1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,800 Amen. Thank you, Mike. Thanks to our music ministry this morning for an extended time 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:13,560 of worship on this Easter Sunday. 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:21,680 Now I invite you to open your Bible to Hebrews chapter 7. I have an Easter question for you 4 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:33,280 this morning. The question is, can Jesus ever again rise from the dead? Now, before you 5 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:39,560 answer the question, I know someone here is going to be tempted to say, well of course 6 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:45,960 he's God and he can do whatever he wants to do. So of course he can rise again from the 7 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:59,520 dead. But be careful, because the answer to the question is no. Jesus Christ can never 8 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:09,720 rise again from the dead, and the reason for that is very simple. He can never die again. 9 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:16,160 He has risen from the dead in a body that is immortal. Listen to the words of Paul to 10 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:26,400 Timothy. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, abolished death and brought life and immortality to 11 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:35,760 light through the Gospel. The glorified Christ said to his apostle John, as John saw him 12 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:43,080 on the Isle of Patmos, Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, and the living 13 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:55,720 one. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. 14 00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:00,760 The body that came out of the grave that first Easter morning was the same body Jesus had 15 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:09,360 lived in those years on the earth. But it was a radically changed body. It is a body 16 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:19,400 that is described in the Bible as an immortal body, which means it is deathless. It cannot 17 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:30,960 die. It is an imperishable body. The writer of Hebrews picks up this theme of resurrection 18 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:40,720 as he argues for the supremacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, over all things. He writes 19 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:51,680 of Jesus Christ's once for all work, using that phrase three times. Once in chapter 10, 20 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:57,480 once in chapter 9, and in the text we are going to read this morning, the first time. 21 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,560 And we are going to begin reading in verse 24, and then you will see that phrase as we 22 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:15,840 read further. But he, on the other hand, because he abides forever, holds his priesthood permanently. 23 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:24,560 Hence also he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he 24 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:32,320 always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such 25 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:40,200 a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above 26 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:49,320 the heavens, who does not need daily like those high priests to offer up sacrifices 27 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:57,680 first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this he did once for 28 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:08,600 all when he offered up himself. What Jesus Christ has done for us involves a threefold 29 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:21,600 work that makes possible our part in his eternal kingdom. I want to talk this morning briefly 30 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:32,000 about that threefold work. Work number one is his work of an ultimate sacrifice. Now 31 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:43,280 the context of our text in chapters five through ten deals with the priesthood. Jesus Christ 32 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:51,840 is contrasted in these chapters with the priesthood of the Levites in ancient Israel under the 33 00:04:51,840 --> 00:05:03,040 law. The priesthood of Christ is set in contrast to the Old Testament priesthood. A priest's 34 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:14,960 duty is to represent before God sinners who have offended God's laws. As transgressors, 35 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:24,560 they deserve God's judgment, but the priest intervenes with a sacrifice. And that sacrifice 36 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:36,760 absorbs the penalty on behalf of the guilty, and thus the guilty escape judgment. That's 37 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:45,640 because justice was already satisfied at the expense of the sacrifice. Now in the Jewish 38 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:53,000 priesthood of the Old Testament, they offered up animal and other kinds of sacrifices prescribed 39 00:05:53,000 --> 00:06:04,480 by God himself. Their sacrifices did not remove sins, but they did provide an atonement for 40 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:13,120 them. They did provide a covering for the people's sins so that God could remain in 41 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:24,360 a covenant relationship with his people. But a better provision was needed. A better sacrifice 42 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:34,800 was needed that would permanently deal with this sin issue between sinful man and a holy 43 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:43,480 God. Earlier in this same chapter, we read these words in verse 18, for there is a setting 44 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:55,440 aside that means a legal cancellation of the former commandment. It's talking there about 45 00:06:55,440 --> 00:07:05,980 the Old Testament's regulations and its priesthood and its sacrifices. This writer of the book 46 00:07:05,980 --> 00:07:15,920 of Hebrews says there was a setting aside of that former system because of its weakness 47 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:26,560 and uselessness, for the law made nothing perfect. God did not establish that system, 48 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:34,360 nor did he give the law in order to provide a permanent salvation. Indeed, he gave us 49 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:42,840 the law that it might bring us to the ultimate sacrifice. The writer goes on to say in verse 50 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:51,640 19, on the other hand, there is a bringing in of a better hope