WEBVTT 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:02.710 Well, I hope that you've enjoyed our time together 00:00:02.710 --> 00:00:05.009 in the carols of the Christ. Today we are going 00:00:05.009 --> 00:00:08.390 to look once more at this theme that arises from 00:00:08.390 --> 00:00:12.210 the book of Psalms as we think about those songs, 00:00:12.410 --> 00:00:15.789 those hymns that point to the Messiah, the Lord 00:00:15.789 --> 00:00:19.289 Jesus Christ. I suppose most of us are familiar 00:00:19.289 --> 00:00:21.089 with the little statement that says, it's not 00:00:21.089 --> 00:00:24.510 what you know, but it's what? Whom you know. 00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:26.489 That's the thing that counts. Yesterday, I think 00:00:26.489 --> 00:00:29.280 the Vikings must have known somebody. in the 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:33.280 last two minutes of the game. They had friends 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:35.560 in high places somewhere. I'm not quite sure 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.200 where. Today we're going to find out that you 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:42.219 and I, as those who have trusted in Jesus Christ, 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:47.280 have a friend who is in high places. It's not 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:49.399 so much what we know, although that's important, 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:53.679 but it's the one that we know that really matters. 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:56.880 And that is Jesus Christ, who is exalted to the 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.929 highest place. And as we're going to see this 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:03.450 morning is also welcomed into the holiest place. 00:01:05.069 --> 00:01:07.810 The study that we have conducted in the Psalms 00:01:07.810 --> 00:01:12.670 has introduced us to some of the biblical themes 00:01:12.670 --> 00:01:17.549 concerning Christ, his attribution, that he is 00:01:17.549 --> 00:01:21.409 God, his identification, his incarnation, and 00:01:21.409 --> 00:01:24.670 his exaltation. Today we're going to look at 00:01:24.670 --> 00:01:29.079 his intercession. which reveals his present ministry 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:34.000 to us. The holy infant of the manger, the dying 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.959 savior of the cross, the risen victor at the 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:42.439 tomb, is also the high priest in the heavenly 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:46.280 sanctuary. Would you open your Bible, please, 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:51.340 to Psalm 110 as we begin reading with verse 1 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:55.250 of this highly significant messianic psalm. Psalm 00:01:55.250 --> 00:02:01.890 110. The Lord says to my Lord, writes David, 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:06.549 sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies 00:02:06.549 --> 00:02:11.629 a footstool for thy feet. The Lord will stretch 00:02:11.629 --> 00:02:16.189 forth thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, rule 00:02:16.189 --> 00:02:20.210 in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people will 00:02:20.210 --> 00:02:23.990 volunteer freely in the day of thy power. In 00:02:23.990 --> 00:02:27.729 holy array from the womb of the dawn, the youth 00:02:27.729 --> 00:02:32.870 are to thee as the dew. The Lord has sworn and 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:37.990 will not change his mind. Thou art a priest forever 00:02:37.990 --> 00:02:43.530 according to the order of Melchizedek." Notice 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:46.590 that David begins by speaking about one who is 00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:53.580 on the throne. His Lord, Yahweh says to... David's 00:02:53.580 --> 00:03:00.620 Lord, that is his descendant, the Messiah. You 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:04.139 sit at my right hand. I will make your enemies 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:08.379 a footstool for you. He is the king. But this 00:03:08.379 --> 00:03:13.000 one who is given the position of royalty is also 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:16.199 given the position of priest in this last verse 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.229 that we've read. I'm going to ask you now to 00:03:19.229 --> 00:03:22.150 turn to Hebrews, chapter 5, as we see the New 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:27.509 Testament authentication of this as a messianic 00:03:27.509 --> 00:03:31.650 theme. Hebrews chapter 5, and I'm going to pick 00:03:31.650 --> 00:03:35.250 up the reading here in verse 5, where it says, 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:39.909 so also Christ did not glorify himself so as 00:03:39.909 --> 00:03:44.240 to become a priest, high priest. But he who said 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:48.020 to him, thou art my son, today I have begotten 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:53.360 thee, also in another passage says, thou art 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:57.900 a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:02.120 In the days of his flesh, he offered up both 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:05.699 prayers and supplications with loud crying and 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.280 tears to the one able to save him from death. 