Well, good morning. It is my solemn joy to return to the book of Hebrews, chapter two. This is our fourth time in Hebrews, and we'll conclude chapter two this morning. Lord willing, DV, right? We now know that term, thanks to our brother preaching on James. We have seen Christ above all in chapter one, that God speaks through his son. He's advanced from the prophets to speak through the Lord Jesus. A lot of time is given in chapter one to show the superiority of Christ over the angels. When we come to the beginning of chapter two, it says, therefore, let us pay much more attention for you cannot neglect the salvation that was brought by the proclamation of angels and get away with it. Surely not with the son of man in his superiority. You will never escape such. And so we have in that first cycle of Hebrews, see Christ, and then you're exhorted to pay much more attention to him. And as we continue in that cycle, we come to verse 10. And we find that in verse 10, we begin again to see Christ in a new way. Before I go there, I wanna tell you a little bit about Leo Tolstoy. He was thought by many to be a Christian because it was very well publicized that he admired the Sermon on the Mount, and he admired a writing called Where Love Is, God Is There Also. But in his life, He really began to see himself as Christ's older brother. And he even saw himself as kind of an apostolic succession of minds. Minds like that of Moses, of Isaiah, of Confucius, of Socrates, and others who were lauded as speaking sincerely from their own mind on the issues of the day. He eventually even came to the point where he said, to call Christ God. and to have him be prayed to was considered blasphemy. And so the church rightly excommunicated Leo Tolstoy in 1901. But this tells us something about all history that the gospels had to face. The gospel has many critics. The gospel has many that say, it is a morbid religion. It is a religion where a father puts to death his own son. And how counterintuitive is it that man would be saved by grace and not by his own works? The gospel has never lacked critics. And so we come to this part of the text this morning in Hebrews 2, where we see the death of God's Son. And I would entitle the sermon, God's Fitting Salvation, God's Appropriate Salvation. acceptable, proper, according to the pattern. We will see that there is the glorious picture of Christ and this salvation put forth, and it will stand against many of the critics. There's a different mindset among the people of God, isn't there? There is the sheep that will follow the shepherd. There is a ones who by faith come into being a new creature and they will hear what the Savior has to say. They will sit in submission to the word and not sit in judgment over it as so many do. This morning, I'd like to look at four avenues. You could put God's fitting salvation over the entire passage before us, which is verses 10 through 18 of Hebrews 2. But also there's four regions within this passage. We will look at the salvation of God. We will look at union with God. We will look at deliverance from God. And then finally we'll look at the high priest of God as well. And then I'm amazed as we look at Hebrews, you have the overall banner of fitting salvation. You have these four elements of salvation brought forward and then each section could actually you can if it were as it were take a microscope and zoom in and find even many more details. Hebrews I have found in studying it is like a book that keeps blossoming keeps coming in with finer detail and actually sometimes knowing where to draw the lines to encapsulate ideas is a bit of a challenge in coming to this book but it is a joy and a delight. So as we come to Hebrews verse 10, I'm gonna read verse nine to give us context, where we'll see that Christ tasted death for everyone. Hebrews 2, nine. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. Verse 10. For it was fitting that he for whom and by whom all things exist in bringing many sons to glory should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. And so here we see the salvation of God, our first point, verse 10. Christ took on humanity to transform humanity. Raymond Brown has an excellent summary of this verse 10. He said, we see God's wisdom, we see man's destiny, and we see Christ's perfecting. Salvation, we can remember, and as evidenced in this verse, salvation starts in the heart and mind of God himself. There is a wonderful divine order. Remember I talked about you get a region and you can zoom in, see the detail. Here we have divine order in the salvation of God. It is fitting, it is proper and acceptable. And you'll notice there's that phrase there, for whom and by whom all things exist. One of the greatest areas we find order is in nature itself. It has been produced by God's word. We zoom in on a plant, and then we zoom in on a cell, and then we zoom in deeper and deeper and deeper and find an incredible order. In fact, we start creating new words to go and match the order, and quickly it runs away from us in its detail. And