WEBVTT 00:00:13.289 --> 00:00:15.849 Take your Bibles this morning, turn to Hebrews 00:00:15.849 --> 00:00:21.629 chapter eight. We're gonna look at the first 00:00:21.629 --> 00:00:25.250 half of this chapter in our Bible this morning. 00:00:26.429 --> 00:00:28.449 And let me just remind you about the argument 00:00:28.449 --> 00:00:31.329 that's being made because we're definitely seeing 00:00:31.329 --> 00:00:34.350 some repetition here, some emphasis upon, of 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:37.329 course, Jesus and his high priestly ministry 00:00:37.329 --> 00:00:41.450 that is so different from that of the Levitical. 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:45.420 priesthood and so much better, of course, as 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:52.700 we have reiterated week after week. These people, 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.659 again, Hebrews who had professed faith in Christ, 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.020 and now were beginning to experience difficulty 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:03.479 in their lives as a result of their determination 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:07.340 to follow him. And they were feeling insecure, 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:12.019 uncomfortable. Their families no longer held 00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:14.319 them in the esteem which they once had because 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:18.359 now they were followers of Jesus. They were no 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:21.359 longer welcome in their local synagogues. The 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:24.500 Roman government was beginning to look at them 00:01:24.500 --> 00:01:27.620 questionably. Perhaps they weren't quite as free 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:31.560 to work as they had been before in whatever their 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:35.379 occupation might have been. struggles were beginning 00:01:35.379 --> 00:01:38.140 and the temptation that they had experienced 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:41.180 was a temptation to go back to what they considered 00:01:41.180 --> 00:01:44.140 to be a more comfortable life, go back to Judaism, 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:47.579 go back to the way that things once were when 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:51.040 they weren't experiencing the difficulties that 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:55.159 they were now experiencing as followers of Jesus. 00:01:55.180 --> 00:01:57.599 And of course, the writer of Hebrews just repeatedly 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.959 is making the argument, don't do that. There's 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:07.549 nothing for you there. Nothing better than Jesus. 00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:11.150 You know, when you look at scripture, the Bible 00:02:11.150 --> 00:02:14.990 paints a bleak picture of people apart from Christ, 00:02:15.409 --> 00:02:18.810 right? I mean, whether we're talking about the 00:02:18.810 --> 00:02:22.710 Old Testament or the New Testament, to be separated 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:27.169 from God because of our sin, well, is a terrible 00:02:27.169 --> 00:02:30.689 thing. And we really only have one... person 00:02:30.689 --> 00:02:34.129 to blame, and that is ourselves. In Genesis chapter 00:02:34.129 --> 00:02:37.150 six, verse five, this is what the Lord said about 00:02:37.150 --> 00:02:40.250 the people of that day. He said, the Lord saw 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:43.990 that the wickedness of man was great in the earth 00:02:43.990 --> 00:02:47.569 and that, and listen to this, every intention 00:02:47.569 --> 00:02:52.310 of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 00:02:54.590 --> 00:02:58.689 Every intention of the thoughts of his heart. 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:03.780 was only evil continually. That was written in 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:07.139 Genesis chapter six, verse five. Thousands of 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:10.460 years ago, that was the experience or the condition 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:14.360 of humankind. Doesn't sound too different from 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:16.960 the world in which we live in, does it? That's 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:20.419 what God saw when he looked. at mankind in those 00:03:20.419 --> 00:03:22.740 days. And then of course God spoke later through 00:03:22.740 --> 00:03:25.319 the prophet Jeremiah and he said this, the heart 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:28.460 is deceitful above all things, desperately sick, 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:31.400 who can understand it? And so that's the condition 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:34.259 of mankind as spoken by God through the prophet 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:38.400 Jeremiah. Sick, desperately sick, wicked, beyond 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.319 imagination, who can understand this? And again, 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.620 I know if you're like me, you look at the world 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:46.400 in which we live sometimes and you think, my 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.819 goodness. I can't even wrap my brain around the 00:03:49.819 --> 00:03:51.639 wickedness that exists in our world. Seems like 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:54.139 everywhere we turn, there is someone plotting 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:57.560 and scheming and planning and programming to 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:02.020 steal from us, to defraud us, to steal our identity, 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:05.219 right? I mean, everywhere we look, the world 00:04:05.219 --> 00:04:07.219 has not changed much. At least the world apart 00:04:07.219 --> 00:04:09.419 from Christ has not changed much over all these 00:04:09.419 --> 00:04:11.659 years. Of course, in the New Testament, the Apostle 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:15.479 Paul reminds Christians of what they were. what 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.459 their condition was before they trusted in Christ. 