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:12.680 And he was hurt because of his piety. Although 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:15.120 he was a son, he learned obedience from the things 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.660 which he suffered. And having been made perfect, 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:20.839 he became to all those who obey him the source 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:25.279 of eternal salvation. Verse 10, being designated 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:29.560 by God as a high priest according to the order 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:35.459 of Melchizedek. It may be difficult for some 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:38.959 of us to grasp the significant role of a priest. 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:43.829 In our culture either we have no image to relate 00:04:43.829 --> 00:04:46.910 to it in a positive way or perhaps because of 00:04:46.910 --> 00:04:48.990 our own religious background we have a negative 00:04:48.990 --> 00:04:53.290 image of a priest. But it is very important that 00:04:53.290 --> 00:04:58.470 we learn what a priest is and allow the truth 00:04:58.470 --> 00:05:03.009 of that to change our lives because Messiah is 00:05:03.009 --> 00:05:07.370 appointed as the high priest before God for his 00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:14.199 people. Messiah is appointed as the high priest 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:19.240 before God on behalf of his people. What the 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:22.279 Lord Jesus Christ is doing right now in heaven 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:25.939 is significant to every true follower of his. 00:05:26.980 --> 00:05:31.040 It is a wonderful thing to have one who represents 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:36.279 you before God. And that brings to us the first 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:39.490 thing I want to talk about and that is our Lord's 00:05:39.490 --> 00:05:43.670 priestly purpose. What is the role of a priest? 00:05:46.050 --> 00:05:52.009 A priest acts as a mediator, as one who is between 00:05:52.009 --> 00:05:58.629 God and man. And he does service to God and before 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:04.089 God on behalf of those whom he, the priest, represents. 00:06:05.769 --> 00:06:09.470 Now God himself established the priesthood under 00:06:09.470 --> 00:06:12.230 the old covenant of the law given through Moses. 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:18.329 The lead priest or the high priest and his associates 00:06:18.329 --> 00:06:22.170 were to offer sacrifices for the sins of the 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:26.829 people. And they were also to offer other sacrifices 00:06:26.829 --> 00:06:30.810 and offerings of thanks and praise to God, which 00:06:30.810 --> 00:06:33.449 of course God richly deserved because of the 00:06:33.449 --> 00:06:37.350 blessings. that he poured upon his people in 00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:43.269 faithfulness to them. Our high priest, after 00:06:43.269 --> 00:06:48.329 offering himself as the ultimate and final sacrifice 00:06:48.329 --> 00:06:54.110 to take away sins, rose from the grave to take 00:06:54.110 --> 00:06:58.250 up his priestly work. You need to notice that. 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:01.870 That the one who is our high priest was himself 00:07:01.870 --> 00:07:09.629 first. the sacrifice. He was offered as the once 00:07:09.629 --> 00:07:17.949 for all sacrifice for our sins. And having paid 00:07:17.949 --> 00:07:22.129 the ultimate price for us, he then was raised 00:07:22.129 --> 00:07:24.829 from the dead by the glory and the power of God 00:07:24.829 --> 00:07:33.579 to assume his priesthood. By him, We gain access 00:07:33.579 --> 00:07:38.279 into the presence of God The story is told of 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:41.779 an elderly gentleman who sat outside the White 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:46.519 House many years ago He was obviously very poor 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.060 his clothes were threadbare. He was covered with 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:56.060 dust He was crying and a little boy came by and 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:57.860 saw him sitting there and asked him what his 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:04.259 problem was the man said that his son had been 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:07.420 guilty of a crime in the Army. Apparently he 00:08:07.420 --> 00:08:09.759 had deserted his post, and he was to be shot 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:13.540 for it. And he had come to ask the president 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:16.879 for clemency, that the president might pardon 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:20.199 his son, that the guards on the White House lawn 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.139 would not let the man near the building in order 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:27.620 to see the president. The young boy said, well, 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:32.700 the president is my father. You come with me." 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:35.379 And so he took this older man by the hand and 00:08:35.379 --> 00:08:38.679 led him into the presence of the president in 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:42.559 the White House, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln heard 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:45.600 the man's story and because of the details of 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:48.419 what had happened, determined that his son should 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:53.299 be pardoned and granted him the clemency. You 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:56.220 see, he was able to gain access into the White 00:08:56.220 --> 00:09:00.649 House because of the actions of the son of the 00:09:00.649 --> 00:09:05.049 president. You and I have access not to the White 00:09:05.049 --> 00:09:09.830 House but to the very throne room of God because 00:09:09.830 --> 00:09:15.409 of what God's son has done for us. And his presence 00:09:15.409 --> 00:09:19.669 in the heavenly sanctuary now is a perpetual 00:09:19.669 --> 00:09:26.649 reminder of his propitiation. That means his 00:09:26.649 --> 00:09:30.990 satisfying sacrifice. which He offered on our 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:34.809 behalf. It is important when we think about this 00:09:34.809 --> 00:09:38.509 to realize that God is not angry with us and 00:09:38.509 --> 00:09:40.889 needs to be reminded that He's been appeased 00:09:40.889 --> 00:09:44.929 already so He doesn't strike at us. God is not 00:09:44.929 --> 00:09:47.649 angry at us and Jesus is not there to thwart 00:09:47.649 --> 00:09:52.009 His anger. God is delighted with us because He 00:09:52.009 --> 00:09:56.870 sees us, having trusted Christ, as in Christ. 