Why the Son of God Became Man (Part 2)

Worship Service

Welcome and Purpose — Derick

Silence

Prayer of Praise — led by Ric

Scriptural Call to Worship (Isaiah 55:1-3) — read by Derwin

Song: “O Come All You Unfaithful” — led by Music Team

Prayer of Confession — led by Aldrin

Scriptural Assurance of Pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7) — read by Aldrin

Song: “We are the Free” — led by Music Team

Song: “Living Hope” — led by Music Team

Prayer of Thanks — led by Vener

Giving of Offerings — served by ushers

Song: “I Surrender All” — led by Music Team

Pastoral Announcements — led by Marlon

Prayer of Petition — led by Marlon

Reading of Sermon Text (Hebrews 2:14-18) — read by Derick

SERMON — preached by Derick

Song: “His Mercy is More” — led by Music Team

Silence

Benediction & Doxology

Sermon

Introduction

Tapos na ang Pasko. Pero bukod sa mga pagkaing hindi matapos-tapos, hindi rin matatapos ang pangangailangan natin kay Cristo. Kaya hindi rin dapat matapos na pag-usapan, pag-aralan, kilalanin at tingnan si Cristo. Naparito si Cristo dahil makasalanan tayo. Matt. 1:21. Jesus, he will save his people from their sins. Ang pagdating ni Cristo ay nagpapatunay hindi ng halaga o value o worth natin, kundi ng laki ng kasalanan natin, ng laki ng pangangailangan natin, at ng katotohanang wala nang ibang makatutugon dun maliban kay Cristo.

Makasalanan tayo, banal ang Diyos, si Cristo na naparito at naging tao ay wala ring kasalanan. Kaya siguro nag-aalinlangan tayong lumapit sa kanya. Kapag may iniinvite tayo na kaibigan natin, nag-aalinlangan kasi baka mga banal lang daw ang pwede sa church natin. E makasalanan din naman tayo! E paano pa kung paglapit kay Cristo ang pag-uusapan? Kahit nga tayo, alam nating pinatawad na tayo, nag-aalinlangan pa rin siguro. Kasi akala natin hindi siya approachable, akala natin kailangang patunayan pa natin ang sarili natin na hindi na tayo nahuhulog sa tukso, na okay na ang maturity natin sa discipleship. Nag-iistruggle tayo sa relasyon natin kay Cristo dahil mali ang pagkakilala natin sa kanya, o kaya ay deficient. Naniniwala tayo na totoong Diyos siya, totoong banal at walang bahid kasalanan, pero di ba’t naniniwala tayong siya’y totoong tao rin na tulad natin?

Review sermon last Friday

The incarnation - ibig sabihin he is fully man. Heb. 2:14, 17.

Christ is the help we need, ang tulong o saklolo na kailangan natin. (v. 16)

Now, what help do we need? And how does the incarnation of the Son of God ensures that we will get the help we need?

I. Christ helps us conquer death (vv. 14-15). Last Friday.

II. Christ helps us conquer sin (vv. 17-18). Today.

The incarnation

Therefore. Connects v. 17 with v. 16. In order to help us he had to be made like us. He had to be made like (homoioo) his brothers. Necessity. Like debt na kailangang bayaran, or obligasyon na kailangang gawin. Of course, hindi obligado ang Diyos na iligtas tayo. Pero dahil itinali niya ang kanyang sarili sa pamamagitan ng isang sumpa, ng pangako, at ito ang plano niya sa simula’t simula pa, kaya kinakailangan ang incarnation, no other way. At kung no other way, at kailangang maging tao ang Anak ng Diyos, he must go all the way! Hindi pwedeng kalahati lang. In every respect. Fully human. Chalcedonian Definition: "the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [coessential] with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin."

Fully human, without sin (Heb. 4:15). Sin not essential to humanity, problem of humanity, need to be dealt with, taken away. Kung may kasalanan siya, e di kailangan rin niya ng savior! Unlike mga high priests sa OT (Heb. 5:3). Without sin, but he experienced temptations and sufferings. Connected, he himself has suffered when tempted (v. 18). By the devil, the Tempter. He suffered "all the time that he lived on earth, but especially at the end of his life" (HC Q37). Not just by the devil. But by his family nung hindi sila naniwala sa kanya. Yung mga religious leaders. Ng mga beneficiaries ng miracles niya. Pati ng mga disciples niya. To bypass God’s plan, to make shortcuts, to compromise, to doubt, lumihis sa kalooban ng Diyos. Pero hindi siya nagkasala kahit isa.

