Let's take our Bibles and turn
to Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 2. In our last study, we considered what the Scriptures
have to say on this subject. that he took
not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of
Abraham. Now, there were some angels that
fell in rebellion before God. They rebelled against God just
like man rebelled against God. lifted themselves up. The Lord cast them out of heaven. They are held now in chains of
darkness, not literal chains, but chains of darkness which
they will never escape. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
lay hold to redeem the nature of angels. It wasn't made like
an angel. The nature of an angel, they're
different. They were created just like we're
created, but they're different. They don't die. This body is
going to die. They have abilities that we're
limited. We don't have the abilities. Ascend and descend, those unfallen
angels, the chosen angels, they're able to back and forth to heaven. All the accounts, we can't do
that. The Lord did not take on Him
the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. As I said last week, not the
seed of Adam, Free will Arminianism believes
that the Lord Jesus Christ took on Him the seed of Adam. That's
what they believe. Now this is what the seed of
Adam would be. It would mean that Christ came
into this world to make salvation possible for all men. That's
what that would mean. He took on Him the seed of Adam.
If that was the case, it's not. That means that He would have
come into this world and He would have gone to the cross to make
salvation possible because you know that there are going to
be some that are not going to be in heaven. Scripture bears out that the
Lord says that in that day, in the day of judgment, there's
going to be the goats on His left hand, the sheep on His right,
and there'll be some that they're going to try to justify themselves
before God, and we've prophesied in Your name, Cast out demons,
your name. And he said, depart from me,
you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. So that would
be the seed of Adam. But he said he took on him the
seed of Abraham. The Scripture says, and if, Galatians
3.29, you'd be Christ's. If you're God's. If you are the Lord's in election,
if you are the Lord's in everlasting love, if you are the Lord's,
if God has set His affection upon you, then are you Abraham's seed and
heirs according to the promise. He took on him the seed of Abraham. He walked miraculously. This is what happened. A body, God prepared for him. And he possessed, the Spirit
was given, the Son of Man. The Spirit of God was given that
holy man without measure. And just like every regenerated
sinner, obviously, seeds of Abraham. If you are Christ, you are seeds
of Abraham. Just like every seed of Abraham,
according to promise, according to election, He walked before
God as a man that walked by faith. He believed God. He walked. He prayed. He didn't walk as
an unregenerated sinner, as an unregenerated man. Yeah, well,
yeah, unregenerated sinner. I had the right. He didn't walk
as one unregenerated. He walked as you have to walk. An heir. An heir of God. Rejoin heirs with Him. Then that
makes Him an heir. The Son. He walked as the seed
of Abraham. Chosen of God. He was God's elect. We were elected in the elect. loved of God, daily His delight. This is our great High Priest.
And right now, our great High Priest, right now, He who ever
liveth to make intercession for us, right now, He's interceding
for us. Those departed saints, those
souls that are with Him that have yet to be united with their
bodies. Their bodies are still in the
ground, but there are the departed saints absent from this body
and present with the Lord. And they are with Him right now. And here are our high priests,
those that lived and struggled Just like we're living and struggling
right now. Those that left this world and
encompassed with warrings within and warrings without, and their
high priest, our high priest, interceding for every one of
us. Let's just talk about right now.
He who right now, isn't that a pleasant thought? realize that
this truly, this is not, you know, as Paul says, this is not
a cleverly designed fable. This is real. Let's consider him. Two verses,
verse 17, 18, Hebrews 2, 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. For in that he himself has suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted."
Now we know from this scripture that he had to take on flesh
and blood. to be an effectual high priest
for his people. He had to. It behooved him. That's what he said. Where in
all things it behooved him. It was absolutely necessary for us to have a high priest. This is what our High Priest
must be. He must be a man taken from among those that
he represents, and he has to be able to deal with God being
God. In all things, made like unto his brethren.
