The Savior
Texts from Hebrews
December 25, 2019
Every year the Christmas sermon presents a special challenge for me.
On one hand I like to study through books of the Bible, not just because it PRESELECTS MY TEXT for me but because IT ALSO NARROWS MY FOCUS.
When I get an opportunity like on a Christmas morning to just
Sort of “pick one” it quickly becomes an overload for my brain.
There is so much that could be said.
There is so much that could be focused on.
There is simply so much to be said about Him!
• We have before us One who was very nature God
• Who then set aside His glory and fame that He might become human
• He lived a righteous life, perfectly fulfilling God’s Law
• And then laid that life down on a cross that He might take upon Himself our sin while imputing to us the righteousness which He had earned.
As Bob Kauflin put it:
“You slept beneath the stars You named and numbered, were tempted in a desert You designed. You faithfully obeyed the Law You authored. The King left His throne behind.
You washed the feet of those who called You Master, and fed the multitudes with truth and bread. You shared the feast with harlots and with sinners, and loved those who sought Your death.
Without a word You faced the accusations, and joyfully You bore the bitter cross. The innocent received our condemnation and paid for the rebel’s cost.”
Glorious, Lord You are glorious!”
https://sovereigngracemusic.org/music/songs/glorious-2/
How can you say enough about such a wonderful Savior?
And indeed we can’t.
But this morning, in our efforts to honor Him
We want to focus in on Him as our great Savior.
Before He was born when God was commanding Joseph to marry Mary, He told him:
Matthew 1:20-21 “But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Upon His birth the angels appeared to the shepherds and proclaimed:
Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
When the Christ child was carried into the temple for circumcision it was the faithful saint Simeon who said:
Luke 2:29-30 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation,”
The consensus is clear.
Jesus came to save.
And this morning in our brief time together I simply want to
CONTEMPLATE SEVERAL OF THE ASPECTS OF HIS SALVATION.
To do that we are going to take a quick tour
Through a few passages in the book of Hebrews.
We studied through the book of Hebrews several years ago and saw how emphatic the author was that JESUS WAS GREATER than any other thing we could have ever hoped for or trusted in.
• He is greater than the angels
• He is greater than Moses
• He is greater than Aaron
• He is greater than the Law
He is the Savior!
And in the book of Hebrews there are 7 PASSAGES where the writer of Hebrews makes specific mention of the fact that
In order to save; Jesus became human.
The incarnation is of huge significance
To our understanding of His saving work.
Now certainly we don’t have time to fully exposit every one of those passages,
But we do have time to just point out the truths that are highlighted
So as to make a sweeping declaration of what our Lord accomplished for us.
So get your Bibles out, TURN TO the book of Hebrews
And let’s take a quick look at the Savior.
• Incidentally we are not going to study these texts in the order that the appear in the book of Hebrews,
• But rather we will look at them in the order they would have occurred in His life.
None the less, we start at the beginning.
#1 THE SATISFYING SAVIOR
Hebrews 1:1-4
When I use the word “satisfying” to describe Jesus
It may cause you to think that I mean that He is satisfying to me or to you.
• Certainly He is, but that’s not what I mean.
You may think that I mean that He is satisfying to God as a righteous man.
• He is that as well, but that’s also not what I mean.
What we discuss here would be most accurately stated in that
He is satisfying to every Old Testament prophet.
(1-2) “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”
We are here reminded that the Old Testament is filled with God speaking to humanity through “the prophets in many portions and in many ways”
• God gave songs
• God gave prophecies
• God gave promises
• God gave dramatic monologues
And in one way or another every one of them pointed to a coming Savior.
Every one of them had its fulfillment in One who was to come.
The writer of Hebrews says that JESUS IS THAT FULFILLMENT.
“in these last day [God] has spoken to us in His Son”
• Jesus is the final sermon.
• Jesus is the final statement.
• Jesus is the final culmination.
Everything that God had to say has now been said.
He is the final and perfect revelation of all God would have you to know.
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”
Jesus satisfies and fulfills
All the prophecies and all the promises of the saints of old.
1 Peter 1:10-12 “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look.”
As those prophets preached they desperately wanted to know who they were talking about.
• They wanted to know when it was going to happen.
• They were all told is was not for them, but for a people after them.
And Jesus was that fulfillment.
He satisfied everything they had to say.
He was the final culmination.
And so we first recognize about Him that He is Heaven’s Savior.
• He is everything God intended to give to humanity in order to save them.
