Sunday Morning Service 10:30AM - Hebrews 7:11-28 - The Priesthood of Jesus pt 2 - Pastor Ryan Nichol
Listen
Transcript
Organized into readable paragraphs from the preserved Whisper transcript. Non-speech markers are removed.
Really good to see everybody. I'm really glad you all are here. I want to invite you to stand with us. We'll pray and we'll get started.
Lord, we just thank you for another day and thank you for allowing us to be in your house this morning. Lord, we just ask your blessing upon this time. Lord, help us to focus on you and lavish praise upon you this morning, God. You are worthy of all honor and all glory and all praise. Amen.
We give you glory, we give you honor, our gratitude for who you are, for how much you love us, Lord God, and for the works that you're doing in our lives. And Lord, now as Pastor Ryan comes, I just ask that you bless him, Lord, overflowing by the power of your Holy Spirit. And give us a soft heart. Remove our heart of stone. Give us a heart of flesh to receive that word this morning, God.
We love you, Lord, and we praise you. And in Jesus' name. Amen. Pastor Fellowship.
Good morning. If you could begin to find your seat. Grab a bulletin. We'll get ready to go over some announcements.
Welcome to Calvary Chapel. I'm glad that you joined us this morning. A handful of things to take note of in your bulletins. There's one change, well, like two changes on the left-hand side of your bulletin. Monday night men's and women's study is canceled for this week. And then also the Thursday ladies' study is canceled for this week. So. Take note of that.
Middle section of your bulletin, a reminder about Vacation Bible School coming up. I think, are you still needing some folks to help out? Do they just need to come see you after the service? That feels right. Yeah, okay. Go see my wife after the service. If you want to help out. Plus, there's a QR code that's active now, so get your kids signed up for that.
A reminder about the Joyful Life Ladies Bible Study. They're starting a new book, the book of 1 John, in early June. So all the sign-ups are out there by where the bulletin. The questions are. Falls Creek Camp, if you've got a teenager going to Falls Creek with our youth group, all of the sign-up and money and everything is due on May the 27th. If you have any questions, you can talk to Jared about that.
A couple of different options for some conferences in the month of June, if you're interested. These are free conferences. One is a leadership conference at Grace Calvary Fellowship in Wellington. That's on June the 6th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. And then there's a prophecy conference in Emporia. From. At Calvary Chapel of Emporia, June 11th through the 13th. So.
And then there's one more announcement. Oh, there you are. To make. And I'm going to invite our women's study leader to come up and tell us about that. So we do have the women's brunch coming up on Saturday, June the 6th. And it will be from 10 in the morning until noon. And I hope that all the ladies can come. I did make a mistake when I put the sign-up sheet out.
It's June the 5th, but it actually is Saturday, June 6th. I'd like to blame it on the fact that it's been a difficult week, but the fact of the matter is that's just who I am. So, anyway, if you could sign up, I would appreciate it because we'd like to know how many people are coming so we know how much food we're going to need. If you're interested in bringing food, you can add your phone number, and I'll contact you about food at a later date because we'll be doing it a little bit differently than usual.
However, you don't have to bring food. So if you just want to come, that's fine. But if you could sign up, we would appreciate it. Thank you.
All right. And as a reminder, that sign-up is out there in the lobby next to the Joyful Life Ladies Bible Study sign-up. So those are the things that are going on. If you would make sure that your mobile device is silenced. For our responsive reading this morning, we are going to be in Psalm 24. Psalm 24. We'll be looking at the New American Standard for this.
If you need a copy, there should be one in Overseas. There should be one in the row around you. As you are turning to Psalm 24, if you are able, please stand in the honor of the reading of God's Word.
I will read the odd verses if you will follow along with Pastor Jared and the even verses. Psalm 24, a psalm of David. The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand? And who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, even Jacob, Selah. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory, Selah. And Father, we come before you and I just thank you for today. I thank you that we have been able to gather together on a Sunday morning to sing your praises.
And Lord, now we can take time to study your word and worship you through the study of your word. And so, Father, I just pray that as we take this time this morning, Lord, I pray for a fresh filling of your Holy Spirit. Lord, I pray for a fresh falling of your Holy Spirit that you would move in this place. Lord, bring conviction where there needs to be conviction.
Lord, bring comfort where there needs to be comfort. And Lord, bring instruction where we need to be taught, Lord. And so, God, move by the power of your Holy Spirit through this time. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. You may be seated. And if you would open up in your Bibles to the book of... Hebrews chapter 7.
Hebrews chapter 7. Last week we started into a two-study series called The Priesthood of Jesus. It had ultimately all begun in chapter 5 when he introduced Jesus as our great high priest. And that Jesus was a different kind of high priest because he was a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek, which is different than the Aaronic priesthood. And so he's been spending a great deal of time talking about the priesthood of Melchizedek.
