Well we were looking last week
at the text in Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 and verse 5 talking
about our Lord Jesus Christ coming into time in order to redeem
his people in time. And I want to continue that theme
this week by looking at some verses that I often quote but
I don't think I've ever actually dug into in any depth and they're
in Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14 and
15 where we read these words, for as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them,
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. About the Lord Jesus Christ coming
into this world, taking the same flesh that we have in order to
purchase his people, in order to make just his people, in order
to satisfy justice on behalf of his people. There's a distinguishing
feature of true believers, and it really is. The more I think
about it, the more I believe this is true. And it's this,
that true believers have a sense of sin. They have, all right
it's in degrees, some more than others, but they have a sense
of how dreadful sin is. They have a sense of how deep
is the fall from that bliss of paradise. They have a sense of
how corrupted the flesh is by sin. That what it is to sin against
the God of the universe, to be sinners in the sight of the God
of the universe. You read the testimonies. of
saints that have walked before us, believing the same truths
that we believe and seek to preach here. And you will see that again
and again they're burdened with a sense of what they are in the
flesh. As the Apostle Paul said, he
wasn't worthy to be called an apostle. He was the least of
all the saints. He was the chief of sinners.
That was the last thing he said about himself. The chief of sinners
in the last epistle that he wrote. He wasn't getting better. His
view of him was not that his flesh was gradually getting more
like Christ. Not at all. He was more and more
conscious that in his flesh, in me that is in my flesh, there
dwells no good thing. Oh, don't look for salvation.
Don't look for comfort in the improvement of the flesh. Flesh
is always flesh. There's only the new birth that
brings new life. True believers have such a sense
of the depth of the fall, where the generality of mankind all
around us has little sense of sin, little sense of separation
from God. They're just not aware of it.
They don't feel a need for salvation because they don't think they're
in a state of needing salvation. They're not in a state of peril
as far as they're concerned. They don't know where they stand
in relation to the law and justice of God. They don't know where
they stand in relation to eternity. That's why they're not concerned
about salvation. But you ask the drowning man
if you ever could get a microphone alongside him when he's in that
storm with 40-foot waves in the southern Atlantic, and he's about
to die, and there's no rescue anywhere near him, and he'll
know what it is to need salvation. He'll know that there's no way
he can swim to safety. He'll know that unless one comes
and plucks him from that peril, he's lost forever. No. The generality of mankind has
no idea about the vile, corrupting nature of sin that leads to death. God said in Genesis to Adam and
Eve, he said, in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely
die. And they didn't. They lived another
900 years. But what he meant was this, in
the day that you eat thereof, you will die spiritually. And
the natural death to which we're all subject is just the natural
outworking of that curse which was pronounced. For as in Adam,
all die. In Adam, all die. Coming from
the parentage of Adam, having that genetic trait, if you like,
from Adam of sin, all die in him. And the natural death of
the body is just the natural outworking of that. This thing
of sin, it's pictured in the scripture like leprosy. It's
pictured in Leviticus 13 as the rising of the scab. When you
see this on the skin, when you see the bright spot, go to the
priest and the priest will look and say, you've got leprosy.
It's a disease. It's unclean. Separate yourself
from the camp. Unclean. And that's us all in
the flesh. All of us in the flesh. We're
sinners. And the wages of our sin, we earn wages for our sin. The wages of sin, Romans 6.23,
is death. The wages of sin is death. Spiritual
separation from God. Of which physical death is but
the natural consequence. You see, where there are deficient
views of sin, which is the illness, which is the malady, there will
be deficient views of salvation. You look in all aspects of so-called
evangelicalism, where you've got easy believism, where you've
got this kind of, oh, just, it's so easy to breeze into the presence
of God and to know that you're saved, what goes with it always?
A deficient views of sin. Deficient views of sin. It always
goes hand in hand. Don't understand anything of
the malady, you understand little of the remedy. But those who
see how bad is the malady know so well how great is the salvation. And this is what we seek to declare.
