Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9. Before we begin this evening,
let's pray together. Our Father, again, we thank you
that we're able to be here. And as we call upon You, totally upon the merit of our
blessed Savior, His blood cleansing us from all sin, roving us in
His righteousness, and in Him as we stand holy, Lord, we approach You only in
Him. knowing that we're accepted in
the Beloved. Lord, with assurance, according
to your Word, we can enter boldly into the throne room. Lord, to
receive help in our time of need, how we need you now. Bless the
Word, I pray. Lord, bless it tonight, I pray
to the honor of the Lord Jesus. and the comfort of your people.
Amen. In the last few studies in this
blessed book of Hebrews, we were directed by the Spirit of God
to consider the wonder of redemption obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we know that redemption could never be obtained, procured
by the blood of sacrificial animals. Scripture sets forth, neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered
in once into the holy place having obtained, that is, having procured
eternal redemption for us. It is not up for debate. It is
not a possibility. He has obtained eternal redemption
for His people. This is a settled issue, absolutely
according to God's everlasting covenant of grace. Our Lord has
obtained eternal redemption. His blood, the shedding of His
blood has absolutely put away our guilt. Now, the blood of
calves and goats pictured that. And it was absolutely necessary
that blood be shed, even those pictures. We'll deal with this
next week. But blood had to be shed. The reason that blood had
to be shed is because even the pictures of Christ were set forth
that eternal redemption was obtained. procured by the blood of Christ. Even the pictures had to be set
forth with blood. Now, these sacrifices that we've
been considering, as I told you last Sunday, no one sacrifice
could ever set forth the glory, the efficacy, the extent, the
scope of what the Lord Jesus Christ did. There was no one
sacrifice that could do that. There had to be different sacrifices. That burnt sacrifice, that was
for God. That burnt sacrifice was for
a sweet-smelling savor. That was for the Lord. That sin
offering, that set forth. That the Lord Jesus Christ died
for what we are as being born in Adam. The sin offering. The trespass offering. That was
set forth showing what God Almighty does, that is, forgives us for
Christ's sake. See, it had to be different.
We even considered last Sunday that blessed sacrifice for the
daily cleansing, washing. by the Spirit of God taking the
things of Christ, the work of Christ, the Word of Christ, that
red heifer. They would slay that red heifer,
take the ashes of that red heifer, mix it with the running water,
and take those ashes and sprinkle on those that were ceremonious,
unclean, That sacrifice there set forth that we need and have. The daily cleansing every day. I need to be reminded. I need to be reminded right now.
You see, the thing is, is that I don't have the ability and
you don't either to continually remember. The remembering that
you have the faith that you possess right now, God just gave it to
you. Faith is alive. It's a gift. It's the gift of faith cometh. Cometh by hearing. Hearing by
the Word of God is so needful that we continually sit under
the Gospel, taught that we might grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior. That blood that was shed by that
red heifer, Eleazar would take the blood and he would sprinkle
it directly before the tabernacle of the congregation. That tabernacle, as we've been
dealing with this going through this blessed book of Hebrews,
that tabernacle, the tent, in which the priest officiated,
divided into two rooms. There was the Holy of Holies
in which the Ark of the Covenant was and the mercy seat on top
of that mercy seat that had the cherubims. That was the place
right there where God said, I'll meet with you between the cherubims,
Holy of Holies. Outside through the veil, into
this other room where the candlestick, the showbread, and that golden
altar where that incense was just right before the veil that
went into the Holy of Holies, that golden altar, that shows
the ever-lived prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ who ever liveth
to make intercession. That golden candlestick, that
was showing Christ the light of His people. That table of
showbread, Christ, the bread of His people, the bread of life,
the bread of heaven by which we live every day. That room
there in which all the priests could go in and minister daily,
daily, showing the daily needs that we have. We need light right
now. I need to eat right now. I need
His prayers right now, every day, every day, every day. That
was the tabernacle of the congregation. The tabernacle of the congregation
of the priest. That's what it's talking about.
That red heifer slain, burned, ashes mixed. You know, it was
done outside the camp. And Eleazar would take his finger
and dip it and he would sprinkle that blood toward the front of
the tabernacle of the congregation. showing that this sacrifice right
here was just exactly as it was done in there. Daily needs met. That red heifer. All that which
Almighty God has absolutely redeemed us from. 13 and 14 of Hebrews
9 says this, If the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes
of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of
the flesh. And let me tell you this. Back
in the Old Testament, this was the way in which God Almighty
ordained that these people would worship Him. Now, let me tell
you, it was a type. It was a picture. It set forth
Christ. But this was the way in which
God Almighty was going to show He who was coming the need that
He would meet. If the blood purified or sanctified
to the purifying of the flesh ceremonially, it was a ceremony,
it was a type, it was a picture, how much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? Oh, that which the Lord has redeemed
us from, He put away our guilt. But also, He's done something
for us, something He's given us. I want to consider tonight
for just a few minutes what He has redeemed us unto. He's kept us from something,
and He's also given us something. Now, let's look at verse 15 to
17. And for this cause, He is the Mediator of the New Testament. that by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a
testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of
no strength at all. while the testator liveth." This
testament, he's the mediator of the New Testament, the will,
the will, the will. Almighty God has a will. Now, you know what a will is.
