You can turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter two. Hebrews chapter two. We're going to focus on verse 10, but to set a little bit of context, I'm going to read verse five through 10. So Hebrews chapter two, beginning in verse five, it's on page 1,606. It says, for he did not subject to angels the world to come concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere saying, what is man that you remember him? Or the son of man that you are concerned about him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have appointed him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now, we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, Jesus because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. And then the verse we'll focus on this morning, which is an explanation of verse nine. For it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Let's pray. Oh great God, we come before you, and we are a very distracted people. We need your help. We need your help to listen to what you have said, in your word, to join it with the heart of faith, and to be transformed by it through the power of your spirit. And so, Lord, I would ask that you would work through your word and exalt your name in the hearts and lives of your people. In Jesus' name, amen. One of my favorite ancient inscriptions, it was found on a wall in Rome, probably not far from where the church that the author is writing to in the book of Hebrews was at. This graffiti is an inscription that dates maybe from late 1st century, maybe from the late 2nd century. It's graffiti that has a picture of a donkey hanging on a cross. In the inscription writes, Alexi Menos sebete ha theon. Alexi Menos worships his God. There's a couple things about this inscription. First of all, we know that Whoever wrote this has my kind of artistic abilities. But we also find out that this is the way in which the early pagans, the pagans mock the early Christians. You worship a crucified savior? This is the one you worship? The one who endured the most awful, shameful kind of death? And this also was really the same sentiment of the Jewish people who rejected their Messiah. You worship, you think Messiah would be crucified? And so you can see how these early Jewish Christians could tend to get a little bit embarrassed over the reality that Messiah had suffered. That Messiah, King Messiah, had been shamefully tortured and publicly executed for all to observe and see. And so it's within this context that the author of Hebrews, responds to this. And again, this isn't the only part of the New Testament where we see this temptation to be ashamed of a crucified Messiah. Remember 1 Corinthians 1 in verse 22? It says, for indeed Jews ask for a sign, and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews. and foolishness to the Gentiles. The thought of a suffering, crucified Messiah. In fact, the English Puritan John Owen, who has written many volumes on the book of Hebrews, too many for me to be able to keep up with, unless I choose to only preach on one verse per week. Then I could keep up on my Owen readings. but not if I preach more than that. He says, the Jews expected an outward glorious and regal deliverance to come with the mighty weapons of an army. What could they expect from a Messiah who had suffered and died? So again, this is the context. These Jewish Christians being mocked because they believe in this Messiah who suffered and was crucified, them being also bullied and persecuted, pushed around, them tempted to turn back to Judaism. And so it's in this context that the author is going to give three glorious reasons why it was fitting for Messiah to suffer. In this verse, you might be curious, why are we only covering one verse this morning? And it has to do with Mongolian barbecue. Last year, you guys generously sent my wife and I to a Mongolian barbecue up in Cleveland. And the way in which the Mongolian barbecue works, if you've never been there, is you get all the stuff that you want them to fry in that big, huge, iron hibachi in the middle of the place. And you have two options. You can either get the all-you-can-eat, where you just keep getting more bowls, or you get one bowl. And as I observe people there getting the one bowl, I notice I have never observed a bowl piled so high. I mean you're talking like, you know, six to eight inches higher than the bowl, okay? All this yumminess trying to be packed into that one bowl to get their money's worth. Well, the author of Hebrews packs as much yumminess into verse 10 as seemingly humanly imaginable. It is just pregnant with truth. So, Three compelling reasons why it is appropriate for Jesus to suffer. First of all, the nature of God. In verse 10, it says, for it was fitting It was appropriate. It was fitting for Him. And through Him, and through whom, I'm sorry, are all things to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. So the author here says that it was fitting, it was fitting that the one through whom all things exist to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. What is this idea of fitting? The idea of fitting is that it is appropriate, it is congruous, it is right. In fact, many Psalms speak of this word fitting or appropriate. Psalm 147 says, praise YAH for it is good to sing praises to our God. It is pleasant and praise is fitting or becoming. It is appropriate for people to praise the Lord. It is fitting, why? Because