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:21.160 And he says this in Ephesians chapter two. He 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:24.139 says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:27.779 You were by nature children of wrath. You were 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:31.540 separated from Christ. You were alienated from 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:33.779 the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:36.180 to the covenants of promise. And listen to this, 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:41.680 having no hope and without God in the world. 00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:48.519 So to be Without Christ is to be without hope, 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:52.480 to be without God in the world. That has not 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:57.759 changed. So again, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:03.720 his fellow believers, don't turn your backs on 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:07.019 Christ. There is nothing for you in Judaism. 00:05:07.139 --> 00:05:10.540 There is nothing for you under the old covenant. 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:13.439 continued to stick with Jesus no matter what 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.959 it may require of you. And so the question, of 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:19.079 course, that they were battling, and as Neil 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:22.120 pointed out, I thought so very well last week, 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:23.819 the question that we're kind of dealing with 00:05:23.819 --> 00:05:27.699 here is, what would it require for a people who 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:31.060 are described the way sinners are described in 00:05:31.060 --> 00:05:32.920 the scriptures, what would it take for a people 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.839 like that to be saved to the uttermost? In other 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:38.819 words, for their lives to be transformed from 00:05:38.819 --> 00:05:41.399 someone whose every intention of our thoughts 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:44.699 is only evil continually to be transformed into 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:47.660 someone who could stand before the Lord and praise 00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:50.480 him and honor him and worship him. What would 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.980 it take to bring about that kind of transformation, 00:05:54.259 --> 00:05:57.500 that kind of change, that kind of salvation? 00:05:58.779 --> 00:06:01.800 And of course, as we read here, it would require 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:04.660 a high priest. And if you just look up the page 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:07.540 there in the end of chapter seven, the qualifications 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:09.540 for the kind of priest that it would take to 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:12.939 do this. First of all, he had to be holy, a holy 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:16.019 priest. Again, the word implies utter sinlessness. 00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:21.480 No human high priest would qualify in that regard. 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:24.720 The second word there, innocent. Again, the word 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:27.740 implies not even a shred of evil in someone's 00:06:27.740 --> 00:06:31.069 life. I don't know anybody like that, do you? 00:06:31.529 --> 00:06:33.649 There was no high priest, no Levitical priest 00:06:33.649 --> 00:06:37.290 who could fit that criteria. Unstained is the 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:40.389 next word. Absolutely pure is what that word 00:06:40.389 --> 00:06:45.370 implies. Free from anything that might disqualify 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:48.629 this individual from being a priest or a high 00:06:48.629 --> 00:06:53.769 priest. Again, no one on earth met that qualification 00:06:53.769 --> 00:06:58.000 apart from... Jesus. Separated from sinners was 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.379 the next qualification. Again, we've talked about 00:07:00.379 --> 00:07:03.680 this. Those words mean different by nature, not 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:06.600 separated in the sense far removed and unreachable, 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:09.319 but separated in the sense that totally unlike, 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:11.339 totally different from, we've already talked 00:07:11.339 --> 00:07:13.879 about the fact that Jesus was a different kind 00:07:13.879 --> 00:07:17.240 of high priest, a completely other kind of high 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:20.079 priest from the Levitical priesthood. So again, 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.560 only Jesus fits this criteria to be separated 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.990 from sinners, different. from them by his very 00:07:25.990 --> 00:07:28.769 nature. And then, of course, the last exalted 00:07:28.769 --> 00:07:33.389 above the heavens. Again, one to whom all authority, 00:07:33.529 --> 00:07:36.829 power, and honor has been given. And again, there's 00:07:36.829 --> 00:07:39.209 only one person that meets that qualification, 00:07:39.290 --> 00:07:42.050 right? And it is Jesus Christ. And that's the 00:07:42.050 --> 00:07:44.949 argument that's being made. There is salvation 00:07:44.949 --> 00:07:47.529 in no other name. You will not find the security 00:07:47.529 --> 00:07:50.230 that you are looking for under any other covenant 00:07:50.230 --> 00:07:55.240 or plan or religion. It is only in Jesus Christ, 00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:58.000 and I love the way that chapter eight begins. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.800 You know, it's often difficult, and you can talk 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:03.060 to Neil, you can talk to me. When we're preparing 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:06.660 a message, what we try to do each week is to... 