Jesus: Our Perfect Substitute

Hebrews 2:10-18 Jesus: Our Perfect Substitute

Hebrews 2:10–18 KJV 1900

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. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Hebrews 2:10–18

Incarnation Death of Christ Death Temptation Atonement Temptation of Jesus Propitiation Satan is defeated Jesus' Death Satan

Jesus is our perfect substitute who suffered as a man to save us from Satan, death, and Sin.

Intro

Alright. Turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 2:10-18.

Hebrews 2:10–18 KJV 1900

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. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

The question we are going to be answering today is the most important question anyone could ever ask. And that is How are we forgiven?

If God is holy and just and righteous, how is it possible for him to simply forgive people?

I mean if every sin deserves condemnation under God’s wrath, then how can God still be holy and just while forgiving sinners?

If sin is disobedience and rebellion against God, and every sin deserves to be punished under his wrath, then how can a God who is holy, and just, and righteous simply forgive people?

The world says that there are all kinds of ways you can atone for our sin. You can be a good person, you can just be true to yourself, or you can even obey God enough to get him to love you.

But the Bible is clear. Death is the penalty that every single person deserves for our sin, and if God is just at all, he cannot allow even one sin to go unpunished because to do so would deny his holiness.

Death is the penalty that every single person deserves for our sin, and if God is just at all, he cannot allow even one sin to go unpunished because to do so would deny his holiness.

So I ask again, how is it possible that we sinful people can have our sins forgiven by a holy and just God?

And that is by putting our faith in Jesus as our perfect substitute who died in our place for our sins.

And that word substitute is so important to our Christian faith because if our sins are truly going to be forgiven by a holy and righteous God, they can’t be just glossed over or ignored.

The answer to that question is the focus of our passage today as we continue in .

So I ask again, how is it possible that we sinful people can have our sins forgiven by a holy and just God?

The answer to that question is the focus of our passage today as we continue in .

Immediately before our passage the author of Hebrews said in that today Jesus is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, and in his death, Christ tasted death for everyone who believes in him.

And in the rest of chapter two, the Author is going to explain exactly what that means. He’s going to lay out how Jesus’ death was an act of God’s grace that made it possible for a holy God to forgive sinners.

lays out why Jesus’ death and resurrection has the power to forgive sinners.

And my hope for us today is that we will be overwhelmed by God’s amazing grace and incredible love for us because he didn’t just ignore our sins and deny his holiness to forgive us.

Instead, God actually paid for our sins in full to wash us clean and declare us holy through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ.

His grace isn’t cheap. ​

Instead, God sent his own Son who was born as a man just like us to suffer and die in our place in order to pay for our sins.

You can try karma where you try to do more good things than bad in hopes that you can be a good person.

But how God sent his Son who was born as a man and willingly gave himself as a substitutionary sacrifice to pay for our sins so that God could perfectly execute his justice against sin, while at the same time forgiving guilty sinners.

Remember, it was us who sinned against God. And if each of us was required to pay for our own sins then every single one of us would need to suffer eternal death under God’s wrath.

And that is by putting our faith in Jesus as our perfect substitute who died in our place for our sins.

But the glory of the gospel is that God made a way. That because Jesus suffered and died as a man, he became mankind’s perfect substitute to pay for their sins, and everyone who trusts in him can be saved.

You can be true to yourself

The BIG IDEA of our passage, the thing that I want you to leave here today glorifying God for is that Jesus is able to save us from Satan, death, and sin because he is our perfect substitute.

And that word substitute is so important to our Christian faith because if our sins are truly going to be forgiven by a holy and righteous God, they can’t be just glossed over or ignored.

Death is the penalty that every single person deserves for our sin, and if God is just at all, he cannot allow even one sin to go unpunished because to do so would deny his holiness.

So I ask again, how is it possible that we sinful people can have our sins forgiven by a holy and just God?

And it all starts with point number one Jesus is our perfect substitute.

