Sermon: Ultimate Help

Let's pray one more time before we approach God's word this morning.

Father we thank you for this word.

Thank you that it's living and active and we pray that as it goes out this morning as it's read as it's preached. We would find that it is living an active in our own hearts. We pray that where there is Darkness you would bring light where there is death you would bring life.

where we are need of comfort because there's pain that you would bring it. And we would find that you are sustaining Us by Your Word this morning. We pray all this in the strong name of Christ Our Lord and our savior. amen Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14 through 18. This is a holy inherent sufficient word of God. since therefore the children share and flesh and blood He himself likewise partook of the same thing. That through death. He might destroy the one

who has the power of death. That is the devil. And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps. He helps you offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest and the service of God. to make propitiation for the sins of the people or because he himself has suffered

when tempted. He is able to help those who are being tempted. Though the grass withers. the flower fades word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

Well, we've mentioned these past few weeks that. The writer of Hebrews is writing to Jewish Christians that are being tempted to turn away from Christ and turn away from the Christian faith that they have grabbed a hold of and turned back to their Jewish faith because they're suffering persecution and there's even greater persecution on the horizon as they're suffering martyrdom. And so they're being tempted to turn away from Christ.

I wonder Christian. What you do when you are being tempted? There are some of you in this room this morning who? Are being tempted and no doubt. You're here this morning because you think ah, they give it one last try. Show up. The worship this morning and we'll see if I get anything out of it. and if not But forth my best effort. Or others of you that you're here, but you're not really here. As you walk out, there's not a running away from

Christ. There's just kind of a gradual. And of moving away from Christ over time. There's that temptation. You're tired. You're discouraged you're depressed. feel like you faced all kinds of things

and you're being tempted. Tempted to give up. Him to stop seeking after him. What do you do when you're tempted?

The psalmist was saying someone did 21 as say I lift up my eyes to the hills. He's looking at the hills and he is tempted because he is fearful of what is in the Hills. He says I lift up my eyes to the hills. And from where does my help come my help? Comes from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth. He finds that he turns back to God in the midst of that temptation to flee from God. And the writer of Hebrews is going to Echo that

sentiment of the psalmacy points to Christian back to Christ. He's saying look in the face of Temptation Jewish Christians. This is what you do you look to Christ. And he's going to do it as we're going to see this morning in three ways three points this morning Christ like us Christ for us. And then Christ with us Christ like us Christ for us Christ with us so first, in the midst of Temptation when you are tempted to abandon Christ to flee

from Christ you remember this first of all Christ like us verse 14 Since the children share in Flesh and Blood he himself it's emphatic. He himself. Likewise partook of the same things. He'll say in verse 17 therefore. He had to be made like his brothers in every respect. That is the Son of God assumes Human Nature. There have been different heresies throughout the history of the church that have attempted to say in some manner or form

that. Jesus wasn't truly human. He may be appeared to be human. Or maybe he wasn't fully human. He didn't have a human mind or he didn't suffer bodily as human suffer bodily because that is somehow. Negates the fact that he is deity that he is God and know the the writer is very clear. He partook of the same things. The writer says in verse 14 He had to be made like his brothers. He says in verse 17. There was no other way.

Christ like us if he was going to be Christ for us. He had to be Christ like us nothing lacking in him truly human like his brothers in every respect. every respect

remember first reading the early church fathers, maybe 20 25 years ago and Those first centuries they kept coming across a similar illustration that different Church fathers used over and over to speak about the Incarnation. and they would use this illustration. They said it is like the Son of God becoming fleshes like a a mother that sees her child crying and in desperation and despair and she takes that child in her Embrace that

crying child and she brings that crying child to her breast and she nurtures it and nourishes it So it is like Christ the son of God becomes flesh and he takes human flesh to himself. This week crying out flesh and he takes it to himself and he presses it into his embrace. But it's more than that. It's not just he he takes it to himself. He takes it upon himself.

His like us it is a great Act of love that the Son of God would become flesh and Adorn himself with flesh and that great Act of Love happens so that there can even be a greater Act of love. Christ like us leads to Christ for us. He died for us and in dying for us. He delivered us. The writer of Hebrews is going to focus on two things. He delivered us from two particular problems. He delivered us from slavery and he delivered us from Wrath.

