Christmas Sermon 2021

Hebrews 2:10-18:

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The sermon below was given at a Chinese Church and translated into Cantonese. When I prepare a sermon that will be translated into a language unfamiliar to me I write it out in short, simple sentences for the sake of the interpreter (whose job is very difficult!) and also for the sake of clarity. Cross-linguistic communication is so fraught with challenges and obstacles that it has always seemed best to me to keep such sermons as basic and streamlined as possible.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then there are many different words in the Bible that apply to you.

One of those words is “sheep.”

Jesus called his followers his sheep.

Sheep are stupid.

All sheep are stupid.

A friend of mine worked with sheep in Montana.

He said to me, “Everything you have heard about sheep is true.”

“They’re stupid.”

I said, “How do you know that?”

He said, “A sheep will get its neck caught in a fence, and so you will go and pull it out.”

“And then it immediately will stick its neck in the fence in the same spot and get caught all over again.”

Sheep are stupid.

Maybe someone will say, “I am not stupid, like a sheep!”

“I am smart, like a goat.”

Perhaps you are right.

But Jesus said the sheep go to heaven and the goats go to hell.

So I would rather be a stupid sheep than a smart goat.

Sheep don’t have to be smart.

They only have to be wise enough to listen to their master’s voice.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.”

“And no one will snatch them out of hand.”

Followers of Jesus Christ are sheep.

Here is another word that applies to followers of Jesus Christ:

Slave.

The Virgin Mary, and St Paul, and St James, and St Jude all called themselves slaves of God.

Jesus said that we should call ourselves “slaves.”

He said In Luke 17:10, “When you have done everything commanded of you, you should say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have only done our duty.’”

Maybe someone will say, “I am not an unworthy slave!”

Perhaps you are right.

Maybe you are not good enough to be an unworthy slave.

Jesus said when you have done everything commanded of you, you should say you are an unworthy slave.

I have not done everything commanded of me.

But I hope someday God makes me good enough to be an unworthy slave.

Here is another word the Bible uses to describe followers of Jesus.

Evil.

Jesus said, in Matthew 7:11: If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

You will notice in that sentence that Jesus called his followers evil.

Perhaps someone will say, “I am not evil.”

Yes you are.

You may know how to do some good things, like give good gifts to your children.

But you are still evil.

The Bible says that your righteousness is as filthy rags.

The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The Bible says that there is no one righteous, no, not even one.

People who follow Jesus Christ are evil.

People who don’t follow Jesus Christ are evil.

Everyone is evil.

So to sum up: Followers of Jesus Christ are stupid sheep, unworthy slaves and evil people.

I know that sounds bad.

But thank God there are other words in the Bible that also describe followers of Jesus Christ.

One of those words is in our text in Hebrews chapter 2.

It is the word “brother” or “sister.”

That is, a brother or sister of Jesus Christ.

Verse 11 says Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

In verse 12 he says “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters.”

The Bible say that followers of Jesus Christ are his brothers and sisters.

But how can that be possible?

How can an evil person, a stupid sheep, an unworthy slave, be a brother of Jesus Christ?

I can think of two reasons why this should be impossible.

First, because Jesus is God and we are not.

The Bible says many times that Jesus is God.

In Hebrews 1:8, God the Father says to him, “Your throne, O God, is forever.”

John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Jesus is the Word; Jesus is God.

In John 8:58 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I am.”

“I am” was the name for God.

So if Jesus is God, how could any human being be a brother or sister of God?

We could never become God.

But God could become one of us.

We do not have the power to turn ourselves into God.

But he has the power to turn himself into a human being.

That is not impossible for God.

The Bible says nothing is impossible for God.

The joy of Christmas is that 2000 years ago God turned himself into a human being.

Verse 14 of our text says that since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.

Verse 16 says he had to be made like them, fully human in every way.

And Philippians 2:6-7 says that though Jesus shared equality with God he was made in human likeness.

2,000 years ago God turned himself into a human being.

He did this so that he could call stupid sheep, unworthy slaves and evil people his brothers and sisters.

But there is more.

I said there were TWO reasons why it should be impossible that we could be brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

The second reason is, he is good and we are not.

The Bible says he committed no sin.

But we commit sins every day.

He is full of glory.

And we are full of shame.

Shouldn’t he be ashamed to call us brothers and sisters?

But verse 11 says that he is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.

How is that possible?

It is possible because he not only took human flesh upon himself.

He also took human sin upon himself.

Isaiah 53 says he bore the sin of many.

It says that the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In a stable in Bethlehem Jesus took on human flesh.

And on a cross in Jerusalem he took on human sin.

He did this because he loved us.

He did this so that he could call us brothers and sisters, and not be ashamed.

He did this so that we could all belong to one family – the family of God.

Trust in Jesus Christ.

And he will be your Savior, and your Shepherd, and your Brother.

Let us pray.

Lord God, I have sinned against you.

I am a stupid sheep, an unworthy slave, and an evil person.

But Jesus your Son became a human being for people like me.

And he died on the cross for people like me.

Please accept his perfect life on my behalf.

Please don’t let his sacrifice on the cross be for nothing.

But accept his death as payment for my sin.

Please accept me into your family so that Jesus can be my brother forever.

And never be ashamed of me.

Amen.