Bringing Many Sons to Glory — Hebrews 1-2

0:00 Let's open with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come to you now. We thank you for your word. We thank you that you've given it to us so we can know the mind of Christ and your heart for us. We're thankful for the body of Christ.

0:18 We're thankful that you've put us in it so that we can have each other and to go through this world together. We pray for your help as we open your word today. We pray for a blessing. We're thankful that you're able to give us these things. We pray it in Christ's name.

0:38 Amen. Let's turn to Hebrews chapter two, please. I wanna thank you for asking me to speak. It's a privilege to open God's word. We'll start in the beginning of the chapter.

1:05 Hebrews chapter two. Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him? God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will. For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak.

1:50 But one in a certain place testified, saying, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels. Thou crownedest him with glory and honor, and did set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.

2:15 But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

3:00 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the saint, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

3:45 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. This is an interesting passage. We're coming into the season where we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. And other church groups call it the beginning of Advent. They have a calendar that they follow through the year.

4:11 I don't like to do that because I like to think about Christmas all throughout the year. But in this passage, we have three descriptions of what the Lord Jesus Christ did when He took on a body and was made flesh that aren't spoken of in quite this way anywhere else in Scripture. And there's reasons given for each of those that aren't given anywhere else in Scripture. So this is kind of a unique passage. You don't think about it as an Advent or a Christmas passage, but it talks about God coming to Earth in the person of the sun.

5:39 It's important to understand that the Lord Jesus has a better name than the angels because he inherits that, just because of who he is. None of you out there, except for maybe my wife if I were to die, could inherit my father's stuff. You're not his kid. I am. I can't inherit your father or mother's things.

6:08 I'm not related to you. And the Lord Jesus had a name that was His by inheritance. He was the Son of God. There's only one Son of God in capital letters. And so He had this better name by inheritance.

6:24 And in verse five it says, For unto which of the angels said He, that would be God the Father, at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, in verse six it says, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. Verse seven, he gives a description of the angels. He says, Of the angels, he saith, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers, his servants, a flame of fire.

6:59 But under the sun, he says, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of kingdom... Of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

7:22 And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

7:52 So it's important we understand who the Lord Jesus is and who the angels are, and there are two distinct sets of beings. The Lord Jesus is God, and the angels are ministering spirits that were created by God. And he makes a point of letting us know that he has a better name by inheritance, but he has also is the one who rules on a throne. And He's the one who created all things, and He's the one who's going wrap all things up at the end of time. So we understand this person He's talking about is not an angel.

8:24 It's so much better than an angel. And then again in verse five, he says the earth's not going to be subjected to angels. In chapter two, he says, but one in a certain place testified, saying, what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest him? Now he's talking about Psalm eight, where it talks about how humanity is even lower than the angels. And then it says, thou madest him a little lower than the angels, thou crownest him with glory and an honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hand.

8:57 And it says in verse eight that this verse is saying that you've put into subjection everything that is is meant to be under the subjection of mankind, but we don't see that. But we see Jesus. And then it says, who was made a little lower than the angels. And that's the first description of the incarnation that we have here. Why is it important?

10:02 Wouldn't it? God loves the world. He sent his son to taste death for every man. But that's not where it stops. It says, for it was fitting for him, or it became him, the one for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory.

10:25 So the reason that the Lord Jesus was made lower than the angels is so that he could bring many he could suffer death to bring many sons unto glory. And so this brings us into the whole idea of rebirth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, you must be born again. In the Lord's Supper meeting, our brother read in First Peter that we've been born not with corruptible seed, not of... Let me read that so I don't don't mangle it.

11:02 Blessed be the God... This is first three of chapter one of First Peter. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And then in verse 23, it says, we being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. I was at a wedding once.

11:33 This was a wedding of a cousin of mine. I have a lot of cousins. And it's nice, you got to buy them stuff when they get married, but then you get free food. And I like weddings, I like weddings. Before I was married, I figured there's Christian young ladies there who were interested in that sort of thing.

11:56 Could go. Who knows? It's interesting I didn't meet my wife at a wedding, which I guess, know, but I got a lot of free food, so that was good. I was at this wedding. I was at the reception, and this fellow came up to me and he handed me this this it was one of those Uncle Dave's cards.

12:22 You know, the wages of sin is death and then you turn it around and the gift of God is eternal life. Has everyone seen those? Do you know the one I'm talking about? And I said, oh, I said, how long have you been born again? To this fellow.

12:35 Because I knew this family that he was from was a Catholic family, and he said, oh, I've never been born again. And I thought, why are you giving me a gospel tract if you've never been born again? And I said to him, well, you know, the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of heaven. I said, you aware of that? I said, you need to be born again.