But with Christ as our substitute, he takes the wrath God has against us upon himself to pay our penalty for us. ​

I. Jesus is Our Perfect Substitute

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.

When the Author says he, for whom and by whom all things exist, the Author of Hebrews is talking about God the Father.

This is important for us to remember.

The work of salvation is a Trinitarian work.

Both the Father and the Son are unified in their will to save sinners.

Its not as if the Father would rather punish sin only for the Son to convince him not to.

The plan of salvation, from beginning to end, was the unified work of the Triune God.

All three persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, were all determined to save sinful man, and each play a role in our salvation.

The Father sent the Son to accomplish salvation on our behalf.

The Son willingly came to earth to live a sinless life, suffer and die on the cross, and rise again three days later to make salvation possible for everyone who believes in him.

The Spirit empowered Jesus to live this sinless life as a man so that he would be a pure sacrifice, and today he applies salvation to believer by opening their eyes to the truth of the gospel and giving life to their dead stony hearts.

Salvation is a Trinitarian work, and the author says that it was fitting for God to save us through the suffering of Jesus Christ.

That Jesus had to suffer for our sins.

That is what he meant by saying it was fitting.

He means that it was appropriate.

That it was consistent with God’s holy character and wisdom to bring many sons to glory, that is to save sinners, through the suffering of Jesus as their substitute.

This is why Jesus is called the founder of our salvation who was made perfect through suffering.

The word founder can also be translated as pioneer, leader, or pathfinder or trailblazer.

The main idea is that Jesus is our Pathfinder who stands at the head of his church and opens the way of salvation for us to follow.

Jesus is the founder of our salvation because he is the one who blazed the trail which alone can lead believers to forgiveness.

Jesus even said...

Enter by the narrow gate. ​ Matt 7:13-14

Matthew 7:13–14 KJV 1900

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

But Jesus found it for us. He blazed the trail of the narrow way and now leads us on the path to salvation through his suffering and death.

And the reason that Jesus is our trailblazer, the founder of our salvation, is because he was made perfect through suffering.

By saying that Jesus was made perfect, we do not mean that Jesus was somehow sinful or deficient.

After all, as God, Jesus was already perfect in himself.

The phrase that Jesus was made perfect simply means that the perfect and sinless Son of God became the perfect Savior for his people through his suffering and death.

That in his crucifixion, Jesus became the perfect founder of our salvation because his suffering as the sinless God Man actually, truly, and effectively accomplished salvation for us.

Phil 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 KJV 1900

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

As Paul said in And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Where we failed to obey God and instead sinned against him, Jesus perfectly obeyed God on our behalf.

He obeyed to the point of death so that in his death, he might pay the penalty of sin that we deserved.

Jesus was made perfect because he suffered and died as a man to pay for the sins of man.

In our sin, none of us could ever obey God enough to wipe out even one blot of sin or impurity from our life. And if God’s standard is Be Holy for I am Holy, then in ourselves we are doomed.

But the eternal Son of God became man and met God’s standard of perfect holiness for us. So that when he died on the cross, he didn’t have to die any of his own sin.

Instead, he died for the sins of his people as their perfect substitute, the founder of salvation.

The reason why Jesus was made perfect through suffering is because in his sinless life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection Christ proved to be the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins and our perfect Savior who dies in our place under God’s wrath, taking the judgement that we deserved upon himself.

served as our perfect sacrifice who took our place under God’s wrath to suffer the penalty for sin that you and I deserved so that through faith in him, we could be forgiven.

Jesus is our perfect substitute because it is only through his death that we can be forgiven. And because we are forgiven we are now his brothers...

II. Because Jesus Suffered as Our Perfect Substitute, We Are Now His Brothers

Heb 2:11-13

Hebrews 2:11–13 (KJV 1900)

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

These verses through the rest of the chapter go on to further explain why Christ is the perfect founder of our salvation.

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

He who sanctifies is Jesus and those who are sanctified are believers who put their faith in Christ as their perfect substitute. ​

To be sanctified means to be made holy.

