Well I want you to look with
me at the first few verses of Hebrews chapter 3. This is an epistle written to
Christian believers of Hebrew, that is Jewish, descent. Like
all of us, we think back to our traditions and where we've come
from, and these people had a fleshly attachment back to their Jewish
traditions. They, as we've already seen,
were inclined to revere angels, to think that angels were something
to be worshipped. And we've been told, no, Christ
is so much better than the angels. They had great pride in the fact
that they were descended from Abraham. We're Abraham's children.
Remember how they spoke to the Lord Jesus Christ? They were
proud of the fact that they were Abraham's children. They were
proud of the fact that the prophets had spoken through the Jews.
God had given his message of salvation through the Jews. I
think back to that greatest of prophets, Moses, and the law
had come by Moses. God had given his law, not to
mankind in general, but to this people at Mount Sinai. They had
their system of their Sabbath days and their religious feasts. They had their temple worship,
and it's clear, strict prescription of how God was to be approached.
The animal sacrifices, the morning and the evening sacrifice, the
sacrifice made by fire, the incense, all of those things. They had
the priesthood, they had that Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic
priesthood, and all of the robes that went with it, that symbolized,
you know we've sung in the hymns about our Lord Jesus Christ as
our high priest having our names on his breast. Well, the Aaronic
priesthood, read the description of what the robes were to be
like, they were to have the names written on the breastplate. They
were to have the names written on the jewels that bedecked them. This was all picturing the Lord
Jesus Christ who was to come. Yes, they had tremendous traditions,
tremendous religious tradition that they were very proud of,
such that Paul asks this question in writing to the Romans, Romans
3, 1 and 2, he says, what advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit
is there in circumcision? Because you know that was the
sign, that was the mark of the separation of those people compared
with others. He says what advantage? Much every way. Chiefly, now
this is it, chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles
of God. Of all the people on earth, to
the Jews was committed the oracles of God. To the Jews was committed
the scriptures of God, not to anybody else. That's a fact. I can't explain it, it's just
the way God ordained things. They were very proud of this
tradition. and as I keep telling you I believe it's Paul that
wrote the epistle to the Hebrews and he's writing to them to tell
them that they mustn't be hung up with those traditions. They mustn't think more highly
of those things than of the one who was the object, the culmination,
the fulfillment of those things. Paul is showing that all of these
things to do with the Hebrews' religion, the Jews' religion,
they were glorious signposts. 2 Corinthians 3, that which was
glorious I think it is either 1st or 2nd Corinthians, it doesn't
really matter, but one of them, chapter 3. How glorious was this
Old Testament regime, but how much more glorious is the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. These were indeed glorious signposts
to the infinitely more glorious destination which is our God
and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, if you're hoping for
a good time in London, let's say, and you look for the signposts
to get to London. He said, oh look, there's a signpost
to London. We're heading in the right direction. You don't stay
at the signpost, do you? Bowing down and worshipping and
praising the signpost. You want to get to the destination.
It's just a signpost. All of these things which speak
of Christ were just the signposts pointing to him. they weren't,
it would be silly to stay it's like Don Faulkner's analogy of
the the photo he had of his wife Shelby when he was a student
on his desk and how much he loved that photograph and how perverse
it would be now when he spends most of his day working in the
same church office as her if he was adoring the photograph
when she's just sat a few feet away from him you know it would
just be the most bizarre thing signposts as opposed to the glorious
destination to which they pointed We've already seen in this epistle,
God spoke by the prophets in times past. Ah, but much more. Now, in these last days, he's
spoken to us by his son. By God the son. The one who is
the creator. Who is God the son? God's little
boy? Absolutely no. Blasphemy. No. He's God the son. What does that mean? He's the
creator. by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing
was made that was made. So when you're told by some sects
that he is a created being, how can that be? Without him was
nothing made that was made. If it was made, if it was created,
he created it. He couldn't have created himself.
No, creator, upholder, by the word of his power, sustainer,
the one who has purged scrubbed away clean his people's sins,
the sovereign ruler, the heir of all things, truly God, the
second person of the glorious Trinity. There is one God, but
that one God is manifested in three persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father for this mission to save his
people from their sins, filled by the Holy Spirit. It says that
God has anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. That's the Holy Spirit. The pictures
in the scripture, in the visions of revelation of the olive trees,
it's the Holy Spirit. The oil of gladness above thy
fellows. And we've seen how he's better
than the angels. The angels were ministering spirits,
glorious beings, before whom you would fall down in fear,
because every appearance of an angel they had to say to start
off with, Fear not. Don't be afraid. I'm just a messenger. In Revelation, John falls down
at the feet in his vision of that glorious angel and he says,
please don't do that, don't do that, I'm just a servant like
you are. Don't worship me, worship God.
