December 27/28, 2009 Christmas 1
Pastor Paul G. Eckert
Sermon text - Hebrews 2:10-18
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12 He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." 13 And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
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Jacob became Esau. Or did he? Do you remember this Old Testament account starting with Genesis chapter 25? I’ll try to summarize it. You might want to read all of it in your Bible at home.
Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham was Isaac’s father and their grandfather. Esau was the first of the two to be born. At that time special birthright benefits went with being the firstborn. But Esau despised that one day when he was older and hungry, and traded with his slightly younger brother the birthright for a special meal - what foolishness on his part.
But now the problem. How was Jacob going to get his father Isaac, who did not know about the trade, to give him the special birthright blessing? Isaac still would think of Esau first. Aha, here is where deception came in. For this deception, Jacob had the help of his mother Rebekah. They took advantage of the fact that father Isaac was old now and his eyesight was not good. So Jacob and his mother took various measures to trick the father into thinking that Jacob was Esau. In a way, then, we could say that Jacob became Esau, and in this way, by deception, Jacob received the blessing.
The results? For Jacob much trouble. His brother became his enemy. Jacob had to flee to get away from him. God, however, was in control and used what had happened for His good purposes, leading up to the birth in Bethlehem which we just celebrated.
Jacob became Esau? In a deceiving sense yes. But actually no. Now let’s look at the birth in Bethlehem and see something that was actual. What we have just celebrated in Christmas is no deception whatsoever. In a very real sense we can say:
THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US
I THE MIRACLE OF THIS (10,14a,17a)
1. God’s plan was for our glory (10a)
In bringing many sons to glory, ---.
a) what does sin call for, sin like deceiving, cheating, lying?
b) God wanted glory for us; but the wages of sin is not glory
2. For that someone had to suffer and die (10)
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
a) the wages of sin is suffering, not glory; death, not glory
b) the problem is that our suffering and dying cannot pay for sin,
our suffering and dying can do nothing but lead us to the
deserved penalty of hell; yet suffering and dying were prices
that had to be paid; if someone was going to author salvation,
write an account whose last chapter was glory, there would
have to be a suffering and death that could actually pay for sin
3. That is why God’s Son became incarnate (14a,17a)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity ---. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, ---.
a) could a person without a Green Bay Packers uniform on, go
into the game and be a valid substitute? No
b) so also if Jesus was going to substitute for a world of human
beings He had to have the flesh and blood uniform of a human
being, He had to be able to compete as one of us, He had to be
able to suffer and able to pay the wages of sin in our place
4. This incarnation we have just celebrated
a) no, Jacob did not really become Esau
b) but here is the miracle: Jesus did really become one of us;
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and took on Himself our
flesh and blood, flesh and blood that could suffer and die
c) what have we just celebrated - an ordinary baby? by no
means; our Christmas observances celebrated the miracle of
God’s eternal Son becoming one of us to bring us to glory
II THE REASON FOR THIS (14-16,17b)
1. There was a terrible power over us (14)
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil ---.
a) God has not yet revealed to us all details about what happened
to His perfect creation; but we do know that God created
angels who also were perfect, that in their free will at that time
some rebelled against God, that they were rejected, that their
leader the devil then tried to get Adam and Eve to join him and
his crew, and that he succeeded in doing that
b) we also know that by the fall into sin all of the descendants of
Adam and Eve, by having the devil as their leader, have a
leader who has brought us all under the control of death and
removed any hope of glory by anything we could do
2. From this we needed freedom (14b-16)
--- so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
a) the good angels, confirmed in their bliss, did not need help
b) people like you and me, human beings, we needed the help
3. Jesus was able to help, to make atonement (17b)
--- that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
a) how could Jesus do this when we say nobody else can?
b) it is because Jesus was and is God’s Son; while all you and I
could do would be to bring an IOU to God, He was able to
bring a perfect payment that could satisfy God’s justice
4. This is what we really have been celebrating
a) if all you saw in Christmas was parties and gifts and some time
off, then you didn’t see what a true Christmas celebrates
b) if all you saw in a manger was a baby who was an ordinary
baby, then you had no reason to rejoice over that baby
c) but when you in faith have seen the Son of God incarnate,
the Son of God who became one of us, then you did celebrate
Christmas with real meaning and with real joy
III THE RESULTS OF THIS (11-14,17-18)
1. Jesus’ atonement makes us holy (11a)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
a) Jesus’ perfect life covers our imperfect lives, Jesus’ innocent
death canceled out our deserved eternal separation from God
b) marvel at this: what Jesus did makes us holy in God’s sight
2. Jesus wasn’t and isn’t ashamed of us (11-13)
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."
a) this is amazing! we still are sinners by nature, yet Jesus as our
brother sees us as members of His family
b) in our weakness we still fall into sins by omission and
commission, by word and deed and thought, and Jesus looks at
us and says He is not ashamed of us - amazing! what grace!
3. He continues to intercede for us and help us (17-18)
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
a) we are tempted; He was too; He can understand and help us
b) and when we fall into sin Jesus is there for us before God’s
throne, successfully pleading our case because He made
atonement for our sins, all of them - what mercy and grace!
4. Don’t put any of these truths away after Christmas
a) put away your trees, put away all of the Christmas
decorations, go back to your normal routine of life
b) but never stop marveling at the truth that THE SON OF
GOD BECAME ONE OF US to be our Savior
c) the results of this give joy and peace in our hearts every day,
and promise us the sure hope of glory in heaven one day
Jacob could not become Esau, though he tried. We cannot become holy people with our efforts or money, no matter how much we try.
But because THE SON OF GOD BECAME ONE OF US, because with His perfect life and innocent atoning death He paid for our sins to forgive us and victoriously defeated death to be our Resurrection and Life, because of all of this He has made us holy in God’s sight, members of His family. He, the author of our salvation, has written our names in the book of life, with the last chapter being glory for us with Him. That’s what we really celebrated in Christmas.