Alright, the passage that I pointed
out was Hebrews 5, verses 1-10. When we get down to verse 9,
there is something there that I think is wonderful, and it's
principally our text and subject for the evening. Hebrews 5, verses
1-10. It's in the section concerning
the priesthood of Christ. You'll understand that. 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 sin. And 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? And by reason
hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself to offer
for sins. And no man takes this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not
himself to be made an high priest, but he that said unto him, Thou
art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. As he said also in another
place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,
who in the days of his flesh, not Melchizedek, but Christ,
who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplication with strong crying and tears unto him, that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Though he were a son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered. Being made perfect,
he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him, called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek."
Now, verse 9 contains our text, and eventually we will get around
to it. He became the author of eternal
salvation. The greatest thing revealed in
the Scripture, no doubt, besides the glory of the Holy Trinity
and the person and the attribute of God and of Christ and the
Holy Spirit, is without a doubt that great salvation that is
in Jesus Christ. The greatest gift that could
ever be bestowed upon any of Adam's race. The greatest thing
that God could do, the most gracious gift that God could give is the
gift of salvation. And in our text from Hebrews
chapter 5, it is referenced there in verse 9 as eternal salvation. In Hebrews 2 and verse 3, the
writer refers to it as So great salvation. We're going to go
over there and look at that. The writer refers to it by that
epitaph, so great salvation. Not just the lone word of salvation
would the apostle lay before us this evening, but he uses
the word in order that he might highly elevate in our esteem,
in our eyes, That great salvation wrought in Jesus Christ. And
that great salvation which exceeds all the blessings and the sacrifices
that they had under the former dispensation. Not only by content
to refer to it as salvation, or even the salvation, but the
great salvation even So great salvation. He likely does this
for the sake of his first century readers who were, as to nationality,
Jews, and who had, some of them, been enlightened under the truth
of the Gospel and the importance of that salvation which was executed
and ordained in and through Jesus Christ. It's glory, the glory
of this great salvation. It's excellence. It's suitableness
unto the state and the case of men and of women. To save sinners and yet uphold
the justice of God, this is a great thing in the Scripture. So, in
that passage in Hebrews 2 and verse 3, so great salvation. Now the careful reader of the
scripture will notice some places where the speaker or the author
uses extra words in order that he might emphasize, that he might
put a strong emphasis upon a matter, in order that he might bring
it to our attention. And that as we read that, we
might perk up our attention and realize that it is something
wonderful and to be paid heed unto. John 3.16, for example,
it is not just God loved the world, but it is written like
this, God so loved the world. He loved the world, yes, but
He so loved the world that He made a demonstration of that
love. Hebrews 10 and verse 29, there
not just punishment is mentioned, but how much sorer punishment
is mentioned. In Ephesians 1.19, Not just His
power, but the exceeding greatness of His power. Power that outpowers
all other power, no matter what it might be. Power beyond all
power that is imagined or that is exercised. Now, this salvation
in Hebrews 2 and 3 may be called so great upon three accounts. So great salvation. First of all, what John Owen
called the eternal contrivance of that salvation. The eternal
contrivance of that salvation in that it was purposed, it was
designed by the holy Godhead before the foundation of the
world. It is salvation fashioned from
eternity. It is not in time. It is so great
because it was eternally fashioned. Secondly, it is great because
by the means by which God brought it to pass. This great salvation,
which by no means was simple and ordinary, but was by the
incarnation of God's only and eternal Son. It was that the
Son should assume the likeness of sinful flesh, though not sinful
flesh, that He assumed the likeness being made of a woman and being
made under the law, as Paul tells us in the book of Galatians. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us and in the body that God had prepared for Him He suffered
and died bearing our sin. It is great salvation because
it is ordained before the world. Great salvation because of the
means whereby it came a reality. Thirdly, it is so great salvation
when we consider that sinners, yes, sinners before God, are
delivered from their sin. It's great by what it delivers
us from, what awaits them. The recipient of this so great
salvation makes it wonderful. They are delivered from the guilt
of their sin. They are proclaimed and set forth
as sons of God. They are heirs of God and joint
heirs with Jesus Christ. Fourthly, it is so great because
it is the only way that a sinner could ever be saved. Neither
is there any other name given among men under heaven whereby
