1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,960
Dear God, we thank you so much that we can look forward to the sweet by and by, that

2
00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:14,560
we can look forward to the blessings that you have promised for us.

3
00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:21,120
And as we gather here, as we open up your word, just instruct us, help us to learn more

4
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:27,160
of your grace, learn more of your love, so that we can share that with someone else.

5
00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,160
In your name we pray.

6
00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:34,680
There we go.

7
00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:39,720
So maybe your house is a little bit similar to mine.

8
00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:47,720
That whenever you are about to go somewhere, maybe to church, maybe out to supper somewhere,

9
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:53,440
maybe to go visit family or friends, that you know how long it takes, it's going to

10
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,060
take 15 minutes to get there.

11
00:00:55,060 --> 00:01:01,000
There's time, there's no traffic, so we need to leave at such and such a time.

12
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,680
Maybe your house is similar to mine, that when that time comes to go, that there will

13
00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:14,500
be one person or one group of people who are ready to go, with shoes on, with keys, ready

14
00:01:14,500 --> 00:01:15,700
to walk out the door.

15
00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:21,360
And then there's another person or group of people in the home that when the time comes

16
00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,120
to go, they're not quite ready yet.

17
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,080
Does anybody else have a home similar to that?

18
00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:33,520
You don't have to point fingers or say which is which, but sometimes in the home there's

19
00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,720
one part that's ready and another part that is not quite ready yet.

20
00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:46,320
And so when that circumstance sometimes arises, often questions are asked.

21
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,840
What are you doing?

22
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,120
What's taking so long?

23
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,560
Don't you have your shoes on?

24
00:01:53,560 --> 00:02:00,080
And there's healthy discussion that takes place sometimes as you're anticipating that

25
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:02,640
moment when it's time to go.

26
00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,000
Questions are asked.

27
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:13,480
We recognize that here we are in the summer of 2024, and we realize that Jesus ascended

28
00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,620
in the clouds almost 2,000 years ago.

29
00:02:18,620 --> 00:02:21,840
That is quite a long time.

30
00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:27,280
That is a vast amount of time that has passed.

31
00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:35,120
And perhaps as we live in this world of tragedy and tears, as we live in this world of sin

32
00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:44,080
and sadness and sorrow, then maybe sometimes those same questions arise.

33
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,880
What's taking so long?

34
00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:52,500
What are you doing in all of this vast amount of time?

35
00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:57,320
Now for the last several months, since about January, in our sermons we've been looking

36
00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,040
at the stories of the early church.

37
00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,800
We've been going through the first chapters of the book of Acts.

38
00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,440
We're going to step away from Acts for just a little bit.

39
00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,560
We'll come back to it at some point in the future because we got through those stories

40
00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,760
of the early church as it was growing, as it was being founded, as the Holy Spirit was

41
00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,240
being poured out.

42
00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:24,600
Now we stopped at a key moment because when we come back to Acts, and we've got to because

43
00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:31,880
we've got to talk about Saul or Paul and his conversion and how he was sent by the Spirit

44
00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,360
to the world, to the Gentiles, to reach everybody.

45
00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,840
But we're going to step away from Acts for just a little bit.

46
00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:45,440
And there's a reason for that because in the fall, in September, October, we're going to

47
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,240
have a seminar here.

48
00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,560
We're going to have an evangelistic meeting and we're going to talk about the Bible.

49
00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:56,120
We want to point people to the cross and we want to point people to Jesus.

50
00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:01,960
And so over the next few months, we want to remind ourselves why that is important and

51
00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,520
what we can do and how we can reach people and what are some things that we need to be

52
00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,360
telling people.

53
00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:16,800
So as we look at the New Testament, we recognize that the Gospels, those four Gospels, Matthew,

54
00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:23,280
Mark, Luke, and John, they tell the story of Jesus while he was on this earth.

55
00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:28,960
And then Acts, which we have been studying, they tell the story of the early church.

56
00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,840
And then as you continue on through the New Testament, there's a bunch of books which

57
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:40,920
are usually shorter by different authors, Paul and James and John and different people.

58
00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,400
And we call those the epistles or the letters.

59
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,920
Those are letters that those early apostles wrote to different churches.

60
00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:58,760
And those letters, those epistles were theology and instruction for these new believers, for

61
00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:04,360
these churches that were in these massive cities surrounded by people who were worshiping

62
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,920
idols and different things like that.