It's when all things that are written down that you want done
with what belongs to you. And everybody that is involved
in that will is going to be named in that will. Tonight, what we're doing is
we've come together tonight to see what God has set forth concerning
His will. every time we meet. We are considering
what the will, the testament of Almighty God is and what God
has set forth in Christ for His people. Now, I know that this
world, everybody and their brother thinks that they can read the
promises of God. They read these blessed promises.
And all of these blessed promises in this book are for God's sheep. And no one has a right to make
claim to anything in this book if you don't meet the character
of what Almighty God says His sheep are like. The will. I'll tell you one thing. When
you think that your name is going to be listed on a will and it's
red, You want to know what it's got to say. I want to know what
does it say for me. Tonight we want to consider the
Lord's Testament, the Lord's will. What does He have to say? For this cause, that's what it
says in verse 15, and for this cause as previously set forth
in that through the shedding of His precious blood, the reason
that He has shed His blood to make an effectual atonement for
sin in order that the debt, the guilt of all that his father
had given him be put away and that they themselves might stand
before God Almighty in him at peace. God has a will. For this cause, he is the mediator. of the New Testament. He is the
one that stands between the two parties where an offense is taking
place. That's what a mediator is. A
mediator is one who has two parties best at heart. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself a ransom for all. to be testified in due time.
Now, you know I was reading over that just a few minutes ago,
just kind of going over my notes, and I read that, who gave himself
a ransom for all. And I want to just inject this
again. Any time that you find something in the Word of God
that you know seems to be contradictory, Now
you read that right there. Did He give Himself a ransom
for all? For everybody without exception?
Did He? Well, I know this, and I've told
you before, if you ever come across a Scripture where it looks
like that it may be contradictory to something else you know, then
take that Scripture I'll take that one right there. I'll take
1 Timothy 2, 5 and 6 and I'll put it up on the fence post.
And if that Scripture right there will stand the test of all Scripture,
then it's so. But if I can show you something
that will qualify or clarify that Scripture. Now you listen
to this. John 10. When our Lord is speaking,
he said this, the Gospel of John 10, verse 11, I am the good shepherd,
and the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. In verse 15 of that same chapter,
he says, As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. In that same book, same chapter,
John 10, verse 24, some Jews came around about him and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believe not. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not. But ye, but ye believe not. Because ye are not of my sheep,
as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me." Now, I know this based on the
Word of Almighty God. I know that there are some sheep,
and there are some that are not sheep. The Lord said, ye are
not of my sheep. You're not of my sheep. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. Now, does the potter have the right to do what he
will with his own? And look, this is just, we're
going to come to a point, and this is where every man, every
woman is going to come. You're going to be brought straight
up, square in the face, looking at the sovereignty of God. And the question is this, as
old brother Scott used to say, who's running this show anyway?
Who's in control here? Now, Almighty God has set forth,
He does as He will, in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants
of the earth, and no man stays His hand. Now, what it comes
down to is this. Am I going to bow? Is He going
to give me a heart to bow or is He going to leave me in rebellion?
Now, Mitch, that's the bottom line. Boy, in that day that I
stand before Him, do you know what's going to matter? What
He had to say and not me. Scripture says there's one God
and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself a ransom for all. And based on the Scriptures
that we just read, it has to mean all that the Father has
given Him. You cannot get around that. You can't get around it to be
testified in due time. He is the only one entrusted
with the undertaking of mediation and reconciliation between God
and men. He is everything concerning reconciliation. He is the mediator. It's not between me and God working
everything out. I'm going to tell you right now,
there's one mediator between God and men. And it's the man,
Christ Jesus. And everything that is accomplished
is accomplished by the Mediator. Everything. You know, we talk
about the Lord being our surety. Surety. I'm sure that everybody here
probably has, or if you haven't, you know somebody that has, has
come to a point where Especially, you know, you take your kids,
they're growing up, they need some credit, they don't have
any credit, you know. Nobody wants to, you know, you've
got to come to a point where you've established some credit,
but until you establish some credit, they don't give you any.