we might be saved, says Hebrews 2 and 3. How shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation? Now, I think in its context,
in its historical setting, I think this is particularly applicable
unto the Jews of that day and of that time. It is for their
sake that the author uses the lead-in that he does there in
Hebrews. See the argument in Hebrews 2,
1-3. In verse 1, therefore, or for
that reason, on this account, for this cause, which refers
to what is said back in chapter 1, because of the exceeding excellency
of the person of Jesus Christ, and because He is so much more
excellent than all of the angels, He is the one by whom God has
spoken unto us in these last days. He's the One by whom the
world was made. The One who is the outshining
of God's glory and the exact likeness of the nature of God. The One that is set down on the
right hand of God. The One greater than angels so
that they must worship Him. Not he worshipped them, but they
worshipped him. On this account, says the author
here, we ought to give the more earnest heed. We ought to give
a due consideration. We ought to pay close attention. In other words, it behooves us
to do so and that more abundantly. To do what? Well, he says, to
give heed to the things which we have heard, which the doctrine
of Christ and the gospel of Christ our Lord. The reason that we
ought to give heed unto those things that have been proclaimed. And the reason we ought to do
that is so that they won't slip away. so that they won't run
out like water running out of a vessel, or like a ship drifting
from the shore from its mooring and drifting away. Some render
it lest we drift away. John Brown said, this is an effect
and a warning against apostasy. Let us take heed to what we have
heard. In verse 2 and 3, and that's
in Hebrews 2, there is a contrast made that further solidifies
and confirms the contrast already made back in chapter 1. And that
contrast is between the Son of God and the holy angels of God. And they confirm why they should
give heed unto the things which God had spoken to them in the
revelation by and through Jesus Christ. Verse 1, give heed. Verse 2, for we'll give reason
why they should give heed as well as the consequences should
they let these things slip away. Which in verse 2, their awareness
that the transgression of the Word spoken by the angels of
old, received a just recompense of reward. That which was delivered
by the angel when transgressed received a just recompense of
reward. It was rewarded according to
its just desert. Look at verse 3. How then shall
these escape a just recompense of reward who neglect so great
a salvation, having been first spoken by the Lord, and then
confirmed unto us that heard it, both by signs and miracles
and wonders." It has to do with, number one, the dignity of the
respective ones through whom the Lord has spoken, namely Christ
and the Holy Angel. Number two, the revelation that
is made also. The law was given by the disposition
of angels, Acts 7 and verse 53. John 1 and verse 17, however,
said the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now if I'm mistaken or not, there
is also Another comparison of like nature with Hebrews 2, 1
through 3 that is to be found over in chapter 10 and verse
28 and 29. Only in Hebrews 10 there is a
much more severe tone. There is a sterner warning regarding
apostasy. And the glory of the two revelations
is set forth. Quickly let us notice something.
Hebrews 10 and verse 28. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Hebrews 10, 29. How much sorer punishment is
the gospel apostate deserving than the law apostate? Again,
it has to do with the same two things. Number one, the dignity
of the two revelations, that through Moses and that through
Christ. And number two, it has to do
with the two revelations themselves, the law and the gospel, the glorious
gospel of Christ. Now if we go back to Hebrews
chapter 5, where we first launched our feeble vessels into this
ocean of truth called Hebrews, The text is in that section of
Hebrews dealing not just with the priesthood of Christ, but
with the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ. That is important
for us to remember that. It actually begins the section
on the priesthood in chapter 4 and verse 14. But chapter 5
begins with some general observations, some common-known observations
about the priest. Such as is set forth here, a
priest must have kinship with those for whom he offers. He
must be a man. He must offer gifts and sacrifices
for sin, and he must exhibit compassion and show sympathy
with his people or his brethren. Then in verse 4, Such a priest
must be called of God as was Aaron called. Aaron did not make
himself a priest. Moses did not. He did not volunteer. God selected Aaron as the first
high priest. And this point is repeated several
times in this section of Christ's priesthood. And that is that
Christ is a priest forever, by or with an oath of swearing by
the Father unto the Son. And the proof text for that is
Psalms 110 and verse 4. This is the text that the writer
of Hebrews is drawing on. It says this, the Lord has sworn
and will not repent, that is, will not change the decree, you
are a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now, you have
this opened up in Hebrews 7, 1-4. We don't have time to go
there, but it's a wonderful passage of Scripture. But here in Hebrews
5, there are two points well made by one of my favorite authors
by the name of John Brown in his goodly exposition of the
book of Hebrews. Point number one. that if you
look at verses 4-6, they establish the fact that Christ has a priesthood
by a divine appointment. He had not made Himself a priest.
