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Why Was Jesus Born (Hebrews 29–18) John MacArthur · THE BELIEVER'S CHURCH | Let’s Build Our Faith Together

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  Speaker 1: Will you turn with me, please, in your Bibles to
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  Speaker 1: the second chapter of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 2, verses 9
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  Speaker 1: through 18 is our text this morning. For you that
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  Speaker 1: may be visiting with us, I might say that we
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  Speaker 1: believe in a ministry that is a teaching ministry. We
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  Speaker 1: endeavor at our services to study the Word of God.
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  Speaker 1: Each service we take a passage, usually going through a book,
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  Speaker 1: but because it is Christmas Sunday, we have left our
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  Speaker 1: normal series in John's Gospel to study a particular portion
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  Speaker 1: in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2.
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  Speaker 2: As we begin, let's bow together in a word of prayer.
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  Speaker 1: Our Father, we would ask that our hearts would be
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  Speaker 1: sensitive to Your Holy Spirit as He teaches us, that
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  Speaker 1: we might see and understand these truths. God, that we
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  Speaker 1: might be able to focus again on who Jesus Christ
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  Speaker 1: really is. Father, we do not desire that any human
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  Speaker 1: be glorified, but that the one who speaks be lost
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  Speaker 1: in the truth itself. Father, speak by thy Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 1: to our hearts. We pray and give you the glory.
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  Speaker 2: In Jesus' name. Amen.
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  Speaker 1: On the first Christmas Eve, the very first Christmas Eve,
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  Speaker 1: Earth was oblivious to.
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  Speaker 2: What was happening, but heaven wasn't.
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  Speaker 1: The innumerable holy and elect angels were waiting in anticipation,
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  Speaker 1: waiting to break forth in praise and worship and adoration
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  Speaker 1: to the birth of a newborn child, a child that
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  Speaker 1: meant that God.
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  Speaker 2: Had sent forth His salvation.
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  Speaker 1: And on that first Christmas Eve, there was a farewell
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  Speaker 1: going on in heaven. The son said goodbye to the father.
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  Speaker 1: And the conversation that the son had with the father,
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  Speaker 1: at least a part of it, is recorded for us
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  Speaker 1: in the 10th chapter of Hebrews. Jesus is speaking to
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  Speaker 1: the father, and this is what he said that first
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  Speaker 1: Christmas Eve. Wherefore, verse 5, when he cometh into the world,
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  Speaker 1: that is Christ, he said, that is Christ, speaking to God,
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  Speaker 1: sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not. In other words, God
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  Speaker 1: was not satisfied with just animals and blood sacrifice, but.
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  Speaker 2: A body hast thou prepared me.
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  Speaker 1: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had
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  Speaker 1: no pleasure. Then said I, to Christ continuing, lo, I come,
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  Speaker 1: in the volume of the book it is written of me, to.
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  Speaker 2: Do thy will, O God. Christ, on that first Christmas Eve,
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  Speaker 2: said goodbye to his Father.
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  Speaker 1: He said, Father, I realize that you've not been satisfied
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  Speaker 1: with the blood of animals, but that you have prepared
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  Speaker 1: a body for me, that I might go into that
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  Speaker 1: world and be the final and ultimate sacrifice. And I
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  Speaker 1: will do it because I come, as it is written
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  Speaker 1: in the Old Testament, to do thy will, O God.
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  Speaker 1: And so Jesus Christ bid farewell to his Father. and
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  Speaker 1: began a journey that was to end 33 years later
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  Speaker 1: on a cross, and then through a resurrection to be
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  Speaker 1: glorified and exalted and restored back into heaven to the
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  Speaker 1: glory that he knew before he came. Now the body
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  Speaker 1: of Christ was divinely prepared by God to be the
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  Speaker 1: instrument which was to bring God to men, and which
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  Speaker 1: was to be the perfect sacrifice for sin.
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  Speaker 2: And so Jesus came.
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  Speaker 1: With all the fanfare of heaven as angels waited to
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  Speaker 1: sing their praise and shout their praise.
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  Speaker 2: And there wasn't any fanfare on earth. Earth was oblivious.
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  Speaker 1: God was being manifest in the flesh. Heaven knew about it.
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  Speaker 2: Earth didn't.
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  Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit had taken nine months to accomplish his work.
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  Speaker 1: He had in those nine months fashioned in the womb
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  Speaker 1: of Mary a body, a body inhabited by the second
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  Speaker 1: person of the Trinity. And the time was ready that
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  Speaker 1: Mary should be delivered. The fullness of time was come
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  Speaker 1: when Jesus would be made of a woman. And thus
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  Speaker 1: that body came. And with it came the second person
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  Speaker 1: of the Trinity. And every Christmas time we all stop
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  Speaker 1: and rather mindlessly acknowledge the birth of Christ. And maybe
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  Speaker 1: even people acquiesce to the fact that he was God
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  Speaker 1: to some degree or another.
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  Speaker 2: But the issue is not that he came.
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  Speaker 1: The issue is why he came. And so many people
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  Speaker 1: seem content to stop with just the fact that he
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  Speaker 1: came as if there's some kind of redeeming fact in that.
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  Speaker 2: They never bother to find out why he came.
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  Speaker 1: This morning we want to answer the question, why was
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  Speaker 1: Jesus born?
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  Speaker 2: Why did he come? To present God? Yes. To teach truth? Yes.
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  Speaker 2: To fulfill law, yes. To offer His kingdom, yes.
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  Speaker 1: To teach those who did not understand about God, yes.
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  Speaker 1: To reveal love, yes. To bring peace, yes. To heal
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  Speaker 1: the sick, yes, etc. Those are secondary reasons why He came.
