SPEAKER_00: Well, please turn with me in your Bibles this morning to the Epistle to the Hebrews.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews chapter 2, verses 10 through to 18.
SPEAKER_00: And with this reading and this section of Scripture, it brings us to a close of the first major section of Hebrews where we've been learning that Christ, the Lord Jesus, is greater than the angels.
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to be moving into some other profound themes in weeks to come.
SPEAKER_00: But let us hear together the reading of God's holy word together today.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews chapter 2, beginning in verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
SPEAKER_00: For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you, and again I will put my trust in him, and again, here am I, and the children whom God has given me.
SPEAKER_00: Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
SPEAKER_00: For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
SPEAKER_00: For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted.
SPEAKER_00: That ends the reading of God's sacred word.
SPEAKER_00: Please join me in prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Our gracious and almighty God, we thank you and praise you for this beautiful gathering, this Lord's Day, to assemble in adoration and praise to you.
SPEAKER_00: As we continue this time of worship now through your word, I ask that you minister to us.
SPEAKER_00: Minister to our deepest needs.
SPEAKER_00: Oh Lord, you know completely our struggles.
SPEAKER_00: You know our burdens, you know our trials, you know our weaknesses.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to see the strong Savior and help us to rest in Him.
SPEAKER_00: I do pray this now in Christ's name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: There has been and there continues to be some very impressive people in this world.
SPEAKER_00: There's certain characteristics about individuals that might come to your mind today, or perhaps there's people that you can stop and think about.
SPEAKER_00: When you think about these characteristics they have, you're drawn to them.
SPEAKER_00: There is something that makes you feel inspired, encouraged, lifted up.
SPEAKER_00: Depending on your personality, there will be different characteristics in people that impress you.
SPEAKER_00: That's why different people have their favorite movie actors.
SPEAKER_00: Because there's something about that character that you admire, you're drawn to, and you find it impressive.
SPEAKER_00: You can think of individuals who are commanding individuals.
SPEAKER_00: They are trailblazers, pioneers, they show initiative and they follow through on their initiative.
SPEAKER_00: We can think of biblical characters like a Moses, a commanding figure, a pioneer, a man who would lead people through difficult times, even when people would make all sorts of complaints in the background.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're drawn to somebody who is a conquering kind of individual.
SPEAKER_00: They're not just the initiator, but they are getting big things done.
SPEAKER_00: Victories come by means of their courage.
SPEAKER_00: Victory and success paves their pathway and it inspires us, it gives us hope for the future.
SPEAKER_00: I do think of the leadership of Joshua, a man who led the people into conquest, or a King David who led Israel into victory after victory, a courageous conquering man.
SPEAKER_00: But maybe you're drawn to a person who's compassionate, a person who displays deep sensitivity, they're a good listener, they're empathetic, they display this kindness.
SPEAKER_00: We see this type of characteristic in individuals like Ezra in the scriptures, where there seems to be this pathos, this passion driving them, as they have a great heartbeat for the people.
SPEAKER_00: But the disappointing thing is, we think of people that perhaps come to our minds in these areas, but they tend to just dominate in one of them.
SPEAKER_00: They will fail in other areas.
SPEAKER_00: You can find the most commanding, conquering, compassionate people, but the problem with every son of Adam is that they are weak and failing.
SPEAKER_00: It won't take very long for them to let you down.
SPEAKER_00: When someone seems to get you, they may frustrate you in other ways by not showing courage.
SPEAKER_00: When someone builds you up when you see their inspiring courage and conviction, they may run you over a little bit by their lack of compassion.
SPEAKER_00: We don't have someone in this world amongst those of the same fallen nature as us, who's the whole package.
SPEAKER_00: But the good news that I want to remind you of this morning is that there is one man in the universe who embodies all of these characteristics, and he embodies them perfectly.
SPEAKER_00: He's the one that he wants us to consider, he's the one that we are to be looking to.
