Sermon

Christmas

December 18, 2011 Carrigaline Baptist Church - Sermons

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Hebrews chapter 2, if you're using a red covered Bible.

Hebrews 2 chapter mention
1-2-0-2.
Hebrews chapter 2 starting at verse 10 through to verse 18.

Hebrews 2 chapter mention
It's on page 1-2-0-2.
Thank you Lucy.
So Hebrews chapter 2 verses 10-18.

Hebrews 2:10–18
In bringing many sons to glory it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,
should be made the author of their salvation, perfecting it through suffering.
Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers.
He says, I will declare your name to my brothers in the presence of the congregation.
I will sing your praises.
And again, I will put my trust in him.
And again he says, here I am and the children that God has given me.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared their humanity,
so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil,
and free those who all their lives have been held in slavery by their fear of death.
For surely it is not angels that he helps, but Abraham's descendants.
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way,
in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God,
and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Thanks Lucy.
Please keep your Bibles open.
There are Hebrews.
There were some sheets going around, some pens.
You can take notes.
So let's pray and ask for God's help as we look at his word together,
and see how it applies to us as we think about the theme of Christmas.
Let's pray.
Our Father, we thank you that you do draw near to us,
and we pray that you would pour out your Holy Spirit upon everyone present here this morning,
that we would be able to hear you afresh,
to take what is familiar to our minds,
to make it real,
that it would change us,
that it would help us to see why Jesus came,
and what it means that God is with us.
We pray that it would fill our lives with a sense of meaning and a sense of purpose,
and that not one of us would leave without a renewed love for you,
and a greater confidence in who you are.
We pray for your help.
Amen.
Well, during this past year,
we had two very important visitors to our country.
If you remember back in,
when was it, April, I think?
No, May?
May.
President Obama flew in for a quick visit.
Do you remember that?
Altogether, he was here for 12 hours.
To make that trip happen,
there were three pre-visits conducted by his security team.
There was a site survey,
a pre-advanced visit,
and then an advanced trip.
Total cost, $16 million.
When he actually did come,
he brought 500 staff with him,
including his own personal chef,
200 security personnel,
six doctors on his medical team,
not to mention his fleet of decoy helicopters,
his $300,000 armoured plate limousine,
and 30 motorcycles.
All to have a pint of Guinness in money gone.
When God arrived on Earth,
he chose to do it quietly,
in a courtyard,
watched by animals.
The Queen also made her first official visit this year.
It's reported that when the Queen of England
goes on one of her royal trips,
she brings her own hairdresser,
two valets,
£4,000 in weight of luggage,
and a host of other attendants,
costing $20 million.
And that doesn't cost the 25 million euro
for the security for her four-day visits.
When God came down,
he chose to conceal himself
in the tummy of an unknown girl.
The name given to that child,
as we've seen already this morning,
Emmanuel,
God with us.
It's what theologians call
the incarnation,
God as a man
coming down
into this world.
the message of Christmas.
And it's the message of Hebrews 2
that we've just had read.
Look at chapter 1,
a minute.
Chapter 1 of Hebrews,
verse 2.
It tells us here
who
Jesus is.
In verse 2,
it says,
in these last days,
what we are right now,
in these last days,
God has spoken to us
by his Son,
Jesus,
whom he appointed
heir of all things,
and through whom,
through Jesus,
he made the universe.
The Son,
Jesus,
is the radiance
of God's glory.
He is the exact
representation
of his being,
sustaining all things
by his powerful word.
The God,
think about it,
who created this universe
in all its vastness,
we can't even measure
the extent of
the universe in space.
The God who made
all of that
was formed
as a tiny baby.
The God who provides
everything that we have
for every person
of the 10 billion
that live in this planet.
The God who provides
everything
became dependent
on a teenage mother.
The God who sustains us
with the very breath
that we are breathing
right now,
who sustains us
as we sleep at night,
used to cry
for his feed of milk.
The God who stood
outside of time
and space
entered in
and intervened
into our world.
Philip Yancey
in his book
The Jesus I Never Knew
captures it well.
He says this,
unimaginably,
the maker
of all things
shrank down
and down
and down
so small
as to become
an oven,
a single fertilised egg
barely visible
to the naked eye,
an egg that would
divide
and re-divide
until a fetus
took shape
enlarging cell
by cell
inside a nervous
teenager.
