Hebrews chapter two the Lord
tells us in verse one we've already read this together. And he tells
us in verse one that we ought to give the more earnest heed
to the things which we have heard. We ought to give earnest heed
to the things we have heard. We ought to listen very carefully
to the word of the living God as if our very lives depended
upon it because they do. In verse three, he talks about
so great a salvation. He says, How shall we escape
if we neglect so great a salvation? In another place it says, How much sorer punishments, suppose
ye, shall he be worthy who hath trodden underfoot the Son of
God, and counted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing,
that is, someone who cares not for this great salvation, so
great a salvation. Many people don't feel lost,
so don't need this salvation. They're not interested in it.
Some people are interested in it, but not nearly as we should
be, not nearly as we should. Scripture says, I hath not seen
nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things
that God had prepared for them that love him. And if we really knew and understood
this great salvation, we would listen to the word of God and
the gospel with unbridled enthusiasm and joy unspeakable. But the flesh is so weak flesh
lust against the spirit scripture says we cannot hear as we should
we cannot understand we cannot enter into. The things of God
as we should but this great salvation. This great salvation has something
to do. With verse ten. Verse ten this
is the title of the message. And the subject. In the middle
part of verse ten says. The bringing. Bringing many sons. And to go. It's so great salvation
has something to do with global. Global. The glory of God. The glory of his son. And the bringing of many sons
or daughters to this glory, to behold his glory, Scripture says,
to be a part of his glory, to be changed, as Paul said, into
the same glorious image from glory to glory. Turn over to
Romans chapter 8 with me. Romans chapter 8. This so great
a salvation. is so great salvation is the
transformation or the regeneration, the transformation of a son of
Adam into a son of God. Scripture says, as we have borne
the image of the earthy, so shall we bear the image of the heaven-blessed. David talks about awaking with
his likeness in the sleep of death. This transformation or
regeneration that's so great a salvation has something to
do with a transformation of a lost, fallen, wicked, and corrupt creature
into a gloriously beautiful and holy child of the Most High God,
a glorious being. And Paul says in Romans 8, Paul
said it's such so glorious, Romans 8 verse 18. He said it's so glorious
that the sufferings, I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. In other words, the glory shall
be so glorious and so wondrous. that the sufferings of this present
time aren't worth mentioning and will not be mentioned. The
former things will not be remembered, our Lord said, nor come to mind
at all. Verses 29 and 30 says, For whom
God did foreknow or forelove, he also did predestinate, predetermine
that they should be conformed to the image of his Son. That's just glory. "...that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, them he also called by the gospel. And
whom he called, he justified by faith. And whom he justified,
them he also glorified." And Paul said in another place, he
said in 2 Corinthians 417, he said, "'Our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory.'" Glory. And this is all the work
of Him who came and became a man. and is coming again to receive
us to himself. All right, back to Hebrews 2
now. Hebrews chapter 2. This so great a salvation. I'm
talking about the bringing of many sons to glory. This so great
a salvation, the scripture says here, is becoming to the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's just befitting him. It's
befitting our God. It's befitting and becoming his
character. Verse ten, look at it. I love
this verse of scripture. It says, for it became him. It
became him. We say this sometimes when we
talk about something someone is wearing or something that
fits someone well. We say that's very becoming to
you. Well, the scripture says this, so great a salvation is
very becoming. to our God. It's very befitting
his character, it's befitting his powers, the salvation becoming
to him. And by him coming to us. Verse ten
he says, For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom
are all things. This great salvation, it became
him. for whom are all things and by
whom are all things. He's talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ. By whom are all things created
and for whom are all things created, Paul said in Colossians. For
his glory, for his good pleasure, he created this whole ball of
dirt and everything and everyone on it for his glory and for his
good pleasure and for his if you will, his own enjoyment.
And the Scripture says someday he's going to bring these many
sons back, and he's going to enjoy and rejoice in his people. In bringing many sons unto glory,
many children, a large family is an enjoyable thing. I was
a member of a fairly large family by today's standard, four children. It was a very enjoyable thing.
have many children, many brothers and sisters, and the Lord would
have it so with his children, with his family, many children
to see his glory, to experience and be a part of his own glory.
How? How does he do this? How is he
going to bring these sons to glory? How do we enter into this
glory? How are we changed into this
glory? Look at it, verse 10. For it became him, this salvation
is becoming to him, for whom are all things, and by whom are
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory. It became God,
it became Christ, it became the Spirit, to make the captain of
their salvation, these sons, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect. through suffering. Verse 9 says,
we see Jesus, a man who was made, made flesh, dwelt among us, made
a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, for
the suffering of death, that he might taste death, for the
suffering of death. He, our the captain of our salvation,
laid aside his glory to become a man and suffer, that we might
someday lay aside our suffering and become a son of God in glory."