Worship him. The voice came from heaven again
and again, this is my beloved son. Hear ye him, hear ye him. He's better than the angels.
They're glorious ministering spirits, but just that, ministering
spirits. But our glorious Lord God and
Savior, Jesus Christ, became a man, humbled as a man, lower
than the angels for a while, for a period of time, lower than
the angels. Why? To bring many sons to glory. This was his objective. to bring
many sons to glory, to bring many children to glory. Which
children? The ones the father had given
to him before the beginning of time. You can't read the Gospel
of John and avoid seeing that, clearly. This is what he came
to do. And how did he do it? He had
to partake of the children's flesh. He had to be in all points,
flesh and blood, like we are, yet without sin, sinless but
yet made in the fashion a sinful man. He looked like a man. There
was no comeliness about him that we should desire him when he
walked this earth. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. He felt the pain. He felt tiredness. He felt hunger. He felt all of
these things. He was tempted in all points
like as we are. He knew our frame. He knew our
situation. He had to partake of the children's
flesh so that he could suffer death, so that he could earn
righteousness as a man under the law of God, and so that he
could suffer death as a man to pay the penalty for the sins
of those who were his people. And this is the mystery that
the Scriptures reveal. His people were counted in him
when he did it, when he did all of these things. This is why
Paul says that he wants to be found in Christ. not having his
own righteousness which is of the law because he hasn't any
but that which is by faith of Jesus Christ that which is by
the faithful work of Jesus Christ not righteousness credited to
me because I've been good enough to have faith in Jesus Christ
that's just the means by which I apprehend it but righteousness
which is mine because of the faithful acts of the Lord Jesus
Christ. When he walked this earth, when
he went to the cross of Calvary, when he suffered the law's penalty
and punishment for the sins of his people. He came in the flesh
to destroy Satan's power. Satan has power to condemn to
hell. He comes as the accuser of the
brethren. With just accusations, you've broken the law of God,
and he has power. And he says to God, your law,
you cannot overlook sin. These must go to hell. And God
says, but Christ has been there for them. Christ has borne the
penalty of their sins already. The fire of the wrath of God
has already fallen and burnt the ground. And where we're standing,
if you're in Christ, is on ground that has already been consumed
by the fire of the wrath of God. And not only that, but as a man
partaking of the children's flesh, he's a sympathetic high priest. He's an empathetic. You know,
sympathy means you feel sorry for somebody. Empathy means you
get into that situation with them. He came into this situation
with us. Empathy. He knows what we experience
in the flesh. He knows what it is to feel what
you feel. He knows what it is. Satan came
and tempted him. He knows what it is to suffer
all of these things. What a glorious savior we have.
How fitted is this one who is our saviour to meet our very
need? You think of your most urgent
need. Think of situations in life where
you have needs and you think, oh, what do I need in that situation?
You think about how you stand for eternity. Think of what you
need. Can you think of one who is more
fitted? to be your saviour than this
one who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Well let's start thinking then
about more of these Old Testament signposts to our destination
which is Christ and in these six verses at the start of chapter
three we'll look at the comparison with Moses What I've got for
you this morning is, first of all, a call to consider. That's
in verse one. Secondly, the one to consider,
the one whom we should consider. And then, you know, those exam
questions that say, compare and contrast, you know. So let's
do a compare and contrast between Christ and Moses. First of all
a call to consider. Chapter 3 verse 1 doesn't say
therefore it says wherefore but it means the same thing. Wherefore
holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ. Wherefore,
because of all that he said in chapters one and two, because
of these things, and he said how serious this is and how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation. He's given, he's put
before us arguments that are so scripturally and powerfully
argued that concern our eternal good, that we are fools to neglect
them. we're playing fast and loose
with our own eternal souls to regard these lightly and not
take them so seriously irrespective of what anybody else will do
we must take them seriously and he said because of all these
things wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling
consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Jesus
Christ because of what he said before consider this is a call
to believers in Christ A call to believers in Christ to consider.
