- December 21 – Step Into Obedience (Hebrews 5:7–10) – Pastor Matt Krachunis – LOVE
Everyone loves Jesus at Christmas. People who don’t think about Him all year still love the story of His birth. His birth matters because your life and eternity matter. Its not just a good story - But Hebrews 5 tells us why He came: and the answer is not sentimental. He came to obey. He came to suffer. He came to save. And everything He did, He did out of love.///
- At Christmas, we don’t just celebrate His birth. We celebrate His obedient love that saves us///
- Heb 5:7–10 shows He loves us sacrificially, obediently, eternally And He loves us perfectly
Step into his obedience.
1. Jesus loves us sacrificially
- We are in the 4th week of Advent, preparing for Christmas eve. Today is the theme of love
- Heb 5:7 Say- who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,
- Jesus was fully God and fully man at the same time. God did not visit humanity. God entered it.
- He felt pain, entered death fully, and was delivered out of death through resurrection
- John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
- That is not metaphor. That is Christmas
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: “Mild He lays His glory by”“Born that man no more may die…”
- He laid His glory down because death was the mission.
- Jesus didn’t become a Savior by progression. Not a process of fulfillment. He always was.
- John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory
- He has always been the eternal Son who came in the flesh to suffer in our place.
- Hebrews wants you to understand something very clearly-His cries and tears were the cost of our salvation, not the steps toward His exaltation.
- He went through cries, tears, death because he was ‘all-in’ to save humanity
- Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
- Don’t miss this- the baby in the manger is going to be the man on the cross. That’s love.///
- What does it mean to you
- The sacrifice of Jesus displayed his love for us. it demands a response of sacrificial love from us
- Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. Disciples don’t just admire their teacher. They imitate him
- If my savior was sacrificial, it should inspire us to be sacrificial- in life and Christmas
- That’s what gift a is supposed to do. It’s a sacrifice to give something to someone instead of self
- But its more than just tangible gifts. You can give time, energy, attention, encouragement etc.
- A gift that costs nothing teaches nothing. Its not sacrificial if it costs you nothing.
- Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Love does not mean enabling sin. Its moving toward people the way Christ moved toward us.
- You don’t give someone a gift because they deserve it, you do it bc Christ demonstrated it
- We love stories of personal sacrifice in movies, but why don’t we live them ourselves?
2. Jesus loves us obediently
- v8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. V9 ‘to all who obey him’
- This does not mean Jesus moved from disobedience to obedience. It means His obedience was tested, proven, and carried all the way through suffering
- His obedience wasn’t a ladder He climbed to become divine. He obeyed perfectly because He already was eternal , and His obedience succeeded where ours never could.
- His arrival was obedience, as was his life, death and resurrection. obedience
- John 14:31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.
- Jesus obeyed because He loved the Father. Obedience is how love is expressed///
- He is the author of eternal salvation ‘to all who obey him’ . Those who are saved obey.
- Obedience is not the price of salvation. It is the evidence of it///
- We obey Him not to be saved, but because He already accomplished our salvation.
- Joy to the World says “Let every heart prepare Him room.” It’s a statement that says- as the Christ child has arrived, prepared for obedience, prepare your heart to receive him and be obedient to him. Not to earn salvation, but to obey his salvation that you’ve received.
- What did Jesus do- Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
- That’s the Jesus way- Full complete obedience to the father, even to the point of death
- We cannot do perfect obedience on our own. We need to HS to fill us and then assist us in our obedience, but we still must be obedient. We are to walk as Jesus walked and do what he does
- This is something I talk about constantly because the main ethos I see is a “Jesus did it all I’ll do nothing” Any church that talks about obedience gets labeled works based. That’s a dangerous misunderstanding of grace
- The point of college isn’t acceptance. A job interview isn’t to get employment. Marriage isn’t to have a ceremony. Kids aren’t just to have a baby. Everything has obedience on the other side
- Jesus was obedient to the father. we are obedient to him.
- Jn 6:38I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
- And that’s really the point of obedience. Its not the activities. Its everything. Biblical obedience is not partial compliance. Its not a negotiation where you say, ‘what exactly is required’ Its everything. Your life is no longer yours. Its full obedience in everything.
- I’m not threatening here, I’m explaining something. I could quit tomorrow and do something else. Much easier, make more money. But I’m TAKEN.///This is his will. I know it is. Obedience.
- Obedience doesn’t remove joy. It anchors it.
- We must jettison this ‘my calling, my destiny, my plan, my wants’. All he wants is all of you
- Who’s asking the Lord what areas of their life aren’t under his obedient submission?
- This is not extreme Christianity. This is reasonable Christianity. ///
- Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
- John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
- Jesus is not ‘keep My commandments so I will love you.’ He says obedience flows from love.