yet there must be order. And you go the other direction. You look to the cosmos, and you see a system. There's a key word right there. A system of planets. You see clusters and galaxies. You're able to hypothesize how these things came about. And we find tremendous order. And here we have a divine order in salvation. God, the very God of creation, who created the highest order we know of, has also said, this is salvation. This is its component parts. We see a divine order in this salvation. We see a divine jurisdiction. by the same Creator God, don't we? Salvation is in the jurisdiction of God himself. All these proceeding from the heart and mind of God. We see a divine abundance in the salvation of God, bringing many sons to glory. And if you read Revelation, you see there are those from every tongue, tribe, and nation gathered around the throne of the Lamb. Picture of abundance is there. We see in here the order and the pattern of a divine conclusion. He's bringing many sons to glory. God does not miss the mark in his salvation of bringing sons to glory. We see here a divine pattern in Christ. We see that the founder of this salvation is made perfect through suffering. We see this divine connection. We see this idea of Him being one with us, and so Christ is made perfect. He partook flesh and blood. We have to understand this word, Christ being perfected, in a unique way, don't we? Sometimes we may think of something that has flaws being protected. But that's not the same thinking we can bring with this word regarding Christ. Christ never knew sin. What does it mean to be perfected? We find in Hebrews 5.8 that Christ learned obedience through suffering. We find that he who had perfect obedience in every season of his human life, even the hardest seasons, Christ was perfect. And so as we look at this word, it's a word that really has the sense of being accredited, Christ being qualified, Christ in being tested, showed forth himself. Now I'm an engineer, I work on satellites, and we put hardware into a test chamber. And the hardware that comes out of that test chamber is the same hardware that goes in. But you know what? It's now tested. It can now go to the next stage. Clank may be a medical student. He can't officially go be a doctor until he is credentialed after his final exam or after his time spent in a hospital and he's declared to be. He's the same person all the way through. Christ never had sin, but he learned these things by obedience. And so we see that Christ is perfected. We see the salvation of God, God's wisdom in order, God's surety in bringing men to heaven, many sons, and Christ perfecting the founder of our salvation through suffering. And isn't it amazing that Christ through suffering was proven, was shown forth to be the one Also, you note the very first time that we hear of Christ, before Adam and Eve even left the garden in Genesis 3, there was a pattern set forth, wasn't there? There was a pattern of the seed of the woman, that he would crush the serpent's head and the serpent would strike his heel. Christ perfected through suffering. It's even hinted at, isn't it? It's even in the very essence of the very first gospel proclamation. Christ perfected through suffering. Christ held to holiness of life and word despite the toughest of times. Christ did not avoid suffering. And brethren, I believe we have much to learn from this. Kent Hughes says there's actually many ways. He lists five ways that often we avoid suffering that Christ did not avoid. We can abandon the cosmic view of Christ as taught in the scripture. Surely that's much more socially tenable, palatable. He said we can avoid suffering in our day and age by not telling others that they need Jesus. That ruffles many feathers. We can accept the world's morals and that will remove us largely from the arena of suffering as well. We can laugh at the jokes of the world and smile when Christ is dishonored. Maybe that'll give us a little more easygoing life. As a Christian, we've avoided suffering. We can simply ignore all the sin that is around us. These are ways that we can gravitate to to avoid suffering, but these are things Christ never did in his life. He called a spade a spade. He put forth God in the testimony of the word of God, even where it was unpalatable to others. So in this we see, again, the wisdom of God, man's destiny, and Christ's perfect suffering. Secondly, in verses 11 through 13, we see union with God. Verse 11, for he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. saying, I will tell your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation. I will sing your praise. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold, I and the children God has given me. So here we see union with God, verses 11 through 13. Christ came for you to be sanctified. Christ came into this life. It's so interesting in verse 11, the bringing together. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have one source. It's not your best life now. It's your best life begins now. But it's not your best life now. And here we have joined together sanctification. He who sanctifies and he who is sanctification, who is sanctified and also being one source. Sanctification is a family trait of the child of God. You know, it's interesting, sometimes we wrestle in our minds about the sovereignty of God and the will of man. But you know what, we all grew up with a very real example. You know, it wasn't our doing to be born into a family. I'm very thankful for the family I grew up with. But you know what, my family also urged me to live a certain way. There's a character of my family. Once I was a child in my family, I began to be trained in what is polite, what is not polite. I began to be taught to be diligent in school. I was taught I could not leave or abandon. And good old George, the first time I was truant in high school, caught red-handed. Families. have a trait. You're brought into it, not by your own will, but now that you're in it, you're taught and you're to reflect that. And verse 11 seems to combine these two things. He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. If you are not being sanctified in a demonstrable way, you may need to consider what your connection is to the one source of this family. If you read J.C. Ryle's book on holiness, he laments the fact of his day, and we could lament the very same fact in our day, that it's popular for many to say they are a Christian, but there's no note of holiness in their life. There's no endeavor after it. There's no sorrow when holiness is neglected. But without holiness, we're told in the scriptures, none will see the Lord. Let us not let sin, ignorance, or apathy keep us. From this holiness to endeavor after it, Christ has claim on our lives and he joins the two together. Very interesting word, one source. So we see he who sanctifies and he who is sanctified have one source. There's actually in commentators quite a wide variance in these things. Many ideas have been suggested. Some say that one source is Adam, and Christ came into humanity and shares our Adam-ness. Others say it's humanity in a human nature. Christ took that on. Some say God is that one source, him being the creator of all things. Some use the word family. Some use the word of stock. The word actually has ties to the sense of stock, to being part of a certain group. Of all these, I would say family is the best word. He who sanctifies Christ Jesus and those who are sanctified all have one family. I think it encompasses many of the other words used. The sense those other words are brought forth is the sense of family. And if you look at this passage, you will see family terms everywhere. In verse 10, you'll see that many sons are brought to glory. In verse 12, you'll see I and my brothers. In verse 13, you'll see the word children. We're locked into a family matter, a family that has a certain character. Christ comes in and he has become part of our family. Indeed, he's like an elder brother. He's a captain of our salvation. He has preeminence, but he all the same has this human nature. Romans 5.19 says, for as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Christ has come. This oneness is emphasized in verses 12 and 13. From Psalm 22, the brothers, I and my brothers. From Isaiah, also in verse 12, Isaiah 8.17, I will put my trust in him. Verse 13, behold I and the children God has given me. This oneness is emphasized again and again to drive the point home. Christ is of the same family. He has come into man's place and we are now in the same family. It's interesting that both these passages, Psalm 22 and Isaiah, these expressions of family, we think of them as very joyous. But both these chapters have despair and trouble. Both these chapters have suffering. And as a result of that suffering, he calls them his brothers. As a result of that suffering, he says, I am here. I and the children that you have given me. And so we see that he is made perfect through suffering. He has come into our family as a result of his labors. We see that we have a union with Christ, that the union of God is put forth in these verses. Thirdly, verses 14 and 15, we see the deliverance of God. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. Deliver all those who through the fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Brethren, this is a delightful deliverance of God in Christ. Christ was perfected in suffering. Christ shared our humanity. Why? To destroy the devil who held the power of death and to free us from the fear of that death that held us in lifelong bondage. It's a good time to pull back a little bit and say, who is this devil? Isn't that a stereotype or a literary device? Many would say to believe in the devil is a joke altogether. Is he a joke? We can learn from Christ's own words about him. Christ never appears to minimize the reality of the devil. He even tells us of his power. He even calls him a murderer, a liar, and a thief. Very real, very powerful. This devil, how does he murder? He's a fallen angel. He's a powerful leader. He is in opposition to God, and as such, he