Bringing Many Sons To Glory. (Hebrews 2:10-18)
Notes
Transcript
Opening
Opening
Good evening everyone. If you have your Bibles turn with me to Hebrews 2. Our area of study tonight will be on verses 10-18. But before we get started lets get a running start. Last time we looked at the first 9 verses of the chapter and we looked at the dangers of drifting. We saw the importance of a daily walk with Christ with intentionality to make sure we dont end up off course. We also looked at Jesus and how He is in charge of everything. So we cannot neglect the salvation He offers us through what He did on the cross. as a refresher verse 9 tells us Hebrews 2:9
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
We saw how low Jesus was truly brought in order to pay the penalty of sin for us all. The greatest cross cultural missionary the world has ever seen.
In 1995, music writer Stuart Townsend wrote a hymn. It is a well known hymn called How deep the fathers love. In this song he pens
How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
It once again brings the cross into our frame of mind. How much Jesus paid for our sin. But we see this interesting verse at the end. As wounds which mar the chosen one, bring many sons to glory. This quote seemed strange to me when I first heard it. Jesus wounds bring many sons to glory? What does that even mean? In Greek the word here for glory means splendor or unimaginable beauty, aka Heaven. So the wounds from the cross that Jesus still carries, as Travis says the only man made thing in Heaven are these wounds, bring His sons to glory. Notice the word sons is used in this song. This glory only applies to the sons and daughters of Christ. Once we have accepted the terms of the Gospel we will get to be a part of this future glory. Now this is just a song. A really well written song but where is the Biblical explanation of this? Well that where we pick up. Look with me at Hebrews 2:10
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.
Verse 9 we found out Jesus was crowned with this glory after his death and resurrection. Now in verse 10 it tells us it was fitting that Jesus, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. So we as sons and daughters on God have been brought to glory. But what does the second part mean? Should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering? Well this idea is covered a bunch more later in Hebrews. Its the idea that Jesus walked in our shoes. He experienced temptations, pain, sadness, loss, seeing His creation hating each other, and rejection. He faced all that yet without sin. But these sufferings He was made perfect in. And because of this suffering we see the concept that Jesus is now our Great High Priest who knows the things we struggle with. He understands how the enemy works to tempt us. He understands what it feels like to experience all these things. So no one would be able to defend us the way He can.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
Sanctification is this process of being made Holy. For He who sanctifies. This is Jesus. Those who are sanctified. That would be us believers. So Jesus and us have one source. Now what is that source? The source is the relationship of a son to God the father. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice we are called sons, who will be brought to glory with Jesus. Because of our identity being found in Christ once we are saved, Jesus isn’t shamed to call us His brothers. Think about that. In spite of our unworthiness and sin Jesus, who is the only reason we have a relationship with the father, isn’t ashamed of us. If you are like me there has been plenty of moments in my life where even I have felt ashamed of myself and that I wouldnt want to be associated with myself. But Jesus didnt only pay the price of death on a cross for us, He is also not ashamed to call us brothers. Only Jesus could have that amount of grace. As He was on this cross He says, Father forgive them! They know not what they do. As He was taking on the weight of the sin He cried that out. If I was experiencing the kind of agony Jesus was on the cross I dont think this is something I would be able to say. He saw our sin, carried our sin, and still calls us brothers.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
12“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
The author has been talking about the importance of Jesus being our salvations o I think it is no coincidence the author decides to quote Psalms 22. this psalm is of course a prophetic Psalm about Jesus on the cross. Written hundreds of years before crucifixion was even invented. Jesus would quote it as one of His 7 statements from the cross. My God my God! Why have you forsaken me! He wanted to draw our attention to it. Now the author of Hebrews is doing the same. He wants us to to look to the chapter for a purpose. So lets dive in. Psalms 22
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
Lets briefly pause here. If we look at verse 13 in Hebrews 2 it says I will put my trust in Him. We also see this concept in 2 Samuel 22:3
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
That chapter also continues talking about death approaching and entangling him. Look at verse 7.