63
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:12,680
And then as you go to the very end of the New Testament, there's the book of Revelation.

64
00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:19,360
And Revelation kind of traces the whole history of humanity in this thing that we often refer

65
00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,600
to as the great controversy.

66
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:27,880
And of course, that ends gloriously as Jesus comes again and sin is wiped out once and

67
00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:29,280
for all.

68
00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:36,360
And there's one other book in the New Testament that is not quite the history of the church.

69
00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,200
It's not necessarily, you know, prophecy.

70
00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,760
It's not fully an epistle.

71
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,120
And it's this book known as Hebrews.

72
00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,740
And we're going to spend a little bit of time in Hebrews today.

73
00:05:50,740 --> 00:05:52,640
Just one or two chapters.

74
00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:58,760
In fact, we're going to focus on just one verse in this book of Hebrews, because we're

75
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,600
going to try to answer this question.

76
00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,920
What are you doing, Jesus?

77
00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,880
What is taking so long?

78
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:08,980
Why haven't you returned yet?

79
00:06:08,980 --> 00:06:11,120
What is going on?

80
00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:17,800
Many of you may remember a radio commentator who's been dead for several years, but this

81
00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,320
particular commentator would tell stories.

82
00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:22,320
I think it was every day.

83
00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:23,600
It was at least once a week.

84
00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:29,120
I know he had a news segment every day, but often there was a story time and he would

85
00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:33,320
tell a story about some person in history.

86
00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:40,580
And then at the end, he would say, and that, of course, my friends, was Abraham Lincoln

87
00:06:40,580 --> 00:06:44,560
or John F. Kennedy or whoever it might be.

88
00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:52,000
And then Paul Harvey, the radio commentator, would say, and now you know the rest of the

89
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:53,000
story.

90
00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,920
You guys have heard those classic stories before.

91
00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:02,880
And so as we ask this question, what is Jesus doing now, perhaps this could be the rest

92
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,480
of the story.

93
00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:13,080
So as we explore these current actions of Jesus, we have to begin to compare and contrast

94
00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:18,520
some different priesthoods that the Bible mentions, because the Bible talks about several

95
00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,840
different priesthoods.

96
00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:28,880
And so in your mind, let's go back to the Old Testament, because we've got the story

97
00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:30,280
of Joseph.

98
00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,400
Joseph is sold by his brothers.

99
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:38,680
He goes down to Egypt and through dreams that he's able to interpret, he becomes the one

100
00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:45,240
who rescues Egypt from this time of famine and this time of awfulness.

101
00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:50,800
And eventually his brothers and the whole family comes down, Jacob's sons, and Genesis

102
00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:58,060
ends with all of these descendants of Jacob, these Israelites, in Egypt.

103
00:07:58,060 --> 00:08:01,660
And then just a page over, you get to the book of Exodus.

104
00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:06,440
And time has passed, a long time, hundreds of years have passed.

105
00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,220
And in the meantime, they have forgotten the hero that Joseph was.

106
00:08:11,220 --> 00:08:15,720
And those Israelites, those Hebrews, have now become in bondage.

107
00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:18,840
They have become enslaved in Egypt.

108
00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:27,520
And as Moses rises up as a leader, God works through him and sends plagues, darkness, and

109
00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:33,080
water to blood, and lice, and all these different things, which culminates in that night of

110
00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:34,720
Passover.

111
00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:39,300
And the people of Israel are delivered from that bondage.

112
00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:42,720
And they soon make their way to the shores of the Red Sea.

113
00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:44,120
And another miracle takes place.

114
00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:50,280
And the Red Sea is parted, and the Israelites walk through, and the Egyptian armies are

115
00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:51,980
swept away.

116
00:08:51,980 --> 00:08:56,640
And it was shortly after that that God spoke to this group of people who had just been

117
00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:03,560
rescued and He said, let them make a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

118
00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:10,320
And so throughout these first books of the Old Testament, it is explaining this sanctuary

119
00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,320
and what is happening.

120
00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:19,280
And in those early books, Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers, it talks about a certain group

121
00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,220
that is assigned to be the priests.

122
00:09:22,220 --> 00:09:29,880
And it deals out certain ceremonies that they're supposed to do to represent forgiveness and

123
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:34,160
to represent this whole plan of salvation.