• He is everything God ever promised.
• And when He came, every promise and every prophecy was fully satisfied.
God has nothing else to say
God has nothing else to reveal.
He said it all and He revealed it all when He revealed Jesus.
He is Heaven’s Savior; He is THE SATISFYING SAVIOR
#2 THE SUFFERING SAVIOR
Hebrews 5:7-10
We know that when this Savior stepped onto the scene He was everything God had promised.
And now we find out about “the days of His flesh”
And the reality that is shown to us here is that
“the days of His flesh” where marked by intentional suffering.
We find that His suffering was so great that (7) “He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”
And we also see that His suffering was NOT BECAUSE He sinned.
He was obedient, He was righteous and that is proven in the fact
That God heard Him when He prayed.
So why did He suffer?
(8) “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered”
He was in effect completing His education.
He was in effect completing His Savior requirements.
• In order to save sinners, sinners had to be made righteous.
• In order for sinners to be made righteous, they had to have someone else’s righteousness given to them.
Jesus had to come and earn that righteousness.
Jesus had to come and achieve that righteousness.
And to do that required suffering
Because He was living in a world that hated righteousness
And He was battling the god of this world
Who would try to tempt Him at every turn.
He suffered in seeking to be a righteous man in a fallen world.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
He came to faithfully obey the Law
No matter the suffering; no matter the cost.
And in doing so, He qualified Himself as a Savior of sinners.
(9) “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”
• He was the suffering Savior.
• He suffered to earn the righteousness that would be imparted to sinners.
In light of the story we’ve been studying in Luke 15.
• He suffered to make that righteous robe that He would one day cover us in.
• We give in to external pressure
• We give in to intimidation
• We give in to temptation
• We in effect often take the easy way out and avoid suffering.
• He never did.
He is THE SUFFERING SAVIOR
#3 THE SYMPATHIZING SAVIOR
Hebrews 4:14-16
This is THE OTHER ASPECT of His suffering on earth.
• On one hand suffering is the natural consequence of living the righteous life.
• On the other hand He intentionally suffered because He was purposely learning to sympathize with the sinners who would one day call on Him for help.
(15) “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
His suffering qualified Him to offer grace and mercy.
Now, when the sinners He came to save, come to Him,
He can say, “I know”.
He didn’t just walk through suffering to obtain righteousness.
He also walked through suffering to obtain sympathy for you.
This makes Him not just a QUALIFIED Savior,
But also a MERCIFUL and SYMPATHETIC one.
He is THE SYMPATHIZING SAVIOR
#4 THE SUBSTITUTIONARY SAVIOR
Hebrews 2:8-9
Hebrews 2 tells the tragic story of THE FALL OF MAN.
We look at verse 8 with the PROMISE recorded to man in Psalms 8:6:
Psalms 8:6 “You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,”
When God created Adam, He gave Adam dominion over all creation.
HE PUT MAN IN CHARGE.
Psalms 8 recounts that and Hebrews 2:8 remembers it.
In fact the writer of Hebrews EXPLAINS THAT PROMISE by saying, (8b) “For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.”
Man was promised to be in charge of everything.
But in that promise there is A PROBLEM.
(8c) “But we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”
We have the promise of dominion, but we DON’T HAVE the fulfillment of it
Man is not in charge.
Contrary to some of the charismatic claims in our world today:
• Man can’t control the weather…
• Man can’t prevent natural disasters…
• Man is in danger from wild animals…
Man isn’t in control.
We don’t see the fulfillment of what was promised.
The reason is because of the curse.
• Because Adam sinned, he lost his place as head
• And was subjected to the curse,
• A curse which God said required Adam’s death.
Remember:
Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
And that is where Jesus comes in.
We don’t see Adam in charge…
(9) “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”
We see sinful humanity that is consigned to death
For his crimes against God.
And then we see Jesus.
• Become human (“made for a little while lower than the angels”)
• Dying for sinners (“He might taste death for everyone”)
That is what you call a SUBSTITUTE.
Adam is never going to break out of this curse
If someone doesn’t come and break him out.
• Jesus came to bear Adam’s curse.
• Jesus came to take Adam’s punishment.
• Jesus came to receive Adam’s death.
He is THE SUBSTITUTIONARY SAVIOR
#5 THE SLAIN SAVIOR
Hebrews 2:14-18
Sticking with the reality of Jesus coming to die
The writer of Hebrews carries that reality a little further
And explains what Jesus accomplished “through death”
He is seen here as One who intentionally became “flesh and blood”
And He did that so that He could die.
