Let us commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 121. The tune is
Birdhurst 103. Jesus, in thee our eyes behold,
a thousand glories more than the rich gems and polished gold,
the sons of air and war. Hymn 121, tune Birdhurst 103. Jesus, in Thee our eyes behold,
the Thousand-Horizons, And the rich gift of God is good,
The sons of Aaron know. Take us there, O Pantocrist,
brought to the dead, saved from sin. Like a poor Jew without
a star, where, O my nature, be. Fresh blood, as constant as the
day, was on their altars filled, But by your call it takes away
forever all our fears. Then whispered from truth's sacred
grave, The Lord your lost and grave. Thy heritage shall preside Eternal
as thy days ? Once in this circuit of a year
? ? If love had caught his heart ? ? There only in the veil of
years ? ? With home and golden throne ?
? The Christ-child is born ? ?
The hope of all ? ? At Santa Barbara's shrine ? And in the
presence of our God, let wisdom sacrifice. Jesus, the King of glory, Reigns
on Zion's heavenly throne. Look side by side, what does he say? And let his reason stay. He there managed to intercede
before His Father's grace. Gifted by soul, Thine close to
be, Let us read together from the
holy word of God in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews and chapter 7 Hebrews chapter 7 for this Melchizedek, King of
Salem, priest of the Most High God, whom Abraham returned him
from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also
Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation
King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which
is King of Peace, without father, without mother, without descent,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like
unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. Now consider
how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham
gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the
sons of Levi, who received the office of the priesthood, have
a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the
law. That is of their brethren, though they come out of the loins
of Abraham. But he whose descent is not counted
from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that
had the promises. And without all contradiction,
the less is blessed of the better. And he of men that die receive
tithes, but there he receiveth them of whom it is witnessed
that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also,
who receiveth tithes, paid tithes
in Abraham, for he was yet in the loins of his father when
Melchizedek met him. If therefore perfection were
by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received
the law, What further need was there that another priest should
rise after the order of Melchizedek and not be called after the order
of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed,
there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom
these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no
man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord
sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning
priesthood. And it is yet far more evident,
for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there riseth another
priest, who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment,
but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth thou
art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek. For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment gone before,
for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the
which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an
oath he was made priest. For those priests were made without
an oath, But this wither not, by him that said unto him, The
Lord swear, and will not repent, thou art a priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek. So much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament, and they truly were many priests, because
they were not suffered to continue by reason of death. But this
man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them. For such an high priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens, who needeth not daily as those high
priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then
for the people's, for this he did once when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmity, but the word of the oath which was since
the law maketh the son who is consecrated forevermore. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit A real
prayer. Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God of heaven, we again desire to bow before thy great majesty,
to call upon thy great and thy holy name. We pray for thy presence
in this service. We pray for the power of the
Holy Ghost that he may grant that personal witness in our
hearts, to witness that we're sinners, to witness that God
is holy, to witness that there is a judgment day, and to witness
that Jesus is the way to God, Jesus is the way to bliss. Oh,
we do pray that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the
love of God our Father, and the sacred fellowship of the Holy
Spirit may rest and abide upon us. May we know those divine
drawings of our Heavenly Father. May we have that sweet spirit
of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. May we know the truth
of that blessed word, for God has sent forth the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. We pray, most gracious
