So this morning is what we call
in our Western culture Christmas morning, but it's also Sunday.
So first of all, we're meeting to worship God on this day and
to consider his word. And what I wanted to do was we
looked at Hebrews chapter eight last week in total, the idea
of the priesthood, the new priesthood and the new covenant. And I want
to come back and look at just one phrase in verse three of
Hebrews eight, chapter three. Hebrews 8, chapter 3, where it
says, For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore it is of necessity
that this man have somewhat also to offer. Somewhat to offer. That's the title of this shorter
message. So, somewhat to offer. The reason,
one of the things that prompted it was, you know, I said already,
I like this time of year. I mean, it's, you've got to brighten
up these dark days. I'd be a very miserable person
if we just, you know, went through the winter days of darkness and
didn't do anything and didn't put any lights on. And I love,
I love, you know, I like singing. I might not be very good at it,
but I like singing. I like four part harmony singing.
And we joined in with the Nebworth community chorus last weekend.
Those of us with a voice did anyway. And, um, Thoroughly,
thoroughly enjoyed it. But I had a bit of a problem.
A little bit of a problem. I know Sam did too. You see,
there were some lovely things. Sam's piece, brilliant. Absolutely
lovely. And there are others that have
got really good words. And then there are some that
sound a little bit universalist. They sort of seem to say that
Jesus came to die for everybody that's ever existed. But you
know, there are a few texts of scripture that you have to interpret
in the right way if you just read them as they stand you know
it says in Hebrews 2 verse 8 about dying for everyone and we have
to interpret it in the context that he means every one of those
whom the father chose before the beginning of time but there
was one song that gave me a real problem and I ended up going
la la la la la and in the music in the copy that I gave back
somebody will notice I crossed it out and I put oh no it isn't
because the words were This is the main message of Jesus' birth. And I crossed that out and I
thought, oh no, it isn't. Because do you know what they said was
the main message of Jesus' birth? that we ought not to be greedy,
that we ought not to be selfish with the things that we have,
that we ought to consider the poor, that we ought to give resources
to this country and that country. Now, I don't have the slightest
problem with saying we ought not to be selfish, and that we
ought to be generous spirited, and that we ought to relieve
poverty wherever we can and wherever we find it. I don't have the
slightest problem with that, but you know what I have the
problem with? saying that that is the main message of Jesus'
birth. Because if it is, if that is
the main message of Jesus' birth, there's no salvation. No salvation
at all. If that's the main message of
Jesus' birth, we're all still in our sins. We're of all men
most miserable. Why don't we go and eat, drink
and be merry for tomorrow we die? Why don't we just live a
life of hedonism? What's the point of looking to
eternity? There's no salvation. Why? because God is of purer
eyes. The God who made the universe,
the God with whom we must reckon after death is holy and just
and must condemn sin. And so This idea that just being
generous spirited and not being selfish is the main message of
Jesus' birth, I can't accept that at all. What is the main
message of Jesus' birth? It's here, in this. It's necessary
that this man have somewhat also to offer. Let me remind you about
priests and offerings. Priests and offerings. Priests
are mediators. Priests are intercessors that
go between sinful man and the Holy God. But a mediator needs
a currency, needs something with which to trade or negotiate. Think about it when you hear
in the news about unions and employers in dispute, and the
arbitration service gets in the middle. and finds out what there
is to trade. What has one side got that the
other side might want? And what has this side got that
that side might want? And how can we find a compromise
in the middle whereby the one gives something, the other gives
something, and in the end they come to an acceptable compromise. They have something to offer. We'll work longer hours. Normally
they don't say things like that, but you know, we'll give you
more money if you do such and such a thing. We want you to
work longer hours, what are you going to give for that? What's
the currency? We'll give you more pay. We'll give you more
holidays in lieu, or whatever it might be. They trade and they
negotiate. One side has to offer concessions
to the other side, until a satisfactory compromise is reached. Now, the
Levitical priests had to offer that which God prescribed. Look
at verse 5. They were told, at the end of
the verse, see, saith he, that thou make all things according
to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. They had to offer
exactly according to what Scripture specified. Verse 3, for every
high priest is ordained, what? to offer gifts and sacrifices. Currency. Currency of negotiation. Currency of trading. They had
to have something to offer. I must take something, I must
have something to offer. There's no point going to the
shops unless you've got cash in your pocket, or a credit card,
or something like that. They're not going to give you
things unless you've got something to offer. The priests must have
something to offer. What did they have to offer?
that which was specified, the pattern that was showed to Moses
in the mount, that pattern of animal sacrifices for sins. But, look at chapter 10 and verse
11. Chapter 10 and verse 11. Every
priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oftentimes the same
animal sacrifices which can never take away sins. Why? because
there's no power, they're monopoly money when it comes to buying
that which we need with God. They're just pictures, they're
not the reality. They can never take away sins. Think of it like this, those
animal sacrifices can never be traded with God for sin debt. We have a sin debt that must
be paid. What's going to pay it? The blood
of animal sacrifices can never pay it. It's only ever a picture
of that which can truly pay it. They're only ever pictures, symbols,
patterns. Now those priests have gone.