And it would be a mistake to see this verse as talking about our sanctification, that is where we progressively grow to be more and more like Christ, although it does include that.

Instead, the author is saying that all those that Christ saves are made holy.

They are set apart for God as his holy people.

This is saying that when we put our faith in Jesus, God no longer sees us as sinners.

Our position in God’s Kingdom changes.

In Christ we are no longer God’s enemies who sin and rebel against him.

Instead we are now God’s sanctified children.

This helps us understand what the author meant by saying that Jesus and those who trust in him all have one source.

In Greek, that statement literally reads “all are of one” and basically that means that Christ and his people are from the same family.

Now some people take this to mean that we are all of Christ’s family because he became a man just like us in his incarnation.

As in we are all part of the one human family because Jesus became a man.

And while that’s true, I think the emphasis of this verse is that when Christ saves us, we become part of God’s family with him.

We become sons and daughters of the Father with the eternal Son of the Father.

That we are born again into God’s own family to be his holy people.

That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters.

And then the author gives us three Old Testament quotations to make this point clear.

The first quotation is from saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

No Christian in the first century would have failed to recognize Christ as the speaker in this Psalm.

Jesus himself quoted as he was dying on the cross at the moment he was paying for our sins under God’s wrath when he said “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

So early Christians recognized as a messianic Psalm that is ultimately about Christ and his salvation.

And where the first half of the Psalm is a psalm of lament, the second half is a psalm of praise.

And if Jesus is the one who offered prayers of lament on the cross in the first half, we should also recognize him as the one who offers prayers of praise in the second half in his exhalation.

This is where our Author’s quotation comes in saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

And here the once crucified, now exalted Christ says, “I will tell of your name to my brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

After starting off with prayers of lament, the second half of offers praise to God for his salvation.

So in this quotation, the Son is praying to the Father saying that he will tell his brothers about God’s glorious name.

Now who are these brothers? They are the ones who are in the congregation.

And the word congregation is translated from the word ekklesia which you might remember is the same word the NT uses for the church.

So the ones who the Son of God is not ashamed to call his brothers are the members of his church. They are those who believe in Christ and trust in him alone for salvation.

And when the Son sings God’s praise with his brothers, he is inviting them to join in celebrating God’s finished work of salvation in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Then the author quotes .

Ps 22:22 Isa 8:17-18

Psalm 22:22 KJV 1900

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Isaiah 8:17–18 (KJV 1900)

And I will wait upon the Lord, That hideth his face from the house of Jacob, And I will look for him.

Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me Are for signs and for wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

First he quotes which says, “I will put my trust in him.” And I will wait upon the Lord

Heb 2: 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Hebrews 2:13 KJV 1900

And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

First he quotes verse 17 which says, “I will put my trust in him.” And I will wait upon the Lord

To understand the meaning of this quote we need to understand its context.

Isaiah was called to be a prophet to the people of God, but the people refused to listen.

They did not turn back from their sin and it seemed like God’s salvation of his people would fail, but Isaiah continued entrusting himself to the Lord knowing that God would ultimately redeem his people.

In the same way, Jesus trusted God’s plan while he was on the earth even to the point of dying on the cross.

But the cross wasn’t the defeat of God’s salvation. It was the means to it. Jesus trusted in God and through his trust, saved his people through his death.

This leads to the third quote from . “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Because Jesus trusted Father and died for his people, God has entrusted to him the children of God. The sons and daughters of the Father.

Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers because through his death, we now share in his righteousness as members of God’s family.

Jesus is our Elder brother because he became a man to suffer and die in our place so that we could be made holy and become sons and daughters of the Living God!

That means that Jesus is our perfect substitute because his life, death, and resurrection actually made us a part of God’s family.

We aren’t on the outside looking in. Jesus has sanctified us through his death, and because we are now holy through faith in Christ, we enjoy God’s love as his sons and daughters instead of enduring his wrath as his enemies.

And this leads to point number 3...