Lord, for thy presence. In thy presence I am happy. In
thy presence I am secure. In thy presence I can easily
all things endure. Lord, grant us thy presence here
this afternoon, that we may hear thy voice, that we may see thy
countenance, that we may worship in thy holy hill of Zion, My
beloved spake and said unto me, Gracious God, may that be the
case this afternoon. It may please thee to seal thy
word into our hearts, that we may hear thy voice, that we may
see thy countenance, for thy voice is coming. And Lord, it's
powerful and it's effectual. Oh, do grant that we may hear
thy voice. And we read of thy servant of
old, that when he was in the cave, and the earthquake, and
the storm, great tumult, but the Lord was not in them. And
then he heard a still small voice. Gracious God, may we hear that
still small voice this afternoon. that thou hast breathed thy word
into our hearts, that it may find an abiding place there,
and that we may find an abiding place in thee. Thou hast said,
Abide in me, for the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in me. Oh, that we may abide in thee,
Lord Jesus. That we pray, most gracious Lord,
to be made more spiritually minded and our affection set upon things
above. We pray to be guided and directed
into thy truth and that thou wouldst graciously heal our prayers
and our entreaties. We thank thee for our little
house of prayer. We thank thee for the liberties
that we have that we can meet together around thy word. We
thank thee for thy word For this is the word by which the gospel
is preached unto you. We thank the most gracious Lord
for the gospel and the person that, oh Lord, is the gospel,
a glorious person, our precious Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the centre,
the sum and the substance of the gospel. Oh, that we may have
a glimpse of his glorious person who He is, the Eternal Son of
the Eternal Father, manifest in the flesh. Oh, that we may
behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth. May we touch the hem of His garment
and draw from that sacred fullness that is in Him. We thank Thee
for that fullness that is in Him, the fullness of that redemption
through his precious sin-atoning blood, through his glorious sacrifice
on Calvary, the fullness of his everlasting righteousness. We
do thank thee for that fullness. A fullness resides in Jesus our
head and ever abides to answer our need. We do thank thee most
gracious Lord that he died for our sins and rose again for our
justification and is now sitting at thy right hand. We have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. We have
a great high priest who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the
Son of God. We do thank thee for that glorious
truth and that fundamental article of our most holy the Saviour
that ever liveth, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today,
and forever. Lord, we thank Thee for every
mercy of Thy kind providence. We thank Thee that we know by
sweet experience His left hand is under my head, His right hand
doth embrace me. Gracious God, we do pray that
Thou wouldst bless us as a church, and as a congregation, and that
thou wouldst work mightily and powerfully and effectually among
us, that there may be signs that shall yet follow the preaching
of the word. May the power that brings salvation
be exerted in the word. May sinners deserve in endless
pain thy great salvation see. Lord, remember thee prodigals
who've wandered from the ways of righteousness and of truth. Convict them, convince them,
and graciously cause them to return to the sanctuary. There's
nothing too hard for them. Indeed, O Lord, they are able
to do abundantly more than we can even ask or think. Oh, that thou would come and
speak to our hearts and graciously bless us here this afternoon,
that something may be done in the name of the Holy Child Jesus. Remember our deacons and richly
bless them and undertake for them. Grant wisdom and grace
and help in all matters. Remember, Lord, thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion. Set them
free, set them at liberty. Grant them, and thus saith the
Lord, Grant the spirit of power and the spirit of wisdom and
the spirit of grace and of understanding unto thy servants that they may
be enabled to delve into the deep that coucheth beneath in
thy word. O Lord, do hear us, we humbly
beseech thee. And we pray that thou in thy
precious mercy would graciously work mightily and powerfully
among the churches we may see thy goings in the sanctuary.
We think of our young friend recently sent forth into the
ministry and we would lovingly commend him to thee and to the
word of thy grace which is able to build him up and to grant
him an inheritance among them that are sanctified. We pray
most gracious Lord that thou would yet send further labourers
into the harvest that we may see thy work and thy power and
thy glory. Remember each one of our brethren
and sisters in Christ Jesus in church fellowship. Bless us together. Help us to love each other, serve
each other, and bear each other's burdens and thereby fulfilling
the law of Christ. Remember our brother and sister
in Holland and grant them thy blessing. We do humbly beseech
of them. And Lord, we pray that thou,
in thy great mercy, remember the little ones and the children
and richly bless them. Remember the young people, graciously
guide them by thy counsel, and afterward receive them unto glory.
Bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ and make them true
followers of thee and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. Send out the glory, light and
power of gospel truth into this village and the surrounding villages
and hamlets and fulfil thy precious promises to Zion. I will bring
thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. Lord,
we plead those precious promises. They shall come from the north
and from the south, from the east and from the west. And when
the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their
tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them. I will
open rivers in high places and streams in the desert. O Lord
of hosts, O God of Israel, O Thou that dwellest between the cherubim,
shine forth. Give parents wisdom and grace
to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. Be with each and every one in
the midst of the journey of life. and graciously bring each to
living faith in Jesus Christ and to realize that there is
but one thing that is needful. And oh, gracious God, we do pray
that thou in thy great mercy would remember those of us in
the evening time of life's journey. And that we pray that as the
outward man perishes, the inward man may be renewed day by day. And Lord, we feel within us that
the seeds of death are within us. And we know that the wages
of sin is death. And we know that we must needs
die and be as water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered
again. Prepare me, gracious God, to
stand before thy face. Thy spirit must the work perform. For it is all of grace, in Christ's
obedience clothed, wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my
head with joy among the sons of God. Lord, grant that it may
be so. We do humbly beseech thee. We pray that thou wouldst now
be with us as we turn to thy precious word, and open the word
of truth to our heart and to our understanding. We ask with
the forgiveness of all sin, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 180. The tune is Bethany, 629. Lamb of God, we fall before Thee,
humbly trusting in Thy cross. That alone be all our glory. All things else are dung and
tross. Thee we own a perfect Saviour, only source of all that's
good. Every grace and every favour
comes to us through Jesus' blood. Hymn 180. tune Bethany 629. ? O come, O come, Emmanuel ? ?
And ransom captive Israel ? ? Who is the Son of Man was ? ?
He becometh a flesh-saviour ? ? Born in Jesus Christ the Lord ? O Jesus Christ, ? Zayet tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon, tzevon,
tze I give thanks unto the living
God, ? God of creation ? ? He was given
? ? For the angels to arise ? ? He is risen ? ? And their children will say to
you ? ? O deliver us, Jesus, Lord of hosts ? ? God is just ? ? God of nature
? ? God of nature ? ? God of nature ? ? God of nature ? ? Praise Jesus, we come to praise
Him ? ? God is heaven ? ? When we worship
your holy throne ? ? God is heaven ? ? When we sing of your glory
? I love you. Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I direct your attention to Hebrews chapter
7 and we'll read verse 26 for our text. Hebrews chapter 7, verse 26. For such an high priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens. Now, the dear apostle here in
the Hebrews so beautifully, more than anywhere else in the Word
of God, exhorts the person of Christ as our great High Priest. We must remember he was writing
to the Hebrews, who had a very full understanding of the Old
Testament and the sacrifices and offerings that were offered
thereby. And so because he's writing to them, His message
is concerning what was typified under the Old Testament, under
the Levitical dispensation, the dispensation of the law. And he speaks of our great high
priest. In the latter part of chapter
6, verse 17, he says, we're in God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise, the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us. Which hope we have, as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within
the veil, whither the forerunner. That which is in the veil is
our great High Priest, and the faith of the Lord's people enters
in the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.
The veil he's speaking of here is heaven, eternal glory. Indeed, there's a number of places
here in the Hebrews when he speaks of the ark, the ark of the testament that
was set up by Moses in the wilderness and he likens entering into that
ark entering into heaven and so that is what he means here
by which hope we have as an anchor both sure and steadfast and which
entereth into that within the veil and in the fourth chapter
He says there, in the latter part of chapter four, seeing
then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched. Speaking
here of the empathy and the sympathy that is in our Lord Jesus Christ,
though He is the eternal son of the eternal father and yet
he suffered many things as a man here upon earth, beyond what
any of us can even begin to enter into. For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was in all points, deep and profound word, but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. And because of that, that is
the eternal foundation on which we build Jesus Christ and Him
crucified. He says, let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace. Why? Because Jesus sits there.