124
00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:41,440
And in fact, this whole sanctuary service from lamb to priest, it's all pointing forward

125
00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:42,640
to Jesus.

126
00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:43,640
That's what it's all about.

127
00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,820
It's all pointing forward to Jesus.

128
00:09:46,820 --> 00:09:52,840
So as you go through Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers, there was a specific group of

129
00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,920
people that were supposed to be the priests.

130
00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:01,700
What tribe, there's a question, what tribe were the priests supposed to be from?

131
00:10:01,700 --> 00:10:03,480
The tribe of Levi.

132
00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:09,260
And in fact, that high priestly family, even more specifically, they were to be the descendants

133
00:10:09,260 --> 00:10:14,760
of Aaron, the very first high priest, Moses' brother.

134
00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:19,680
And so a very particular group of people were supposed to be the priest.

135
00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:27,800
And the role of the priest was to represent the people before God and to represent God

136
00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,280
before the people.

137
00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:35,340
And as you read through Leviticus and so forth, there were certain things.

138
00:10:35,340 --> 00:10:40,300
They would bring the animal, most often a lamb, and the head of the household would

139
00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:44,040
confess the sins upon that animal.

140
00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:49,400
And then that animal would be sacrificed, would be killed.

141
00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:54,500
Imagine if every time we sinned, we had to do something like that.

142
00:10:54,500 --> 00:11:01,160
And then the priests, they would go in and there was an altar of sacrifice.

143
00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:06,240
The sacrifice would be burned upon, and then the next stage, you would come to a big basin

144
00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:07,240
of water.

145
00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,280
What's that called?

146
00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,120
That laver, which represents that cleansing.

147
00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:17,920
And then into the holy place where there's bread and there's a candlestick and then there's

148
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,060
an altar of incense.

149
00:11:20,060 --> 00:11:22,360
And then there's a veil on the other side of the veil.

150
00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:29,480
And the most holy place is the Ark of the Covenant, the mercy seat, angels above.

151
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:34,360
Inside was an ark and manna and a staff and so forth.

152
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,560
You guys are probably familiar with some of these things.

153
00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:42,020
But all of that was a show and tell of this plan of salvation.

154
00:11:42,020 --> 00:11:48,800
But this Old Testament priesthood, which was specifically selected from a certain tribe,

155
00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:57,920
from a certain family, it was not perfect because they were humans just like the other

156
00:11:57,920 --> 00:11:58,920
people.

157
00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:03,800
And so these priests, just like the other people, made mistakes.

158
00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:07,680
I mean, who was that first priest?

159
00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:09,400
Aaron.

160
00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:16,080
When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, Aaron was down in the valley

161
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:20,820
and the people came to him and said, you know, Moses has been gone a long time.

162
00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:22,800
We've got to do something about this.

163
00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,040
Is there another God that we could have?

164
00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:30,720
And so it was Aaron, the high priest, that gathered the precious metals.

165
00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:35,760
And I don't know if he crafted it himself or got somebody, but before that event was

166
00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:39,740
through, a golden calf had been made.

167
00:12:39,740 --> 00:12:44,840
And the people were saying, this is the God that brought us out of Egypt, this thing that

168
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,400
we just made.

169
00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:50,320
And there's Moses in the cloud on Mount Sinai.

170
00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:51,320
And he came down.

171
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,220
You guys remember he broke the Ten Commandments and all those different things.

172
00:12:54,220 --> 00:12:57,060
And so the priests were not perfect.

173
00:12:57,060 --> 00:13:00,000
The priests were sinners.

174
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:05,240
You can trace down several generations, there was another priest named Eli.

175
00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:09,320
And Eli was the high priest and his sons were also priests.

176
00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:15,520
And the Bible tells stories that they were not doing proper things as priests.

177
00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:22,300
And that's the story of why the little boy, Samuel, received a special vision, a special

178
00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:24,400
message from God.

179
00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:30,200
And part of that message was to tell Eli, your boys are messing up.

180
00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:32,440
You need to straighten these guys up.

181
00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:38,160
And so we see that this Old Testament priesthood was not perfect.

182
00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:39,160
They made mistakes.

183
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:45,560
And in fact, not only did they make mistakes, but they got old and they died.

184
00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:51,840
Aaron passed away and his son, this is a quiz, anybody know the name?

185
00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,800
I know somebody does, be brave.