But if you're not in Christ, if you're not a believer, it's
a call to any who has ears to hear. Jesus said time and time
again, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. If you've been
given ears to hear, then listen to this. It's a call to any with
ears to hear. Consider, consider the apostle
and high priest of our profession. So let's look at how he addresses
who it is that's got to do the considering. Holy brethren, he
says, wherefore holy brethren, he's writing to the Hebrews,
holy brethren, holy brethren, are you holy? Am I holy? Am I holy enough to do this considering? Not in my flesh. Not in the flesh
at all. In the flesh there is no good
thing. This is what Paul said. Surely
he was good enough, wasn't he? No, in my flesh there dwells
no good thing, he said. But how did he describe himself?
The longer he went as an apostle, he said he's not worthy to be
called an apostle. And then he ends up by saying
he's the chief of sinners. Not just for poetic effect, but
because he really meant it. The chief of sinners. But in
Christ, we're holy. All of his people are holy in
the Lord Jesus Christ. In him, they're made holy. Why? Why are they made holy? I'll
tell you why. They're made holy because he lived as a man in
the place of his people. And under the law of God, you
know, when the fullness of the time was come, says Galatians
4 verse 4, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under
the law, real man, under the law, under his own law. that
he might redeem those who are under the law that they might
receive the adoption of sons. How did he do it? He earned perfect
righteousness under the law of God and then bore the sins of
those people on the cross of Calvary that they might receive
the adoption of sons whereby they cry Abba, Father This was
God's purpose in sending the Lord Jesus Christ to make them
holy in what he did. He makes them holy by earning
righteousness and by justifying them from all things that you
cannot be justified by by the law of Moses. That's what Peter
says. You can't be made holy in that
way because in the flesh, you're too weak in the flesh. That will
only ever condemn you. But He has made His people holy
by His own righteousness, and by justifying them, by bearing
their sins, and taking away their sins. It's in this respect that
His people are regarded holy. He imputes His holiness, His
righteousness to His people. He credits it. You know like
your bank account gets credited, you hope it gets credited more
than it gets debited, but it gets credited with money. In
the same way, Christ imputes his righteousness to his people.
So that in the bank of the reckoning of God in the books, there's
righteousness. If you're in Christ, there's
righteousness against your name. Perfect righteousness. Perfect
righteousness. And not only that, he doesn't
only impute righteousness, but by the Holy Spirit, when the
Holy Spirit comes and regenerates and gives a new person inside,
this is called the new birth, you must be born again, said
Jesus to Nicodemus, you must be born again. Why must you be
born again? Because you must be born again. That woman said
to Spurgeon, didn't she? She said, you keep on saying
you must be born again. And he, she said, why do you
keep on saying you must be born again? And he said, it's because
you must be born again. You must be born again. You must
have the Spirit of God come and enlighten you and give you that
new person after the Spirit of God that has eyes to see the
truth of the scriptures, that has ears to hear what he says
about the Lord Jesus Christ, that when he takes of the things
of Christ and reveals them to you, you know this is truth. In my flesh, there's a flesh
warring against this new nature of the Spirit, but yet I know
what he says is true. He's given me that new nature.
He's imparted a holy nature to me. What do I mean by that? Does
it mean I'm inherently holy? No, it means I love the things
of Christ. That though in this flesh I sin
all the time, that all my righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight.
Yet, yet, I love the things of the Lord Jesus Christ. After
the inward man, I delight in the law of God. I want to do
His will. I want to serve Him. Holy brethren,
Not in the flesh, but in Christ. We're told in Ephesians 1 and
verse 4 that we were chosen, his people were chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world. that we should be for
a purpose, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love. This is why he chose his people,
to make them holy. In chapter 5 and verse 27 of
Ephesians we're told that Christ loved the church and gave himself
for it that he might sanctify, that is, make it holy, set it
apart. that he might cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself
a glorious church with no spot or wrinkle, that it should be
holy and without blemish. A holy church, he's people, that
he might make them holy. Holy brethren, wherefore holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. So first of all holy,
then brethren, holy brethren. What's he talking about here,
brethren? brethren, siblings because we're adopted into the
family adopted into the family of God we've received the adoption
of sons as I've already said Galatians 4 verses 6 and 7 the
adoption of sons crying Abba Father no more servants but sons
heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ holy
brethren his brothers he said go to my brethren when he rose
from the dead. That's what he said to Mary Magdalene,
go and tell my brethren, I'll meet them in Galilee. Go and
tell my brothers, I'll meet them there. To be called the brethren
of the God of the universe. You know, God said of Moses,
he's my friend. Why? I speak to him face to face.