12:57 He said, well, I'm Catholic. I don't need to be born again. I'm like, Lord Jesus said it. That's non negotiable. So I'm going to talk to you briefly here.

13:06 The Lord Jesus was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death to bring many sons to glory. Are you a child of God here today? I don't know you all. I come here once a year for Thanksgiving, and I have nice conversations with you, but I don't know you all well enough to know if you're born again. If you are not born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.

13:37 Period. End of discussion. Not possible. And it's something that we hear, I know I speak for all of us who are born again, we want you to be born again. And so it's not hard hard to do.

13:55 You see, it involves this one that was made lower than the angels. He came and He suffered death. He tasted death for every man. What does that mean? Well, you see, we've all offended God with our sins.

14:09 You may not think you're a sinner. There's... And, you know, I don't have time to talk with each one of you to talk to you about your sins, but just think about this. You need to think about whether or not you've lived up to your own expectations of good behavior at all times. That's a good test.

14:30 Has there ever been a time when you've been ashamed of what you did? That's a pretty good indication that you've sinned in that moment. Because God, you know, our consciences are faulty, but God gave them to us to sort of point us in the direction of the fact that we need a change made in our lives. That's sort of the base level. It says we've all fallen short of the glory of God.

14:58 If you've broken any of the commandments, children, if you've disobeyed your parents, you're a sinner. If you've ever told a lie, you've ever taken anything that wasn't yours, God sent His son, made him lower than the angels, so that he could die on a cross to taste death for you. And the point of that was so that you could become a child of God. You know, I hear people say, well, we're all God's children. No, no, we're not.

16:04 And that's hard to hear. People don't like to hear that. We all want to think better of ourselves than than is true. The Bible says our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and nobody likes to hear that. I don't like to hear it.

16:20 Even though I know it's true, I still don't like to hear it. But we rationalize. Rationalizing means we, if we do something wrong or we do something we know we shouldn't do, we make excuses for ourselves to make ourselves feel like it's okay to do it. And if you ever found yourself rationalizing about something, you know it's something that if you looked at someone else and you saw them doing it, and you would think, what an awful person. Why would they do that?

16:54 And yet you do it yourself, and you come up with some sort of reason in your head why it's okay for you to do it. That's rationalization. That's a good sign that you're a sinner. And if that's the case, you need to be born again. Now I'm going to go on with the passage, but there are lots of people here that if in mind that just little time of talking about it, you come to the realization that you're not born again.

17:19 Please talk to somebody about it. If you are not born again, you are not a child of God. You are not under the protection of God. You are not going to heaven when you die. And that's a terrible thing.

17:35 So please bear it in mind. If you have any doubts whatsoever, please talk to somebody about that. He wanted to bring many sons unto glory. And so we see the plan of God there. He loved his son.

17:56 I am continually amazed by this fact that he's bringing sons to glory. You know, knowing myself and the sins I've committed, some of the stuff I've done after I was saved is much worse. I got saved when I was about eight or nine years old. Some of the stuff I did after I was saved is much, much worse than the stuff that I did before I was saved. And God knew that, and He still saved me.

18:29 That's amazing to me. He knew who I was and what I was going to do and what I was going to be, and loved me anyway, and sent his son. And his son came lower than the angels and tasted death for me. What an amazing thought. I mean, just think about that briefly.

18:47 And it would have been enough if he would have said, well, I'm going to let you come into heaven, but you have to sit in the back there and don't don't say anything. Try not to let the angels know you're here, you know. Just, you know, I love you. I'm going to save you. I'm going to bring you in, and you kind of hang out back there.

19:06 And you won't, you know, if you want, we'll give you some work to do so you don't feel useless, you know? Is that what God did? He's bringing many sons to glory. When we look in Galatians, another passage about the Incarnation that is related to this, in verse four of chapter four, it says, But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your heart, crying, Abba, Father.

20:14 The adoption, think probably most of you know it, there was a time in which, in this culture, in which a son would receive status as full sonship. Adult sons. And this is a wonderful thought. You know, we're not stuck in the back. We've received the status as full grown, mature sons.

20:50 And it's not just we're not told this, just told this. I like this phrase, God has sent forth his spirit into your heart, crying, Abba, Father. So the Spirit of God has been given to us to show us that we're the sons of God. And the Spirit cries out within us, Abba, Father. And we know that we're the children of God.

21:18 We're sons of God. And it's a wonderful thing. When we look at the parallel passage to this in Romans chapter eight, there's a little bit more information given to us. And it says, for as many as are led, in verse 14, are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we, ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

21:49 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Now, this is interesting. So we received the spirit of adoption, which is full sonship. This word here, this children, is actually born one. So in this passage you have the teaching of adoption and then the teaching of the new birthright together, tied together.