And that's what we did last week. We introduced who this guy is. And we kind of entitled it simply, Behold, or A Look at Melchizedek. And so there's a handful of things that we saw about him. Number one, we saw that he was a king and a priest. Number two, we saw that he was the king of righteousness and the king of peace. That he was a perpetual priest and that he is a superior priest as presented to us there in Genesis chapter 24.
But now as we gather this morning... We begin to apply all of those things to Jesus. And there's three things that we're going to look at this morning. We're going to see that Jesus is a new priesthood, that he is an unchangeable priesthood, and that number three, he is a fitting priesthood. And so we start off in verse 11 of chapter 7, and this is what it says.
It says, Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it people received the law, what further need was there? For another priest who arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not designated according to the order of Aaron. For when the priesthood is changed of necessity, there is a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke. Nothing. Nothing concerning the priest. And this is clearer still if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirements, but according to the power of an indestructible life.
For it is attested of him, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. So the first thing that he's going to do as he gives us this first point of a new priesthood, he tells us about the necessity of this new priesthood. The necessity of this new priesthood is first built for us in the idea of what he says in verse 11. Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek?
The Levitical priesthood was never intended to bring perfection. And when we speak of the Levitical priesthood, we're speaking of that Old Testament priesthood that is introduced in Exodus, explained in Leviticus, reinforced in Deuteronomy, and seen throughout all of the Old Testament sacrifices and ordinances. That Levitical priesthood was never intended to bring perfection. And it was never intended to bring perfection in two ways.
Number one, it always had within it weak men that served. They were never perfect individuals that served, and so they could not bring perfection because the law, as we'll look at in just a moment, could never make anyone perfect. But also the Levitical priesthood could not bring perfection because it had one purpose, and that was to point to the perfect priesthood of Jesus Christ. All of those Levitical priests were always intended to point to the perfection that was found in Jesus.
Because in Jesus you had not only the priest that offered a sacrifice, but you had the sacrifice himself. And so this priesthood was never intended to bring perfection. This priesthood was never intended to be perfect or to offer perfection. And so if it was never able to offer perfection, then there must have been another priesthood that we were looking forward to.
And that priesthood brought about a new law. Notice what it says in verse 12. For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place the change of a law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken, meaning Jesus, belongs to another tribe, which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah,
a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning the priests. You see, the Jewish people had a problem. And the problem that they had is how could we see Jesus as the high priest because Jesus of descent did not come from the high priestly line. And so as they're looking at this, they're like, I'm struggling with this right now because the high priest was always supposed to come from the line of Aaron.
So how could Jesus ultimately fulfill the high priesthood, when he doesn't have the right heredity, when he doesn't come from the right line? That's why the writer to the Hebrews says, you have to understand Jesus is a different kind of high priest. He is a new high priesthood. He came from the order of Melchizedek, who was a king and a priest, who was a king of righteousness, who was a perpetual priest, who was a priest forever.
He was a different kind of priest. Jesus came from that. Why? Because Jesus came from the line of Judah. No one from the line of Judah had ever fulfilled the role of the high priest. Therefore, there must have been a new law that came in, a perpetual law that came in, introduced somewhere else in Scripture, which is why it says he is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.
He is a different kind of priest. But not only was a new law introduced, but this priesthood of Jesus and its necessity came about not because of physical requirement, but because of an indestructible life. Notice what it says in verse 15. And this is clearer still. If another priest arrived, he would be a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek,
who has become such, not on the basis of the law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of him, you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus was a different kind of priest because he was a priest based upon his indestructible life. You see, when Jesus was incarnated and came about as a man in his flesh, in his humanity, he lived on this earth and lived a perfect life and then died a perfect death.
And you go, wait a second, I thought he had an indestructible life. But then he rose again, thus defeating death, making him a different kind of priest because of his indestructible life. And since he lives forever, he can be a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. He goes on from there as he talks about this necessity to say, not only was there a necessity of a new priesthood, but the new priesthood also gives us a better hope.
Notice what it says in verse 18. For on the one hand, there's the setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect. And on the other hand, there's the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. And as much as it was not without an oath, for they indeed became priests without an oath, but he with an oath, through the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever.
This new priesthood brought in a better hope. And the first thing it did to bring in a better hope is it set aside the former commandments. What are the former commandments that's being spoken of? Well, the old covenant, the old covenant commandments. And we'll deal with a better covenant in just a minute. But this new priesthood set aside the old commandments.
Why did it set aside the old commandments? Well, because we're told right here at the end of this verse, because the old commandments were weak and useless. Does that mean that there was something wrong with the old commandments? No, it meant there was something wrong with us. The commandments were weak and useless for a couple of reasons. Number one, they were weak and useless
because we couldn't keep them. We had the inability to keep those commandments. We prove it over and over again in our daily lives. If I were to ask you a question, if I were to say, chronicle your failures from this last week, I would guarantee that each of those failures would prove that you are weak and useless in your ability to keep the law. Ryan, that's a little harsh, don't you think?
