7) Hebrews - The Perfect Offering
Notes
Transcript
“Be Reconciled to God” Root of Fruit Sin addressed “Unbelief, Pride, Selfishness”
Gathering
Fires / Families / Prayer / After Service
What a weekend. It is an understatement to say that this weekend has been devastating to the communities of Medical Lake, Elk and others. Many have asked how we can help and we will be gathering for a meal after church and everyone is welcome to join us. We will spend some time in prayer and brainstorming on ways we can come alonside some of the families that have been affected by the fires. Our Call to worship this morning is Ps 23
Hand Out-Catechism - Reading Plan
Call to Worship
A psalm of David. 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
Corporate Prayer -
Worship through Song
Scripture Reading
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Worship through Song
Worship through Song
Sermon
Prayer
Introduction
Introduction
Atonement
What is atonement? What does atonement mean? It is one of those words used in church that I believe many people, even myself, take a long time to get their minds rapped around. The word floats in and out of sermons at times and in some churches it will never be used or explained.
I think the first two chapters of Hebrews gives us a great place to go to see all of the pieces and parts that are part of the atonement of men to God.
So what is atonement?
Atonement: to propitiate
Was that helpful? Most have probably heard of atonement but there are a whole lot less that have heard of the word propitiate.
It means: to appease an offended party’s wrath (for some wrongdoing) in order to regain goodwill; normally accomplished by making sacrifice to an offended deity.
This may sound complicated but you may notice that we do this all the time. You make a mistake, you hurt someone, you offend someone and you attempt to make amends by giving something to regain a position of favor with them.
The author gave this warning at the beginning of chapter 2
1 For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.
He says we have heard the message that Jesus spoke. He claimed that men and women could be saved and be reconciled back to God. This message was confirmed by God through the signs and miracles. He does not want anyone to miss the message that Christ has given.
He has communicated what Jesus has accomplished and where he sits today.
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.
As God’s spokesman, the inheriter of all things, he is the radiance of God's glory and the imprint of his God’s nature. He mediated for man and performed the ceremonial rights of purification and after that He establishes who Jesus Christ is and what he has accomplished and where he sits today at the right hand of God. The position of authority.
After the warning not to miss the message he writes about the lost dominion of man. Through the disobedience of Adam all men have a nature that is sinful. A corrupted human nature that is unable to submit to God. And because of this humanity has lost its dominion over the world. He says that we have lost the position of honor but it will be returned but until then he says we see Jesus.
5 For he has not subjected to angels the world to come that we are talking about. 6 But someone somewhere has testified: What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him? 7 You made him lower than the angels for a short time; you crowned him with glory and honor 8 and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.
We see Jesus and he was made lower than the angels for a short time. This speaks of the incarnation of Christ. When Jesus takes on a second nature. A nature of humanity. And for what purpose. That purpose is that he may die. That he might taste or experience death for everyone. This is what has been accomplished and what the author writes about in the beginning of chapter 1.
Why did Jesus have to take on a second nature? Why did he have to die? Remember the definition of atonement. There is a party that has been offended by another party and now there is wrath and separation. Man is the offending party. By the sin of Adam and the sins of every person after, God’s wrath has been earned.
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
For the wages of sin is death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s wrath has been earned but God’s love has not wavered. See all have sinned but hear what Paul says.
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
There is man where he is. Where he will be and there is God where he has always been. And man offends God by disobedience and incurred gilt and wrath. But all of that is atoned for through the life and death of Christ.
The sacrifice of Christ.He was brought lower for a little while so that he may taste death for everyone. So that he could be the atoning sacrifice.
And because of this, God’s love that has been the cause of the atonement is shown on the cross. Faith in the work of Jesus on the cross has appeased the wrath of God and those that believe have regained God’s goodwill. And because of this:
Spurgeon writes:
Hebrews Seeing Jesus Is a Cause of Exultation
You are not condemned, for He is enthroned. You are not despised nor abhorred, for He is beloved and exalted. You are not in jeopardy of perishing, nor in danger of being cast away, for He dwells eternally in the bosom of the Lord God Almighty. What a vision is this for you, when you see Jesus, and see yourself complete in him, perfect in Christ Jesus!
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus is the Pioneer
Jesus is the Pioneer
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.
To bring men and women back into glory to bring back what was lost through disobedience, it was appropriate or fitting that God should make the trailblazer of humanities salvation through sufferings.
Notice that he calls those that are saved as children. Of all of the different ways that our relationship with God could be described. We are called children. And the children are brought from one place to another from the place of wrath and separation to the place of fellowship and glory.
And it is in line with God’s character to make Jesus suffer in order for salvation to be perfected or for salvation to be without blemish or flaw. For if there was any incompleteness on the cross another sacrifice would have been needed but this was not the case.
Jesus is the pioneer or trailblazer. It means to lead the way into a new place or institution. Where Jesus was going was someplace that no one had ever gone before. and after he went there he brought salvation to those who have been called into that place with him.