SPEAKER_00: It is the Lord Jesus, our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ is the commanding, conquering, compassionate Savior.
SPEAKER_00: And that's the theme that we're going to be looking at this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I want to remind you why this is so practical, though, for you today.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know the exact situation every single one of us are in, but the Lord does.
SPEAKER_00: And we know the issue for the people that the writer to the Hebrews was preaching to, pleading with, was that this congregation of people who professed faith in the Lord were being tempted to take their eyes off Christ and to chase after a religion that was more tangible, more convenient, something that their life could be adjusted by, something that would comfort them, something that would remove them from the trial that they were in.
SPEAKER_00: And they were being tempted by the pull to take their eyes off Christ.
SPEAKER_00: They may not have said it with their words, we are taking our eyes off Christ, but the drift was happening.
SPEAKER_00: The pull was there, and they were moving in this bad direction.
SPEAKER_00: And my friends, I want to say to you today, is there anything in your life that is beginning to cause you to drift?
SPEAKER_00: Is there anything that is beginning to make you take your eyes off the true heavenly prize?
SPEAKER_00: Are there things in this world?
SPEAKER_00: Is there a place?
SPEAKER_00: Is there a person?
SPEAKER_00: Is there a passion that is competing for your attention?
SPEAKER_00: Are you devoting yourself more to that than to Christ?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not in your shoes, and I don't know fully the weight and the struggle that you might be carrying.
SPEAKER_00: But what I want to do with my limited ability today is to present to you the commanding, conquering, compassionate Savior.
SPEAKER_00: And as much as I will fall short in presenting his loveliness to you, I want to say to you, look to him.
SPEAKER_00: Don't look to anyone else, don't look to your feelings, don't look to your circumstances, don't look to the world, don't look to the leaders, look to the Savior who embodies these characteristics perfectly, and he embodied them so that he would bring you to glory.
SPEAKER_00: Hebrews chapter 2, verses 10 to 18 brings us to a close of this section that Christ is greater than the angels.
SPEAKER_00: And this is seen particularly in the way that he is a Savior who has been made fit for the people that he came to represent.
SPEAKER_00: Christ came into this world to redeem us, fallen humans.
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to see three characteristics of why Christ is the greatest savior.
SPEAKER_00: I want you to see in verses 10 to 13 that he is the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: Secondly, I want you to see in verses 14 to 16 that he is the conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: And finally, in verses 17 to 18, I want you to see that he is the compassionate priest.
SPEAKER_00: Commanding, conquering, compassionate.
SPEAKER_00: This is our Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Let's look at the very first one, the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: I love the way verse 10 begins.
SPEAKER_00: The subject of verse 10 is actually God the Father.
SPEAKER_00: He was mentioned back in verse 9.
SPEAKER_00: And here we are told that it was fitting for him.
SPEAKER_00: It was fitting for God the Father.
SPEAKER_00: Now that's a little bit of a strange thing to say that something is fitting for God.
SPEAKER_00: But the idea here is that it was just right that God would do this.
SPEAKER_00: What was right?
SPEAKER_00: Well, we're going to learn that there was a plan, a plan that we've learned from other parts of Scripture that was drawn up before the foundation of the world.
SPEAKER_00: There was a pact and an agreement between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a plan of salvation.
SPEAKER_00: And this plan of salvation provided the only way in which fallen sinners like you and me would be able to be brought to glory.
SPEAKER_00: We can't get ourselves there.
SPEAKER_00: We can't get ourselves into heaven.
SPEAKER_00: We can't earn our way there.
SPEAKER_00: So it was fitting that God the Father would make a pathway, would make a way for us to make it into glory.
SPEAKER_00: God the Father is described as the one for whom are all things and by whom are all things.
SPEAKER_00: That reminds us that He is the one who brings everything into existence, and everything He brings into existence is moving in the direction of bringing Him the ultimate glory.