186
00:13:55,800 --> 00:14:00,880
Eliezer was Aaron's son because Hophni and Phineas had already died because they were

187
00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:02,440
another group that had messed up.

188
00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,160
Thank you for reminding me of that.

189
00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:08,680
But Eliezer was the one that was next anointed as the high priest.

190
00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:12,660
And so this priesthood was not proper.

191
00:14:12,660 --> 00:14:14,960
It was not complete.

192
00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:16,600
Something else was needed.

193
00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:21,440
And so let's turn in our Bibles to Hebrews chapter four.

194
00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,080
We're going to pause in Hebrews chapter four.

195
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:29,800
And honestly, this verse here, these verses, this could be our sermon.

196
00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:34,200
We could do a sermon series on this for the next long time, but we're only going to pause

197
00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:38,240
here briefly just because it's such a powerful thing.

198
00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:45,400
It says, seen then Hebrews four verse 14, seen then that we have a great high priest

199
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:52,960
who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

200
00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,320
So there's a great high priest.

201
00:14:55,320 --> 00:15:02,280
And it says, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.

202
00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,080
So there's a couple negatives in there.

203
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:11,680
If you take out those negatives, it would say we do have a high priest who can sympathize

204
00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,260
with our weaknesses.

205
00:15:15,260 --> 00:15:20,860
Because he was in all points tempted like we were, and yet he was without sin.

206
00:15:20,860 --> 00:15:25,120
He was tempted and yet he overcame that.

207
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:32,060
And then it says in verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we

208
00:15:32,060 --> 00:15:37,600
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

209
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,560
We could spend a lot of time in those, in that passage.

210
00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,600
That's a very, very powerful passage.

211
00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:45,600
It's a very powerful passage.

212
00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,060
And it says, let us not be afraid of anything.

213
00:15:48,060 --> 00:15:53,280
But we're going to skip over to chapter seven, where our scripture reading was.

214
00:15:53,280 --> 00:16:01,320
Because in chapter seven it brings out another idea of a priesthood.

215
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:07,720
The first part of chapter seven begins to talk about someone from the Old Testament.

216
00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:13,920
Priesthood, and it starts off talking about someone named Melchizedek.

217
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:14,920
Melchizedek.

218
00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:21,120
Now Melchizedek first shows up very briefly in the story of Abraham.

219
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:27,800
Abraham, his relative, his nephew Lot lived in the big city.

220
00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,720
And that city was conquered at one point and they were taken away as captives.

221
00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:41,200
And Abraham, with his workers, with his shepherds, with his soldiers that he had, with God's

222
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:45,800
guidance, they got together and they pursued this enemy group.

223
00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:51,600
They conquered this enemy group and they delivered the people from this city, including Lot.

224
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:56,160
And they wanted to give him all of the loot, all of the booty, because he had conquered

225
00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:01,320
this group and he was entitled to it, according to the day.

226
00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,120
But Abraham didn't want that.

227
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:08,400
He said, you know, give these guys something for their work, but I'm not going to take

228
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:09,440
that.

229
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:17,940
But it talks about Abraham in this incident meeting this person named Melchizedek.

230
00:17:17,940 --> 00:17:21,320
And it says he's known as the King of Salem.

231
00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,720
This is Hebrews seven verse one.

232
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:27,720
Or the priest of the most high God.

233
00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:29,680
So Melchizedek, that's what we know about him.

234
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:33,560
He's a king and he's a priest.

235
00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,980
We don't know what his nationality is.

236
00:17:36,980 --> 00:17:39,880
We don't know anything about his history.

237
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,940
We just know he was a king and he was a priest.

238
00:17:43,940 --> 00:17:51,320
And we know that when Abraham saw him, Abraham paid him tithe.

239
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:59,200
Abraham took a tenth of what was his and he gave it to this unknown guy, Melchizedek.

240
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:07,160
And so it appears that we worship, we pay tithe to someone who is greater than us.

241
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,680
We give our tithe to God because God has asked us to do that.

242
00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:16,360
Here Abraham is honoring this king, this priest.

243
00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:23,300
And so this Melchizedek becomes a symbol of this greater priesthood.

244
00:18:23,300 --> 00:18:25,240
And that's what chapter seven is all about.

245
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:31,680
This greater priesthood and it talks about Jesus being a priest forever according to

246
00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,940
the order of Melchizedek.