We're not in the business of offering possibilities to people
who might pass by. We're not in the business of
doing things that might get people to give up on their worldly pursuit
after entertainment and come and hear something to do with
the gospel and therefore get involved with our church to give
us bigger numbers. We're not interested in doing
that. We have one purpose that God has given and that is to
declare what his word pronounces. His word declares salvation accomplished. Salvation from sin accomplished. His word declares in answer to
that question, how shall a man be just with God? How a man is
justified with God. How God has justified his people
in Christ. How God has accomplished salvation. How Christ cried on the cross,
it is finished. God's people are shown their
utter ruin by sin that they might know that Christ saves to the
uttermost, to the uttermost, to the uttermost degree. So this
is our text then, Hebrews 2 verses 14 and 15 and I want to look
at three things, the children's nature, secondly Christ partaking
the same nature, and thirdly the reason he did it and the
result of him doing it. So first of all, the children,
the children. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood. What's he talking about? As much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. Look back
at verse 9 in Hebrews 2. We see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, or
perhaps a better translation, for a little time lower than
the angels, for his earthly life. We see him crowned with honor,
with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste
death for every man. What's he saying? He's died for
everybody that's ever lived in the world? Not at all. Continue.
For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all
things in bringing many sons into glory to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through suffering. The everyman for whom
he died, that every man are the many sons that he brings to glory. And when it talks about sons
here, it's not talking about the male of the species, it's
talking about his children. For in Christ Jesus, there is
neither male nor female, bond nor free. In Christ Jesus, all
those barriers are taken down and removed. No, he tastes death
for every one of those sons that he's bringing to glory. every
one of them, everyone, and only those sons that he's bringing
to glory. He says back in the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 8
and verse 18, he says, behold I, this is the wonder of scripture,
there you see just these little flashes, these little kaleidoscopic
reflections of the truth of eternity, and our God says this, through
the one who is the word with God in the beginning. The word
was God and he says, behold, I and the children whom the Lord
has given me. This is it. It's his children.
And who are his children? The ones whom the Lord has given
him, whom God has given him, whom the father gave to the son.
Those brought to glory, those many sons are the children of
God. They're the children of God.
John chapter 17 and verse 6. This is the high priestly prayer
of Christ before he went to the cross. And in verse 6, I'll just
pick out some phrases. He talks about the men which
thou gavest me out of the world. These children of God, these
disciples of Christ, these followers of Christ, are what they are,
not because they chose to be, But because God gave them. The
Father gave them to the Son. The Father gave them to the Son.
Verse 12. Those that thou gavest me I have
kept. Not those that decided to follow
me. Those that thou gavest me. This
is what the Word of God declares. You may say, I don't like the
Word of God. Well, stop pretending that you have any interest in
the things of God. God's Word is the standard. To
the law, that two verses on from that Isaiah 8 verse 18 is verse
20. To the law and to the testimony,
if they speak not according to this Word, there is no truth,
no light in them. Verse 24 of chapter 17 of John,
they also whom thou hast given me. These are the children, these
are the many sons that Christ brings to glory. For as much
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, the ones
the father gave to the son whom he came to save, this specific
particular people, this multitude that no man can number from every
tribe and tongue and kindred and race, their children by virtue
of God being the Father. This is it. Children, by virtue
of God being their father. It's that parent-child relationship. And so we cry, Abba, Father. This is what we read elsewhere
in the scriptures, giving us that spirit of adoption, whereby,
it was in Galatians 4 verse 5, that spirit of adoption whereby
we cry, Abba, Father. We're his children, by grace,
if you're amongst his children, and he's your father, by virtue
of him being your father. You're his children, by eternal
union in electing grace because he chose his people in Christ
before the foundation of the world Ephesians 1 verses 4 and
5 according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love you see he chose a people to be rescued from that
sin state From that utter depravity of the fall, from that utter
lost state and vileness of sin, he chose a people whom he said
would be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. He's made us his children by
electing grace by Jesus Christ to himself according To what? What he foresaw in them? No,
according to the good pleasure of his will. We're his children. His people are his children.