not in dark visions like I do to the other prophets this is
what he said this is why he was so angry with Miriam and Aaron
who challenged Moses' ability to be the voice of God Moses'
commission to be the voice of God God said when I speak to
another prophet I'll do it in dark visions and dreams you know
and we'll have to see if it comes true but Moses is not so this
is Numbers 12 Not like that with Moses, I speak to him face to
face. Very, very, very special. Friend
of God. Friend of God. Brethren. You
know this relationship, not of God in terror and judgment,
but this idea of brethren. Brethren adopted. Holy brethren. And then next, partakers of the
heavenly calling. Those who are the children of
God, those who are true believers are said to be partakers of the
heavenly calling. Those who have taken on this
heavenly calling. There is a call from heaven.
There is a call to life. There is a call to faith and
a call to eternal glory. Just as God called Abraham, you
know Abraham was an idolater with all the rest of his family
and God spoke to him and called him. He heard the voice of God
calling him. I don't know how, whether it
was literally a sound in his ears or by what he was called,
but the scriptures are clear. Abraham was called. Lazarus was
called by the Lord Jesus Christ when he'd been dead in the tomb
four days. They said, don't move the stone
away, it'll be a pretty unpleasant smell in there. He's a dead body,
four days dead. He won't smell nice in that warm
climate. Roll the stone away. Lazarus.
Come forth there was a call a heavenly call and the dead man came to
life and walked out of that tomb and These miracles are absolutely
authenticated that they're just so clearly they happened. They
couldn't hide it This happened Saul of Tarsus going along the
Damascus road, breathing fire and venom against the church,
the young church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that light
shines from heaven. Paul, well Saul then, why are
you persecuting me? A call, a call, partakers of
the heavenly calling. Have you heard a heavenly calling? Have you heard his voice speaking
to you in the gospel of his grace? Yes, there's a general call that
goes out to all men and women everywhere. If you read Romans
chapter one, verses 18 to 20, just turn over to it, you'll
see that there's a general call to all mankind which leaves people
without any excuse for ignoring and neglecting the living God. Chapter 1, verses 14, sorry,
18 to 20. for the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
hold the truth in unrighteousness because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them for God has showed it unto them.
Why? How has he done that? The invisible things of him from
the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead,
so that they're without excuse." What Paul's saying is, look around
you. Look around you. I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, said the psalmist. Look around you, everything.
Look at these flowers. Can you believe it? You know,
I just... I'm not going to get into a thing
about evolution or anything like that, but there is just so much
evidence all around. It screams out! to leave people
without excuse. Of course they're without excuse
for neglecting the living God. The whole thing screams that
there is a God. Intelligent design, we're not
allowed to even mention it. You won't get a job in teaching
science if you even dream of uttering the words intelligent
design because the political corrupt society has absolutely
ruled it out and yet everything screams, if man was to use even
that rationality that he's got in his fallen flesh everything
screams out that this is the work of the intelligent design
of God who made all things. Now they suppress it, this call,
they suppress this call, chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 for when the
Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained
in the law these having not the law are a law unto themselves
which show look the work of the law written in their hearts there's
a there's a testimony of the law of God All men and women,
however blunted is their conscience, however seared, with the idea
being like a coterie, coterization, searing the nerves and numbing
the nerves, however much, all have got this knowledge in their
hearts concerning the law of God. It's wrong to maliciously
kill. You know it's wrong to take that
which is not yours. You know it's wrong to do something
which deliberately hurts somebody else. You know these things are
wrong. That witness is in the hearts, and their conscience
bears them witness, their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else
excusing one another. You see there's a general call,
you could read Amos chapter 4 where God says I've given all of these
signs to you and yet you've still ignored me and rejected. Without
excuse, willful unbelief, but there is an effectual call. Jesus was walking down the road
in Jericho one day in a great crowd and he looked up into a
tree and he said Zacchaeus, come down. specific, effectual call. And what did Zacchaeus do? Ah,
he was called to Matthew at the tax collector's table, to the
fishermen, follow me. And what did they do? Oh, well,
let's think about this. No, they came. They followed
him because he called. When he calls you, you will come.
