As you all know, we give no credibility whatever to any sense of holy days or special religious days. December 25th is no holier than June the 10th. There's no special significance concerning it, but it is a marvelous thing in God's providence that he has arranged it so that every year, this time of the year, the whole world, everybody in the world is compelled to deal with the fact that God himself stepped into humanity 2,000 years ago. Everybody has to deal with that. Either denying it, refusing to bow to God's revelation, or rejoicing in it. But everybody is confronted with that fact, and I'm delighted that it's so. More than that, I'm delighted that I'm reminded. I'm reminded of our Lord's marvelous advent to redeem and save His people. His accomplishments on our behalf. And I want to talk to you about that this evening. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 2. If God will enable me to preach it, he's given me a message. Why did Christ come? Why did Christ come? Everyone in this town, with few exceptions, are celebrating this week the fact that Christ came. There are very few people who know, who even have a clue, as to why Christ came into this world. Why did the Son of God assume our nature? Was there any necessity for the incarnation? Surely there must have been one, else he would not have come. If there is such a necessity, what is it? What compelled the Son of God to come into this world in our nature. And I ask those questions, not with irreverent carnal curiosity, but with utter reverence for God, my Savior. If he who is God, over all, blessed forever, stepped into humanity, came down here and became one of us, if he who is God stoops to become a man, If he who is rich in mercy makes himself poor for our sakes, if he who is Lord of all becomes servant for our sakes, surely there must be some great necessity for such condensation. What is that necessity? Surely the answer to the question will inspire our hearts to worship him, to trust him, to serve him more fully. Surely it will. Surely the answer to that question will enable us tonight to see something of His majesty and His greatness and His goodness as God our Savior and compel our hearts to His throne, bowing to Him and worshiping Him. And the answer isn't hard to find. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2 if you haven't already found it. It's written out plainly in this book. You don't have to guess about why Christ Jesus came into the world. It's written in many, many places and written in detail in many places. We're told in Hebrews 10 that our Lord Jesus came here to do the will of God. Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. So he stepped into the world. He came in time and assumed our nature in a real human body to accomplish the will of God. Which will is the salvation of His people? He came here to accomplish the will of God for the glory of God and the saving of His people. He came here to save His people from their sins. And Brother Allen just mentioned in his prayer, Thou shalt call His name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins. His name is Emmanuel. God with us. God in our nature. He came down here to save his people. Those who were his people long before he came into this world. To save them from their sins. Now either he did it or he's a failure. and blessed be His name, He is no failure. It is written of Him, He shall not fail. Our Lord Jesus came here to die that God might be just and the justifier of all who believe on Him. Christ came here so that God might be a just God and a Savior. The Lord God Almighty could never show any sinner mercy. The Lord God could never save any sinner except by the sacrifice of his own darling son. If there had been another way by which God could save our souls, then the Apostle Paul writes by divine inspiration and says, Christ died in vain. But of all places in Scripture, None gives us a more detailed view of the reason for our Lord's incarnation than Hebrews chapter 2. I want you to just hold your Bibles open here at Hebrews 2. We'll begin at verse 9 and go through the end of the chapter. In these verses of Scripture, God the Holy Spirit gives us five distinct clear answers to this question, why did Christ come? I'm going to deliberately spend the bulk of my time with the first answer. The others will follow in order. First look at verses 9 through 13 and understand this. Our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, came into this world assuming our nature. He became one of us for the suffering of death. For the suffering of death. Verse 9 begins with But we see Jesus. What a way to begin a message. But we see Jesus. Paul had been describing how that God made the world and made man to rule over the world and put all things in subjection under the feet of man. Even the angels themselves made to be ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation. But we don't see all things put under the feet of man. What does man control? What does man rule? What's in subjection to man? Nothing. Nothing. But there is a man seated in glory under whose feet God has put all things and he shall soon put all things under the feet of all who are in him. We see Jesus. How do we see Him? Not by visions and dreams, not by idolatrous pictures of a wimpy effeminate looking man that folks have drawn, but rather we see him the same way that Abel and Abraham and Noah and Enoch and Job saw him. We see him by faith. By the revelation of God, the Holy Spirit, through the book of God. Our Lord Jesus