He is glorious and worthy of all praise. And so the author of Hebrews here says it was fitting for Jesus to suffer. It is appropriate for Jesus to suffer. Why? Because of the God through whom everything exists. through whom are all things." This certainly highlights the character, the nature of God, the one who brought this universe into existence. In other words, he's dealing with the objection, the reality that somebody says, you believe that Messiah suffered? And really the response is, well, if the God who caused all things to exist in this world and sustains all things in this world, has worked it out this way, then yes, I believe that. Yes, it is appropriate. Do you think the God of the universe knows what he's doing? If this is his plan, if this is his purpose, He is the one who causes all things to exist, the one who called this universe into existence, the one that Revelation 4.11 says, worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. That He is the creator of the universe. And if he is the one who has planned and purposed it this way, it is indeed fitting. The one who designed your circulatory system that has this hunk of meat between your chest that runs off of Skittles and Snickers. and is regularly pumping gallon after gallon of blood throughout your body and it passes its way through your lungs and somehow, wonder of wonder, oxygen molecules bind themselves to your red blood cells and are carried throughout the rest of your body so that your brain is fed oxygen, so that your kidneys are fed oxygen. It's a wondrous thing! Yes, it's this God who created the world and all your design and all the wonder of your existence, who saw it fit that His Son would come into this world and die a public humiliating death. Yes, this was his idea. But he is also the governor of all things. He is not only the one who created this world, but he is the one who sustains and rules this world. Through his invisible hand of providence, as we saw in the book of Esther, that invisible hand that traces its way all throughout that book even though he's not mentioned or named in that entire book. He is the one who's turning all the paths of history and deciding all that takes place both good and bad for his good purposes. Yes, it is him. You see, the heart of the child of God acquiesces to the reality that God is God and he decides how he believes it is proper to save sinners. This is the heart of the believer to submit oneself to God and his sovereign good purposes. It was the spirit of Job when he lost all 10 of his children and he said, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord. The early colonial pastor theologian, Jonathan Edwards, was asked by Aaron Burr Sr. to write out his testimony. This is not the Aaron Burr that matched up in a duel years later. That was his son. This is Aaron Burr, Sr., requested his testimony. And so, Jonathan Edwards wrote what would become known as a personal narrative. And as he traced his own conversion, as he was raised in the home of a faithful pastor who taught the Word of God regularly, when he was in his teenage years, he recalled, he detested the reality of the godness of God, namely, that God is sovereign. You see, the great Calvinistic theologian Jonathan Edwards detested that God was sovereign? Yes, he did. And he recalls that God began to change his heart. This was his great objection to Christianity that God has mercy upon whom he has mercy and compassion upon whom he has compassion. And as God subdued the heart of that young man, this was his testimony. He says, quote, the appearance of everything was altered. There seemed to be, as it were, a calm, a sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory in almost everything. God's excellence, his wisdom, his purity and love seemed to appear in everything. In the sun, moon, and stars, and the clouds, and the blue sky, and the grass, and the flowers, and the trees, and the water, and in all nature, which used greatly to fix my mind. And then he goes on to say, I spent much time in viewing the clouds in the sky to behold the sweet glory of God in these things. In the meantime, singing forth with a low voice my contemplations of the creator and the redeemer. You see what he's saying there is that all of a sudden this God that he detested and he couldn't figure out, all of a sudden he became altogether lovely. And he began to see God in all of his handiwork through the creation as he looked and observed the created order, he said, this is God, this glorious and great God. Friend, what is your disposition to this God? Do you grumble against him in his ways? Or do you see him in all of his sweetness and glory and beauty? The heart of the child of God who's been born again sees God in all of his glory and is attracted to him. The heart that's not been born again is indifferent and even chafes against who this God is. And also, as we see here, the author is, he's not throwing away words here when he says, through whom all things exist in his argument, that this is why God, that God has done things this way in causing Messiah to suffer, because he's God! This is his method. In fact, one, Reformer says this, this phrase could have been omitted. Namely that for whom all things exist and through whom all things exist, it could have been omitted. But the author's purpose was to remind us that God himself decides what must be deemed best. He whose will and glory is the proper