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  Speaker 1: There is really one primary reason, one primary plan, one
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  Speaker 1: primary purpose. Jesus came to suffer and to die. That's
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  Speaker 1: why he came. Bethlehem only happened so Calvary could happen.
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  Speaker 1: He was only a baby so he could be a
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  Speaker 1: man and die. He only lived in order to die.
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  Speaker 1: Those soft baby hands.
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  Speaker 2: fashioned by the Holy.
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  Speaker 1: Spirit in Mary's womb were made in order that nails
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  Speaker 1: might be driven through them. Those chubby feet, pink, and
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  Speaker 1: unable to walk were one day to walk a hill
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  Speaker 1: and be nailed to a cross. That sweet head with
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  Speaker 1: sparkling eyes and eager mouth was formed in order that
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  Speaker 1: someday men might crush into it a crown of thorns.
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  Speaker 1: That tender body, warm and soft, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
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  Speaker 1: would one day be ripped open by a spear to
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  Speaker 1: reveal a broken heart. And that's exactly why God made
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  Speaker 1: that body. Jesus was born to die. Man was meant
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  Speaker 1: to have dominion over everything. But he fell in sin
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  Speaker 1: and he lost his dominion. When God created Adam, it
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  Speaker 1: was great. Everything was going great. And then man fell
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  Speaker 1: and he lost his kingship. Man should be a king.
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  Speaker 1: Man isn't. Man is a slave. Weak, witless, bound to sin.
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  Speaker 1: And into this situation came Jesus. He bid farewell to
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  Speaker 1: the Father. The angels who waited in anticipation finally broke
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  Speaker 1: forth in praise and adoration, and even the shepherds in
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  Speaker 1: the fields heard them. Because he came to suffer and
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  Speaker 1: he came to die in order to make man what
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  Speaker 1: man could never be without him, in order to make
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  Speaker 1: man the king of the earth. He died to recreate
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  Speaker 1: man into a creature that God had always intended man
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  Speaker 1: to be, He died to make a man what man
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  Speaker 1: was meant to be, but without Him could never be. Now,
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  Speaker 1: our text deals with the coming of Christ and His death.
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  Speaker 1: And I want us to see in it five things
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  Speaker 1: that Jesus was because He died. Five things that Jesus
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  Speaker 1: was because He died. First, He was our substitute. Second,
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  Speaker 1: our salvation captain. Third, our sanctifier. Fourth, our Satan conqueror. Fifth,
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  Speaker 1: our sympathetic high priest. All five of these things were
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  Speaker 1: the goals of Jesus Christ. He came to be our substitute.
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  Speaker 1: He came to be our salvation captain. He came to
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  Speaker 1: be our sanctifier. He came to be our Satan conqueror.
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  Speaker 1: He came to be our sympathetic high priest. He could
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  Speaker 1: be none of those at all if he did not die.
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  Speaker 2: And thus was he born to die.
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  Speaker 1: First of all, let's notice that he came to be
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  Speaker 1: our substitute, verse 9. But we see Jesus, who was
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  Speaker 1: made a little lower, and there is a reference to time.
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  Speaker 2: He was made for a little while lower.
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  Speaker 1: The word little can have a time significance, and it
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  Speaker 1: does here. He was made for a little while or
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  Speaker 1: a little time lower than the angels.
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  Speaker 2: For what reason?
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  Speaker 1: And indicated by what thing? For the suffering of death,
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  Speaker 1: crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace
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  Speaker 1: of God should taste death for every man. Now there
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  Speaker 1: is the first and greatest reason why Jesus came. He
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  Speaker 1: came to die. He came to die for every man.
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  Speaker 1: In other words, he came as a substitute for The
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  Speaker 1: Old Testament said, Ezekiel quoting, the soul that sinneth, it
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  Speaker 1: shall die.
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  Speaker 2: Paul said the wages of sin is death.
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  Speaker 1: Now sin, by virtue of the justice of God, is
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  Speaker 1: punished by death.
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  Speaker 2: If I then sin, I will die.
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  Speaker 1: If I bear my own punishment and I die, I
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  Speaker 1: die physically, spiritually, and eternally, and am sentenced to an
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  Speaker 1: eternal hell without God. God looked into this world and
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  Speaker 1: he saw men. He saw men who were going to
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  Speaker 1: die because of sin. And he said because of his love,
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  Speaker 1: I will not allow all men to die in their sin.
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  Speaker 1: I will send someone else to bear their punishment, to
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  Speaker 1: die their death. And thus did Jesus come. He came
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  Speaker 1: to be my substitute. And when he was nailed on the.
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  Speaker 2: Cross, he died for me and he died for you.
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  Speaker 2: He died my death, paid my penalty. See, that's the
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  Speaker 2: only alternative God had.
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  Speaker 1: Either he punishes you for your sin and me for
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  Speaker 1: my sin, and that's eternal punishment in hell, or else
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  Speaker 1: he substitutes someone else in our place and they pay
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  Speaker 1: our penalty. And that's exactly what Jesus came to do.
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  Speaker 2: Be our substitute.
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  Speaker 1: The exalted second person of the Trinity, the divine son
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  Speaker 1: of God, God in flesh humbled himself, came to earth
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  Speaker 1: to die my death, to provide for me an escape
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  Speaker 1: from eternal hell. The sinless one became sin. The living
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  Speaker 1: one died. The perfect one became the punished one. And
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  Speaker 1: not because he deserved it, but because I deserved it
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  Speaker 1: and he was my substitute.
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  Speaker 2: Now, I want you to notice this verse.
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  Speaker 1: There are five clauses that detail his substitutionary death, and
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  Speaker 1: I want you to see them. First clause says we
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  Speaker 1: see Jesus who was made for a little time lower
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  Speaker 1: than the angels.
