FBCWest 460 | Our Savior, Our Sanctifier, Our Conqueror, and Our Helper
Recorded On: 07/18/2021
Bulletin
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Isaiah 6:1 - 8
“God So Loved”
“Your Promises”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Our Savior, Our Sanctifier, Our Conqueror, and Our Helper”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Jesus Messiah”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“”
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Hello Hurricane”
“You Never Let Go”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
Hebrews 2:10 Jesus our savior
Hebrews 2:11 – 13 Jesus our sanctifier and now we are His brethren
Hebrews 2:14 - 15 Jesus our conqueror
Hebrews 2:16 – 18
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Please turn to Hebrews Chapter 2 starting with verse.
10 although we're going to briefly look at verse nine in the context before I do that, it's going to seem like I'm going to chase a rabbit, but it's it has a point to this particular message as well. I want you to go back in your life.
In our culture, we celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day, and so there comes a time in your life whether you're 5 or 35 that you get your own card for your mother and your father now. No longer does the dad go get you your card for your mom and no longer does your mom get the card for your dad. You actually either go buy one or you make it.
And let's say that first time whether it's 5 or 35, you give a card that says thank you for giving me my life.
And that's the card, and I'm sure your parents would go interesting thought. And then the next year.
Well, you do that for your mom and then the Father's Day. You do that the same thing for your father and then the next year you do the same thing. Thank you for giving me my life.
And then on Father's Day. Thank you for giving me my life.
And you do that the entire time your parents are alive.
Now I want you to think about now being a parent.
And you get that card. The Saints thank you for giving me my life and you go.
OK, that's good, let's start.
But year after year, you keep saying the same thing. Thank you for giving me my life and the parents gonna think. Well, well, wait a minute. What about the time that you fell and skinned your knee and I bathe it and put antiseptic on it and and helped you? Or what about the time that you had your tonsils out and not only was I there at the hospital I not only bought you I fed you ice cream.
Or what about the time when that person did you thought was the love of your life and that you could see yourself being with that person for the less rest of your 'cause you were just so much in love and then that person broke your heart into 1000 pieces and your parents were there to help you put it back to say yes you are lovable. Yes you will find someone who will be and see who you are.
We would begin to think, well, wait a minute.
We've had a relationship as parent and child.
And while I'm thankful that you're thankful that.
You have life because there are those who yell at their parents. How dare you make me, you know, born? You know, it's all your fault, and so, at least in that part you're saying well.
But there's such a limited amount of of connection and relationship.
How this applies here is we're going to see.
The the writer of the piece of Hebrews is going to talk more and more about who Jesus is.
Well, we have a tendency to do in our relationship with God is to say thank you, Jesus, for saving me.
Thank you, Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord, for making me whole your great salvation, so rich and free. You know we, we concentrate on the one aspect of who he is.
But that is not all who Jesus is.
And so this chapter. The rest of this chapter is going to again tell us that Jesus is more than thank you for giving me my life and we need to see who he is in his fullness. And we need to see who he is in relationship so that we understand our relationship to him. It's not just well, thank you for saving my soul and I'm not saying that that that's not important. It's extremely important. And if you haven't been saved.
Then you need to be saved, so I'm not diminishing that. But what I'm saying is that he's gone from giving you life to saying let's have a relationship and you're still back saying I just want to have a life.
And so the writer of Hebrews is going to say, well, briefly look at verse 9 because.
As in all the scriptures, it's interconnected, so it's it's not as if you can pick up one verse and and go from there, so he says, but we do see him. That being Jesus, who's made 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 everyone. So Jesus is sacrificed, his death applies for all of us that we might be.
Saved and then on verse 10 it says four. It was fitting for him. Now I find this interesting and so do a lot of writers in the commentaries.
How often would it be good for you to say, well, it's fitting for God to do something?
It's kind of.
It's it's God who does whatever God wants, how it's a dime to say it's fitting for him to do it, but the writer is going to say for it was fitting for him. For whom are all things and through whom are all things. So he says, the one who made everything and the one who substantive, who sustains everything, and the one who everything was made for that and bringing many sons to glory.
Going to stop their notice, it says to bring many sons to glory, then say to bring many sons salvation.
You see, Jesus is playing the God's plan wasn't you were saved and then you on layaway he's gonna save you he's gonna sanctify you and he's gonna glorify you and he's gonna end the process he's not gonna drop you up in the middle of the process and so when it says so that many sons to glory.
He's fulfilling all of what is necessary.
To perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. Now the word author can be translated a couple different ways. It can be translated pioneer or trailblazer or whatever.