SPEAKER_00: And this ought to remind us immediately that God, our God, the one true God, the only God in this universe, is absolutely sovereign over all things.
SPEAKER_00: He rules all things for the glory and honor of his name.
SPEAKER_00: There is nothing that is out of his control.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, there are plenty of things out of our control.
SPEAKER_00: There's plenty of things that grip us and weigh us down, but there is nothing that weighs him down.
SPEAKER_00: Of him and to him are all things, to him be the glory forever and ever.
SPEAKER_00: He must be trusted.
SPEAKER_00: But what is the great plan that he has provided?
SPEAKER_00: It is this that the Son of God would come into this world to be the commanding pioneer for the people of God.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we see in the next part of verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: In bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
SPEAKER_00: What that verse is saying is we need to be brought to glory, but we can't get there by ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Perhaps let's use a little bit of an illustration.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine a city that is beautiful, it is shiny, it has everything that is good in it.
SPEAKER_00: It is the greatest city in the universe.
SPEAKER_00: And in that city is the best of life.
SPEAKER_00: But there is a problem.
SPEAKER_00: Between you and that city is a thick forest.
SPEAKER_00: And in that forest there are dangers.
SPEAKER_00: Dangers that will consume you.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not just the dangers that are there, the threats that are there.
SPEAKER_00: It's too thick.
SPEAKER_00: You can't get through.
SPEAKER_00: But over there is that city.
SPEAKER_00: And what this verse begins to tell us is Jesus Christ is the greatest savior because he was sent to be our commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: And he was sent to be the commanding pioneer so that he would bring many sons to glory.
SPEAKER_00: Not all the sons of the earth, not all humanity, but many sons, the sons who have been given to him, the people that have been given to him, those that he came to save.
SPEAKER_00: Well, how does he bring them to glory?
SPEAKER_00: In order for them to be brought to glory, he must be a trailblazer, a pioneer, a founder, a captain, one who will go through that jungle and will create a pathway so that we can walk on it.
SPEAKER_00: But not only must he prepare the way, he must prepare the people who will come to him.
SPEAKER_00: For they must be set apart, they must grow and become more and more like him in order to make it to glory.
SPEAKER_00: And that's the point of verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: We serve a Savior who is that commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: Now have a look at the language that's used in verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: He's called the captain of their salvation.
SPEAKER_00: That's not too bad of a translation.
SPEAKER_00: Some Bibles use the word founder, but I much prefer the word pioneer because I think that's what is conveyed by this imagery here.
SPEAKER_00: It's talking about someone who is a trailblazer.
SPEAKER_00: They are the first to go on this pathway.
SPEAKER_00: They go in with authority and command, and they are on a mission, an unstoppable mission.
SPEAKER_00: They have been commissioned by the king, and they say, I'm gonna go create a pathway, follow me.
SPEAKER_00: That is our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: He is the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: He came into this world and he created a pathway to heaven that no one else can.
SPEAKER_00: He declared boldly and plainly, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
SPEAKER_00: No one comes to the Father but through me.
SPEAKER_00: Do you view the Lord Jesus as a commanding pioneer?
SPEAKER_00: But how did he do this?
SPEAKER_00: I want you to note that the pathway to the glory of heaven that has been opened up was made possible through our pioneer's suffering.
SPEAKER_00: He created that pathway by subjecting himself to suffering.
SPEAKER_00: That's what the text tells us, to make the captain or pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, his mission of creating this pathway to glory so that these sons, these people who've been given to him, make it to heaven, in order for that pathway to be done, he had to suffer.
SPEAKER_00: The suffering was seen in the process of actually creating that pathway.
SPEAKER_00: And what was the suffering that he was subjected to?
SPEAKER_00: Well, just like that real illustration of someone who creates a pathway through a jungle, he is going to have to submit himself to a very humble situation.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to have to subject himself to physical suffering.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to put himself in danger.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to have to do the hard things that we couldn't do.
