In chapter 2, and this morning
we're going to read verse 17. And I'm not sure, but I think
there may be a couple of messages that I'll bring from this verse
like we did with 16. And I want to go back and start
with 16 and read 16 and 17 together and deliver them Let's go back to actually, yeah,
16. For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Now we go to verse 17. Hebrews
2, verse 17. 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 his people." So, reading
that whole verse there, you see there's a whole lot of different
subjects there. He was behooved. He was behooved
to be made like unto his brethren. There's two different subjects
right there. And we're going to look at those two this morning.
And we'll briefly consider the rest of that verse, but probably
look into it deeper the rest of the week. Now, our first point
I want to consider this morning is the Lord has inspired the
Apostle to write these words, wherefore in all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brother. Now, that word behooved
jumped out at me. I was like, what in the world?
What does that mean? What does the word behooved mean?
So I went to the King James Dictionary, and I looked it up, and the word
behooved means figuratively to be under or He must, or He should. He was behooved. He ought to
be made. He was under the obligation to
be. The Lord was obligated. You say,
well, wait a minute, John. Are you saying that our Lord
was obligated? Let me tell you something right
now. He was not obligated by anything of you. Just because you've changed your
life, and become a good person compared to what you may have
been before God called you, doesn't mean that God has changed or
is obligated to you in any way. But God is obligated to Himself,
to His Word. When He says to you and I, all
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, Can they not come to Him? Is He not obligated to bring
them to Him, some hundred of them? Is He not obligated by His own
Word? By His own promise? Well, let's
take that a little deeper, shall we? Where does grace begin? Grace begins in the covenant
before the world was made, doesn't it? Doesn't it go back to that
covenant that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit made before the world was ever created? And you know
what that covenant is. God the Father loved a people,
so He gave a people to His Son. He gave us, those who He will
call with a loving call. With loving kindness, He will
draw them to the Son. And the Son, His obligation was,
okay, I'll save that people. I'll do everything that is needed
for that people who are going to sin, who are going to be sinners,
I'll save that people for you. And the Spirit, His obligation
is this, I'll call them. I'll reveal the Lord Jesus Christ
to them. I'll give them life so that they
can see who the Lord Jesus truly is. Grace always begins in the
covenant, the agreement between the great three and one. The
three that we know as one God. It's a great mystery, the God,
the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. Three distinct
persons, yet one God. Who can explain that? I don't
even try. But the Bible declares it, doesn't
it? We shall make man in our image. Not my image, but our
image. The Lord declares himself to
be plural right off the beginning. I believe the Word of God. I
can't explain it. It's a mystery. But that's what
the Word of God says. It's true, nonetheless. And these
three, in their great wisdom, chose to save a people unto themselves.
And in the wisdom of God, the Son would be manifest in the
flesh. It behooved Him, wherefore, in
all things, it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren. So we see, this behooved means
to, He is obligated. But obligated to what? To be
made like unto his brethren. Our Lord was manifest in the
flesh, he walked as a man, yet he walked without sin. I can't get out of bed in the
morning and take one thought without committing a sin against
my Lord. That's just what it is. I'm a sinner, saved by grace. You know, you're right. I don't
even know that I can get out of bed. I'm probably sinning
in my dreams. Absolutely right. Thank you. Our Lord walked as a man, yet
he walked without sin, thus being born not of the seed of Adam,
as we saw in our previous study. Excuse me. I've got something
tickling my throat. Thank you. Therefore, being born
not of the seed of Adam, as we saw in our last study, but as
we read over there in verse 16, He was made like unto His brethren.
Isn't that something? God calls you His brethren. He calls you. It's just brethren. Same thing. God calls us His brethren. Can you wrap your mind around
that? A perfect, holy, righteous, God calls us brethren. If you see yourself as a sinner,
that's an amazing miracle. That's an amazing act of grace. And that's what this is all about.