III. Jesus Is Able to Save Us Because He Died as Our Perfect Substitute Heb 2:10-18

Hebrews 2:10–18 KJV 1900

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. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

If verse 10 talked about how God sent Christ to be our perfect substitute and verses 11-13 talked about what Jesus accomplished as our perfect substitute in forgiving us and making us sons and daughters of God, then verses 14-18 talk about how exactly that happens.

How does Christ actually take people who are sinners and enemies of God and make them sons and daughters of the Father?

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things...

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things

Christianity stands or falls on the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

For Christ to save sinners who are flesh and blood, he had to become flesh and blood himself.

Because it was humanity that sinned against God.

And since it was humanity that sinned against God, a human being had to die for sin.

How does Christ actually take people who are sinners and enemies of God and make them sons and daughters of the Father?

But not just any human being. A perfect and sinless human being.

The doctrine of the incarnation says that the eternal Son of God became a man in Jesus Christ. He emptied himself as Paul says in took on a human nature.

The eternal Son of God who created all things stepped into his creation in order to save his people by becoming like us.

Jesus got tired, was hungry, he ate, drank, slept, laughed, cried, felt grief and sorrow, and shared in all the things that humanity knows and experiences and yet, he was without sin.

But the incarnation by itself wasn’t enough to secure our forgiveness.

Yes Jesus had to live a sinless life, but we still had the problem of our own sin.

Our sin deserved God’s wrath and payment had to be made.

So Jesus became a man, not just to live a perfect sinless life, but to die on behalf of imperfect sinful people.

Only by taking upon himself our human nature could Christ truly be a perfect substitute to pay the sins of humanity.

And when Christ died as our perfect substitute, he saved us by destroying Satan, delivering us from death, and paying for our sins.

1. Jesus Destroyed Satan

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 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, Heb 2:15

Hebrews 2:15 (KJV 1900)

And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

First, let me tell you what the devil is not.

The devil is not equal with God. He is a created angel that grew proud and rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven until the time for his ultimate judgement when Christ returns.

Some people take it to the extreme where they blame him for every sin and evil thing in this world conveniently ignoring that we actively participate in our sin.

The Bible does not teach any concept of dualism. That is, God and Satan are not on equal ground warring over the souls of humanity.

Others minimize or trivialize him into little more than a cartoon character.

God is infinitely more powerful than Satan and his ultimate victory over him is assured.

However, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take the devil seriously as Christians.

The Bible says he is our enemy and he prowls the earth like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour while overseeing his demonic host.

Jesus even says he is the ruler of this world and his work is to deceive people and lead them away from the gospel of salvation so that they will suffer the same judgement that is destined for him and his demons.

But what does it mean that Satan has the power of death?

The Bible clearly teaches that it is God who holds life in his hand and Jesus says that he is the one who has the keys of death in .

Likewise, death was a result of God cursing Adam and Eve for their sin, so in what sense are we able to say does Satan holds the power of death?

2 Corinthians 4: 3-4

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 (KJV 1900)

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The god of this world is Satan and he blinds the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the gospel of Christ.

Satan has the power of death because he has the power to deceive people through temptation.

And if he is successful in blinding someone from the gospel and enslaving them to their sin until they die then they will suffer eternal death separated from God under his wrath.

But in his death, Jesus destroyed Satan, which literally means that he made the devil powerless.

In other words, Satan has the power of death because he has the power of sin.

He is able to keep people enslaved to their sins which will lead them to their eternal death and condemnation.

But in Christ’s death, Jesus destroyed Satan, which is literally translated as he made the devil powerless.

Because of Christ, Satan is now powerless against the children of God.

The prowling lion has been declawed.

He no longer has the teeth to devour and accuse God’s children of their sin because in Christ’s death Jesus took our condemnation upon himself.

By his death and resurrection, Christ made Satan powerless because he freed us from both the penalty of our sin, as well as our blindness and slavery to sin.

The truth has set us free.

In Christ we now know that eternal life is found God alone and that our sins will always leave us wanting.