247
00:18:33,940 --> 00:18:39,880
But we want to focus on just one particular verse, verse 25.

248
00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:42,320
So Hebrews seven verse 25.

249
00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:48,960
It says, therefore he, Jesus, and this begins to answer that question.

250
00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,160
What is Jesus doing now?

251
00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,580
What are you doing?

252
00:18:53,580 --> 00:19:01,560
For Jesus is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he

253
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:06,800
always lives to make intercession for us.

254
00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:13,040
And so this new priesthood, this heavenly priesthood, I want to read that again.

255
00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:21,400
He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always

256
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:26,480
lives to make intercession for them.

257
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:31,680
Some have called this the greatest truth in the book of Hebrews because this one verse

258
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:36,120
begins to describe what this priesthood is all about.

259
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:41,280
And it reminds us what Jesus, this perfect high priest is doing.

260
00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,000
So we want to break this down phrase by phrase.

261
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,400
It says he is also able.

262
00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,680
He, Jesus, is able.

263
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:56,760
Jesus is able to do what he says that he can do.

264
00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:01,560
Aaron could not, he was not able to do other things.

265
00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:08,980
Eli was not able to fulfill the promises of God, but Jesus, this perfect high priest,

266
00:20:08,980 --> 00:20:13,800
it says he is able to save to the uttermost.

267
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,400
I want to look at a couple of verses here.

268
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,920
This is Hebrews 50 verse 2.

269
00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,080
Excuse me, Isaiah 50 and verse 2.

270
00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:27,880
This is just one example where God asks a rhetorical question.

271
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,840
Isaiah 50 and verse 2.

272
00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:39,100
It says, it says, why when I come was there no man?

273
00:20:39,100 --> 00:20:41,920
Why when I called was there none to answer?

274
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:49,400
And here's the question, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem or have I no

275
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,280
power to deliver?

276
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,560
That's a rhetorical question that God is asking.

277
00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,520
Do you think that I can't do it?

278
00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,520
Do you think that I can't perform the rescue?

279
00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,280
Do you think that I'm going to fall short?

280
00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:09,860
And the unspoken answer is no.

281
00:21:09,860 --> 00:21:11,640
God is able to do that.

282
00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:14,340
He's not limited in any way.

283
00:21:14,340 --> 00:21:16,180
God is able to rescue.

284
00:21:16,180 --> 00:21:20,200
God is able to fulfill to the uttermost what he says.

285
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:24,840
Another verse that we could look at is 1 Corinthians 15 speaking of Jesus.

286
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,840
It says, oh death, where is your sting?

287
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:33,040
Oh Hades or oh grave, where is your victory?

288
00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:38,580
This is a passage that's talking about the resurrection of Jesus.

289
00:21:38,580 --> 00:21:41,080
Think about that high priest.

290
00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:48,800
If a high priest has this on their resume that they were dead and risen again, then

291
00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:53,320
yes, he is able to do what he says.

292
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:59,960
We have confidence that if God says something, he is able to do it.

293
00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:06,840
Now I know most of our young kids are not here right now, but there's a song that says

294
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:08,720
he's able.

295
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,200
You guys familiar with the song?

296
00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:15,280
Do you think we can sing it without the children being here today?

297
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,720
It says he's able.

298
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:18,720
Let's just sing it.

299
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,200
Are you ready?

300
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,920
I'll try to find the note.

301
00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:29,080
He's able, he's able, I know he's able.

302
00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,680
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.

303
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,520
Let's do that one more time.

304
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:42,560
He's able, he's able, I know he's able.

305
00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:47,520
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.

306
00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:48,760
What did he do?

307
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:56,160
He healed the brokenhearted and he set the captives free.

308
00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:03,240
He made the lame to walk again and he caused the blind to see.

309
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:11,640
That's why he's able, he's able, I know he's able.

310
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:18,080
I know my Lord is able to carry me through.

311
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:19,200
That's what this verse says.

312
00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,560
He is able.

313
00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:23,560
He's able to do what?

314
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:24,680
Well, let's go on.

315
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:34,120
He is able to save to the uttermost, to save completely, to save totally.

316
00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,940
He is able to save to the uttermost.

317
00:23:37,940 --> 00:23:44,920
If we look back just to verse 18, it says, on the one hand, there is an annulling of

318
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:50,020
the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness.

