1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,800 Christ is our hope in life and death. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,000 Can I get an amen to that? 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,400 And hallelujah, all we have is Christ. 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,000 Jesus is our life. 5 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:17,000 It is not a surprise that those songs are being sung today 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,500 on Sanctity of Life Sunday. 7 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:26,700 It made me think about my own kids. 8 00:00:26,700 --> 00:00:28,900 I know that there was a change in tradition 9 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:32,000 over the last probably 30, 40, 50 years 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,800 where my dad's generation, whenever the child was being born, 11 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,200 weren't typically in the room. 12 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,600 But in my, with my kids, with all three kids, 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,700 I was in the room when my kids were born 14 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:47,600 and it was an amazing, amazing thing. 15 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:53,600 I remember in the summer of 2012, I was a youth pastor. 16 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:58,600 I was the Miles of Sunshine Baptist Church 17 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,300 and we did a camp every year 18 00:01:02,300 --> 00:01:04,900 and there's probably about, I don't know, 8, 10 churches, 19 00:01:04,900 --> 00:01:06,200 a bunch of my youth pastor buddies. 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,400 We put a camp together for teenagers 21 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,200 and we had done it for like five years in a row 22 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,300 and this particular year something came up 23 00:01:14,300 --> 00:01:17,100 and that was called, Megan was going to have a baby 24 00:01:17,100 --> 00:01:20,800 and the due date was right in the middle of camp. 25 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,400 And so we had to plan and work 26 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,400 so that whenever they didn't have to, 27 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,700 I was the one, kind of one of the leaders of it 28 00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:30,600 and so we worked in plan so that I wouldn't have to be there 29 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,100 because kids come when they want to come. 30 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:33,400 Have you noticed that? 31 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:35,600 There's no appointment book too, they just want it's time. 32 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,400 When the fullness of time has come, they're coming, amen. 33 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,300 And I remember we, it was so fun. 34 00:01:42,300 --> 00:01:44,700 It's always fun for the husband, it's not for the wives, right? 35 00:01:44,700 --> 00:01:50,600 But I remember the time was coming where I went 36 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:51,900 and got everything set up at camp, 37 00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:54,400 then I came back home to Port Charlotte 38 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,100 and sure enough, here comes Wednesday 39 00:01:57,100 --> 00:02:00,400 and it's coming and here they come 40 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,900 and we go to church on Wednesday night, right? 41 00:02:02,900 --> 00:02:05,800 And then right after church, our pastor's like, 42 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,400 well, are you ready, Megan? 43 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:09,100 No, I'm not ready. 44 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:09,900 Well, do you need to eat? 45 00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:11,500 Yeah, so we went to Cracker Barrel. 46 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:12,000 It was fun. 47 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,600 We went to Cracker Barrel and had dinner 48 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,400 and then right at the end of the dinner, Megan's like, 49 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,200 I think, oh man, it's getting time. 50 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:20,900 And so we pretty much went right then and had the baby 51 00:02:20,900 --> 00:02:24,300 and here it was just the most amazing thing. 52 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:28,600 Here comes baby Audrey Grace and it was just as miraculous 53 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,400 as Milana come in and then when Z comes later 54 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,700 and I just remembered thinking a couple of things 55 00:02:34,700 --> 00:02:35,600 at the same time. 56 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:40,300 One is what a precious gift God gives us in our kids. 57 00:02:40,300 --> 00:02:42,400 It's just so precious. 58 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:46,000 Not everybody gets to be a parent and I understand that 59 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,400 and it is a gift of God. 60 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:53,100 Our kids are one of the most precious gifts that we get 61 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:55,400 and then I was also struck every single time. 62 00:02:55,400 --> 00:03:00,300 I thought about what about the kid who's killed 63 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:04,300 before this even happens, right? 64 00:03:04,300 --> 00:03:09,700 And the Bible is very clear that God is a God of life. 65 00:03:09,700 --> 00:03:18,000 God loves life and God wants us to choose life 66 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,200 and that life, human life is made in God's image 67 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,300 and therefore is valuable. 68 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:28,100 It's more valuable than, yes, human life is more valuable 69 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:30,900 than animal life and plant life. 70 00:03:30,900 --> 00:03:32,700 Human life is intrinsically valuable 71 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:41,100 because mankind is made male and female in the image of God. 72 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:45,300 Moses brought a word to God's people in Deuteronomy 3019 73 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:48,100 where he said to them, I call heaven and earth 74 00:03:48,100 --> 00:03:51,800 to record this day against you that I've said before you, 75 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,200 life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore, 76 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:03,000 choose life that thou, both thou and I see may live. 77 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:04,900 It's God's a God's God of life. 78 00:04:04,900 --> 00:04:09,700 And I'm always glad when God does this. 79 00:04:09,700 --> 00:04:11,200 I really believe God does this. 80 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:16,400 I did not prepare specifically in my preaching calendar 81 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,200 for this to be sanctity of human life Sunday. 82 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,000 I just prepared to go to the next passage in Hebrews. 83 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,800 It's kind of one of those deals where when you pick Hebrews, 84 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,100 then you line it out and you try to figure it out. 85 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:30,500 And this passage showed up and it just happened to be on this day. 86 00:04:30,500 --> 00:04:32,700 And I didn't tell Miss Dawn, Miss Dawn's the one that helps 87 00:04:32,700 --> 00:04:34,300 to choose our music. 88 00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:36,800 I didn't tell Miss Dawn, hey, you need to sing songs about life 89 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:38,400 and Christ being our life. 90 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,100 And yet that's what happened. 91 00:04:41,100 --> 00:04:44,000 And I think God does those things. 92 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,400 Today is sanctity of human life Sunday all around the nation. 93 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,800 And it's a day that churches affirm the biblical 94 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:55,900 and scientifically accurate position that all human life is 95 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:58,700 life from conception. 96 00:04:58,700 --> 00:05:01,100 And the biblical idea that life is sacred. 97 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:02,500 God is a God of life. 98 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:05,100 And we know that God sees human life as sacred, 99 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:08,100 as something to be valued. 100 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:09,900 And right here in the book of Hebrews, 101 00:05:09,900 --> 00:05:13,200 as we finish our study in chapter two, we see that. 102 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,900 In this great chapter of Hebrews chapter two, 103 00:05:15,900 --> 00:05:21,800 we have been seeing that Jesus Christ is greater in his 104 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:22,500 humanity. 