00:09:58.079 --> 00:10:02.820 identified with Christ. Is Jesus there then because 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:07.679 God may forget where we are? No. But Jesus is 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:10.440 there perpetually as a visible representation 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:16.899 of what the blessed triune God has done in love 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:21.620 for our redemption. He is not there because God 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:24.860 may get angry at us. He is not there because 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:27.960 God is going to forget us. He is simply there 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:33.000 as a visible representation of the amazing grace 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:38.539 and love of God demonstrated in his death. That 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:43.240 is the purpose of our priest. To give us access 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.480 into the presence of God and to represent us 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.740 before God. I'd like for us to think a moment 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:55.539 about his prerequisites as a priest. Because 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:58.399 Jesus perfectly meets all of the qualifications 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:02.480 to be named as a high priest. In the likeness, 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:06.299 or after the order of, Melchizedek. You say, 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.659 Melchizedek. But if you've read your Bible, as 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:12.059 most of you have, you know who Melchizedek is. 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:15.200 He is a mysterious figure that is mentioned just 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:19.019 a few times in the Bible. We see him mentioned 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:23.649 in Genesis chapter 14 historically. We see him 00:11:23.649 --> 00:11:26.190 mentioned in Psalm 110 and then again in the 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:30.429 book of Hebrews. Turn with me in Hebrews to chapter 00:11:30.429 --> 00:11:34.990 7, verse 1, where the writer of Hebrews reminds 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:38.090 us of just the scant details regarding Melchizedek. 00:11:39.929 --> 00:11:43.049 He says, for this Melchizedek, king of Salem, 00:11:43.429 --> 00:11:46.370 priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he 00:11:46.370 --> 00:11:49.570 was returning from the slaughter of the kings 00:11:49.570 --> 00:11:54.080 and blessed him. Blessed Abraham. You remember 00:11:54.080 --> 00:11:59.440 the story of how Abram's nephew Lot got caught 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:03.059 up in a skirmish there in the valley of salt 00:12:03.059 --> 00:12:07.940 in the Dead Sea area, as we know it today, and 00:12:07.940 --> 00:12:10.220 as a result was taken away as a prisoner. And 00:12:10.220 --> 00:12:14.519 so Abram and his men went after those who had 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.820 taken him prisoner and defeated them and took 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:21.620 their spoils. And as they were coming back, to 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:25.779 the land of Canaan, this one Melchizedek came 00:12:25.779 --> 00:12:29.299 out of the city of Salem, which we know today 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:33.519 as Jeru Salem, the city of Jerusalem as it was 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.399 in those days, in Abraham's day. And he met Abram 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:40.620 and blessed him. And Abram gave to him a tithe, 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:44.600 a 10 % of all that he had gained in this battle. 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.399 Now it tells us here that this Melchizedek was 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:51.710 the king. of Salem, but he was also the priest 00:12:51.710 --> 00:12:54.230 of the Most High God. He had a dual role. He 00:12:54.230 --> 00:12:58.809 was a king -priest. That is very significant 00:12:58.809 --> 00:13:02.549 to remember. You say, where did he get his priesthood? 00:13:03.970 --> 00:13:08.509 We don't really know the answer to that. He knew 00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:11.710 the true God. Now remember, this is in a day 00:13:11.710 --> 00:13:18.080 of tremendous apostasy in the world. God had 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:21.639 reached down the midst of Ur and the Chaldees 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:25.019 and had called out an idolater by the name of 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:29.259 Abram to follow him. And Abram had done that 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:32.679 in obedience and faith to God and left his kindred 00:13:32.679 --> 00:13:36.000 and followed the Lord. But at the very same time, 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.399 God was working in this city of Salem and this 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:42.759 man Melchizedek knew him and was appointed by 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:48.720 God as a priest unto the Lord. Now there are 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:53.340 some wonderful parallels between this Melchizedek, 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.779 historically, and Jesus Christ who is said now 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:01.179 to be the high priest after the order or the 00:14:01.179 --> 00:14:05.620 likeness of Melchizedek. The first one is his 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:09.720 commission. Melchizedek was appointed by God. 