God would become
so vulnerable
and so fragile
as a tiny baby.
It's incomprehensible.
Other writers
of Scripture
put it like this,
the word
who was God
became flesh
and lived
among us.
The image
of the invisible
God,
the fullness
of God
dwelling
in him,
who being
in very nature
God
made himself
nothing,
taking the very
nature
of a servant.
and Hebrews

Hebrews 2:14
chapter 2
verse 14
puts it
simply
like this,
since the
children,
those who
trust in him,
those who
have flesh
and blood,
people like us,
he too
shared in
their humanity.
Verse 17,
for this
reason
he had
to be made
like his
brothers.
he had
to be
made
just
like
you
and me.
God
became
like one
of us.
Why
did God
do this?
Well,
look back
at verse 2
of chapter 10.
It says there
about him
bringing
many sons
or many
children
to glory.
God
came down
to bring
us
to glory.
He came
down into
the mess
of this
world
and of our
lives
to bring
us
into
his
paradise.
This
earth,
this life
that we're
experiencing
right now
is not
our
destiny.
We were
created
for something
far greater,
something much
more beautiful,
something much
more wonderful.
Look back
at chapter 1
verse 10.
Here he's
speaking about
the present
creation,
the way it
is right
now.
It says
in chapter 1
verse 10,
In the
beginning,
O Lord,
you laid
the foundations
of the
earth,
and the
heavens are
the work
of your
hands.
It's
talking about
his
creation.
Then he
says,
verse 11,
they will
perish,
but you
remain.
they will
all wear
out like
a garment,
just like
our old
clothes that
get holes,
they get
thrown away,
or the
dirty washing
that's
crumpled up
on the
floor and
put into
the basket.
Verse 12,
you'll roll
them up like
a robe,
like a garment,
they will be
changed,
but you
remain the
same,
and your
years will
never end.
this is
the world
that we
live in,
and one
day he
says it's
going to
be done
away with,
it's going
to go,
so what's
going to
replace it?
Well,
jump forward
to chapter
11,
because there
we're given
a hint as
to what
will replace
it.
Chapter
11,
a great
chapter of
people,
before Christ
coming,
looking forward,
to something
that God
had promised,
and here
we're reading
about Abraham
in verse
10,
chapter 11,
and it
tells us
there that
he was
looking forward
to the
city with
foundations
whose architect
and builder
is God.
Verse 13,
all these
people,
people like
Abraham,
were still
living by
faith when
they died,
they did
not receive
the things
promised,
they only
saw them
and welcomed
them from
a distance,
and they
admitted that
they were
aliens and
strangers on
earth,
just as we
are,
strangers and
aliens,
this is not
our home.
Verse 16,
instead,
they were
longing for a
better country,
a heavenly
one.
Therefore
God is not
ashamed to
be called
their God,
for he
has prepared
a city
for them.
You see,
this glory
that we're
talking about
is a picture
here of a
city designed,
crafted and
built by God,
a place of
peace,
a place of
protection,
a place of
provision,
a place of
no wars,
no fears,
no famine,
no pain.
This is going
to be
paradise itself.
This is what
they were
looking forward
to.
This is what
we're looking
forward to.
God came
down to
bring many
sons and
daughters to
his glory.
But why?
Why did
God have
to become a
human being?
Why did
he choose to
share in our
humanity?
Why did he
have to make
all that
hassle of
coming down
as a baby
and living
and growing?
Could he
not have
done it
another way?
Well, the
answer is no,
he couldn't
have done it
another way.
Because there
are too many
obstacles and
too many
barriers that
stop us
getting to
that promised
paradise,
that stop us
getting to
glory.
So God
had to become,
like one of us,
a human being
to defeat
and remove
and destroy
all those
barriers that
stand in the
way of us
getting to
glory.
To ensure our
safe and
guaranteed
arrival.
So,
the first
barrier
is that
death
has been
defeated
by Jesus
who came
down
to us.
Look at
verse 14
of chapter
2.
Chapter 2,
verse 14.
Since
the children
have flesh
and blood,
he too
shared in
their humanity
so that
by his
death
he might
destroy
him who
holds the
power of
death,
that is
the devil,
and free
those who
all their
lives were
held in
slavery by
their fear
of death.