through which we draw 51 00:07:51,640 --> 00:08:02,760 near to God. We, in contrast to they, under the Old Covenant. He says that old system 52 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:12,360 with its sacrifices and its priesthood was unable to bring men to God. Not that it had 53 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:20,200 a problem, but men had a problem. And therefore the law was useless because it could not bring 54 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:26,200 sinners to God. It could only cover their sins. It could not deal with their sins. What 55 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:35,080 was needed was a better hope, a better sacrifice. And he says we draw near to God through that 56 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:49,560 better sacrifice. Jesus acted as a high priest to offer the ultimate and final sacrifice, 57 00:08:49,560 --> 00:09:00,120 which sacrifice was himself. That is most remarkable. The sacrifices of the Old Testament 58 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:07,120 were animals. The priest took the animals that were brought and sacrificed them on the 59 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:14,680 altar. The blood was sprinkled according to the law. But under this new covenant, the 60 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:24,560 priest, the high priest himself, was the sacrifice. Turn over to chapter 9 for example and look 61 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:31,640 at verse 11. It says when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, 62 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:36,680 he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to 63 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:44,520 say not of this creation, not of this world. And not through the blood of goats and calves, 64 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:55,680 but through his own blood he entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal 65 00:09:55,680 --> 00:10:01,660 redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling 66 00:10:01,660 --> 00:10:09,600 those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will 67 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:14,920 the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to 68 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:23,680 God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Look down to verse 69 00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:35,920 26. But now once at the consummation of the ages, he the son Christ has been manifested 70 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:45,280 to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to 71 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:53,240 die once, and after this comes judgment, so Christ also having been offered once to bear 72 00:10:53,240 --> 00:11:02,480 the sins of many shall appear a second time. Chapter 10 verse 12. But he having offered 73 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:11,680 one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. Verse 14. And by 74 00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:18,040 one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified, that is those who 75 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:26,200 have been set apart for God's purpose. What we learn here in these texts is that Christ's 76 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:40,600 once for all work of sacrifice was accomplished at the cross. He cannot die or be offered 77 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:49,680 again. It is unnecessary besides, but he cannot die because he has been raised from the dead 78 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:59,440 now to bring his offering before God. This work of his offering up of the ultimate sacrifice 79 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:08,480 secures the legal ground for our place in God's Kingdom. If it were not for that ultimate 80 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:16,840 sacrifice that he offered, we would have no grounds to come before God. But he has provided 81 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:25,560 the ultimate sacrifice. That's the first work that makes possible our place in his eternal 82 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:32,920 Kingdom, the ultimate sacrifice, which was himself. 83 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:41,480 Now let's look at work number two. It is an unceasing session. Back to chapter 7 verses 84 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:52,280 24 and 25. We celebrate today the truth of Christ's bodily resurrection. That resurrection 85 00:12:52,280 --> 00:13:03,360 initiated his continuing priesthood. He is perpetually in session as our intercessor. 86 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:10,880 Don't let the word session concern you. It's a word that we still use today. We talk about 87 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:20,640 the legislature being in what? Thank God now it's not in what? We talk about it being in 88 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:26,880 session. It's there for business. What it tells us here is that Jesus Christ is always 89 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:35,880 before the throne of God in business. He's in session. The author of Hebrews shows the 90 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:42,880 superiority of Christ's heavenly priesthood over the earthly priesthood established under 91 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:53,800 the covenant of the law. He tells us in chapter 7 that that priesthood was qualified by its 92 00:13:53,800 --> 00:14:05,840 physical genealogy. They were the sons of Aaron, the sons of Levi. But Christ is qualified 93 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:16,360 under a different order of priesthood. And what qualifies him is his indestructible life. 94 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:23,160 Look at verse 16. Back up to verse 15 where it says, and this is clear still if another 95 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:31,280 priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek who has become such not on the 96 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:38,720 basis of a law of physical requirement for ancestry, but according to the power of an 97 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:45,240 indestructible life. Here we have another order of priesthood altogether. It doesn't 98 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:53,140 make any difference that Jesus was of the tribe of Judah and not of the tribe of Levi. 99 00:14:53,140 --> 00:14:59,840 He could not be a priest under the Old Testament system, but no matter because he is a priest. 