319
00:23:50,020 --> 00:23:53,720
So it compares something that is weak and unprofitable.

320
00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:55,920
And it says, for the law made nothing perfect.

321
00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:03,320
On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near

322
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:04,660
to God.

323
00:24:04,660 --> 00:24:11,960
This high priest, this heavenly high priest is able to save totally, to save to the uttermost

324
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,560
because there's not a weakness, but there is something better.

325
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,840
There is a better hope.

326
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:24,160
And then we can look down at verse 27 in the same chapter, it says, who he, Jesus, does

327
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:30,160
not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices.

328
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:31,760
Jesus wasn't a sinner.

329
00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:37,160
Jesus didn't need to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, first for his own sins and

330
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:38,640
then for the people's.

331
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:45,200
For this he did once for all when he offered up himself.

332
00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:53,840
Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him.

333
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:55,880
He's able to save from sin.

334
00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:00,300
There's a theologian who speaks of this passage like this.

335
00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:07,440
He says, looking back over the past, looking back at the past, we have been saved from

336
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,360
the condemnation and guilt of sin.

337
00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:11,360
Hallelujah.

338
00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:12,680
That's a good thing.

339
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,720
Because the Bible says we've all sinned.

340
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:19,560
We've all fallen short, but we are saved from the condemnation of sin.

341
00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,000
We are saved from the guilt of sin.

342
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,480
That's the past.

343
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:25,480
But then it goes on.

344
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,240
It says, looking round about the present.

345
00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:29,800
That's right now.

346
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:36,200
We are being saved from the power, love and defilement of sin.

347
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:41,560
Through the power of Jesus, we are able to overcome the temptations of sin.

348
00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:46,280
Those things that we used to be attracted to, God can take that away from us.

349
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:51,680
God can help us to be drawn to him instead of drawn away from him.

350
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:53,720
That's the present.

351
00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:54,720
But then it goes on.

352
00:25:54,720 --> 00:26:01,600
It says, looking forward to the future, we shall be saved from the very presence of sin

353
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,800
and the glorified state above.

354
00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:10,880
So we're saved totally to the uttermost from the guilt and condemnation of sin, from the

355
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:17,320
current temptation and desires of sin, and even from the future presence of a sinful

356
00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:18,320
world.

357
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,280
Jesus is able to save totally.

358
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:28,520
And then it says that Jesus lives to intercede.

359
00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,560
He always, that's how it ends there.

360
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:37,080
Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him

361
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:43,520
since he always lives to make intercession for them.

362
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:48,160
So we have to figure out what this is talking about.

363
00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:56,240
Because this is not a picture of God wanting to seek out anybody who's made one little

364
00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:00,440
mistake and maybe picture a little target on their back.

365
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:05,400
And as soon as we say something we shouldn't or get upset, you know, the heavenly button

366
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,800
is pushed and we're zapped with a lightning bolt or whatever it might be.

367
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,080
That's not the picture.

368
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:13,440
Jesus is not there.

369
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,160
Please, please, please don't hurt them.

370
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:21,000
Because that's not the picture of God that we have.

371
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,720
There's a famous sermon from many years ago.

372
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:30,360
It's called Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, as if God is out to get each person.

373
00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:33,880
And sometimes people have that view of God.

374
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:38,200
But that's not a proper picture of God.

375
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,480
What's that most famous verse in the Bible?

376
00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,840
John 3, 16.

377
00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:51,960
It says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes

378
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:56,520
in him will not perish but should have everlasting life.

379
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,240
God loves the world.

380
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:03,040
So the picture is not Jesus groveling and begging.

381
00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:05,200
Please don't hurt these people.

382
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:11,160
But the picture is of Jesus as a victor saying, I have overcome sin.

383
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:12,960
I have overcome Satan.

384
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,480
I have overcome the grave.

385
00:28:15,480 --> 00:28:21,280
This person is a child of mine and they get to share in the victory with me.

386
00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:28,280
It's not trying to appease God, but it's about sharing in the victory of Jesus.

387
00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:37,720
I want to go to Romans 8, verse 33.

388
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,600
What does this intercession mean?

389
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:41,640
What does this look like?

390
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:45,080
There's several different verses that we can look at.

391
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:51,680
Romans 8, verse 33.

392
00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,240
I'm going to go back just a verse or two to verse 31.

