Purposes for the Incarnation

Transcript

GRM 1064
12/25/2011
Purposes for the Incarnation
Heb. 2:9-17
Gil Rugh


I want to take you to the book of Hebrews, and for those of you who were here last week this will be back to the book of Hebrews. We looked at the opening verses of the book of Hebrews. It is the writer to the Hebrews, and he is writing to Jews who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ, have recognized that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel. But there are pressures on them and some of them are wondering, can they continue to follow Him. Or maybe they ought to return to Judaism and the Mosaic Law and all that was comfortable in that setting. Some of you can identify with that, having, perhaps, come out of a religious background when you trusted Christ, came to understand the truth of the Word of God, the difficulty of leaving that former religious environment and perhaps family and friends. And some of the pressure that brings. And these Jewish believers had greater pressure with overt physical persecution and so on. That is referred to as the letter to the Hebrews moves along.

So the writer to the Hebrews started out by clearly presenting the wonder of the Person of Christ. God had revealed Himself many times in many ways down through Old Testament history, the history prior to the coming of Christ to earth. But with the coming of Christ, in Hebrews 1:2 we're told, in these last days God has spoken to us in a Son. The Son who is the heir of all things, the Son through whom everything was brought into existence, and this Son has come into this world. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact representation of His nature, and He upholds all things by the word of His power. And when He had made purification of sins by His own sacrificial death on the cross, had been raised from the dead, He ascended to glory, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. And we are told in Hebrews 7:25, that is where Jesus Christ is today—seated at the right hand of God the Father in the glory of heaven. And that's where He will remain until He comes to gather the church in the air to take us to the presence of His Father in anticipation for that climactic return to earth to establish His kingdom at the end of what we call the tribulation.

As the book of Hebrews moves along, come into Hebrews 2. Verse 9, after having talked about the plan of God for man to rule over creation when He created him, but sin has affected man in such a way that now he doesn't experience the glory and the position that God created him to have. So verse 8 said, but we do not yet see all things subjected to Him, in light of what the Old Testament promised, but we do see Him who is made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor so that by the grace of God He might taste death for every man. This one Jesus made for a little while lower than the angels. Why? So that He might taste death for everyone. The humiliation of Christ laid out in other portions of Scripture so clearly—Philippians 2, that Christ humbled Himself, stepping from the throne of glory, the One through whom all things had been created. But He is born in Bethlehem in a humble setting. He had become a man so that He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him for whom are all things, through whom are all things in bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. The basic statement in verse 10 is for it was fitting for Him to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. To perfect. Not that there were any imperfections in Christ, but the work that God had planned for our redemption required that His Son take to Himself humanity and then die in the place of sinful people so that He might bring to completion, that's what the word translated perfection means, something that has been brought to fulfillment, brought to completion. That work of redemption. How are lost sinful people going to become acceptable in the presence of a holy God? How can the penalty for their sin be paid when that penalty is death, not only physical death in time, not only separation from God in time, but separation from God for eternity in hell? I can't die for you, you can't die for me because we are both sinners, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And there is none righteous. God's answer is to have His Son come from glory and be born into the human race. And through His suffering bring to completion and realization God's marvelous plan of salvation. The way that He could, as the rest of verse 10 says, bring many sons to glory.

For both, verse 11, He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father. We have that word Father inserted there in my translation in capital letters. You see it is in italics, it's not there in the text, they have inserted that. We are all from one. The point in this passage is we are all from one father, small “f,” Adam. Christ had to become a man because those who were going to be redeemed are mankind, humanity, human beings. That's why He is not ashamed to call them brethren. He is now identified with them and identified as their Savior.

After a series of quotes from the Old Testament—Psalm 22, Isaiah 8—he give three specific reasons for the incarnation. The incarnation, the coming in flesh of Jesus Christ to earth. Remember He is the One through whom all things were created. He does not have His beginning at Bethlehem. We keep referring back to Micah the prophet, toward the end of your Old Testament, who prophesied that the Messiah, the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. He amazingly said that He is the One who has dwelt in eternity. And that is marvelous truth. What happens at Bethlehem is that the One who is very God has also become man so that He is the God Man, theologically referred to as the theanthropic union, from the word theos for God, anthropos for man. Theanthropic union, the God Man union. Fully and completely God, fully and completely man. One person divine and human. Awesome. Why?