100 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:10,320 He is the high priest in a new order that depends not upon one's physical genes, but 101 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:20,840 upon resurrection. And because he possesses an indestructible life, he is the great high 102 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:29,560 priest who in his second work is always in session on our behalf. Now as our high priest 103 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:40,200 he is both advocate and intercessor. We need both. An advocate is one who stands on your 104 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:53,320 behalf before God as your defense. The Lord Jesus Christ is our advocate in accusations. 105 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:58,440 The enemy of our souls comes to God and says, look at this one who says he is a child of 106 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:14,840 God. How can someone like this be a Christian? And who is he talking about? Any one of us. 107 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:22,520 John says, if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous 108 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:34,280 one and he is the propitiation for our sins. In other words, he is satisfied with the justice 109 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:43,440 of God. And he stands before God as our defense. So when the enemy comes to attack us before 110 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:51,080 God, we have one who is our defense attorney so to speak. Martha Snow Nicholson captures 111 00:16:51,080 --> 00:17:00,560 this so well in her poem entitled My Advocate. I sinned and straightway post haste Satan 112 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:07,920 flew before the presence of the most high God and made a railing accusation there. He 113 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:16,280 said, this soul, this thing of clay and sod has sinned. It is true that he has named thy 114 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:23,680 name but I demand his death for thou hast said the soul that sinneth it shall die. Shall 115 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:33,520 not thy sentence be fulfilled? Is justice dead? Send now this wretched sinner to his 116 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:40,280 doom. What other thing can a righteous ruler do? And thus he did accuse me day and night 117 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:47,720 and every word he spoke, O God, was true. Then quickly one arose up from God's right 118 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:57,520 hand. Before his glory angels veiled their eyes, he spoke, each jot and tittle of the 119 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:07,160 law must be fulfilled. The guilty sinner dies, but wait. Suppose his guilt were all transferred 120 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:16,880 to me and that I paid his penalty. Behold my hands, my side, my feet. One day I was 121 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:25,120 made sin for him and died that he might be presented faultless at thy throne. And Satan 122 00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:31,720 fled away. Full well he knew that he could not prevail against such love for every word 123 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:40,800 my dear Lord spoke was true. He is always before the Father as our advocate and he is 124 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:50,480 always before the Father as our intercessor. He is our assistance in times of temptation. 125 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:59,560 Back in Hebrews chapter 2 for just a quick moment and look at verse 18. It says, For 126 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:07,040 since he himself was tempted in that which he has suffered, he is able to come to the 127 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:14,160 aid of those who are tempted. He tells us that in his suffering in the world the Lord 128 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:23,080 Jesus was tempted. He was tested. And he passed all of them. All of the tests, all of the 129 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:29,520 temptations he overcame. And now he is qualified as one who has felt what I feel and felt 130 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:36,800 what you feel. To come to our assistance and intercede before the Father on our behalf. 131 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:44,480 What good news is this? That we have one who is in an unceasing session on our behalf. 132 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:52,040 And my friend this work secures our continuance into his kingdom. Robert Murray McShane once 133 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:59,400 remarked, If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million 134 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:08,120 enemies. And yet he said, The distance makes no difference. He is praying for me. And he 135 00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:15,520 is praying for you as well. His second work is that of an unceasing session. He ever lives 136 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:23,680 to make intercession for us. The third work that I point out is his work of an unlimited 137 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:39,040 salvation. Because of his work on the cross and because of his work before the throne. 138 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:44,840 Because of his work on the cross and because of his work on the throne, Jesus Christ is 139 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:53,160 able to save completely those who come to God through him. There are three aspects to 140 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:58,320 this third work that I want to point out. I want you to notice in verse 25 it says, 141 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:08,600 He is able to save literally to the uttermost. I think the King James has the better rendition 142 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:18,040 here. He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God by him. This salvation 143 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:24,560 that Christ has provided is unlimited in its application. It is a salvation that rests 144 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:32,400 upon his power, not ours. We are not saved because we can perform. We are saved because 145 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:42,680 he is able. It is unlimited in its accomplishment as well. Because this salvation reaches to 146 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:51,320 the sinner's every need. He is able to save to the uttermost. He is able to reach us wherever 147 00:21:51,320 --> 00:22:01,560 we are with his salvation. Curtis Vaughan writes the verb to save here is used absolutely. 