said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Believers are people who by God-given faith see Christ as He revealed in the book and really see Him. We see Him. We see Him as our mighty Savior incarnate. God in our nature. God come to save. People laugh and poke fun and say, how can you believe such a thing? I believe it because it's revealed in this book. And I believe it because the God-man, my Redeemer, is the only one who could and did put away sin. I believe him because Christ has made himself known in me, giving me life his own life, making me partaker of the divine nature. Now, I can't persuade anybody else to see that. I can't persuade you to see that. Some of you look a little bit glassy-eyed, like I don't understand that, preacher. I pray before this hour is over, you will. I pray before this hour is over, you will. We see Jesus. We perceive Him. We apprehend Him. We know Him. We possess Him. We live in Him. We see Jesus, this one who came to save His people from their sins. We see Him because He saved us from our sins. We see our Lord Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient substitute for sinners. We see Him totally successful in His work as our Redeemer. Verse 9 now, look at this. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels. Watch this. For the suffering of death. He was made lower than the angels for this purpose. He was made to be a man for this purpose. For the suffering of death. We see Him crowned with glory and honor. But he was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. God's darling Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, came here as a man, came here as one of us, assuming a real human body and a real human soul, made in all things like we are, sin alone accepted. that he might be in a condition to suffer death. He said in Hebrews 10 verse 5, a body hast thou prepared me. A body hast thou prepared me. A body in which to live. A body in which to die. A body in which to obey God unto the full satisfaction of justice by my death. body and wished to rise again. He became lower than the angels. He became lower than his father, subjecting himself to God voluntarily as Jehovah's servant. He became lower than the angels for a while, made in the likeness of men, so that he who created the angels makes himself a man lower than the angels. More than that, He became a man. He stooped to become a man. And he stooped to become the least of men. The lowest of men. You ever wonder what our Lord meant when he said concerning John the Baptist, among all that are born of women, none is greater than John the Baptist. But I tell you that he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Well who was that? Who was that? That one who is least in the kingdom of God is he who stooped to be made sin for us. That he might suffer all the wrath of God in our room instead. He came into this world in our humanity. He stooped to become a man. That he might stoop to be made sin. That he might stoop to die. Otherwise we could never have been redeemed. That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. He came here to save, but in order to be our savior, he had to become our substitute, our sin offering. He had to die, but he couldn't die except to become one of us. Therefore, that he might taste death for us, that he might suffer under the wrath of God, he became one of us. Now this was the necessity. Look at verse 10. For it became him. It was necessary for him. It behooved him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Look at the rest of this chapter. And you see those words every man. Understand two things. Understand two things. This book was written on purpose by God to confuse men who will not believe God. You don't have to answer and you don't have to know the answer. You don't even have to concern yourself with finding the answer to all the objections being raised to the doctrine of the gospel. Well, what does that mean if Christ just died for his elect? What does that mean if by the grace of God she takes death for every man? God put that there just on that purpose. Just that purpose. But the context explains exactly what the every man refers to. Understand, first, the book is written to confuse unbelieving men. But understand, secondly, that every passage of Scripture understood in its context is perfectly clear. And there's no place in this book that even gives a hint that Christ died for every person in the world. What does this every man refer to then? Every man spoken of in this context. Every son of God. Every era salvation everyone of the seed of Abraham. Let's look at it and see the first reference here is to God the triune Jehovah Father Son and Holy Ghost it became him it became him Salvation was an act worthy of God Salvation, the redemption of our souls, is an act worthy of God, displaying all the glorious attributes of God, but it's an act accomplished only by the sacrifice of God's own Son. The second reference in this passage is to God's elect in bringing many sons to glory. These sons are those sinners chosen and predestinated to the adoption of children, redeemed by Christ, called by His Spirit, heirs of heavenly glory. There are many of them, many out of every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue who shall be called, redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, chosen of God in eternity, and they shall be born again, many sons. The third person mentioned in our text is our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. the incarnate God. Here he is called the captain of their salvation. What a great word for him. He's the captain because he's the author of it. He's the captain because he's the guide and leader. He's the captain because he's Lord and King. By the Father's purpose and love, and because of the Father's righteousness, justice, and truth, the Savior must suffer perfectly. all that the law and justice of God required if God would save His people. The only way Christ could redeem us is in a way that's completely in agreement with all the attributes of God. Justice and truth, mercy and grace, righteousness and peace, wrath and love, all the attributes of God must be satisfied in the sacrifice of His Son. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that he died for our sins according to the scriptures. That is, as all the sacrifices of the Old Testament. Why did God require all those sacrifices? For 2,000 years, all those sacrifices. Every morning, every day, every night. Why all those sacrifices? Why did God send judgment? Judgment upon nations. So He commands His people under His Word to invade a land and destroy every human being in that land. Now you try explaining that. You try explaining that. God is love. God said kill them all! God is love. How can you explain that? He who is love is justice and truth. And he will by no means clear the guilty. And he will and does punish sin and he tells us over and over and over again Day after day after day men stop there is and say shut up. I don't want to hear it God tells you every time you read of any crime every time you read of any sickness every time you read of any death every time you read of any violence pestilence disease earthquake Tornado war whatever it is God says i'm going to punish sin prepare to meet God, you're about to die. You're about to die. Christ Jesus, if He would redeem us, must redeem us in a way that displays and satisfies completely all the attributes of God. Let me just give you two. God commendeth love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Oh my soul, what amazing love. Christ Jesus died in our stead. He came here because of God's great love to redeem and save our souls. And God, when he made his son to be sin for us, cried, awake, O sword, against the man that is my fellow, smite and slay the shepherd. And our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, for the suffering of death, became a man that he might endure all the hail of God's justice at one time and satisfy it completely. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who knew no sin, made sin, suffered all the wrath of God because of the love of God for His elect. and because of the justice of God that must be satisfied. All those that Christ came to save, all for whom he tasted death by the grace of God, all his chosen brethren are the gift of God to him. Look at verse 12. I'm sorry, look at verse 11, but don't miss this. Christ is both our sanctifier and our sanctification. Watch this. For both he that sanctifieth And they who are sanctified are all of one. More literally, both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all one. All one. For which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren. The Son of God is not ashamed to look down here on this earth and call such things as you and me his brothers. He said, behold, my mother and my brother and my father and my sister. Behold, these are my family. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. Our Lord Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. Brethren given to him in covenant mercy. Look at verse 12. Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. There he quotes from Psalm 22. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children which God hath given me. And there he quotes from Isaiah chapter 8. How is it that Christ receives his people? He received us, his children, as the gift of his Father given to him in electing love before the world was when the Lord God trusted all the household to the firstborn Son, trusted all the care of the house to the firstborn, trusted all the care of the house to that One who is the firstborn, who is the Good Shepherd, who is the surety of the everlasting covenant. And there He is by blood atonement. He redeemed us. Purchased us out from the bondage of iniquity out from the curse of the law out from the pit of destruction And then he has them given to him at the appointed time of love the Spirit of God comes and Gives the chosen redeemed sinner into the hands of the Savior Effectually causing sinners loved and chosen and redeemed of Christ to come to him to believe him All right, that's the first thing. Our Savior came here for the suffering of death, that he might die the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross. Second, our Lord Jesus came here as a man for the purpose of destroying the devil. Look at verse 14. For as much then as children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same, that he through death might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. Now I've got to look at that word destroy this afternoon. Commonly the word has the idea of just complete annihilation. That's not what our Lord came here to do. He didn't come here to annihilate Satan. He came here to destroy him. destroy his power, to destroy his intent, to destroy his influence, to overturn everything Satan had done of harm and evil in God's creation, to turn it all back on him and make him suffer for it. In Genesis 3 15, this is our God's word to Satan. Let's do it. I will put