105 00:05:22,500 --> 00:05:23,400 Jesus is greater. 106 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,100 Do you believe that this morning? 107 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:27,700 If you don't believe that yet, we want you to believe it after 108 00:05:27,700 --> 00:05:29,700 this Sunday morning and next Sunday morning. 109 00:05:29,700 --> 00:05:33,700 We want you to believe that Jesus Christ is and can be your 110 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:35,300 life. 111 00:05:35,300 --> 00:05:40,000 By the end of chapter two, what's in view here is Christ's 112 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:40,800 humanity. 113 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,100 He's been talking about that. 114 00:05:43,100 --> 00:05:48,700 Jesus never stopped being God yet he put on flesh and Jesus 115 00:05:48,700 --> 00:05:52,700 becoming a man helps us in this area of what we think about 116 00:05:52,700 --> 00:05:55,700 life and death. 117 00:05:55,700 --> 00:05:58,600 It's kind of like potentially a downer subject. 118 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,600 Hey, today we're going to talk about death, 119 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,400 but I'm excited to talk about death in this way because of 120 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:05,600 Jesus's life. 121 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,400 Death is a serious problem. 122 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,400 Life is something that must be pursued and the humanity of 123 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,800 Jesus directly deals with these issues. 124 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,300 And so the question I want to focus on today is this question. 125 00:06:18,300 --> 00:06:21,300 Why did Jesus become a man? 126 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:23,300 And the reason I want to focus on that question is because 127 00:06:23,300 --> 00:06:27,200 that's the question that Hebrews answers in chapter two right 128 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,000 here in verse 14. 129 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,800 There are three reasons why we're going to see from this 130 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,500 text that Jesus became a man. 131 00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:36,500 There are more than these, but these are the way that the 132 00:06:36,500 --> 00:06:38,400 text answer these questions. 133 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,600 The first reason he came that we're going to look at today is 134 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,000 that he came to release us to release us. 135 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,600 Look at verse chapter two Hebrews chapter two verse 14. 136 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:52,600 Here's what it says. 137 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:57,000 For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and 138 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:04,800 blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that 139 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:10,100 through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death. 140 00:07:10,100 --> 00:07:14,000 That is the devil. 141 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,400 There is nothing like a verse like that to get a preacher 142 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,400 excited about preaching. 143 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:19,400 Okay. 144 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,500 Do you realize what you just heard? 145 00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:24,600 We've already been talking. 146 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,200 We've already talked about and we said this last week that 147 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:32,700 when Jesus came when he became in his humanity, he became a 148 00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:33,300 human being. 149 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:37,200 He came to die and that through that death, he might become 150 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:44,600 well, let's look the reconciler look back at chapter two verse 151 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:45,600 10. 152 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:46,100 Here we go. 153 00:07:46,100 --> 00:07:49,400 Let's run up to it for it became him for whom we're all 154 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,400 things and by whom we're all things and bringing many sons 155 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,900 unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect 156 00:07:55,900 --> 00:07:56,700 through sufferings. 157 00:07:56,700 --> 00:08:01,400 This is talking about God making Jesus obedient. 158 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,800 Jesus was obedient to the mission that God sent him on 159 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,500 through suffering on his death on the cross. 160 00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:09,600 And when he did that, he brought many sons to glory. 161 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,700 Now you guys point to who the sons are. 162 00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:14,000 That's us. 163 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,700 And if you're thinking, I'm I a daughter? 164 00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:16,600 Yeah, you're a daughter. 165 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:16,900 Okay. 166 00:08:16,900 --> 00:08:20,100 So the sons and daughters, we've been brought to glory because 167 00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:23,400 Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins. 168 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:29,100 And so he, God calls us sons in relation to him and Jesus calls 169 00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:34,800 us brothers verse 12 or verse 11 for both he that sanctified 170 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:37,400 and they who are sanctified are all of one, meaning we're all 171 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:38,500 human. 172 00:08:38,500 --> 00:08:39,900 Jesus is a human being. 173 00:08:39,900 --> 00:08:42,100 He's God and he's man. 174 00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:43,700 You guys get it? 175 00:08:43,700 --> 00:08:45,600 He's God and he's man. 176 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,200 They're all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call 177 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,300 them brethren. 178 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:53,100 Romans tells me if he calls his sons and then heirs and joint 179 00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:56,400 heirs with Christ. 180 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:57,600 We study in Ephesians. 181 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,300 If we're his kids, if Jesus is our big brother, we're joint 182 00:09:00,300 --> 00:09:04,100 heirs with Jesus, we got an inheritance coming. 183 00:09:04,100 --> 00:09:05,400 That's pretty cool, right? 184 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,100 This is some good news for us saying and then he quotes some, 185 00:09:10,100 --> 00:09:14,000 I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the 186 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:14,300 church. 187 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:16,600 I will sing praise into thee and again, I will put my trust in 188 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,700 him and again, behold I and the children which God has given 189 00:09:19,700 --> 00:09:19,800 me. 190 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,200 So he's quoting the Old Testament and he's saying that when 191 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,600 Jesus became a man that in becoming a man, he made us so 192 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,000 that we can be the sons of God, the Father and brothers and 193 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,100 joint heirs with Christ. 194 00:09:31,100 --> 00:09:33,400 And then he goes on to this verse, for as much then as the 195 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,900 children, our partakers are flesh and blood. 196 00:09:35,900 --> 00:09:40,500 Anybody here made a flesh and blood, right? 197 00:09:40,500 --> 00:09:42,600 Just like Jesus. 198 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:48,800 Anybody notice that your body's wearing out? 199 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:50,200 I turned 40 last year. 200 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:54,700 I turned 41 coming up. 201 00:09:54,700 --> 00:09:58,300 Things are breaking down, folks. 202 00:09:58,300 --> 00:10:02,200 It's not getting better, right? 203 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,800 We're made of flesh and blood and he says, this is amazing, 204 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,800 he also himself likewise took part of the same. 205 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:14,200 Jesus, Jesus sneezed. 206 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,700 Jesus hiccuped. 