SPEAKER_00: But more than that illustration, we see the sufferings of our Lord Jesus in the fact that he left the glory of heaven and he assumed a human nature.
SPEAKER_00: He became like us.
SPEAKER_00: The Son of God, who had been described in such dazzling language in the first chapter, with that beautiful sevenfold description in verses one to three, backed up by seven amazing quotations from the Old Testament in verses four to fourteen.
SPEAKER_00: He left that beauty of the glory of heaven to assume a human nature.
SPEAKER_00: And in assuming that human nature, he would experience an onslaught of trials.
SPEAKER_00: Fiery darts would be shot at him.
SPEAKER_00: Satan himself would go after him.
SPEAKER_00: He would be mocked, he would be hated.
SPEAKER_00: But he also suffered by subjecting himself to the human experience.
SPEAKER_00: He experienced the same limitations that you and I do in our humanity.
SPEAKER_00: He knew what it was to be hungry.
SPEAKER_00: He knew what it was to cry.
SPEAKER_00: He knew what it was to be tired.
SPEAKER_00: But these sufferings find their ultimate climax at the cross, where he was having his flesh beaten and torn.
SPEAKER_00: But more than that, he received, heaped upon him our sins, the very sins that create the barrier between us and that glorious city.
SPEAKER_00: He took our sins upon himself, and there he received the fullness of God's wrath on our behalf.
SPEAKER_00: But he said it is finished.
SPEAKER_00: What he set out to accomplish, he was victorious in.
SPEAKER_00: Christus Victor, he is the commanding one, the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: He came and he was perfected in this process.
SPEAKER_00: He came to fulfill that which was fitting.
SPEAKER_00: It was fitting that he be sent, and he came and did what he was supposed to do, and he accomplished it and accomplished it perfectly.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 10 is teaching us that our commanding pioneer has prepared a way for us to glory.
SPEAKER_00: But not only is he prepared the way, he is preparing the people who he wants to come with him.
SPEAKER_00: He wants us to come to glory.
SPEAKER_00: That's why he came into the world.
SPEAKER_00: He came into the world to become like us, so that he might redeem us and bring us with him.
SPEAKER_00: He wants us to be with him for eternity.
SPEAKER_00: Oh Christian, Christ wants you to be in glory with him.
SPEAKER_00: And look at that language in verse 11 for both he who sets Sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
SPEAKER_00: The one who brings sanctify sanctification is also doing a work in which he is preparing those who've been given to him to be set apart, set apart for him, so that they can live for him.
SPEAKER_00: And he makes the point that he was not ashamed to call them brethren.
SPEAKER_00: That is to say, I identify with them.
SPEAKER_00: I became just like them, so that I could represent them, so I could bring these sons to glory, and I could go to the Father and say, These sons who were rebellious against you, these sons are my brothers, and I have rescued them, I have set them apart unto you, and I bring them to glory.
SPEAKER_00: They can come.
SPEAKER_00: When I stand before the church, I will sing praises before them.
SPEAKER_00: It's an amazing thought that in the upper room our Lord Jesus Christ sang with his disciples.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what his voice was like.
SPEAKER_00: But to hear the Son of God sing.
SPEAKER_00: To sing.
SPEAKER_00: Singing conveys worship, but singing also conveys victory.
SPEAKER_00: He sings the battle song to the Father.
SPEAKER_00: He sings as the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: And here he says, I sing in the midst of the assembly.
SPEAKER_00: I stand in the midst of those that you've given me, and I will create a way.
SPEAKER_00: I will tear down that jungle.
SPEAKER_00: I will create a pathway.
SPEAKER_00: I will suffer for them, and I will bring them, and they will hear me sing.
SPEAKER_00: The writer wants us to know that in doing this, the Lord Jesus put his trust in the Father, verse 13, and he was willing to take those that the Father had given him, and he would stand in solidarity with them and be their representative so that they would make it to glory.