These, that it talks about in verse 14 of Hebrews 2, for as
much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
are his children by virtue of his electing grace in eternity,
before time began, chosen in Christ, united with the Son of
God, placed in him, Secondly, we're his children, and he is
our father, because the Church of Christ, the people of Christ,
is the Bride of Christ. And the Bride of Christ is espoused
to Christ. The Bride of Christ is to be
married at that great marriage supper of the Lamb to Christ. Psalm 45, verses 10 and 13. Just turn back there now. Psalm
45. And this is a beautiful psalm. I know many of you know and love
this well. My heart is indicting a good
matter. I speak of the things which I have made touching the
king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. And so he goes
on. Verse six, thy throat, this is speaking to Christ. And this
is how God addresses Christ. Thy throne, O God, is for ever
and ever. The scepter of thy kingdom is
a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and
hatest wickedness. Therefore God, thy God, the Father,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Then look at verse 9. King's daughters were among thy
honourable women. Verse 10. Hearken, O daughter,
and consider, and incline thine ear. Forget also thine own people
and thy father's house. This is a bride, espoused, destined
to be married. So shall the king greatly desire
thy beauty, for he is thy lord, and worship thou him. The king,
verse 13. The king's daughter. is all glorious
within. Her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the
king in raiment of needlework." A picture of a marriage. It's
a picture of a marriage. The king's daughter is the son's
spouse. God, our king, king of his kingdom. The king's daughter is the one
destined to be married to the king's son. Christ and his people
have the same father. The same father, Christ and his
people, the same father. This is why they're the children
of God. John 20 verse 17, Jesus says this to his people. He says,
I ascend unto my father and your father, to my God and to your
God. Then thirdly, Children, these,
verse 14, for as much then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, they're children by virtue of the new birth, by
the Holy Spirit coming and giving that new birth. How do you become
a child? You know, that little boy that's
just been taken out, that cute little thing, you know, he became
a child when he was born, didn't he? He was born, he came out
of his mother's womb, he was born. He was born. Children by
the new birth. This is how God begets children. By the new birth. John chapter
1 verses 11 and 12. He says this. He came to his
own, his own rejected him. But as many as received him,
Oh, that was good of them, wasn't it? You know, they put their
hand up and they signed their decision card. Isn't that what
they say? You know, they made their decision,
they walked the aisle, they went down to the front and they signed
themselves up as being believers, as being Christians, and they
decided to follow Jesus. As many as received Him, that's
good, you read on. to them gave he power to become
the sons of God. It was God who gave them power
to be the sons of God, the children of God, even to them that believe
on his name. Oh, how did they do that? Was
it of their own volition which were born? born, not of blood,
not of natural descent, nor of the will of the flesh, not what
the flesh wanted to do, for that is in my flesh there dwells no
good thing, nor of the will of man, what was it that brought
them to be born again of the Spirit of God? It was God's will. but of God. Children by eternal
union, by being espoused to Christ the bride, by being children
by the new birth. You see how all three of the
Trinity, the Father in electing grace, the Son in the marriage
union of Christ and his people, and the children by new birth
of the Holy Spirit, they're all there at work making these people,
this specific particular people, children. There are people made
children. by electing grace before time
began. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 9 tells
us that all of this was done before time began. He gave us
this salvation in Christ before time began by predestined by
predestination, by ordering all events for He causes all things
to work together for good to those who love God who are the
called according to His purpose. He called us in Christ before
the beginning of time. In eternity He called His people
in His Son by that marriage union and by marriage to the Son and
by the new birth of the Holy Spirit. These are the children
of God. But look, for as much then as
the children are partakers of flesh and blood." This is what
we dwell in. In this time state, we're clothed
in humanity in this time state. We're given a body and a soul. And there's that mysterious union.
Who can understand it? the so-called scientists of our
day tell us that science explains absolutely everything and there's
nothing there's nothing that science cannot explain I think
those that really think maturely about these things reckon that
there's one or two things that it can't explain and hasn't explained
can it really explain the mysterious union of thinking consciousness
which is you and me now that immortal soul that we know we
have We know we have an immortal soul. We know that it's true
that it's appointed to man to die the flesh once, but then
the judgment, what is it that will be judged? The immortal
soul. That union of the immortal soul and animated flesh and blood
and bones. Who can understand? Who can understand
this fact? They say, oh, well, it's easy.
It's a thought occurs and an electric pulse goes and you can
make a false arm do it. But yes, still, you cannot explain. I think the thought in my mind
and I raise my arm. Can we understand this union
of body and soul, of flesh and an immortal soul? clothed in
flesh. The children are partakers of
flesh and blood. We're conceived with Adam's sin
in our very nature, for in my flesh there dwells no good thing.