Listen to this again. He laid aside his glory to become
a man and suffer, that we might someday lay aside our suffering
and become a son of God in glory. The glorious God humbled himself
to become a man, that men might be exalted and become sons of
God. Listen again. The glorious God
humbled himself to become a man, that men might be exalted and
become sons of God. This is what he calls in the
scripture his perfect work, or the perfecting of the saints,
the transformation, the regeneration of wicked, vile, lowly creatures
into glorious beings like unto his son, this perfecting work. This perfect work, this perfecting
work, or the perfecting of his people, this perfecting work
on imperfect creatures, was performed by the perfect Son of God, whom
the Scripture says was perfect man and the perfect sacrifice. And here it says he was made
perfect through suffering. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
5 with me. Hebrews chapter five. Hebrews
chapter five look at the he was made perfect through suffering. It's not as if the son of God
were not perfect beforehand or that is. Lacking anything yet
as a man. He grew into the stature of the
fullness of a man a perfect sacrifice a perfect substitute the perfect
savior. for his people, perfect for the
work. Look at Hebrews 5, verse 8 and
9. Though he were a son, the eternal son, always with the
father, the scripture says. Hebrews 8 says, I was always
with you before the world began. The eternal God, son of God. Yet learned he obedience God
who knows all, it says, was made flesh and learned something,
learned obedience, or that is, had to submit himself to be obedient
unto or by the things which he suffered. Though lowered over
his own house, the Scripture says, yet he became subject. Though lowered over his own house,
yet he became a subject in it. Though the lawgiver himself Yet
he was made under that law and subject to his own law, born
of a woman, made under the law. Why did he do that? To redeem
many sons who were under the law, to make them sons, to give
them the spirit of adoption. He became a man, a perfect man,
for men to represent all that the Father had chosen. Look at
verse 15, chapter 4, verse 15. Look over there. It says, we
have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmity. And all of Hebrews talks about
a high priest. Throughout the chapters of Hebrews,
it talks about a high priest who must offer a sacrifice for
the people. And Christ is called the great
high priest. And he, we have not a high priest. is touched with the feeling of
our firm verse fifteen was in all points tempted like as we
are yet different than other half-breed. This is what makes
him the great or chief half-breed is because he was without seeing.
Tempted like as we are yet without seeing and that's why he is the
perfect priest perfect sacrifice perfect representative tempted
at all points without seeing him. Touched with our infirmity. Touched with our infirmity. We
have not in high priest who is. Though he is holy and separate
from sinners yet he became. Like us except without seeing
him and he is touched with a feeling of our infirmities and all our
afflictions the scripture said He was afflicted in all our affliction
and he did this willingly. He didn't have to do it. He did
this willingly and obediently suffered, suffered. How many
of us would willingly suffer when we didn't have to? Well,
he did. He did this for his children. The scripture said he was made
sin, made sin for us that we might be made righteous. He was
made sin. He was willingly obedient, our
text says. Willingly obedient unto death. How many of us would die if we
didn't have to suffer the wages of sin, which is death? Well,
he didn't have to. He had no sin. He didn't earn
death. He earned righteousness. But
he willingly laid down his life. He was obedient even unto death,
and not just an ordinary death or a natural death, but the death
of the cross. The most heinous of all, or the
most torturous of all deaths, he willingly became obedient
even unto death, the death of the cross. Look back at chapter
2 again. It says in verse 17, it says,
wherefore, for this great salvation in all
things, it behooved him. It behooved him if he was going
to do this work, this so great a salvation, it behooved him
in all things to be made like unto his brethren, except without
sin. In all things he is to be made like unto his brethren,
touched with their infirmities, yet not touched by their sin. 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, and for this
reason to make reconciliation for the sins of his people, sins
of the people. Christ said, for the joy set
before him. The reason he endured the painful
suffering of Calvary's cross, Scripture says, is for the joy
that was set before him of making you his people, the Scripture
says, and bringing many, many sons unto glory, to put away
their sins by the sacrifice of himself. to suffer the hell that
they deserve so that they would not have to suffer. And what
is man? Look at verse six. What is man? The Scripture says that he would
be mindful of him. What are we? What is man that
he should even think upon us, let alone that the Son of Man,
the Son of the Most High God, should visit him and become one
of us? humble himself, lower himself,
degrade himself, humiliate himself, become like unto us, obedient
even unto death, even the death of the cross. What is man? Nothing. What is our God? Great. What has man done to deserve
such a thing? Nothing. What does God deserve? All praise, honor, and glory.
What is the worth of man that Christ would do such a thing
for? Nothing. No worth at all. What is the
worth of Christ for doing such a thing? He's worthy of all praise
and honor and glory. And the scripture, our text says,
it became him. He's becoming of his great person. This is a thing that's becoming
of his great person to become so low as us. It takes a great
man to humble himself. It takes a great man to humble
himself. It's becoming of a great person
to become so low as us. It's becoming of his great love
to loves such as we are. It's becoming of him. It's becoming
of him. It became him. A salvation becoming
to him. Verse eleven, look at it. It
says, four, both he that sanctifies, that is God, that is Christ,
that is the Spirit, that's the triune God. Both he that sanctified
and they who are sanctified. Christ said, I sanctify them. through thy truth, thy word is
truth. Both he that sanctified and they who are sanctified,
that is us if we are his children by faith. Both he that sanctified
and they who are sanctified are all of one, all of one body,
all of one unity, one body. which is his body, his glorious
body, for which cause are all of one great work, the glory
of God and the bringing of many sons to glory. And for this cause,
the scripture says, to sanctify us, to bring many sons unto glory,
it says, for this cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. He is not ashamed for this cause.