Verse 13 of chapter 8, that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready
to vanish away, and it did in A.D. 70 as we saw last week.
But we have, as it says in verse 1, we have a high priest, a great
high priest. We need a priest. We must have
a priest. You daren't approach God without
a priest. You must have a priest. But our
priest is not a man like we are. Our priest is not like that,
not a mortal man who will have to be replaced when he dies.
Our priest is eternal. after the order of Melchizedek,
after the one who was described in Genesis 14 when Abraham met
him, he was described as the priest of the Most High God,
the real priest, the true priest. His is the true priesthood of
which the Levitical priesthood was only ever a picture, a symbol,
a pattern, a type, but the priesthood of Melchizedek was the true priesthood
that true intercession that true mediation of which the Levitical
priests were only ever pictures as a priest our Lord Jesus Christ
as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek had to have
somewhat to offer that's what it says here he had to have somewhat
to he had to come with some currency that could be traded for the
sin debt of his people here's the sin debt of his people that
will weigh us down to hell for eternity. He must come with some
currency that will counter, that will pay that sin debt, and trade
it, and offer it, and intercede with it, and bring it. Will this
pay? Yes, it pays the debt. He must
do that. For salvation to be accomplished,
the price of redemption must be paid. He must have something
to pay that price. So what did Christ offer? What did Christ offer? Think
about this. the infinite God, the holy sovereign of the universe,
in himself alone, in his nature, and Christ tells us God is spirit,
and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.
You thought that I was altogether a man like you, says God in the
scriptures. He's not, he's higher than us.
He's spirit, he's outside. No man has seen God at any time.
The invisible God, in himself alone, in his holiness in his
justice in the purity of his being God in his pure spirit
essence I hope you understand me it's difficult to say these
things without being irreverent I'm not meaning to be irreverent
at all but God in himself alone had nothing to offer he had nothing
to offer our God From eternity, dwelling in the heavens had nothing
to offer for the sins of a people. There are certain things, you
know you hear people say God can do anything and they generally
come along saying that God's flown in the face of what he
said in his word and God's doing things differently these days,
God never does that. There are certain things that
God cannot do, he cannot do, he cannot lie. The God of the
universe cannot lie, he's always truthful, he is truth. The God
of the universe can never change. What he was in the beginning
he is now and he always will be. That's what it says of God,
it says that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today
and forever. The God of the universe is holy
and just and can never overlook sin. God can never say of sin,
oh it doesn't matter, forget about it, we won't bother about
that, no problem, can't do that. He can never ever pardon the
guilty. The God of the universe can never
say the guilty are pardoned, never ever ever, just as it is. By the same token the God of
the universe can never punish the innocent. The God of the
universe just can't do it. It would fly in the face of his
justice. He cannot punish the innocent. He cannot contradict
his word. There are things that God cannot
do, and God, in his spiritual essence, had nothing to offer. Nothing to offer. All he could
do was administer strict justice, strict divine justice, which
says, the soul that sins, it shall die. It shall die. it is
appointed to man to die once and then the judgment that's
all that the God of the universe in his strict holiness and justice
could ever do what will our high priest have to offer look at
Hebrews chapter 10 I know we'll look at this in more detail when
we get to it in a few weeks time but I want to read down from
well let's read from verse one down to verse twelve Hebrews
chapter 10, for the law, having a shadow, pictures of good things
to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with
those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, that's
the day of atonement, make the comers thereunto perfect. We've
already seen why. for then would they not have
ceased to be offered if they had any value it wouldn't have
continued because that the worshippers once purged should have had no
more conscience of sins but in those sacrifices there is a remembrance
again made of sins every year day of atonement every year high
priest perfect lamb must go into the holy of holies but it's not
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away
sins that's why it was oft repeated wherefore when he cometh into
the world he saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not
notice that wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith
sacrifice and offering sacrifice and offering of bulls and goats
and lambs thou wouldest not but a body thou hast prepared me
this is Christ speaking it's quoting the Psalms, a body thou
hast prepared me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin of animals
thou hadst no pleasure because they didn't please God. Why were
they not a sweet smelling savour? The reason was that they weren't
a sacrifice that paid any sin debt. They didn't satisfy justice. Verse seven, then said I, again
quoting the Psalms, then said I, lo, I come. In the volume
of the book it is written of me to do thy will, O God. The
will that Christ came to do was to save his people from their
sins. The will of God that he came to do was that of all that