enmity in between thee and the woman. I will put enmity, God said to the serpent, between you and the woman. This is God's doing. I will put enmity between Satan and the woman, between the child of God and the child of wrath. I'll put enmity between the church and the world. I'll put enmity between you and the woman. between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Since those whom our Lord redeems are of human nature, Christ became a man, but he became a man that he might deliver us from the power of Satan, and in delivering us that he might undo all the evil Satan had done, that he might destroy Satan. As John put it, that he might destroy the works of the devil. And that's what he did. He came here and destroyed Satan. He's that mighty angel who came down from heaven with a great chain in his hand and he bound Satan. and cast him into the bottomless pit, and put a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more until he's loose for a little season, and that too by God's order and God's decree. And so our Savior came here, that one who has power over death. That doesn't mean that he has the power to take anybody's life. No, no, no, no, no. Satan can't kill a flea. Satan doesn't have power over death. He is that one who by the instigation of sin is the cause of death. And Christ came to overturn the cause. Christ came to make an end to the cause. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to destroy him that had power over death. That one who was like a black hooded hangman. God gave him power. Satan otherwise couldn't kill or destroy anything. comes in his grace and destroys his power over us. As he did with Lazarus when Lazarus was raised from the dead. So he comes to his old in resurrection power and destroys the work of Satan in us. He binds the strong man and cast him out. Third, look at verse 15. The Son of God came down here to die for us that he by the merit of his blood and the power of his grace might deliver us from the fear of death. He came to destroy the devil and to deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Fear of death. Oh, how men fear death. The great dreaded enemy. How people fear death. I've seen people, religious and otherwise, get news they've got cancer, or get news they've got heart trouble, or get news they're real sick and about to die. Oh my, how things change. How things change. get rid of television start reading the Bible all day and start to act different and they Start going to church real regular and everything is just real real Real religious because they're afraid of death and then when the fears over They've maintained a little Similarity to religion, but it's all gone because folks Fear death they fear death But there's no reason for you who are gods to fear death. There's no reason for us who are redeemed, who live with Christ and in Christ, washed in His blood, made the righteousness of God in Him, born of His Spirit, saved by His grace, no reason for us to fear death. There's absolutely no reason. God, give us grace. upon the death of this body, God give me grace to look upon the dying of this body of flesh as a thing to be desired. As a thing to be anticipated. As a thing to be rejoiced in for the believer when he drops this robe of flesh. Forever drops in death his old nature and lives unto God. Number four, look at verse 60. The Son of God came down here. He became a man. Because before the world was, he took hold on a covenant people and pledged himself their surety to redeem and save those covenant people and the father Trusted those covenant people into his hands. They say that's all verse 16 says For barely he took not on him the nature of angels Weren't there some fallen angels Don't you remember reading about some fallen angels in Revelation 12 and Don't you remember reading in Jude about some fallen angels? Well, why didn't God show them any mercy? Why didn't the Lord Jesus take hold of them? Why didn't He come to save them? Because He purposed not to do so. He purposed not to do so. He left them in their ruin. They fell and He left them. held in chains of darkness reserved to the day of judgment. He took not on him the nature of angels. Now watch this next line. But he took on him, that is, he took hold of the seed of Adam. You know what it says, isn't it, David? That's not what it says. He took on him, he took hold of the seed of Abraham. Why didn't he say Adam? Because he didn't take on him the seed of Adam. He didn't take hold of all Adam's seed. He didn't take hold of all the human race. But rather he passed by the reprobate and took hold on God's elect and said, I'll come and redeem and save my covenant people. And so he came here to become a man. And he came here to suffer and die and rise again to accomplish redemption for Abraham's chosen seed. He passed by the fallen angels and the multitudes of Aaron's fallen race. But bless God, he would not, he could not, He did not pass by Abraham's chosen seed. They're called in Romans 9, vessels of mercy. Vessels of mercy. Vessels of mercy prepared by God himself for glory. All right, look at verse 17. Here's the fifth thing. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, came down here in flesh and blood He lived and died, rose again as a man, just like us, so that he could be just the Savior we need. Look at verse 17. Wherefore in all things it behooved him. Strong word. It was compelling to him, compelling to him. Oh no, nothing could compel Him to redeem us. Nothing could compel Him to save us. Nothing could compel Him to have mercy on us. But having mercy on us, if He would save us, the only way He could do it is to die for us. It behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren. I love these next words. That He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Christ came here that he might be a merciful. But God was merciful before, yes. But the God-man has mercy. How can I say this? How can I communicate this? The God-man has mercy for sinners that God outside humanity cannot have. He's touched with the feeling of our infirmities. A merciful and faithful high priest. I suppose it's got a lot to do with age, but Shelby and I frequently, while we're having coffee in the mornings and frequently before we turn the lights out at night, comment about God's great faithfulness. Oh, how he's proved himself over and over and over all these years. The God-man, our Redeemer. That one who is merciful, faithfully rules the universe for us, and exercises faithfulness in all he does for us. He didn't become a man just for folks to sing about at Christmas time or talk about at Easter time. Had he not become a man, he could never have been a high priest to make a sacrifice and atonement for sin. Had he not become a man, he could never have had anything to offer as a sacrifice, he would have had no blood to shed. Had he not become a man to obey the law of God for us, he would have had no righteousness as a man to plead as our mediator in the court of heaven. Had he not become a man, he could never have been made sin for us. Had he not become a man, he could never have died for us. Only by becoming a man could the Lord of Glory become a great high priest who has himself endured and prevailed over all the temptations we face. Verse 18, for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common with man. But God will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it. And that way of escape is Christ the Lord. In the midst of your trials, in the midst of heartache, in the midst of trouble, in the midst of pain and confusion, I'm going to give you the wisest counsel you'll ever get from any man. Look to Christ. Worship the Son of God. Trust the Savior. No matter what the trouble is, no matter what the pain is, no matter what the heartache is, look to Christ. Trust the Son of God, your Savior. He was tempted in all points, like as we are, yet without sin. But he who knew no sin and did no sin was made sin. So that the crucified Christ, the Christ who sits upon the throne of heaven, The Christ who holds the reins of the universe was tempted in all points like as we are. Nothing excepted. Behold Him in Gethsemane. Behold Him on Calvary and understand that He is a great high priest in heaven Touched with the feeling of our infirmities. That means, Mark Daniel, nothing touches you that doesn't touch Him. Nothing. Nothing. The Lord Jesus saw Mary and Martha. Mary weeping at her brother's tomb. She was just crying convulsively. Said, we ought not do that. That's all right. That's all right. When he saw her crying convulsively, he wept. He wept. It wasn't that Mary didn't believe him. No, no, no. She knew. Lord, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Nobody ever died in his presence. She knew that. She knew that he was going to raise him from the dead. She didn't know what was about to happen, but she knew he was going to do it. She knew he was going to do it. She wept convulsively because she loved her brother and knew what an empty place was left in her life because Lazarus was taken away. Now, that's just fact. That's just fact. We don't have to act like stoics. Don't feel anything. Well, I want to be manly about this. No, no, no, no, no, no. The Lord Jesus saw her weeping and he wept. But he didn't weep convulsively. He didn't. He wasn't just sobbing and sobbing and sobbing. He wept because he's touched with what's touched Mary. My brother, my sister, God, your Savior, is touched with what touches you. And he's able to succor, to help with compassion them that are tempted. My older sister, we used to, you folks who are younger, you can't appreciate this. Most of us here can. We used to go to the clinic in Western Salem and get vaccinated for everything. We had to get shots all the time. My sister is four years older than me and she's still scared to death of a needle. When we'd go get vaccinated, I would help those nurses and those orderlies hold my older sister still so they could get a needle in her. And she'd scream and squawk, and it didn't bother me a bit. She's my older sister. I didn't mind seeing her scream and squawk. When I said that the other day at the table with Doug and Will, he said, he said, when Arden Grace had to have some work done, he said, I had to hold her. He said, I sure felt that. I sure felt that. Not like the Son of God feels our infirmity. He's touched with the feeling of our infirmity. Here's the difference. Wasn't one thing Doug could do about it. Not one thing he could do about it. Christ can, and he does. He who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities quickly delivers his own. Oh, thank you, blessed Savior, for coming here in my nature, for redeeming me, calling me by your grace, for ruling the universe for me, for interceding on my behalf, for the blessed promise that soon you shall complete your deliverance of me exactly according to your purpose. I hope you can enter into that. And if you can, I'll send you home with this word. Oh, merry, merry, merry Christmas. Blessed is your life if you have a life in the Son of God. Amen.