And here is why He died.
“that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil”
• He came to overthrow the usurper.
• He came to overthrow the deceiver from the garden.
• He came to put an end to his evil reign.
He did that by taking the greatest power Satan had (which was death)
And nullifying it.
How did He nullify death?
He took it, He walked into it, and He walked out the other side.
Which is why verse 15 says that “and might free those who through fear of death where subject to slavery all their lives.”
• He came to put an end to Satan’s threatening reign over our lives by nullifying Satan’s greatest weapon.
But that is not all His death accomplished.
You know that His death also satisfied the God who Adam had offended.
(17) “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become and merciful and faithful high priest in things pertainging to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
• You also have the things which pertain to God.
• You also have the sins and offense committed against Him.
And Jesus came to die, not only to nullify Satan, but also to satisfy God.
This was the cross.
Where Jesus bore the full wrath of God
For all the sin of all the elect for all time.
• This Savior came certainly to fulfill promises.
• This Savior come certainly to suffer and be righteous and sympathetic.
• And This Savior came to be slain into death that He might satisfy God’s holy wrath and crush the power of the enemy.
He is THE SLAIN SAVIOR
#6 THE SANCTIFYING SAVIOR
Hebrews 10:5-10
This of course reminds us what He accomplished through His death.
On one hand He most certainly propitiated the just and holy wrath of God.
• The wages of sin is death and He paid that fine.
But, as we have talked about a lot recently,
There is more at stake than just offenses that must be punished.
There was also at stake righteousness that must be fulfilled.
• As God’s created people where not just forbidden to do certain things upon penalty of punishment,
• But we were also commanded to do certain things that God saw as righteous.
THERE WERE COMMANDS TO FULFILL.
Jesus didn’t just satisfy God’s wrath for the commands we broke.
Jesus also satisfied God’s expectations
Of the obedience He commanded.
This is what Hebrews 10 reveals.
Quoting from Psalms 40 the writer speaks of Jesus:
(5-7) “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'”
God wasn’t interested in dead goats of dead bulls.
(Those were gracious provisions for those who failed to obey)
What God really wanted was a righteous life.
This is what man had never given God.
Jesus came in a human body to do just that.
• He came “TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD”
It is that “ACTIVE OBEDIENCE” we love to talk about.
It is why we say that MAN IS ABSOLUTELY SAVED BY WORKS.
It’s just that it’s not our works, it’s His works.
Upon His death there was a double imputation.
• Our sins where imputed to Him for which He bore God’s wrath.
• But also, the righteousness which He earned was imputed to us by which we
obtained God’s favor.
That is why the writer said
(10) “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
God accepted His righteous life on our behalf.
Even down to verse 14
(14) “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
This was Him putting that righteous robe on us.
This was Him clothing us in His righteousness.
He didn’t just satisfy God, He sanctified us!
We are now declared righteous based upon what He did by living for those 33 years in full obedience to God.
• Every righteous deed…
• Every temptation ignored…
• He did that all on our behalf so that we might be declared righteous before God.
He is THE SANCTIFYING SAVIOR
#7 THE SUCCESSFUL SAVIOR
Hebrews 9:11-14
This is the chapter where all His work culminates.
The early parts of the chapter show us that man-made tabernacle and those priests entering and exiting like little worker ants.
And the writer points out that despite all their work and despite all their sacrifices the veil remains.
• Nothing was working.
• It was all just a symbol.
• It was all just a play.
UNTIL JESUS…
(11-12) “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
• Jesus didn’t enter a man-made tent…
• Jesus didn’t enter a man-made temple…
• Jesus took His righteous life
• Jesus took His perfect blood
• And He carried into heaven (the real holy of holies)
• And there He laid it all down on God’s altar on our behalf.
And the writer of Hebrews gives us THE OUTCOME of His efforts.
• It is the outcome of His suffering…
• It is the outcome of His holy living…
• It is the outcome of His sacrificial death…
Here is what He accomplished:
“Having obtained eternal redemption”
HE DID IT!!!
Sinners were now redeemed and redeemed eternally.
He is the Satisfying, Suffering, Sympathizing, Substitutionary,
Slain, Sanctifying, Successful Savior!
He came to save and He saved!
And IT ALL BEGAN when the God of the universe
Took on flesh and dwelled among us.
Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, ” Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