It's God's sovereign grace in saving His people. Making us
righteous in His Son. Not in this flesh, but in His
Son. The word brethren is used 292
times in the New Testament alone. So I want to consider just a
few. If you would look over at Matthew chapter 12 with me. Turn over to Matthew. You hold
your place here in Hebrews. We'll come back to it at the
end here. Turn over to Matthew chapter 12. Let's consider just
a couple of these places where the Lord uses the word, brother. In Matthew chapter 12, not 26,
I'll get there. Matthew chapter 12, over in verse
46, we read this, and while he yet talked to the people, behold,
his mother and his brethren. Now, the Lord Jesus was born
to Mary the Virgin. But Mary was married to Joseph. And after the Lord Jesus was
born, Mary and Joseph went about doing what husband and wives
do. They multiplied. They had other children. So the
Lord had brothers. They were just brothers of their
father Joseph and their mother Mary, not as the Lord was from
the Spirit. So while he had talked to the
people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring
to speak to him. So here they come. They want
to talk to their brother. It was he, Jesus. And then one said unto him, behold,
thy mother, this is 47, thy mother and thy brethren stand without,
stand outside. There's so many people here to
see the Lord Jesus, they want to speak to thee that they said.
Verse 48, But he answered and said unto him, unto the one who
was telling him, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand
towards his disciples, and he said, Behold, here, these ones
here, behold, Behold, these ones right here,
behold my mother and my brethren, for whosoever shall do the will
of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister
and mother. You know what the will of the
Father is? It says in Scripture, my Father's
will is that I should lose none. That's what the scriptures tell
us. The will of the Father is that Jesus Christ should lose
none. You would think that would put
to rest those who want to preach that it's your free will, wouldn't
you? You would think that that would shut those up who say it's
my decision. It's my will. I will decide. If you're a child of God, a true
child of God, you know that if God left you to your own will,
you would never come to Him. You know that. You see it now because you have
been given sight to see the truth of God's Word. It wasn't your decision to come
down to the front and make a prayer. It wasn't your decision to get
into the waters of baptism that saved you. It wasn't your good
deeds. I've quit smoking. I've quit
cussing. I don't do this. I don't do that.
It's Him. It's all about Him. What is the will of the Father?
To believe that all Him, whosoever shall believe
on me shall have everlasting life. Those are pretty definite
words. Here our Lord tells us, these
are my brethren, you who believe. You who believe all of the word
of God, not just the things that you want to believe, but all
of it, are his brethren and sister.
Isn't that amazing? Brethren, the family of God,
inductees, adopted, those who are without and have been brought
within. Look over Romans chapter 8. Those who are without but have
been brought in. Those that he calls my brethren. Those who were once dead and
trespasses in sin. You don't need to turn there.
We're going to look at Romans chapter 8. Look with me, if you
would, at verse 12 through 17. Therefore, brethren... Romans
8, verse 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors... Now this is Paul speaking to
you and I. Those that our Lord calls His
brethren. We are debtors, not to the flesh,
to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh,
ye shall die. But if ye, through the Spirit,
Do mortify the deeds of the body, and ye shall live. For as many
as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Those who are led of God. Not
those who go out and figure it out on their own. Not those who
read the Bible through five times in a year. Not those who study,
study, study. But those who are led of God. They are the sons of God. Verse
15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage, the spirit
of slavery, again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of
adoption, the family of God, the inductees, the adopted ones,
those who are without and have been brought in, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children,
then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Children of God, no longer the
children of the flesh. That's what we just read about
there. We are his brethren. We are chosen
unto adoption before the world was. We were loved with an everlasting
love, as we read in Jeremiah. We are drawn unto him by his
irresistible grace, as we also read in Jeremiah, given life
where there was once only death. That's what we read, or that's
what I quoted a moment ago in Ephesians chapter 1. He who hath
quickened us. Also in Ephesians chapter 2,
let me quote this for you, verses 4-7, But God, who is rich in
mercy for His great love, wherewith He loved us. Don't you just hate
those who say Jesus loves you? You might go to hell, but Jesus
loves you. Because you won't let Him. What a put-down of the true and
living God. What a put-down. Way to take
the great and majestic Creator of everything that is and reduce
Him to something men can handle in their hands. Squish Him up
if they want to. Scripture says here, for His
great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead. Dead dog dead, Pastor Gene would
say. By grace are ye saved, the scriptures
tell us. And this One who had quickened
us together with Christ and given us life has raised us up together
and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Do you know that's right now?