SPEAKER_00: The comfort I want us to receive from verses 10 to 13 is that there is only one in the universe who is a commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: There is no one else who has such power and authority to make a pathway to heaven and not only make that pathway, do all that is necessary in order to bring us there.
SPEAKER_00: Christ Jesus loves his people.
SPEAKER_00: When you and I are being tempted to look to anyone or anything that is not pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ, when our hearts are being drawn away by anything that doesn't honor our Lord, can I remind you, think about your commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: Think about what your Savior has done for you.
SPEAKER_00: Think about the pathway that he has created, the pathway that you in your sinfulness and selfishness may be refusing to walk down.
SPEAKER_00: Remember what it cost him to create that pathway.
SPEAKER_00: Remember that he is pulling you in the direction of that city.
SPEAKER_00: Look to your commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: Don't look to anyone else.
SPEAKER_00: Look to his strength.
SPEAKER_00: Look to the one who created the pathway.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's a narrow pathway.
SPEAKER_00: It is a tough pathway.
SPEAKER_00: It's a pathway that will cost you.
SPEAKER_00: It will cost you preferences.
SPEAKER_00: It will cost you various satisfactions.
SPEAKER_00: It will cost you things that the world will say are great and wonderful and even normal.
SPEAKER_00: But I want you to know it's worth it because he's walked the path already.
SPEAKER_00: He's made it to the end and he's calling you to come.
SPEAKER_00: Keep going down that pathway.
SPEAKER_00: Consider your commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: But now we must consider something else to be true about our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: He's not only our commanding pioneer, he is our conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: It's one thing for someone to say, I'm a trailblazer, I've made a pathway.
SPEAKER_00: Come.
SPEAKER_00: But then it's another thing to go down that pathway and be safe.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want someone jumping out of the bush and robbing me and beating me up and thinking, well, was it worth going down that pathway?
SPEAKER_00: But what the writer to the Hebrews wants us to know is he's not only created that pathway for us, but he is a conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: He is strong.
SPEAKER_00: There is no one else like him.
SPEAKER_00: And this is seen in the language found in verses 14 to 16.
SPEAKER_00: Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power over death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
SPEAKER_00: For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: And what this is telling us is that in our sinful fallen condition outside of our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are we are lost.
SPEAKER_00: We are held in captivity.
SPEAKER_00: We are in bondage.
SPEAKER_00: We are in a prison.
SPEAKER_00: And that prison has to do with our fallen state, that we are dead in our trespasses and sins, but we are under a harsh taskmaster.
SPEAKER_00: We are under one who hates God.
SPEAKER_00: We are under the works of the evil one.
SPEAKER_00: We are under his sway.
SPEAKER_00: We're in bondage to him.
SPEAKER_00: He is the ruler of darkness, the prince of the power of the air.
SPEAKER_00: We're held in bondage by him.
SPEAKER_00: Our eyes are darkened, they are blind, and we are subject to his schemes, and we fall prey to his schemes.
SPEAKER_00: And one of the biggest things that he does is he creates in us this fear of death.
SPEAKER_00: But the writer to the Hebrews wants us to know that we have a Savior who is a conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: He came into this world and identified with us who are flesh and blood.
SPEAKER_00: And by identifying with us, he was able to experience the one act that would destroy the works of the devil.
SPEAKER_00: And he was able to disarm him, make a spectacle of him, and then triumph over him, so that his children can be told, You are no longer conquered by him.
SPEAKER_00: He has been defeated.
SPEAKER_00: And he says, And I will bring you safely to glory.
SPEAKER_00: That's what's being described here in verse 14.
SPEAKER_00: That the devil who has the power of death, not the power of death in the sense that he has the absolute power of death, it's meaning that in his schemes, he has this ability to hold all sorts of deceptions and disappointments and despairs over people.