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:13.620 Exactly when? We don't know. But the Lord Jesus 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:17.269 Christ likewise has been appointed by God. with 00:14:17.269 --> 00:14:20.470 an oath as we have read in both Hebrews and Psalm 00:14:20.470 --> 00:14:28.350 110. God with an oath, he swore that Messiah 00:14:28.350 --> 00:14:31.389 would be a priest in the order of Melchizedek 00:14:31.389 --> 00:14:37.049 forever. And so he received his commission from 00:14:37.049 --> 00:14:41.509 God just as did this Melchizedek of old. Secondly, 00:14:43.090 --> 00:14:45.549 there's the parallel of the character of the 00:14:45.549 --> 00:14:51.509 two. King of Salem means King of Shalom. What 00:14:51.509 --> 00:14:57.389 does Shalom mean? Peace. Not peace just merely 00:14:57.389 --> 00:15:00.809 in the absence of warfare, but the peace that 00:15:00.809 --> 00:15:04.889 means abundance and prosperity because of the 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:09.090 absence of conflict. And so Melchizedek is called 00:15:09.090 --> 00:15:13.990 the King of Peace, and he is also the King of 00:15:13.990 --> 00:15:19.419 Righteousness. And so our Lord Jesus Christ is 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:24.179 the King of Righteousness, ultimately, the one 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:28.720 in whom there is no sin. And he is the King of 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.860 Peace, the Prince of Peace, as Isaiah called 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:34.659 him. And so in character, there is a parallel 00:15:34.659 --> 00:15:38.080 between Melchizedek of old and Christ. But then 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:41.240 there's a third and very significant parallel, 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:44.600 and that is in the continuance of the priesthood. 00:15:44.889 --> 00:15:48.549 In order to be in the order of Melchizedek, you 00:15:48.549 --> 00:15:52.250 have to have an unending priesthood. That was 00:15:52.250 --> 00:15:54.690 never possible with Aaron and his descendants. 00:15:55.769 --> 00:16:01.710 They had a problem. They died. Whether good or 00:16:01.710 --> 00:16:05.649 bad, high priest, they died. And so their priesthood 00:16:05.649 --> 00:16:09.370 ended. You say, well, didn't Melchizedek die? 00:16:10.289 --> 00:16:13.049 Well, yes. Of course, he had to have died. But... 00:16:13.549 --> 00:16:15.649 What is pointed out in scripture is that there's 00:16:15.649 --> 00:16:17.830 no record of that. There's no record of his birth 00:16:17.830 --> 00:16:21.590 and where he came from There's no record of his 00:16:21.590 --> 00:16:25.929 ending his priesthood And so in that sense says 00:16:25.929 --> 00:16:29.549 the writer of Hebrews Jesus has is in the order 00:16:29.549 --> 00:16:32.690 of Melchizedek his priesthood is unending he 00:16:32.690 --> 00:16:37.289 had no beginning Jesus didn't the eternal son 00:16:37.289 --> 00:16:41.129 He has no ending he has been raised from the 00:16:41.129 --> 00:16:44.980 dead and by the power of of an indestructible 00:16:44.980 --> 00:16:49.159 life, that is an immortal life. He is forever 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:55.840 a priest. And so his continuous priesthood is 00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:59.879 another parallel between Melchizedek and Christ. 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:05.200 Jesus is like Melchizedek in these three important 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:08.940 ways and meets all the qualifications that we 00:17:08.940 --> 00:17:11.859 have in scripture for this priesthood. Jesus 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:14.730 could not be a priest. after the order of Aaron 00:17:14.730 --> 00:17:20.950 because Jesus was not of the right tribe. He 00:17:20.950 --> 00:17:23.650 was not a Levi. He was of the tribe of Judah. 00:17:24.250 --> 00:17:27.349 The scripture says nothing about a priest under 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:29.750 the Old Covenant from another tribe than Levi. 00:17:31.910 --> 00:17:34.930 But the scripture does not put any sort of qualification 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:38.849 in tribe around the one who would be a priest 00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:44.180 after the order of Melchizedek. He simply receives 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:46.980 his appointment from God, as did the Lord Jesus. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:51.279 And so he meets the prerequisites of being a 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:54.339 high priest in this special order of priesthood. 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:58.119 Now, when this priesthood was established by 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:03.059 Jesus, the order of Melchizedek, the old priesthood 00:18:03.059 --> 00:18:06.559 of Aaron and the tribe of Levi and all of the 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:09.579 sacrifices that went with it were set aside. 