He is a priest after a divine appointment by God. God made
Him a priest. He made Him a priest with an
oath. That oath is forever. And He
made Him a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Then, in verse
7-9 of Hebrews 5, Christ has successfully, fully executed
the office of a priest. He has done those things that
are required of a priest that he might save his people from
their sin. Now, let's look at this in verses
7-9. We'll see here there is a long, a winding, and a complicated
sentence which makes up verse 7 through verse 10 of Hebrews
5. And let us put on our waders
for we are about to wade into water that is deep and that is
swift. And we need to be ever so careful
here with this passage of the Scripture lest we make a wrong
application of some of the words and the thoughts that we will
find in this play. Such as in verse 8, He learned
obedience by the things He suffered. Now that will make you scratch
your head, won't it? Our perfect Lord learned obedience
by the things that He suffered. Then look at verse 9, Being made
perfect. was not our Lord perfect in all
aspects and forever. Now, perhaps the best way to
get at these things and get our understanding around them is
to seek to emphasize the main or the leading or the outstanding
thought in verse 7 through verse 10. It describes Christ as a
high priest engaged in His saving work as a priest with the leading
idea being this. He learned obedience by the things
he suffered, and being made perfect, he is the author of eternal salvation. It means that all the distress,
all the suffering, all of those humiliating things, all of those
were necessary to the office of the priesthood to which our
Lord was appointed by God. These things He endured, not
just as a man, but as a priest. These things that our Lord experienced,
not for any sin of His own, but on account of the sinfulness
of His people. Now, if that premise is correct,
that there is here an outstanding thought, then the main thought
is that what He suffered was to establish for His people an
eternal salvation. That all that our Lord endured
and went through, His death and all, was to gain an eternal salvation
and be the author of that salvation. Then, we notice that the explanatory
clauses seem to perfectly fall in place. They are defining And
they are qualifying statements that the author puts in here
which help us to define the thought that all of this, his great accomplishment,
was to the securing of eternal salvation in behalf of his people. Now, look at the who at the opening
of verse 7. It refers to Christ as He is
portrayed in verse 6 as a priest forever, as a priest after or
a priest according to the order or the fashion of Melchizedek. What was so unique about Melchizedek? In that he alone held that priestly
office. He received it from no other.
It passed on to no other. And that's the message of chapter
7, 1 through 4. So he is a priest after the order
of Melchizedek. And the who there, in the beginning
of verse 7, would take to the central point. In suffering,
the Lord became the author of eternal salvation. In fulfilling
all the duties of a priest, our Lord is the author of eternal
salvation. Now perhaps there would be many
Jews in that day, and others down to our time who are not
Jews, who might conclude If our High Priest is very God, if our
High Priest is God indeed, and if He is impeccable and is free
from any and all sin, then He could not properly sympathize
with us in our temptation and sin. The Jews thought that. A High Son of God, we need a
priest among us, one like unto us. Now first, our high priest
must, M-U-S-T, giant letters, be both divine and impeccable. Our great high priest to serve
must be of divinity and must be without sin. And he must be
both God and man. And our high priest is that.