God looks upon every one of His people and He sees the blood
of His Son He sees us as clean and pure
and perfect as His only begotten Son. That in the ages to come, He
might show the exceeding riches of His glory, of His grace, in
His kindness. towards us through Christ Jesus.
We are made alive. We are made righteous in Him.
Nothing in us, but in Him. Verse 27 goes on to say this,
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, to reconcile
his people for the sins of the people. Now we are taught in
Hebrews 2 verse 17 that the Lord Jesus was appointed by God to
be our great high priest. The word wherefore that we read
there does not refer so much as to what Paul has said before,
but what he is about to say. Wherefore, you know how sometimes
that refers back to what he said before? Well this time it's referring
to what we're reading next. He is to be made, like his brethren, that he would be the high priest
to them, the people, making reconciliation for their sins. Our Lord has shown us how that
Christ is superior to angels. You'll recall that in the first
chapter of Hebrews. And that He came into the world
not to redeem fallen angels, but to redeem fallen men. And
now He is about to show you and I how that Christ is superior
even to Moses. Even to Joshua. Even Aaron. He's more superior. He's mighty.
He's effectual. He's an effectual Savior of His
people. Remember, this letter seems to
tell us of better things. Hebrews 1-4, being made so much
better than the angels, as yet by inheritance, obtained a more
excellent name than they. He begins by telling us that
it's necessary for Christ to be made like those people for
whom He came to save, so that He might be our great High Priest
in the things pertaining to God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is unrivaled
in His excellency as the Word of God, as the revelation of
the invisible God. Listen to Hebrews 1, verses 1
and 2 again. God, who at sundry times in dominant
matters spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days spoken unto us by His Son. How did He speak? He spoke through
Moses. Jesus Christ speaks better words than Moses. How did He
speak before? He spoke through Joshua. He spoke
through Aaron. Jesus Christ speaks better words
than all of them when He says, I have done it. Though our Lord spoke in the
Old Testament in tithes and shadows and ceremonies, of the pictures
of the law, and by visions of faithful prophets of the law,
prophets spoke of and appointed us to one thing, and that's Christ
our Savior. And now in these last days, God
has spoken to his people through the preaching of his word one
more time, this time with finality, by his Son. Once the Son says something,
it's done. Aren't you thankful? When the Lord said, it is finished,
aren't you thankful? When the Lord said, my sheep
hear my voice, aren't you thankful? You and I cannot see God, we
cannot know God, we cannot speak to God, or be spoken to by God,
or come to God except through His Son, the Lord Jesus. Turn
over to John chapter 14. Actually, let's turn to Matthew
instead, Matthew 25. We're almost out of time, so
we'll just look at one verse here. Matthew 11. I'll get it. I'm a little rusty. I've only preached once in two
weeks. Got a little bit out of step. Look over at Matthew 11
and look at verse 25 with me, if you would. See, I had the
right number, just the wrong title for it. And at that time,
Jesus answered and He said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. God cannot speak
to you and I outside of through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He says here, I thank Thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes. Even so, Father, for it seemed
good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither
knoweth any man his Father save the Son. And he to whomsoever
the Son will what? Reveal. Christ is the only way, folks.
Without Him, there is no going to God. He's the only truth. Without Him, there is no knowing
who God is. He is the only life. Without
Him, there is no living before God. There is no prophet like
Christ, our prophet. He is unrivaled in His excellency
as a revelation of the invisible God. In Hebrews chapter 1, verses
1 through 4, which I just read for you just a moment ago, The
Spirit of God informs us that the Lord Jesus Christ is superior
to, greater than, and exalted above all things. The primary
purpose of this book is to show us that Christ is better. He's
better than all who came before Him. He's better than the prophets. He's better than the angels.
He's better than Moses. He's better than Joshua. Better
than Aaron. He is a surety of a better covenant
established Christ our Savior is better than
the tabernacle that they worshipped in. He's better than the altar
that they sacrificed on. He's better than the mercy seat
that they spread His blood on. He is the better sacrifice, better
offering, better blood, and He gives us better access to a better
standing before a thrice holy God. In all things the Lord Jesus
is better than all others. He is, if you could put it in
one word, unrivaled. The message of our text is Christ
is the only priest who is sufficient in the things pertaining to God,
of which we will look deeper into.