jesus did was because the Father willed it. Jesus didn’t seek His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him into this world!
III-Christ’s Sacrifice Was Perfect
III-Christ’s Sacrifice Was Perfect
His blood was a perfect sacrifice capable of cleansing us from sin...
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The sacrifice of our Lord was unique! He offered His own blood - blood from the veins of a man! But what a man! He was without blemish or spot!
In His birth, he did not receive the original sin because He had no earthly Father! He was pure. He was holy. And because of this, He was able to bear the sin of others because He had none of His own!
Spurgeon wrote, “The sacrifice of our Lord was, in the highest sense, substitutionary. Sin necessitates death. Jesus died. The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to earth to make reconciliation by the holiness of his life, or by the earnestness of his teaching, but by his death.”
He is the only perfect Savior because He has been made the only way to God and to His salvation...
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The pathway to salvation is narrow! We don’t get to create our own paths to God based on our own efforts or ideas!
God has provided one way to salvation and only one! And it’s found in Jesus Christ!
The gospel isn’t compatible with many ideas of salvation in the modern mind! In fact, the gospel is downright offensive to the modern ideas concerning salvation!
No matter what we may hear from Christians, teachers, preachers, philosophers, talk show hosts, or anyone else, the gospel of Jesus Christ is exclusive, there’s only one way and that’s through and by the blood of Jesus Christ!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Going back to our beginning today in Hebrews 2, What a gift!
The Son of God is our captain of salvation!
Christ was perfect in His birth, His life, and His sacrifice...
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
It was impossible for God to fully identify and thus fully sympathize with mankind apart from Christ’s incarnation and human experience. But now Christ’s perfection makes possible an unlimited capacity to sympathize with those exposed to troubles and temptations in this life.
Lewis Bayly, eloquently portrayed Christ’s willingness to embrace suffering, and his resulting ability to sympathize and lend assistance, through an imaginary dialogue between a redeemed soul and Christ, it says:
Soul. Lord, why did you let yourself be taken when you might have escaped your enemies?
Christ. That your spiritual enemies should not take you, and cast you into the prison of utter darkness.
Soul. Lord, why did you let yourself be bound?
Christ. That I might loose the cords of your iniquities.
Soul. Lord, why did you let yourself be lifted up upon a Cross?
Christ. That I might lift you up with Me to heaven.
Soul. Lord, why were your hands and feet nailed to the Cross?
Christ. To enlarge your hands to do the works of righteousness and to set your feet at liberty, to walk in the ways of peace.
Soul. Lord, why did you have your arms nailed wide?
Christ. That I might embrace you more lovingly.
Soul. Lord, why was your side opened with a spear?
Christ. That you might have a way to come near to My heart.
What wonders of tenderness and sympathy Christ’s incarnation and suffering have wrought!