desires to draw men into sin. And then once men sin, death is the result by the righteousness of God, these having broken his holy law. Was this not his approach with Eve in the garden? He caused her to be deceived. He caused her to disobey. She, having once disobeyed and having brought that to Adam, and now Adam having disobeyed as a federal head overall, all were plunged into sin. This is how Satan is a murderer. This is how Satan is a liar, to deceive. This is how he is a thief, to see people stolen from a right standing with God, just as one who would jump the fence into a sheepfold shows themselves to be a thief. This is the devil. His error really is very similar, I find, to what we'll call the error of Balaam. Sin brings death. We know from James that sin, when it comes to maturity, brings forth death. And if Satan can bring us into that sin, it's really the power of God that takes over. How is this like the error of Balaam? Balaam, when you first read of his prophesying for King Balak, you might actually think that he has some kind of spiritual bearing, something good in him, because he can't pronounce a curse on the people of God like King Balak would want him to. And he says, I can't do it. And he makes an altar, and he says, I can't do it. I can't do it. God has not put that word in my mouth. But he did find a way to ultimately satisfy King Balak. He said, what do you do? You take your women who worship a false god. You have them intermingle with God's people. Sure enough, they were pulled over to their gods. Sure enough, they fell into that sin, their own hearts drawing them and leading them into that deception. And so it's really not his own power, is it? Also interesting, how is he a murderer? We find that the devil comes to God in the case of Job. There's a lot of searching lessons in that encounter. First of all, he can't do it on his own. He has to be allowed to do it. Secondly, he's limited in what he can do. And thirdly, God uses the whole picture of Job and his suffering to show forth the proclamation of his own name, even from men on earth. But all the while, as with the heir of Balaam, as with Job, as in the case of Job, we find that, in a sense, his power is borrowed. He draws men into sin so that the righteousness of God will take over. There is the power of death. Christ comes to deliver from these tactics. Interesting, too, that Satan, after he has tempted, he then taunts. Isn't it strange? that he would appear as an angel of light, he would appear as a way of freedom. Well, just give in to this. And then once you do, he's there to be the accuser of the brethren. I've been reading the biography of Martin Luther, Here I Stand, and he had two ways of dealing with the devil in his life when he was troubled. One was directly. He would tell Satan when Satan would accuse him, he would say, Satan, why don't you go to the presence of God and find mercy for yourself? Why don't you see how it goes for you? If you take yourself into God's presence and ask for grace. And then he had indirect ways of dealing with him as well. He said, there are times when the believer has to realize that Satan is incredibly wise. After 5,000 years of tempting men, he knows where the weaknesses are. And if you don't fall on the first temptation, then it'll be that he'll set up a temptation of attrition. And over time, you'll be weakened to fall into that temptation. And he says at times like this that perhaps you need to take an indirect approach to Satan. Be found in fellowship and not alone. He even mentioned feasting and found in times of delight with your family, Satan hates a joyful countenance. And he said these were ways that he would deal with the many deceptions, the temptings of the devil. For all that Satan is in his murdering and his lying, what is the state of man when he falls? Man, when he is deceived, is also man who is responsible. We really can't say the devil made me do it. We are the ones that bear the guilt. We are the ones that when we have fallen we know that we are the ones that are also responsible. Just as through one man sin entered the world, and through death sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Once man falls before this murderer, man himself is responsible. Man himself needs deliverance. Raymond Brown calls death the fear of the future. and guilt the fear of the past. This is the miserable state of man who has fallen, fallen to his own sin. Interesting to think of how Christ has saved us. How has he become our deliverance? He has done so by death itself. What if Christ took a different tack? What if he says, you know what? I will just stop the devil. I will stop this murderer. But that would be an incomplete salvation, wouldn't it? It wouldn't help those who had already fallen into sin, and it wouldn't help those who fall into sin of their own accord without help from the devil himself. Christ comes at the very end stage, death itself. Sin brings death, and Christ, to capture all that he would have his own, comes and tastes death for them. So we see in verse 