And so you just, most parents come to that point to where they're
faced with having to cosign. Cosign. And often we'll speak of, that
situation right there, cosigning as being a surety. In the strictest
sense, that's not a surety. That's a guarantor. What that
says is that if you cosign the note, if it comes for some reason,
you lose your job, you just decided not to pay, you just Just whatever. You just didn't make good on
it. And whoever co-signed the guarantor, they then have to
step up. And whoever had you co-signed,
the bank or whoever, they're not interested in the one who
originally was supposed to pay. They're going after the guarantor.
Now what you have to do is prove yourself to be incapable of doing
it. And then the guarantor comes
into being. A surety is one who absolutely
assumed total responsibility from the beginning. Now, that's
the sense that our Lord is the surety. He is the one who answers
every demand for peace and reconciliation before God Almighty And as the
surety, this was all settled before the foundation of the
world. Almighty God has never, as I've said before, He has never
looked at the sheep. Chose them in Christ, our surety,
from before the foundation of the world. He ever stood for
the redemption, the reconciliation of those that who in time would
fall. But He was the Lamb that was
slain from before the foundation of the world when there was not
even a human being brought into actual existence. Almighty God,
in that everlasting covenant of grace, He never looked to
the sheep to answer. Never. My friend, that is good
news. That's good news. When you realize,
and I'm telling you the best that you've ever thought to do,
that you ever hoped to do, there's enough. We look back. I got to
thinking back on that message last Sunday on how, oh, how easily
we are defiled. There is no way. that you can
keep from being defiled with the presence of sin. And how
desperately do I need that continual washing, washing, washing. And
as the Lord told Peter, when Peter told him, he said, you'll
never wash my feet. The Lord says, if I don't wash
your feet, you have no part with me. What I do now, you know not. Can you imagine how little we
know? right now or realize of what
He's doing for us. Oh, blessed be God, one Mediator. There is, this cause, He's the
Mediator of the New Testament. Not new in time, but new in quality,
that by means of death, it's His own death for the sacrifice. being the sacrifice for the sin
of his people. You know the Old Testament, that
old covenant, that old arrangement. It dealt with death, but it was
the death of animals, blood of bulls and goats, and that could
never put away sin. For this cause, he's the mediator
of the newly revealed, new in quality will, testament, that
by means of death or the redemption of the transgressions that were
under the first testament, they which are called might receive
the promise of eternal inheritance." He had to die. Absolutely he
had to die, the scripture says, for or for the purpose being
of the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament. The Lord Jesus Christ had not
died yet. When Abraham and Isaac and Jacob
and Moses, His blood had not been shed in time yet. But, I read this just a few minutes
ago, Exodus 34. You know the Scripture sets forth,
without the remission of sin. We'll look at that here this
next week. It's in this chapter. Without the shedding of blood
there's no remission. Exodus 34. verses 6 and 7. Now, without the shedding of
blood, no remission, no forgiveness of sin, Exodus 34, 6 and 7, here's
what the Scripture says, And the Lord passed by before him
and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy
for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin that
will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children, upon the children's children, upon
the third and the fourth generation. Lord, you mean verse 7, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin? You who would by no means clear
the guilty. This was back in the book of
Exodus. God Almighty who said without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, back in
Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15, it says, this cause, He is the mediator
of the New Testament and that means of death for the redemption
of the transgressions that were under the First Testament. They
which are called back then, just like now, might receive the promise
of eternal inheritance. You mean to tell me that He had
not even come in time yet and Almighty God forgave them for
His shed blood? Yeah. Yeah. This was the one,
remember, in whom the Father first trusted. The Lamb slain from before the
foundation of the world. Almighty God in His eternal purpose
and will. He saw the blood. He saw the
blood. You say, but it hadn't even happened
yet. The I Am saw it. He who is eternal. A thousand
years a day for the Lord. It's all now with God. transgressions committed against
God under that old covenant, they couldn't be purified, couldn't
be forgiven by the imperfect sacrifices of bulls and goats. Those sacrifices back then were
absolutely ordered by God Himself. You know that. And that blood
could not put away sin. But there were some, not all
of them, But there were some that saw Christ in them. Not all of them, but those who
saw Him. Our Lord said, Moses saw My day. Moses spoke of Me. He saw My
day and he rejoiced. Moses saw Him. Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob. You think of those old... You
think of those Old Testament saints. Did they see the Lord? Absolutely they saw the Lord.
What was their hope? The blood of Christ. The blood
of the Redeemer. The blood of the Lamb. Those
sacrifices, they were offered by faith. Faith. Faith. When we get over into
Hebrews 11 here, I mean faith. Faith, and all of these by faith.
