Hebrews chapter 2. I'd like to read verses 16 through
18 of Hebrews chapter 2. I've entitled this message a
merciful and a faithful high priest. Beginning in verse 16
for verily cruelly, he took not on him the nature of angels,
but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 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 hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor
or help them that are tempted. Now this is the first of 16 references
to Christ being our great high priest in the book of Hebrews. Now every believer according
to the scripture is a king and priest to God. He hath made us
kings and priests to God. A priest is someone who represents
men to God. And every believer is a priest,
but there's only one great high priest, and that is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 16, we read, for
verily, he took not on him the nature of angels. He never intended
to save angels. He never was a priest for angels,
but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. You see, the fallen
angels have no priest. They have no Savior. They have
no salvation. In His sovereignty, He passed
them by. He saves men, but He passes by
these fallen angels. argue over the discriminating
nature of God's grace. And my dear friends, it is discriminating. He does make a difference between
one and another. He saves one and he passes by
another, all according to his glorious sovereign will. Whatever he does is right. And
people say, well, that's not fair. How could it be fair? for
him to choose one man and pass by somebody else. How could it
be fair for Jesus Christ the Lord to die for one man and not
to die for another man? How could that be fair for him
to discriminate in grace? Men make that objection, but
I've never heard up to this point somebody complain about the Lord
not dying for Satan and for demons. You ever heard anybody say he's
not fair in that? Not fair that he didn't save
Satan? Not fair that he didn't die for demons that have rebelled
against him. Why? You know, our conscience
are repulsed by that. Whatever he does is right. Now, he took not on him the nature
of angels. He had no intention of saving
angels. But he took upon him the seed of Abraham, verse 17,
wherefore, in all things, it behooved him, it was necessary
for him, that's what that word means, it was necessary for him
to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. And here's
what happens in him being a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, he makes reconciliation. or propitiation is the actual
word, for the sins of the people, that's the first thing he does,
for in that he himself had suffered being tempted, he is able to
suffer them that are tempted, or help those that are tempted.
That's what he does as this merciful and faithful high priest. Now,
notice once again in verse 17, it says, wherefore in all things
it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. Now, who are
his brethren? Who are the brethren? of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Well, we find out in this passage
of scripture, look back in verse 11 of chapter 2. For both he that sanctifyeth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. For the which cause he is not
ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I declare thy name unto
my brethren, in the midst of the church while I sing praise
unto thee." Who are the brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ? Those
that He has sanctified. Those that He has set apart.
Those that He is one with. The eternal union of Christ and
His people. Now, this absolutely blows my
mind. It hurts my mind to even think
about this. But do you know, before God Every believer has
always been in the Lord Jesus Christ. There was never a time
when we were not. I don't understand that. That
blows my mind that it's true. I've always been one with the
Lord Jesus Christ. There was never a time when I
wasn't and I began to be. Both he that sanctified and they
who are sanctified are all of one. Now, I don't feel like I've
been around very long. I haven't since 1959. But in
the Lord Jesus Christ, I've always been one with Him. That's who His brethren are.
And the reason He's not ashamed to own me as His brethren is
because as He is, so am I. Is He holy? I am too, because
I'm one with Him. Is He accepted by the Father?
Then I am too, because I'm one with Him. Is He altogether righteous? Then I am too. because I'm one
with Him. That's who His brethren are.
That's the brethren He's a merciful and faithful high priest for.
Look in verse 13. And again, I'll put my trust
in Him. And again, behold I and the children
which God hath given me. That's talking about the elect.
That's talking about those the Father gave Him before the foundation
of the world. He's one with those people. Now why I make an issue of this?
Well, for one reason, because the Bible does. That's a good
enough reason, isn't it? The Bible does. But here's the
issue. If he can be my first merciful
and faithful high priest, like, he'd be that way for everybody.