00:18:10.569 --> 00:18:15.849 They became obsolete, no longer needed because 00:18:15.849 --> 00:18:19.430 a greater priesthood based upon a greater covenant 00:18:19.430 --> 00:18:23.490 with better promises has now been established 00:18:23.490 --> 00:18:28.369 through Jesus. So we think about our high priest 00:18:28.369 --> 00:18:34.230 and we think about his purpose as our mediator, 00:18:34.349 --> 00:18:37.519 the one who intercedes between us and God. We 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.880 think of his prerequisite. But thirdly, I'd like 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:43.940 for us to think about his petitions. All of his 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:47.619 work, past, present, and future, is aimed toward 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:55.079 the destiny of his chosen people. His work is 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:59.940 geared toward our destiny. And in John chapter 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:04.900 17, we have some insight as to how our high priest 00:19:04.900 --> 00:19:10.849 prays. on our behalf. John 17, as you know, is 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:14.849 the true Lord's Prayer. It is the prayer that 00:19:14.849 --> 00:19:19.869 He prayed before His crucifixion and yet as though 00:19:19.869 --> 00:19:23.049 that were already past and as though He were 00:19:23.049 --> 00:19:25.869 again ready to enter into the presence of the 00:19:25.869 --> 00:19:29.670 Father. Now let's turn to John chapter 17 and 00:19:29.670 --> 00:19:34.579 notice what Jesus prays for. We're going to find 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:37.859 three petitions especially that I want to point 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:40.599 out this morning that deal with the destiny of 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:46.359 the people that God has given to him. Notice 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:50.400 in verse 9 he says, I ask on their behalf, who? 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:54.660 The ones the Father had given him. I do not ask, 00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:58.099 he says, on behalf of the world, but of those 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:02.490 whom thou hast given me. Let your eye fall down 00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:05.910 to verse 20, where he says, I do not ask in behalf 00:20:05.910 --> 00:20:09.769 of these alone, but for those also who believe 00:20:09.769 --> 00:20:15.250 in me through their word. So Jesus makes it clear 00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.549 that he's praying not only for that generation, 00:20:18.789 --> 00:20:22.190 but for every succeeding generation, right down 00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:27.990 to our very day. These petitions are valid. Now, 00:20:27.990 --> 00:20:30.960 what are the petitions that he asks? In verse 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:34.059 11, we see the first one I want to point to. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:37.779 He says in the middle of the verse, Holy Father, 00:20:38.700 --> 00:20:46.059 keep them in thy name. Petition number one, Father, 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:51.880 keep them. The word keep means to guard, guard 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:58.980 them from loss. Father, hold them fast. Father, 00:20:59.099 --> 00:21:03.960 watch over and preserve them. That's how Jesus 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:09.599 is praying. Someone asked me the question, do 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:14.099 you believe in eternal security? How can one 00:21:14.099 --> 00:21:17.359 not believe in eternal security when the Son 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:20.500 of God Himself has prayed that we'll be kept? 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:29.980 The prayer that Jesus prays keeps us. And of 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:31.660 course, there are many other reasons for believing 00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:34.380 in it, but this is just one, and a significant 00:21:34.380 --> 00:21:38.599 one. He prays in verse 15, I do not ask thee 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:41.660 to take them out of the world, but to keep them 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:47.880 from the evil. And whether you understand that 00:21:47.880 --> 00:21:53.079 as evil personified, as in the evil one, Satan, 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:57.619 which would be true enough. or in the sense of 00:21:57.619 --> 00:22:03.140 the influence and the malignant attack of evil 00:22:03.140 --> 00:22:07.119 in the world against the believer is still the 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:11.599 same thought. Father, preserve them from the 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:15.799 evil, the evil that is at work in the world. 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:20.660 We have a high priest who prays for us to be 00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:26.579 kept. It's wonderful to know that. at various 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:30.759 stations in life. It's wonderful to know, for 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:36.700 example, when you have reared your children to 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:39.660 the best of your strength and knowledge and wisdom 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:44.099 by God's grace and you ship them off to college. 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:50.079 Or a child gets married and they leave your home 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.509 and they're gone from under your influence. And 00:22:53.509 --> 00:22:57.009 you say, well, will he or will she remain faithful 00:22:57.009 --> 00:23:01.609 to God? Well, the fact is that all of us have 00:23:01.609 --> 00:23:06.309 ups and downs, don't we? But you know why we 00:23:06.309 --> 00:23:09.289 don't have to be afraid for our children who 00:23:09.289 --> 00:23:12.509 have professed faith in Jesus Christ? It's because 00:23:12.509 --> 00:23:16.329 the Son of God has prayed for them, too, that 00:23:16.329 --> 00:23:24.190 the Father would keep them. And He will. What 00:23:24.190 --> 00:23:26.329 wonderful security we have. A little girl was 00:23:26.329 --> 00:23:28.549 asked one time if Satan ever tempted her to do 00:23:28.549 --> 00:23:31.329 wrong. She said, oh, yes, the devil does try 00:23:31.329 --> 00:23:34.029 to get to me. He knocks at the door of my heart. 