SPEAKER_00: But he can't do that anymore to the sons of glory.
SPEAKER_00: Because in the words of Matthew, excuse me, Mark chapter 3 and verse 27, the strong man has been bound.
SPEAKER_00: And according to Colossians 2 and verse 15, those evil principalities have been disarmed, a spectacle has been made of them, and Christ has triumphed over them because of the victory, the decisive victory that he accomplished at the cross.
SPEAKER_00: But notice what it says in verse 14 how that was done.
SPEAKER_00: How did Christ obtain this conquering power in which he rendered weak and useless Satan, in which he bound him and tied him up and cast him out so that he would no longer be able to provide that same kind of deception to the nations anymore?
SPEAKER_00: How did Christ do that?
SPEAKER_00: You'll notice in verse 14 it says that he did this through death, that he might destroy him who had the power of death.
SPEAKER_00: Christ experienced death so that through that death he would actually conquer the one who has the power of death.
SPEAKER_00: What this is saying in the words of Genesis 3 and verse 15 is that Satan may bruise the heel of the Son of God by cheering people on, crucify him, crucify him.
SPEAKER_00: The Son of God may indeed die on the cross.
SPEAKER_00: The powers of darkness will celebrate and feel victorious in this act, but in the act of bruising the heel of the seed of the woman, he in that moment, through his propitiatory sacrifice and resurrection, will crush the head of the serpent.
SPEAKER_00: And we were reminded a little while ago, weren't we, in John chapter 19, that the Lord Jesus was crucified at Golgotha.
SPEAKER_00: And what does Golgotha mean?
SPEAKER_00: The place of a skull, the cross was thrusted in to the skull, conveying the victory and the power that the conquering protector alone could do.
SPEAKER_00: A victory came through death.
SPEAKER_00: This also gives us the idea that the sting of death is no longer something that should hold us, for he himself has taken that sting for us.
SPEAKER_00: Our Savior is our conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: He has released us from the schemes, from the power, from the sway of the evil one.
SPEAKER_00: The evil one has been, the strong man has been bound.
SPEAKER_00: Mark 3 27.
SPEAKER_00: And he goes on to say in verse 16, for indeed he does not give aid to the angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: The words give aid, also translated in some Bibles as give help.
SPEAKER_00: He does not give help to the angels, but he gives help to the seed of Abraham, is a legitimate translation, both aid and help, but I don't think that's quite what the writer is getting at.
SPEAKER_00: I think a better translation here is for he himself did not assume the nature of angels, but he assumed the nature of the seed of Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, he assumed our nature so that he would give us aid and he would give us help.
SPEAKER_00: But the idea of this verse is to tell us that Christ identified with us so that he would protect these ones given to him.
SPEAKER_00: Who did Christ come to save?
SPEAKER_00: He didn't come to save the angels, he didn't come with the nature of angels, he didn't come to give support and help to the angels, he came with the nature of the seed of Abraham to give them help.
SPEAKER_00: And who's the seed of Abraham?
SPEAKER_00: The seed of Abraham are all those who will have faith in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That's what Galatians 3 teaches us.
SPEAKER_00: Christ came to give salvation, he came to represent as a substitutionary sacrifice, he came to provide protection to the spiritual seed of Abraham, all who have faith in the Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And what I want you to take comfort from in these verses is the reminder that our Savior Jesus Christ is a conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: He has come to protect those that are his, and he has won.
SPEAKER_00: His victory was decisive.
SPEAKER_00: And one day the victory that our Lord Jesus Christ achieved and accomplished at the cross by means of his death, burial, and resurrection, that decisive victory which he had already declared to his disciples in Matthew 28, when he said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
SPEAKER_00: That is the fulfillment of the inauguration of Daniel chapter 7, where the Son of Man assumes this place of glory, power, and authority, and he will one day manifest that authority in a way in which every eye will see it, and everyone will fall before the conquering king.