And if I end up not being saved, he's a failure as a priest. He
can't do me any good. I need a priest that's always
successful. That anybody he represents, they
must be saved. You see, my hope of salvation
is that he represents me. All my hope, all my eggs are
in this one basket that he represents me. And everybody he represents
must be saved. Now that's who his brethren are
that he's a merciful and faithful high priest to. Those he is sanctified,
those he is one with. That word sanctified means set
apart. He set them apart. He's one with them, they're his
elect, those the Father gave him. And I love this name for
him, a merciful and a faithful high priest. A merciful high
priest, full of mercy, moved with pity toward me. A merciful high priest. You see,
if he's merciful toward me, That means he does not give me what
I deserve. And that's exactly what I need.
I need someone to not give me what I deserve. Because if I
get what I deserve, I know what that means. And I love this thought. He's a merciful and faithful
high priest. He's always faithful to be merciful. There's never a time when he's
not merciful towards those he's a priest toward. Now, what if
somebody was faithful all the time but once? What if your spouse
was always faithful all the time except for once? Well, that's
not faithful then, is it? Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is
always faithful to be merciful. He's always merciful toward every
single person he represents as a high priest. Merciful, and
that's what I need, mercy. The Lord did not give me what
I deserve to be merciful and compassionate toward me. He's
always faithful to be merciful. Now in order for him to be a
merciful and faithful high priest to his brethren it was necessary,
look what it says in verse 17, wherefore in all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren. In all things it behooved
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest. Now for him to be my merciful,
faithfully merciful high priest, he had to in all things be made
like unto me. Now that word made like, let
me show you what it means. Turn to Revelation chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1. Verse 13. John is speaking under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, and he's talking about this vision he
had, and he said, in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one
like unto the Son of Man. That's the same word translated
made like. You know what John saw? John saw the Lord Jesus Christ.
He didn't see an image of Christ. He saw Christ. To be made like
means to be the same as. One who is the same as. Now,
for Him to be my merciful and faithful High Priest, He had
to become the same as me. First of all, He takes on my
flesh. I'm a man. Man sin, man must die for Him
to save me. For Him to be my merciful and
faithful High Priest, He had to take on flesh. He became a
man. Now, Think of this. The Lord
Jesus Christ, understand this, in all things, in all things,
He had to be made like unto His brethren. Now listen real carefully.
The Lord Jesus Christ never sinned. He never committed a sin. He's the only holy man to ever
live. He never thought of sin. He never
had a sinful motive. He never had a sinful deed. He
never sinned. Perfectly holy. He never sinned. Can you imagine that? I have
such a hard time grasping that. He never sinned. Yet, in all
things, He's made life unto His brethren. Although the Lord Jesus
Christ never sinned, He felt the shame and the guilt of sin
much more acutely than you and I ever have or ever will. That's an awesome thing to think
about. For him to be a merciful and faithful high priest, he
had to be in all things made like unto his brethren. He had
to be man or his brethren sinful. He was made sin. And because of that, he can empathize
with me. Any feeling that I felt, He's
felt much more acutely than I ever have because He was made sin. And He knows the shame, the humiliation,
the guilt when you feel so guilty. You know how you feel guilty
when you've committed a horrible sin and you just feel so guilty.
Do you know He knows what that feels like? Much more acutely
than you or I do. He knows the shame of it, because
he was made sin for his people. In all things he was made like
unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and a faithful
high priest. Now this is the great mystery
of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, and in the flesh
he was made sin, the sins of his brethren became his, and
his righteousness becomes theirs. You know what that makes me want
to do? Worship him. worship. Now this, as a merciful
and faithful high priest to his brethren, there are two things
mentioned in our text that he does. First, he makes reconciliation
for the sins of the people. And second, he's able to succor,
he's able to help them that are tempted. Now first, He makes
reconciliation for the sins of the people, those he represents
as the great high priest. Now that word reconciliation
is the same word that's generally translated propitiation. He made propitiation for the
sins of his people. Now, the sins of his people.