That we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. or that we may be given that
holy boldness, not a fleshly boldness, it's the boldness of
faith, enters within the veil. For such a high priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens. He commences this chapter seven
he said for this Melchizedek king of Salem. Salem meaning
peace priest of the most high God who met Abraham returning
from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him to whom also
Abraham gave a tenth part of all first this is the interpretation
of Melchizedek first being by interpretation king of righteousness
and after that also king of Salem which is king of peace, without
father, without mother. What does he mean, without father,
without mother? Well, nothing was, it says here,
without descent. Nothing was known of the parents
of Melchizedek. He was one of these mystical
type of characters. Nobody knew when he died or where
he was buried. But the Apostle uses that, he
says, without father, without mother, without descent, having
neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto
the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. So, our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, according to
his divine nature, without mother, according to his human nature,
without Father. See, he says Melchizedek is a
beautiful type of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the Father. And he goes on and he builds
on this. And he speaks of the Lord's Swear,
he mentions several times in this chapter, quoting from Psalm
110, The Lord swear and will not repent. Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. A priest forever. An eternal priesthood. And the
Lord Jesus Christ, when he became a man, he assumed the office
of a high priest. The Father anointed him for it.
And he became the high priest of his people. And as we just
looked at our great high priest at verse 15 in chapter four,
for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. The hymn writer says, doesn't
he? Touched with the sympathy within, he knows our feeble frame. He knows what sore temptations
mean, for he has felt the same. You see, he builds on this in
verse 14, for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah,
of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it
is far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek,
the rise of another priest who is made not after the law of
a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth thou art a
priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. So Christ superseded
the Old Testament priesthood. It was done away when Christ
came. the Old Testament priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood, it pointed
to Christ, it typified Christ. When the high priest, he entered
into the holy place once a year, he divested himself of all the
garments and the gorgeous apparel of the high priest and he was
clothed from head to foot with pure white linen. Why was that
done? on that day of atonement when
he entered into the holy place because he was a type of Christ.
And that pure white linen represents the perfect obedience of Christ,
the everlasting righteousness of Christ. And that is what we
see. On the breast of the high priest
there was engraved on gold with precious stones all the names
of the tribes of the children of Israel. that was hanging on
the shoulders of the high priests with a chain and ouches of gold
and so that it was laying on his heart. What a beautiful type
of Christ, all the names of his people upon his heart and still
is he's now in heaven he has all the names of the living family
of God upon his heart, close to his heart. What a beautiful
type he is of Christ. He took with him blood from a
sacrifice. That sacrifice represents or
typifies the blood of Christ, the precious blood he took into
the holy place on that day of atonement. He sprinkled it seven
times before the golden mercy seat. There will I meet with
thee. There will I commune with thee
from off the golden mercy seat. that represented Christ, the
blood of Christ. There will I meet with them.
There will I commune with them. There's nowhere else, my beloved
friends, whereby we can commune with God but in the glorious
person of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No man cometh unto me, unto the
Father, but by me. I am the way, the truth and the
light and the high priest entering into the holy place beautifully
typifies our Lord Jesus Christ. On that day of atonement he took
a censer of gold and he put live coals, that's red hot coals from
the fire under the altar and he put a handful of precious
incense crushed spices onto that red hot coals. Those red hot
coals represent fire, the awful fire of the wrath of God that
came against Christ because of the sins of his people. And when he put the spices on
it, it filled the tabernacle, the beautiful aroma of those
spices filled the tabernacle. His name. His ointment poured
forth. You think of that, the precious
ointments they used, the smell. You think of that on the Day
of Atonement. You see it represents the sufferings of Christ. For such a high priest became
us, who is holy. He goes to great lengths here
to make clear that we cannot be saved under the law. There's
no way to God under the law. It says in verse 19, for the
law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope
did, by the which we draw nigh unto God through Christ. The law made no such provision
to be reconciled unto God. The law solemnly declared, the
soul that sinneth it shall die, and the wages of sin is death. Do you know, what it says here,
the law made nothing perfect. We just look briefly at the chapter
10, and he says there, for the law having a shadow of good things
to come and not the very image of the things can never, with
those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually, make
the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered, because that the worshippers once purged
should have no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifice
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year, for
it is not possible, look what he writes, for it is not possible
that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Not all the blood of beasts on
Jewish altars slain could give the guilty conscience peace or
wash away the stain, but Christ the heavenly Lamb bears all our
sins away. a sacrifice of nobler name and
richer blood than they. You notice in chapter 10 he speaks
of the will of God, he quotes from Psalm 40 and he says verse
10, by the witch will we are sanctified through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Is there ever the need
of this one sacrifice once for all? There's a great emphasis
in the Hebrews on that. And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice which can
never take away sins, but this man, this glorious holy God man,
the man Christ Jesus, but this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand from henceforth
expect him, till his enemies be made his footstool. For by
one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. That's the only way, my beloved
friends, that we can be perfected in the glorious person of our
Lord Jesus Christ. For such a high priest became
us who is holy. in the conception of our Lord
Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary when the angel Gabriel
was speaking unto her and he said, that holy thing. It's an
important word, that holy thing. You and I are unholy by our birth. Christ had a supernatural birth.