00:23:34.809 --> 00:23:37.069 But I just say, Jesus, please go to the door 00:23:37.069 --> 00:23:43.930 for me. And he will. He will keep us from the 00:23:43.930 --> 00:23:46.890 evil that is at work, the malignant evil that 00:23:46.890 --> 00:23:51.670 is in the world. There's a second petition that 00:23:51.670 --> 00:23:56.819 we see in verse 17. He says, sanctify them in 00:23:56.819 --> 00:24:00.660 thy truth. Thy word is truth. Titian number two, 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:06.019 father, sanctify them. To be sanctified means 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:10.480 to be set apart for God's special purpose and 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:16.539 use. And I believe in the context of John, in 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:19.380 John chapter 17, he is really saying this, father, 00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:23.759 Sanctify them, set them apart for your use in 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:28.000 the world. Father, as you have sent me into the 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:33.079 world, I am sending them into the world. And 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:35.299 so, Father, I pray that you will set them apart 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:40.279 for that special purpose, that they might represent 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:47.099 us in the world and proclaim the gospel. You 00:24:47.099 --> 00:24:49.240 and I don't have to be afraid in our witnessing, 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:51.240 although that's a normal tendency on the part 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:56.339 of any of us. Our Lord is with us, and He has 00:24:56.339 --> 00:25:00.640 prayed for us, that God would set us apart and 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.319 equip us and make us sufficient for the work 00:25:04.319 --> 00:25:06.940 that God calls us to do as His ambassadors and 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:12.920 His witnesses. Robert Murray McShane once remarked, 00:25:12.970 --> 00:25:16.089 If I could hear Christ praying for me in the 00:25:16.089 --> 00:25:18.910 next room, I would not fear a million enemies. 00:25:20.269 --> 00:25:22.529 Yet the distance makes no difference because 00:25:22.529 --> 00:25:27.990 He is praying for me. Remember that this week 00:25:27.990 --> 00:25:30.470 and into the new year as you set goals perhaps 00:25:30.470 --> 00:25:32.849 and people you want to talk with and witness 00:25:32.849 --> 00:25:37.089 to? The Lord Jesus is praying for you. Sanctify 00:25:37.089 --> 00:25:41.150 them in the truth, that is the Word. the truth 00:25:41.150 --> 00:25:45.589 about God, sanctify them in this. He tells us 00:25:45.589 --> 00:25:48.890 the result will be oneness and then witness to 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:54.369 the world in verses 20 and 21. So the second 00:25:54.369 --> 00:25:57.170 petition is, Father, sanctify them, set them 00:25:57.170 --> 00:26:00.150 apart for your special purpose. And third, verse 00:26:00.150 --> 00:26:05.170 24, Father, I desire that they also whom thou 00:26:05.170 --> 00:26:10.240 has given me be with me where I am. Petition 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:15.640 number three. Father, bring them. Father, bring 00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:20.500 them home to me, so that they may behold the 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:27.359 glory that you have given me. Let them see the 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:31.779 love that you had for me before the foundation 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:37.640 of the world. Father, bring them. The Lord Jesus 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:43.180 is praying that for you and me. And someday it's 00:26:43.180 --> 00:26:48.099 going to happen. Now we like to think that it's 00:26:48.099 --> 00:26:51.440 going to happen in the rapture. And I really 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:56.660 think it will for our generation. But I also 00:26:56.660 --> 00:26:58.319 know this, that there have been people who are 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:03.920 now dead who have thought the same thing. None 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:06.980 of us look forward. to the experience of dying 00:27:06.980 --> 00:27:12.819 if we're in our right minds. That thought of 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:16.099 not being able to get our breath or being in 00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:24.599 pain or the crush of an accident or however death 00:27:24.599 --> 00:27:28.299 might come to us is not something we dwell on. 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:35.890 It is hard for us to imagine our own mortality. 