I don't think it is. I'm weak and useless when it comes to keeping the law because I'm a sinful person. Even if I don't do it outwardly, I do it inwardly. Even if I never commit the act, the urge is still there, which comes about from my sinful nature, thus causing me to be weak and useless. I'm weak and useless in the keeping of the law. But not only is the law weak and useless
because of my inability, the law is weak and useless because of its inability to make us righteous. You see, the law is kind of like a thermometer that shows me that there's a problem. I always love to share this story because it's one of my favorites. I grew up in the home of educators and now I live with an educator. It's almost like I need someone to teach me all the time.
But one time my wife came home from school. She told me a story about a kid in her class that was sick. And she said, I knew he wasn't sick, but he kept complaining. And so I said, Okay, let's do this. Let's take your temperature. And so she puts the thermometer under his arm and as soon as the little thing beeps and she pulls the thermometer out, he says, Thank you, Mrs. Nichols.
I feel so much better. Well, she didn't do anything for him. She took his temperature. She could have taken his temperature and could have revealed that he had 103 fever and it still would do him absolutely no good. Why? Because all that thermometer can do is say, You have a problem. I'd go see a doctor if I were you. Or I'd take some medicine if I were you.
Or I'd do something about that. That's what the law does. The law tells us, You have a problem. And it's really, really good at its one job. But other than that, it becomes weak and useless in my life because it is powerless to solve my problem. It goes on to say, For the law made nothing perfect. For the law made nothing perfect. Listen, the law is good if it's used lawfully,
as Paul says in the book of Galatians. If the law is used to point out that all of my lust causes me to be guilty of adultery, therefore I'm guilty before God because of my adultery in my heart, then the law has done its job, but it's left me hopeless as far as salvation. If the law does its job and says that you're guilty of murder, not because you actually killed somebody, but because you harbored anger within your heart, then the law has done its job, but it is useless to deal with my guilt. If the law has done its job to say if you have stolen anything, it makes you guilty before God, if you have told a lie, it makes you guilty before God, then the law has done its job of pointing out what's wrong, but it is weak and useless to make me righteous.
Which is why he says, For the law made nothing perfect. And if there's anything that I could point out to anybody coming to me, caught up in a legalistic system, it's this. The law can never make you perfect. All of your rules can never make you perfect. All of your best actions can never make you perfect. If you're a Mormon, you can never be made perfect through the law.
If you're a Jehovah's Witness, you can never be made perfect through the law. If you're a Seventh-day Adventist, you can never be made perfect through the law. If you're a Catholic, you can never be made perfect through the keeping of the sacraments, which is the law. All you need is Jesus. That's where the perfection comes from. Because the law can make no one perfect.
It can just tell you, I need a savior. It can just tell you, I am guilty before God. Which is why he says, this high priesthood, on the one hand, sets aside the former commandments because they are weak and useless. And on the other hand, middle of verse 19, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. What's the better hope that this new priesthood brings in?
The new hope that this priesthood brings in is that the very judge who pronounces guilt over your life lays aside his robes of the judge and took upon himself the sin of humanity and bore it all upon the cross. That's the new priesthood. The new priesthood is that the very judge himself took your penalty in his own body on the tree. Therefore, you have a better hope.
A hope that actually gives you a hope for righteousness, not just the hope that maybe you've done enough to be accepted by God. It is built upon a better hope because it is built upon the work of Christ. What the law could not do, Christ did. One of my favorite sections of scripture is Romans chapter 8, where he says what the law could not do and that it was weak through sinful flesh, God did by sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
He condemned sin in the flesh that we might become the righteousness of him through faith. That's the new priesthood and that's the better hope, the better hope that's found in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Amen? He goes on from there to say, and this hope is brought about by an oath. Inasmuch, verse 20, as it was not without an oath, they became, meaning the Aaronic priesthood, became priests without an oath.
It was through heredity. But he with an oath because God has sworn, he is a priest forever because it's a better hope that we live with. So the new priesthood, number one, is shown to us through the necessity of the new priesthood. The new priesthood, second of all, is a better hope. But then number three, the new priesthood is a better covenant. Notice what it says in verse 22.
So much more also, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. So much. So much more Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Do you know what the old covenant was? The old covenant was you obey, all bless. You do, all bless. You follow the law and I'll be your God. Do you know what the new covenant says? I have blessed you, now you follow me.
I have fulfilled the law, now you rest in me. That's a better covenant. Can we all agree? The better covenant that says, I just need you to follow me. I've already taken care of all the details. I just need you to follow me. I've already taken care of all of the work. I just now need you to believe that what I've done is enough for you. That's why he is the guarantee of a better covenant.