Do you see
it?
He became
like one
of us
to destroy
death.
Now I
know it's
Christmas and
we're not
meant to
talk about
death at
Christmas.
But it's
a reality,
isn't it?
And it's
still one of
our greatest
fears.
years.
And as a
church family
we have
come to
know two
people in
recent days
who have
suddenly died.
Families who
have lost
loved ones.
And it
doesn't matter
whether they
are young,
whether they
are old,
whether they
are a
grandson or
a granddad.
The sense
of loss is
tangible.
it's painful
when we
lose a
loved one
because it
hurts.
Because deep
down we
know that
we're not
meant to
say goodbye.
There's
something about
this world
that when
death happens
it's going
against what
should be.
It robs us
of our joy
and our
happiness and
it breaks
us and it
destroys us.
And even
though that
we know
it's going
to happen
someday,
the very
thought of
it fills
us with
fear.
The reality
of death
defeats us
every single
time because
we all know
that there is
nothing we
can do to
stop it.
The one
who holds
the power
of death,
that is the
devil,
destroys us
every single
time.
Do you
fear death?
Are you
afraid of
getting old,
getting ill,
of something
happening?
Well you know
what Christmas
reminds us?
That we
don't have
to.
God came
near to
destroy death
and to free
us from
its fear.
Look back
at verse
nine of
chapter two.
it says
there,
but we
see Jesus
who was
made a
little lower
than the
angels,
now crowned
with glory
and honour
because he
suffered death
so that by
the grace
of God
he might
taste death
for everyone.
us.
The
Christmas story
tells us
that Christ
went from
a crib
to a
cross
and we
know that
when Christ
was hung
on the
cross
when he
cried out
as he
was dying
he cries
out
my God
my God
why have
you forsaken
me?
Why have
you abandoned
me?
and at
that moment
in time
as Christ
died
he was
separated
from his
father.
Jesus
tasted
death
for us.
He
endured
the separation
that death
brings
so that
you and
I
don't have
to.
And when
Christ
rose from
the grave
he broke
its power
he destroyed
his enemy
and he
broke
its power
and its
hold over
us so
that the
grave
is no
longer
the end
it is
merely
the gate
to glory
to our
eternal
city.
And it's
because of
Christmas
that I
can say
with absolute
confidence
without a
hesitation
that Jamie
little Jamie
and Wally
are at
home
in heaven
in that
eternal
city.
and we've
got to
draw
our
comfort
from that
today
because that
is the
hope
of Christmas.
God
came near
to us
to defeat
death
to destroy
it
to bring
us
to glory.
sin.
The second
barrier that
gets in
the way
is sin
and Jesus
has come to
save us
from it all.
Look at
verse 17
of chapter 2
for this
reason
he had to
be made
like his
brothers.
He had to
become
like one
of us
in every
way.
He came
to experience
life as
we experience
life with
all its
up times,
all its
down times,
the joyful
times,
the struggling
times.
he was
made in
every way
like us
in order
that he
might become
a merciful
and faithful
high priest
in service
to God
that he
might make
atonement
for the
sins
of people
like us.
You know
if we were
to define
sin it's
not a list
of bad
things we
do or
good things
we don't
do but
sin is
the removal
of God
from the
very
centre
of our
lives.
Sin is
an attitude
of the
heart
where we
replace
God
with
things
and
people.
We fill
our lives
with things
and other
people and
God gets
pushed out.
And the
results are
evident all
around us.
A broken
and a
hurting world
full of
chaos and
disorder
where
relationships
and
families
break.
All
because we
push God
out and
we fill
our lives
with things
and people.
And that's
a huge
big problem
because
paradise
this city
that God
has is
the absence
of all
sin.
It's the
place where
God takes
centre stage
where he
rules his
world with
justice and
goodness.
So unless
sin is dealt
with we can
have no part
of it.
And the
Christmas story
is there to
tell us that
Jesus was
made like
one of us
to deal
with the
barrier
of sin.
Now we're
going to have
our Christmas
celebrations
next weekend
but I want
to introduce
you to a
Jewish
festival.
It happened
way back
in October.
It's called
Yom Kippur
the day of
atonement.
You can read
all about it
in Leviticus
16.