207 00:10:16,700 --> 00:10:19,600 Jesus had a body. 208 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,400 He took part in that same thing. 209 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:22,800 Why? 210 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:24,100 Why? 211 00:10:24,100 --> 00:10:25,600 Why did he do it? 212 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:30,600 That through death, he might destroy him that had power over 213 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:31,700 death. 214 00:10:31,700 --> 00:10:33,900 That is the devil. 215 00:10:33,900 --> 00:10:36,600 We exist inside these mortal frames and are bound to these 216 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,400 five senses. 217 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,400 We're therefore a location specific where our bodies are. 218 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,300 We are bound to them as well, you know. 219 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:51,200 We are bound to them in life and we're bounding them unto death. 220 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,700 In our marriage vows, we make the promise to our spouse, 221 00:10:53,700 --> 00:10:58,600 we express this way, till death do us part. 222 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,300 When our loved ones die, they're gone from us. 223 00:11:01,300 --> 00:11:04,000 Being alive and bound to our own bodies in this life, 224 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,000 we can't go to be with them again. 225 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,100 God is spirit and he's not bound to these senses or a body. 226 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:15,800 But when Jesus came, he also likewise took part of the same. 227 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,300 He condescended. 228 00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:21,600 He set aside the use of his divine attributes in a way that 229 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:26,300 submitted to the Father's plan for a time and for a reason. 230 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:28,500 Why did he do it? 231 00:11:28,500 --> 00:11:32,400 And this passage, there's a beautiful word, that. 232 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,400 He tells us why he died. 233 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:35,300 Why did he die? 234 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:38,300 Why did he take on this mortal frame? 235 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:41,700 Well, part of his motivation, this is so cool, 236 00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:46,300 part of his motivation was for destruction. 237 00:11:46,300 --> 00:11:51,500 If you think Jesus is wimpy, you have a messed up view of Jesus. 238 00:11:51,500 --> 00:11:55,400 He was on a mission of destruction. 239 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,400 I was teaching this verse to Zeke this week at bedtime. 240 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,800 I said, Zeke, you gotta hear this cool verse about Jesus. 241 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:07,900 Jesus came to destroy. 242 00:12:07,900 --> 00:12:08,900 Destroy what, Daddy? 243 00:12:08,900 --> 00:12:13,200 Destroy death and the devil. 244 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,800 And he did it by dying on the cross and raising from the dead. 245 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:17,900 You know what Zeke said? 246 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:23,500 Yep, that's how he did it. 247 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:24,800 I was like, he gets it. 248 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,800 That's awesome. 249 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:33,200 He came to destroy the devil. 250 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,000 The devil's taught, there's a devil. 251 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,800 Yeah, there's a devil. 252 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:41,700 Look around. 253 00:12:41,700 --> 00:12:45,000 He's a loser. 254 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:50,800 He's already lost. 255 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:56,400 What was Jesus' weapon to destroy the devil and to destroy death? 256 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,300 Death itself. 257 00:12:58,300 --> 00:13:01,400 He beat him at his own game. 258 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,000 In the book of Genesis, we're told how the world began, 259 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,400 how man was created. 260 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,800 When man was created, God gave him something interesting, 261 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,000 some interesting instruction. 262 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,300 And in this instruction, we're told of this penalty called death. 263 00:13:13,300 --> 00:13:17,800 Genesis 2, and the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden 264 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,700 to dress it and to keep it. 265 00:13:19,700 --> 00:13:21,700 And the Lord God commanded the man saying, 266 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:25,000 Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, 267 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,200 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 268 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:29,400 thou shalt not eat of it, 269 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:36,400 for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. 270 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:40,800 The penalty for disobedience to the law of God to not eat of the tree of the knowledge 271 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,200 of good and evil was death. 272 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:48,300 When God, interesting name for a tree, by the way, wasn't it? 273 00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:51,400 When God created each day at the end of the day and creation, 274 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:52,700 he said over and over again, 275 00:13:52,700 --> 00:13:57,500 and God saw the things that he made and it was very good. 276 00:13:57,500 --> 00:13:59,800 At this point, sin had not entered the world. 277 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:05,300 Everything was good and Adam did not know about evil. 278 00:14:05,300 --> 00:14:10,300 This is when we are introduced to another character in Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. 279 00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:16,800 And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. 280 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,600 And he said unto the woman, 281 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,400 Yea, hath God said, 282 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,300 ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 283 00:14:24,300 --> 00:14:26,600 Now who's the serpent? 284 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,300 John identifies him for us. 285 00:14:28,300 --> 00:14:30,800 He doesn't say that he's the devil in Genesis, 286 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:36,000 but we know because of a couple passages that it is the devil. 287 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:41,000 Revelation 12,9 and Revelation 22, the serpent was Satan. 288 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,100 He was a fallen angel and thus a supernatural spirit. 289 00:14:45,100 --> 00:14:51,000 He possesses here the body of a serpent and sets his eyes on mankind to deceive them. 290 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:57,300 God had told Adam that death would come with disobedience and that's exactly what happened. 291 00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:00,700 Adam and Eve were deceived. 292 00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:02,700 Satan deceived Eve. 293 00:15:02,700 --> 00:15:05,300 She disobeyed. Adam disobeyed with Eve. 294 00:15:05,300 --> 00:15:11,300 Then God came and we read about this later in Genesis 3 when God comes and finds them. 295 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:15,600 They were hiding and it said they were hiding because they knew that they were naked. 296 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:22,100 When they disobeyed their eyes were open, knowing good and evil and they realized that they had sinned. 297 00:15:22,100 --> 00:15:29,300 And sin and shame came in that moment and with it death. 298 00:15:29,300 --> 00:15:34,700 Then God asks Adam, he comes and he finds them and they're hiding and you know what happens. 299 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:43,700 Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent. We've been blaming each other ever since. 300 00:15:43,700 --> 00:15:46,700 But notice what God says to Eve. 301 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:50,700 He says something to Adam, he says something to Eve and then he says something to the serpent. 302 00:15:50,700 --> 00:15:55,700 And the Lord God said unto the woman, what is it thou hast done? 303 00:15:55,700 --> 00:16:00,400 And the woman said, the serpent beckalled me and I did eat. 304 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:07,100 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle. 305 00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:11,800 Who here hates snakes? Come on. 306 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,000 Thou art cursed above all cattle above every beast of the field. 