end of all things. So my friend, do you, do you sinfully question God? or do you humbly submit to God? I understand there's a place for lament in the scripture. We do see Psalmist crying out to God or Habakkuk crying out to God, a cry of lament. But it's from a heart of faith that sees who God is in all of his glorious character and sees the world the way it is and sees that there seems to be incongruity there. But does your questioning of God come from a heart of unbelief? Or you perhaps question God when it comes to your own pain and suffering? Or you question why God would allow that loved one to die? Or why you're unable to have children when so many wicked people seem fertile? Or you question why you have chronic pain, or you question why you are still single, or you question why you get let go from your job, or why you have a difficult marriage. My friend, subject yourself to God and his sovereign providence in your life. It's a posture of faith. Are you God? Do you know what he knows? Do you see as he sees? I mean, after all, he does promise that he causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Do you believe him or do you not believe him? But the second reason for it being fitting that Messiah would suffer is the purpose of God. Notice this first phrase that I glossed over in verse 10. It says, for it was fitting for him for whom are all things. For whom are all things. That this highlights the purpose of God. that he does all things for his own honor, for his own glory. And if he deemed it most glorious for his son to suffer, to die a public execution, and for him to bring many sons to glory in this manner, then who are we to question? He did it for himself. He did it for his own honor. If that's embarrassing to you, the problem's not with him, the problem's with you. And this is very instructive in our world which is obsessed with self, is obsessed with human autonomy. that I decide what I decide and I will have no king to rule over me to the point where we even deny reality to show preference over human autonomy. But that's not the message of scriptures. Proverbs 6.4 says, Yahweh made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil. This passage seems very similar to another great passage in Romans chapter 11. After Paul has explained the glories of what God has done in saving sinners in those first 11 chapters, on the tail end of chapter 11, he cries out, oh the depths, of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. That it's His glory, it's His honor, and so God saw fit to cause His Messiah to suffer for His own glory. This is huge. Puritan Thomas Manton said, the happiness of God lieth in loving himself, enjoying himself, and acting for his own glory. And this is the fruit of grace, to teach us to live as God lives, to do as God doth, to love him and to enjoy him as our chiefest good, and to glorify him as our utmost end. one preacher from across the pond and him trying to push against a kind of interpretive hermeneutic that always sees every passage about ourselves. He used to say, it's not really about you, silly. It's not really about you, silly. It's not about us. And again, this is hugely corrective in our culture. that we've kind of imbibed that ancient Greek myth of narcissists, right? We look in the pond and see our reflection and we are intoxicated with ourselves. And we need the corrective of scripture that it's for him. It's for His glory, because that's what we were designed for. And indeed, in Wonder of Wonders, our greatest happiness is in facing our compass north to His glory. When we live for ourselves, very narcissistically, we are the most miserable of people. But when we live for Him, therein is great delight. Arthur Pink says, nothing so stirs up the enmity of the carnal mind and evidences the ignorance, the sin, and the high-handed rebellion of fallen man as the response which he makes when this great fact and solemn truth is pressed upon him. People at once complain about it. God? His glory? In fact, C.S. Lewis utters a complaint If God wrote the Scriptures, you read the Psalms and he's constantly telling people to praise him. And he chafes against this from a posture of unbelief. But the heart of the child of God says, no, God is worthy of all the glory. It is all for him. These are his purposes, so we need to… Like the peacock puts his feathers down. We need to put our feathers down, stop strutting about with our feathers like we're all that sweet. Because we ain't. Romans 9.20 says, on the contrary, who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will the thing molded say to the molder, why did you make me this way? And this is essentially the rebuttal of the author of Hebrews. God's God! He's the one through whom all things exist and for whom all things exist. This is his plan. This is his purpose. And who are you, oh man, to talk back to God? But also, as if this sounds hard and calloused, you have to keep reading to see this purpose also fleshed out in what he says in verse 10. in bringing many sons to glory. in bringing many sons to glory. In other words, this God through whom all things exist, his nature as the creator, and for whom all things exist, his purpose is to glorify himself, that one of his sub-purposes in glorifying himself is to bring many sons to glory, and this is how he was going to do it. through a crucified Messiah. And so, if this idea of God doing all things for himself seems