Atonement
it's mentioned
here also
in verse 17
reminds us
about how
God turns
aside or
takes away
his anger
so that we
can be at
one and be
at peace
with him
and be right
with him.
And when it
talks about
God being
angry or
wrathful it's
not uncontrolled
and temper like
he's not a
grumpy so and
so who just
flies off at
somebody.
It is his
just and
fair and
controlled
response to
all that is
in opposition
to him.
And in this
festival of
Yom Kippur
the day of
atonement
there would
be a priest
and he would
make a sacrifice
for the people
and they would
take this
animal a goat
and the priest
would come and
put his hand
on that animal
as a sign
of identifying
with that
animal.
And what it
symbolised was
there was
almost a
transferal
not literally
but symbolically
that the
sins
that the
failings of
the people
would be
somehow
transferred
from them
to this
animal
just symbolically
and then
they would
take that
animal and
it would
be sent
out into
the wilderness
into a
desert place.
It was
basically a
place of
punishment
a place of
death.
nothing
survived out
there.
There was
nothing to
drink
nothing to
eat
and an
animal
was sent
out there
and it
would die.
And it
all stood
there as
an example
as a sign
of sin
being dealt
with that
God was
angry
with the
way in which
the world
had gone
and the way
in which
people were
living.
And it
taught them
that somebody
would have to
die in their
place.
Somebody
would have
to die
in their
place.
And in
verse 17
we're told
that he
became like
one of us
to become
the faithful
high priest
so that he
might make
atonement
for our
sin.
But he
didn't just
come into
the world
to make
the sacrifice.
Jesus
was
the
sacrifice.
Hebrews is
full of
that whole
imagery.
Just let's
have a look
at one
briefly.
Chapter 9
verse 26.
Hebrews 9

Hebrews 9:26
verse 26.
He's
talking and
referring back
to what
they had
to do
and we'll
pick it up
midway
through
verse 26.
But now
he has
appeared
once for
all
at the
end of
it ages
to do
away
with sin
by the
sacrifice
of
himself.
Just as
man is
destined to
die once
and after
that to
face the
judgment
so Christ
was
sacrificed
once
to take
away
the sins
of many
people
and he
will appear
a second
time
not to
bear sin
but to
bring us
salvation
to those
who are
waiting
for him.
This
is the
amazing
grace
goodness
and
generosity
of God
this
is what
sets
Christianity
apart
from
every
other
religion
and
every
other
philosophy
and
every
other
system
that
there
is.
It's not
about us
down here
trying to
somehow
find our
way to
get to
God
but it
is all
about
God
who
comes
from
there
down
to
us
to be
near us.
It's not
about us
trying to
perform
and outdo
one another
and trying
to better
ourselves.
It's all
about Christ
who has
performed
for us
on our
behalf.
And Christmas
is telling us
the story
that God
came down
to identify
with us.
He became
like one
of us.
It's like
he literally
put his
hands
upon us
and identified
with us
so humanly
speaking
that our
sin was
transferred
from us
onto him.
And he
went to
the cross
and was
punished.
And the
wrath of
God fell
on him
on the
atoning
sacrifice.
And the
wrath of
God is
turned away
from us
forever
so that
we can be
loved and
treasured
by him.
We
are
treated
as
Christ
deserves
to be
treated
and Christ
is
treated
as we
deserve
to be
treated.
This is
the grace,
this is
the amazing
message
of Christmas.
It's
unique,
it's
different.
But there's
another barrier
that Jesus
has to
overcome
and that's
the barrier
of temptation.
Look at
verse 18.
chapter 2.
He comes
down to
share in
our
humanity.
He becomes
like one
of us.
Verse 18,
because he
himself
suffered
when he
was tempted,
he was
able to
help those
who are
being
tempted.
tempted.
I find
that so
encouraging.
Any of
you find
temptation
this week?
Or am
I the
only one?
He
became
like one
of us
and he
suffered
the
struggles
that we
all go
through
when we
face
temptation.
All
those
inward
battles,
he
faced
that same
temptation
because he
was like
one of
us.
The
problem
with us
is we
always
give in
to
temptation.
We
just,
the
pressure
increases
and we
just
fail.
So what
hope
have we
of ever
getting to
glory if
we keep
messing
up?