Sins of omission, sins of commission, sins, the sins of his people.
Got plenty of those, don't we? The sins of his people, breaking
God's law. Failure to do what I ought to
do. Failure to trust Him completely. The sins of the people. I think
the publican knew something about that when he said, God be propitious
to me, the sinner. The sins of his people. He made
propitiation for the sins of his people. That means he removed
God's reason for anger. You see, God is a holy God. He
must punish sin. If He let sin go unpunished,
He would be unholy, like me and you. And you know that can't
be. But on the cross, the sins of His people literally became
His, who His own self bear our sins. in his own body on the
tree. And he suffered the full equivalent
of an eternal hell. He was forsaken by God, suffering
for the sins of his people. But something very unique happened
on the cross. I love that story of Elijah when
he takes the bull that after the False prophets
have prayed all day asking for fire to come down from heaven
and nothing ever happened. And then he takes his bull and
he has it doused with water three times, water covering it. And
then he prays for God to answer him by fire. He said that God
that answers by fire is the true and living God. The prophets
of Baal there, God never answered. But the scripture says fire came
down from heaven. And it consumed the sacrifice. So much so that the water was
licked up, the dust and the stones and everything was gone. I mean
the altar was gone. The fire came down from heaven
and you think there was an altar there? There was a bull on the
altar and the fire comes down from heaven and there's nothing.
All of a sudden everything's gone. There's not even any dirt
there left where it hit. I mean the fire came down and
consumed the sacrifice. And there's several instances
in the scripture where fire would come down from heaven and consume
the sacrifice to show the acceptance of the sacrifice. But here's
the one time, and this is so glorious to think about, when
our Lord was on the cross, fire came down from heaven, and this
is the one time the sacrifice consumed the fire. And there
was nothing left. That's why God says, there's
no fury in me. If he's propitious toward my
sin, that means I've got no sin for him to be mad at. The reason
for anger has been removed. And that's what the Lord did
on the cross. He removed the reason for anger. God doesn't
have any reason to be mad at me. Boy, the only way I could
get hold of that's by faith. But I believe that. At public,
in the temple, He cries out, God, be propitious to me, the
sinner. And our Lord said, I say unto
you that that man went down to his house justified. You see, where there is propitiation,
there must be justification. It's an absolute necessity. He's
removed the reason for anger. My sins have been put away and
I am justified. That means I stand before God
without guilt. Now for him to be a merciful
and faithful high priest for me, he's going to have to make
propitiation for my sins. Isn't it wonderful to have your
sins propitiated? That's what every believer has the blessed
privilege of. My sin has been put away. What
a merciful and faithful high priest. Verse 18 of our text, Hebrews
chapter 2. For in that He Himself, the Son
of God, the Creator of the universe, He suffered. Oh, how He suffered. Being tempted, He is able to
succor them that are tempted. Turn with me for a moment to
Matthew chapter 4, how he was tempted. He was tempted with the lust
of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Look in Matthew chapter 4 verse 1. Then was Jesus led up of the
spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted, Forty
days and forty nights he was afterward and hungered. Can you imagine how hungry you'd
be if you went forty days without eating? And when the tempter
came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that
these stones be made bread. I have no doubt that the devil
was there in chapter three when that voice came down from heaven
when our Lord was baptized and said, this is my beloved son
in whom I'm well pleased. And the devil heard that and
he said, if you are, prove it. Prove it. Command that these
stones be made bread. But remember, my merciful and
faithful high priest had to be just like me. Can I command stones
to be made bread? No. I can't make stones into
bread. I'm totally dependent upon my
Heavenly Father to provide my bread. I have to just wait on
Him. And our Lord, He easily could
have commanded the stones to be made bread, you know that.