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.180 work our way through a passage of scripture and 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:11.879 try to give you the main emphasis, all right, 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.079 to try to relate what God is saying to us through 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.519 that passage. And every now and then we get a 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.240 chapter eight, verse one that says this, now 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.319 the point in what we are saying is this, I love 00:08:23.319 --> 00:08:25.879 that. I don't have to wonder about what the point 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:28.540 is, God's gonna tell me what the point is, all 00:08:28.540 --> 00:08:31.480 right. And of course the point is we have such 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.730 a high priest. What would it take to make you 00:08:35.730 --> 00:08:38.690 fit to live eternally in the presence of God, 00:08:39.409 --> 00:08:42.830 a holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:45.909 exalted above the heavens high priest. And the 00:08:45.909 --> 00:08:48.830 point that we're making is we have that kind 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:52.669 of high priest. We have that in Jesus Christ. 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:55.950 That's the point. That's what he wants us to 00:08:55.950 --> 00:08:58.590 understand. That's what he wants us to see. That's 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:01.590 why he has gone to such lengths to make this 00:09:01.590 --> 00:09:05.450 argument, to present his case. He wants to convince 00:09:05.450 --> 00:09:08.950 us beyond the point of ever having our minds 00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:12.529 changed that Jesus is that kind of high priest. 00:09:12.570 --> 00:09:15.990 He is the only one that can meet our need for 00:09:15.990 --> 00:09:20.289 salvation. And that is exactly what he has done 00:09:20.289 --> 00:09:24.250 in offering himself. as our sacrifice on the 00:09:24.250 --> 00:09:26.190 cross and rising from the dead and then being 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:29.129 exalted to take his seat at the right hand of 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:31.769 the Father. This is what is trying, the author 00:09:31.769 --> 00:09:34.610 of Hebrews is trying so fervently to convey here 00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:40.129 and to convince us of, and just to help us as 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:44.090 present day Christians. to understand the security 00:09:44.090 --> 00:09:46.850 that we have in Jesus, the freedom that we have 00:09:46.850 --> 00:09:50.110 in Jesus, the boldness that we can have in Jesus. 00:09:50.389 --> 00:09:55.840 Our lives are secure. Our future is secure. so 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.240 we can go out there and live boldly for Christ. 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:01.080 So let's read these verses together. Chapter 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:03.679 eight, we're gonna read just verses one through 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.220 six, and then we'll talk about this some today. 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:08.460 And again, if you don't have the words, they'll 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:10.960 be here on the screen in the front of the auditorium. 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:13.620 Now the point in what we are saying is this. 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:17.320 We have such a high priest, one who is seated 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.539 at the right hand of the throne of the majesty 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:23.320 in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.360 the true tent, that the Lord set up, not man. 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.840 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.480 and sacrifices. Thus, it is necessary for this 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:36.960 priest also to have something to offer. Now if 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.559 he were on earth, he would not be a priest at 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.379 all, since there are priests who offer gifts 00:10:42.379 --> 00:10:44.820 according to the law. In other words, while these 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:47.700 words were being written, the temple in Jerusalem 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:51.340 was still standing. The sacrificial system, the 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:53.700 Levitical priesthood was still actively being 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:56.139 engaged in every day, and so the writer of Hebrews 00:10:56.139 --> 00:10:58.539 is making it perfectly clear. That's going on 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:00.679 right now. If Jesus were here now, he wouldn't 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:04.539 be serving in that capacity. He would not be 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:06.779 a priest at all, since there are priests who 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:09.240 offer gifts according to law. But he says they 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:13.179 serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things. 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:16.120 Not the real thing, a copy and a shadow. For 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:18.740 when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:22.200 instructed by God saying, see to it that you 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.519 make everything according to the pattern that 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.220 was shown to you on the mountain. Now we don't 00:11:27.220 --> 00:11:29.279 know exactly what happened on the mountain because 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:31.279 Moses was the only one that was there with God. 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:35.279 But the implication here is that God gave Moses 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:38.379 very clear instructions on how the tabernacle, 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:41.039 the tent in the wilderness was to be constructed. 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:45.320 And that perhaps he even showed him somehow. 