00:27:39.970 --> 00:27:44.630 But if the Lord Jesus doesn't come and we are 00:27:44.630 --> 00:27:49.589 taken in death, let us remember that though we 00:27:49.589 --> 00:27:52.029 do not look forward to the experience in dying, 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:54.769 we don't have to be afraid of the results of 00:27:54.769 --> 00:27:59.410 it. Because Jesus has already prayed, Father, 00:28:00.109 --> 00:28:08.359 bring them to me. And so when that moment comes, 00:28:08.420 --> 00:28:11.839 whether in death or in the rapture, the prayer 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:16.980 of Jesus must be answered. And we will leave 00:28:16.980 --> 00:28:19.339 our circumstances at the moment, whatever they 00:28:19.339 --> 00:28:21.819 be a hospital bed, or driving down the road, 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:25.940 or sitting behind a desk, or working in the yard, 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:30.920 or shoveling snow. We will leave behind our circumstances 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:37.490 of the moment and be ushered into glory. And 00:28:37.490 --> 00:28:40.210 we will be able to know things and see things 00:28:40.210 --> 00:28:44.150 in that moment that now our minds cannot possibly 00:28:44.150 --> 00:28:49.450 begin to imagine. Because our High Priest has 00:28:49.450 --> 00:28:54.750 prayed, Father, bring them. And the result of 00:28:54.750 --> 00:29:01.829 that is that we will behold His glory. I'd like 00:29:01.829 --> 00:29:03.970 for you to turn back to Hebrews as we close and 00:29:03.970 --> 00:29:06.579 look in the second chapter. As you know, the 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:10.819 book of Hebrews is a book that's all about the 00:29:10.819 --> 00:29:15.160 priesthood. That is the central theme of this 00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:19.440 book. And so we've only just touched it. And 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:22.319 I hope it's a book that you have read and meditated 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:25.599 upon as you get to know Jesus. But in chapter 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:29.420 2, I want us to look finally at verse 17 where 00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:34.900 it says, He, our Savior, the author of our salvation, 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:38.279 our great high priest, he had to be made like 00:29:38.279 --> 00:29:42.720 his brethren in all things, that he might become 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:47.359 a merciful and faithful high priest in things 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:52.460 pertaining to God. Our high priest is here characterized 00:29:52.460 --> 00:30:01.380 with two adjectives, merciful and faithful. He 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:03.720 is merciful in the sense that he is actively 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:10.079 compassionate. Jesus is not indifferent to your 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:12.920 circumstances and to your life, to what you're 00:30:12.920 --> 00:30:15.160 passing through now. He is not ignorant about 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:20.539 it. He is actively, compassionately, mercifully 00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:26.500 involved. And he is also described here as faithful. 00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:34.069 That is, he will never fail you. We may boldly 00:30:34.069 --> 00:30:40.769 say, the Lord is my what? Helper. I will not 00:30:40.769 --> 00:30:45.549 fear what man can do to me. The Lord is faithful. 00:30:46.690 --> 00:30:53.549 He is our helper. He comes to our aid. In fact, 00:30:53.630 --> 00:30:56.789 in chapter four, he says, let us therefore draw 00:30:56.789 --> 00:31:01.430 near the throne with confidence. That we may 00:31:01.430 --> 00:31:05.089 receive mercy and find grace to help in the time 00:31:05.089 --> 00:31:10.549 of need He comes to our aid in our tests So that 00:31:10.549 --> 00:31:15.890 God's will Will surely be realized God's purpose 00:31:15.890 --> 00:31:21.390 in our lives will be realized Now here's the 00:31:21.390 --> 00:31:23.670 amazing thing to me we talked about the priesthood 00:31:23.670 --> 00:31:31.099 of Jesus But it's this that we too are called 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:38.299 royal priests. Jesus is a royal priest, a royal 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:45.339 high priest. We who are saved by his grace are 00:31:45.339 --> 00:31:48.579 called a royal priesthood. Remember 1 Peter 2 00:31:48.579 --> 00:31:53.660 verse 9, you are a chosen generation, a royal 00:31:53.660 --> 00:31:59.019 priesthood. We are part of royalty. the family 00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:04.140 of the king. At the same time, we serve as priests. 00:32:06.119 --> 00:32:08.839 Now, how should that affect our lives in 1998? 00:32:09.539 --> 00:32:14.579 That's my closing question. How should it affect 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:18.940 your life and mine that we are a royal priesthood? 00:32:21.339 --> 00:32:25.380 Well, it ought to cause us to reevaluate our 00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:30.869 prayer lives at the very minimum. You ought to 00:32:30.869 --> 00:32:33.930 help us see how significant it is that God has 00:32:33.930 --> 00:32:37.130 given us the privilege of praying in the name 00:32:37.130 --> 00:32:42.450 of Jesus. As you face the new year, let me just 00:32:42.450 --> 00:32:44.150 throw a couple of things out for your thought 00:32:44.150 --> 00:32:49.130 and prayer and, I hope, decision. Number one, 00:32:49.750 --> 00:32:53.430 if your prayer life is in a bit of disarray, 00:32:54.130 --> 00:32:58.950 get it reorganized. Now that sounds mechanical. 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:01.480 And I don't mean for it to be that because a 00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:06.700 prayer life has to be a relationship. But at 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:09.259 the same time, there has to be some basic pattern 00:33:09.259 --> 00:33:13.819 or organization to it. And so, determine between 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:17.660 now and the start of the new year that you're 00:33:17.660 --> 00:33:21.680 going to look at your life and get your prayer 00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:26.500 life prioritized. And get things in order so 00:33:26.500 --> 00:33:30.630 that you are serving the Lord as a royal priest 00:33:30.630 --> 00:33:34.630 in the New Year. That's pretty simple to do. 00:33:35.390 --> 00:33:37.750 The second one requires a little more legwork 00:33:37.750 --> 00:33:39.789 and may push you a little more out of your comfort 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:44.029 zone. But it will be wonderfully effective. And 00:33:44.029 --> 00:33:46.009 it can even help fulfill the prayer of Jesus 00:33:46.009 --> 00:33:50.269 in John 17 about sanctifying them and sending 00:33:50.269 --> 00:33:54.869 us into the world of God's gospel. How about 00:33:54.869 --> 00:33:58.730 going to your neighbors? Maybe the ones on either 00:33:58.730 --> 00:34:02.809 side of you or to the neighbors in your block. 