But because I couldn't, He wouldn't. And look how He answered the
devil. But He answered and said, It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then, verse 5,
the devil taketh him into the holy city, and setteth him on
a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, look, the
devil even used scriptures, it is written, he shall give his
angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against the
stone. Now come on, prove it to us. The scripture says you
can. Show us that you are the Son of God. Fall down from this
temple, jump off, and if you really are, you'll trust the
angels of God to catch you, prove it to us. That's the lust of
the eyes. He didn't have to prove anything
to the devil or anybody else. He is who he is. He doesn't need
to prove anything. And if he tried to prove anything,
he would just be trying to satisfy the devil, and he wouldn't do
it. And that's the lust of the eyes, men wanting to do things
to impress men. No, that's no reason. Verse 7,
Jesus saith unto him, it's written again, thou shalt not tempt the
Lord thy God. I love the way the Lord says
it's written. I mean, this is the Lord of glory. He could have
tied the devil in knots if he wanted to, but yet he always
answered, it is written. It is written. That's the only
thing that matters. Is it written? It is written.
Thou shalt not tempt. Test the Lord thy God. If he
said I'm the Son of God, I am the Son of God. I believe what
he said. I'm not to tempt him. Verse 8, And again the devil
taketh him into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And he
said unto them, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt
fall down and worship me. You see, he's the God of this
world. Then said Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve. Now he was tried in all points. Look over in Hebrews chapter
4. Verse 14, seeing then that we
have a great high priest that's passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not
an high priest which cannot be touched. moved to empathy more
than sympathy empathy with the feeling of our infirmities but
he was at all points tempted like as we are yet without sin
let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace that
we may have turned mercy and find grace to help in time of
need now you think about the Lord he's called a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief he knew weariness He knew betrayal. He knew what it was to be forsaken
by God. He knew guilt and shame much
more acutely than you or I know. He knew loneliness. There's nothing
you and I have gone through that he's not much more acutely experienced. Rejection. Heartache. He suffered
in a way that you and I could never suffer. You see, sin, when
it comes right down to it, it doesn't bother us that much because
we're used to it. We're desensitized. It's not
something that we're just shocked at. I mean, it's us, you know.
I mean, it comes natural. But He, the Holy Son of God,
that He had to go through that. If an eagle became a worm, that
would be a stoop, wouldn't it? But that is nothing in comparison
to him becoming a man. But when his holy soul was made
sin, you and I cannot understand. But because he suffered so, being
tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted." Now,
he is able. This is the foundation of our faith. He is able to... He's a merciful and faithful
high priest. Oh, he... I wish I could describe
how merciful he is. He delights in showing mercy. We're afraid to come to him because
of our sin and we don't realize he delights in showing mercy. He's faithful to always be merciful. He's a merciful and faithful
high priest and he's able, oh he's able to succor, he's able
to help them that are tempted. His ability with God nothing
shall be impossible. That demon-possessed, or that
man with a demon-possessed son came up to the Lord and he said,
if you can do anything, help us. Well, he didn't know who
he was talking to, did he? The Lord turned the tables on
him. He said, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth, because with God nothing shall be impossible. You see, He is able to do exceeding,
abundantly above all we ask or think. The very foundation of
our faith is 2 Timothy 1.12, I know whom I have believed and
I'm persuaded that He is able. Are you persuaded of that? I'm
persuaded. that He is able to keep that
which I've committed to Him against that day. He's able to save them
to the uttermost, those that come to God by Him. Whatever
He's promised, He is able also to perform. He's able to keep
us from falling and to present us faultless before the presence
of His glory with exceeding joy. And He is able to succor them
that are tempted. Now, I'd like us to go to Daniel
chapter 6. I want to give a story of how
he's able to sucker them that are tempted. Daniel, chapter
6. This is a story that most people
are aware of, have heard it, but they don't know what it means.
It's about Daniel and the lions, then. Daniel, chapter 6. It pleased Darius to send over
the kingdom and 120 princes, which should be over the whole
kingdom. This is when Israel was in captivity. And over these
three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the princes might
give account unto them, and the kings should have no damage.