00:11:45.610 --> 00:11:49.429 a model of the heavenly temple that he could 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:52.450 look at and see and grasp with his mind in order 00:11:52.450 --> 00:11:55.110 to make sure that the temple or the tabernacle 00:11:55.110 --> 00:11:56.529 that they would build there in the wilderness 00:11:56.529 --> 00:12:01.570 would be exactly made after the pattern of that 00:12:01.570 --> 00:12:06.389 real temple, that real true tent. So anyway, 00:12:06.549 --> 00:12:09.230 God made sure that Moses had everything he needed 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:11.669 to make the tent according to the pattern which 00:12:11.669 --> 00:12:14.129 was shown to him on the mountain. But as it is, 00:12:14.169 --> 00:12:17.200 verse six says, Christ has obtained a ministry 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:20.620 that is much more excellent than the old, as 00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:23.539 the covenant he mediates is better since it is 00:12:23.539 --> 00:12:26.860 enacted on better promises. Let's pray, and then 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:29.039 we'll look through this text together here. Father, 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.179 we are so very thankful today for Jesus. Thankful 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:34.879 for the new covenant in his blood. Thankful, 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:38.259 Father, that we can live with absolute certainty 00:12:38.259 --> 00:12:43.549 that we are yours. and that there is nothing 00:12:43.549 --> 00:12:47.190 that will ever separate a Christian from the 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:51.190 love of God, nothing. Help us to live in that 00:12:51.190 --> 00:12:54.789 light, in that truth, to live bold, courageous 00:12:54.789 --> 00:13:00.409 Christian lives because of it. We have the perfect 00:13:00.409 --> 00:13:06.350 high priest, a better covenant, a surer salvation. 00:13:07.239 --> 00:13:10.240 and I pray that we would live in light of that. 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:14.200 So help us now as we look to this high priestly 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:18.279 ministry of Jesus in our behalf, help us to understand 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:22.159 more clearly today just exactly what it is that 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.639 he is doing for us and where he's doing it from, 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:27.799 and I pray that we would all leave here rejoicing, 00:13:27.919 --> 00:13:30.100 not only in the freedoms that we have as Americans, 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:33.379 but Father, even more than that, the freedoms 00:13:33.379 --> 00:13:35.940 that we have in Christ. and it's in his name 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:39.720 that we pray, amen, amen. First thing that we 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:43.639 read about here is Christ's seat. We have such 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:47.480 a high priest, the writer says, one who is seated 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.179 at the right hand of the throne of the majesty 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.460 in heaven. And we've talked about this already, 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:55.899 this whole idea of the fact that Christ is seated 00:13:55.899 --> 00:14:00.179 implies that his work is completed, all right? 00:14:00.299 --> 00:14:04.059 The work of salvation is done. That's what he 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:06.720 said, or what he is saying here. The work of 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.720 salvation is complete. Of course, in John 19, 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:12.980 verse 30, we read that just before Jesus gave 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:15.340 up his spirit, gave up the ghost on the cross, 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:19.279 he cried out what? It is finished. And that's 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:21.580 what he was talking about. The work of salvation, 00:14:21.700 --> 00:14:25.879 the work that I came to do is finished. I've 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:27.700 done it, I've completed it. Of course, the Greek 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:31.860 words there in John's gospel mean that this work 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:34.600 is fully accomplished. I have accomplished what 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:38.899 my Heavenly Father sent me to do. The debt has 00:14:38.899 --> 00:14:44.320 been paid in full. God's wrath had been satisfied. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:48.700 Our sin was taken away. That's what took place 00:14:48.700 --> 00:14:51.840 on the cross. Our salvation was made secure. 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:54.340 And as we have emphasized and re -emphasized, 00:14:54.539 --> 00:14:56.720 Christ's death on the cross didn't simply make 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:00.980 it possible for us to be saved. It saved us. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:07.700 It secured us once and for all time. So this 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:12.299 idea of Christ being seated, again, distinguishes 00:15:12.299 --> 00:15:14.659 him from human priests who never sat down. There 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:17.039 was no place in the temple or the tabernacle 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:19.320 for the priest to sit down. There was never an 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:21.399 opportunity for the priest to sit down because 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:24.799 his work was never done. But that's not so for 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:28.840 Christ. His work was fully accomplished on the 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:32.179 cross. There is no more work to be done to accomplish 00:15:32.179 --> 00:15:37.220 our salvation. Please hear that. So many people 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:39.539 that I run into and talk to. They're working, 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.740 working, working, trying to secure their salvation. 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:43.259 Let me tell you, Christ has already done that 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:46.620 for you. And of course, it's always been that 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:50.000 way. It's human nature. That's the way we think. 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.720 But the work of salvation has been accomplished. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:58.259 It is finished. Jesus said in John chapter six, 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:01.759 verse 28, the disciples were... talking to Jesus 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:04.120 about this very thing, and they asked him, what 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:07.919 must we do to be doing the works of God? And 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:11.100 that question wasn't about how can we serve you 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:14.259 on earth, but it was really about their own salvation. 