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  Speaker 2: This is a fantastic truth.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ for all eternity past and all eternity present
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  Speaker 1: and all eternity future was not and is not and
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  Speaker 1: never will be again lower than the angels. He is
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  Speaker 1: by His very essence as God higher than angels. In
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  Speaker 1: verse 5 of chapter 1 of Hebrews, in verse 4
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  Speaker 1: of chapter 1 of Hebrews, it says, being made so
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  Speaker 1: much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance
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  Speaker 1: obtained a more excellent name than they. Christ was by
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  Speaker 1: nature better than angels. And this is proven by God's
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  Speaker 1: attitude toward Christ in verse 5. For unto which of
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  Speaker 1: the angels said God at any time, thou art my son,
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  Speaker 1: this day have I begotten thee. And again, I'll be
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  Speaker 1: to him a father and he shall be to me
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  Speaker 1: a son. God never said that to any angel. God
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  Speaker 1: said that to his son, Jesus Christ, who was better
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  Speaker 1: than angels. In verse 6, and again, when God bringeth
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  Speaker 1: in the firstborn or the first begotten into the world,
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  Speaker 1: he saith, and let all the angels of God do what?
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  Speaker 1: Worship him. He's better than angels. He says in verse 7,
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  Speaker 1: you angels are ministering spirits. But verse 8, unto the
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  Speaker 1: Son he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.
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  Speaker 1: And in verse 13, to which of the angels said
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  Speaker 1: God at any time, sit on my right hand until
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  Speaker 1: I make thine enemies thy footstool?
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  Speaker 2: No angel.
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  Speaker 1: God never said that to any angel. Jesus Christ is
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  Speaker 1: better than angels by his very nature.
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  Speaker 2: He's God.
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  Speaker 1: But for a little while, verse 9, chapter 2, he
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  Speaker 1: became lower than angels. The creator of angels, the head
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  Speaker 1: of angels. The Lord of hosts, the one who before
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  Speaker 1: his incarnation had been worshipped by angels for a little while,
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  Speaker 1: became lower than angels. For our sakes, sinful, rebellious, vile,
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  Speaker 1: wicked men who did not want God and did not
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  Speaker 1: know God. And for our sakes, Christ became lower than angels.
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  Speaker 1: You see, man could not gain the dominion he had
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  Speaker 1: lost by himself. And Jesus had to come to man's level,
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  Speaker 1: the sinful level, to pick man up and lift him
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  Speaker 1: to his level.
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  Speaker 2: And so Jesus, for a little while, was made lower
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  Speaker 2: than angels.
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  Speaker 1: The second statement that I want you to see in
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  Speaker 1: this verse tells us something else about his substitution. It says,
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  Speaker 1: for the suffering of death. Now, the word for is diav.
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  Speaker 1: and used in many different cases and many different ways
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  Speaker 1: in the Greek, here it can mean through or by.
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  Speaker 1: And I take it to mean that and would read
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  Speaker 1: it this way. This is the primary meaning. Jesus was
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  Speaker 1: made a little lower than the angels through the suffering
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  Speaker 1: of death or by the suffering of death. In other words,
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  Speaker 1: the greatest proof that Christ was lower than angels was
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  Speaker 1: that he died. Now, it's true that he was made
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  Speaker 1: lower than angels in order to die. It's also true
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  Speaker 1: that he was made lower than angels, and that is
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  Speaker 1: shown to us because he died. Diyah here carries the
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  Speaker 1: weight of because. Now, what do you mean by that?
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  Speaker 2: Just this.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus did something no angel can ever or will ever
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  Speaker 1: be able to do. Jesus came to this earth to
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  Speaker 1: do something that angels can't do. Jesus came to die.
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  Speaker 1: Angels can't die. That is reserved for mortals. And when
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  Speaker 1: Jesus died, he proved beyond a shadow of a doubt
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  Speaker 1: that indeed, for a little time, he was made lower
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  Speaker 1: than angels. The depth of his humiliation extended to death,
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  Speaker 1: something angels couldn't even do. Notice, please, that it says
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  Speaker 1: the suffering of death. When Jesus died, it wasn't just
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  Speaker 1: an easy, gentle passing from this world. It was excruciating
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  Speaker 1: agony and torture on a cross. He suffered in his death.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, no creature was capable of this. Only
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  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ could be our substitute. It had to be
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  Speaker 1: someone who was totally man to pay man's penalty and
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  Speaker 1: totally God to have victory over death. He had to
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  Speaker 1: be the perfect combination of total God and total man.
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  Speaker 1: Christ undertook a work that was far above the power
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  Speaker 1: of angels. He undertook a work that no angel could
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  Speaker 1: ever do, far beyond their capacity, and yet to do it.
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  Speaker 2: He became lower than angels. And higher than angels is God,
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  Speaker 2: and lower than angels is men.
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  Speaker 1: And Christ was at the same time higher than angels
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  Speaker 1: in His power, lower than angels in His humiliation.
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  Speaker 2: The perfect combination.
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  Speaker 1: Then it tells us the purpose of His humiliation and
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  Speaker 1: His substitution at the end of verse 9, that He
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  Speaker 1: should taste death for Pontos, every man. Jesus came to
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  Speaker 1: die for you, and He tasted death. He drank the
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  Speaker 1: bitter cup at Calvary. He drained it to the last drop.
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  Speaker 1: The death he tasted was a total death. Every possible
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  Speaker 1: angle is involved. The death he tasted was the curse
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  Speaker 1: which sin brings, for he bore your sin. The death
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  Speaker 1: he tasted was the penalty of the broken law. The
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  Speaker 1: death he tasted was the full manifestation of the power
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  Speaker 1: of the devil thrown at him. The death he tasted
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  Speaker 1: was the full expression of the wrath of God coming
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  Speaker 1: upon him because of his bearing sin. Listen, in every
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  Speaker 1: possible aspect, Jesus Christ gathered up death and tasted every
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  Speaker 1: bit of.