But I will tell you this. In all things, the Scriptures
qualifies that. In all things, he was made like
unto his brethren as the Scriptures set forth. What do I mean by
that? I mean that it sets forth he
was yet without sin. He was not depraved. The blood
of Adam did not flow in his veins. The Spirit of God related in
his conception, in Mary's conception, for that which is conceived in
thee is of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost. So he was made like unto his
brethren, except in those areas where the Scripture excludes
him not being as they are. He was in reality and truth,
man, totally man, human being. He didn't merely appear to be
a man. The Scripture says in Isaiah
53 too, He hath no form nor comeliness,
and when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire
of Him." He was totally man, but there was no outstandingness. He didn't have a halo around
Him. When He took His three disciples
upon the Mount of Transfiguration, the Scripture sets forth and
qualifies as His face did shine, brighter, noonday sun, His raiment,
you know. He revealed Himself unto them,
right there. But the Scripture sets forth
that as far as His appearance, there was nothing about Him that
you would be able to look at and say that, you know, there
was anything about Him that made Him stand out appearance-wise. No comeliness. No beauty. That's what it is. The Son of God. Deity. All power. Omniscient. No change. Totally God and totally
man We were talking a moment ago in the study before. We were
talking about how much Scripture sets forth when you read it. The absolute humanity of the
Lord Jesus Christ praying in the garden, Father, if it be Thy will, let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
Thine be done. You know why He prayed that.
Because that's how you and I have to pray. I'll be honest with you. There's
been some things that have happened to me in my life, and if I could
have willed them away, I'd have willed them away. I just don't
think I want to go through time to prove that it was the best
thing for me. But in my weakness, in my frailty,
I didn't want to go through that. The Lord had shown me this was
for my good, this was for His glory. But here he was praying
as a man. He was weak. He humbled himself. There is a man. And then there
is the absolute deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, knowing their thoughts
set unto them. He said to the waves, Be still." It was God. Man, the Scripture says, "...it behooved
Him to be made like unto His brethren." The Word was God and
the Word was made flesh. Who do men say that I am, Peter?
Jeremiah said, Elijah, a different one. Who do you say I am? You're the Christ. You're God
come in the flesh. Flesh and blood didn't reveal
that to you, but my Father. 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. Has man fallen? For us to have any hope, we must
have a priest before God. Almighty God is of purer eyes
than to behold iniquity. How would you like How would
you like to stand before God on the consistency of the prayer
that you uttered today? Did you catch yourself even deviating
at all? Man, I did too. You see what I'm saying? Man, in his best state, take and read the Scriptures, I was thinking, Brother Scott
was just reading. How would you like to have your
heart revealed on how faithful you were to hear what was read?
That was the Word of God. That was God's Word. I need a
priest. You need a priest. That he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God." That is, in the things concerning God's will. I must
have a high priest. You must have a high priest that
is familiar with what Almighty God demands of men, what God's
will is for men. How am I going to know what God
has to say to me? I need a prophet. I need a priest. I need a king. I need someone
to tell me what God has to say. Can you imagine, depending on
a man, just a man, can you imagine what does a man have to say concerning
God? I need for God to speak to me.
I need a priest. I need one to
approach God for me. That's what a priest does, Neal.
The prophet is from God to me. I need a priest to go to God
for me. I need a priest that will answer
on his own merit one that is accepted of God. One that God
will allow to approach him concerning me. and accept me on the merit of
the priest that God accepts. And all that He accepts in the
priest, He accepts me, just like that. And in all of my frailties,
in all of my inabilities, that I can be pardoned for the priest's sake. We need a priest that pleases God and walks as
man. One who dwells in the light that
no man can approach. Almighty God. We need a priest that's taken out of our environment. That's why it says, it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren. This is what Hebrews
5.1, let me just read this to you. For every high priest, now
this is God's word, God's law. For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that
he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins who can have compassion
on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that
He Himself also is compassed with infirmity." We've got to
have one just like we are. One that suffers as we suffer. One that understands. One that's
been there. I told you last week. Do you
know what comforts me? It's when I talk to somebody
that's been there. I go through something, and I
call somebody up, and they said, oh, yeah, I've been there. I've
been there. I know how you feel. Yeah, it's
not that bad. Thanks. Thanks. I needed that.
Somebody that's been there. Let me tell you this. He'd been
there. He was in all points. tried, tested, tempted like as
we are. Oh, that He might be a merciful
and faithful High Priest. I need a High Priest that is
merciful to me. One that loves me. One that cares
for me. One that knows me. One that comforts,
keeps, sustains. I need a merciful high priest. And then I need one that is faithful. He is merciful manward and faithful
Godward. This is my beloved Son. He is faithful. He is faithful. He is faithful. And I'm well pleased with Him.