00:16:14.539 --> 00:16:19.620 What must we do to inherit, to keep eternal life? 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:21.600 What is it that we need to be doing? And this 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.960 is what Jesus said to them in response. He says, 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.470 this is the work of God. Again, another one of 00:16:27.470 --> 00:16:29.690 those places in scripture where we're not left 00:16:29.690 --> 00:16:32.470 to our imagination. The Bible makes it perfectly 00:16:32.470 --> 00:16:35.629 clear. This is the work of God. If you're wondering 00:16:35.629 --> 00:16:38.350 what there is that you must do in order to be 00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:41.570 saved, Jesus said, this is the work of God that 00:16:41.570 --> 00:16:47.649 you believe in Him whom He has sent. Believe. 00:16:49.190 --> 00:16:51.730 Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:16:51.730 --> 00:16:55.490 and what? You'll be saved. That's what... Paul 00:16:55.490 --> 00:16:58.789 and Silas told the Philippian jailer, believe, 00:16:58.990 --> 00:17:01.029 believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be 00:17:01.029 --> 00:17:05.130 saved. There is no work for you to do. Christ 00:17:05.130 --> 00:17:08.009 himself has done the work. He has completed the 00:17:08.009 --> 00:17:11.329 work. The only work left is simply to believe. 00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:12.890 And of course, again, what's being presented 00:17:12.890 --> 00:17:16.150 here is a stark contrast to the high priestly 00:17:16.150 --> 00:17:19.049 ministry of Jesus and the high priestly ministry 00:17:19.049 --> 00:17:21.710 of the Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood. 00:17:22.730 --> 00:17:26.210 Again, priests for whom Work was never done. 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:29.549 They never got to sit down. Hebrews 10, and we'll 00:17:29.549 --> 00:17:31.450 get to Hebrews 10 in the next few weeks, but 00:17:31.450 --> 00:17:34.930 Hebrews 10, verses 11 and 12 says, and every 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:38.970 priest stands daily at his service, offering 00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:42.210 repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never 00:17:42.210 --> 00:17:47.410 take away sin, but when Christ had offered for 00:17:47.410 --> 00:17:50.910 all time a single sacrifice for sins, himself, 00:17:51.410 --> 00:17:56.269 he sat down at the right hand. of God. His work 00:17:56.269 --> 00:17:58.910 was completed. So when we think about Christ 00:17:58.910 --> 00:18:01.970 being seated in the heavenlies, that's what we 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:03.890 should first think of. We should just first understand 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:06.069 he's seated because his work is done. Now that 00:18:06.069 --> 00:18:08.630 doesn't mean, or at least the work of salvation 00:18:08.630 --> 00:18:10.650 is done, that doesn't mean that he's not still... 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:12.839 working in our behalf. That's what we talked 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.539 about last week, right? There is an ongoing ministry, 00:18:15.579 --> 00:18:19.240 a present ministry of Jesus Christ right now, 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:21.480 right this very moment. And again, we need to 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:24.960 understand as glorious as the cross was and the 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:28.039 salvation that was gained there for us, that's 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:31.779 not the end of it. Christ is continuing to serve 00:18:31.779 --> 00:18:35.180 right this moment as our high priest. He is serving 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:40.059 us in heaven at the right hand of the Father. 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:43.660 right this very moment. And again, one of the 00:18:43.660 --> 00:18:45.619 other significant things about him being seated 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:48.619 at the right hand of the Father. Of course, we 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:50.859 recognize that right hand of the Father as being 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:53.240 a place of honor, being a place of authority 00:18:53.240 --> 00:18:55.200 and power, and we're gonna talk about that in 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:57.319 just a little while. But I want you to understand 00:18:57.319 --> 00:18:59.140 that being at the right hand of the Father also 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:02.000 implies that this ministry that Jesus is engaged 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.400 in is a ministry of compassion. Remember, we 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.039 have a high priest who sympathizes with us in 00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:10.869 our weaknesses. He's experienced everything that 00:19:10.869 --> 00:19:13.069 humankind has experienced because he himself 00:19:13.069 --> 00:19:15.849 was a human being. He clothed himself in human 00:19:15.849 --> 00:19:19.549 flesh. He lived among us for 33 years. And so 00:19:19.549 --> 00:19:22.130 now as high priest, he can sympathize with us 00:19:22.130 --> 00:19:24.410 in our weaknesses. And this idea of his being 00:19:24.410 --> 00:19:26.509 at the right hand speaks of that kind of sympathy, 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:29.549 that kind of compassion. When these words were 00:19:29.549 --> 00:19:33.269 originally heard or read by the believers in 00:19:33.269 --> 00:19:36.529 this day and time, especially these Hebrew. They 00:19:36.529 --> 00:19:41.150 would have been reminded of the Sadducees, the 00:19:41.150 --> 00:19:45.569 Jewish ruling council of the elders. When members 00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:49.190 of that council sat in judgment, a secretary 00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:51.970 would sit on either side of the presiding judge. 