Enoch, by faith. Abel. Abel? Back in Abel? His brother killed
by faith. Abel offered a more perfect,
excellent sacrifice than Cain, Abraham, Noah, Abraham, and Moses,
and Sarah, and Rahab. Faith. By faith. Our Lord had
to die. Why? For the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the First Testament. He had to
die that they which are called might receive the promise of
eternal inheritance. In that Old Testament, in that
order of sacrifices, they received, the whole nation received, an
external inheritance. It was Canaan. It was a picture. But for those who were called
of God, that's what it says, for the redemption of the transgressions,
they were under the first testament, they which are called might receive
a promise of an eternal inheritance. There were some that came out
of Egypt that believed God just like you do. They knew Him. The Scripture sets forth Acts
15, 11, Paul speaking, but we believe that through the grace
of the Lord Jesus we might be saved even as they. Listen to
1 Corinthians 10, 3 and 4, and they did all eat the same spiritual
meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank
of the spiritual rock that followed them." And that rock was Christ.
They desired a better country, a heavenly. Abraham looked for
a city that had foundations that were sure. Almighty God has saved people
always the same way. He has never saved some by law,
by the deeds of the law. by the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified." Never, never. How has God Almighty always
saved His people? Always by grace through faith
in Christ. In Christ. They saw Him. They saw Him. Always saved. Verse 16 and 17, for where a
testament is. This is the testament. This is
the will. This is the promise. of Almighty God. He had to die. The whole foundation of that
will was based upon His blood. The foundation of it, the very heart of it, all was
according to His sacrifice in the putting away of the sin of
God's people. He had to die. He had to. There was no way out. For where
a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of
the testator. For a testament, or a will, is
a force after men are dead. Otherwise, it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth. The Lord, He has a will. has a will, a
promise, a covenant. It's totally found in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has eternal blessings, eternal
promises, eternal life sent forth in that Testament. Now, the Scripture
says for a will, for a Testament to be enforced, the testator,
the maker of the will. He must die. And in the case
of God's eternal testament, all the benefits of that will are
found to be totally based that Christ will live for His people,
establishing a righteousness. He will die for His people, putting
away their guilt, dealing with God Almighty totally as their
substitute, that He will be buried with them, raised with them,
ascended into glory with them, totally. That's all the promises. Now, the Scripture sets forth
that He's got to die for that will to be enforced. God saw
it from the foundation of the world, but he had to die. Blood
had to be shed. Now, in closing, let me tell
you the security of this will. Here's the totality of this security. You know, in this life, they
always have what's called an executor of the will. And that executor is appointed
to make sure that all the points of the will are carried out exactly
according to the wishes of the testator, the one that wrote
the will. Now, you know, I mean, you get
somebody that gets a slick lawyer, somebody that knows how to wheel
and deal, somebody that kind of cuts a little something under
the table. And this thing goes to, say,
court or something, and you get somebody, and if they've got
it all figured how they can do it, they can all get things to
say the way they say, well, this is what it meant. I'm reading
what it says here. But this is what he actually
meant. And somehow they can get that thing. If they're kind of
under the table, you know, they'll get that will to be to their
benefit. An executor. But let me tell
you who the executor of this will is. It's the mediator. It's the mediator. the Lord Jesus
Christ concerning that everlasting covenant of grace, the will,
the testament of Almighty God is absolutely, totally in the
hands of the Mediator. The one who absolutely has satisfied
God Almighty on man's behalf and has set forth to man all
that God has promised him in the Mediator. It is all about
the Mediator. All the promises of God in Christ
are yea and amen. The Mediator established the
will in that everlasting covenant, and he himself will absolutely
guarantee its benefits according to his death. And Calvary, according
to his shed blood, the one who said it's finished, he who is
now risen and ever liveth to make intercession for his people,
he will see the whole of his purpose totally paid. God trusts no one but himself. God trusts no one but Himself.
Job 4.18, Behold, he put no trust in his servants, in his angels
he charged with folly. The stars are not pure in his
sight. How much less is man who drinks
iniquity like water. Let me tell you this. He is the
one, the mediator, that the Father has entrusted His eternal purpose. I come to do Thy will, O Lord. My meat is to do the will of
Him that sent me. And this is the Father's will,
that of all which He has given me, I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up at the last day. There is a will. And the will
of Almighty God is to give His people the kingdom. To give His
people the kingdom. Heirs of God. Heirs with Christ. Seated with Him in the heavenlies.
Forever to be with Him. A bride. without spot. Perfect. Holy. The one that the
Lord Jesus Christ has said in the book of Psalm or Solomon.
You've ravished me. Stolen my heart with one of your
eyes. Oh, I'm so thankful that the will, the Testament, the
promise of Almighty God, yea and amen, all that was required,
Christ has fulfilled. And the One that's going to make
sure that all of the promises are brought to pass is the Mediator
Himself. Lord, have mercy on this sinner. Teach me of Your grace, promise,
purpose to honor Yourself for my good. In Jesus' name, Amen.