cold, you just have to keep reading. Because he's, he has a plan. A plan of bringing many sons to glory. Many sons here assumes the doctrine of adoption. That God takes those who are outside the family, who are lost, who are headed to eternal destruction, and he brings them into the family. He brings them into the family through the death of his son, through the suffering of the champion. And he puts them on a path to bring them to eternal glory, to bring them to an eternal paradise. That this is his purpose, this is his plan. Arthur Pink again says, never was God more God-like than when in the person of Jesus he was crucified for our sins. He goes on to say, for him are all things, and by him are all things. His glory is the end of everything. His will is the law of the universe. Therefore, to quarrel with his method of bringing many sons unto glory was insubordination and blasphemy of the worst kind. And so God has a train that's headed for glory. And Jesus is the captain, the conductor of this train, and He's driving the train to glory. He's bringing many sons to glory. The obvious question is, are you on that train? Are you on your way to glory? Have you subjected yourself to King Jesus? Are you trusting in His death and resurrection on your behalf? Or are you continuing to gripe against Him? Continuing to stiff arm this great God? Friend, don't be so foolish as to continue in your rebellion. Submit yourself to King Jesus. He is good. He is kind. This also teaches us as we see the author argue for the fittingness of Jesus' suffering being the nature of God and the purpose of God. This I think teaches us something about what I might call doctrinal contentment. You know, we hear that word content, you know, being content with life circumstances, submitting ourself. I think it was Jeremiah Burroughs who says that contentment is that disposition of the heart, that quietness of the soul that submits to God's providences. That quietness of the soul. Well, there's a kind of doctrinal contentment. where we're content with what God has said about Himself and about salvation. That, in a very real sense, we're on a need-to-know basis. And some things we don't need to know, because God hasn't told us everything. And we can try to ponder and study these things and try to understand what God has revealed, but there's some things he hasn't revealed. And there's certain tensions, certain doctrinal tensions that are hard to figure out, right? And our hearts may not be able to scratch where it itches in resolving every tension. but we dare not be discontent with what God has said to us and rebelliously stake our beliefs upon things outside of God's Word. What do I mean by that? Take, for instance, God as Trinity, right? It's very clearly revealed that God is one God. We are not tritheists, we're not polytheists, we are monotheists. There are three persons within God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these persons is truly God. And really, every time throughout church history where there was doctrinal discontentment, how does that work out? How can that be? Let me try to figure that out. Let me figure out the formula for myself. It always leads to heresy. Instead, the path of faithfulness is to say, I can't quite figure it all out. But you know what, this is what God has said. And I will believe it. Doctrinal contentment. And again, these early Christians, they were struggling. How could Messiah suffer? It didn't seem to make sense. But this was God's purpose. This should also cause a kind of confidence and praise because this was God's method. And I think the heart that submits to the seas, the glory of it, the glory that God in this glorious plan would send forth his son born of a woman, born under the law to clothe himself in humanity, to be publicly shamed, to bear our guilt upon that cross, to rise triumphantly from the grave, to ascend to the right hand of the Father, and finally one day to come back. It's a glorious plan. This should cause us to praise Him. It is indeed becoming. It is fitting that He would suffer. Well, the first reason is the nature of God, the second is the purpose of God, now thirdly, and lastly, the champion of God. Notice in verse 10, it says, it was fitting for him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author, could be translated pioneer, championed the author of their salvation through suffering. It was fitting and bringing many sons to glory to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering. Well, you might look at this and immediately choke on what it's saying here, right? Because it says, to perfect the author, the pioneer of their salvation, to make Jesus perfect. Well, isn't Jesus perfect? How do you make that which is perfect, more perfect? What is meant here? Well it's helpful here, one dictionary, the famous BDAG lexicon says that there's two different meanings here. One, this word translated perfect means to bring something to its goal slash accomplishment. secondly, to consecrate or initiate. And it's very interesting because this word is actually used in both of these senses all throughout the book of Hebrews. Sometimes to perfect means to consecrate. And that would certainly be fitting here. Jeez, that this was part of God's plan. To consecrate Jesus through sufferings, that he would be set apart as that perfect sacrifice, that perfect priest for our sins. but also the sense of bringing to completion or