And because this salvation is made perfect and flawless we must be wary of changing it or modifying it in anyway as many do today and have always done. People have bent the gospel to their own selfish ways and man have suffered that consequences of following that. We must present and affirm the only true good news of Jesus.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him!
Jesus Makes us Holy
Jesus Makes us Holy
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.
The word translated here into sanctifies means to make something dedicated to God. By making something more distinct or separate, more devoted or morally pure. There were things that were set apart for Holy uses for God. and we see that men and women are to be set apart for Holy purposes.
It is Jesus who makes men holy by his sacrifice and the righteousness imputed or put on man we are in a position of holiness. But as we live in the world, even though we have the position of holiness we still have a progression of holiness. That through the work of the Holy Spirit men and women are made more and more into people who are like the sanctifier himself, Jesus.
Because of this Jesus is not ashamed to call the saved brothers and sisters. They have been truly made holy and Jesus affirms this by calling us brothers and sisters without any shame at all. Think of the separation between man and Jesus before a person is saved. A life of selfish ambition who only strives for what is beneficial to themselves. Think of all of the hideous things people do in the world and that we have done in our pasts and when a person is sanctified, made holy, by Jesus he says that all of that is gone and what is left is clean and can truly be called holy.
This is hard for us to grasp because guess what we still are working out our salvation and we have said and done things even in the last 24 hours that we are ashamed of. That we know are not holy actions that we know are not worthy of God’s use. In practice we are not completely holy but in our new nature we are perfectly holy.
14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
There is a unity with Christ that is something that we should cherish. We are not separate from him but one with him. And since he took on a human nature that we also share in that nature. He is the fullness of man and the example of men.
Then author then quotes
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the assembly.
In the Hebrew it speaks of praising God in the assembly and in the greek the author uses the word hymneo which mean to sing words of praise to God which is where we get the word hymns. The author is attributing this quote to Jesus and that is is he who proclaims God’s name to his brothers and sisters. Jesus never refered to anyone as a brother or sister before his death.
Without the redeeming work of the cross men could not be brothers or sister with Christ Spiritually. It was the work of the cross and only the work of the cross. Jesus had died. Everyone was distraught and then we see one of the first reactions with Jesus.
8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell his disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came up, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”
We are set apart for holy uses but how often to we submit to unholy acts. God cannot use what is not holy.
13 Again, I will trust in him. And again, Here I am with the children God gave me.
Spurgeon wrote this:
Hebrews Exposition
The pith of the quotation is that Jesus Christ put His trust in God. That is to say, He was a partaker of our faith. It is by faith that we are justified; it is by faith that we overcome the world; it is by faith that we do everything. Had Jesus such a faith as that? Yes, He had. It was by His faith that He vanquished the adversary in that triple duel in the wilderness; it was by faith that He prevailed in prayer on the lone mountainside; it was by faith that He went up to the cross alone, by Himself, for His people. I will go further, and say that Jesus Christ is still to us the greatest exemplar of faith. “What!” you exclaim, “in heaven, is He still our greatest Exemplar of faith?” Yes: “From now on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet” (Heb 10:13). And what is expectation based upon but upon faith?
Moreover, our blessed Lord is always engaged in intercessory prayer. Remember this text: “Ask from me and I will make the nations your heritage” (Ps 2:8). He is asking, and He is asking in faith. And the life of Christ now, concerning His coming, and His kingdom, and the ultimate triumph of His righteous cause, is still an exhibition of faith; and this makes Him very near of kin to us.
Our faith and trust is in the promises and the character of God. Since God is unchanging and holy and cannot lie then he is completely trustworthy and it is where we but out trust and Jesus is affirming the trustworthiness of God.
26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is Flesh and Blood
Jesus is Flesh and Blood
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.
The word used to translate into the word common is Koinonia which means to have fellowship, communion or partnership. All of the children here have flesh and blood in common. The angels to not share this with us but the children do. But Jesus as the second person of the God head did not have this in common with men. He did not have flesh and blood. the word here is metecho which means to take on something that is not naturally one’s own kind.
Jesus willingly took on the nature of humanity and shared flesh and blood and physical body. So that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death. The Devil.
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
It was the devil that brought the temptation to Eve and then to Adam to disobey God. As that disobedience was being committed a consequence of that was man would now die. and the sting or the trouble with that is that there is a judgment that comes at the end. A judgement that every person will stand before the holy God and receive their just punishment or just blessing. However there is no just blessing for man on his own. Because all he has is sin.
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
There is no fear in death if a person can stand before God and be found blameless. It is the believer who has put their faith in Jesus that can stand in this world without fear of death for the sole reason that they know their sin has been dealt with and the penalty for all of their wrong doing has been atoned for.
Jesus shared in the physical body and nature of man so that he could pass through death and then bring the children of God through death with him.
Satan’s greatest power is death. And it is used to lead people astray all the time.
But we get to rejoice in the fact that though we will most likly die one day in our physical bodies. That we will not feel the sting of death as our savior has paved the way for us to experience the love and joy of being with Christ.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
When it says that he might destroy the devil it is not speaking of ending satan as a being. There is no evidence that angel can die or ever will die. But what Jesus did was to take away the power of satan so that he no longer has control of people.