He summarizes it at the end of verse 4, giving three purposes for the incarnation that build on one another. Verse 14, therefore, pulling together what he has talked about up to this point that we have just highlighted. Since the children share in flesh and blood. The children, that refers to the previous statement at the end of verse 13 where he quoted from the prophet Isaiah the words that come from the mouth of the coming Messiah. Behold I and the children whom God has given Me. Therefore since the children share in flesh and blood He Himself likewise also partook of the same. Since those who were to experience God's redemption, the wonder of God's salvation are flesh and blood, human beings, He Himself likewise partook of the same. That's what is happening at Bethlehem, the birth of Christ. He is partaking, He is becoming a participant in our humanity. Why? We note the word that. In order that, expressing the purpose, He also partook of humanity that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil. First reason he gives for the incarnation of Christ is to render powerless the devil, the one who had the power of death. Because of sin, death has come into the world; because of man's rebellion initiated in the sin of Adam, we have come under the domination of Satan. We have become the slaves of Satan, the Scripture tells us. We are Satan's children in that sense. Jesus said in John 8, speaking to the religious people of His day, moral upright people as they would have evaluated themselves, you are of your father the devil. And you always do his will. What a thing to tell people who prided themselves. These are Jewish leaders, religious leaders who pride themselves on being more godly, more spiritual, more moral than any of the peoples around them. And He says, you are of your father the devil and you always do his will.

Jesus came so that He might render him powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil. Because death is inseparably connected to sin and to Satan. And Jesus said that hell was prepared the devil and his angels. And all those who belong to the devil are going to experience not only physical death, but ultimately what Revelation 20 calls the second death—separation from God for eternity in hell with the devil and his angels. Jesus Christ came that He might render powerless the devil, break his power, render him ineffective in that sense. His hold now is broken.

Back up to John 12. Jesus is near the end of His earthly ministry. With John 13 we will have the beginning of the record of His last night with His disciples before He is crucified. And in John 12:31 Jesus said, now judgment is upon this world. Note this, now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Ruler of this world is Satan. 1 John 5:19 says, the whole world lies in the evil one. Remember when Satan tempted Christ early in His earthly ministry as the Messiah? He took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and he said to Christ, if you will fall down and worship me, I will give you all these because they have been given into my power. This is a world under the influence and domination of Satan, inhabited by people who belong to the devil, a people who have to live in the shadow of the fear of death because of the power of the devil and of sin in their lives.

Back up to John 8, a verse that I quoted for you a moment ago. Verse 44, you are of our father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father. He is a murderer, he's a liar. What a statement, what a reality. But Christ came to break the power of the devil, render him powerless. He's very active and operative and he asserts his power over all people except those who have been set free from his power.

Come back to Hebrews 2. The end of verse 14 said that Christ became a man, partook of flesh and blood that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil. And verse 15, the second part of that, what God intended in His coming to earth, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their life. And lives under the shadow of death enslaved to sin and its master, the devil. One of the delusions that the devil brings on people is they think, I'm free, I do what I want. No, you don't. You do what the devil wants. But that's also what you want because you are of your father the devil. We are all in that condition apart from the redemption that God has provided in His Son. I'm doing what I want, and what I want is what my father wants. And apart from God's redemption my father is the devil. That's the point Jesus was making in John 8. He's a murderer, you're a murderer; he's a liar, you're a liar. You always do the desires of your father. And he's not making you do what you don't want to do, he's having you do what you want to do. You are of the same family. But Jesus Christ became humanity that He might free those who through fear of death were subject so slavery all their lives. Just a consequence of sin. People don't like to talk about sin today, but you can't escape death. It's a reality. People die, people die in the prime of life, people die very young. Babies die and ultimately you can't outlive it. There are no 200-year-old people on the earth today. They die, they die well before 200 years. I read an article in the paper the last week, I think it was, that there are 70,000+ people in the United States that are 100 years old and older. That's more than I would have guessed. But when you add up how many 100 million people we're talking about, it's not many. Death overtakes us. We live in the shadow of the fear of death. He came to free those enslaved. Set us free. How so? By His death. Because you see what happens is the penalty for sin is death. Jesus came to pay the penalty, to set us free.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 15. To say that even Christians die. We had a beloved fellow believer go home to be with the Lord this past week. Why did she have to die? Christ was her Savior, she trusted Him, believed in Him. Well there is a last enemy to be removed. You see death has the three aspects. Physical death, separation of a person from their body. The body without the spirit is dead, James tells us. There is spiritual death, separation of a person from God. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, Ephesians 2 tells us. And then there is eternal death, separation from God for eternity in hell. Revelation 20 speaks of that. Now when you place your faith in Christ, you are immediately brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ. You become spiritually alive. Your eternal destiny is totally changed. You become the possessor of eternal life, a relationship with God that began when you believed in Him and will continue for eternity. You are now destined for the glory of His presence, not separation in an eternal hell.