bringing to its goal. In other words, this eternal second person of the Trinity, if he was going to function as priest, if he was going to function as mediator, as the rest of this paragraph teaches, he would have to take upon human flesh and suffer. And so both of these senses are true here. That he's perfected in the sense of bringing to his goal as mediator, but also he's perfected in the sense of being set apart now as mediator. And this happens through suffering. And so, The author here is again arguing that this was part of God's purpose that He, namely Jesus, would be perfected through suffering as the author of this. Now what about this word author? The author of their salvation. This word is only used four times in the New Testament. Two of them are in the book of Hebrews. The other time in the book of Hebrews, it's in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2, which says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author, same word here translated author, in Hebrews 2.10, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So he's called the author of faith in Hebrews 12 too. In Acts, Luke is also one who uses it, he's the two other times. Acts chapter 3 and verse 15, it says, in Peter preaching to the Jewish crowd on Pentecost says, but put to death the author of life whom God raised from the dead, a fact which we are now witness. So here he's called the author of life, Hebrews 12, the author of faith. Acts 531, this one God exalted to his right hand as leader and savior. The word translated leader, same word translated author in those other contexts, to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. So, there's not a whole lot of not a whole lot of real estate here and usage within the New Testament. So then sometimes it's helpful to go outside the New Testament and see how do authors in the ancient Greek language use this word outside the New Testament. So sometimes it refers to someone who involves others in an endeavor. Sometimes it's used of a man who starts a family into which others are born. Sometimes of a man who founds a city in which others begin to inhabit. Sometimes used of a pioneer who blazes a trail and brings other along the path of that trail. And so central to this idea, which many of the translations try to bring out, is that he's the leader of salvation, author of salvation, founder, hero, champion of salvation, captain of salvation. But the main idea with each of them is that this is one who leads and initiates and is bringing others along. One who leads and initiates and brings others along. So he is the author of salvation. Again, think of the backdrop here. As the author is making the comparisons between Old Covenant and New Covenant. Old Exodus and New Exodus. In fact, the phrase bringing is used so many times in the book of Exodus. Bringing the Hebrews up out of Egypt. In fact, just do a word search of bringing or brought in the book of Exodus. God, over and over, he's bringing. And here, in the Old Testament, it was Moses, right? He's the one leading. He's kind of like the captain of salvation. He's functioning like a mediator between God and his people. He's leading the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land. Now here in the new covenant, Jesus is the leader. He is the captain. He is the champion who's leading sinners out of slavery to sin and out of rebellion and out of the damnation of hell, ultimately to the eternal paradise. He's bringing many sons to glory. He's leading. He's the captain. He's the pioneer. We know this as we, when you read about early America, after Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, there's all this vast land that America now owns, right? And so, Thomas Jefferson gets on the horn, a couple of his buddies, Lewis and Clark. And Lewis and Clark travel through that Louisiana Purchase. They had a little semi-automatic pellet gun that they would show off to every Indian nation they came across. So that, and they didn't know how many of those guns they had. This was a kind of intimidation factor. They eventually made their way, just with a handful, just a couple dozen people all the way across America as a pioneer navigating. Well, Jesus is, he's the pioneer of our salvation. He's the pioneer who's led in obedience. He lived a perfect life of perfect obedience, even when assaulted and tempted by Satan, he triumphantly said, it is written, it is written, it is written. Even when he was tempted to be deterred from the suffering of the cross at Gethsemane, he obeyed the Father and said, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. He also led by way of suffering. Oh, how he suffered for righteousness' sake. He led that path of suffering so that every son and daughter of God who would endure suffering could look to Jesus, that sympathetic high priest. who knew what suffering was like. He knew what it was like to be betrayed. He knew what it was like to have friends abandon him at his hour of greatest weakness. He knew what it was like to be rejected, to be mocked, to be scoffed at, even by his own brothers. He knew what it was like to be physically abused and tortured. He knew what it was like to be unjustly accused. He knew what it was like to suffer. And he pioneered through suffering. But he also and most gloriously led the way to glory. This is the one. who tasted death. This is the one who experienced the awful agonies of death and rose triumphantly