Why? Because it is a covenant not based upon the faithfulness of man. It is a covenant that's based upon the faithfulness of Christ. Listen, if our hope is in the faithfulness of man, oh sweet Jesus, are we all in trouble, right? Like, like the faithfulness of man is always going to fail. No matter how faithful we are as human beings, we will always see a failure in our life.
One of my favorite kings to read about, even more than David, is to read about King Josiah. Josiah was such a fantastic man of God. Came to the throne when he was eight years old and around the age of 16, he comes to a place where God does a work in his life and he says, man, it's time to cleanse the temple. It's time to, it's time to get things going again.
And so, so they begin cleansing the temple. And when they cleanse the temple, they find the law. And when they find the law, the law did its work in Josiah's life. And he found that he was broken before the God. He tore his clothes. He cried out to God and God said, I love what you're doing here. And because of that, even though judgment has to come on the land,
it will not show up during your time. And so Josiah set about to restore the land, to restore worship in the land. He brings everybody together. He reads the law to them. They recommit themselves to God. And in the process of all of these things, he doesn't listen to one word from the Lord. God says, don't go to war against the Egyptians. It's a bad idea. You shouldn't do it.
And what does Josiah do? He disguises himself. He goes to battle against the Egyptians. You know what happens when he goes to battle against the Egyptians when God told him not to? He gets killed in battle. I think one of the most faithful kings the nation of Israel had in their entire history, and listen, he still had a failure in his life. Why? Because the faithfulness of man,
the faithfulness of God is useless. Which is why the new covenant, the better covenant, the guarantee of the better covenant is based upon the faithfulness of Christ. How do we know God is faithful? How do we know Christ is faithful in everything he does? Well, because first of all, he's never not failed to keep one of his promises. Do you know that the sun coming up every morning
is a reminder of the faithfulness of God? Do you know? I mean, that goes all the way back to Genesis. That as long as the world, there will be day and there will be night because it's a sign of the faithfulness of God. Do you know every time we see a rainbow in the sky, it doesn't mean that another man's made gay. It means that God is keeping his promise. I'm sorry, that's a terrible joke.
I shouldn't have said that. It means that God is keeping his promise of faithfulness. Do you realize that that's what the rainbow is? That it is the sign of God's faithfulness and every time there's a rain shower and you can give the scientific explanation, well, you know, the sun's back here and the rain's right here and now we can see this rainbow. Nah. It's because God made it that way
so that every time you see the rainbow, you're like, there's a promise of God's faithfulness because he ain't ever flooded the whole world since, right? We have never, ever seen it in 6,000 years. Why? Because God is faithful. That's why when he says he's the guarantee of a better covenant, it's because he's proven his faithfulness over and over again to us
because it is based upon the faithfulness of Christ. Amen? Well, now he goes on to tell us not only about the new priesthood, but he goes on to tell us about the unchangeable, priesthood. Notice what it says in verse 23. The former priests on the one hand, hang tight, the former priests on the one hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing.
But Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save forever those who draw near. Those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. The former priests, the former priests on the one hand were greater in numbers. There was a lot of former, not only Levitical priests, but high priests.
Why? Well, because they could only serve for 30 years and most of them served until the time of their death. And so every time one died, you had to install another one. And there was a whole process for that. God built that process in. But he built that process in because they could never serve forever because they were bound by their humanity. They were bound by the fact that they are human beings
whose lives don't last forever. Therefore, it was not a forever priesthood of Aaron. It was a continually changing priesthood of Aaron. But Jesus, on the other hand, continues forever and he holds his priesthood permanently. But Jesus, Jesus continues forever. Do you know what two of the best words in the entire Bible are? I hadn't intended on making this point,
but I'm going to make this point because it feels right at the moment. Do you know what the best words in the Bible are? But Jesus! How many of us in here this morning are here because everything bad was happening but Jesus continued forever in our lives? But Jesus stepped into our lives? But Jesus stepped in and changed the trajectory of the course of our lives,
our lives through the saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether it was when you came to him for the first time or whether it was when you came to him for the 397th time. And Jesus stepped in and he changed the trajectory of your life. I love putting these stories up on my Instagram of kids that I've had the opportunity to work with that have shared their testimonies with me that have said this is who I was and now this is who I am. Why? Because of the grace of God that came
about through Jesus Christ our Lord. And that is the greatest testimony that you have as you were on a trajectory towards death. But Jesus stepped in and he changed the course of your life and literally gave you life. He says those high priests were prevented by death from continuing. But Jesus on the other hand continues forever. And he holds his priesthood permanently. Jesus
continues forever. This is a never-ending priesthood. It doesn't seem like anything continues forever, does it? It seems like everything has an expiration date. The longer that I live in life, the more I realize how many of us all have an expiration date. Because I witnessed a lot of these expiration dates. And every now and then, doesn't it ever feel like the only thing that you
can count on is change? The only thing that you can count on is that nothing lasts forever. And that can kind of jade us sometimes. Because because we get to the point where we're like, man, everything's going to fail me. Everything's going to fall apart on me. But I can tell you one thing for sure. Jesus will live and last forever. Jesus will never fail you. I had the opportunity
to hear the testimony of a young man who he was in his early 20s at the time. He's like his mid-20s now, so he's not that much older. But he was in his early 20s when he came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. And I'll never forget the statement he made at the beginning of his testimony. He said, I realized that everything in my life would fail me but Jesus. He said, I remember watching my
family fail me. I remember watching my sport fail me. I remember watching me fail. And I realized that everything in my life was going to fail. And that's when Jesus stepped in. Because Jesus will never fail. And when I realized that Jesus would never fail, and he was the only thing that would never fail, all I could do is put my trust in him. And I thought, what a fantastic testimony
to realize that everything in your life is going to fail you. Everything in your life is going to fall apart except Jesus. And he will hold everything else together. And I can tell you from personal experience, I feel exactly like that young man because it kind of feels like when everything is falling apart all around you, Jesus is the only one holding you.