393
00:28:54,240 --> 00:29:01,400
It says, if God is for us, if God is for us, who can be against us?

394
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:07,560
And then in verse 33, it says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

395
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,360
Then it lists off several things.

396
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,300
Whoops, I'm reading the wrong verse here.

397
00:29:11,300 --> 00:29:15,520
Verse 33, who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

398
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,760
Is it God who justifies?

399
00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,420
Who is he who condemns?

400
00:29:20,420 --> 00:29:25,960
It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen.

401
00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:35,140
Who is he who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us?

402
00:29:35,140 --> 00:29:36,800
What is Jesus doing now?

403
00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,860
Jesus is making intercession for us.

404
00:29:40,860 --> 00:29:44,920
And then it says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

405
00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:52,440
And it lists off thing after thing, death, angels, life, principalities, powers, persecution.

406
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:59,880
Nothing can separate us from the love of God because Christ always lives to make intercession

407
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:00,880
for us.

408
00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:06,320
We can go to 1 John is another passage that talks about intercession.

409
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:19,400
1 John, the little John backed by Revelation, and in chapter 2, chapter 2, it says, John

410
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:28,520
writes, my little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin.

411
00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,120
So that's a goal that God would love for us to do.

412
00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:39,440
I hope my desire is for you not to sin because God created us.

413
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,160
God knows what's best for us.

414
00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:44,740
God knows that when we go down a different path, we're going to have guilt, we're going

415
00:30:44,740 --> 00:30:46,320
to have different things.

416
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,280
So it says, I write this so that you will not sin.

417
00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:56,480
But the verse doesn't end there and I'm thankful for that because I recognize that I am a sinner.

418
00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:02,720
I recognize the Bible says we have fallen short, we are falling short of the glory of

419
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:03,720
God.

420
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,040
So it says, I write this so that you will not sin.

421
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:14,160
But then it goes on and says, and or but if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the

422
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:20,920
Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he himself is the propitiation, the substitute for our

423
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:27,480
sins and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

424
00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:33,900
The goal is yes, to live a life perfect, walking with God each step of the way.

425
00:31:33,900 --> 00:31:39,120
But we have a promise that even when we have messed up, even when we made mistakes, that

426
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,200
Jesus is still our advocate.

427
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:44,880
Jesus is still on our side.

428
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:46,720
Jesus is with us.

429
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,760
Jesus takes care of us.

430
00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:56,720
In fact, in John chapter five, it tells us that God has given judgment to Jesus.

431
00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:01,160
John 5 22, God gives judgment to Jesus.

432
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:10,360
So if we have Jesus as the one judging and Jesus is our defense attorney, it seems as

433
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,360
if things are weighted in our favor.

434
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:19,520
And that's why in Daniel, it says judgment is given in favor of the saints because if

435
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:25,040
the judge and our defense attorney are together, well, guess what?

436
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,780
We cannot lose that case.

437
00:32:28,780 --> 00:32:35,680
As long as we choose to be on Jesus's side, as long as we have surrendered to Jesus and

438
00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,360
said I want to be on your side.

439
00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:43,840
And that is the best of all the good news that we have an intercessor.

440
00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,080
So how does that take place?

441
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:52,480
John 1 9, just back a verse or two from what we just read.

442
00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:56,000
John chapter one has a series of if then statements.

443
00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,320
If something happens, then something else happens.

444
00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:00,960
And this is one of them.

445
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:10,860
If we confess our sins, if we confess our sins, then he is faithful and just to forgive

446
00:33:10,860 --> 00:33:15,520
us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

447
00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:17,600
We have a promise of forgiveness.

448
00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:25,500
We have a promise of an intercessor for us if we confess our sins, if we take that step

449
00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:29,960
with him, if we decide we want to walk with God.

450
00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:33,280
What did it say in Hebrews 4 16 that we read?

451
00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:38,720
That we can come boldly before the throne of grace.

452
00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:48,920
We have the opportunity to come before the throne of grace boldly where we can obtain

453
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,400
mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.

454
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:55,960
So how can we confess?

455
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:57,880
How can we come boldly?

456
00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:01,200
Why would we be able to do that?

457
00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:05,120
I think it's because we belong there.

458
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:10,080
We can come boldly before God's throne because we've been invited there.

459
00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:11,560
We belong there.

460
00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:15,280
There's a famous picture from several years ago.