Yes, Christ is the very Son of the Most High God. But here He
is being viewed as to what He is as a priest of the Most High
God in His incarnate state, which the author calls, look at it,
the days of His flesh. Who? In the days of His flesh. For the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us. John 1 and 14. Hebrews 2 and
verse 14 said, He partook of flesh and blood
because His sons were of flesh and blood. And in the days of
His flesh, He offered up." Watch this. This is going to need our
attention. This word is consistently used
again and again in the Hebrew in the sense of the offering
up in a sacrodotal sense. as upon an altar, as an oblation
or an offering unto God. This word here, He offered up
tears and crying, is the very same word used in Hebrews 9 and
verse 14, 9 and 28, 10 and verse 12, of the offering of Himself
upon the cross. It is also used in Ephesians
5 and verse 2, who offered himself without spot unto God. What he
offered up now, watch this, prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears. Most expositors are content that
this is a reference to the Son of Man, to our Lord that night
in Gethsemane and the agony of soul before he was taken and
was condemned. And this offering was made unto
the One, meaning God the Father, that was able to save him from
death. And thus raises the question
whether the prayer was that he be saved from dying, or whether
he be saved out of death. Whether the Lord is praying there
that he might not die, or whether the Lord is praying that after
he has died, he might be saved out of death and delivered out
of the grave. That his soul was not left in
Hades. His flesh did not see corruption. Psalm 16, 8-10, Acts 2, 31. So,
here is point one. The Lord was not saved from the
death of the cross. Point two, his prayer was heard,
it was answered, it was granted, and especially was he delivered
out of death, set on the right hand of the Majesty on high. And note the reason given why
he was heard in the end of verse 7 there, in Hebrews 5, he feared. He was heard in that he feared. Or, as the margin has it, and
some versions, for His piety. He was heard because He was godly. This part is not so easy, for
does it say, what does it say? Number one, does it say that
He prayed with supplications, crying, and tears for deliverance
from what He feared? Or two, does it say He was delivered
out of that because He feared, He reverenced, He obeyed God. He honored Him. Although a son,
being a son, even though he was the son of the Most High God,
please note now the author does not say being a man or being
a priest, which he might have said. But he learned obedience
by what he suffered. But being a son, S-O-N, the Son
of God, And this sonship is peculiar to Christ. Only He has it in
this manner and in this degree, in that He is not a son by creation,
meaning He was not created. He is not a son by adoption,
meaning that God did not take Him in to be a son who was not
once a son. He is not a son only by incarnation,
not a son, by election or regeneration. His sonship is the sort declared
in the beginning of the epistle, by whom God has spoken in the
last days. Listen, the brightness of His
glory, the express image of His person, the creator and the sustainer
of the world, the heir of all things, and now sitting down. on the right hand of God, so
that the Son, both of His nature and of His love, is the Lord
Jesus Christ. So, question again that we might
raise, how can the Son learn anything? We have it here, He
learned obedience by the things that He suffered. Is He not all-knowing? Is He not equal with the Father?
God the Son is absolutely omniscient, as with the Father He knows all. So when we read here, He learned
obedience by the things which He suffered. We are not to take
it in the sense as one being cursed or disobedient, cured
by some kind of scourging or depravity or correction or discipline. of that nature, he did not learn
in that manner. Yet he learned obedience by the
things that he suffered. And this is not exclusive to
his sonship, but occurred in the days of his flesh and in
his capacity as the great high priest, but as a man after the
order of Melchizedek. There's a passage, I think, in
Luke 2 and 51 and 2 that might make you also scratch your head
when we read here that the Lord learned obedience by the things
that He suffered. Perhaps it will help, or perhaps
it will prove as puzzling as Hebrews 5 and 8. But here it
is from Luke 2 and verse 51 and verse 52, that Jesus was subject
to Joseph and Mary, and listen, And Jesus increased in wisdom
and stature and in favor with God and with man. Now note the
two things. Jesus increased in wisdom. He increased in favor with or
before God. He progressed, or some versions
have it. He kept increasing. He kept on increasing. This was
spoken of Him in the flesh, and as a 12-year-old lad when they
had gone up far to worship. Just as according to the flesh,
our Lord was a babe. Luke chapter 2 and verse 12. The babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, laying in a manger. Then He was 12 years old. Luke
chapter 2 and 42. And when He was about 30 years
of old, Luke chapter 3 and verse 23, He began His ministry among
men in the world. While as to His divine nature,
He was absolutely eternal, ageless, and had no beginning. As a man,
He passed through successive ages. He was a babe, He was 12,
He was 30, and such like. But as to the divine nature of
our Lord and Savior, He was absolutely ageless, having no beginning
or end. I just happened to think of this.