And I don't know how to explain that in any other words. You kind of have to live it out for yourself. You kind of have to understand it for yourself. And maybe 10, 15 years ago, that would have been hyperbole on my part. It would have been something that I'd learned in theory. But over the last 10 or 15 years, it's gone from theory to say that Jesus is the only thing that won't fail me.
And it's come to reality, continues forever. And he holds his priesthood permanently. I remember when I was working in construction, I had this like philosophical moment, right? One of the few times I've had philosophical moments in my life. But as we were building a pool in Shawnee, Kansas, and over in old Shawnee off Johnson Drive there, and I've never half swam in that pool.
I should do that one of these days. Anyway, maybe that's not a good pool to swim in. Who knows? Anyway, so we're building this pool. But the first thing that we have to do is we have to tear down the school that was built there. And as we're tearing down this school and removing this old building to scrape the land clean so that we can build a new building, if you will,
to go on top of it, I remember thinking in that moment, nothing lasts forever, does it? Nothing lasts forever. Everything's made to be torn down. Everything that's built can be torn down. Everything that's put together can be taken apart. Nothing lasts forever. And what I've come to realize is, yes, that's true in a philosophical statement, except Jesus. Because he'll never be torn down.
And he'll last forever. He says, but Jesus continues forever and his priesthood is permanent. Therefore, since Jesus continues forever and since he holds his priesthood permanently, therefore he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. Let's unpack that verse real quick. Therefore, he is able to save forever.
Some of your translations may say that he is able to save to the uttermost. That's not the most accurate translation, but it is my favorite translation of that word. The idea behind the word forever or uttermost means completely, permanently, or for eternity. Completely, permanently, or for eternity. Jesus is able to save us for all of eternity. He is able to save to the uttermost.
There was a famous preacher back in the day. His name was Billy Sunday. If I remember correctly, he was a former pro baseball player. And Billy Sunday was a fantastic preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Billy Sunday taught an amazing message on this verse, although it was an ill-informed message. Because he said, Jesus didn't just say, He didn't just save me to the uttermost.
Jesus saved me to the guttermost. Now, it's a fantastic statement. Because before Billy Sunday came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he was an alcoholic. And every weekend, he'd find himself passed out in the gutter outside of whatever bar he'd gotten drunk in that week until God finally got a hold of his heart. And he gave up alcohol and started following Jesus with all of his heart.
And then went on to become one of the greatest evangelists of American history. The only problem with that is that Jesus doesn't save us to the guttermost. Jesus saves us to the uttermost. Now, not to step on the toes of one of the greatest evangelists that's ever lived, but can I just throw a different title in there? Because do you know what we're told in the book of Romans?
In the book of Romans, we're told that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. In other words, before we come to Jesus, our lives are in the guttermost of the world. They are in the gutter in some way, shape, or form. Whether it's because of alcohol, whether it's because of pornography, whether it's because of sexual sin, whether it's because of idolatry, whether it's because of sexism, whether it's because of adultery, whether it's self-righteousness, whatever it is, your life is in the gutter.
And so Jesus is able to save from the guttermost to the uttermost. Now that's a statement I can get behind because that's what he did for me. He pulled me out of the gutter and now he has saved me forever. And brothers and sisters, this eternal salvation is what we can hold onto because it's the confidence that we have. It makes me so sad when people go, I think I've done enough to be saved.
Like, are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Yes. Do you want to go to heaven? I sure hope so. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There's no hope so anymore. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, if you are born again, eternity is not just your hope. Eternity is your guarantee because you have the guarantee of a better hope because the word hope is not something that,
well, one of these days I hope I can dunk a basketball. The word hope is a guarantee that you're looking forward to. And so he says he is able to save to the uttermost. And so brothers and sisters, if you're in here this morning, I want you to know something. If you don't know, if you've ever put your faith in Jesus Christ, this promise is not for you. Well, that made you all sit up, didn't it?