to the grave and would ascend to the right hand of the Father who would make it to glory and he would put on his back every child of God, everyone who would ever believe in him, he put on his back and he would triumphantly carry them to glory. My friend, do you have any doubt that you will make it? Because this is the champion. This is the one who suffered and died and rose triumphantly and ascended to the right hand of the Father, who will, through his own death and resurrection, through his own suffering, would be the instrument of the Father, the pioneer of salvation and bringing us to glory. and who in himself would be the answer to his own prayer in John 17, 24. You remember that? Father, I desire that they be with me where I am, that they may see my glory. And that prayer will be answered in eternity future when every single one, not one is lost. Everyone will cross that finish line. Everyone will make it to glory who is in Christ, who has believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been chosen from before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. They will all cross the finish line. And how glorious it is that the champion would do this. I mean, just consider it, my friends. I mean, consider it. We like stories, right? We love stories. We love heroes. We love it, especially when the hero seems to be the underdog, right? He seems to be the underdog, and he comes out triumphantly. He comes out on top. I mean, virtually every Hollywood story written like that, every novel, every book is just echoing the greater story. The greater champion, the one who wonder of wonders condescended to come down and live upon this earth, who clothed himself in humanity, who was the off-scouring of the world, but in his death, was purchasing. The eternal salvation was becoming the pioneer of salvation. The author of salvation. The champion of salvation. To bring many sons to glory. To rise triumphant. I mean, he's dead. I mean, you'll get more underdog than that, right? He's dead. Seemingly Satan and his minions are victorious. Seemingly those hypocritical, self-righteous Pharisees were triumphant. Seemingly the Romans were triumphant. And then the tomb is empty. And he's risen. You couldn't write a better script than that. It all is for his glory. It all was for His honor. Yes, indeed, it is from first glance a strange thing that God would allow His Son to suffer. Yet, this was God's method. Lewis Bailey, one of John Bunyan. John Bunyan was the author of one of the most bought and sold books in the English language, The Pilgrim's Progress. Well, one of Bunyan's favorite authors was a man named Louis Bailey. And he eloquently portrayed Christ's willingness to embrace suffering and his resulting ability to sympathize and lend assistance through this imaginary soliloquy. A soliloquy is a dialogue, okay? So this is a dialogue between soul and Christ. Soul says, Lord, Why did you let yourself be taken when you might have escaped your enemies? Christ answers that your spiritual enemies should not take you and cast you into the prison of utter darkness. Soul says, Lord, why did you let yourself be bound? Christ says that I might loose the cords of your iniquity. Saul says, Lord, why did you let yourself be lifted up on a cross? Christ responds, that I might lift you up with me to heaven. Saul says, Lord, why were your hands and your feet nailed to the cross? Christ says, to enlarge your hands to work the works of righteousness and to set your feet at liberty to walk in the ways of peace. Soul says, Lord, why, why, why did you have your arms nailed wide? Christ says that I might embrace you more lovingly. Saul says, Lord, why was your side open with a spear? Christ says that you might have a way to come near to my heart. Indeed, my friends, this was the way in which God chose to magnify himself. It would be through a suffering. Savior, a suffering Messiah. And indeed, this is, when you consider the cross, the way in which God puts himself on display, never in the history of humanity was there greater display of God's righteousness. Because it was there that we see on the cross that Jesus is treated as a sinner, as a hell-deserving sinner for those three hours on the cross. And it was there that he suffered such a debt of sin that could never be paid for for all eternity by any sinner in hell. Indeed, there was the unchanging nature of God that was put on display. For there we see God's unflinching and unmitigating standard of righteousness against sin that even his own son would have to suffer. To be sure there, we see the power of God. The power of God on display. And that this Jesus would absorb all the fury of hell that would go on forever and ever for every believer. What tremendous power. And to be sure, there we see the grace and love of God more vividly. To what extent would God show his kindness to sinners? To what length would he go to bring many sons to glory? Would he actually cause his son to suffer? Indeed, he would. That he would be so kind, so loving, that he would so love the world that he would give His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal life. For God demonstrates His love towards us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Indeed, my friends, it was fitting. Let's pray. Lord God, indeed, there's a mountain of truth in this short verse. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to believe. In Jesus' name, amen.