22:14 And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. That one still blows. If you read about this and then you look at what it talks about about our inheritance in Ephesians chapter one, And it talks to where I don't have time. If I go into that, I won't have time to talk about the rest of the chapter. So we'll kind of look at Ephesians chapter one and in Colossians about what it says that we've inherited.

22:49 And that we're... We have entered in... That there's the fullness of God. In Colossians chapter two, it says, you know, that He's made all the fullness dwell in Him, we are complete in Him. And so there's this wonderful, wonderful truth that the reason that the Lord Jesus was made lower than the angels was so that He could die, so that He could bring many sons to glory.

23:26 And God has crowned Him with glory and honor as a result of that. It's interesting. Remember that that he's crowned him with glory and honor. Let's let's look again at Hebrews chapter two, and we'll move on to the next bit. It says here in verse 11, well, and then of course we missed in the end of chapter 10 that it made the captain or the originator of their salvation perfect through suffering.

24:04 That, the word perfect there is complete or fully qualified through suffering. And the idea is sort of holy ground there. When we think about Hebrews chapter five, where it talks about his qualifying him to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And he says, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, though he were a son, he had learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author or became qualified, again, this is referring back, of eternal salvation unto all that obey him, called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

25:10 I don't know what that means. I only think there's only two beings in the uni- well, maybe three, the Holy Spirit, obviously. But the Father and the Son knows what that means, and we will never understand what went on in qualifying the Lord Jesus to be the author of eternal salvation through suffering. I don't want to know. I don't think I could take it.

25:57 Another translation says, the Father who sanctifies and the one he sanctifies are all of one essence. Isn't that amazing? He's made us made us a part of his family. He's made us like his son. It says in another place, and it leaves my mind right now, it says that we're partakers of the divine nature.

26:33 You know you and I know me, and that's amazing. Someone like me, now you're probably better people than I am, but someone like me could be a partaker of the divine nature. And the Lord left his glory, left his prerogatives of sonship, and was made lower than the angels for the... And that his point was to make me a son, not just a son, but a partaker of the divine nature. Then he says he's not ashamed to call us brethren.

27:18 You know, I think of how many times I've failed him. He's not ashamed of me. Or you. He says, I'm gonna declare my name... Thy name, the father, unto my brethren in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

27:44 And then I will put my trust in him, and behold, I and the children which God hath given me. Now here's the next one. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same. So we have another description of the incarnation here. He took part of flesh and blood.

28:11 And I wondered about that. What does that have? And then I remembered back in Exodus. And I remembered I was helped in my remembering by my concordance program on my laptop. But the first time the two, those passages, the words flesh and blood are in the same paragraph, is in the description of what they're to do with the Passover lamb.

28:43 And it says in verse six of chapter 12 of Exodus, you shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening, and they shall take of the blood, there's blood, they're in reverse order in this, and strike it on the two signposts and on the upper doorpost of the house wherein they shall eat it, and they shall eat the flesh in that night roast with fire and unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. And if you look in your concordance, those words, flesh and blood continue all through Leviticus and Numbers, where it talks about sacrifice. And so the children of Israel who were saved reading this, those words, flesh and blood, probably triggered in their minds a remembrance of the sacrifices that were made. A brother, do you guys know Paul Branson? He's a lovely brother.

30:52 He took on flesh and blood. And it's interesting because this sacrifice was to deliver from bondage. They were in bondage to Egypt. And what does it say in Hebrews chapter two? It says he took on flesh and blood that he might deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

31:15 And so we have the Lord Jesus taking on flesh and blood. And again, we have death. Through death, He would deliver them, who through... Were all their lifetime subject to bondage, were through the fear of death. So we have an additional part.

31:40 He took on flesh and blood. The problem with flesh and blood is is it's damageable. You know, I think about that. If I were a father and I knew that my son was going to be crucified, and I was designing his body for him, because I love my son, I might make it so that he was a little less able to suffer pain. I would do that.

32:13 I'll tell you what, if anyone tries to crucify one of my girls, they're to have to come through me. I would not allow that to happen to my child. I don't care how good the other person was. Do you understand what I mean? I don't understand the love of the Godhead for us.

32:34 And so He took part of flesh and blood. He took on Himself things that could be pierced by nails and thorns and a spear and ripped off with a whip. And He took on the blood that could pour out of the wounds that those things would cause. So that through death He could deliver us from the fear of death. I don't really think that Satan saw that one coming.

33:07 Do you think that Satan saw that one coming? Satan had the power of death. And he thought, I'm going to use this power of death, and I'm going to kill the son of God. And he manipulated, got Judas, got the high priests, worked his nefarious schemes. And he's up there on the cross, and all of these people that he worked with the exception of Judas who...