But there is still physical death to be dealt with. We are told in 1 Corinthians 15 that that will be dealt with at a future time. Verse 53, for this perishable, corruptible body must put on the imperishable, incorruptible. This mortal, dying body will put on immortality, a body not subject to death. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So He has promised that even if we experience physical death, some day this body will be raised from the grave. And we will dwell in it again, as we have talked about in our studies in prophecy in recent weeks and months. And we will dwell in these physical bodies, not subject to corruption or decay anymore, by manifesting the glory of God in our bodies for all eternity.
Back up to Romans 8:15, for we have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again. See that connection, a spirit of slavery leading to fear again. But you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. If we are children of God then we are heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Indeed we suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. And the emptiness and futility that characterizes the whole creation because of sin some day will be overcome.

And, verse 23, not only this, we ourselves having the first fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit who dwells in a person when they come to believe in Christ. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. And this is the hope we've been saved in. Anticipate that time. The power of physical death, too, will be removed. Its power has been broken but it has not been removed. I have the guarantee of God that even if I have to go through physical death, I will live again. I will see my Redeemer in this body. That's the promise of the eternal God. It's part of the eternal salvation that He bestows on all who come to believe in Christ.

Come to one other passage, 2 Timothy 1. We'll pick up the end of verse 8, it's a longer sentence. Join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, the God, verse 9, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. Not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. That's the reminder here. You can't be saved by your works. Not by your works, not by your works. But it's mercy and grace that brings salvation. God says He will give the gift of salvation to everyone who believes. But you cannot work to earn it. Some of you have received gifts, not because you worked for it, you earned it. It wouldn't be a gift. If your boss gave you your paycheck at the end of the week and said, here's a Christmas gift. You'd say, that's not a Christmas gift. I worked 40 hours for that check. In fact it's not enough. You can't work for this, it's a gift.

But note then verse 10. But now has been revealed. God had planned our salvation in eternity past but it was not revealed in its fullness until Christ came to this earth. But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus. Now note this, who abolished death. Who abolished death. That word translated abolished is the same word that was translated render powerless, we talked about the devil in Hebrews—katargeo. Some of you have taken some Greek. It means to render powerless, inoperative, broke the power. So He abolished death in the sense He broke its power. Doesn't mean He removed it because death is still present, but death's power is broken and He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, the good news concerning Jesus Christ. That physical death may still be before us, but Jesus Christ has broken the power of death. And He has brought life and immortality to light. We can now know about true life, about immortality. That takes the sting out of death. It's still painful, it's still hard to be separated from a loved one who leaves to go into the presence of the Lord, but I know there is life and immortality in Jesus Christ. I know I will see these loved ones again. This is not just some pie-in-the-sky idea to give us comfort in difficult times, this is the truth of the eternal God. Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, My word will not pass away. In a hundred billion years this will be true, and beyond. There will never be a time when it won't be. And God will fulfill every promise that He has given. Jesus Christ has broken the power of death, rendered it inoperative. He has brought life and immortality to light.

Come back to Hebrews 2. Jesus Christ took to Himself humanity when He was born at Bethlehem so that by His death as the God Man He might render powerless the devil. Break the hold that the devil has. Secondly, that He might deliver those who were subject to slavery all their lives. Lived in the shadow of the fear of death. And thirdly, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest. Pick up the flow, though, here. That He might deliver those, verse 15, who through fear of death were subject all their lives to slavery. Note verse 16, for assuredly He does not give help to angels. Just a note here. In verse 14, since the children share in flesh and blood, God's intention was to redeem human beings. There are angels who sinned, like Satan, but Jesus Christ did not become an angel. So He gives no salvation, provides no help, no redemption for angels. We see that in the connection, verse 14, the children share in flesh and blood. He partook of the same. Verse 16, assuredly He does not give help to angels. There is no salvation for angels. The angels who sinned will spend eternity in hell. They know that. When Jesus Christ came to this earth and confronted them, they asked, are you here to torment us before the time? They know that the sovereign God has appointed them to hell. Why did He provide salvation for us? We are no more deserving. Because He chose to put His love and mercy in kindness on these sinful human beings.