That's our High Priest. His compassions toward God's
will and purpose, counsel regulated by holiness according to the
requirements of God's truth. My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent me. Boy, what comfort! What comfort
there is for a believer knowing that there is an intercessor,
a mediator, a great high priest, one that is able, able to touch God and touch man because
He is both. Merciful, faithful. And here he is sitting upon the
throne of glory as the great high priest. And sitting, as
I said a week or so ago, sitting upon his throne is the God-man in whose very
breast beats a human heart and one who sits. As the great high
priest, not not as Aaron who never set, but he sits. By one sacrifice, he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. High priest to make reconciliation,
actually the word reconciliation there is is interpreted. He's the propitiation. He's he's
the satisfaction. God satisfied. You you. You that believe, let me say this, in Christ, God's
satisfied with you. He's satisfied. When I see the
blood, I'm going to pass over you. Oh, what a wonderful word. What a comfort when I see the
blood. And to think that He's seen that
blood, the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world. He who first trusted in Christ,
seeing Him, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,
chose you in Him, justified you in Him, satisfied, loved you
in Him. Why? He was satisfied. He who had entered into that
everlasting covenant God Almighty, the Son Himself who entered in
to the very environment of those that He came to redeem. God Almighty,
our near kinsman. For in that He Himself has suffered,
verse 18, being tempted, He is able to succor them that are
tempted. Our Lord set forth by this Scripture. He actually suffered, the Scripture
says, being tempted by experience. All the temptations that you
and I endure go through, and sad to say, fall prey to He was tempted. He experienced
the trial, but never did he succumb. The Scripture says, yet without
sin. And you know how we know that that's so? God said it was. So I'm going to say, well, how
do you know? How do you know that he didn't succumb? How do
you know God said he didn't? I don't need to argue that point.
I'm not here to debate that. He's a faithful, he's a faithful,
he's a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. Tempted. He himself has suffered
being tempted. Tempted of Satan. There in the
desert, bodily hungry and suffered the temptation of the Pharisees,
tempted from the words of his own disciples. I must go into
the city. There I'll be taken. I'll suffer. Peter said, Suffer it not to
be so, Lord. And he said, Satan, get behind me. You savor not
the things of God. His own disciples. We didn't
believe Him. I suffered in the garden. Then saith He unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. Tarry here. Watch with
Me. And He went a little further
and fell on His face and prayed what we quoted. O Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not
as I will, but as thou." Suffered. Suffered. The temptations was a suffering. And now having gone through what
you and I go through, He is able to succor, to comfort, to be
a comfort to them that are tempted. No temptation that you've ever
suffered that He didn't suffer. He was in all points. You think, well, surely He didn't
go through everything. Yes, He did. All points. Made like unto His
brethren. Merciful, faithful High Priest.
Experienced the temptations of our nature. Willing and able
to comfort. Do you want to know who sits
right now at the right hand of God? Sits. That's a pleasant word. He sits.
Why? It's finished. It's done. He sits. When he stands again, he's going
to receive all that he's everlastingly loved unto himself. call them to Himself. Father,
I will that those that You've given Me, where I am there, they
may be also." In a very short time, we're going to behold by
sight He of whom we speak tonight, only by faith. In that day, We will behold Him who has everlastingly
loved us. And I think of that Scripture,
I hath not seen, ear hath not heard. All of these glorious
things that we've talked about. Think about all the things, Brother
Scott, you've ever read all these years concerning the Scriptures.
I hath not seen, ear hath not heard. How many times have you
heard the Gospel? You think this is a glorious
Gospel. You ain't heard nothing yet. All of the things that we've
contemplated. I was going over that just a
few minutes ago. I just mulled over in my mind. I got to thinking about it. It took on Him the seed of Abraham. And I got to thinking about that.
Neither hath entered into the heart of man those things that
God has prepared for them that love Him. And oh, in that day, that glorious
day, we shall behold Him who is altogether lovely. For Christ's
sake, may the Lord bless these words to our heart. Amen.