148 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:09,000 Which means that Christ will save in the most comprehensive sense. He saves from all that 149 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:15,800 humanity needs saving from. Christ's salvation is a complete deliverance no matter what the 150 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:26,080 need of the sinner. His salvation is unlimited in its availability because it says he is 151 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:33,240 able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. Notice there is no 152 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:42,120 limitation here except that one must draw near to God through him. Anyone who draws 153 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:50,160 near to him may be saved. Now not all will be saved because many will not come to God 154 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:56,760 through him. But all who will come to God through him will be saved and saved to the 155 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:08,080 uttermost. This work, the work of his unlimited salvation, opens the door for our entrance 156 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:17,360 into his kingdom. Today we recognize and celebrate the work of Christ in his death and resurrection. 157 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:24,440 The work of his ultimate sacrifice which lays the legal foundation for our part in his kingdom. 158 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:31,880 The work of his unceasing session which secures our continuance in his kingdom. That nothing 159 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:40,720 can separate us from the love of God. Jesus prays on our behalf. He's our advocate. The 160 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:49,160 work of his unlimited salvation which opens the door for our entrance into his kingdom. 161 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:59,000 I began this morning with a question. Can Jesus Christ ever again rise from the dead? 162 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:09,440 But now I close with a question as well. Have you by faith drawn near to God and entered 163 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:19,440 the gates of salvation opened by Christ's sacrifice? Have you done that? Urban Lutzer 164 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:25,720 in his book How You Can Be Sure That You Will Spend Eternity With God reminds us that in 165 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:32,480 Michelangelo's painting of the final judgment, the expressions on the faces of those who 166 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:39,880 are about to be judged reflect uncertainty and fear. No one in the fresco except the 167 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:48,120 Virgin Mary knows his or her fate. And then he poses this question. What expression would 168 00:24:48,120 --> 00:25:02,040 be on our faces if we knew that say in exactly one hour we would be face to face with God? 169 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:07,400 Did you notice the statement that we read from chapter 9 that says, it is appointed 170 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:19,120 unto men once to die. It is though there is a great calendar in heaven, an appointment 171 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:27,000 calendar, and on that appointment calendar is your name beside a minute and an hour and 172 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:41,600 a day when you will die and stand before God. And at that moment when death comes, your 173 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:50,520 relationship to God is forever fixed. In other words, if when that moment comes you are separated 174 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:58,600 from God still by your sins, then you will forever be separated from God and spend eternity 175 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:05,240 in hell. On the other hand, when that moment comes, if you are related to God because you 176 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:15,760 have drawn near to God through Christ, forever that relationship is fixed. As we celebrate 177 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:21,480 resurrection it is not a bad thing for us to think about the fact that someday we are 178 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:28,440 each going to die. As Samuel Johnson said, nothing focuses the mind like the knowledge 179 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:36,160 that one is to be hanged. And nothing focuses the mind on Easter like the knowledge that 180 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:43,840 someday each of us too will pass through the portals into eternity. And so I come back 181 00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:52,120 to that question, have you drawn near to God through Jesus Christ by placing your faith 182 00:26:52,120 --> 00:27:02,120 in Him? And if not, why not today? Why not make that decision today to come to God through 183 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:11,560 Jesus Christ and receive the gift of salvation that He purchased with His own blood on the 184 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:16,760 cross? Let's pray. 185 00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:26,560 Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the heart of each one of us, either bringing 186 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:33,560 assurance that we have drawn near and that we are in the Kingdom of God, kept in the 187 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:42,960 Kingdom of God by Christ's intercession on our behalf, or conviction that we need to 188 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:51,680 do this very thing. And I pray that for those who have conviction that they need to draw 189 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:59,280 near to God through Christ that today they will choose to do that. In Jesus' name, Amen. 190 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:06,760 We're going to sing in closing a verse or two of 390, 342. You probably don't need 191 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:13,080 the hymn. It's the familiar one, just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood 192 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:20,060 was shed for me, Lamb of God, I come to thee. And as we sing this hymn, if you are one who 193 00:28:20,060 --> 00:28:24,800 has professed faith in Jesus Christ privately, but you have never openly acknowledged it 194 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:31,400 before others, I want to invite you to come. Or if you have never made that decision to 195 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:36,400 trust Jesus Christ, but today you want to do that, you are today drawing near to God 196 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:42,840 through Christ, I invite you to come to make that decision public before others, which 197 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:47,920 would please the Lord. As we sing this hymn, and we're going to stand right now, and I 198 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:52,960 invite you to stand, I invite you also to come and to meet me here in the front. If 199 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:58,880 today you would take Christ, or publicly profess Christ as your own Lord and Savior.