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  Speaker 2: It for us.
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  Speaker 1: And he was guilty of nothing. He was without sin,
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  Speaker 1: but he tasted it for every man. He was our substitute.
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  Speaker 1: And by Christ tasting death, and being my substitute, I
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  Speaker 1: am freed from the bondage of God's justice, which must
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  Speaker 1: bring death, and I am liberated to experience God's grace
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  Speaker 1: and God's love. And thus does the Bible say he
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  Speaker 1: bore our sins in his own body. He became sin
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  Speaker 1: for us who knew no sin, that we might become
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  Speaker 1: the righteousness of God in him.
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  Speaker 2: And all God.
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  Speaker 1: Asks of you, is that you receive that same Christ,
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  Speaker 1: that you acknowledge that indeed He did die for you,
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  Speaker 1: that you believe He died for you, and that you
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  Speaker 1: receive His death in your behalf, and Him as your
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  Speaker 1: saving Lord.
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  Speaker 2: Then you see in.
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  Speaker 1: This verse also a phrase that indicates the cause of
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  Speaker 1: His substitution.
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  Speaker 2: This is tremendous.
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  Speaker 1: Down near the end of verse 9 it says, that
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  Speaker 1: He did all this by the grace of God. You
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  Speaker 1: know why Jesus came? Not because you and I asked
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  Speaker 1: for Him or deserved it, but because God graciously designed it,
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  Speaker 1: didn't He? Salvation comes from God, the free, loving kindness,
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  Speaker 1: the absolutely undeserved and unmerited.
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  Speaker 2: Grace of God. We don't earn it.
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  Speaker 1: We didn't do something so that God says, well, you're
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  Speaker 1: so great, you deserve my son.
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  Speaker 2: No. Solely and only and singularly.
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  Speaker 1: On the basis of his sovereign goodwill did.
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  Speaker 2: Christ come to this world.
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  Speaker 1: Why do you realize that not anybody in this universe
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  Speaker 1: could have brought Christ and taken his life? If it
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  Speaker 1: hadn't been in the sovereign design of God in John 10, 18,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus said, no man takes my life from me. I, what?
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  Speaker 2: Lay it down of myself.
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  Speaker 1: In Romans 5, 8, Paul says, but God commendeth His
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  Speaker 1: love toward us.
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  Speaker 2: How?
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  Speaker 1: In that while we were yet sinners, what happened? Christ
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  Speaker 1: died for us. That's God's love. You didn't deserve it.
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  Speaker 1: I didn't deserve it.
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  Speaker 2: You didn't ask for it. I didn't ask for it.
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  Speaker 2: God freely gave it. You don't beg for a gift.
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  Speaker 1: God gave His Son. And his love was overwhelming. He
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  Speaker 1: looked at sinful man. He saw the inevitability of death
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  Speaker 1: and hell. And he said, my love will not leave.
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  Speaker 1: That is the only option. And he sent his son
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  Speaker 1: to die in your place. And when you receive him
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  Speaker 1: as your Savior and Lord and accept his death in
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  Speaker 1: your behalf, you're freed from the penalty of death. Christ
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  Speaker 1: is your substitute. And he came only on the basis
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  Speaker 1: of the grace of God. We did nothing to deserve it.
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  Speaker 1: And even when he got here, men didn't want him
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  Speaker 1: and they killed him. but that didn't stifle God's grace.
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  Speaker 1: Then we see one other phrase here that tells the
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  Speaker 1: results of his coming and his substitution.
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  Speaker 2: It says he was crowned with glory and honor.
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  Speaker 1: You know, when Jesus Christ finished his task, God gave
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: him glory. God exalted him. Paul says that he became
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: obedient even to the death of the cross. And then
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: he says, wherefore, on the basis that is of what
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: Christ did, God hath highly exalted him and given him
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: a name which is above every name that the name
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: of Jesus every knee should bow.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: Jesus humiliated himself and God exalted him. crowned him with
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: glory and honor. Look at that verse again.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: That verse says Jesus Christ died for you, your substitute.
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: And God thought so much of what Jesus did that
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: he highly exalted him and gave him a name above
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: every other name in the universe. Listen, my friend, God
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: thinks a lot of Jesus Christ.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: Do you know that?
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: God thinks an awful lot of Jesus Christ. And anybody
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: that comes along, And let me add this thought. Who
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: do you.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: Think you are not to give Christ the glory he deserves?
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: God did.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: If you don't, you have concluded that you are superior
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: in judging the qualities of Christ to God. And that's
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: a tremendous undertaking on your part. If God esteems Jesus Christ,
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: if God exalts Jesus Christ, who are you to do less? Now,
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: I want you to look at another thing in this chapter.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: In looking at verse 10.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: In verse 10, we see the second thing that Jesus
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: Christ became. First of all, He became our substitutes.
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: Don't go away mad. First of all, he became our substitute.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: That is, he died our death.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Secondly, now get your mind back into the Scriptures, verse 10,
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: he became our salvation captain. Jesus Christ is not only
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: our substitute, that is, bearing our punishment, but he is
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: our salvation captain. I want you to see this in
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: verse 10. I want to show you how wonderful this is.
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: For it became Him, verse 10, that is God. Now,
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: I was talking about the Father. For it became Him
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: for whom are all things and by whom are all things.
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: God's the beginning and the end of everything. In bringing
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: many sons unto glory, that's what God's design is, isn't it?
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: To bring.
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: sons to glory, to capture men for heaven. That's His design.