I like the kind of the term author because it's one who who is the one who's writes the script. If you will, is the one who gives out the the plan. It says for that author Jesus.
To perfect the author of their salvation through suffering.
Now.
If you have the idea that is an accurate one that Jesus is God.
Then to say that he needs or is to be perfected, you go. That sounds odd 'cause God is God.
He's
doesn't need to be made perfect.
Well, perfect also means complete, but it doesn't mean that he's inadequate, but that.
Through what he has done in his sufferings, you can now follow him because he has gone where you are going. He is the pioneer. He's the author. He's the one who.
And I don't know how many times I've heard.
People saying.
Well, I like to go to something such church 'cause the pasture used to be in out some X whatever. I won't say whatever the X, whatever it is but but and I'm going.
I don't get it.
I don't necessarily have to have been an ex whatever to help lead you to Christ, but there are a lot of people who have this sense of well. If you haven't experienced what I've experienced, then you don't understand me.
Well, now there's no excuse with Jesus.
Because Jesus understands exactly what you've gone through.
Because he's gone through suffering.
For both he who sanctify so the first part basically says Jesus is our savior. Jesus is the one who authored our salvation salvation. He is the one who's going to complete our salvation and that's where most people stop with the card. Thank you for giving me life.
But the rider is going to go on and continue exactly who Jesus is for both he who sanctify's and those who are sanctified are from the one father. Now sanctification means process of being made holy so it is Jesus who makes us holy. He sanctifies us and so.
Unfortunately, we don't see a lot of cards written. Thank you, Jesus, for sanctifying me.
We like to use express excuse while I'm human and I mess up.
Yeah, I'm human and I messed up. But Jesus is sanctifying me and so we have this problem because we think Saints are holy and we ain't. And therefore. But Jesus is the one who sanctifies us an example I often uses about special dishes.
Oftentimes China and what we do is we have.
Particular.
Plates in and silverware and glasses that we use on special occasions. Now for some of you, it's.
It's anything other than.
Paper plates that's special and everything else is just paper plates. And and I don't blame you 'cause who likes to do dishes anyway, but oftentimes we we take a look and we get China.
And we put it China in our China closet, except for those of us who can't have a big enough house to have a China cabinet and all that so we don't have as much but but there is that sense of we have these special plates for special occasions. Those are holy plates. Those are sanctified plates, but I want you to notice something. The plate in and of itself as in holy.
If you like to use China every single day, it ain't holy.
Because you use it every day and maybe for your special guests, you use paper plates.
They become because you're using them only on special. In this, Jesus is the one who makes us holy. It is his use that makes us holy. We don't become holy because we're holy.
He makes us holy, so when you say I'm not holy, then you're telling me that Jesus can't do things.
Because it's Jesus who makes you holy.
It is his use.
If he wants to use you as a special container, then praise the Lord. If he wants to use you as a common container, plays the Lord, but it is Jesus juice that makes you holy. He is the one who sanctify's, so we need to praise him for giving us life and making us holy.
Not we ourselves making ourselves holy, but that he sanctifies us.
For both he who sanctify's and those who are being sanctified so again it is Jesus who does. The sanctifying are from one father.
So the scripture says when you are in the when you become born again, when you become a believer, you are now a child of God and as a child of God you are now being sanctified because you're from one father, Jesus.
And you come from, if you will common ancestry.
For which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Which is kind of a if you will logically correct, but kind of blows their mind because we would hesitant to say that Jesus is my brother.
'cause he's God.
But if we are children of God.
And Jesus makes us a child of God.
Then in essence, he calls us brothers and sisters. We are his brethren and to confirm that the writer says he quotes a particular passage from Psalms 22 and Psalms 22 is apropos because it is the Psalm that shows us from Jesus's eyes the crucifixion.
And towards the end of that, Simon Says, and I will proclaim your name to my brother and in the midst of the congregation I was seeing your praises. And so Jesus from the cross is saying, I'm going to declare God's name to my brothers. Those who are going to accept, and I'm going to praise God. And again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children whom God has given me. So the writer says this isn't a new concept. This is a concept all the way back.
In the Psalms that says that we are children of God and that Jesus declares us to be brothers.
Therefore.
Since children share in flesh and blood now in the.
Exact.
'cause we're use of the term flesh and blood, but the actual translation is blood and flesh.
Since we share in the blood and flesh, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.
So I want you to see something first. It tells us exactly that Jesus is God, but Jesus is man.
How does that work? I don't know.
It's a mystery.
But Jesus is fully God.
And fully human.
And in that.
He farts hook so that he might be exactly like you and me.
That he partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless, him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. In essence the scripture says here that Jesus, through his death and resurrection, defeated Satan.