This doesn’t mean that we will never struggle and give into sin, but it does mean that we no longer live for sin enslaved to Satan’s lies under God’s judgement.

This relates closely to the second way Jesus redeems us which is number 2...

2. Jesus Delivered Us From Death

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might... deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Death is a harsh reality that every human being faces because of our sin.

And the author of Hebrews says that we are subject to lifelong slavery through fear of death.

No matter how much we try to ignore it, death is always hanging over our heads.

We are always under the constant threat that we might die any second or lose the ones that we love the most.

And death is indeed the king of fear when we recognize death as the punishment our sin deserves because if we die in our sin, there is no chance for salvation.

Those that are outside of Christ should rightly fear death because if someone who is spiritually dead dies physically, then they will suffer eternal death in hell under God’s wrath.

But by the death of Christ, Jesus’ brothers and sisters are sanctified.

They no longer have to fear death.

They are made holy and death takes on a whole new meaning.

Christ’s death wasn’t defeat.

It was victory.

Christ died the death that we deserved so that when we die, we will not have to fear God’s judgement.

Instead, we can look forward to death knowing that when we die, we will finally be freed from our bondage to sin because we will put off the flesh, and be resurrected to live with Christ forever in perfect holiness.

Phil 1:21-23

Philippians 1:21–23 (KJV 1900)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

What Paul is saying is that the life God has given him is an opportunity to live for Christ and serve his kingdom.

But at the same time, Paul looks forward to when he can depart from this world and be with Christ. He even says it is far better than life on this earth.

This can be so hard for us to believe especially when we remember the pain and grief we feel when we lose those that we love, but the wonderful truth about the gospel is that death no longer has the last word for us.

Its just the next step towards the resurrection and eternal life in God’s kingdom.

Even though we all will die one day, we no longer need to live in fear as we once did because Jesus died our death. There is no more punishment left us.

Instead when we die, we will close our eyes in death one second, and open them the next to see Jesus’ glorious face.

What Paul said is true Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

And if that is true for us, then we can truly rejoice in our hope of the resurrection saying...

1 Corinthians 15:55

1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV 1900)

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

So Jesus became a man to die as our perfect substitute and in doing so he destroyed the devil, delivered us from death, and number three, Jesus saves us because he paid for our sins.

3. Jesus Paid for Our Sins

Heb 2:16-17

Hebrews 2:16–17 (KJV 1900)

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

When the author says for surely it is not the angels he helps, he is reemphasizing why Jesus needed to become a man.

He needed to become a man because he wasn’t trying to save angels, he was saving the offspring of Abraham.

And by the offspring of Abraham, that doesn’t just mean the Jewish people but anyone that has faith in Christ because Paul says in that it is those who have faith that are Abraham’s offspring.

And Jesus saves God’s children, the offspring of Abraham, by paying for their sins as a substitutionary sacrifice who absorbs God’s wrath so that we can be forgiven.

And in verse 17 the author drives home why Christ is our perfect substitute.

It wasn’t just that he destroyed the devil, or that he delivered us from the fear of death.

No. Christ also

In other words, Jesus became a man to suffer and die so that he would be able to help the children of faith and deliver them in salvation.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham... And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham... And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Heb 2:17

Hebrews 2:17 (KJV 1900)

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Notice that the Author says that Jesus “had to be made like his brothers in every respect.” He had to.

In other words, it was absolutely necessary.

In order for Jesus to conquer Satan, death, and sin he had to become a human being to die as a man.

No human being could ever approach God because our sin made it impossible for us to stand in God’s holy presence.

Instead we needed a mediator. Someone who could stand between us and God to reconcile us to him.

In the Old Testament these mediators were the priests would would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people to atone for their sins.

And the Author of Hebrews says that Jesus had to become a man just like us so that he could be our faithful high priest.

And just like the priests of the Old Testament would offer sacrifices for sin, Christ also offered a sacrifice on our behalf.

But unlike the old covenant priests, Christ didn’t offer lambs and goats. Instead he offered himself on the cross as our substitutionary sacrifice.