00:19:52.529 --> 00:19:55.569 And the secretary that sat on the left side of 00:19:55.569 --> 00:19:59.170 the judge would record the condemnations. But 00:19:59.170 --> 00:20:01.190 the secretary that sat on the right side of the 00:20:01.190 --> 00:20:06.000 judge would record the acquittals. So again picture 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:09.539 Jesus sitting on the right hand of the judge 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:13.759 Recording the acquittals we because we've trusted 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:16.099 in him have been declared not guilty. We've been 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:18.759 declared righteous by God That's the idea of 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.259 Christ being seated at the right hand of the 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:25.599 Father the throne of majesty, and of course that 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.819 refers to God himself, the throne of the majesty. 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:32.740 Don't miss that definite article there, the majesty 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:36.039 in heaven. Christ is seated at the right hand 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:40.079 of the Father, again, ministering in compassion 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:44.440 on our behalf. John 3 .17, we love to quote John 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:47.640 3 .16, but John 3 .17 says this, for God did 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:49.900 not send his Son into the world to condemn the 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:52.339 world, but that in order that the world might 00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:55.890 be saved. through him. That's the ministry that 00:20:55.890 --> 00:20:57.809 continues right up to this very moment. And of 00:20:57.809 --> 00:21:00.190 course, it talks about the service of Jesus, 00:21:00.289 --> 00:21:02.769 the ministry of Jesus. It refers to him as a 00:21:02.769 --> 00:21:05.829 minister in the holy places, and then later on, 00:21:06.150 --> 00:21:09.190 a ministry that is so much more excellent than 00:21:09.190 --> 00:21:12.869 the old. So again, Jesus is ministering on our 00:21:12.869 --> 00:21:16.269 behalf right now, right this moment, calling 00:21:16.269 --> 00:21:19.789 him a minister here. And again. That's not a 00:21:19.789 --> 00:21:21.630 word that we would typically use of Jesus, is 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:23.809 it? But that's what he was. That's what he is. 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:26.230 He's a minister in the truest sense. And that 00:21:26.230 --> 00:21:30.730 word implies, again, this present, ongoing, continuous 00:21:30.730 --> 00:21:34.410 activity. Jesus is presently at work in behalf 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:36.569 of his people. You can always count on that. 00:21:36.869 --> 00:21:39.029 We sing that song, right? He's working even when 00:21:39.029 --> 00:21:40.809 we don't feel it, even when we don't see it. 00:21:40.910 --> 00:21:45.130 He's working. Jesus is working in our behalf. 00:21:45.410 --> 00:21:47.890 He's serving as our high priest right now at 00:21:47.890 --> 00:21:52.079 the right hand. of the Father, exercising that 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:54.940 ministry in our behalf. Of course, an excellent 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:58.420 ministry, much more excellent than the old. Again, 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:02.140 Jesus' work in our behalf is not only different 00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:05.480 from, but it far exceeds the service of any human 00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:09.000 priest. There's no human priest that ever lived 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:12.460 that could do for us what we needed done for 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:15.400 us. that could clothe us in his own righteousness 00:22:15.400 --> 00:22:18.039 and make us fit to stand before the Father in 00:22:18.039 --> 00:22:22.700 heaven. No human priest could do that. Only Jesus 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:26.339 could do that. Again, sympathizing with us all 00:22:26.339 --> 00:22:29.279 the while in our weakness and powerfully extending 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:33.220 mercy and grace to help us in every conceivable 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:35.160 situation. You know, the biggest mistake we make, 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:37.220 and I think we make this mistake even as Christians, 00:22:37.539 --> 00:22:40.059 we find ourselves facing some hardship, and what 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:43.990 do we do? We set out to take care of it on our 00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:49.789 own. We need to understand that there are just 00:22:49.789 --> 00:22:53.029 things in life that we are not able to take care 00:22:53.029 --> 00:22:56.630 of on our own. But we have this high priest seated 00:22:56.630 --> 00:22:58.710 at the right hand of the Father who loves us, 00:22:58.730 --> 00:23:01.569 who gave himself for us, whoever lives to be 00:23:01.569 --> 00:23:04.869 our intercession, praying for us, being our access 00:23:04.869 --> 00:23:07.509 to the Father. We have a resource that we can 00:23:07.509 --> 00:23:11.910 call upon anytime, and we know that when we do, 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:15.190 they send the help of grace and mercy our way. 00:23:15.509 --> 00:23:19.690 Jesus is exercising this kind of ministry in 00:23:19.690 --> 00:23:22.630 heaven, far greater than any human priest could 00:23:22.630 --> 00:23:24.849 have ever exercised. And of course it talks about 00:23:24.849 --> 00:23:27.269 where all of this is taking place. He's doing 00:23:27.269 --> 00:23:31.660 this in the holy places, in the true tent. seated 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:34.660 at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. There 00:23:34.660 --> 00:23:36.839 are several things that I wanna just share about 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:39.700 where Jesus' ministry is. And we talk about heaven 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:42.700 a lot here, and we've said over the years, heaven 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:47.099 is not some cloudy, floaty place. It's a real 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:49.700 place. Matter of fact, it's more real than any 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:55.220 place you've ever been. This sanctuary in which 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:57.579 Jesus carries out his ministry, first of all, 00:23:57.619 --> 00:24:00.160 the words in heaven. Those are words that have 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.359 always described the place where God dwells, 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:06.140 the residence of God. A long time ago when Aaron, 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:08.420 my son, was just a little boy, he asked me, he 00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:12.779 said, daddy, where is Jesus? Or no, he said, 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:15.640 where is heaven? And I said, well, heaven's where 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:19.599 Jesus is. Jesus is in the Father's house, right? 