By atoning for man and appeasing God’s wrath Jesus took away the sting of death.
5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the Atonement Offering
Jesus is the Atonement Offering
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.
There is no reconciliation for the fallen angels on for fallen man, to help Abraham's offspring. Because of this Jesus had to be like man in every way. It was what was required for him to sit as high priest as a merciful and faithful mediator for men to God. To be the mediator between man and God and to be the offering to God as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people.
The Gospel message of Jesus is that sinful man was without hope to sit in judgement and receive the wrath of God because that is what they earned.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The authors ends this section with
Jesus is the Sympathetic Savior
Jesus is the Sympathetic Savior
18 For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
Jesus suffered when he was tempted. The word here means to be tested v. — to be put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of someone, including imperfections, faults, or other qualities.
Jesus was tested and tempted he went through many trials and the word here is the same word used in James that tells us where the testing comes from.
13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14 But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. 15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
God does not temp anyone. Trial come and they test each and every person. On a daily basis. We have trials of relationships, and money, health, in our priorities and affections. The person is drawn away by their own evil desire which is conceived into sin and then death.
Jesus was tempted but his human nature did not have the fallen nature of sin that we have. The sinful nature was not something that Christ has. Therefore as trial and afflictions came on him, because he did not have his own evil desires he was not drawn away into sin like we are.
Jesus experienced humanity in all ways that man is tested. He felt physical tests like hunger, thirst, fatigue, exhaustion. He probably stubbed his toe a time or two. He felt true emotional experiences of love, excitement, anger, sadness, grief and more. He was overcome and wept for future events to come. He felt compassion for the sick and ill. He has been tested in all ways.
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.
But we must be careful here in this verse in how we read our own experiences into this verse. If Jesus was tempted like I am then he must feel the way I do. If i walk by that cookie on the table or that drink or that woman or man. I am drawn to it and I have to fight against that temptation then Jesus must feel the same way. Who here has a sin nature? I do. Does Jesus? No. He is holy and pure. He perfectly obeyed the law and never desired to disobey God in his trial. In his hunger he never said maybe just this once I … or in his anger God can I just end this. He did not have desires to disobey God.
Remember Jesus spoke of the sin in a persons heart. that lust is adultery that hate is murder. If he spoke the truth then those were also not part of him.
He sympathizes with our weakness Physical and emotional position in this world. not our sinful desires, not our pride, lusts, and desires. We must not believe that Jesus partook in the lust of man. To believe that is to believe that God and Evil can be together. Jesus still carried the nature of God. If we humanize Jesus in our fleshly nature then we fail to recognizes Christs perfection and the perfection that was needed for atonement to happen.
But some would say if Jesus does not have the same desire I have then how does he know what I am going through. That is a selfish question. The question is. If Jesus only has desire to do the will of God, what did he actually experience.
Spurgeon said it this way:
Hebrews Exposition
Many persons are tempted, but do not suffer in being tempted. When ungodly men are tempted, the bait is to their taste, and they swallow it greedily. Temptation is a pleasure to them; indeed, they sometimes tempt the devil to tempt them. They are drawn aside of their own lusts and enticed; so that temptation, instead of being suffering to them, becomes a horrible source of pleasure. But good men suffer when they are tempted, and the better they are the more they suffer.
MacAurther adds this:
Hebrews: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Our Sympathizer
Jesus felt everything we will ever feel—and more. For example, He felt temptation to a degree that we could not possibly experience. Most of us never know the full degree of resistible temptation, simply because we usually succumb long before that degree is reached. But since Jesus never sinned, He took the full measure of every temptation that came to Him. And He was victorious in every trial.
The reality is that until a person does not have a sinful nature and experiences this world at the same time it is not possible to quantify and understand what Jesus experienced. What we know is the outcome of that experience. that experience made him perfectly sympathetic as a high priest and in also being tested in every way that the law requires he met the requirements of the atoning offering to God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
the author closes this first section about Jesus as being superior to the angels with this great description of the Work of Christ. As we share the Gospel and Good News with the people around us we must always bring the whole Gospel forward. Until a person starts to deal with their sin, there is no faith in Jesus. There is no need of a savior. He is treated as a wishful helper not a perfect substitution for a persons transgressions.
Our savior has made a way for us to be redeemed and reconciled to the loving God. How do you respond?
Our savior is the mediator between you and God and it the means for being sanctified. How do you respond?
Our savior calls us brothers and sisters. We are adopted children of God. How do you respond?
Our savior is the atoning offering given to God to remove his wrath and to bring us into his good will. How do you respond?
Our savior is sympathetic and understands each and every weakness that we have. How do you respond?
Those that are saved should rejoice and be spurred on into seeking out his will through his word and living as holy people used by a holy God for Holy purposes.
Those who have not put their faith in Jesus as their Lord and savior it is my hope that you see your need for him. For his saving work on the cross. If this is you I would love to speak with you about this.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.