307 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,100 Upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust thy eat from all the days of thy life. 308 00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:25,500 Here's the cool part. And I will put in mentee, I'll make you an enemy, 309 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:32,300 between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed. 310 00:16:32,300 --> 00:16:40,500 It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel. 311 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:46,200 What I want you to see is where God talks about the serpent, to the serpent about thy seed and her seed. 312 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:51,100 Satan and the serpent seed and the seed of the woman. 313 00:16:51,100 --> 00:16:57,800 Excuse my delving into the biological, but the woman does not usually have seed. 314 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:00,700 The woman has an egg. 315 00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:08,800 This hints towards both a virgin birth and the one born of a woman. 316 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:13,800 Who is that? Jesus. 317 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:16,600 The heel of which would be bruised. 318 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,800 The head of the serpent would be crushed. 319 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,800 Seemingly in the metaphor by the heel of the seed of the woman. 320 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:29,600 A death blow to the head that bruises the heel. 321 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,400 Do you get it? 322 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:36,700 Jesus died and that was like a bruising of the heel, but what's he doing? 323 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:44,300 In death, in the bruising of the heel, he crushes the head of the serpent. 324 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:48,400 The serpent. Remember our text? Let's read it again. 325 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,600 Hebrews 2.14. 326 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:56,800 For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also, himself likewise, took part of the same flesh and blood. 327 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:04,600 That through death, being bruised in that way because it wasn't a fatal wound, he's alive. 328 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,700 He's alive. 329 00:18:06,700 --> 00:18:08,600 That is so cool. 330 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,500 That through death, he might destroy him and might power over death. 331 00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:14,000 Jesus took on death flesh for a reason. 332 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,900 That through death, he might destroy him that have power over death. 333 00:18:16,900 --> 00:18:19,300 That is devil. This was predicted. 334 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:23,700 His heel was bruised in death, but it wasn't a fatal blow. 335 00:18:23,700 --> 00:18:29,700 Christ is the one who deals the fatal blow when he crushes the head of the serpent. 336 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:31,400 What do you mean serpent? 337 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,400 Well, let's look at the references that John talks about the serpent. 338 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:36,600 John 12.9 says, 339 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,200 And the great dragon was cast out. 340 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,000 This isn't future in Revelation. This was going to happen one day. 341 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,300 It's already not yet. 342 00:18:46,300 --> 00:18:47,700 Are you with me? 343 00:18:47,700 --> 00:18:49,000 Revelation 12.9, 344 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,600 And the great dragon was cast out. 345 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:56,500 That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceived the whole world. 346 00:18:56,500 --> 00:18:59,600 He was cast out into earth and his angels were cast out with him. 347 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,800 Revelation 22, few chapters later, 348 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:08,800 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years. 349 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:09,700 What happens later? 350 00:19:09,700 --> 00:19:11,000 Verse 10, 351 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:16,200 And the devil that deceived them was cast in the lake of fire and brimstone. 352 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:21,000 Where the beasts and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. 353 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:26,200 And I saw a great white throne to him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. 354 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:27,500 And there was found no place for them. 355 00:19:27,500 --> 00:19:31,400 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. 356 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,100 And the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. 357 00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:39,700 And the dead were judged out of those things, which are written in the book according to their works. 358 00:19:39,700 --> 00:19:43,900 And the sea gave up the dead, which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead, 359 00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:47,500 which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works. 360 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:52,200 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 361 00:19:52,200 --> 00:20:01,900 This is the second death and who has so ever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 362 00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:04,200 Jesus is going to win. 363 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,300 He's going to destroy the devil through death. 364 00:20:07,300 --> 00:20:10,800 The death of Jesus was the bruising of our Lord Jesus, Lord and Savior. 365 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:14,000 So that through death, he could destroy death and Satan forever. 366 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:15,100 Sin could be defeated. 367 00:20:15,100 --> 00:20:16,200 Death could be destroyed. 368 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,400 And that old serpent, the devil could be destroyed as well. 369 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:24,700 In verse 15 and Revelation 20, there is a whosoever. 370 00:20:24,700 --> 00:20:31,500 It says, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast in the lake of fire. 371 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:36,300 We've been studying the book of John in Sunday school, which tells us the point of the gospel that he wrote. 372 00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:41,700 John tells us that it was written so that we may know that we have eternal life. 373 00:20:41,700 --> 00:20:49,600 The most famous book in the verse in the book of John has a whosoever as well. 374 00:20:49,600 --> 00:21:01,200 You may have heard the verse for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever, believe it in him, should not, should not what? 375 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:04,200 Parish but have everlasting life. 376 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:05,500 Choose life. 377 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:09,100 Which whosoever do you want to be? 378 00:21:09,100 --> 00:21:13,300 Do you want to be the whosoever that was not found in the book of life? 379 00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:17,500 Or do you want to be the whosoever that trusted in Christ? 380 00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:24,200 Jesus was made flesh so that he could die and he through death destroyed the one who had a power over death. 381 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:29,900 Satan, his days are numbered. 382 00:21:29,900 --> 00:21:37,800 And so the book of Hebrews continues, look at verse 15, and deliver them and deliver them. 383 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,300 Who's he talking about? 384 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:42,000 Those who believe. 385 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:53,400 Those who are his sons and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 386 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,000 Two phrases need to be explained that are closely related here. 387 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,100 Fear of death and subject to bondage. 388 00:22:01,100 --> 00:22:11,600 With just a few seconds of thinking, even someone who doesn't take the Bible as true or the word of God would agree that we are in bondage to death. 389 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,200 How are we in bondage to death? 390 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:17,200 Number one, we fear death coming. 391 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,500 We do. 392 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:23,200 Every person has had a fear of death at some point in their lifetime. 393 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:24,400 We fear our own death. 