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes,
because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king thought
to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes
sought to find an occasion against Daniel. They were jealous of
him concerning the kingdom, but they couldn't find none occasion
nor fault for as much as he was faithful. Neither was there any
error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall
not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it
against him concerning the law of his God. Then these presidents
and princes assembled together to the king and said thus unto
him, King Darius will live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom,
the governors and the princes, the counselors, the captains
have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a
firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or
any man for thirty days save of thee, O king, he shall be
cast into the den of lions. Well, he was impressed with that.
That sounded like a good idea. O king, establish the decree
and sign the writing, that if it be not changed according to
the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not, this law could
not be altered. Wherefore king Darius signed
the writing and the decree, and it could not be altered. That's the way that law worked.
Once it was brought into effect, it couldn't be changed. Now when
Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his
house, and his windows being opened, in his chamber before
Jerusalem. He kneeled down upon his knees
three times a day right in front of everybody and prayed and gave
thanks before his God as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled
and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his
God. Then they came near and spake before the king concerning
the king's decree. Hast thou not signed a decree
that every man that shall ask a petition of any god or man
within thirty days, save of thee, O king? shall be cast into the
den of lions.' The king answered and said, The thing is true,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth
not. Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel,
which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth
not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh
his petition three times a day. Then the king, when he heard
these words, was sore displeased with himself. Why did I sign
that? He said. And he set his heart
on Daniel to deliver him. And he labored to the going down
of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled. Remember,
the law couldn't be altered, though. It could not be altered.
Then these men assembled unto the king and said unto the king,
Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that
no decrees nor statutes which the king establisheth may be
changed. Then the king commanded, and
they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto
Daniel, Thy God, whom thy service continually, he will deliver
thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the
den, and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the
signet of his lord, that the purpose might not be changed
concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his place,
and passed the night fasting. Neither was instruments of music
brought before him, and his sleep went away from him. Then the
king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto
the den of lions. And when he came to the den,
he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel. And the king spake
and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is
thy God, whom thou servest continually, able, to deliver thee from the
lions. Then said Daniel unto the king,
O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and
hath shut the lion's mouth, that they not hurt me. Forasmuch as
before him innocence he was found in me, and also before thee,
O king, I have done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad
for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of
the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner
of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. And the
king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel,
and they cast them into the den of lions, their children, their
wives, and the lions had the mastery over them, and break
all their bones in pieces forever. They came at the bottom of the
den. Then king Darius wrote unto the people, nations, and languages
that dwell in the earth, peace be multiplied unto you, I make
a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble in
fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, and
steadfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and
rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and earth,
who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lion. So Daniel
prospered in the reign of Darius, and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Was his God able to deliver him? We see the answer to that question.
If you go into the third chapter, the same question is asked. And
I think it was Nebuchadnezzar who ends up saying after they
were delivered from the fiery furnace, no God is able to deliver
after this sword. That's our God who is able to
succor thee. Now the Lord Jesus Christ, He's
a merciful and faithful high priest. He's my merciful and
faithful high priest right now. He's representing me before the
Father. And I love to think of this when he represents me. It's
not him getting, oh, please let him go by this time. I know he's
sinning, but let it know. I'm always not guilty. Innocence
he has found in me through the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm innocent.
I'm not guilty. Just like Daniel, he said, innocence
he's found in me. Found in me, too, because I'm united to the
Lord Jesus Christ. And he's able to deliver me. He's able to help them. Help them. Do you need help? Now I need help. I'm like that
Syro-Phoenician woman when she came to the Lord and asked for
mercy for her daughter and he didn't answer and she kept asking
him. And he said, I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. And then the scripture says she came and worshipped
him saying, Lord, help me. I need help. Much more so than
I even understand. But thank God, He is able to
help in every way. What a merciful and faithful
High Priest. He makes propitiation for the
sins of the people. And he is able to help them that
are tempted. Let's pray together.