the father gave him before the beginning of time, he should
lose nothing. Not a solitary one. He should
save every single one of them. To do thy will, O God. Verse
8. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering, and burnt offerings,
and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein,
which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come. See, doing away with those animal
sacrifices, now the real thing is coming. Lo, I come to do thy
will, O God. He taketh away the first those
animal sacrifices, that Levitical priesthood that he may establish
the second by the witch will we are sanctified, we are set
apart, we are made holy through the what? what is it that makes
his people holy? the offering the high priest
must have something to offer wasn't that what it said in the
text? chapter 8 verse 3 that he have somewhat to offer sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all,
meaning for all his people. And every priest standeth daily,
ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can
never take away sins. But this man, this one, this
person, it doesn't really say man in the original, it says
person, this person, this divine person, the second person of
the Trinity, after he had offered one sacrifice, one perfect sacrifice,
one sacrifice that wasn't monopoly money in the justice of God but
was the real currency that pays the sin debt of his people, one
sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God. You see what he did? It was a
body that he had to offer. It was his human body, his human
nature, that human nature that he took upon him. This is why
the incarnation is so important. This is the main message of Jesus'
birth. It's the only message of Jesus'
birth. God became man that he might
have something to offer. And what did he have to offer?
his body as a sacrifice for sins. He's shed blood to pay the price. You're not redeemed with corruptible
things, precious stones, silver, gold, those things which will
be burned up at the end of this world. They are so valued now. but they have no value whatsoever
but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot. The angel, we read it before,
the angel came to Mary and said that holy thing which shall be
born of you, that holy thing, the human body that Christ took
upon him, what sort of a body was it? Holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, a perfect human body. The righteousness
of God in him, embodied. The righteousness of God in him,
a perfect human. That's what he had to offer,
that's why it must be that he took upon him flesh. We read
in John 1 verse 1 that the Word was in the beginning, and the
Word was God and the Word was with God. The Word who is God,
we read in verse 14 of that chapter, was made flesh. Our God was made
flesh, the same flesh that we are, the same flesh and bones
and blood that we are, yet without sin. No man has seen God, we've
already mentioned this, verse 18 of that same chapter, no man
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. We read in
Philippians 2, you don't need to turn to it. Verse 5, let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
but was made of no reputation, he humbled himself. he was made
for a little while as we've read in Hebrews chapter two lower
than the angels a little lower than the angels for a little
while just for the season of his humanity lower than the angels
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the
death of the cross God came as a man to redeem a people God
went out just like Abraham we saw last week went out to rescue
Lot when Lot had been captured and was in bondage Abraham got
his forces together and went out to rescue his brother it
was his nephew but you know that we don't split hairs over that
he went out to rescue his nephew and Christ saw his beloved brethren
his people in bondage to Satan, and went out to rescue them,
and went out to save them from their sins. He went out, it says
in 1 Chronicles chapter 17 and verse 21, and what one nation
in the earth is like thy people Israel? Do you know the nation
that it's talking about? It's that holy nation. Who does
the scripture tell us is a holy nation? The people of God. the
elect of God, the believers, those who believe the gospel
of his grace. Peter says, you are a holy nation, a sanctified
nation, a set-apart nation. What one nation in the earth
is like thy people, Israel? Not a particular race in the
Middle East, the Israel of God, the people of God, those who
are princes with God. And listen what it says about
them. Who is like thy people, Israel, whom God went to redeem
to be his own people? Who was it who came to redeem
his people? God went to redeem his people. And so Isaiah says
in chapter 40, he says, Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your
God. We beheld his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. This is the main message of Jesus's
birth. This is it, that our God became
man, that he might have somewhat also to offer. What the currency
that would pay the price of sins. Behold your God. You know that
well-known verse in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4. Easy to
remember the reference. Galatians 4 verse 4. When the
fullness of the time was come at exactly the right time, in
God's planning and God's purpose. I could say so much about that,
I won't now, but historically it was exactly the right time.
There was never, you look back down the years of history that
we know about, there was never a better time. Greek was the
language of the civilized world. It was basically a peaceful place
because the Roman Empire had conquered everywhere by now.
It was stable, it was peaceful, the rule of law was at the right
time. sent forth his son, the second
person of the Trinity. God sent forth his son. Why?