14, Through death, he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. Christ affords us a radical change in our view of death. Christ has destroyed him who has the power of death. Christ has delivered us who through fear were subject to lifelong slavery. Here again is a challenging quote from Luther, He says, he who fears death or is unwilling to die is not a Christian to a sufficient degree. For those who fear death still lack faith in the resurrection since they love this life more than they love the life to come. He who does not die willingly should not be called a Christian. Do you feel the weight of that passage? That is a challenging quote. But if we follow that quote, and if we seek to find ourselves in Christ, and if we believe what we have read before us in verse 15, that he has delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Brethren, may we don't meet this full quote yet, but we should be endeavoring after this understanding. This radical view of death, so different from our day and age. I think our culture is one that backs into death. Avoiding it so much of their life, they find themselves at death's door, altogether unprepared. And yet in Christ, we should be endeavoring after a radically different idea. This quote is great. It stirs me up and it shows me my failing. At the same time, it presses me to Christ and to begin again to think in my mind, what is death? Why have I feared it? How has Christ released me from that fear? Do you see your own need as well to develop the thoughts of death in Christ so you'd have this radically different view? We must learn to perceive death in this new way. And I'm convinced, sadly, even many of us as Christians do not. We still have that fear clinging to us of death. We still fear that day. We fear the consequences. We even have a dread. Are we still living in a lifelong dread when Christ, the deliverance, has come from God? Fourthly, Verses 16 and 18, we see Jesus is our high priest. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. So here we see Jesus, our high priest. In verse 16, we find that Jesus does not help the angels. He didn't come in the likeness of angels. He as the sanctifier, and we as the sanctified, are of one source. He came into that humanity. He came into the same family. that we could be saved. And brethren, I hope this gives us a renewed sense of gratitude. All in his righteousness, Christ could have said, I'm not coming in the likeness of man. I'm not coming. You have made your own bed. You can now lie in it. This is not the state of the angels. We know of no redemption for angels. Christ didn't come to save angels. He didn't come in their likeness. He didn't come to bring deliverance to them. But he did come in deliverance for men and women. He came for the deliverance of his own. He could have left us to ourselves. This should stir us up to a deep gratitude that he has been made like us to save us. So we've seen that he has made like us. Verse 17, therefore he had to be made like his brothers. Made like us. This is a summary almost of the entire second half of this chapter. Verse 10, to be a fitting pattern, he had to be made for us to be a fitting pattern for God to bring many sons to glory. Verses 11 through 15, he had to be made like us to show the family unity and calling brothers in the deepest, calling us brothers in the deepest sense. Verses 14 and 15, to destroy the devil, he had to come in our likeness and to deliver us from the fears of death. Could it be that there is more than this? And the answer is indeed, yes, there is yet even more. Verse 16, he came to help the offspring of Abraham. Verse 17, he came to become a merciful and faithful high priest. He is merciful to us. and he is faithful in his service to God. Verse 17, he had to be made like us to make propitiation for the sins of the people. And this word means that Christ satisfies the wrath of God. He doesn't divert the wrath of God. He doesn't postpone the wrath of God. In fact, this is often why translators want to retain the word propitiation. rather than atonement, or even rather than expiation, because it has the sense that he has taken within himself, received all the divine wrath of God, and therefore has put an end to it. There's no more wrath to be placed on his people, because Christ took it all. And many shun away from this. They say, how can a father put that on his son? But this is Christ who became like us for this very reason, Christ who is perfected in suffering. He is our propitiation. In verse 18, we find also he had to be made like his brothers to help those being tempted. From his own experience and suffering and temptation, Christ is now a sympathetic high priest. Spurgeon said, if Jesus never wept, he could never dry my tears. a Savior that comes alongside, a Savior that knows your condition and your temptation. And indeed, Christ, when He faced that temptation, He faced it to a much higher degree than we ever would. Why do I say that? Because when we face temptation, it seems we often give into it. That's not how