Christ for us delivered us from slavery. He became like us of the same things verse 14 that through death. He might destroy the one who has the power of death. That is the devil and deliver those who through fear of death were subject to life long. slavery you were born into this world the slave. Now that may sound strange. With the writer of Hebrews is saying is that all of us all children of Adam and Eve all of us born

into this world are born in this world in slavery. We are slaves of what of the fear of death

we all fear death. All slaves of it as John Owen the 17th Century theologian right police said, this is an involuntary slavery. No one is in slavery because he wants to be which means that there is a strong desire to seek freedom in any way you can and you can see this throughout our society there. Is this constant Kind of pressure and orchestrating of things so that we can distance ourselves as much as we can from having any conscience conscious thought

of death.

We work overtime to distance oursels from Death. This is part of the reason that I think covid had such an incredible impact upon everyone and everything. This is why medicine has been given such a place of prominence in our society. Everyone wants to beat Death or at least keep it. Obey. We're obsessed with death. We just call it something nicer. We call it health. obsessed with health to prevent

exercise the drug industry supplements have taken entire sectors of our economy. plastic surgery and Botox or hobbies for the rich Why because they don't want to look in that mirror and see reflected back to them that death. is encroaching

and Lee and I lived in Dallas. She taught at a private school kindergarten. and it was a school that was in. The very wealthy part of Dallas and this isn't just wealthy. This is Dallas wealthy. And she taught kindergarten one day she was teaching on time. and the principles of time and she had a clock and she was showing The Kindergartners what 15 minutes looks like and she was saying that 15 minutes is a pretty long period of time and there was a little girl that raised her hand and

Leah cold owner and the little girl said 15 minutes is not very long. And he said well, why do you say that? She said 15 minutes isn't long because I've sat a whole hour in the doctor's office while my mommy got shots in her face. That's a long time. No, we didn't ever look at that woman the same way again. but what I love Is that it was in a lesson on time? Trying to keep time at Bay. It just keeps marching on. And death is coming.

And death is feared rightfully so because death destroyed. But the writer of Hebrews says verse 14 Jesus destroys him who has the power of death. That's Christ for us who has the power of death? That's the devil and how does Jesus destroy the Devil who has the power of death by his own atoning death? Now let's try and make a little bit of sense of this. How does the devil have the power of death? It is not that he dictates who

dies he has no power over who Neither does he have the power in that he decides win someone dies. He doesn't have the power of wind. Nor does he have the power of where someone dies then? What does the writer mean that the devil has the power of death and that he that he exercises this power. Well, he has the power of death in this and that he introduced death into the world. He did that by bringing Temptation into the world.

Someone asked me last week after the sermon and standing out here. They said why does the devil want the temp to people? Why does he want us to sin? And it's because he is committed to a life of cosmic rebellion, and he wants to drag all he can to hell with him. When Lucifer rebelled in heaven as an angel and he was cast out of heaven with all the rest of the Fallen Angels he desires now to bring all of those that he can created

in the image of God with him down to Hell because he is just in a constant state of cosmic Rebellion. A devil is Jesus says in John 12 the prince or the ruler of this world? Paul calls him in Ephesians 2 the prince of the power of the air he calls in a little G God of this world and second Corinthians 4 he has power in the sense that he brought sin into this world. And now this is a sinful and sin-filled sin fatigued world and the penalty for sin is

death.

That is Satan's power. Sin, must be punished with death. That's the penalty. There's an obligation here. And so every man woman and child no matter how much they may seek to suppress it. There is a fear of death rightfully so that fear Is what we are in slavery to. And the devil is the master.

penalty of death if the penalty of death is taken away that obligation is fulfilled and the devil no longer has power. And this is what Christ like us does for us. He takes the penalty for or sin he dies in our place. So that death no longer is required. The obligation has been fulfilled. So the devil no longer has any power over the one for whom Christ died. His power is as John Owen will say dissolve. It disappears or as a writer of Hebrews says here. It's destroyed.