We're placed under the law, for we read last week Christ was
made of a woman, when the fullness of the time was come, Christ
came into the world made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law. This is the children, were placed
under the law, were placed under the judgment and justice of God
for this time state. And though we're children from
eternity in the sovereign grace of God, yet sinners in time. In this time state, in this fallen
flesh, with the mark of Adam, children of wrath, for as in
Adam all die, for by one man came sin, and that upon all his
people, for all have sinned. All his people, that means in
Romans 3, and fall short. It means everybody in general,
but it specifically means all his people have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God. And we're children of wrath,
even as others. We're unjust with God. The justice
of God finds us guilty and wanting, yet children, yet children from
all eternity, children. We're like that prodigal son.
You know, the prodigal the son of the father, the son of the
riches of the father who must have his inheritance and go off
and prodigally spend that which he has and he goes and wastes
his whole living in riotous behavior, and he comes to an end of himself,
and the money's run out, and there becomes a famine in the
land, and he goes to tend pigs for someone who keeps pigs, and
in there, in the pigsty, in the dirt, and the mud, and the filth,
and the stench of the pigsty, he recalls the glory of the father's
house. In that state he recalls the
glory of the father's house and he has one thought in mind, how
to be recovered. How to be recovered from this
pigsty existence. How to be recovered to the glory
and the cleanliness and the beauty and the majesty of the father's
house. How to get back there and he sets off back on his way.
This is where these people are, these children, clothed in flesh
and blood but yet clothed with all the sin that goes with that
flesh and blood. How to be recovered from that?
How are these people whom the father says he's loved from before
the beginning of time, that the father has said he must save
from their sins, how are they to be recovered? It tells us. As the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself, Christ, likewise, took part of
the same flesh and blood, that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil. How shall
a man be just with God? How shall satisfaction be made
to the law of God? A sin debt must be paid. It must
be paid. There is a debt outstanding and
you cannot get off the hook. There is no way you can run and
hide. For the justice of God and the law of God will catch
up with you and will demand its penalty. There must be a sin
debt paid. The soul that sins, it shall
die. The life is in the blood, says
the books of Moses, to satisfy justice for human beings, for
children. partakers of flesh and blood,
to satisfy justice, human lifeblood must be shed. For as Hebrews
9 tells us, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission,
there is no washing away, there is no cleansing from sin. Without
that shedding of blood, there is no cleansing from sin. And so what must happen? Must
the sinner die that that sinner might be cleansed? No, Ezekiel
33 verse 11 says that God has no pleasure in the death of the
wicked. What that means is not that he
doesn't want to do it, it means this. It means that justice isn't
satisfied. Satisfaction is not finally accomplished
in the sinner's death. It calls for an eternity of separation
from God. Human blood of infinite value
must be shed. This is what the scriptures declare.
Human blood for human sin, but human blood of infinite value,
human blood with no sin of its own must be shed. A sinless substitute
must die vicariously in the place of the children to pay their
sin debt on their behalf. for them, for them in Him, He
must die to pay their sin debt. The infinite God dwelling in
unapproachable light, the infinite God in majestic glory of holiness,
so that the angels, sinless angels, the cherubim and the seraphim,
they cry continuously, holy, holy, holy is the Lord. This
one must be appeased. His law and his justice must
be appeased. He himself in his infinite purity
could not suffer and bleed and die. He could not do it. But his son could. His son took
on himself a nature that could. This is how God did it. He himself
in the sinless holy glory of eternity could not suffer and
die in the place of a people who had offended his law, but
the second person of the glorious trinity, his son, could. He took
on him a nature that could bleed and die to pay for sin. As the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death. He needed to partake of the same
flesh and blood. He needed to assume the nature
of those he was to redeem, the nature of the children. Look
at verse 16, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels,
He didn't take upon him the nature of the fallen angels to redeem
them. He didn't adopt their nature
that he might save them from their sins, but he left them
to the consequences of their sins. But he did take on him
the seed not of Adam, but of Abraham. If he'd taken on him
the seed of Adam, he would have saved everybody that ever lived.
But he didn't. He took on him the seed of Abraham.