There's a song going around the internet now. I think it's called,
On My Father's Side, or something like that. On my mother's side,
I was twelve. On my father's side, I was from
everlasting to everlasting. Even so, it was as a high priest
that he learned obedience by suffering. The divine nature
absolutely of itself is not capable of suffering. It was as Incarnate
that the Son, having assumed flesh or humanity, suffered and
learned obedience. Only in the flesh could our Savior
experience that obedience and learn suffering even unto death. Now, coming to verse 9 again
of Hebrews chapter 5, eternal salvation, the author of eternal
salvation. Again, there are words here that
must be rightly divided lest we err and step out of the way. That the Lord Jesus is said to
be made perfect. First we read that he learned
obedience, and now we read that he was made perfect. Was he before
imperfect? Was there some lack or some flaw
or some blemish in our blessed Lord and Savior? Of course not. The words will become clear and
the meaning evident when we connect the words with what is being
said, made perfect with the following. having been made perfect, being
made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation. Granted, this is a mysterious
saying for us, especially if it is the only one of its kind
anywhere in the Scripture. If we have no other with which
to compare it or to support it, this is not the case. Let me
let you hear Hebrews 2, verses 9 and 10, please, if you want
to flip back. We see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste
death for every man, for it became Him, for whom are all things,
and by whom are all things, In bringing many sons unto glory,
listen, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
suffering. Verse 9 speaks of Jesus made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that
He then might taste death. Verse 10, He is called the captain
of our salvation. And again, it is said that He
is made perfect through suffering. This word captain is four times
in the New Testament. Every time, each and every time,
it has reference to Christ and to Christ alone. And it's twice
rendered prince in Acts chapter 3 and 15, 5 and 31. The prince
is the same word that we have here. Then again, it's that word
author in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2. It means the chief. It means the leader. It means
the author, the main one. It was his suffering, which is
at times put for his death. Sometimes his suffering is synonymous
with his death, that perfected him as our priest. Now, not in a way you might think,
but perfected him as our priest, for he bore our sin. He endured
the curse of the law. He was the propitiation for our
sins, and He destroyed the works of the devil in His death upon
the cross. By His death, He judged the world
and condemned the flesh. Romans 8 and verse 3. He expiated
sin so that now He has the absolutely perfect right to bestow salvation
upon all of those that the Father hath given Him. He has conquered
sin and death and the grave. He has suffered and died and
been raised again. His blood and His death are sufficient
for the saving of sinners, having given Himself to the suffering
of the cross, enduring all that God required of Him as our great
High Priest and Sacrifice, that He might secure our pardon. Christ is past. into the heavens,
and having been perfected as our saving High Priest, He and
He alone is the author of our salvation. He, being perfected,
is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by Him. He has, as Daniel said, brought
in everlasting righteousness. yet brought it in in behalf of
His people. So what a wonderful thing to
say. And being made perfect, became
the author of eternal salvation unto all, no, unto all of them
that obey Him, to them that believe, to them that follow, that walk
in His way, to them that are regenerated, called, and converted,
that He is the author of eternal Now, does it stand to reason
that if our salvation is eternal, that it was purposed before the
world, applied to us now, that it can never be forfeited and
never be lost? It is an eternal salvation, purposed
before the world, executed in Christ and standing throughout
eternity or into eternity. Eternal salvation. You know something? I think the
Hebrew author uses these words in respect to the Jew. Their
sacrifices for sin lasted a year and done again and again and
again. But the Bible said, or Hebrew said, forever. He has
sanctified forever. Those Old Testament sacrifices
could not do that. But Christ in His great sacrifice
has made one with eternal, everlasting efficacy. Thank you, and let's
bow our heads together please. Let's pray.