Therefore, verse 17, He had to made like His brethren in all things. Those that would be redeemed, flesh and blood; those who would come to trust Him. There could be no salvation without the sacrifice of Christ. I'm glad He didn't become an angel. I'm eternally grateful He became a man in the sovereign plan of God. He had to be made like His brethren in all things so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. To make propitiation for the sins of the people. That's what we need, propitiation, a word that means satisfaction. He had to satisfy the demands of a righteous and holy God. How is man going to become acceptable in the sight of a righteous and holy God? The penalty has to be paid. God cannot sacrifice His righteousness. Romans 3, He has to be righteous and the one who declares righteous, just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ. Cannot stand before the judge of all and have Him just say, I'll overlook your sin and guilt. That wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be just. But God who is just, who is righteous had His Son step in to take our place, be the One who satisfies the demands of righteousness, demands that He would have. The righteous and holy Son of God, He became our high priest.

What's the role of the high priest? The book of Hebrews is going to deal with that, delving back into the Old Testament to show that Christ is the superior high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The high priest had to go and offer sacrifice on behalf of the people. We don't have time to go through, back in Hebrews 9-10 we are told. But you know what? Those sacrifices offered by those human priests throughout Old Testament history could never take away sin because the blood of bulls and goats can't take away sin. Do you know why? You are not a bull, you are not a goat, you are not an animal. We are human beings. We needed another human being to be the sacrifice, to take our place. An animal can't take my place. It could symbolically take their place, God would save them on the basis of their faith in the God who said He would save them if they believed in Him. But it was all done on the basis of the fact that His Son would come and offer the sacrifice that could cover the sins of all who would believe in the God who made Himself known. Jesus Christ is the merciful and faithful high priest who offers the sacrifice that can make satisfaction, propitiation for sin.

I mentioned Hebrews 7:25. We are told that He is able to save forever those who come to God through Him since He lives forever to make intercession for us. That's the role of the high priest. That's what makes possible the ultimate culmination.

One more verse and we are done. Come back to John 17. All this done to fulfill the plan of the Father and the Son along with the Spirit, that we created in the image of God, created for fellowship with God, created to enjoy God forever. But because of sin it was all shattered and broken. Jesus came to make possible our coming into the glory that God intends for all those who belong to Him. John 17 is what we call Jesus Christ's high priestly prayer. He is praying to His Father. In John 18 He will be betrayed and crucified in the subsequent unfolding of the gospel of John. But here in His final, after that evening He has had with His disciples He prays for them. Then He says in John 17:24, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given Me be with Me where I am so that they may see My glory which you have given Me. For you have loved Me before the foundation of the world. Isn't that wonderful? Why has He come? He came to render powerless, break the hold of the devil over us wretched sinners. Rescue us from the slavery and fear of sin and where we lived. He came to be the merciful and faithful high priest and offer the sacrifice of Himself, the only acceptable sacrifice that would take away sin. Why? So that He could bring us into the presence of God the Father and we could behold their glory and share that glory for all eternity.

What a wonderful salvation. Any wonder we want to celebrate the birth of Christ? Any wonder we want to constantly be reminded of why He was born? We have a Savior born in Bethlehem who came, who suffered and died, He was raised from the dead, He is at the right hand of the Father in glory. Some day He will come to gather us into the glory that He died to provide for us.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the richness and wonder of the salvation provided by our Savior. Lord, how amazing that that baby born at Bethlehem in a stable, unrecognized and unknown was the Creator of all. And He took to Himself humanity that He might be the Savior of humanity. We thank you for a Savior who loved us and died for us, who is alive today, who has broken the power of death, who has brought life and immortality, who some day will bring us as those who have come to trust in Him into the glory of your presence and His presence. We praise you in Christ's name, amen.