When he calls you, you will not be able to resist partakers of
the heavenly calling. He's called his people. Paul
said of his own calling, Galatians 1.15, he said, when it pleased
God. Did you notice that? It didn't
say when I decided to stop chasing the church and become a Christian.
No, no, no, no, no. Paul didn't decide to follow
Jesus. Paul was determined to destroy
Jesus and everything to do with him. But when it pleased God,
when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, And
in the same way I had nothing to do with that, says Paul, when
it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb to call
me by his grace and reveal his son in me, not just to present
facts to me about his son, but to reveal his son in me. Has he revealed his son in you?
How does he do it? I'll tell you how he does it.
It's absolutely clear. Not in any sort of mysterious
way. How does it please God to save his people? By the foolishness
of preaching. by the foolishness of the message
preached, that message which is a stumbling block to religious
folks, because it's not by their own efforts, it's by the efforts
of another. That which is foolishness to
the Greeks, to the wisdom of this world, because I'm not going
to follow a God that tells me these things. No, by the foolishness
of preaching this gospel of sovereign grace and particular redemption
God calls his people. They are partakers of the heavenly
calling. He said to the Thessalonians,
our gospel came unto you not in word only, but also in power
and in the Holy Ghost. He says further on in that same
chapter, he says, what manner of entry we had unto you. They
spoke, but the Holy Spirit opened the door. Do you remember Lydia
sitting in Philippi in Acts 16? and Paul and his companions preached
the gospel and those devout women were there they were seeking
after God and it says as he preached the words the Holy Spirit opened
Lydia's heart that she might believe the gospel. The effectual
calling. Calling from darkness to light,
Peter says this, you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you should show forth the
praises of him that called you. heavenly calling, partakers of
the heavenly calling, that call you out of darkness into his
marvellous light. It's that same God who caused
light to shine out of darkness in the beginning when he said
let there be light. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians
4 verse 6, God who caused light to shine out of darkness has
shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God, where? Where'd you get that? Oh, in
all this mystical religion, one place, the face of Jesus Christ. We're called to liberty. This
heavenly calling is a call to liberty in Christ, to fellowship
with him and with one another in Christ, to peace, to peace. Oh, the blessings of peace, the
peace of the gospel of grace, to holiness of thought and of
life. Blessed is the man who has got
this calling, says the psalmist. Psalm 65, verse 4. Blessed is
the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee.
Blessed. Oh, the blessings. The God of
the, you know, you think, oh, the managing director of such
and such a company's favored me, or the Queen's given me an
honor of a knighthood, or, you know, you see Bruce Forsyth this
week, naturally very, very pleased with the fact that after all
these years he's finally been knighted and given a knighthood,
and very pleased for him. But look, the blessing of being
called by the God of the universe. Blessed is the man whom you choose
and cause to approach you. Has he called you? Has he caused
you to approach him? Consider him, he says. Consider
him. Why? Verse 6. Because. Look down at verse 6. At the
end of it. whose house are we if we hold
fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Consider him because the outcome
of considering is confidence and rejoicing. Confidence about
what? Eternity and our standing in
judgment, peace in this life, peace in all the things of this
life. We have an anchor that keeps the soul in every storm
of this life and confident in hope for that which is to come
so there's a call, there's a call Holy Brethren, consider, a call
to consider, now the one to consider, secondly, the one to consider,
not a sinful human apostle, a priest, a vicar, a pope, can you imagine
the fuss that's made over that man in Rome? Not a sinful human
apostle, but the Apostle, THE Apostle, capital A, and High
Priest of our profession, of our faith, of our true religion. Consider him, The apostle is
the messenger. That's what the word means. Apostle
means messenger. The messenger of faith. The messenger
of the covenant. The one who came down from heaven.
Think of him. In Malachi chapter 3, I've already
been mentioning the verses that are quoted in Handel's Messiah.
And this one in Malachi chapter 3, the Lord whom ye seek shall
suddenly come to his temple. even the messenger of the covenant
whom ye delight in behold he shall come says the Lord of hosts
He came, the messenger of the covenant, the apostle. He's the
apostle, the messenger, who speaks truth from heaven. How are we
going to know anything about eternal things, unless the one
who knows those eternal things, who ordained those eternal things,
who's sovereign over those eternal things, comes and speaks in words
that we can understand to our souls. He is the word of God.