He is a conqueror, and so we should think. Thank you God for saving me. Thank you Jesus for sanctifying me and thank you for conquering him who has all kinds of power. He rendered him powerless. Now the scripture says that the devil roars like a lion seeking someone to devour. Yes, he is our adversary. Yes, he is substantial, but he is a if you will. A WOON did.
Adversary
he has been defeated.
He just isn't content going out quietly.
And so we need to understand. But at the same token, to show you how much power Satan has, the scripture says that when the time comes, the God is going to direct one Angel, not a whole legion one Angel. Here's this powerful adversary, one Angel going to seize him and throw him in the pit.
He doesn't nearly have the power.
Because he has been defeated. Sure, there are skirmishes happening. Share there is if he will mock up in trying to.
Just solidify the the.
Games.
We lost.
Jesus is conqueror.
And so we should praise him for being our conqueror, because he's defeated the devil.
And it says this and might free those who, through fear of death were subject to slavery all of their lives.
Now it is amazing how many people are afraid to die.
There is this fear of death.
Now, I'm not saying.
That God, if you're a believer, has taken away your.
Survival instinct.
We are kind of like that the the joke about the pastor who the Evangelist, who's who's preaching and and states in the middle of a sermon, how many want to go to heaven and everybody but one older gentleman raises their hand. So he thinks. Well, maybe since he's older he didn't hear me and so he calls out again comma. We want to go to heaven and everybody but the older man raises their hand and he goes, huh? So if one last time he goes, how many want to go to heaven and everybody?
But the one man raises his hand. So finally goes, Sir, don't you want to go to heaven? He goes? Oh yes, but I thought you were talking about right now. And so, although often we all want to go to heaven, but we want to wait as long as possible. There is a natural survival instinct.
But at the same token, it is true what Paul said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
You see, we're not afraid of death.
Because we know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord that we have eternal life. And while we naturally want to go on in this life and we want to make sure, for instance, we want to make sure that our children grow up and and and our spouses are protected and and all those things that we're concerned about, to making sure that we have a.
A relatively lengthy life too, to see that those are accomplished.
The main thing is that we're not afraid of death because we know that we have eternal life.
So Jesus.
Not only conquers Satan, he is conquered death, so we no longer need to be afraid.
For surely he does not give help to angels, but he gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Here is another aspect of who Jesus is. He is a helper. First off, let me say that it says that he doesn't give helped angels, 'cause that's not his job. His job if you will. The dangerous job is to be ministering spirits to him and to us.
He doesn't give help to angels, but he gives help to descendants of Abraham, and so those of you might say, well, you know I'm not Jewish, therefore he doesn't help me. That's not the descendants of Abraham. Jesus made it very clear who the descendants of Abraham are. It's those who have faith in him.
When the Pharisees and the religious leaders were so proud of the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, that Jesus goes, that's nothing. God can change these rocks and make them descendants of Abraham.
Which means he showed something even more impossible. He took this rock.
It made it a descendant of Abraham.
'cause he wrote his law upon my heart.
Something that was harder than stone.
And so he gives help. Now most of us think when it means he gives help is this.
We decide we're going to do something and we do it, and then we get in a big mess.
Then we go help me, Jesus.
Wouldn't it be great?
Before you got in the mess before you ever took a step, you say help me, Jesus right off the bat.
Isn't it easier if you have someone to come over to the house?
And help you dust it and clean it and set the furniture the way you want. And you have a somebody to help you. Isn't that easier than if you wait till a hurricane comes and blows your house down and knocks everything down? And now you need somebody to come in and help you reestablish it, but that's kind of what we do to Jesus. We let the storms of life come and blow our everything apart. Then we say help me Jesus.
Rather than say Jesus helped me to set my home in order.
That I don't need to worry about the storms of this life 'cause it's built onto rock and not on sand.
So help me Jesus.
Not just when things fall apart, but before you ever start. He is a helper.
Therefore, he had to be made like his brethren in all things, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
So it tells us he needed to be who he was. He needed to be God.
So they can interact with God as the priest. They also needed to be man to interact with us to be that perfect mediator that went between us.
That he might become a merciful.
And faithful high priest.
He's a high priest. It doesn't say, yeah, I know you screwed up.
Ha ha ha.
I hope you're.
You made your bed. Now lie in it. No, he's merciful.
He's forgiving, he's loving. He takes you from where you are and sets you up again. He is a merciful.
But he's also faithful. He is faithful to God. He tells us the truth, not what we want to hear.
And things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for sins propitiation is is a $0.50 word that means a public atonement. So Jesus became a public propitiation. He became our atonement for the people.