What did God do? Whom God went to redeem to be
his own people. God sent forth his son, made
of a woman. Why made of a woman? That he
might be truly human flesh. Why not made of a man and a woman
like all the rest of us are? That he might be God. That holy
thing which is born of thee, the Holy Spirit will come upon
you, said Gabriel to Mary. And that which is conceived in
your womb will be called the Son of God. The Son of God. to redeem his people, sent forth
his son to redeem his people. He was made of a woman, made
under the law that he might redeem those who are under the law and
do what? Give them the adoption of sons,
children. In Colossians 2 verse 9, as he
walked this earth as they beheld his glory, what was it? It was
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. I can't comprehend that, I know
you can't comprehend that. That in that human body Just
looking at him like you might be looking at me or anybody else
now. The fullness of the Godhead bodily. The infinite purity. Why did no other man become the
saviour of sinners? Because every other man was a
sinner himself. Those priests died because they
were sinners. They couldn't continue. Their
sacrifice couldn't continue. But he in his holy humanity his
infinite purity, his absolute holiness, had all of the currency
to satisfy the justice of God, and the currency was needed to
pay the sin debt he had somewhat also to offer. Hebrews 2 verse
11 tells us that he was made of one nature, both he that sanctifyeth,
that's our Lord Jesus Christ, and they who are sanctified,
made holy, that's his people, are all of one. They're all of
the same. And verse 16, for verily he,
our Lord Jesus Christ, took not on him the nature of angels,
but he took on him the seed of Abraham. One nature with his
people, that he might redeem his people. He had to have a
human body And human blood, the price of sin was the life and
the life is in the blood and the blood must be shed. The body
must be broken that the blood must be shed. And that blood
paid the price of the sins of his people and the justice of
God was satisfied in that for those people for whom he stood
surety. For whom in the covenant of grace
he stood as the surety, the guarantor of his people. one nature with
his people and he took on him not the nature of angels he didn't
come if he came to redeem angels he would have to take on him
the nature of angels to redeem angels but he didn't and by redeeming
angels I mean fallen angels I mean devils he didn't come to redeem
devils by taking on him the form of an angel not at all no he
didn't nor did he come taking on the nature of Adam, meaning
the whole human race, but you note it's very important he took
on him the seed of Abraham. What's that? Those who believe,
same faith as Abraham, children of the promise, the promised
seed, those who would believe the gospel of his grace. He took
on Him the same nature as them, that same human nature that He
might redeem them, that He might have somewhat also to offer. And what He offered was His broken
body and His shed blood. He redeemed them with His precious
blood, that currency that God can trade justly for the sins
of His people. This is the main message of Jesus'
birth. For whom was it offered then?
this that he had to offer. He might have somewhat also to
offer. For whom was it offered? You
know, to go back to the analogy of unions and employers, when
unions negotiate a pay deal, who is it for? It's for their
members. Isn't it? They don't go into
the negotiations trading that the whole entire workforce should
have a pay rise, they go for their members. Our Lord Jesus
Christ came and traded that currency of his precious blood for his
people. That's whom he traded it for,
not for others. It's not a deal of a possible
pay rise for everybody that's willing to accept it. That's
how salvation is often portrayed. But it's not true, it's not what
the scriptures say. Matthew 121, you know it so well. He came. He was called Jesus. The angel said to Joseph, call
his name Jesus. Why? Call his name Joshua. That was it. What does Joshua
mean? Savior. Call his name Jesus. For he shall
save, who? His people from their sins. Who are his people? The people
that the father gave to him before the beginning of time. Isaiah
53 verse 8, we were looking at it a few weeks ago. Why was the
Lord Jesus Christ stricken? Why was he crucified? Why did
he bear those stripes? For the transgression of my people
was he stricken. That's what God said. Not for
the transgression of everybody who ever lived, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. Who are his people? He's elect.
Those who are chosen in Christ. Those who are his sheep, and
what do his sheep do? My sheep, said Jesus, hear my
voice and they follow me. They don't listen to the voice
of a stranger and follow him, they hear my voice and follow
me. Those who show that they were, as Paul said to the Thessalonians,
2 Thessalonians 2.13, that they were eternally beloved of God. Why? Through sanctification of
the spirit and belief of the truth. They believed the gospel.
Sinners who come, Cliff sent us the article by John Bunyan,
sinners coming to God, they're the elect, because they hear
the voice of the shepherd and they come, the sheep hear the
voice and they come. This, I'm not going to detain
you any longer, This is the main message of Jesus' birth. Let's
rejoice in it. Let's not look anywhere else. As I say, enjoy Christmas for
its family reunion and brightening the dark days of winter. It's
good to have occasions like this throughout the year. It's good
for the human spirit to enjoy things like this. But don't forget
this. The main message of Jesus' birth is the only message of
Jesus' birth and that is that a body was prepared that it might
be the price, the currency to pay the sin debt of his people.