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: And in doing that, it became Him, or it was
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: fitting for Him, to make the captain of their salvation
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: perfect through sufferings. Now, Jesus became our salvation captain in
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: His death. Now, I want you to see the word
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: captain there. Translated captain is the word archegos, archegos. The
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: word archegos means pioneer, pioneer.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: It means leader. It means author. It means trailblazer.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: And archegos, translated incidentally in Hebrews 12, 1, looking at Jesus,
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: the author, you know, of our faith, that's archegos. It
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: means anyone who begins something that others follow in. It
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: could be somebody who begins a family that others are
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: born into. It could be somebody that founds a city
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: where others come to live. It could be somebody that
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: blazes a trail that others follow. Anybody who starts something
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: and leads out is an archegos. And here the writer
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: of Hebrews is saying that Jesus Christ is our perfect
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: trailblazer that leads the path to glory so that God
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: by making a perfect trailblazer can gather up His sons
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: and they can follow their captain into glory. It pleased
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: God who does all things for His glory, who made
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: all things for His glory to the end that they
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: might give Him glory.
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: That's what the first part of the verse means.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: It pleased Him to make this captain perfect so that
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: He could blaze the trail into the Father's presence and
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: bring along with him all the sons that God had
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: designed to enter into glory.
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: He's our perfect trailblazer.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: Over in chapter 5, verse 8 and 9, it says,
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: the things which he suffered.
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: Watch this.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: And being made perfect, he became the author or the
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: archegos of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ is the perfect leader. Through death, he not
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: only was a substitute, but.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: A perfect leader, a perfect trailblazer. Say, what do you
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: mean by that? Just this.
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: There is no way to get to God apart from
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the way. No man
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: cometh unto the Father, what?
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: But by me. No other way.
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: And you see, the way to God is blocked by sin,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: isn't it? A man in his sin can't just walk
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: into God's presence.
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: No, impossible.
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: We cannot enter into God's glory. We can't get to
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: heaven on our own merit. Somebody has to blaze the trail.
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: And the only way to ever open up God's presence
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: to us is to get rid of sin, right?
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: Once sin is taken care of, we can enter his presence.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: So Christ came, died, paid for our sin, and thus
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: opened up the trail.
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: So that we could enter the presence of God. You
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: see how he's the trailblazer? And he had to die
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: to do it. You look what it says. He was
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: made perfect through what? Suffering. See, there's no way that Jesus.
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: Could arrive in the world and say, listen, everybody, follow me.
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: We're going to God. No, you can't.
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: There's no way you can get into the presence of
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: God when there's unpunished sin. And you see, that's why
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: he had to suffer to be the perfect leader. He
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: couldn't lead us to God unless he had paid the
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: price of sin. Through his suffering, he became the perfect archegos,
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: the perfect pioneer, the perfect leader, the perfect trailblazer. And
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: only by dying for us could He open the path,
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: and He opened it wide so that many sons can
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: come to glory by following Jesus Christ.
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: He paid for sin. You know something?
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: Do you realize that in three hours on that cross,
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: in three hours, Jesus paid the penalty of sin, that
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: it's going to take all the souls of all the
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: ages and eternity, and they'll still never have it paid?
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: Did you know that?
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: Did you know that people are going to spend eternity
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: in hell? Godless people, Christless people, an eternity in hell,
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: paying the penalty of sin. Do you know that Jesus
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: Christ gathered up an eternity of punishment and paid it
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: all in three hours and walked away from it a
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: risen Savior?
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: Now that's power, my friend. That's power. The cross was
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: a masterpiece.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: God exhibited a solution to the problem which no human
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: intelligence could ever answer, the problem of how does God
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: communicate mercy and grace to a sinful people. He brought
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: mercy and justice together at the cross. Christ paid the penalty, bore.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: An eternity of judgment in three hours. And yet he
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: was not destroyed. Oh, what a powerful person. And thus
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: he became our perfect archegos. He opened up the trails.
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: I remember reading some years ago a story of a
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: Swiss patriot by the name of, strange name, Arnold Winkle Reed.
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: And Arnold, we'll call him.
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: Arnold was, if you go to Switzerland today, you'll see
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: statues of Arnold because he's a very, very famous Swiss patriot.
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: Switzerland was a buffer state.
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: It never really had any identity of its own except
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: that everybody in Europe who wanted to fight a war
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: went over to Switzerland to fight it. And they got
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: tired of being the battlefield for everybody's armies. And every
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: nation would be in conflict, and they'd say, well, we'll
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: meet on Switzerland's soil, and we'll have a war.
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: And the Swiss people were a little tired of it.
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: So they decided they were going to put up resistance.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: There was a great army moving down from the north
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: from Germany. And they used to march in what they
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: call a phalanx, which is about a mile or two
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: mile long string of men all shoulder to shoulder and
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: all the troops behind them. And the front line men
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: have shields and they march like a sidewinder across the
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: mountains in this great long string. And all the other
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: artillery and things are behind them. And they came sweeping
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: toward this village while Arnold gathered the peasants and they
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: got together a Swiss army and they decided they'd stop
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: this army if they could. They began to think about strategy,
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: and they knew there was only one way to do it,
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: and that was to break the phalanx and infiltrate it
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: and destroy it from the inside. And so as it
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: approached the little village where they were gathered, and all
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: they had was pitchforks and shovels and sticks and staves,
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: and that was it. As that phalanx moved close to
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: that village, Arnold, with a cry of glory to Switzerland,
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: started running. And he ran right at the middle of
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: the phalanx. And as he ran, he gathered.
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: Into his chest the spears and the arrows that were
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: shot at him.