3. Jesus loves us eternally
- v 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
- This does not mean Jesus was morally incomplete. It means His saving work was fully completed
- Jesus loved us Sacrificially, obediently and eternally. He has always loved us and always will
- Eternal salvation is not something we achieve through ordinances, covenants, or worthiness.
- Jesus alone is the author of salvation, and what He gives is complete, final, and forever not a level we attain, but a gift we receive.
- We have not earned his love and we cannot lose his love.///
- That does not mean He excuses sin. It means His love never stops pursuing the sinner.
- Hear me on this- He doesn’t love your sin. He doesn’t excuse it. He doesn’t love your disobedience. A good parent does not stop loving a wayward child, but they also do not pretend the rebellion is harmless. (if you had a wayward child- your love continues, but not approval)
- This isn’t a ‘live how you want he loves you’ it’s a ‘his love is for you always to come back”
- God’s love did not begin when you did. Jer 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
- There is no end to his salvific love. It will last forever. You didn’t miss it. Its still available.
- Little Town of Bethlehem “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.”
- We cannot secure our own salvation. The story of Christmas and the cross is neverending
- Two thousand years later, He is still saving everyone who comes to him in faith to be saved
- What does it mean to you
- There’s no end to it. You need to hear this. Some of you think that there’s an expiration date on his promises and that you’ve done too much or taken part in too much to receive his love///
- Its not true.
- John 5:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
- This is an eternal offer of salvation for you to receive and walk in but you must receive it
- Don’t have Poor theology- dont equate the pain at the hands of others freewill as God doing it
- Don’t have fear of loss- don’t be afraid of what it is going to cost you. You have to give It up
- I met a lady years ago who didn’t become a Christian until later in life. She knew many Christians but never converted. I asked her- “what took you so long” she said “I looked at Christians and I thought I didn’t have what it took to live like them”
- You don’t have what it takes-You don’t. But his eternal love continually draws you to relationship with the father and HE sustains it./// His eternal love powers you eternally.
- Salvation is not sustained by your strength. It is sustained by His
- Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
- There’s no expiration because its always been. And I get it, some of you compare Jesus to earthly relationships, but its not the same. You’re not a step away from losing his love.
- None of those are reasons Jesus rejects people. They are reasons people resist Him
- Here’s the last part of it-
4. Jesus loves us perfectly
- v10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek”
- His priesthood isn’t shared, passed down, or conferred on men. This eternal priesthood always was and wasn’t transferred from someone else and wont be transferred to someone else
- Hebrews 7:24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.///
- Nothing can interrupt His intercession. Nothing can replace His role.
- He alone is the perfect High Priest forever, the only mediator between God and humanity.
- No one else can stand in the gap for us but Jesus. No one. ///
- He is the complete plan for the salvation of all humanity eternally and completely for always.
- 1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
- This is a very important distinction. We sing hark The Herald Angels Sing “Glory to the newborn King.” And that’s the heart behind this verse. He is our newborn KING-PRIEST
- That’s what makes Jesus so special- throughout the OT there were Priests and there were kings
- Jesus is the KING-PRIEST. He rules and reigns but he also forgives and intercedes
- Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
- This Melchizedek theme flows throughout Hebrews bc the writer wants the hearer to know- You now have a high priest that is eternal. You have complete salvation that is no longer dependent on a man or a human system You are no longer under a system. You are under a Savior
- This is the Christmas advent love- Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
- What does it mean to you
- Your high priest loves you sacrificially, obediently, eternally and completely. You walk in love
- God’s plan was always to have an intercessor to stand in the gap. You have a savior who was, and is, and is to come. Walk in the same love that Jesus walked in.
- We should love people who don’t love us Luke 6:32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
- You can’t love people if you don’t sacrifice for them, aren’t obedient to God and give up
- I hear too many jaded Christians who say “ive been hurt I can’t love” were you on a cross?///
- Probably not. Keep loving people. If your motivation was reciprocation you missed it.
- We should love each other John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
- How many people did you reach out to this week in the church to check on them? Love does not wait to be invited. Love moves first
- How often do you ever do it? ‘but they didn’t call me’. But you never reach out to anyone?
- You’ve been in the church for a extended period of time and never loved on someone?
- We are loved by the eternal God so we can eternally love on others to show he loves us
- We have to get rid of hate 1 John 4:20–21 READ
- We have to remove all hate within our hearts for anyone and everyone. Its not who we are.
- Perfect love casts out fear. Jesus was obedient to sacrifice, to be obedient, to love us eternally and completely. The least we can do is love people.
- We don’t obey to prove love. We obey because love already proved itself at the cross.///
- Christmas is not proof that God loves the world. The cross proved that. it not whether He loves you. The question is whether you will step into obedience and receive that love.
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