I saw like 17 heads pop up and look at me like, what did he just say? Listen, if you've never put your faith in Jesus Christ, eternal salvation is not yours. That should terrify you. That should have you at the point of going, what do you mean eternal salvation isn't mine? What am I supposed to do to have eternal salvation? You got to surrender your life to Jesus.
Because he is not your savior forever just because you've heard about him. He is not your savior forever because you're sitting in church. He isn't your savior forever because you're a pretty nice guy. He's your savior forever when you have surrendered your life to him. So if you're here this morning and you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, and you want to know you have eternal salvation,
then at the end of this message, you better bow your head and say, Lord, forgive me, I'm a sinner. Make me your saint. Make me your saint. That's what you got to do. But if you're here this morning and you're a believer in Jesus Christ, I want you to know this promise is 100% for you. And he is not just your savior for today or for tomorrow or for the next 15 years.
He is your savior eternally. And listen, it will take the rest of eternity for you to understand exactly what that means. And it's a joyful study. It's a joyful search I look forward to with all of my heart. He says, He is able to save priests forever. He is able to save forever those who call upon him. Those who draw near to God through him. Now let's unpack this statement
because it's really important. How do we have this salvation? We have to draw near to God through him. That means that he is the only way to salvation. Remember what Jesus told his disciples? He said, I'm going away, but where I go you know and the way you know. And Thomas said, Lord, we don't know. We don't know where you're going. How are we supposed to know the way?
And Jesus said, Thomas, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I heard this preacher the other day, this incredibly liberal preacher who, by the way, is on their way to hell for this statement. And I'm not joking about that. They said, you know, that's a little too close-minded and I don't think that's actually what Jesus meant
when he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. That's not actually, as a matter of fact, we need a new version of the Bible because it's too close-minded. Because it's too close-minded with statements like that. And I just go, wow, I mean, everybody run. Run as fast as you can from that church. Run as fast as you can from that person because hell and damnation is coming for them
when you preach things like that. Do you know what Jesus said? He said, anyone who leads one of these little ones astray, you would be better off to tie a large stone around your neck, mafia style. I added mafia style. That's not in the Bible, so don't start blaming me. Throw a large stone around his neck and drown him in the bottom of the sea than to have to deal with God on the day of judgment.
Why? Because Jesus is the way and he's the truth and he's the life. No one comes to the Father through him. So he is able to save all those who draw near to God through him. You know what that means? That means many roads do not lead to God. One road leads to God. Many paths don't lead to the Father. One path leads to the Father. That means no priest can get you to God.
Only Jesus can get you to God. Because he is able to save forever all those who draw near to God through him. Why? Last statement. Because he ever lives to make intercession for us. He always lives to make intercession for them. The word intercession means to go before on behalf of another and that's exactly what Jesus does for us. He does it in a couple of different ways.
Number one, he goes before the Father for us because of our weakness. Because we don't know how to pray like we should. We struggle in life and so he intercedes on behalf of us to the Father for our weakness that we have in our lives. I'm reminded of what Jesus told Peter in the book of Luke when Jesus told Peter, he said, "'Peter, here's the thing. "'Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat.
"'But Peter, I have prayed for you. "'So when you return, strengthen your brethren.'" See, that's Jesus interceding for us and he didn't stop when he left topside of planet Earth. He actually ultimately began the ministry of intercession for us as he is there at the right hand of the Father. But he doesn't just intercede for us on behalf of us because of our weaknesses, because we don't always know how to pray as we should.
He intercedes for us because we have an accuser who is before the Father every day accusing us. Accusing you of sin in your life. Accusing you of failures in your life. Accusing you of your weaknesses. And the problem with his accusations is, he's right. That's the problem with all of his accusations. Which is where Jesus steps in, right? Jesus is our ultimate defense lawyer.
And he looks at us and he goes, listen, the best thing that you can say is that you're guilty. Because the glove does fit and he can't acquit, right? That's a little O.J. Simpson joke for you there. I thought you might enjoy that one. He says, the best thing you can do is plead guilty. And so we go, I'm guilty. And he goes, but I've already covered it with my blood.
So that's him interceding for us continually. Because we continue to proclaim our guilt before the Father. That's what it means when he says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is us admitting our guilt. But the cleansing from unrighteousness comes about because we have an interceder.