It wasn't by natural generation. If it was, he would have been
stained and died with the sin of Adam. The Holy Ghost overshadowed
the womb of the Virgin Mary. That holy thing that shall be
born of thee. We see that union made between
the divine and the human in the glorious person of Jesus Christ. One to reconcile. a daysman,
as he's called in the Book of Job. The daysman's office was
to reconcile. What a beautiful type of Christ.
He would get together with two opposing parties, he would put
one hand on the shoulder of one and another on the shoulder of
the other and he would seek to reconcile and to bring them together
to some agreement. You see the daisman, Christ is
our daisman. What a wonderful daisman he is. He's God. He's God and man in
one person. And as the son of God, he puts
his hand on the shoulder of his holy father. And as the son of
man, he puts his hand on the shoulder of the church, and he
reconciles together, he brings them together. What a glorious
daysman, what a perfect daysman that we see in our Lord Jesus
Christ. And one of the fundamental properties
of his glorious person, he's holy, he's holy. He did no sin, it says here in
our text, for such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless. You know it's a wonderful gift,
the late Mr. Ramsbottom of Luton. I think one of the great strengths
of him was he was a man of much love, much kindness, much compassion. He didn't go to one extreme or
the other extreme. and he was quite prepared to
speak to anybody. There were no denominational
barriers. If he felt someone had the grace
of God, then he was quite happy to put his hand out to them.
You see, that's the spirit of Christ. That's the mind of Christ.
For such a high priest became us, who is holy. Harmless. You see that point? Harmless.
Sometimes You know, good people, godly people, can have a, naturally,
a bad temper. And I don't make excuses for
it in any way whatsoever, it's wrong. But some people do have
a bad temper, even godly people. And they do awful damage. That
was never the spirit of Christ. He was harmless. He didn't do
harm. He always did good. Oh, that
we may have the Spirit of Christ. And as it says here, holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. That's our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy, harmless, separate from sinners. You see, he did no sin. He did no sin. Neither was guile
found in his mouth. That cannot be said of any one
of us. We go forth from the womb speaking lies and hypocrisy.
That's our state. That's our condition by nature.
