by Pastor Matt Black
Saturday,
December 10, 2005
TBC
Christmas Banquet
Hebrews
2:9
Introduction: Our text tonight is found in the book of
Hebrews 2, verse 9. It reads “But we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” The title of our devotional is found right
there in the text: “We see Jesus.” Aren’t
you glad that you have seen Jesus? Paul
says in Titus 1:15, “Unto the pure all
things are pure.” And in the same way, the Christian sees Jesus
in every action he does. Every thought
and deed is dedicated to the Lord. “We see Jesus.” This kind of sight is not physical. Oh, sure Paul had a vision of the Lord on the
Do we have faith in Jesus? Do we see Him with the eyes of faith as He is
found in the objective, forever settled Word of God? Faith is not some mystical, whimsical,
nostalgic, subjective feeling that we get around Christmas time or when we
celebrate Christ’s resurrection at Easter.
Faith is not “good cheer” or superstition. Many in the world are willing to call Christ
Lord on two days in the year, just in case He really is the one true Lord from Heaven!
But who is willing to let Christ rule over him every day? Only a true, born
from above, blood bought, regenerated Christian will submit to Jesus in faith
as a mark of his life. Only a Christian
can truly see Jesus and demonstrate true faith.
And so the lost person comes to Christmas and feels that twinge of
nostalgia and is persuaded that he might have a bit of faith, but it is really
just a deceptive feeling and nothing more.
For if we do not see Jesus through the entirety of our life and being,
we have no more than a demonic kind of faith.
“The devils also believe and tremble” (James 2:19). If we see Jesus only during times of crisis,
or only on holidays, then we have a false faith that uses God and makes the
creature rule over the Creator. In
essence we will let God rule over us at our convenience! That is no faith at all.
Spurgeon had this to say about Christmas “How absurd to
think we could [celebrate Christmas] in the spirit of the world, with a Jack
Frost clown, a deceptive worldly Santa Claus, and a mixed program of sacred
truth with fun, deception and fiction. If it be possible to honor Christ in the
giving of gifts, I cannot see how while the gift, giver, and recipient are all
in the spirit of the world. The Catholics and high Church Episcopalians may
have their Christmas one day in 365, but we have a Christ gift the entire
year." (Dec. 24, 1871)
We agree with Spurgeon, and though we will gather and
celebrate Christ on the day we call Christmas, we will also celebrate Him every
other day of the year! “We see Jesus”
not just on Christmas, but every day, and every moment of our lives. And as we celebrate Christmas, let us not do
so as the world does it. How do you
celebrate Christmas? Is the highlight
the gift giving and the coveting and the materialism? I hope not, though for some, probably even
here tonight, this is the case. But how
should we celebrate Christmas? That is
explained in three words in our text “We see Jesus.”
First we must see that:
1. We see Jesus and the REALITY of His Incarnation.
God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity was “made
a little lower than the angels” for a time. He was not created, but descended from His
throne in Heaven and put on a robe of human flesh. The fact that Jesus of Nazareth was born in
John 1:1, 3,
14 In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God…3 all things were made by him was
not anything made that was made…14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.
The One Who made everything was born… He was born to
die!
1 Timothy
3:16 And without controversy great is
the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.
We must see Jesus in His death-- and live out the
redemption that is found only in HIM every day of our lives.
Jesus was born to die!
Our text says here in verse 9 that “We see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death
for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).
Jesus was born to
die! The King of kings—the Sovereign
God of Heaven became the Crucified One.
This is the message of Christmas, and it ought to be the message we live
out each day.
Why did Jesus die?
Look at Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53:4-11 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all.8 …for the transgression of my people was he stricken…
9 And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him…11 He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
He was born to carry our sins! He was born to bear our iniquities. He was born to pay a price we could not pay,
and to pay a debt He did not owe. He was
born to die, to demonstrate His mercy and love toward us, in that “while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus was not only born to die, but…
Our text says again in verse 9 that “We see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death
for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine
own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou
hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world.
John 8:58 Before Abraham was, I am.
Does Jesus have dominion over you? Over your every day life? Is he crowned with glory and honour in your
home? Oh, it is easy to crown Him King
in the presence of people who claim to love Him, but do you crown Him King
among Christ’s enemies?
And then in 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, speaking of the Second Coming of Christ,
says, “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom
to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power. 25 For
he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”
Mark 12:36 For David
himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
And what does Paul say in
Philippians 2?
Philippians 2:9-11
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow…11 And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There are only two ways that God
puts enemies under his feet: through salvation
and mercy in this life, or through judgment
in the life to come!
Every living being on the earth will
for all eternity confess the Lordship and dominion of Jesus Christ!
How about you? Are you living out the Lordship of Christ in
your life? Are you giving glory to God
with every action? Are you passionate
and obsessed with His glory? Every day
we must make a conscience decision to submit each minute of our lives to the
dominion of the Lord!
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD
of hosts will perform this.
You see there is coming a day when
Jesus shall rule over all creation.
Look at Isaiah 11:6-9
Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the
lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young
lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them… 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole
of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den… for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the
sea.
It is this
Jesus who will rule over all!
He will bring peace where there is no peace and He will rule over every
one. Jesus was born to have dominion!!
Isaac Watts wrote in the year 1719:
Jesus shall
reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Finally, Jesus was not only born to die, and born to
have dominion, but…
Finally we read in our text, “We see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man”
(Hebrews 2:9).
He was born to deliver us from death. See Hebrews 2: 15-17 And
deliver them who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage… to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Isaiah
says our works are as filthy rags!
We
believe at Ephesians 2:8-9 teach that salvation is by grace alone,
through faith alone, Christ alone, to the God’s glory alone! This is all taught by the Scriptures
alone—for faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans
10:17).
Again, do not misunderstand me—when I say universal, I
do NOT mean inclusive. There are some
who teach that Christ’s death merits favor for literally every man, so that
every sincere Muslim and Buddhist, and sincere Jews, and Mormons, and religious
people of every stripe will have salvation through the blood of Christ, For it
follows, they falsely teach, that if Christ died for all, then are all
saved. That is the apostasy called
“Inclusivism.” It is propounded by
people that you should beware of, like Joel Olsteen
and Billy Graham.
Listen to what the Lord Jesus says to this:
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am
the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
You see,
Jesus claim was EXCLUSIVE. There is only
ONE way, there is only one truth, and there is only one Saviour who can grant
eternal life. No one comes to the Father without Jesus. This is why He was born. This is why he died. And this is what we must preach to every
creature until the Lord comes again!
And so,
Jesus tasted death for every man, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile. We are to preach the Gospel to “every
creature.” That is the message of
Christmas, and it is the message of every day of our lives.
Amen!