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and
the word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. He came and spoke. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He
has made Him known. The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. He's the messenger
of the gospel of grace to us. He's our high priest. Why do
we need a priest? You need a priest to mediate.
You need a priest to stand between. You as a sinner and God who is
holy. So where am I going to get a
priest from? Well there were pictures in the Old Testament
of priests. The Aaronic priesthood was a picture. But where am I
going to get a priest who's going to intercede for me? There is
one mediator between God and man. The man, Christ Jesus. No other one. Do you know, there's
been a debate in all sorts of religious circles for a long
time, should there be women priests or not? It's not the question.
The question is, should there be priests? Should there be human
priests or not? Human priests, that's the key
thing. Anybody that calls himself a priest, I'm sorry, it's contradicting
the scriptures. Priests ceased with the Old Testament. Aaronic temple worship ceased. Christ is our priest. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is the only High Priest that we have. And what
does the High Priest do? Once a year, on the Day of Atonement
in the Old Testament, the High Priest and him alone, nobody
else dare, went into the Holy of Holies. Where was the Ark
of the Covenant? Where was the Mercy Seat? With
the blood of an acceptable sacrifice. If he didn't, he was struck dead.
And the people waited. Is he going to be accepted? And
there was great fear upon them all. Is he going to be accepted?
Because we must have a priest to intercede for us, to know
that we're accepted with God. Because this is picturing eternity
and judgement. We have an high priest who doesn't
go into an Old Testament temple, but goes into the holiest of
heaven, not with the blood of an animal sacrifice, but with
his own blood, our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Hebrews chapter
nine, and obviously, I'm not gonna get anywhere near finishing
this message, so I'm gonna cut it short when we've looked at
these scriptures, and we'll come back to compare and contrast
with Moses next week. But I just want you to turn to
Hebrews chapter 9 because I realize I've used most of the time up
already on the introductory parts. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 11. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 11. But Christ being come and high
priest of good things to come. He's our high priest. He's everything. He's our altar. You know it says
at the end of Hebrews we have an altar. Where's your altar?
Where's your altar in this church? We have an altar. It's our Lord
Jesus Christ. It's Him. He's everything. He's
our temple. He's our Holy of Holies. He's
our showbread. He's our sacrifice. He's everything.
He is it. We have a high priest of good
things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not
the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem, not made with hands, that is
to say, not of this building, neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Look at verse
24. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, that's the Old Testament temple
in Jerusalem and it's holy of holies behind the veil which
are figures, pictures, pointers, signposts of the true but into
heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us turn
over to chapter 10 Hebrews 10 verse 19 having therefore brethren
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus oh Peter
says you're a holy nation A royal priesthood. You can come. We've got boldness. Oh, the people
daren't go in, they'd be struck dead for their presumption. But
now, in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the blood of Jesus, we have
boldness to enter the holiest. Not of a temple in Jerusalem,
but of heavenly places. where we're blessed with every
spiritual blessing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 20, by a
new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh. We've sung that in the
hymn earlier. And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Do you see
what he's done, this great apostle and high priest of our calling?
This is who we're to consider. This is him. Consider him. Consider his glorious person,
his amazing condescension to come down, his willing adoption
of our nature, his perfect obedience unto death, and what death? Oh,
the most shameful death, even the death of the cross. That
cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree, and Christ has borne
the curse for us, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. his adoption of our nature, his perfect obedience,
his paying of our debt by his sacrifice, his glorious resurrection,
his ascension to glory, his comfort in this life as you walk through
this life, his comfort, his care, his keeping of his people. In
all the difficulties that you have, and I know you have all
sorts of difficulties, Oh, to walk with one who rules over
all things, who says he causes all things to work together for
good, to those that love God, who are called according to his
purpose. He was faithful to his father's
appointment. Praise God. Verse two, who was
faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful
in all his house. He was faithful to his father's
appointment. The Father first trusted him,
it says in Ephesians 1, 12. The Father trusted him when they
agreed in that covenant of grace and he covenanted to come and
live and die and rise in the place of his people. The Father
trusted him and he accomplished it all. Consider him, consider
him, because in considering him, in considering him, The outcome
of it will be confidence and rejoicing. Verse six, peace in
this life, confident of the hope that there is to come. Consider
the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
And we'll leave the comparison with Moses till next week, or
we'll be here for another half an hour. Amen.