This is why the New Testament over and over have you noticed this as the New Testament writers are writing when they speak about a Christian dying. They don't say that he died. They say he fell asleep. Death no longer has power in the Christian's life. And so Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, they're in Luke 11 will say our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I go to awaken him act seven when Stephen is being stone that first

martyr of the church. We are told falling to his knees. He cried out with the loud voice Lord do not hold this sin against them and when he had said this he fell asleep. We could go to passage after Passage. Especially that first Thessalonians 4 though. We often use to comfort one another when we're grieving the passing of a loved one. Call right, but we do not want you to be uninformed Brothers about those who are asleep.

so that you may not grieve as others do have no hope

so that Paul can get to the point in First Corinthians 15 where he says. Oh death. Where is your Victory O Death. Where is your sting? It's gone.

thing of death It's gone. It's gone for the Christian. Why because as Paul says God gives us Victory through or Lord Jesus Christ. The devil is defeated and we are delivered from Death by Christ who is auras

Christ for us delivers from slavery And he also delivers us from Wrath. verse 17 therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest and the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Read opposed this week from a theologian the domination that you are see used to belong to that. about sent me into apoplectic shock he said this he said the two most toxic traits attributed to God. or sovereignty and holiness they are destructive. And you can make a great case for the cross as a total repudiation of those traits. But you can also just look around and realize that they are incompatible. with love this is

the worst false teaching the worst kind that's an abomination.

He was made like his brothers to make propitiation for the sins of the people God's holiness. And God's sovereignty are not offenses, but they are beautiful comforts.

listen an Unholy God cannot be a god of love. It's an impossibility. Does this man really want an Unholy God one that dabbles in wickedness? That dabbles and Evil. A doubles and force things Holiness is beautiful. And sovereignty is beautiful. If God is not sovereign. He's not God. If he's not a sovereign God then we have no hope of Salvation because there can be something that outflinks him. There can be something that just can Trump him in

any given moment something that can undermine him.

Oh God, the father and God the son can plan an eternity past for God. The son to come into the world and die for sinners. Because he suffered.

He can be our help. And he actually is our help.

As this man not to understand. Does he not understand what motivated the father to send the son and to the world uphold Holiness and Justice in his sovereignty does he not understand that what caused him to send the son into the world was actually love?

Sun dies on the cross a propitiating sacrifice for us motivated by the love of the father and the son for us to uphold Holiness according to a sovereignty he propitiates The father on our behalf. The son propitiates the holy righteous Sovereign father on our behalf. It's a big word. It's a word that we don't normally use propitiation to propitiate means to deal with someone's anger and notice. It's anger. It's not hatred we're speaking of

Too often propitiation is described as turning the rats the father's wrath into love. No, no, no for God so loved the world. That he sent his only son The Father's Love is not caused by the death of Christ. The death of Christ was caused by the love of the father. As John will say in this we know Love in This is Love. Not that we first love God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation. for us

Holiness and the sovereignty of God makes a path for the beauty of the Cross. God sent God.

Another way of saying this the cross. Did not lead to the Father's Love For Us rather The Father's Love led to the Cross of Christ for us. God propitiates himself out of love. Hold his Holiness and justice. And it could only be done by a sovereign.

Donald McLeod the theologians said he said God provided his own lamb. And though the great ritual takes place at Calvary involves a human sacrifice. The blood shed is God's Own and the whole transaction in is one which takes place between Divine persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit mankind does not placate an angry deity. But God justifies his own remission of human. sin God is angry with sin.

You want to God who is angry with sin?

There's a need for him to be propitiated. Holy. You want him to be holy?

This is not an Antiquated view of deity. It's the god of the Bible.

Cloud says this

So God is angry with our defiances or blasphemies and idolatries. Angry with the way we treat our neighbors angry with the way we treat the poor the alien and the marginalized angry with the way we treat our enemies far from ignoring or indulging such lovelessness. God deplores it. And this is no irrational evanescent or interpret Fury. It is the deliberate measured judicious response of God to our Collective revolt against his rule in God's eyes.