SPEAKER_00: But what the writer to the Hebrews wants his audience to know is this you're being tempted, you're being pulled.
SPEAKER_00: There are things that are attractive to you, there are things that are competing for in your life that are drawing you away from Christ, making you drift, you're being dazzled by them, you're being drawn in by them.
SPEAKER_00: And he's saying, Stop, remember, your conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: There is one who has come to protect you even from the temptations that you have now.
SPEAKER_00: That's why we pray with confidence the words of the Lord Jesus and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
SPEAKER_00: We are saying, Lord, we believe that Christ is the protector, that he is strong, he has defeated the strong man, but the strong man continues to fire his ugly, horrible darts, and we need your help, Lord, and we know you will answer that, for you have conquered, and you will bring your sons to glory.
SPEAKER_00: Are you thinking about the Lord Jesus as your conquering protector?
SPEAKER_00: Do you view him as one who is actually interested in protecting you?
SPEAKER_00: Who has conquered, has won the victory already?
SPEAKER_00: That doesn't make life easy, but it is a reality you must know.
SPEAKER_00: Look to the one who is the conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: Finally, the Lord Jesus is our compassionate priest.
SPEAKER_00: I love the logic that's flowing here.
SPEAKER_00: You have, first of all, the one who, with strength and initiative, unconcerned by anyone around him, not deterred in any way, shape, or form, comes into the world and creates a pathway, receives all the suffering for it, but but goes forward and creates that pathway and says, Children come and follow me.
SPEAKER_00: I have made a way to glory.
SPEAKER_00: But then we move to the fact that he not only has done that, but then he comes alongside and says, I've won the victory for you.
SPEAKER_00: Oh yes, there will be those who are against you.
SPEAKER_00: There will be dangerous um occasions in the life in which you must live.
SPEAKER_00: But I am your protector, I am with you, I have the victory, it has been won.
SPEAKER_00: We will make it to glory.
SPEAKER_00: But then we come down to this.
SPEAKER_00: We come down to the fact that we know there is a pathway to heaven.
SPEAKER_00: We know the victory has been won.
SPEAKER_00: But we're gonna struggle, aren't we?
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have bad days.
SPEAKER_00: We're weak.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna compromise, we're gonna step back, we're gonna be lured, we're going to be tempted, we are going to fail, we are going to be miserable sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: And what the writer wants us to know is he doesn't want us to wallow in our self-pity.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't want us to have this just constant guilt over us.
SPEAKER_00: But he says, I want you to take your struggles, I want you to take your weaknesses, I want you to take all those temptations, and I want you to bring them to the Savior who actually deeply cares and will listen to you.
SPEAKER_00: And not only will he listen to you, he can sympathize with you.
SPEAKER_00: For he has been tempted in like manner.
SPEAKER_00: But the difference between him and any other person who can be a listening ear to you is that he actually got the victory over those temptations.
SPEAKER_00: So he is the best of saviors.
SPEAKER_00: He is the only one who is able to truly get us, but help us.
SPEAKER_00: He is at the right hand of the Father in his power and glory and victory, seated on the throne of David, ruling as king over his churches, over this world, preparing a place for us, but he's also there petitioning for you, praying for you, praying that you make it to glory.
SPEAKER_00: And as I've said a number of times, the Son of God's prayers will always be answered.
SPEAKER_00: He will always get what he asks for.
SPEAKER_00: And he is asking that his sons make it to glory.
SPEAKER_00: Are you being overwhelmed by any temptation today?
SPEAKER_00: Is there a struggle that is too much to bear?
SPEAKER_00: Has something happened in your life that is exposed to you yet again?
SPEAKER_00: How much of a failure you are, all your weaknesses?
SPEAKER_00: We go in these moments where we feel like we're riding pretty high, but then there's circumstances, just have a way of knocking us right down and reminding us of who we really are.
SPEAKER_00: Are you feeling overwhelmed in any of those things?