Who are the children of Abraham? Those who have like precious
faith as Abraham. Those who know what it is to
be redeemed in the Son of God. No, he took upon him not the
nature of angels, but the nature of Abraham's seed. He took our
human nature, likeness of sinful flesh, as we are, but not our
sinful nature. Only in the likeness of it, not
in the actuality of it. He had a human soul. The Son
of God had a human soul. God the Son indwelt the body
of Mary's baby. We sung that, didn't we, in the
first hymn earlier on. God contracted to a span. God. Infinite. contracted to a span,
little bundle. The son of God partook of the
same flesh and blood as the children that the father had given to
him before the beginning of time, and he indwelt the body of that
baby that was conceived of the Holy Ghost. Not of Joseph, not
of any other man. How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man? The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and that which
shall be born of you will be conceived of the Holy Ghost,
and therefore shall be called the Son of God. The Son of God. He came in a body, a body that
could die, but not a body that must die. We all inhabit a body
that must die because of sin. That's it, we're born to die.
You know, this is the situation that we're in, in this time state.
He inhabited a body that could die, but not one that must die,
because he had no sin. He voluntarily laid down his
life. No man took his life from him.
John chapter 10, just turn back there, John chapter 10. and verse uh... seventeen john
chapter ten verse seventeen therefore doth my father love me because
I lay down my life that I might take it again no man takes it
from me oh didn't the romans and the jews and the high priests
and all the rest of them no no no none of them none of them
had power to take it he says I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again This commandment have I received
of my father. Therefore doth my father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No,
nobody took it from him. It was a voluntary laying down
of his life that it might do that which was necessary. to
satisfy divine justice, eternal justice. It was his soul that
was exceedingly sorrowful. Matthew 26, verse 38, he says,
my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Isaiah 53, that
great chapter of the sufferings of the substitute for sinners,
he says, when you make his soul an offering for sin, and he says,
verse 11 and 12 of that same chapter, he shall see of the
travail of his soul and shall be satisfied, that he shall take
away the sins of many. This, in him, the one who partook
of this flesh, there was a perfect body-soul union in a perfect
man. Hence he was the Lamb, without
blemish and without spot. He was that holy thing which
the angel said to Mary, that holy thing which shall be born
of you. He was a real man, but not a sinful fallen man. Great,
surely great, is the mystery of godliness, that God was manifest
in the flesh. God was manifest in the same
flesh and blood as the flesh and blood that the children chosen
in Christ from before the beginning of time have all partaken, have
have to partake, have to walk through. But he did it that he
might redeem when the fullness of the time was come. God sent
forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
those who are under the law, that we might receive, those
people might receive the adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. To the unregenerate, this is
foolishness. This is a stumbling block. You
mean you get right with God on the basis of this? You mean my
eternal state after death is determined? Foolishness. Stumbling
block. But to the children, to the children
whom the Holy Spirit comes and quickens and makes alive, this
is the power of God and the wisdom of God. We're redeemed by union
with Him. We're redeemed by being in Him,
placed in Him before the beginning of time. And this effective Satisfaction
is made for the children in the flesh and the blood that the
Son of God came and partook the same as the children had. Finally
then, what is the reason for doing it, and what's the result
of it? It tells us, the reason he came was that through death
he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the
devil. And the result of it, that he might deliver them who
through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage. He came that he might destroy
the devil's power. He came that he might deliver
from the bondage of fear. What is Satan's power? Satan,
who before the beginning of time, we read in eternity, rebelled
against the rule of God. Lucifer, Jesus said, I saw Lucifer
fall from heaven, cast out of heaven because of his sinful
rebellion. And what did he do with God's
creation? But under the permissive will of God, he brought in the
fall. He tempted Eve and then Adam, and it wasn't so much the
thing, but it was the disobedience of God, to bring in death by
the fall. This is his power. He has brought
in death that reigns over all men and women ever since. That's
his power. He who had the power of death,
to destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.
This is his power, to bring in death by the fall. as the prince
and god of the world, where we read elsewhere in the scriptures,
to hold the world under guilt and the power of sin and death.