The Earth is filled with violence and it pulls him

it would be our wisdom to propitiate God. But we have nothing to offer. Nothing to offer. This is why God the son had to become man had to be like us to atone for our sins. So that he could be Christ for us. He became flesh and order to give his life as a ransom. He could only make peace by the blood of his cross. God pays the penalty with his own blood.

Christ like us Christ for us finally as he tries to show us that we have every help in Christ. He's saying look. Oh, I understand things are hard. I understand you're going through trials. I understand the great temptation to turn away from Christ. You think you are abandoned? You think you're forgotten remember this Christ became like you the Son of God became like you this is Christ like you this is Christ for you. He sets you

free from your great adversary death. He's set you free from the very wrath of God Christ like you Christ for you. Now, let me remind you though. That's not all. You also have Christ with you. Christ is with you now.

He is the writer says a merciful. And faithful High priests merciful and faithful. This is this is Twin blessings here.

Is like us and for us and so we have a high priest. And it's a heart of tender compassion towards his people. He's merciful. is willing he's also faithful. This is not a reference to his faithful life before the father that is of course true that he forever walked in righteousness before his father, but that's not what the writer of Hebrews is speaking about here rather. He's speaking about him being faithful in that there is

a deliberateness about Christ. There is an intention on his part Christ with us is careful and he is intent in his concern for us. He's not only willing for us, but he is also able in serving us. He's saying look in the midst of all your trials in the midst of all of these Temptations you have in the midst of all of this you have these two great promises. He is merciful and he is faithful he is willing and he is able you can rest your weary Soul

upon this soft pillow. two soft pillows you got Is merciful and faithful?

so often your accusations launched against God as if he doesn't care. He doesn't know he doesn't understand.

And here it's being pressed home.

part of the beauty Of the Incarnation, is that forever that arguments taken away?

Christ with us understand

or because he himself has suffered when tempted he is able to help those who are being tempted. He experienced this life. And the experience The Temptations that it bring. Experienced it. He suffered through temptation.

think about Christ and Think about his temptation in life to abandon his father. There is this constant Temptation and all that are adversary could bring to bear. All that the devil and all the demons that could bring they could bring to bear and all that the world could bring to bear on Christ to try and turn him away from his father just as continual assault upon him. Just tempted and tempted and tempted again. Peter will attempt him to attempt him to avoid the

cross. The devil will tempt him to seize the kingdom by other means his family will tempt him to abandon his course, he faces Temptation after Temptation and because he himself has suffered when tempted he is able to help those who are being tempted. attempted to wander away from God

Christ has been tempted in every way. He suffered when being tempted and so he's able to help the writer of Hebrews to say. You have one who understands one who is experienced? He not only forgives sin, but he gives us the power to resist sin.

Remember he's trying to comfort. This Jewish Christians who? And it just feels like all of life has started to fall apart since they follow Christ.

He's just trying to encourage them. What does he encourage them? He's just encouraging look keep looking to Jesus. Keep looking to Jesus.

I think well. It's all well and good. Jesus was tempted and tried, but he hasn't faced what I face.

He hasn't been tempted to abandon. God because he hasn't been through what I've been through. He didn't have a spouse that is beating him. Not in one sense. He didn't ever have Earthly children that he watched just go off a Cliff's Edge and destroy their lives. No he Didn't in one sense.

He's been tempted in every way.

More severe Temptations and you and I have experienced.

He understands. He's merciful and faithful.

How were his Temptations more severe? Give you three particular ways this morning first.

It's Temptation was more severe in that. Is only known Holiness and righteousness and goodness. And so when evil approached him to entice him it was stalker and it was more offensive than anything that we've endured. second the power of Christ's temperature was surely more than the power of yours and my temper.

He was tempted personally by the devil. You and I frankly are not that important. The Devil is a personal being he can only be in one place at one time. And I doubt any of us have risen to the level where the devil has personally tempted any of us in this room. Jesus has the continual onslaught of the power of the devil. third the severity was greater in his Temptations because he never gave in. You and I give in to Temptation and so there's relief.

We get relief. The way I think about in the life of Jesus is it's like a rubber band. If you if you pull a rubber band out and you have all of this tension and the rubber band and and you just continue to hold it out. How do you eventually what eventually happens? Will you you give in to that Temptation and it snaps back and there's rest. He never gave in. Just continual onslaught of Temptation after temptation just as continual stress.