Someone who is interceding before the Father on our behalf saying, but no, they belong to me. And so he says, he is an unchangeable, his is an unchangeable priesthood because he continues forever. He holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him because he always lives to make intercession. So not only is it a new priesthood,
not only is it an unchangeable priesthood, but number three, it is a fitting priesthood. Notice what it says in verse 26. Through his fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy and faithful. innocent undefiled separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people because this he did once for all when he offered up himself for the law appoints men as high priests who are weak but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a son who is made perfect forever see we have a fitting high priest why well first of all because he is a
holy high priest he's a holy high priest he's described in several different words here it says for it was fitting for us first of all to have a high priest who was holy now typically the word that's used for holy in the greek is the word hagios which means to be set apart but this is a different word that i can't pronounce in the greek but what it means is personal holiness so the idea of the word holy that's given here is undefiled by sin and by sin and by sin and by sin and by sin in other words jesus was sinless he's the perfect high priest because he was sinless he was sinless before his humanity when he was living uh in his deity in heaven but even after he took on the clothes of a man he still lived a sinless life while he was on this earth
therefore he was holy undefiled by sin the second thing it tells us is that he was innocent and undefiled the idea is harmless and without guile or deceit in other words he's the real deal the third thing it tells us is that he is sinless and by sin and by sin and by sin is separate from sinners separate from sinners the idea of that phrase is that he does not share with their sins he identifies with us but he does not share sin with us makes sense and so he is a fitting high priest because he is a holy high priest and then of course he is exalted above the heavens the second reason that he is a fitting high priest is not just because he is a holy high priest but he is a high priest who made one offering for all of us he is a holy high priest
verse 27 who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people the job of the high priest and the priestly line was to offer the daily sacrifices and so the first thing that they would have to do is they would have to start by examining their own life and they would have to make sure that their own sins were dealt with and if the sin offering needed to be made they would make a sin offering one of the greatest times that we'd see this is on the day of atonement because on the day of atonement the first thing that the priest would do before he could offer any kind of a lamb on behalf of the people who go into the holy the most holy place to offer the
blood on the ark of the covenant the first thing he had to do is he had to make sacrifice for his own sins there was actually set up in the law how he would do that but then the rest of his day was filled with the sacrifices for the sins of the people can you imagine how long of a day that was okay just imagine like like our little congregation here right two three hundred people and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and every day you had to come to me and you had to be like well i blew it again here's a lamb right and i'm like okay they got us two to three hundred there were a million people right can you imagine
how much work the priest had to do to offer sacrifices daily not only for his own sins but for the sins of the people the writer to the hebrews says but this high priest jesus did not have to do that instead what he did is that because of this he did once for all when he offered up himself this he did once for all when he offered up himself you see that the difference between the sacrifice of jesus and the sacrifices of the high priest is that jesus stood not only as priest but jesus stood as sacrifice himself imagine if you will you stand before a judge and you're guilty before that judge of a capital offense that will end with you receiving capital punishment you will be put
to death for your crime and and as the judge is reciting the sentence guilty of a capital offense punishable by death through lethal injection which i think is what it is now through lethal injection and then the judge stands up and he removes his robe as a judge lays it aside and he goes and he puts on the jumpsuit of the prisoner and he says but because i love him so much i will take his place for the lethal injection and he can live forever that's what it means when he says that only he didn't have to do it a whole bunch of times he did it once for all because the sacrifice of jesus was once for all listen we need to understand something jesus is not continually sacrificed nor is jesus's sacrifice a perpetual sacrifice
it was a sacrifice that was made once for all and then when he rose again he sat down at the right hand of the father because the sacrifice was sufficient for the sin of humanity he says it is a fitting priesthood not only because he is a holy high priest but also because his offering was once for all and then third because he has a son who's been made perfect forever it says for the law points men as high priests who are weak all of the high priests that came before had the weakness of physical flesh but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a son who's made perfect forever through his sacrifice and he says it's a fitting priesthood on the cross a complete sacrifice on the cross the priesthood of jesus well as we wrap up here
this morning i want to close with three points three things that i think we should take away from our entire study here in hebrews chapter seven number one jesus is a different priest so it is a better salvation built on a better hope and a better covenant jesus is a different priest so it is a better salvation built on a better hope and a better covenant do you notice the word repeated in there a whole lot that word is better why because everything that jesus did is so much better than any other place where you can where you could try to find hope because it is an eternal hope it is a lasting hope it is a perfect hope it is a better hope because it's built on a covenant of faithfulness between god and man a covenant of faithfulness
that jesus showed to us by his death on the cross and ultimately won the victory of through his resurrection from the dead it is a different priest because it's a better salvation a better hope and a better covenant number two jesus is an unchangeable priest so it is an unchangeable salvation do you know that your position in christ will not change your position in christ will not change it is secure in him are there warnings we need to pay attention to 100 percent but the fact of the matter is if you're a child of god you're a child of god i remember when i was in high school i rebelled from the things of my parents and the things that i knew to be true and i remember the day that i came home at the end of
february and told my parents everything that had been going on in my life all of the areas of rebellion in my life and i remember my dad being as brokenhearted as you could possibly be over things that I had done. And it caused me to be even more brokenhearted over the things that I had done. But you know what never changed in that moment? What never changed is that he still loved me with all of his heart because I didn't stop being his son. I did not stop being his son in
that moment just because I had made mistakes. And I don't know who that's a word for this morning, but if you're here this morning and you've walked away from God, you have found yourself living in some sin in your life and you want to come home, but you feel like maybe you've gone too far. Listen, the fact that you want to go home tells me you haven't gone too far. And it's time for you to come back to Jesus today because today he will not stop loving you like you're one of his own. Because nothing will change the fact that you are a child of God. Why? Because
he is an unchangeable priest, so it is an unchangeable salvation. So come home today. Number three, Jesus is a permanent priest, so it is a forever salvation. No expiration date on that thing. No expiration date on salvation. It's eternal in nature and we will listen, spend the rest of eternity being told about how amazing that salvation is. Because he is a priest forever,
his salvation is eternal. His salvation is forever and it lasts forever and ever and ever and ever. Which is why when we stand in the throne room of God, we will join in with all of the angels and we will cry out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and who is and who is to come. Why? Because his salvation lasts forever and so our praise will last forever. Amen.