Some object: paano niya masasabing naiintindihan niya ang kalagayan natin kung di naman niya naranasan ang kasalanan? Because he is human, his temptations are real temptations. His sufferings as a result of that are real sufferings. Unlike us, parang marupok na rubber band, konting pressure lang, bumigay na agad. His sufferings are more intense, more pressures caused by temptations without giving up, enduring everything, without failing, without sinning. That qualifies him as our perfect mediator.  Fully human, tempted, suffered, without sin.

Three purposes of the incarnation related to sin:

Purpose 1: to become our high priest

In OT, priests to bring sinners to a holy God. If he did not become human, he cannot be a high priest ("chosen from among men," 5:1), cannot be a mediator between us and God. 1 Tim. 2:5, "the man Jesus Christ." 4:15. In the service of God, lit. "for God." To serve God’s purposes - bring sinners to him.

Merciful, in relation to us. "Able to symphatize with our weakness" (Heb. 4:15). See Gentle and Lowly, p. 46. As a human high priest, "he can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness" (Heb. 5:2). See Gentle and Lowly, pp. 54-55.

"One who lays all the miseries of his people to heart, so caring for them, to relieve them" (Owen, Hebrews). Not just willing, but able. Parang sympathy sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo.

Faithful, in relation to God (5:1) and his role as mediator, to do what God requires to satisfy his justice in saving sinners, fully obedient. Not just in dying, but in living a perfectly righteous life, for he will have to offer himself blameless before God.

Purpose 2: to make propitiation

Four occurrences of this word "propitiation" in the NT, here and in 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10; Rom. 3:25. Not merely atoning sacrifice. But taking away God's wrath against sin. Sin is our problem yes, for the sins of the people. But the wrath of God our bigger problem. If God can just set aside sin, we will be fine. But he cannot. For he is righteous and just and holy. Sin must be paid for. His justice satisfied. His wrath pacified. Christ did that by dying on the cross. He cannot die if he did not become human. He cannot be propitiatory sacrifice if he did not incarnate. The incarnation necessary on account of our sin. The incarnation necessary in order to deal with our sin, and the wrath of God our sins deserved.

The people, in context must mean God's people, Christ's "brothers." He died for us. "Offered once to bear the sins of many" (9:28). He had to become man in order to redeem man. "To state it in the language of the early church, the Son had to become flesh because 'he could not redeem what he did not assume.' Representation requires identification. If the Son did not become one with us in every way, he could not redeem us in every way" (Christ Alone, 119). Anselm, Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man), on payment of our debts to God. Tao ang dapat magbayad dahil tao ang nagkasala. Diyos lang ang makagagawa dahil sa laki ng pagkakautang natin sa Diyos. Only Son incarnate can do that.

Hindi lang siya high priest, siya rin yung sacrificial offering, offering himself.

Purpose 3: to help us in our temptations

able to help, "moral power, not natural power. It is not the power of the hand, but the power of the heart and will, an ability of having a prepared mind..." (John Owen); because he became human, he suffered what we suffered, tempted as we are. But unlike us, without sin, so he doesn't need the help we need (4:15; 5:3). Different "sympathy" we have with other sufferers. We are fellow sinners. Christ is without sin. Hindi lang basta emotional sympathy. Like to those affected by typhoon. But Jesus, he can really help us, to keep believing, to endure, to stand strong, to rise up when we fall, to reach the finish line. Not just willing to help, but able to help. He came to our rescue on the cross, and because of that, the rescue we need daily he still provides for us, he remains our high priest forever. His hands holding us still, he won't let us go.

See Christ Alone, p. 120.

What do we need? Three: strength, consolation, deliverance (Owen).

How are these three purposes connected? He cannot help us in times of temptations if he failed to deal with our sins. He cannot deal with our sins if he did not become our high priest. 

Why Christ's full humanity necessary? He cannot be our high priest, our propitiatory sacrifice and the help we need in times of temptations if he did not incarnate.

Implications? Christ is the help we need. In our sins, in our temptations, in our sufferings. Wag mong isiping malayo siya, nasa langit siya, Diyos kasi siya kaya hindi niya naiintindihan o nararamdaman ang mga dinaranas mo. Yes, he is God. But he is also human. Not just in his time here on earth. But until now in heaven, and for all eternity.

So, come...Gentle and Lowly, p. 57.