Look what he does, he holds the whole world under his tyranny,
under guilt and under the power of sin and death. And he terrifies
with the reality of physical death. He terrifies with it. This is what the scripture says
here. All their lifetime subject to bondage through the fear of
death. He terrifies with it. And he
accuses before the bar of eternal justice when that second death
is pronounced. For his accusations are true
accusations. Look at the sin. Look at the
sin. So that they be confined to an eternity of lost hell. But Christ but Christ for the
children, in the place of the children, as the substitute and
surety for the children. He has rendered him ineffective. That's what destroyed means in
this verse, that he might destroy the devil, that he might render
him ineffective, that he might render him with no power at all. All that Satan would use to bring
in a guilty verdict against the children Christ has borne and
paid. He has paid redemption's price. He has paid the ransom. So the
scripture says concerning the people that he loved, he says,
release him from going down into the pit. Why? For I have found
a ransom. Ransom has been paid. Justice
has been satisfied. This was a voluntary giving up
of his life. He didn't do it by protest, by
being taken against his will. He did it voluntarily, in the
full power. You know, he died quickly on
the cross. They came to him to break his
legs, to speed the... He was dead already. When he
died, he cried not with a whimper like those that used to die on
the cross by crucifixion. Some would be there for two or
three days with the life steadily draining out of them in increasing
weakness. But when he died, he cried with a loud voice. He cried
with a loud voice. He was in the full possession
of his faculties when he bore the sins of his people and the
wrath and justice of his God. And in so doing, up from that
altar, we have an altar, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, which
is his giving his lifeblood for the sins of his people. And up
there rises, you know, when Noah came out of the ark, Finally
came out of the ark God's judgment had been pronounced on the world
that then was And he came out of the ark and the first thing
he did was he built an altar and of the animals that had taken
One was slain and sacrificed and it says and God smelled a
sweet smelling savor and when he looks on Christ as He died
on that cross of Calvary There was a sweet-smelling savour.
Ephesians 5, verse 2. Our Lord Jesus Christ is that
sweet-smelling savour. There must be a sweet-smelling
savour when we come before God. There is, in Christ, who died
for the children, by taking of their flesh and blood. Look how
he's destroyed Satan. Compare what Satan has done with
what Christ has done. Where Satan brought in death,
Christ has brought in righteousness and life and immortality. It says he has abolished death
for his people. Life and immortality. Satan brought
in death. Secondly, where Satan brought
in the tyranny of sin, Christ has brought in his kingdom of
grace and peace. Where Satan terrifies with the
fear of death, Christ speaks peace to his people. Grace and
peace to you from our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Where Satan holds the threat of the second death in judgment,
when he reels out the sins of the people that they might be
justly condemned, our Lord Jesus Christ has come And the strong
man of this world, the strong man of sin, the tyranny of sin,
he's bound him. He's plundered his goods. He's
broken into his house, this world, and he's bound him. And he's
plundered the keys of death and hell that Satan holds in his
hands. He's taken them off him. And Christ is triumphant. And
the result is the fear of death. The fear of death, even believers
fear dying. We live in, we're creatures of
flesh and blood. We fear the prospect of death.
We may not fear death, but we fear dying. We fear the process. It's the last enemy, as Paul
says to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15, 26, the last enemy is death.
We shrink back from it. It's against our will. We don't
want to do it. We desire freedom from its dread
and it's terrifying uncertainty, but Christ assume the children's
nature so as to die the children's death that was required by the
justice of God and thereby accomplish redemption and thereby proclaim
liberty to the captives liberty from the bondage of the fear
of death Isaiah 61 verse 1 the spirit of the Lord God is upon
me says our glorious Savior. He has sent me to proclaim liberty
to the captives, the opening of the prison to them that abound. He dispels doubts. He gives assurance. We read earlier, and I just want
to close with this, in John 14, We read earlier, this is what
he says to his people, to the children, who are partakers of
flesh and blood of which he took to redeem. He says this, and
now you know why he says it, and how he can say it. He says,
in my father's house are many mansions. Oh, you children of
clay, living in the pigsty of this world, in my father's house
are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. But he tells the truth. I go
to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am,
there ye may be also. And finally, verse 19, yet a
little while, it's not happening, yet a little while, and the world
seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live, ye shall
live also. What a glorious reassurance for
the people of God. Amen.