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: He broke through that phalanx and didn't make it through
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: but a few yards until he collapsed dead. But right
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: on his heels, not a yard behind, was the whole
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: Swiss army that went in and routed that great European
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: army and drove them back in that one day. It
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: would have been a tragedy if Arnold had run all
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: that way, broken through the phalanx, fallen dead, and all
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: the other Swiss had been sitting.
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: Back saying, Oh, Arnold. Had a good heart, he did.
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: Meant well. But they were on his heels. You know something? Listen,
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: my friend.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ has done the same thing. He ran right
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: into the battalions of hell. He gathered all the arrows
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: and spears that wrath and judgment from God could send
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: at him. He gathered them up and he burst through.
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: And all he asks you to do is follow him
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: and claim the victory. He's the perfect archegos. He's blazed
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: the trail. The victory's there.
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: It's yours.
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: And so we see our substitute and our salvation captain.
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: He became that because he died. He was born for
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: no other reason.
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: Third thing.
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: Oh, this is so thrilling. It just blesses my heart.
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: Third thing is in verse 11 through 13. Thirdly, he
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: became our sanctifier. Our sanctifier. Verse 11 says, For both
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: he that sanctifieth, that is Christ. That's talking about Christ.
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: He's the one that sanctifies. Sanctify comes from a word hagiadzo,
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: to make holy. He that makes holy and they who
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: are holy are all one. For which cause he is
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: not ashamed to call them what? Brethren, I tell you,
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: that's one of the most thrilling, just fantastic concepts.
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: And I want you to see this. Just unbelievable. Unbelievable.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: You know what this tells us? Just listen to this.
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ is holy and he is capable of making
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: you and I holy.
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: We are the holy ones in verse 11. He is
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: holy and they who are holy are one.
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: Through his death, now listen to this, through his death
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: and our faith in him, Believing and receiving Him as Savior,
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: we are declared holy.
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: Did you get that?
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: That is positional truth. Before God, by your faith in
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, you are holy if you know Christ. Now,
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: the practical end of it is you ought to act
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: like it. There's still sin in our lives. But positionally
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: before God, we're holy.
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: You say, how does that work?
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: Listen, when Christ died on the cross, how much of
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: my sin did he pay for?
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: Every bit of it. All of it.
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: That means God cannot hold me responsible in terms of
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: judgment for any sin. That's why Paul says there is
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: no judgment to them who are in Christ.
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: It all was on Christ at the cross.
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: God therefore says positionally, because of your faith in Christ.
• 34:22
  Speaker 2: You are holy.
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: He's paid for every sin you'll ever commit. Now we
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: know that's not license because love doesn't let it be,
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: does it? But do you know that if you know Jesus.
• 34:34
  Speaker 2: Christ, you're holy? You're holy. What is holy? Perfectly righteous. Now,
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: that's positional truth. God is at you and says, you're righteous.
• 34:44
  Speaker 2: You're holy. Did you know that?
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: Why, even to the Corinthians, who were all messed up
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: in terms of their practice, he says, now are you holy.
• 34:53
  Speaker 2: They were holy. Hagiazo, to make holy, to be holy.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: From it comes the word hagiaz, which means holy ones
• 35:01
  Speaker 2: or saints. We're saints. We are holy before God. There's
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: never a sin recorded against us. Never. We're holy.
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: He that sanctifies or makes holy and they who are
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: holy are one. Did you know the fact that because
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: you are holy, you're one with Christ? Because He's holy?
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: You say, are we the same holy that He is?
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: That's the only kind of holy there is. You don't say, well,
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: I'm holy number one. No, I'm holy number 49. No, well,
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: I'm holy number 184. No, there's not degrees of holy.
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: Holy is holy without sin. Positionally, if Christ has paid
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: for all my sin and borne it all, God's records
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: declare that.
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: I am holy.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: That's an exciting truth, isn't it? Positional holiness in Christ. Listen,
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: He took my sin and gave me His righteousness. He
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: took my iniquity and gave me His holiness. Oh, what
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: a fantastic truth. Look at Hebrews 10.10, and I'll show
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: you this truth.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: Listen to this. This is thrilling truth.
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: Hebrews 10.10, Christ came, took on a body, died a
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: sacrificial death to do the will of God, right?
• 36:23
  Speaker 2: Right?
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: To be our substitute, salvation captain. Now, the will of
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: God designed this. Verse 10, by which will, that is
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: the will of God, we, all believers, are made holy
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: or sanctified through the offering.
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: Of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Did
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: you read that right? How are you made holy? Through
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: going through the 89 motions, reading your Bible, being super pious?
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: No. You were made holy through what? The offering of
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ's body how many times?
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: For how many people? All.
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: You became holy by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ,
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: not by Christian activity.
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: You don't make yourself holy, my friend.
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: Oh, we endeavor, we strive to become more like Christ.
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: We strive in practice to be what we are in position,
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: don't we? But positionally, you were made absolutely holy by
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: His death in your behalf when you receive Him as Savior. Now, beloved,
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: that's secure. You can't take away holiness. It can't be marred.
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: Verse 14, listen to this. 10, 14.
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: For by one offering, now watch it. What offering was that?
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: Verse 10, the offering of what?
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: Of his body. For by one offering, he hath perfected
• 37:43
  Speaker 2: for six months. Is that what it says? Forever, forever, forever.
• 37:49
  Speaker 2: Them that are made holy. Listen, if you've ever been
• 37:53
  Speaker 2: made holy, you've been made holy forever.
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: Dear people, do not believe that once you have received
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: the imputed holiness of Jesus Christ, there is anything in
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: this universe that could ever take it away.
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: There isn't. There is not.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: You have been perfected forever through the offering of His body.
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: And if you could lose it, then Jesus didn't do
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: it right.
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: Listen.
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: He made you positionally holy with the same kind of
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: holiness that He knows.