Let's all stand. I don't know about you, but I feel like maybe some work needs to be done in some hearts this morning. I kind of sense that. And so I don't know what work needs to be done in your heart because I don't know what the Holy Spirit's doing in you this morning. You know, this morning is Pentecost Sunday. I don't know if you know that or not. And Pentecost was the day that the
Holy Spirit fell on the church. And everybody talks about one aspect of the Holy Spirit falling on the church, which is fantastic. And that's that people spoke with other tongues, right? The disciples that were in the upper room, they began to speak with other tongues. And everybody goes, oh, the Pentecost means we're going to speak in other tongues. But I want you to know what they
spoke in other tongues. What they spoke was the marvelous works of God in other tongues. And then everybody said, what's with all the drunk guys babbling? And Peter said, no, no, no. This isn't drunkenness. This is what God promised through the prophet Joel. This is the falling of the Holy Spirit. This is the arrival of the Holy Spirit. In the lives of people. And he then preached a message. And the real move of the Holy Spirit
was not the speaking in tongues. The real move of the Holy Spirit was in the hearts of people. Because as Peter declared his message, he finished by saying, therefore, repent that times of refreshing may come through the presence of the Lord. That was the moving of the Holy Spirit. And then 3,000 people came to faith that day. Well, brothers and sisters, I sense the Holy Spirit moving in here this morning.
And I don't think you need to start bursting out into the speaking in tongues. But I do think you need to let the Holy Spirit do a work in your heart. So I'm going to call you to do the same thing that Peter called those people to do. I'm going to call us all to repent. Some of us need to repent of our self-sufficiency in our lives. That we've gained this self-righteousness
now that we've walked with God. And we somehow think now our salvation is dependent on us, even though that's not how we started. And we need to repent of that self-righteousness. Some of us need to repent of the sin that we have fallen back into. And it's time for us to come home, even though we don't feel like we're worthy of coming home. Jesus is still waiting with open
arms, just like he did for the prodigal son. It's time for you to come back to Jesus today. And some of you in here need to come to Jesus for the very first time. You've played the church game long enough. You know all the right things. And you can convince all the right people. But at the end of the day, you've never really surrendered your life to Jesus. And today's the day that you
need to do that. So I'm going to ask you to respond to that message today. I'm going to ask you to respond. I don't need to see your hand raised in the air. I don't need to see you come up front here. What I need you to do is pour out your heart to the Lord in confession. What I need you to do is cry out to Jesus in confession. So we're going to sing this last song. And while we sing this last song,
I just want you to deal with whatever it is that God needs to deal with in your heart and in your life. And I feel it strongly right now. As a matter of fact, I can sense a real spiritual battle going on right now. And you need to deal with it because God wants peace in your life. God wants peace in your heart. And God does not just want you in a church. God wants you in His family. God doesn't just want
you in the Word. God wants the Word in you. He wants you to know the peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen? So let's all bow. Father, we come before you. And Lord, I trust that you're with us. I trust that your Holy Spirit won't let us go. I trust that your Holy Spirit won't leave people alone until they've done the work with you that needs to be done, whether that's the people
that are in this room or the people that are watching online. So Lord, do your work in our hearts. Lord, do the business that needs to be done. And as we sing out this last song, may it be with the freedom of knowing that we are your children, that you are our Father. So Lord, do your work, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. Be blessed. I know who, I know who, the cross of salvation was only, and it's for...
God, we just thank you for your Word this morning. Any of us here this morning are still wrestling with you, still wallowing in our shame. I pray that we would come this morning and lay that down. Finally, surrender our lives to you. We love you, Lord, and we praise you in Jesus' name. You guys have a wonderful week. God bless you guys.