394 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,900 We fear the death of those around us. 395 00:22:26,900 --> 00:22:33,200 When the young, fit, incredibly athletic and healthy football player falls over, things stop. 396 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:35,300 Players kneel and pray. 397 00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:36,600 People begin to cry. 398 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,200 Some who didn't even know this player, player's name or background cry. 399 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:41,000 Why? 400 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,500 We fear death. 401 00:22:42,500 --> 00:22:45,400 We think it's tragic when it seems to come around early. 402 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:50,700 When death comes, I've seen people without hope and unbearable torment. 403 00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:58,600 I've seen it the funerals of people who have no hope after death and seen them throw themselves on the body of their deceased. 404 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:05,900 I've heard them wail in pain at the loss of their loved one, thinking, I'll never see this person again. 405 00:23:05,900 --> 00:23:15,000 We've all seen people doing everything they can to reverse aging. 406 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:21,400 For some it works, for others it doesn't. 407 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,100 It's not polite to ask a woman or age why. 408 00:23:24,100 --> 00:23:30,300 Who wants to talk about that? 409 00:23:30,300 --> 00:23:33,800 We fear death. 410 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,100 Outside of Christ, we fear death. 411 00:23:37,100 --> 00:23:39,100 Here's the other way we're in bondage. 412 00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:42,800 We're bound to die. 413 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:46,800 What's going to happen to you when you die? 414 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:48,700 It's a good question. 415 00:23:48,700 --> 00:23:55,800 Here's the statistic, one out of one people die. 416 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:57,800 Everybody's going to die. 417 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:07,800 Later in Hebrews, the author puts it this way, and as it is appointed on the men wants to die, and after this the judgment. 418 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,700 Death is an appointment that we all keep. 419 00:24:11,700 --> 00:24:13,800 Physical death is an appointment. 420 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:22,400 The Bible says that as a result of the effects of sin, our memory verse, if you're doing that with us this week is Romans 6-23. 421 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:29,300 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 422 00:24:29,300 --> 00:24:37,100 The author of Hebrews is telling us that Jesus Christ became flesh and blood to have his body broken and his blood shed. 423 00:24:37,100 --> 00:24:44,700 Why? He used death to destroy the one who had power of death so that we could be delivered from the bondage of death. 424 00:24:44,700 --> 00:24:47,800 And let me tell you about some other funerals I've been to. 425 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,800 I've been to some other funerals of people who knew that their loved one knew Christ. 426 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,600 It's a whole different kind of funeral. 427 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:58,900 Because we're not saying goodbye forever. 428 00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:02,800 We're seeing see you later. 429 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:07,100 To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 430 00:25:07,100 --> 00:25:15,800 There is a hope in death that is there because of the resurrection hope of Jesus Christ. 431 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:25,000 If he can get himself up out of the grave, getting me out of the grave is no problem. 432 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,800 Three passages that will help us understand this point. 433 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:34,500 Second Corinthians 5-6, therefore we are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body, we're absent from the Lord. 434 00:25:34,500 --> 00:25:37,200 For we walk by faith and not by sight. 435 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:43,700 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 436 00:25:43,700 --> 00:25:47,200 For the believer in Christ to be in the body is not to be present with him. 437 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,300 To die then is to go be with him. 438 00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:56,100 We then do not fear death and no longer have to be bondage to it because it brings us to an incredible place. 439 00:25:56,100 --> 00:25:59,200 Remember Jesus told Martha, here's the second passage. 440 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:05,200 Remember Jesus told Martha, when she said, hey my brother is dead, why didn't you come and heal him? 441 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:10,300 Jesus said, unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. 442 00:26:10,300 --> 00:26:13,500 He that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. 443 00:26:13,500 --> 00:26:18,800 And he and whosoever loatheth and believeth in me shall never die. 444 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,100 Believe us thou this? 445 00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:25,400 She says in him, ye Lord I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God which should come into the world. 446 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:27,800 To die without Christ means something different. 447 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:33,800 Jesus told the story of a rich man who was not right with God dying. 448 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:39,200 And this we're faced with the reality that everyone spends eternity somewhere. 449 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:43,000 Those who die in Christ are present with the Lord. 450 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,900 Who's excited about that? 451 00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:52,300 Those who die without Christ have the fate that Jesus talked about with this rich man in Luke 16. 452 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:58,900 And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. 453 00:26:58,900 --> 00:27:07,900 The rich man also died and was buried and in hell lifted up his eyes being in torments. 454 00:27:07,900 --> 00:27:11,100 To be in Christ is to be released from the bondage of death. 455 00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:17,700 We are bound to die but immediate to physical death is eternal life with Christ forever. 456 00:27:17,700 --> 00:27:19,700 It's not something we need to fear. 457 00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:23,200 It's a welcome end to our physical lives. 458 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,900 The believer in Christ already has eternal life. 459 00:27:25,900 --> 00:27:29,800 It starts at the moment of salvation and lasts forever. 460 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:35,800 To be outside of Christ though is to be condemned already. 461 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:37,300 The lost are spiritually dead. 462 00:27:37,300 --> 00:27:40,500 To be absent from the body is to be separated from the Lord. 463 00:27:40,500 --> 00:27:42,500 Even every good gift comes from God. 464 00:27:42,500 --> 00:27:47,500 So to be separated from God is to be separated from everything that's good by definition. 465 00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:50,200 That would be torment. 466 00:27:50,200 --> 00:28:03,000 Jesus died to release us from the bondage of death and the fear of death fully and finally forever. 467 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,500 Hebrews 2.16 then goes on to say this. 468 00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:11,600 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 469 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:12,900 Just walking through the passage. 470 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:14,700 Are you with me? 471 00:28:14,700 --> 00:28:23,300 Look, Jesus Christ did not take on a merely lesser supernatural being than him but more than man to rescue man. 472 00:28:23,300 --> 00:28:27,100 Meaning he didn't take on, he could have just become an angel but he didn't. 473 00:28:27,100 --> 00:28:30,500 He became a man and not just any kind of human being. 474 00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:32,800 He became a being in the line of Abraham. 475 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:34,100 He became a Jew. 476 00:28:34,100 --> 00:28:35,700 Why is this significant? 477 00:28:35,700 --> 00:28:38,100 You see this talks about Abraham in the passage? 478 00:28:38,100 --> 00:28:39,800 Are you guys still with me? 479 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:40,600 It's a warm in here. 480 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:42,200 I hope I'm not putting you to sleep. 481 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,500 Okay. 482 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:48,100 Genesis 12 once says this. 483 00:28:48,100 --> 00:28:55,400 Now the Lord God said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land I will show thee. 484 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,200 And I will make of thee a great nation. 485 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,800 I will bless thee and make thy name great. 