He Himself Suffered: Unashamed Theft of Tim Keller
Intro:
Very different sermon today…
Translations:
For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (NASB 20)
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (NKJV)
Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (NIV)
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (ESV)
Three observations:
- There is a personal connection here between Jesus and us. There is shared experience.
- He suffered when tempted. That means the temptation must have been a real threat.
- Because of the real-ness and threat of this temptation, there is a genuine empathy Jesus has for us that other gods/religions lack: personal intimacy.
(Imagine knowing POTUS personally, since childhood, imagine being able to confide and confess to POTUS not just as the Chief Executive of our government, but as on old friend who know you better than anyone…now multiply that by 10 Million because our God also created us.)
Tim Keller: King, Champion, Brother and Priest // Hebrews 2:5–18 // Christ is Better
His temptation and suffering enabled Him to help us in at least 2–3 ways:
Psychologically, it helps us to know that when we pray, we pray to a God who has felt everything we ever feel.
He knows what the lure of temptation is like, first hand.
He knows what it is like to be tired and hungry.
He knows what it is like to weep, not really even understanding the will of the Father in a certain situation (Like he did at the grave of Lazarus in John 11)
He knows what is like to experience betrayal and rejection by a dysfunctional family.
Or be stabbed in the back by friends—close friends; ministry friends
He knew what it was like to be single long after the rest of his friends got married. The Gospels record Him going to all kinds of weddings, well
after he was in his 30’s when most Jewish men were married with several kids…
He was like, “Always the wine-maker, never the groom.”
Those of you who are single, it may help you to realize that every time you pray, you are praying to a 33-year old single adult.
He knew disappointment in ministry (Matthew 23:37). A kind of failure.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
He knew the grief of having a child reject Him and walk out on Him… In that story He told of the prodigal son, he was the abandoned father!
He knows what it was like to be a rejected marriage partner.
He understands. And sometimes just knowing that He knows firsthand helps us. When you go through pain you want to talk to somebody who has felt what you felt. He felt it all!
And we know that because He experienced it, He can be moved by it Here’s the other thing: because He suffered and was tempted but without sin, He can help us now without condemnation.
I don’t always know what God is doing in pain and suffering. But because of Christ I know He’s not mad at me. He couldn’t be. He poured out all of His wrath on Christ so that there is nothing left for me but love and acceptance.
And because He was tempted like I am but without sin, I know that my ultimate victory is guaranteed.
Some of you are so overwhelmed by your struggles with sin. There’s some things you just don’t seem to be able to get control of. Some addiction; pornography; some bad habit.
Christ seated at the right hand of God shows you that ultimate victory is yours. Your guilt is as far away as the East is from the West and your victory over the power of sin in your life is as secure as Christ’s position at the right hand of God.
Three observations revisited:
- There is a personal connection here between Jesus and us. There is shared experience. (What is the power of shared experience of your past as you are helping another?)
2. He suffered when tempted. That means the temptation must have been a real threat. (Why do we, like Jesus, suffer when tempted, even if we don’t sin?)
3. Because of the real-ness and threat of this temptation, there is a genuine empathy Jesus has for us that other gods/religions lack: personal intimacy. (In what ways does this make the Christian religion and world view superior to false religions?)