00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:21.980 Isn't that what he said in John? In my Father's 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:24.700 house. That's where he was going and that's where 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:27.589 one day his disciples would be reunited. with 00:24:27.589 --> 00:24:30.049 him, where we one day will be reunited with him. 00:24:30.150 --> 00:24:33.230 In the Father's house, heaven, the words heaven 00:24:33.230 --> 00:24:39.390 just simply imply the residency of God. God dwells 00:24:39.390 --> 00:24:41.970 in heaven. You know, we're talking about the 00:24:41.970 --> 00:24:45.569 tabernacle and the temple. Mankind has always 00:24:45.569 --> 00:24:47.509 wanted to build a place where the presence of 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:49.869 God could dwell. Let me tell you, God's presence 00:24:49.869 --> 00:24:51.809 can't dwell in a place built with human hands. 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:54.920 And that's why it's emphasized here. This place 00:24:54.920 --> 00:24:57.539 is not a place that was set up by man, it's a 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:59.519 place that was set up by God himself. That's 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:03.000 where Jesus is. He is serving us from heaven, 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:06.319 from the place where his father lives, from where 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.839 his father dwells. And of course it's a holy 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:13.140 place. Not only a heavenly place, but a holy 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:17.000 place. Speaking of righteousness, Revelation 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:21.000 21, 27 says of heaven, says nothing unclean will 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:23.869 ever enter it. Again, that's our problem, right? 00:25:24.109 --> 00:25:26.410 Because as human beings born into this world, 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:30.069 we're born into this world in sin. We are not 00:25:30.069 --> 00:25:32.509 righteous, but we are unrighteous. We are not 00:25:32.509 --> 00:25:36.750 good, we are evil. And scripture says, nothing 00:25:36.750 --> 00:25:40.450 unclean will ever enter heaven, nor anyone who 00:25:40.450 --> 00:25:43.529 does what's detestable or false, but only those 00:25:43.529 --> 00:25:45.609 whose names are written in the Lamb's book of 00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:51.559 life. So again, it is only. in Jesus, where we 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:54.779 are made fit. Again, clothed in His righteousness, 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:58.359 made righteous to stand before the Father. That's 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:01.920 what the holy places is about there. Heaven, 00:26:02.200 --> 00:26:06.059 the residence of God, these holy places of absolute 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:08.940 righteousness, and then the words, the true tent 00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:11.579 that the Lord set up, not man. Again, it speaks 00:26:11.579 --> 00:26:15.759 of reality. Every other temple, every other tabernacle, 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:19.799 every other sanctuary is just a copy. a shadow, 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:27.599 an imperfect model of the reality of heaven. 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.220 You know, we tend to think that we live in the 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:33.140 real world, right? I mean, things are solid around 00:26:33.140 --> 00:26:37.720 us. Let me tell you, Jesus is in the real sanctuary. 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:43.519 He's in the real. I mean, this speaks of the 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:46.299 reality of heaven, and I think sometimes we need 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:49.779 to be reminded of the reality of heaven. We think 00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:52.660 of it as just being maybe sometimes even a little 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:56.619 bit fictional, just a place that we hope to go 00:26:56.619 --> 00:27:00.559 to when we die. Let me tell you, heaven is a 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.880 real place, real people go there, and this true 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:07.700 tent that the Lord set up, not man, this is a... 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:10.819 a wording that describes the reality of the sanctuary 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:14.299 in which Jesus ministers, this place made by 00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:16.660 God himself. And according to scripture, again, 00:27:17.539 --> 00:27:21.240 God is far too great to dwell in any other kind 00:27:21.240 --> 00:27:25.900 of sanctuary. We cannot build a sanctuary beautiful 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:33.359 enough, big enough, quiet enough, elaborate enough 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.980 to contain the presence. And of course, the Bible 00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:40.700 tells us about that throughout. God cannot dwell 00:27:40.700 --> 00:27:44.059 in anything built by man. And so again, when 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:47.319 we think about heaven, when we think about the 00:27:47.319 --> 00:27:51.059 sanctuary in which Jesus ministers, we just need 00:27:51.059 --> 00:27:53.119 to understand that it far exceeds the beauty 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:55.180 and splendor of any tabernacle or temple that 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:57.079 was ever made. And let me tell you, man, the 00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:58.819 tabernacle in the wilderness, it was an elaborate 00:27:58.819 --> 00:28:01.200 setup. And then the temple that was built in 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:08.529 Jerusalem, beautiful. Beautiful. Gold and marble 00:28:08.529 --> 00:28:12.069 and precious jewels. I mean, as far as human 00:28:12.069 --> 00:28:14.789 buildings go, man -made buildings, it was as 00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:18.829 good as it gets. But it doesn't even compare 00:28:18.829 --> 00:28:24.049 to the true tent, the true tabernacle, the sanctuary, 00:28:24.269 --> 00:28:27.809 the real sanctuary in heaven where Jesus is. 00:28:27.849 --> 00:28:30.869 So as we anticipate, being there with Jesus, 00:28:31.130 --> 00:28:34.349 worshiping there with Jesus, Just understand 00:28:34.349 --> 00:28:38.509 that that place is going to far exceed our wildest 00:28:38.509 --> 00:28:42.410 imagination. Beautiful, beautiful place. And 00:28:42.410 --> 00:28:43.650 then the last thing I just want to talk about 00:28:43.650 --> 00:28:48.970 is his sacrifice. The scripture says that every 00:28:48.970 --> 00:28:52.009 high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. 