He never experienced rest.

Never had relief. An Old Testament commentator said about this true. They said sympathy with the Sinner and his trial does not depend on the experience of sin, but on the experience of the strength of the temptation to sin, which only the sinless can know in its full intensity He Who falls yields before the last strain? He never yielded. before the last strain just this continual. onslaught of Temptation from without

He knows weakness. He knows the Allure of sin. He knows the trials of this life. He knows the misery of this world. He knows he experienced it. He is like you and that experience makes him a compassionate and gracious and sympathetic Christ who is with you

we've all had those moments where you're something big is before you maybe you have to go into this building that you don't want to go into to do something. To get in front of this microphone. to say something or there is this person that you have to approach and say a hard thing to or something that you just desperately love and you know, you have to let go of this thing.

and there is a person that is standing next to you. Maybe it's your husband or wife or mother or father or it is a friend and you have this thought if not at least. uttered it I can do this.

If you're with me.

And what the writer of Hebrews is saying to you? It's Christ is with you.

being tempted on every side and do this

keep looking to Christ. He's with you.

so often complain against God he does not know.

He does know clearly he doesn't care.

If he knew and cared he would.

to see Christ like us Christ for us Christ with us closes every single mouth from such an accusation and then it takes those Everlasting Arms and wraps them around that person.

So when you're weak. Look to Him when you're really Look to Him when you can't seem to overcome the Temptation that is before you then you look to him. He's our help.

He's your constant and continual help.

It truly gives us all we need in the midst of whatever we find ourselves in.

It's closed with this. In 1871. There was a fire that swept across the best city on the face of the Earth this was even before they invented deep dish pizza, Chicago and destroyed 3.3 miles of square miles of the city destroyed 17,000 buildings in the city There was a lawyer in that City Horatio spafford who? had invested his Earthly wealth in buildings on the north side of the city in. He lost all of that investment.

It wasn't all that he lost though there. were about 300 people that died in the Great Chicago Fire and one of those three hundred was his four-year-old, son

after about two years spafford trying to recover from this loss decided with his wife and his four surviving children. Oh daughters that they would go to England and go on a tour together go on vacation. And they were going because DL Moody was a personal friend of spaffords and deal Moody was doing a preaching tour in England. And so they were going to enjoy vacation and also get some good preaching while they were there and

So the day came but spafford because of some business obligations. Decided that he had to remain back and so he put his wife and his four daughters on the ship and he said that he would follow in a couple of days or a week later when the next ship was crossing Atlantic and he would join them. in England So that ship left and as it was crossing the huge Atlantic Ocean. Now this even happens the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. I don't understand.

The ship that his wife and his daughters were on ran into an iron ship.

His wife was rescued and was taken to England and she sent a telegram to him just with two words. saved alone

It's four daughters ages 12 7 4 and 18 months old died.

spafford booked the next ship out of the US to go and gather his grieving wife from England and as he is on this ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean when he gets near where His four daughters lost their life. He wrote A Hymn

You know the opening verse.

when peace like a river attendeth my way. when Sorrows like sea Billows roll Whatever my lot. That was taught me to say. It is well. Is Well with My Soul

Yeah that background of mine the sea billows. At him make quite a different impact, don't they?

continue those Satan should buff it. Who trials should come? Let this Blessed Assurance control. That Christ has regarded my helpless estate. And has shed his own blood. for my soul Is well? as well it is well. with My Soul

Christian can say this today no matter the trials and temptations can say it tomorrow can say it for all of eternity.

Because we have Christ like us for us with us. ever

it's well our soul.

pray

father we are thankful. That you are a sovereign. Holy God who sent your son?

appreciate the Wrath Of You Are Holy God we might have peace and everlasting life with you. We're thankful. Christ who would become like us Christ who would defeat or adversary for us Christ to even now serves as our high priest forever. dwelling with us

Truly may it be the song of our hearts and our lives that it is well with us. Matter what Temptations we Face It Is Well with us. Help us to keep looking to you in the face of your son. We seek after him always. Is in the strong name of Christ that we pray. amen