And sadly, that'll be our state and condition by nature to the
end of our days. The flesh is the flesh. Always
has been and always will be. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. He speaks much here of the changeable
nature of the priesthood in the Old Testament. They were not
permitted to continue because of death. Because of death. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. He's always the same. Wherefore,
he is able, or that gracious ability, of our Lord Jesus Christ
to forgive the sins of his people, to wash away the sins of his
people, and to reconcile his people unto God. Holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. Holy, There's something to me,
my beloved friends, that is so beautiful and sacred in the perfections
of Christ, the holiness of Christ, and the harmlessness of His nature,
that He did no sin, and that He could not sin. He's the Son
of God. He's pure. He's holy. in his
very nature, in that holy human nature that he assumed in the
womb of the Virgin is pure and holy and righteous altogether. And the Divine Justice demanded
a pure, holy, spotless life. And that demand was met in the
glorious person of Jesus Christ, one who calls it the acceptable
sacrifice. Why? Because it was holy, harmless,
undefiled. I often think of our Lord Jesus
Christ as our law-fulfiller. And he did no sin, and we are
instructed in the Word of God that the sin is any transgression
of the law of God. That's what sin is, it's its
very nature. transgressing the law of God,
the holy, righteous law of God. He did no sin. He did no sin. He did not break
God's holy law. He didn't transgress God's holy
law. He didn't break the boundaries
that God had set about him. You and I have. We've broken
God's holy, righteous law. We're stained and dyed with sin
in our very nature. But this man, because he continueth ever, hath
an unchangeable priesthood. Cannot change. Wherefore he is
able also to save them to the uttermost. That means forever. Because he has an unchangeable
priesthood, he's able to save to the uttermost. If you have
a marginal Reference in your Bible you'll notice next to uttermost
it says evermore evermore He's able to save forevermore Eternally
that that the the the the wonderful salvation that is in Christ Jesus
is an eternal salvation And I think it's here in the
Hebrew the Apostles he became the author of eternal salvation
unto all them that believe, the author of eternal salvation. He's an unchangeable priesthood. He's the Son of God. And as we
just briefly looked at the end of chapter six, immutable, immutable. By two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us. That hope is in the precious
blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. When it speaks of the
righteousness of Jesus Christ, it's his perfect obedience, not
only to the direct commands of the law, thou shalt not steal,
et cetera, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, Our
Lord Jesus, he fulfilled that to perfection. Full of love to
man's lost race. He has fulfilled the law, honoured
the law, magnified the law. And he went about doing good. Jesus having compassion on the
multitude. Full of love. full of kindness. I think it's in the epistle of
James, James says that love is the fulfilling of the law and
that is what we see in Jesus Christ, the fulfilling of the
law. When the people were gathered
around him in their thousands, sometimes in desert places, his
disciples would have sent them home with nothing. But the Lord
Jesus commanded them to sit down And then there was those five
loaves and two fishes. And he blessed it and he fed
5,000 people. That was love. That was kindness
of our Lord Jesus Christ, fulfilling the holy law, thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself. That's what he's done. He's not
only did not break the holy commandments of God, he kept them. and he
kept them in love, in love to his eternal father and that perfect
obedience of Christ, that fulfilling of the law by Christ. It's his
righteousness. That is what his righteousness
is. He lives a life obedient to the law. He himself speaks, what you might
say encapsulates the law, in that he said, thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and
thy neighbor as thyself. And thy neighbor as thyself.
For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners. and made higher than the heavens. See, because of that holy life,
that perfect obedience, on the behalf of his church and his
people, he then offers a sacrifice, a holy, harmless, spotless sacrifice. He was made sin for us. The sin of the church was laid
upon him. He laid upon him the iniquity
of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions. He did no transgression. The
chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes
we are healed. Hence he suffered, he bled, he
died on the cross of Calvary. He died. to remove our sins, to remove our sins. He offered
a sacrifice that was holy and acceptable unto His Father for
the sin of the whole church. The Father had laid upon Him
the iniquity of us all. He suffered, He bled, He died
for the iniquity of us all, He did. and that holy perfect sacrifice
so acceptable unto his father because it was holy because it
was holy and therefore he atoned for the sin of the church that
was what the atonement is he literally paid the price for
such a high priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens, who needeth
not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice first for
his own sins and then for the people's. For this he did once
when he offered up himself. You see, he offered up himself,
it was a holy sacrifice. And the church is redeemed in
that holy sacrifice. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmity. When the high priest in the Old
Testament, he offered first for his own sins and then for the