• 38:26
  Speaker 2: There's only one kind.
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: What a tremendous truth. Does that help you to understand
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: who you are in Christ? And then I love this. Oh,
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: does this bless me.
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: So holy are you.
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: That Jesus is not ashamed to call you what?
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: Brother. Boy, I thought about that. I couldn't believe it.
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: You mean Jesus would actually walk up and put his
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: arm around and say, John MacArthur, I'm not ashamed to call.
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: You my brother.
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: And I began to think about that, and it got
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: to me.
• 38:59
  Speaker 2: Because you want to, I'll be real honest with you.
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: I have been in my lifetime, more times than I'd
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: like to think about it, ashamed of Jesus Christ.
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: You ever been ashamed of him? I have. And you
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: know something? I have nothing to be ashamed of. Why
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: should I be ashamed of Jesus Christ? And yet I am.
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: You know something? He has everything to be ashamed of
• 39:24
  Speaker 2: in me, doesn't he? Everything. Man, I blow it. You know,
• 39:29
  Speaker 2: he's never ashamed of me. Never. You know why? Because positionally,
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: I'm whole. And he says, brother. Do you know there's
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: no hierarchy among brothers? There's no hierarchy in that verse,
• 39:42
  Speaker 2: is there? Brethren. You know, you're one with Christ. The
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: same holiness.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: His righteousness is yours. His holiness is yours and mine. Oh,
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: what a fantastic thought.
• 39:56
  Speaker 2: We are one.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: Isn't that what he prayed for? Remember in the garden?
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: He said, Father, I pray that they may be one
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: as we are one.
• 40:05
  Speaker 2: I in you, you in me, we in them. His
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: prayer got answered.
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: Holy.
• 40:13
  Speaker 2: I remember after his resurrection, Mary Magdalene came over and
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: she was going to touch him. He says, don't touch me.
• 40:18
  Speaker 2: I love this.
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: John 20, verse 17. He says, don't touch me yet.
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: I have not ascended to my father and your father,
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: to my.
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: God and your God. You say, what's so important about that?
• 40:33
  Speaker 2: Just this.
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: He drew a parallel between a woman who was a
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: professional prostitute and himself, saying we both share the same.
• 40:41
  Speaker 2: God, the same Father. We're brothers. That's something. That's something.
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: That's the kind of holiness that Jesus Christ imputes to
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: that one who believes on Him. I'll tell you, that
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: thrills my heart. Oh, the Apostle Paul talks about it
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: in Romans 6, doesn't he? We're crucified with Christ.
• 41:02
  Speaker 2: We die with Him. We rise with Him. Absolute identification
• 41:05
  Speaker 2: with Jesus Christ. May I say this?
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: All men are not brothers. Some men are children of God.
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: And John tells us some men are children of the devil.
• 41:17
  Speaker 2: All men are not brothers. May I also add this?
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: All men are not brothers with Christ, only those who
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: are children of the same Father. Those who receive Jesus
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: Christ become brothers with Christ.
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: Oh, thrilling thought.
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: Such grace that he should call me brother without shame. Boy,
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: when I hear truth like that, I'll tell you, it
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: shames me. I think the most thrilling truth in all
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: the Bible is that positional truth that keeps telling me
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: who I am in Christ, because sooner or later, you
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: start acting like.
• 41:55
  Speaker 2: Who you are.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: Then in verses 12 and 13, the writer of Hebrews
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: takes two Old Testament passages which prophesied that Christ would
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: call us His brother. Psalm 22 is in verse 12.
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: He quotes Psalm 22.
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: This is nothing new.
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: Psalm 22, Christ speaks to the Father and says this,
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: I'll declare thy name unto my what?
• 42:19
  Speaker 2: My brethren.
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: This is Old Testament truth. The Messiah was going to
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: call men his brothers. In the midst of the congregation,
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: translated church there, will I sing praise unto thee. In
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: other words, I'm going to be in the midst of
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: other people. I'm going to be one of them and
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: call them brother.
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: That's an Old Testament prophecy. It's nothing new.
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: You see, with Jewish readers, he'd want to explain that
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: this was nothing new. Then in verse 13, he quotes
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: out of Isaiah chapter 8, where Christ again speaks, and
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: he says, and again, I'll put my trust in him,
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: I and the children whom God hath given me.
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: See how he identifies with other believers? See?
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: Together we're going to trust God, he said. I'm going
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: to take care of the brother and you give me.
• 43:01
  Speaker 2: That's Old Testament truth. Christ calls us brother and without shame.
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: God help me to act like what I am. And
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: so the Christ of God eternal, the second person of
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: the Trinity, the holy sinless Archegos, the one whom angels
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: adored became less than angels to suffer and die to
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: be my substitute, to be my trailblazer to heaven and
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: God's glory. And he even stooped to call me brother,
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: fellow son of God, joint heir. And he did it
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: without shame because he had made me holy in his
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: own holiness.
• 43:39
  Speaker 2: Can you resist that kind of love? I can.
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: So our substitute, our salvation captain, our sanctifier. Very quickly,
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: verse 14, our Satan conqueror. For as much then as
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: the children are partakers of flesh and blood, that is
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: the children picked up from verse 13, we believers, human beings.
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: We partake of flesh and blood. We're fleshly human beings.
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: He also himself likewise took part of the same.
• 44:05
  Speaker 2: He became what we are. that through death he might destroy.
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Now,
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: the one thing that Satan has over man is death.
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: Satan knows that the wages of sin is death. And
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: if he can keep a man living in sin until he.
• 44:24
  Speaker 2: Dies, he's got him forever. And Satan's great power is death.
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: And somebody had to destroy that power. Somebody had to
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: shatter death. Satan knew that if he could hold on
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: and still knows, if he can hold on to men
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: until they die, that God can't get them.