Well,
this is the
story of
one who
came into
our world
to be
like one
of us,
to face
everything
that we
face,
to deal
with it,
to overcome
it,
to bring
us to
his glory.
One of
our great
family
traditions
when we
were growing
up was
to go
on these
ridiculous
long walks
on St.
Stephen's
Day.
Don't know
why we
did.
Mother
used to
say it
was something
about needing
fresh air
after all
the rich
food and
that sort
of thing.
Five
miles in,
six hours
later,
hail,
rain,
everything,
didn't matter,
we had to
go for
this walk.
It was
no surprise
that me
being the
youngest
would always
be left
behind,
strolling
along.
Invariably
somebody would
have to
come back
and help
me to
the end,
maybe even
pick me
up,
carry me.
Look at
verse 18.
It tells us
that Jesus
is our
helper,
one who is
able to
help us
through our
journey in
life because
we can't get
there on
our own.
We can't
do it.
And he's
already completed
the journey
for us and
now he comes
near to us to
help us get
to our
destination.
And to
better understand
this, look at
chapter 4
verse 15.
You think you
struggle alone
and you're,
those moments
of greatest
temptation,
whatever it
may be,
you think
you're alone
and nobody
understands what
it's like,
the struggles
you go
through.
Well look at
verse 15.
We do not
have a high
priest who
is unable
to sympathise
with our
weaknesses.
But we
have one
who has
been tempted
in every
way,
just as we
are,
yet was
without sin.
isn't that a
comfort?
That God
would come
near to
go through
that full
range of
emotion and
struggle and
temptation.
He would go
through it all.
In fact,
he endured
so much
greater than
us because
he never
gave in.
We give
in and so
it lessens.
But for him
the pressure
increased all
the time but
he defeated
it.
He was the
perfect man
who finished
the journey
on our behalf
so that he
is able to
help us.
Verse 16,
so then let
us approach
the throne
of grace
with confidence.
It's not
about coming
with perfection.
Come with
all your
mess and
all your
failure and
come confidently
so that we
may receive
mercy and
find grace
to help us
in our time
of need.
The truth
is we fall
and we
fail.
But when
we do
Christ
will respond
in mercy.
He won't
desert us.
He won't
leave us
to our own
devices and
say that's
too many
times tough
luck.
He will
reach out
to us
in mercy.
He will
not treat
us as we
deserve to
be treated
but he
will forgive
us.
And the
truth is
that by
ourselves
we are
just too
weak.
We give
in so
easily to
temptation
but what
does and how
does he
respond to
us?
Verse 16
he gives
us grace.
He's not
going to
abandon us.
We're his
children.
He was made
like one of
us to
identify with
us to
bring us
to his
home to
his city
to his
glory to
paradise.
Christ.
He's not
going to
abandon us.
He will
give us all
the grace
that we
need.
Christ came
near to
triumph over
temptation to
bring us
to glory.
The big
theme of
Christmas and
if you can
take this
away with
you for
this week
is that
God came
down to
bring us
to glory.
because Christ
defeated death
for us.
He saved
us from
sin.
He's
triumphed
over
temptation.
He will
bring us
to glory.
Look at
verse 11.
Both the
one who
makes people
holy and
those who
are being
made holy
are of the
same family.
We're of
the same
family as
Christ.
So Jesus
is not
ashamed to
call them
brothers and
sisters.
That's what
he calls
them.
If we
trust in
him, a
brother and
a sister.
Christmas
tells us that
God came to
share in our
humanity so
that we
might share
in his
glory.
Emmanuel, God
with us.
Let's pray.
God's
our
father God, we
stand back
amazed.
Our little
minds, we
cannot
comprehend
the vastness
and the
wonder and
the greatness
of God
coming down,
down, down,
down, and
down to us.
To become
like one of
us.
To feel what
we feel.
To grieve what
we grieve.
To experience
what we
experience.
To live
life as we
have lived
life, but
yet to do
so perfectly.
To overcome
death, to
destroy it.
to face
sin and
defeat it.
To go
through
temptation
and overcome
it, all
for us, so
that we can
go to be
with him.
God came
down for
us so
that we can
share in
all that he
has.
We praise
you for
Christmas, we
praise you for
the whole year
because it's
relevant to
the whole
year.
Help us to
celebrate you
today, this
coming week.
We praise you
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Amen.