You see, when the high priest took and placed his hands on that.
Sacrifice the first time he did so for himself.
So that he might enter the Holy of Holies for his sins and then he would come and sacrificed another animal for the sins of the people.
Jesus didn't need to sacrifice something else because he was already perfect and holy, so he became the offering he was and is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
So he was at atonement.
So yes, he is our savior because he made atonement for us.
As a perfect high priest for since he himself was tempted and that which he has suffered, he is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
There is nothing that you have gone through that Jesus hasn't gone through.
Jesus even prayed that things not happen.
Lord, take this cup from me.
And I'm sure there are times when you said God, I don't want to go through this please.
Change it, whether it be by miracle, whatever.
But notice he said nevertheless, not my will, but your will.
He was a faithful high priest.
He understands your temptation. Satan offered him the world offered him an easy way out.
We all too often put our salvation on hold because we want something.
We want fame. We want fortune. We want a better job. We want whatever. And we oftentimes put those things on hold that we might gain world.
Sometimes wisdom comes not from your own experiences, but others.
So I would encourage you to watch the lives of the rich and famous.
They seem to be very miserable.
Their money doesn't seem to have bought them happiness.
Because they're still looking for things 'cause you'll see some of the rich and famous who die of drug overdoses.
'cause they were searching for something else. Another high. Something that was.
Missing.
He was well wait a minute, you had it all. Everybody knew who you were and then even fame. You'll hear people say how they hate being famous that they wish they could go out.
In public and nobody noticed them until they would go out in public and nobody notice them. And then they say.
Oh, I need to have another concert 'cause nobody notices me. You know, it's one of those.
Strange things where they hate fame and pursue it.
Maybe you want to pay attention.
That as Solomon said, all is vanity.
Follow him.
He knows what you're going through.
And again, that's one of the things that used to bug me. You'll get then I've said it before. You'll get these little bracelets. It says. What would Jesus do?
What did Jesus do South? What would he do? Look at what he did because he went through the same things you were going through.
Yet without sin.
So the next time.
You write your.
Parents day card to Jesus in the Lord.
I hope you write more than thank you for saving my soul.
But including that not only thank you for saving my soul, but making me holy.
Been.
My conqueror
being my.
Helper
being my faithful and merciful high priest.
Being all of those things.
One of my.
Favorite songs. When I was a young man, one of the favorite groups I had as a as a teenager.
Some of you who are my age will know this group Simon and Garfunkel.
My favorite groups.
Or Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, and meatloaf. What a combination?
Meatloaf is a great.
Music to workout too.
Two out of three ain't bad, you know, then?
So, but one of my favorite songs of Simon and Garfunkel was a song you probably may never heard of. It was called dangling conversations.
And there's a phrase in there that that as a young person hit me and still is with me today.
And it says at no time do we play some foot bookmarkers
to measure what we've lost.
We're always putting the book learn well. I've read this far in the book. I've read this far in the book I've gone. Now I'm a fourth of the way through now. I'm a half of the way through. We never consider how much did I not get in that half of the book that I've read.
What does that have to do with the scriptures?
There is a movie I'm not gonna say the name of the movie.
It's a Christian movie.
And it kind of hit me because in that movie.
The principal of the school.
He's talking and trying to lead to the Lord. This young girl who goes to the school who's having various problems.
And she says, I want you to take a look at at a couple of chapters of Ephesians, and I want you to write down everything that Ephesians says that you are.
And she does so and she right now I'm chosen. I'm loved, and and she rises, and those have a significant impact on her life, so much so that she's memorized it. And later in the movie, when when people ask her, who are you? She says it because she has taken it to heart.
We have now gone through two chapters of Hebrews.
I challenge you to do this.
Just two chapters. We've already gone through.
Write down everything that it says Jesus is.
Because you'll be surprised how much in just these two chapters it talks about who Jesus is. The exact representation of the glory of God, the one who has made all things, the one who sustains all things and then now in this chapter talks about.
Not only that is better than the angels, but that he is savior that he is.
Sanctifier that he is a helper. All of those things that he is a conqueror list those things.
And as much as I think that writing down who you are.
In Christ.
I think even more benefit is for you to write down who he is.
Because when you feel inadequate.
He's there.
When you feel like you could charge hell with a squirt gun, he's there.
When you think no one loves you and everyone has abandoned you, he's there.
When you think that your life has been for not.
He's there.
When you think that you've had such a blessed life, he's there.
He is there.
And when you think you can't go on another step.
He's there because he's your helper.
But instead of waiting for the last step.
Let's let him be our helper.
At the first step.
And all God's people said.