• 44:48
  Speaker 2: For God has designed salvation to be in a man's lifetime,
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: not after.
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: And so Satan uses the power of death, endeavors to
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: trap men and keep men until they die, and then
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: God can't touch them. This is Satan's hold on men.
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: They couldn't escape death. They couldn't escape the inevitable penalty
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: of sin.
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: Satan knew it.
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: And if Satan could just hold men there, God couldn't
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: get them. Now, somebody had to break this power, and
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: it had to be a man. Some man had to
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: conquer death, destroy Satan's weapon. And that's exactly what Jesus did.
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: You see, it says in.
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: Verse 14 that through death, he did it. In other words,
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: in order to destroy death, a man would have to
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: die and rise again and leave the trail open for
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: others to die and rise again. And that's exactly what
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: Jesus did. He came out of that grave. He exploded
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: out of that shackle of death. And then he said,
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: because I live, what? Ye shall live also.
• 46:02
  Speaker 2: Listen, my friend.
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: Jesus died and rose, and thus he destroyed Satan's power
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: of death, and he left the way open for you.
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: He became a man to die as a man and
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: have a man's victory.
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: Over the grave.
• 46:18
  Speaker 1: But he had to be God at the same time
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: to have that victory. He shattered death's grip. And so
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: we say, oh, death.
• 46:28
  Speaker 2: Where is thy sting? Grave, where is thy victory? There's no...
• 46:34
  Speaker 2: Victory in death?
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Why, death is just passing from this world into God's
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: presence for those who love Him. Death, we don't even
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: experience it because Christ shattered it. He came to die
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: to destroy death that you might live. Lastly, He was
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: our substitute, our salvation captain, our sanctifier, our Satan conqueror,
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: and our sympathetic high priest. Verse 16, for verily he
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: took not on him the nature of angels, but he
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: took on him the seed of Abraham. He didn't become
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: an angel to die for angels. No, there's no salvation
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: for angels. He became a Jew, Abraham's seed, a human being,
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: in order that he might identify with other.
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: Men and die for men. He didn't come to redeem angels.
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: He came to redeem men.
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: Verse 17, wherefore, now mark this next phrase, in all things,
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: It behooved him.
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: To be made like his brethren. He was like we
• 47:36
  Speaker 2: are in every way.
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: Every way.
• 47:40
  Speaker 2: Why?
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: That he might be a merciful that is understanding us
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: make reconciliation for the sins of the people. And for
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he's able
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: to help them that are tempted.
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: In other words, when you go to Jesus Christ to
• 48:00
  Speaker 2: share your heart, he.
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: Can say, I know, I know, I've been there. Sympathetic
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: high priest. A high priest ministers between men and God, see.
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: And you know what the perfect high priest would be?
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: Somebody who experientially knew the mind of God and experientially
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: knew the mind of man. And isn't that exactly what
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ was? He was God in fact and man
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: in fact, the perfect mediary. Listen, in all things he
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: was like we are.
• 48:27
  Speaker 2: He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was overcome with fatigue.
• 48:30
  Speaker 2: He slept. He was taught. He grew. He loved. He
• 48:34
  Speaker 2: was astonished. He marveled.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: He was glad, sad, angry, full of indignance and sarcasm.
• 48:41
  Speaker 2: He was grieved. He was troubled.
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: He was overcome by the anticipation of future events. He
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: exercised faith. He read the Scripture. He prayed all night.
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: He sighed when he saw a man who couldn't speak.
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: Tears fell from his eyes. When his heart ached inside,
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: he was like his brothers in all things except for
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: sin and sickness. And so he was a perfect high priest.
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: Totally by experience, he understood God. Totally by experience, he
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: understood man. He was the perfect one to bring the
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: two together. Perfect sympathizer. Chapter 4, verse 15 of Hebrews,
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: for we have not a high priest who cannot be
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: touched with the feelings of our infirmities no he can
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: can't he he was in all points tempted like as
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: we are yet without sin he's sympathetic we can touch
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: him with our feelings and he'll know and understand Let
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: us therefore, verse 16, because he's sympathetic, come boldly unto
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: find grace to help in time of need. We can
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: go boldly and say, Christ, I want to share this
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: with you, and I know you understand because you've been there.
• 49:46
  Speaker 2: Perfect high priest. Oh, what a Savior. What a Savior.
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: Mighty God, adored of angels, yet the all-tender man. One
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: far above, yet our brother in holiness. One with divine attitudes,
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: yet feeling our needs and our emotions and our passions.
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: Our substitute, our salvation captain, our sanctifier, our Satan conqueror,
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: our sympathetic high priest.
• 50:19
  Speaker 2: Take another look at the manger, would you? Take another look.
• 50:25
  Speaker 2: Who art thou, precious little babe, nestled in the hay?
• 50:30
  Speaker 2: God I am. Come to earth this day. Why didst
• 50:35
  Speaker 2: thou come, sweet little babe nestled in the hay?
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: To die I came, the price of sin to pay.
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: Whose sin, tender little babe nestled in the hay?
• 50:49
  Speaker 2: Yours it was that brought me down today. Let's pray. God,
• 51:05
  Speaker 2: we know ours it was that.
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: Brought you down that day. And God, our hearts are
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: filled with praise and thanks for that unspeakable gift of
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. Oh God, I beseech you. If there are
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: some here this morning who have never met Jesus Christ,
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: who know nothing of the true meaning of Christmas or
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: of life or of anything else for that matter, that
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: today might be the day when they come to know
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ and love Him as we do.
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: You've been listening to John MacArthur, Bible teacher with Grace
• 51:56
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• 52:00
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• 52:04
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• 52:11
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• 52:14
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• 52:19
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