486 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:05,500 And thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curseeth thee. 487 00:29:05,500 --> 00:29:06,900 And the curse of them that curseeth thee. 488 00:29:06,900 --> 00:29:13,200 And in thee all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 489 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,100 God gave Abraham this specific command linked to a promise. 490 00:29:18,100 --> 00:29:21,600 He was to go in faith to a land that God was going to show him. 491 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:27,000 And he said, I'm going to make of you this great nation and in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. 492 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,100 How were all the nations? 493 00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:36,800 How all the ethos, the people groups of the earth blessed, they're blessed because the Messiah came through the Jewish people. 494 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:37,700 We read it this morning. 495 00:29:37,700 --> 00:29:39,500 Salvation is of the Jews. 496 00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:39,800 Why? 497 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,900 Because salvation comes to the person of Jesus Christ. 498 00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:45,300 Why did God choose a nation to do it through? 499 00:29:45,300 --> 00:29:55,200 Because he made promises and prophecies so that when Jesus showed up we'd exactly know who he was. 500 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:59,000 The author of Hebrews states here that Jesus himself was part of that progeny. 501 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:07,800 And this way every kindred of the earth was blessed because Christ's death is available to atone for the sin of every person on earth. 502 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:09,000 And can I tell you this? 503 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,000 God fulfills his promises. 504 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,400 He fulfills his promises. 505 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,500 He made a plan of redemption and he carried it through. 506 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:20,400 This plan for redemption is not only amazing and unexpected. 507 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:22,200 It's also true. 508 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,500 It happens in history. 509 00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:27,300 There are real reasons to believe its veracity. 510 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:31,800 Jesus loves us and became like us. 511 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:32,900 Why? 512 00:30:32,900 --> 00:30:38,000 To release us from the bondage to death. 513 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,800 Who's excited about that this morning? 514 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:42,000 I'm so excited about it. 515 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:48,200 Why did Jesus become a man to destroy death through death and release us from the power of death? 516 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:52,100 Number two. 517 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:53,300 Now, why did Jesus come in? 518 00:30:53,300 --> 00:30:57,800 He came to release us from Satan and from bondage. 519 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:01,900 Number two, He came to reconcile us. 520 00:31:01,900 --> 00:31:05,300 Look at what it says. 521 00:31:05,300 --> 00:31:12,700 Wherefore, in all things, it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren. 522 00:31:12,700 --> 00:31:15,000 Who's He talking about? 523 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,400 He's talking about the brethren is who? 524 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,900 Who is made like His brethren? 525 00:31:20,900 --> 00:31:22,500 Jesus. 526 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:23,900 Why? 527 00:31:23,900 --> 00:31:32,100 That He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God 528 00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:38,100 to make reconciliation for the sins of people. 529 00:31:38,100 --> 00:31:40,600 It's another incredible verse. 530 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:46,100 It was the right move to be made like His human brethren and not angels for yet another reason. 531 00:31:46,100 --> 00:31:50,700 His aim in becoming a man was to release us from the bondage of death through death. 532 00:31:50,700 --> 00:31:54,200 It was also to reconcile us to God. 533 00:31:54,200 --> 00:32:00,200 By becoming a man, the Bible makes it clear He could be a merciful and faithful high priest. 534 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,700 Now, let me talk a little bit about what does it mean that Jesus is a high priest? 535 00:32:03,700 --> 00:32:07,200 This is something we're going to go into several times in Hebrews. 536 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:10,800 A prophet in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament, 537 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:14,200 his ministry, the ministry of a prophet was this. 538 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,900 The prophet spoke on behalf of God. 539 00:32:16,900 --> 00:32:21,100 You could sum up the ministry of a prophet by saying, 540 00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:23,000 Thus saith the Lord. 541 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:24,400 You see that all through the Old Testament. 542 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:26,900 This is what God is saying. 543 00:32:26,900 --> 00:32:28,400 That makes sense? 544 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,400 We think of prophets as foretelling, 545 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:37,200 meaning prophets knew the future and they sometimes would prophesy about the future. 546 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,100 Who links in your own mind prophecy with telling the future? 547 00:32:41,100 --> 00:32:42,000 Okay, yeah. 548 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:46,200 And the reason that is is because who knows the future? 549 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:47,200 God does. 550 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,700 So when God tells man to go give messages to other men, 551 00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:53,900 sometimes in the Old Testament, 552 00:32:53,900 --> 00:32:56,500 He did that by telling them what was going to happen in the future. 553 00:32:56,500 --> 00:32:59,200 And if you've never studied the Bible, you need to understand, 554 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:04,800 the Bible has like an incredible track record of telling the future and it coming to pass. 555 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:05,900 Okay? 556 00:33:05,900 --> 00:33:07,700 So you need to know that. 557 00:33:07,700 --> 00:33:09,200 So that's what a prophet was. 558 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:14,600 So a prophet went to man on behalf of God. 559 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:16,800 What did the priest do? 560 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,000 The priest had a different ministry. 561 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:26,200 The priest would go to God on behalf of man. 562 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,600 Where the prophet would go to men on behalf of God, 563 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:37,000 God used the priest to go to God on behalf of man. 564 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:41,500 The priest's role was to go to God on behalf of people. 565 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:43,300 To help us explain this concept now, 566 00:33:43,300 --> 00:33:47,200 let's just say that Jesus could be a faithful and merciful high priest 567 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:53,000 because he knows what it means to be a man. 568 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,800 Angels do not know pain. 569 00:33:57,800 --> 00:33:59,500 Not like we do. 570 00:33:59,500 --> 00:34:03,200 Jesus knew something about pain. 571 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:07,500 Angels do not know what it's like to live a little lower than the angels. 572 00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:09,500 Jesus does. 573 00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:13,900 Jesus faced temptation and he defeated it. 574 00:34:13,900 --> 00:34:15,600 He obeyed it as we'll see. 575 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:19,000 His high priestly ministry continues to this day. 576 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:19,600 Think about this. 577 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:23,000 Romans 8 tells us this in Romans 834. 578 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,200 Who is he that condemned us? 579 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:26,500 It is Christ that died. 580 00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:28,700 Ye rather that is risen again. 581 00:34:28,700 --> 00:34:36,200 Who is even at the right hand of God who also make us intercession for us. 582 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,300 You know what that means? 583 00:34:38,300 --> 00:34:42,500 I can go to God because Jesus in his humanity and in his divinity 584 00:34:42,500 --> 00:34:46,200 represents me as a faithful high priest to God on my behalf. 