SPEAKER_00: Well, heed the words of verses 17 to 18.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, in all things, he had to be made like his brethren.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
SPEAKER_00: For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted.
SPEAKER_00: He was made like us so that he would represent us.
SPEAKER_00: We have sinned and come short of the glory of God, therefore we can't go to heaven.
SPEAKER_00: But he was made like us to be our representative.
SPEAKER_00: But the difference was he was without sin.
SPEAKER_00: And he lived the life that every single one of us failed to live.
SPEAKER_00: He was put into tempting situations, he was put into situations in which trials were issued toward him.
SPEAKER_00: Satan himself had directed his attacks on the Lord Jesus, and our Lord Jesus would stare down every temptation, every trial that come his way.
SPEAKER_00: He would entrust himself to the Father, he would obey all righteousness, he did not fail, he did not falter, he never sinned.
SPEAKER_00: There were no secret sins, there was no scandals about him.
SPEAKER_00: There was nothing later on that would be exposed.
SPEAKER_00: He is clean, he is pure, he is spotless, he, the commanding.
SPEAKER_00: Pioneer, the conquering protector, is also a compassionate priest who came to represent you and to not only make the sacrifice, but to be the sacrifice, so that all your sins would be forgiven, so that you would be made clean, and not only that, so that he would then represent you.
SPEAKER_00: He, as our great high priest, made propitiation for the sins of the people.
SPEAKER_00: First of all, who are the people?
SPEAKER_00: They are the seed of Abraham.
SPEAKER_00: Who are the seed of Abraham, those who have faith in Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: So he died for a specific group of people.
SPEAKER_00: The propitiation is a word that means he appeased the wrath of God on our behalf.
SPEAKER_00: It's a violent term.
SPEAKER_00: Don't lighten this word.
SPEAKER_00: The wrath of God was unleashed on him for our behalf, and he appeased it.
SPEAKER_00: And he not only did this for us, but he is also, by virtue of what he experienced, able to aid those who are tempted.
SPEAKER_00: He's able to help you.
SPEAKER_00: Are you being tempted?
SPEAKER_00: Then look to the compassionate priest.
SPEAKER_00: Look to the one who is at the right hand of the Father who atoned for your sins, who died in your place to bring you to glory.
SPEAKER_00: Know that he deeply cares.
SPEAKER_00: He does.
SPEAKER_00: He understands your weaknesses.
SPEAKER_00: But he's the best one to go to because he had the victory over those weaknesses.
SPEAKER_00: He stood strong.
SPEAKER_00: Look to the Lord Jesus Christ and experience his compassion.
SPEAKER_00: In this passage of scripture, we are reminded that our Savior, He is the commanding pioneer.
SPEAKER_00: So follow him.
SPEAKER_00: We've been reminded that He is the conquering protector.
SPEAKER_00: So trust Him.
SPEAKER_00: Trust His protection.
SPEAKER_00: But we've also been reminded that He's our compassionate priest.
SPEAKER_00: So go to Him and share all your troubles and all your struggles.
SPEAKER_00: Because more than any other person in this world, He really does care for you.
SPEAKER_00: This is our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: This is Christ and Him alone.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Oh Father, thank you for what we have been reminded of in this text.
SPEAKER_00: I do ask of you in your grace that the things that I have not done justice to in this passage, that you would be pleased through the ministry of the Spirit to bring that to our minds.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to see most clearly what has been presented about our Savior in this text.
SPEAKER_00: And I pray that you do a great work in our midst today that all of us would consider Christ afresh, that we would truly see Him as our pioneer, protector, and priest.
SPEAKER_00: But not like anyone else, that He and He alone is truly commanding, conquering, and compassionate.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to draw from this.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to be comforted by this.
SPEAKER_00: But help this to be a reality that propels us forward in faithfulness.
SPEAKER_00: We thank you that this indeed is our Savior.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.