sins of the people. But this man, the glorious holy
God man, he had no sin in himself. He did no sin. Neither was guile
found in his mouth. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmity, but the word of the oath which is since
the law maketh the son who is consecrated for evermore. That word consecrated, the alternative
rendered in the margin, perfected. Who is perfected for evermore. and he's made his church perfect. He says, ye are complete in him,
we are accepted in the beloved. What a wonderful, glorious gospel,
isn't it? We read in chapter 9 of the Hebrews
here, verse 11, but Christ, in the first part, he speaks of
the Levitical dispensation, but then he goes on, he says, but
Christ, being common high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, that's his holy human nature,
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and of calves, but by his own
blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. Eternal redemption. If the blood
of boars and of goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkled
in the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, there
was in an outward sense a purifying of the flesh under the Jews.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit, offered himself without spot to God. You see the emphasis
on the purity and the holiness of Christ. purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. For this cause he is the mediator
of the New Testament. This is the point that the Apostle
is seeking to make under the New Testament. See, old things
are passed away. All things become new. We read of Christ in chapter
8 and verse 6 but now has he obtained a more excellent ministry,
by how much also he is the mediator of the better covenant, which
was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant, that's
the law, had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second. For finding fault with them,
he saith, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that we'll make
a new covenant with the house of Israel. The word covenant
is exactly the same as testament. You have the Old Testament and
the New Testament. And here he uses the word covenant,
so you have the Old Covenant of the law and the New Testament
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you see, he goes on there
and says, for finding fault with them, he said, behold, the day
has come, saith the Lord. He's quoting here from Jeremiah. when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, with the house of Judah, not according
to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt because
they continued not in my covenant. And I regarded them not. You
see, my beloved friends, in the New Testament, it goes on in
verse 10, it's a quotation from Jeremiah, For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days. I
will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts.
I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people. They
shall not teach every money's neighbor. Under the Levitical
dispensation of the law, they taught one another. Neighbor
taught neighbor. Brother taught brother. They
knew it in an intellectual way. And they passed it on in an intellectual
way. But under the New Testament,
they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his
brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall know me from the
least to the greatest. And I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities, for I remember
no more. In that he saith a new covenant,
he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth
old is ready to vanish away, all those types and sacrifices
of the old dispensation, they vanished away. They vanished
away. For such, a high priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher
than the heavens. Do you see a loveliness in the
holiness of Christ? Do you see a loveliness in the
perfections of Christ? There's something very sacred
in the purity and holiness of Jesus Christ. And that is our
acceptance with God. The purity and holiness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ. His precious blood and righteousness
alone will avail. It's pure, it's holy, and the
sinner is made righteous in his righteousness, or as it says
in Ezekiel, comely in my comeliness. That is our acceptance with God.
Nothing in my hand I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling.
Foul I to the fountain fly. Wash me, Saviour, or I die. For such And High Priest became
us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 171, to the tune Osset 386. Join all who love the Saviour's
name to sing his everlasting fame. Great God, prepare each
heart and voice in him forever to rejoice. Hymn 171, tune Osset
386. ? Joyful still the heav'nly host
? ? Hark the herald angels sing ? ? Glory to the newborn King
? ? Hark the herald angels sing ? ? Glory to the newborn King
? never to rejoice. A thief of wondrous things I've
done, And then in my deliverance I behold The Him I've kept in
closing chain to make my soul forever clean. In here, in my treasures all
contain, I, in my people, so sustain. From him I hope things now will
see, Through him my soul shall ever be. With Him I daily laughter draw,
Of Him my soul delights detroy. Now here I cast my every care,
Like day by day I shall appear. Let me in my soul from day to
day Trust Him to bring me on my way Give Him thy full, weak, sinful
heart, with Him and never, never part. Take thee in full strength and
righteousness. Make thee my forever duty in
this rest. Love Him at last, all earthly
joys, And give Him everything and all. ? Praise Him in cheerful, grateful
songs ? ? To Him your highest praise belong ? ? Teach me to trust your every
word ? ? And give your singing forevermore ? Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and
forevermore. Amen.