00:34:04.349 --> 00:34:07.430 Even those you don't know, which is probably 00:34:07.430 --> 00:34:11.710 a lot of them, feel like our neighborhood. Knock 00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:15.570 on the door and say, hi, I'm Joe. I'm down the 00:34:15.570 --> 00:34:19.730 street here. And I don't know you, but I would 00:34:19.730 --> 00:34:21.510 like to know if there's anything I can pray for 00:34:21.510 --> 00:34:25.590 you about. Do you have some need in your life? 00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:29.000 Is there something that you would like for me 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.340 to remember before God? I'd like to pray for 00:34:31.340 --> 00:34:35.579 you. And you don't have to hand them a Jesus 00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:37.159 video, though you can do that. You don't have 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:39.119 to hand them the four spiritual laws at that 00:34:39.119 --> 00:34:42.679 point. That's wonderful if you want to. But just 00:34:42.679 --> 00:34:46.039 in a very non -threatening way, take that step 00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:50.539 of saying, I want to pray for you. And just see 00:34:50.539 --> 00:34:54.800 what God may do in your neighborhood. See what 00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:59.050 happens. In that relationship between your neighbor 00:34:59.050 --> 00:35:01.110 and yourself, if your neighbor knows that you 00:35:01.110 --> 00:35:06.170 are remembering to pray for him, it will absolutely 00:35:06.170 --> 00:35:09.750 change and transform the dynamic of your neighborhood. 00:35:11.949 --> 00:35:15.269 It will open doors of opportunities for you to 00:35:15.269 --> 00:35:17.829 minister in deeper ways, witnessing to them, 00:35:18.130 --> 00:35:21.710 like you can't imagine, just by being a royal 00:35:21.710 --> 00:35:28.219 priest and praying for others. As we get into 00:35:28.219 --> 00:35:31.960 the new year, as we think about what it holds 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:35.480 for us in the providence of God, let's determine 00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:39.219 that because Jesus has made us a part of this 00:35:39.219 --> 00:35:43.659 priesthood that he holds, that we will function 00:35:43.659 --> 00:35:49.739 as royal priests in service to the Lord. Let's 00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:57.820 pray together. I just wonder if you would be 00:35:57.820 --> 00:36:03.480 willing to respond and say, pastor, I am going 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:07.079 to take some steps in my prayer life. You don't 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:09.280 have the opportunity now to identify what that 00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:14.019 might be. But will you by the uplifted hand say, 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:20.840 pastor, I see my role as a royal priest. And 00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:23.530 I want to fulfill that role. And God helping 00:36:23.530 --> 00:36:25.889 me, I'm going to enter the new year in a particular 00:36:25.889 --> 00:36:30.570 way and function as a royal priest. Will you 00:36:30.570 --> 00:36:34.789 just hit your hand? It may be a new commitment 00:36:34.789 --> 00:36:37.590 or a reaffirmation of commitment. Thank you. 00:36:37.590 --> 00:36:39.230 Just keep them up for a moment, if you would. 00:36:41.489 --> 00:36:46.090 I'm blessed with that. Thank you very much. How 00:36:46.090 --> 00:36:48.469 many of you can say, pastor, right now I am functioning 00:36:48.469 --> 00:36:50.769 that way? That is. That's something that's ongoing 00:36:50.769 --> 00:36:55.809 in my life. Would you just lift your hand? OK, 00:36:55.829 --> 00:36:59.909 God bless you. Amen. Now, for those in between, 00:36:59.989 --> 00:37:06.090 what about you? If you're not functioning that 00:37:06.090 --> 00:37:12.110 way now, and you can't decide to be a priest 00:37:12.110 --> 00:37:14.289 after the order of Melchizedek, after our great 00:37:14.289 --> 00:37:21.829 high priest, what are you going to do? What is 00:37:21.829 --> 00:37:29.110 the spirit of God saying to you? Are you part 00:37:29.110 --> 00:37:35.530 of the priesthood? Are you a royal priest? Think 00:37:35.530 --> 00:37:39.210 about it. Think about it. Think about what God 00:37:39.210 --> 00:37:49.230 wants you to do. Sweet hour of prayer. Sweet 00:37:49.230 --> 00:39:00.719 hour of prayer. Lord, as we head into the new 00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:06.699 year, we don't want to sing about prayer only. 00:39:07.840 --> 00:39:12.820 We want to be prayers. We want to function as 00:39:12.820 --> 00:39:17.820 Jesus has shared this role for us to function 00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:21.500 in. And so I pray that you will help us to be 00:39:21.500 --> 00:39:24.519 excited about who we are and what we're called 00:39:24.519 --> 00:39:31.860 to become, and to use the power prayer interceding 00:39:31.860 --> 00:39:38.280 for others saved and lost alike that you might 00:39:38.280 --> 00:39:42.099 unleash your power your presence in their lives 00:39:42.099 --> 00:39:46.340 as well as in ours like we've never seen before 00:39:46.340 --> 00:39:52.260 may that be the blessed result because we have 00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:55.119 studied this morning about our great high priest 00:39:55.119 --> 00:40:00.809 that's his name that I offer these words Thank 00:40:00.809 --> 00:40:00.809 you.