585 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:48,700 How cool is that? 586 00:34:48,700 --> 00:34:51,300 Who agrees? That's a good deal for us. 587 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:54,700 The one who made intercession for us is like us. 588 00:34:54,700 --> 00:34:56,000 He calls us brethren. 589 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,700 He is the firstborn among brethren. 590 00:34:58,700 --> 00:35:02,900 He lived as we have and walked on this mortal soil like we do. 591 00:35:02,900 --> 00:35:04,500 He had a childhood. 592 00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:06,200 He had an adolescence. 593 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:08,400 He had a mom. 594 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:13,200 He had brothers and sisters. 595 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:15,900 He had, he slept. 596 00:35:15,900 --> 00:35:18,900 He sneezed. He had hiccups. 597 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:25,100 He was tempted in all points like we are yet without sin. 598 00:35:25,100 --> 00:35:26,300 But ultimately what did he do? 599 00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:28,200 He died for us. 600 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,900 He gave us his righteousness. 601 00:35:31,900 --> 00:35:35,900 Now he intercedes for us and that means he goes to God on our behalf. 602 00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:41,400 The fundamental issue that had to be dealt with between us and God is our sin. 603 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,100 Our sin offends a holy God. 604 00:35:44,100 --> 00:35:45,800 As sinners this creates a problem. 605 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:50,000 We cannot appease for our own sin because our own sin never stops. 606 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:54,300 There is no full and final payment and atonement for sin outside of Christ. 607 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:59,100 The Old Testament priests and the temple, I'm going to bring this up more than once, 608 00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:03,100 there were no seats in the temple. 609 00:36:03,100 --> 00:36:11,000 The priests never sat down because they were always, always, always, always, always sacrificing for sin. 610 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,600 Because the sacrifice was temporary. 611 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:15,200 Every day they sacrificed all the time. 612 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,300 The Old Testament priests were essentially butchers. 613 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:22,100 That's what they did. 614 00:36:22,100 --> 00:36:26,300 But when Jesus goes to the Father who's sinned to reconcile us to God and all things, 615 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:31,600 he paid the sin payment fully and finally. 616 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,700 And then he sat down. 617 00:36:34,700 --> 00:36:36,300 It's the only way it could happen. 618 00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:38,500 Who's excited about Jesus? 619 00:36:38,500 --> 00:36:40,500 This is our high priest. 620 00:36:40,500 --> 00:36:45,400 He's also the sacrifice more on that later. 621 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:52,600 If we have not trusted in Christ, we're yet in our sins and our fundamental relationship with God is as enemies. 622 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:54,400 Romans 5.10 says, 623 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:59,500 For if when we were enemies we were all reconciled to God by the death of his son, 624 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:04,300 much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. 625 00:37:04,300 --> 00:37:11,100 And not only so, but we also join God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we've also received the atonement. 626 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:17,500 Through his death, he can release us from the bondage of death and the fear of death. 627 00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:24,600 Through his resurrection life, he lives to intercede to God on our behalf and gives us resurrection life as well. 628 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,400 Our sins can be forgiven. 629 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:29,900 And now we can have a relationship with God. 630 00:37:29,900 --> 00:37:37,000 Not as enemies, but as sons because Christ ever lives to make intercession for us. 631 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,500 He reconciles us. 632 00:37:39,500 --> 00:37:41,000 How did he, what does he reconcile us? 633 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:47,400 He reconciles us to God and he reconciles us from our sin. 634 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,200 Why did Jesus become a man? 635 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:52,900 To release us, to reconcile us. 636 00:37:52,900 --> 00:37:54,400 Here's the last one. 637 00:37:54,400 --> 00:38:00,700 Number three, to rescue us. 638 00:38:00,700 --> 00:38:11,500 Verse 18, for in that he himself had suffered being tempted, he is able to secure them that are tempted. 639 00:38:11,500 --> 00:38:16,200 Because Jesus was tempted, he endured temptation fully and righteously. 640 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:20,500 He never sinned one time. 641 00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:26,100 He always did exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it for the right reasons to glorify his father. 642 00:38:26,100 --> 00:38:34,800 Could you imagine being married in Joseph and having a perfectly obedient son? 643 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,900 That would be cool. Who votes for that? 644 00:38:39,900 --> 00:38:44,500 If there's a situation, who messed up? It's always me. 645 00:38:44,500 --> 00:38:52,600 Not my kid, right? That's not how I deal with it now. 646 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,300 He always did exactly what was right. 647 00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:57,500 He always did what was right for the right reason. 648 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:01,300 Not only did he do the right thing, he did it with the right motivation. 649 00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:03,700 I do a lot of things right for the wrong reason. 650 00:39:03,700 --> 00:39:05,700 How about you? 651 00:39:05,700 --> 00:39:09,100 He did it for the right reason. 652 00:39:09,100 --> 00:39:18,900 And his obedience even led to death and the Bible says even death on a cross. 653 00:39:18,900 --> 00:39:21,900 Here he says, for in that he himself suffered being tempted. 654 00:39:21,900 --> 00:39:28,900 He is able to, and there's this big old English word, secure, them that are tempted. 655 00:39:28,900 --> 00:39:38,900 The word, the Greek word here is boateo, which means to aid or to relieve or to help or to secure. 656 00:39:38,900 --> 00:39:47,900 Mount's dictionary says to run to the aid of those who cry for help. 657 00:39:47,900 --> 00:39:51,400 To advance to the assistance of anyone. 658 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:55,000 That sounds like a good definition to me. 659 00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:03,700 This may be the most relevant and obvious way of summarizing this whole chapter. 660 00:40:03,700 --> 00:40:05,900 How many of you have been in church a long time? 661 00:40:05,900 --> 00:40:09,900 If you've been coming to church a long time in your life. 662 00:40:09,900 --> 00:40:13,900 Raise your hand. You've been in church a long time. 663 00:40:13,900 --> 00:40:17,900 There's a danger in coming to church a long time. 664 00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:25,900 And the danger is we can get used to hearing this. 665 00:40:25,900 --> 00:40:28,900 We can get really apathetic. 666 00:40:28,900 --> 00:40:33,400 Yeah, Jesus died for a sense. He died for a sense. I've known that a long time. 667 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:39,400 You understand what a miracle it is that you can even take a breath. 668 00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:44,400 We don't deserve it. We don't deserve just this life. 669 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:49,900 We definitely don't deserve eternal life. 670 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:55,400 When we call out to God, he does not. 671 00:40:55,400 --> 00:41:01,400 He only has to come rescue us because he's obligated himself to do so. 672 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:08,400 He didn't have to obligate himself to us. Does that make sense? 673 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:15,400 I am so glad that he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 674 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:20,400 He said, whoever comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. 675 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:25,400 He says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God had raised him from the dead, 676 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:30,400 thou shalt be saved for the heart man believes under righteousness and with the mouth confessions made to salvation. 677 00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,400 He says, whosoever believeth in him should not be ashamed. 678 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,400 You know what that means? 679 00:41:35,400 --> 00:41:45,400 Ashamed here doesn't mean like, ashamed means they will not be let down because God doesn't come through on his promise. 