That’s what it means when the author says that Jesus, as our high priest, made propitiation for the sins of the people.

The word propitiation is extremely important to the meaning of Jesus’ work on the cross and has been highly debated in recent years.

Some theologians and pastors want this word translated as expiation which refers to the washing away of sin.

Expiation cancels our debt of sin as if it never happened.

And you might ask, well what’s so wrong with that? Doesn’t Jesus wash us clean and take away our sin? Yes and Amen.

The doctrine of Expiation is a biblical doctrine, but the problem in translating this word as expiation is that it doesn’t fully communicate exactly what this verse says Jesus accomplished in his death.

For that we need to use the word Propitiation.

What that means is that Christ’s death on the cross was a sacrifice that satisfied God’s wrath that he had against us.

The doctrine of propitiation answers the question How can a holy and just God forgive sin?

The answer is that at the cross, God poured out the wrath that he had against sinners onto his Son, Jesus. In doing so, God satisfies his holiness and justice because, in Christ, sin receives its full punishment.

And because Christ died as our substitute and paid the penalty that we deserved in his death, we can now be forgiven.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

What Peter is saying is that on the cross, Jesus took the sin of every person that would believe in him as his own.

That he bore our sins and died our death on the cross under God’s wrath. All so that we could die to our sin and have eternal life.

The doctrine of propitiation is central to the very heart of the gospel because it is how a holy God saves sinners.

If God did not fully pour out his wrath on Christ in our place to satisfy his righteousness, then he would not be able to justly declare us righteous in Christ.

In other words, unless God had poured out his wrath on Christ as our perfect substitute, he would still have wrath against us and we could not be forgiven.

But as God’s Word says, It is finished. God really did become a man in Jesus Christ, and while still remaining God, he was truly and fully human.

He suffered and died in order to make atonement for our sins.

As the perfect God Man, he lived sinless life and and did not have to die in payment for his own sins allowing his death to atone for the sins of everyone who believes in him as their perfect and sinless substitute.

And then the Author of Hebrews closes this chapter with a brief point of application in light of what Jesus accomplished in his incarnation, death, and resurrection.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

In order to understand this verse, we need to keep in mind the situation of the original audience.

The Hebrews are being tempted to give up following Jesus because they are facing intense persecution from every side of life.

So to encourage them, the author reminds them how

So after recounting how Jesus saved us through his own faithfulness under immense temptation, the Author encourages the Hebrews to look to Christ for help in their own faithfulness.

Jesus is not unfamiliar with their temptation and suffering.

He himself went through it.

And he even felt temptation in a greater degree than we can possibly experience because we eventually give in.

But Jesus endured the full limit, the full testing that temptation could offer and yet remained faithful.

And because of that, he is ready and willing to help us remain faithful as well.

So for us, that means when we face temptation and testing, we shouldn’t try to make it on our own.

Instead we should look to Christ remembering his own faithfulness and find encouragement that he is able to help us walk through our own temptation because he walked through it as our trailblazer and came through the other side victorious.

Conclusion

So, to close out this sermon, I want to bring this passage back down to earth.

We’ve talked a lot this morning about some pretty important doctrines.

God’s holy and just nature. Human sinfulness.

Christ’s incarnation and his nature as fully God and fully man.

And the Doctrine of the Atonement.

And what can tend to happen when we talk high theology is that we get so lost in it that we forget to apply it.

But biblical theology is always applied theology.

If the truths that we treasure don’t impact our lives, then what is the point?

So to end our time together, I want to help you clearly see why the doctrine of propitiation matters for your life.

Why it is such a glorious, wonderful truth of the gospel that we should treasure and not allow ourselves to see it as just some abstract theological concept.

Non Christians

First, for those that have not yet put their faith in Christ, this is how God invites you to be saved.

That if you put your faith in Christ today, Jesus can be your perfect substitute and you can be forgiven of your sin.

God does not have wrath against his children.