English Standard Version Chapter 22
7 “In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.
The entire chapter is incredible and if I had more time I would go deeper into it. But I would encourage you all read it on your own time with the lens from Hebrews chapter 2.
Same with Psalms 22. For the sake of time I am going to skip ahead to verse 22 but this chapter is so eye opening especially when you look at it through the lens of Jesus on the cross and these Hebrews concepts.
English Standard Version Psalm 22
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
This is whats Hebrews 2:12 is a direct quote from.
saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
I now want to finish the chapter of Psalms 22 because I think we can learn some more things from the end of it. Its not an accident that this is mentioned.
English Standard Version Psalm 22
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
If we look at this, the beginning of the chapter is all about the agony Jesus is in on the cross. But we see a switch up. It goes from that to David writing that we need to praise the Lord. Notice in verse 23 we are called to Glorify Him. We looked at how Jesus is going to glorify us but this is a different glory. When we are brought to glory it will be us brought into Heaven. When it says Glorify Him this is talking about how we need to boast on Jesus’s glory. We get to be witnesses like Acts 1:8 says.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
So the result of what Jesus did is now we glorify Him through worship and living for Him like Psalms 22 says, but we also have a job to boast on His glory with others.
Alright lets pick back up in Hebrews and look at verse 14 and 15.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
14 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, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
We see a therefore. Here is refers to the human nature of Jesus. Because Jesus became human, therefore we “His children” share in flesh and blood with Jesus. Not that we necessarily share in exact DNA as Jesus, but He became a man and we share that common bond with Jesus. It continues that He likewise partook of the same things. Of course it talks about this in.Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
The difference here is Jesus didn’t sin when He was faced with the same things that we were. verse 12 here in chapter 2 continues
that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil
This was the ultimate goal of Jesus on the cross. To defeat death, and in doing so defeat the one who has the power of death, Satan. And by defeating Satan he delivers on the promise made in Genesis 3 of a deliverer. Verse 15 tells us that we were subject to lifelong slavery to sin and death. But by defeating Satan and Death all of a sudden we are delivered from this. Now once we accept the term of the Gospel we are free from this life of slavery. Now we have hope, and we have a purpose here on earth. Now we get back briefly into the topic of Angels. Hebrews has already made 2 things clear. That Jesus is different and greater than the Angels. Jesus created the angels for a purpose. What is that purpose? To serve God and Humanity. We are actually greater than the angels according to the Bible. But verse 16 tells us this with more clarity.
English Standard Version Chapter 2
16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
Jesus didn’t come to earth to help the angels, but us. Angels cannot grasp salvation because once an angel fell away there is no way for it to be redeemed. And the ones who follow God never left so they dont need salvation. Jesus came to help us the offspring of Abraham, but why did He have to become an offspring of Abraham in order to do that?
English Standard Version Chapter 2
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Now we really begin to dive into this concept of Jesus being our great high priest. He had to be made like us, so He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. I think it can be rather difficult to defend or understand something that you dont know much about. Someone who hasn’t struggled with addiction doesnt understand the chains that come with it. Someone who hasnt lost a loved one doesnt understand the pain that comes with that. Jesus by becoming like us now understands those things that we struggle with. By being made like us He is able to become merciful, and faithful. While He was on the cross He fully experienced each and everyone bit of all our sin. He knows what He died for, for each of us. Everything we have and ever will do that is a sin. For because He Himself has suffered when tempted He is able to help those who are being tempted. I think this is incredibly comforting. That Jesus can help us when we are tempted. That Jesus, the only person to fully resist every temptation, can help us through the very same things. How? Through His Word, and the Holy Spirit within us, and time with Him. So now what is this task we are called to that I mentioned earlier? We are called to be Jesus’s witness. We are called to continual sanctification, and bringing others along with us through the process. We are called like Psalms 22 writes, to worship, glorify, tell of His name to our brothers, praise him, and spend our lives serving him. As bondslaves to Him in freedom instead of being chained slaves to death and sin.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer;
But this I know with all my heart –
His wounds have paid my ransom.