00:28:52.190 --> 00:28:55.690 Thus, it's necessary for this priest also to 00:28:55.690 --> 00:29:00.589 have something to offer. What does Jesus have 00:29:00.589 --> 00:29:03.700 to offer, right? That's the question. Every priest 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:06.460 was required to have something to offer. And 00:29:06.460 --> 00:29:09.059 of course, it lists two specific things, gifts 00:29:09.059 --> 00:29:15.960 and sacrifices. Now that word gifts, these gift 00:29:15.960 --> 00:29:18.640 offerings that people would bring to the temple 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:22.039 or to the tabernacle, they were given to represent 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:25.460 a person's personal devotion to God or their 00:29:25.460 --> 00:29:28.799 commitment. to God or recommitment to God. They 00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:31.920 were offerings that were given to express their 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:39.099 thanksgiving to God. Again, things that we would 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:41.420 associate with our sanctification, our growth 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:43.799 in the gospel, our growth in the knowledge and 00:29:43.799 --> 00:29:45.839 understanding of Jesus Christ. And let me tell 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:48.279 you, Jesus is there ministering at the right 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:51.359 hand of the Father, helping you, helping me as 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:54.119 we grow. in Christ -likeness, as we become more 00:29:54.119 --> 00:29:56.019 and more like Jesus. That's what his ministry 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:58.880 is doing. He's offering these gifts, these gifts 00:29:58.880 --> 00:30:01.000 of devotion, these gifts of commitment, these 00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:03.180 gifts of praise and worship and thanksgiving. 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:06.119 Jesus makes all of that possible for us. He makes 00:30:06.119 --> 00:30:08.700 it possible for us to do that in a manner that 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:12.440 honors God. And so that's the idea behind that 00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:15.420 word, gifts. And then, of course, the word sacrifices, 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:18.319 the blood offerings or the sacrifices that were 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:20.859 offered upon the altar, these were for the cleansing 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:25.849 of sin. And of course we know that Jesus offered 00:30:25.849 --> 00:30:29.069 himself, right? He took his own blood into the 00:30:29.069 --> 00:30:31.730 Holy of Holies. Not only was he the offering, 00:30:31.789 --> 00:30:36.309 he was the offerer. And again, our salvation 00:30:36.309 --> 00:30:41.490 was secured once and for all. So again, Jesus 00:30:41.490 --> 00:30:44.329 still standing or still sitting in our behalf 00:30:44.329 --> 00:30:48.490 at the right hand of the Father, securing our 00:30:48.490 --> 00:30:54.140 salvation. So. all of these things and more going 00:30:54.140 --> 00:30:56.720 on this very moment in heaven, in the true tent, 00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:04.519 the real heaven, the real place, the real eternity, 00:31:04.900 --> 00:31:08.039 the real sanctuary where Jesus, our real high 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:10.539 priest, ministers in our behalf. And of course, 00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:12.960 you know what Jesus says that we should do now 00:31:12.960 --> 00:31:15.640 as Christians who follow him, right? Paul says 00:31:15.640 --> 00:31:17.380 in Romans 12, right, what are we to do? We're 00:31:17.380 --> 00:31:19.680 to offer ourselves just as Jesus offered himself. 00:31:19.759 --> 00:31:22.400 We can't offer ourselves for somebody else's 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:24.819 sin or for somebody else's salvation, but we 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:28.980 offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy, pleasing 00:31:28.980 --> 00:31:31.259 to God. That's what we're to do. We're to serve 00:31:31.259 --> 00:31:36.059 Jesus. We're to honor Jesus as he serves us and 00:31:36.059 --> 00:31:40.160 strengthens us for this very aspect of our lives. 00:31:40.539 --> 00:31:45.039 So, if you've trusted in Christ, If you've received 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.039 him as Savior and Lord, know this, your life, 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:51.579 your salvation, your eternity is as secure as 00:31:51.579 --> 00:31:56.200 it can possibly be. Our high priest seated at 00:31:56.200 --> 00:31:58.240 the right hand of the Father in the True Tent 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:01.039 guarantees it. We talked about that last week. 00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:04.740 He is the guarantor of a better covenant. He 00:32:04.740 --> 00:32:09.859 guarantees that one day we will be reunited with 00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:12.539 him and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:32:13.139 --> 00:32:17.140 never to be separated again. And that offer of 00:32:17.140 --> 00:32:19.259 salvation is available to every man, woman, and 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:22.279 child today. If you've never trusted Jesus, trust 00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:24.059 him today. Call upon the name of the Lord, as 00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:25.940 the scripture says, and you'll be saved.