33:40 I feel bad for Judas, I really do. But they're standing there and saying, come down from the cross if you're the son of God. And then the lights go out, and God takes all the sin of the world and lays it on his son. His son suffers for it, rises again the third day, and now Satan's lost the power of death. He did not see that one coming.

34:08 And he destroyed Satan. Do you know, he's still called the prince of this world. And I'll tell you, this last election proved it. My goodness. And I'll tell you what, in spite of the last election, we still have a much better system than a lot of other places in the world.

34:39 There are some countries where they decide the election by everyone going out in the streets with them AK-forty seven's and blasting away at people. And the Christians always get stuck in the middle of that. And we have a lot to be thankful for here in this country, even though it's not always what we want. I think about this, in Revelation chapter 12 and verse seven. We read things that are going to happen in the future.

35:27 It says, there was a war in heaven, and Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not. Neither was there place found any more in heaven, and the great dragon was cast out. That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying, in heaven, now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of the brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

36:16 And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb. He took on flesh and blood so that he might destroy Satan. You know, we would not have a chance against Satan without the son of God. And then again, he says, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. I should jump back about the Satan.

36:48 I didn't read on to the end of the book of Revelation where he's cast out into the lake of fire eternally. And then the eternal state comes in, and there's no weeping, crying, pain, sorrow, death, for the former things are passed away. And one of those former things that passed away is the accuser of the brethren. He's gone. He took on him the seed of Abraham.

37:41 It says, Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like his brethren. He took on the seed of Abraham and was made like his brethren. And this is an interesting another description of the incarnation. And we see it in the genealogies. It goes right on back to Abraham, doesn't it?

38:08 And he's the son of David in some places, it says, but here he took on him the seed of Abraham. And you wonder why? What does that have to do with anything? Well, it says, he's made like his brethren that he might be a merciful and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, and to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. I did a little looking at this phrase things to God or the pertaining in the King James version is not there.

38:49 It's put in to kind of help us. The thought there, according to some brothers who have a better understanding of the Greek than I do, is that he's a merciful and faithful high priest in things that have to do with the worship of God, and also to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. So he's able to bring people to worship God. One of the things that a priest does, there's two things, the priest takes things from the people and presents them to God, and then he takes things from God and presents them to the people. The priest stands between God and man.

39:35 That's been the priesthood. In this, he was... And then verse 18, it says he was tempted, and he's able to help those that are tempted. This is sort of the introduction for the rest of the book then of Hebrews, where it talks about this great priesthood that the Lord Jesus has. And it's interesting here.

40:06 In verse nine, it says he's crowned. And of course, that gives us a sort of a thought of a king. And he talks about taking on flesh and blood, and we went back, and we hear puts us toward the Lamb of God, the sacrifice. And then here he's made a high priest. We see three, the three probably really interesting to me aspects of the Lord Jesus and who he is, and they all come together again, if you go to Revelation chapter five.

40:44 And then again, I believe that the great multitude there is us. And you see a lamb as it had been slain standing in the midst of the throne. And the people there say to the lamb, you have made us a kingdom, a kingdom's got a king, right? A kingdom of priests to our God and to the Lamb. And this seems to be an introduction for that.

41:17 What he did, being made lower than the angels, taking on flesh, and being made like his brethren, the nation of Israel, has accomplished a work for us. He's brought us to the lamb. Isn't that wonderful? And he's made us a kingdom of priests to God and to that lamb. And we shall reign forever with him.

41:46 And that's the description that we get of the incarnation here in this chapter. And the thing that comes through to me through this whole thing is the love of God for us. If he didn't love us, would he have done any of this? Then the other thing that comes through is he's purposeful. God is purposeful in plans.

42:19 This is not something that he just threw together on the fly. There are some people that are really good at improvising. I'm very good at improvising. God did not just throw this together on the fly. God thought this out carefully.

42:34 If, to put it in our terms, I mean, God may have always had this in his mind. He's God. He could probably do that. But God decided that this is what he wanted to do, and he put together the plan to do it, and his son was in full agreement with it. And his son was glad to do it.

42:53 And we read in Hebrews chapter 12, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross. And so this, as we start the Christmas season, rejoice in what God has done in sending his son to save us. Rejoice in who God is, a God like this. We couldn't make this up. Could you make this up?

43:20 I couldn't make this up. Who could make this up? We have a God who loved us, who came up with this incredibly complex and wonderful plan, and signaled what he was going to do all through history up to the point so that we would recognize it, and then told people about it, they wrote it down. And it's amazing to me. What a God we serve.

44:15 And we thank you that we've come to the land, and you've made us a kingdom of priests to our God. And we pray that if there's anyone here that doesn't share in this because they have not been born again. Oh, father. We pray that you would open their eyes. We pray that the light of the glory of God and the face of Jesus Christ would shine into their hearts and that they would be saved.

44:43 We pray it in Christ's name. Amen.