The bringing of many sons to see his glory, to partake of
his glory, he's not ashamed to call them brethren. Those shameful creatures, Scripture
says, who put him to shame, yet he is not ashamed to call us
brethren. I'm a mighty poor excuse for
a brother, a mighty poor excuse for a believer. Mighty poor excuse
for a disciple of Christ, but he's a mighty great elder brother.
And he's not ashamed to call me. I've been ashamed. Peter
would say the same. I've been ashamed. And we've
all been ashamed. But since he's not ashamed to
call us his brethren, therefore we will never be put to shame. That's because of who he is.
See, it has nothing to do with us. Nothing to do with us. Proverbs
17, verse 17, says this. A brother is born for adversity. A brother is born for adversity.
And that's the very reason Christ was born. For adversity. Ours. Ours. And that is his glory,
he said. He's not ashamed to call us brethren,
those he should be ashamed of us. But he's not. Why? Because it's becoming to him.
That's just like he is. He's not ashamed of us. See,
an elder brother, no matter how unworthy the younger brother,
an elder brother's never ashamed to call that younger brother
his brother. Never. He's not ashamed to call
us brother. Verse 12 says, saying, he says
this, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst
of the church will I sing praise unto thee." The Pharisees and
the scribes and the Sadducees and all the people scoffed at
Christ's little motley crude and little group of fishermen,
low bodies, nothing. Do you see your calling, brethren?
Not many wise men after the flesh. And they might have said this
in scoffing and derision of our Lord. He said, who's that with
you? Who are all those scallywags with you? Master, who are those
misfits? Who are those in that motley
crew of yours, those disciples of yours? Why, they're nothing. They're nobodies. Christ says,
they're my brethren. These are God's sons. They don't
look like sons of God. Christ says all but they will.
Just hang around. Wait till you see my perfect
work. Wait till I finish my work. Wait
till I get through with them. They don't look like it now.
But wait till you see and behold their glory. Verse 13, he says,
Again, again I will put my trust in him. Again, Christ says, I
will put my trust in him. They mockingly said of Christ
when he hung on Calvary's cross. They mockingly said of Christ
he trusted in God. He trusted in God. Let's see if
God will have him. Let's see if God will have him.
Have him. Men won't have him, but God hath
him. God's Scripture says, hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
the name of his Son, the name of Jesus, every knee will bow,
and every tongue confess that he is Lord. And God hath him
all right, and God hath crowned him with glory and honor. It
says there in verse seven, crowned with honor and glory, and again
Christ said, Again, he says something again. Again and again he speaks. Verse 13, and again, Behold,
I and the children which God hath given me. Behold, I and
the children which God hath given me. All of Christ's people, all
of the people given to him by the Father, shall be present
and accounted for in that great day. in that glorious day. All the children, all those who
Christ died for, all those whom he shed his blood for, all those
he came to do this great salvation, this great work for, shall be
with him in glory. Shall ever be with the Lord. Behold, and he shall present
them to the Father. It says right now they are waiting,
they are ready to be revealed at the last time. And when Christ
shall present them to the Father and say, Behold, here they are. Of all thou hast given me, I
have lost none. I have kept them by my power,
all present and accounted for. And I can't help but believe
he shall say this to them and look at them. Just look at what
I've done. trophies of His grace, trophies
of His worth, trophies of His glory, trophies of His power,
testimonies of His power. They're glorious now, Christ
shall say, aren't they? They're glorious now. Look at
them now. Look at them now. They didn't look like sons then,
but they do now. They've been changed into the
same glorious image of the glorious Son of God. And why or how we may recognize
one another, though we bear the image of Christ, I do not know,
but we shall. The disciples recognized Moses
and Elijah. Some recognized Samuel of old.
And when Christ finally revealed himself to his disciples, they
recognized him in a glorious body. But the scripture says
we shall also bear the image, the glorious image of the heavenly
glorious image of the heavenly. And the Scriptures makes it clear,
and this text makes it clear, that we will be where we are
because he brought us there. That we will be what we are because
he did this work. What we are because he made this
salvation. He did this. He made them. He
made us the way we are by his grace. Where we are because he
brought us. So great a salvation, and it's
becoming to him, verse ten, and bringing many sons unto glory. And I pray and I hope that you
have an interest that you may someday behold his glory as well
be changed into the same glorious image. And we'll see one another
again. All right, Brother Joe, come up and lead us. What number?
Forty-two. M number 42.