461
00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:21,840
John F. Kennedy was the president and there's some pictures of his visitors that he has

462
00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:26,160
in the Oval Office, that most important room in the White House.

463
00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:28,520
It's not a head of state.

464
00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:35,040
It's not the secretary of defense who's visiting him on this day, but it's his children.

465
00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:42,360
They're playing and jumping and dancing and JFK Jr. is under the resolute desk.

466
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:47,080
If you or I tried to go into that office to even get close to that office, we wouldn't

467
00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:52,560
even be able to knock on the door before we got tackled and hauled away somewhere else.

468
00:34:52,560 --> 00:35:01,400
But these children could play in the Oval Office because they belonged there, because

469
00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:03,800
they were family.

470
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:10,360
That's why we can come boldly before the throne of grace because we're family.

471
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,080
We belong there.

472
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,200
We have been invited there.

473
00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:19,320
The gift of salvation is ours to the uttermost.

474
00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:21,680
As it says, I want to read this one more time.

475
00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:29,960
Therefore Jesus is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him

476
00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:35,320
since he always lives to make intercession for them.

477
00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:36,480
That's what Jesus is doing.

478
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:39,840
He lives to make intercession for us.

479
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:42,080
I want to look at one more verse here.

480
00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:51,240
Second Peter, Second Peter chapter three, Second Peter chapter three in verse nine.

481
00:35:51,240 --> 00:35:58,640
It says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness.

482
00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:00,120
He's not slow.

483
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:09,760
He's not lazy, but he is long suffering or he is patient toward us, not willing that

484
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:17,800
any should come to repentance, not willing that any should perish, but that all should

485
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:20,240
come to repentance.

486
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:22,000
What is Jesus doing now?

487
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:23,540
He's not slack.

488
00:36:23,540 --> 00:36:24,960
He's not lazy.

489
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:32,240
He is interceding for us so that we may all come to repentance, that we can come boldly

490
00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:34,880
to that throne of grace.

491
00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:41,800
There's a story of Martin Luther, that famous reformer from the 1500s that kicked off in

492
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,120
many ways the Protestant Reformation.

493
00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:49,220
Martin Luther had a dream one night.

494
00:36:49,220 --> 00:36:52,640
In this dream he sees the devil.

495
00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:59,080
The devil comes to him with a scroll and this words, lots of words, sentences, paragraphs,

496
00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:01,680
huge scroll.

497
00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:06,920
And as Martin Luther looks at the writing, he recognizes what is written on there.

498
00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:12,680
Satan Lucifer, the devil has written the sins that Martin Luther has committed.

499
00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:18,120
And in this dream, the devil says, these are your sins.

500
00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:21,560
How can you call yourself a Christian?

501
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:24,260
How can you call yourself a child of God?

502
00:37:24,260 --> 00:37:28,920
How can you talk about righteousness by faith when you have done all of these things?

503
00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:33,920
And in the dream, Martin Luther was looking, hoping he could find one thing that he had

504
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:35,160
not done.

505
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:41,200
But the more he looked, the more he recognized his actions and his sinfulness.

506
00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:48,580
But then as this dream went on, it says, Luther told the devil, take your pen and write in

507
00:37:48,580 --> 00:37:50,680
red across the scrolls.

508
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:56,400
This is what he was supposed to write, the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin.

509
00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:02,920
Yes, I have committed those sins, but the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sins.

510
00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:06,200
And so we can come boldly to the throne of grace.

511
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:15,600
We can come boldly to Jesus' side because he is able to save to the uttermost each one

512
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:19,840
of us when we come to God through him.

513
00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:22,520
But today you are forgiven.

514
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,300
The question is, have you accepted it?

515
00:38:26,300 --> 00:38:28,400
Have you confessed that sin?

516
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:31,640
Have you drawn near to Jesus today?

517
00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:35,680
You want to draw near to Jesus, just raise your hand wherever you may be.

518
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:39,200
Dear God, you see each hand, you see us coming before you.

519
00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:45,760
You've promised us as the heavenly, eternal, high priest that you are able to save to the

520
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:46,760
uttermost.

521
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:51,920
And Lord, you do not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

522
00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:55,020
And Lord, we long for that day when you come again.

523
00:38:55,020 --> 00:39:00,240
But until then, thank you for interceding for us each and every day.

524
00:39:00,240 --> 00:39:17,280
In your name we pray, amen.