you find the strength of an enemy. You find the strength of an enemy when you fight that enemy. And Christ fought it without ever falling before it. And so he knew the highest degrees of temptation of any that ever lived. And with that, he is able to be a merciful high priest to us, a faithful high priest in the service of God. And so here we see that Jesus is our high priest. In this passage, we see the salvation of God. Then we saw union with God. Then we saw deliverance from God. And we're end and have the continuing sense of the high priest of God. Three points of application as we look at these points. Indeed, this is a glorious and fitting salvation for us, isn't it? the pattern that God has set forth. From the heart and mind of a creator, we have a perfected founder of our salvation. Christ's made like us, dying to bring life, destroying the devil and delivering us from the lifelong fear of death, and then continuing as our high priest. For the first application, I would urge us to reflect on his union with us. Christ and His people are one source. He was made like His brethren to be part of the same family and to lead that family in deliverance. You know, it's this passage in reviewing against my own life. I realized that as I walk as a Christian, I often think of it in terms of how can I be a better Christian? How can I endeavor after holiness? How can I, in a sense, how can I be more Christ-like at the end of the day than when I started? And you know, there's a balance to that thinking. Those are good thoughts. We should be endeavoring after that holiness, and we should be seeking to be Christ-like. But you know, I realized in this chapter that I don't often give equal time to thinking not only about man becoming Christ-like, but Christ becoming man-like. He so comes into our sphere. He so enters in. And I admit that my thoughts turned toward this at Christmas, right, for about two weeks, but then I'm back on the track of how can I do better? How can I meet the law? How can I not meet the law for my salvation, but how can I, as a new creature with the law written on my heart, endeavor after a principled obedience with a heart of love? How often when I take the Lord's table have I thought, I'm endeavoring to be one with Christ. And yet that's the very face of the reality is that the greater reality is and what's predicated on is that Christ first became like man. When we break those elements, we're remembering that he was a man who was broken, that he was made like unto his brethren. True thoughts of oneness after a while actually seemed to kind of remove the sense of direction. For instance, I'm endeavoring to be like Christ. That seems to have a direction to it. Before that ever happened, Christ came to be like man. Those seem to have directions to them. But as Christ and his father were one, as he tells us in John, and as he desires that we would be one, you know, I've noticed after many years of marriage, It becomes a lot less, honey, I'm doing this for you, are you gonna do something for me? I can say that characterized early years of my marriage, right? I did that, so I'm kind of expecting something back. But you know what, over the years, and as you become one, and as you live the same life, you begin to desire the same things, you begin to move as a unit. You begin to, almost like that distinction of I'm doing this for you, you're doing this for me, it almost seems to get removed. And you're just, I don't know, for lack of a better word, and I almost don't like this word, but for the zen of marriage, the being together and moving in heart and mind and love for one another, it seems to kind of smooth those edges down. And aren't our marriages in the early years often more pictured or more characterized by competition? Because competition is sort of that I'm giving to you, I'm expecting something back. We have a direction in our oneness. And I would think one of the pictures As we reflect on Christ's union with us, and as we seek to walk in a holy way with Him, it's almost like the road to Emmaus. We're walking together, and there's an interaction both ways. Obviously, Christ has much more to give us than we ever have to give Him. I'm not saying that. But as there's a oneness, it seems to fade certain elements of, I'm giving to you, and I'm receiving from you. It almost seems like you are together. You're enjoying the presence of God. God is your portion. which seems to have a more static conception about it. But in Christ, we have victory. This union with Christ, we have victory over sin, death, and the devil. A triple victory in Christ. In Christ, we are called sons and brothers and children. In Christ, the one who has the power of death, the devil is destroyed. All these things are in Christ. In Christ, we are delivered from the fear of death. In Christ, the offspring of Abraham is helped. In Christ, we have a merciful and faithful high priest who can particularly help us because he has suffered and he was tempted. Secondly, in addition to reflecting on his union with us, I would seek to have us revive our efforts in sanctification. Christianity is not just a future thing. Christianity is not just about getting to heaven. When he says that he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of one source, one family, in this is an active and present seeking out for holiness. Let us revive our efforts in this sanctification. Let verse 11 sink in. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. Brethren, do we sometimes get in the mode where I'll just ride a little bit easier and my big glorification, my big sanctification will be at my glorification. And yet again, I'm gonna allude to J.C. Ryle in his book. He says, if you're not seeking holiness now in this life, then you're not being more fitted for heaven. Imagine if you retain all your worldly desires, heaven holds no joy for you. Imagine if you want the carnal things of this world, and yet heaven is a place where people are going to be speaking of Christ. Imagine if Sunday, even with repeated practice, the worship just doesn't seem to be your thing. What kind of place is heaven? If your heart is not endeavoring and thirsting after worship, heaven's actually a miserable place for those who are not fitted for it. How do we become fitted for it? Our advancement in holiness in Christ here makes us more fit for heaven, makes heaven more desirous. Those with wicked desires won't be happy in heaven. If you are not drawn to worship on the Lord's day now, how can heaven possibly be a good prospect in your mind? If you can't wait to be free from sitting at his feet, but would rather be on your own time, then that city which is that of his own radiance and presence is apparently not the city you're looking for. But brethren, if your heart is pressing and longing to be found among the things that are mentioned in Philippians 4.8, The scripture says, finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent and praiseworthy, think about these things. If this is a desire of your heart and the tenor of your day, Heaven shines ever brighter before you, doesn't it? That's the place where these things are realized. That's the place where these joys are truly joys indeed. Heaven is now a blossoming rose. It's a Sabbath rest that remains. It's a place of delight because your soul is being fitted for heaven. This is why reviving our efforts for sanctification, the family trait of Christ's people, it's so good now that it makes heaven ever brighter as well. Thirdly, lastly, let us rethink suffering and death. God perfected the founder of our faith through suffering. We are delivered through his death. The suffering church needs to rejoice in its savior who suffered. Arkent Hughes says, when the church is suffering and the Hebrew believers or the recipients of this letter of Hebrews are on, many believe, the precipice of even greater suffering. And he says, what does suffering do for us? Suffering is a sign of solidarity with the Lord Jesus. We remember from John 15 that a servant is not greater than his master. And brethren, let us pray, and let us pray for one another as well, that we will lose the fear of suffering and rightly understand it as we are found in Christ. Let us rethink suffering and death. Christ has radically transformed death for the Christian. We have this triple victory over sin, death, and the devil. Christ, by his death, destroyed the devil, who has the power of death. Christ delivers us from the fear of death and lifelong slavery. And I found sometimes even maybe redefining, making sure we're looking at the issues clearly. What is death? For years, I found myself fearing death. And then when redefined, and I believe seen more clearly, what I was really fearing is the weakness of life that leads up to death. And so we are soldiers, are we not? And we are those that are endeavoring to serve Christ in the weakness. And we know what that's like even today. Death is a stepping through of that door, if you will, into the delightful presence of Christ himself. But to think about death, and again, to see it from within Christ, and to seek that view of death, which proves that we are no longer in dread of it, that we are standing in Christ and he has delivered us from it. Our growth with the reality of fear and death underscores our need and our blessing that Christ is our merciful and faithful high priest. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this fitting salvation. We bless you for the union of Christ with us. It still strikes us with amazement that he would humble himself in the incarnation to come as man, to taste death for us, to suffer for us, to deliver us. Nor we thank you for our high priest who ever stands. The banners of mercy and the banners of faithfulness fly over him as he attends all things for his people at the right hand of the majesty on high. Help us, Lord, to be a holy people unto you. Help us to enter into that view of death that is seen from within Christ, having delivered us from it. Again, we bless you and thank you and ask for your spirit to aid us in these things. In Jesus' name, amen.