He is not angry or disappointed with you because all of your sins, every single one, was laid on Christ as your perfect substitute.

This is why the good news is so good. We really are forgiven.

We really are God’s children because he has paid for our sins and declared us righteous in Christ and Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

But I also what to speak to those that are not Christians.

Those that haven put all their faith and hope in Christ as their substitute.

Someone is going to pay for the sins you have committed. God cannot and will not ignore his holiness and just shove it aside to give you a pass.

It would go against his very nature and character.

There is only one way we can be forgiven and reconciled to God and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Being a good person won’t save you.

Coming from a Christian family won’t save you.

Going to church and being religious won’t even save you.

The only way you can be saved is through faith in Jesus and his substitutionary death on your behalf. ​

But Jesus’ substitutionary death is only substitutionary for God’s children.

Remember it is the offspring of Abraham that he helps, those that have put their faith in Christ and his life death and resurrection.

It is only those that put their faith in Christ that will have their sins paid for, but without faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection you are still in your sins and will face God’s wrath.

So I would plead with you.

Do not ignore your sin and stay one more moment under God’s wrath, but trust in Christ.

Put your faith in him as your substitute and become one of God’s beloved children.

So how do you do that? How do you become one of God’s children in Christ?

Jesus says that if you want to be forgiven, you need to be born again.

You must die to yourself and live for Christ.

That means Christ’s with Christ on the cross so that all your sins can be paid for through his death, and you could be given his righteousness as your own.

And you might ask, how do I do that?

How do I become one of God’s children and be forgiven of my sin?

John 1:12-13

John 1:12–13 (KJV 1900)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

If you want to be born again then all you must do is believe in Jesus.

To receive him as your Lord and Savior and follow him. ​

Finally, I want to close with one point of application the author of Hebrews gives us from the very last verse in this chapter. ​

Resist Temptation by Relying on Christ

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. ​

They are being tempted to give up following Jesus and return to judaism because of the growing persecution they are facing.

And after recounting how God has secured their salvation through Christ’s suffering unto death, the author wants to encourage the Hebrews to endure their own suffering by relying on Christ.

The word temptation here is probably better understood testing. Following the will of the Lord can be difficult.

We can be so tempted to shrink back from our faith and ​

Following Jesus means that we no longer want to give into our sin, but we want to obey the Lord out of love for him.

The only problem is that on this side of heaven, sin is still so tempting.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

But Jesus became a man and was made like us in every way so that he could serve as our merciful and high priest.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ​

. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Jesus became a man and was made like us in every way to so that he could serve as our perfect substitute to pay for our sins.

During his life on earth, Jesus faced temptation just like us. He was tempted to sin against God and go his own way but where we gave into temptation, Jesus resisted temptation and lived a sinless life.

Because of that, when we are tempted, we don’t have to face it alone, but can look to Jesus who sympathizes with our weakness and offers us his help.

So many Christians live as if God forgave them of all their sin, only to let them live the rest of their life trying to resist temptation on their own.

Jesus is our Perfect Substitute who Helps us when we are Tempted

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Now we could go to the passages that talk about the temptation of Christ in the wilderness where Satan came and tempted him to sin.

But here is the secret of obedience.

Its not about you trying hard enough to obey God.

Its about surrendering yourself to God’s will and saying God where you want me to go, that’s where I’m going to follow.

The problem is Jesus himself showed us this in the Garden of Gethsemane.

On the night before he was crucified Jesus went to the garden to pray.

By putting our faith in Christ, God removes us from his condemnation and wrath and instead sets his forgiveness and love on us and this salvation is available to anyone who comes to Jesus.

Matt 26:42-44

Matthew 26:42–44 (KJV 1900)

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Matt 26:43-44

Matthew 26:43–44 (KJV 1900)

And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

The problem is that Just like Adam was tempted in the Garden of Eden, Jesus as the Second Adam was tempted in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But where Adam gave into Satan’s temptation, Jesus resisted temptation and obeyed God to

Conclusion

He will never turn anyone away for any reason because his blood is a perfect sacrifice that is powerful enough to wash away every sin.