680 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:55,400 You ever been stood up? You had a meeting, you had a date, and you knew you were supposed to be there and the person was a no-call, no-show. 681 00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:59,400 You ever have that happen? I've done it to people. 682 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:09,400 I try not to but I've done it. Have you done it? You ever made a promise you didn't keep? 683 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:15,400 God doesn't do that. God is never a no-call, no-show. 684 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:19,400 What he's obligated himself to, he will do. 685 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:33,400 And Jesus came and became a man to destroy the devil through his death and to give us life through his suffering and his resurrection life. 686 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:37,400 Church, don't get over that. Don't get over that. 687 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:49,400 And don't forget what's common every day, every Sunday to you, there's a whole world of people who have never heard it. 688 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:59,400 And God is able to rescue those who call upon him. 689 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:03,400 This may be the most relevant and obvious way of summarizing this whole chapter. 690 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:08,400 Jesus became a man to rescue us. 691 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:14,400 We need rescue. We need rescue from sin to righteousness. 692 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:18,400 We need rescue from death to life. 693 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:23,400 We need rescue from the power of Satan to the power of God. 694 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:29,400 And because Jesus became a man, he submitted to the Father in that way. 695 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:37,400 He had performed righteousness. He had a performed righteousness that led to him to death, even the death of a cross. 696 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:45,400 God poured out his wrath for our sin on him and like the thief on the cross, when we look to him by faith for salvation. 697 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:54,400 Jesus Christ says to us, thou shalt be with me in paradise. 698 00:43:54,400 --> 00:44:00,400 We can be released from the bondage of death, the fear to death. 699 00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:04,400 We can be released from the power of Satan. 700 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:11,400 We can be reconciled to God. He can accept us as sons and Jesus can welcome us as brethren. 701 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:20,400 He can give us righteousness and that's how he rescues us. 702 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:28,400 This is why Jesus became a man. 703 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:31,400 Four words out of characterize a response. 704 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:38,400 Listen, I want you to come to church and one of the things I want you to think when you come to Trinity Baptist Church is this. 705 00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:42,400 God, what are you wanting to do in my life today? 706 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:45,400 What do you want me to, how do you want me to respond today? 707 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:48,400 How do you want to respond to your word today? 708 00:44:48,400 --> 00:44:56,400 Is there ever a time when the word goes out where there's not some deficit in my life that needs to be dealt with? 709 00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:01,400 So what's the response? Well, four words I think of number one, faith. 710 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:06,400 Faith in Christ is the only shot we have at rescue. 711 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:13,400 Faith in Christ is your only shot to get to heaven. 712 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:19,400 Well, we don't have a lot of visitors here today pastor. Why are you talking? We're all saved. Are you? 713 00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,400 Are you? 714 00:45:22,400 --> 00:45:26,400 It's not because you come to church that you're going to heaven. 715 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:33,400 It's not because your grandpappy was a preacher, your mama was a Sunday school teacher. 716 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:40,400 It's not why you're going to heaven. Jesus is your only shot. 717 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:45,400 But I'm at church on a Sunday. I'm wearing a suit. Who cares? 718 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:50,400 What does that have to do with anything? 719 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:55,400 Jesus had a beard and wore sandals. It doesn't matter. 720 00:45:55,400 --> 00:46:00,400 Faith in Jesus is your only shot at salvation. 721 00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:06,400 Have you put your trust in Him? You believe it then Him should not be ashamed. 722 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:12,400 The one who calls out for rescue, he's able to secure, to rescue. 723 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:18,400 He can do it. His arm is not too short that he cannot say, put your trust in Him. 724 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:26,400 Here's another response. How about some worship? Who's worthy of worship? 725 00:46:26,400 --> 00:46:30,400 God's worthy of all the worship and honor that we can give to Him. 726 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:36,400 Done just happen in singing. You know worship is not just a musical thing. It's a life thing. 727 00:46:36,400 --> 00:46:42,400 We ought to worship Him with our lives. How about Thanksgiving? 728 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:50,400 Have you gotten over your salvation? Have you gotten over it? 729 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:55,400 Do you think you deserved it? We ought to be thankful. 730 00:46:55,400 --> 00:47:00,400 If you're saved and you've been released and you've been released and reconciled and rescued, 731 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:03,400 we ought to be thankful for all that Christ has done for us. 732 00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:08,400 And the last word, faith, worship, Thanksgiving. Here's another one. What about duty? 733 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:16,400 D-U-T-Y duty. These truths must be believed and they can only be believed if people are told. 734 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:22,400 There is a rescue for sin. There is a reconciliation to God. 735 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:30,400 There is a life after death. Choose life. People need to hear that. 736 00:47:30,400 --> 00:47:35,400 And they only hear it if they're told. Do you remember what we sang earlier? 737 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:40,400 We've only sung it a couple of times at our church. But the truth of it is, you guys are like, 738 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:46,400 oh no, he's going to have us sing again. No, I'm not going to do that. We did that last week. 739 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:51,400 But I don't think it was an accident that we sang this song again today. Listen to the words of it. 740 00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:58,400 What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone. 741 00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:03,400 What is our only confidence that our souls to Him belong? 742 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:09,400 Who holds our days within His hand? What comes apart from His command? 743 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:14,400 And what will keep us to the end? The love of Christ in which we stand. 744 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:20,400 What truth can calm a troubled soul? God is good. God is good. 745 00:48:20,400 --> 00:48:25,400 Whereas His grace and goodness known in our great Redeemer's blood. 746 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:30,400 Who holds our faith when fears arise? Who stands above the stormy trial? 747 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:38,400 Who sends the waves that bring us? Nigh, reconciled, unto the shore, the rock of Christ. 748 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:46,400 And unto the grave, what will we sing? Christ, he lives. Christ, he lives. 749 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:53,400 And what reward will heaven bring? Everlasting life with Him. 750 00:48:53,400 --> 00:49:01,400 Then we will rise to meet our Lord. Then sin and death will be destroyed. 751 00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:08,400 And we will feast in endless joy. Who's for that? 752 00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:14,400 When Christ is ours forevermore. Oh, sing, hallelujah. 753 00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:19,400 Our hope springs eternal. Oh, sing, hallelujah. 754 00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:27,400 Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death. 755 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:47,400 Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me this morning?