Believers

Now what about for believers? Even if we were saved 20 years ago, how does the doctrine of propitiation make a difference in our life today?

In the beginning of this sermon, I had said that my goal was for us to be overwhelmed at God’s amazing grace, and I think there are five ways this doctrine does that.

Christ’s Substitutionary Death:

1. Humbles us for our sinfulness

Christ having to become a man in order to die for our sins reinforces the sinfulness of man.

That means that we were so corrupted by our sin that we were utterly unable to do anything to save ourselves.

We bring nothing to the table of our salvation.

It is o by God’s grace.

And the fact that God had to go so far as to put his only precious Son to death in order to forgive us should show us how badly we needed a savior and how gracious God was in providing Jesus.

2. Invites us to worship God for who He is

Jesus’ substitutionary death shows us different aspects of God’s perfect character and the only fitting response we can have is worship.

In Christ’s death we see God’s holy righteousness.

He is so holy and pure that even one sin deserves his wrath and eternal condemnation.

So much so that in order to forgive us, a sacrifice for sin had to be provided.

But God is not only holy in his righteousness.

He is also holy in his love.

God is so loving that when our sin demanded a sacrifice to make atonement, God himself provided that sacrifice in his own Son.

Christ’s substitutionary death should draw our eyes up to God and praise him for his holiness and righteousness as well as his great love towards us in Christ.

3. Invites us to worship Christ for His work

It is only through Christ’s sacrifice that we can be saved.

Because Jesus lived a sinless life as a man, he could serve as our substitute in a way that animals and other sacrifices couldn’t.

He is perfectly righteous, so much so that his blood has infinite value and therefore, has the power to atone for the sins of all people for all time.

In his life death and resurrection Christ became our perfect sacrifice, the only savior who could truly and actually forgive us our sins.

4. Gives us assurance of our identity as God’s children

Because Christ’s sacrifice is perfect, we have eternal security in our relationship to God.

The basis of our relationship to the Father is not on our actions or obedience. It is based on Christ’s sacrificial death.

So even though our feelings might change where we start believing that God is far off rom us or that he is angry with us for disobeying him, the truth is that our identity as God’s children remains unshaken.

God does not have wrath against his children. He is not angry or disappointed with you because all of your sins, every single one, was laid on Christ as your perfect substitute.

In Christ, God has set his love on you.

This is why the good news is so good. We really are forgiven.

We really are God’s children because he has paid for our sins and declared us righteous in Christ and Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

5. Compels us to love God in obedience

Because God had to send his own Son to die, and because Jesus lived a sinless life in order to offer himself as our perfect substitute, and because the Spirit opens our eyes to see the gospel as the only way we can be saved, we can never take our salvation lightly.

Though God freely gives salvation to everyone who trusts in Christ, it doesn’t mean that God’s salvation came cheap.

It was infinitely costly because it cost God the ultimate sacrifice, his perfect Son.

Therefore, our lives should be lived in constant gratitude for what God has done.

God loved us in Christ, and we should love him in return by walking in obedience to him.

Jesus said If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

The gospel motivates our obedience. We don’t obey God to get him to love us.

We obey God because he has loved us in Christ.

Salvation should not be something that we are content to treat as common or familiar.

Instead we should see it as the amazing grace that it is and offer our lives to God as a living sacrifice.

Praise God that he sent Jesus to be our perfect substitute so that through faith in him, we could be saved from Satan, death, and sin.

Let’s Pray

Scripture Reading

1 John 4:9-10

1 John 4:9–10 (KJV 1900)

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God does not have wrath against his children. He is not angry or disappointed with you because all of your sins, every single one, was laid on Christ as your perfect substitute.

This is why the good news is so good.

We really are forgiven.

We really are God’s children because he has paid for our sins and declared us righteous in Christ and Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers. ​

Hebrews 2:10–18 (KJV 1900)

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.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

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;

And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.