All right, here's that text,
and it is a grand one indeed. Hebrews 7, 20 and following. And inasmuch as not without an
oath he was made priest, For those priests were made without
an oath, but this with an oath, by him that said unto him, The
Lord swore and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament. And they truly were many priests
because they were not suffered or allowed or permitted to continue
by reason of death. But this man, because he continueth
ever, hath an unchangeable, literally, and intransmissible priesthood,
wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. The 22nd verse, by so much was
Jesus made a surety of a better testament or of a better covenant. Jesus has the greater part of
the offices of the covenant that God has made concerning our salvation. For example, he is, in Hebrews
chapter 8 and verse 6, the mediator of a better covenant. In Hebrews
chapter 12 and verse 24, and to Jesus, the mediator of the
new covenant. Hebrews 9 and verse 15, He is
the great high priest that serves under the new or the better covenant
that God has made, and he has shed the blood of the everlasting
covenant, Hebrews 13 and verse 20. Now, of the covenant or the
testament as it is sometimes rendered. For where a testimony
is, there must also be the death of the testator. We have that
in Hebrews 9 verse 15 through verse 20. We remember that even
the first covenant or testament was not instituted apart from
or without blood. It was not a bloodless covenant
or testament altogether because we read that Moses sprinkled
all the people, and he said unto them, This is the blood of the
covenant, or testament, which God has enjoined unto you. And that puts us in mind of the
word of the Lord's Christ. even on the eve of his death,
as he instituted by and before his disciples the remembrance
supper. And he said these words, This
is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many. Mark
chapter 14 and verse 24. Luke 22 and 20 is even more personal. This is my blood which is shed
for you. And in Matthew chapter 20 and
verse 28, He said that He came to give His life as a ransom
for many. Now we must remember that Scripture
teaches us again and again, and in many places that salvation,
the salvation of sinners, is according to a covenant arrangement. And as so many of the old-time
preachers and the old-time expositors and commentators have written
and have preached, That it is common and ordinary with God
to deal with people by a way of covenant. And that actually
all people whatsoever are under a covenant before God. under
one covenant or another. Now, as I see it, there are two
predominant common errors that we find in Christendom in regard
to giving the covenant of God its due place in theology. in Scripture and in worship. They are, number one, there are
those that are totally, absolutely ignorant of the great and everlasting
covenant. They're much like those in Acts
19 and verse 2, when asked whether they had received the Holy Spirit
When they believed on the Lord, they answered and said, we have
not even heard so much as whether there be any Holy Spirit. And so many today would answer
in a common way. We have not even heard that there
is such a thing as a covenant in regard to salvation. And when and if they do stumble
upon the covenant, they surely will contaminate it with free
will. Secondly, there are others who
hold a view of a covenant much like that of a Jew in the Old
Testament. And that is, their position is
that mere physical birth makes them a covenant child of God. That they, by being the parents
of covenant children, are themselves therefore in the covenant. Now,
be that as it may, our text tells us of a very special, necessary
office that our Lord sustains unto the everlasting covenant
or testament, as well as we read that it informs us how it is
the manner by which He came to hold this office of a priest. Now, the office that we are interested
in is being called a surety this morning. The fuller statement
being, Jesus is a surety of a better testament. Look at that again.
Jesus is a surety. Look at it again. Jesus is a
surety of what? of a better testament. The surety ship of the Lord Jesus
is in relation to the new and the better and the everlasting
covenant or testament of God. Now, first of all, before we
wade out into the deep, We would like to raise some questions
that will pique our interest for the study this morning. First of all, of course, is what
is a surety? What is involved in suretyship? that one has become a surety. What is required of a surety? Once one has made himself a surety,
what is required of him? Then we would ask the question,
who needs a surety? Who is it that stands in need
of assurity? And finally, how does one acquire
assurity? Now again, this is a subject
upon which I have read nothing better than that written by the
Puritan John Owen back in the 15th or 16th century on the suretyship
of Christ in relationship to the divine covenant. And some
might downplay the importance of this office because this is
the only place in all the New Testament where this particular
word is used. But as Owen wrote, the use of
the word is of divine inspiration in this one instance. and consider
where the word appears in the Hebrew epistle, and I think that
that is significant. It being a thing that the Jews
were familiar with from their Old Testament Scripture and from
all the mentions and all of the examples of assurity under the
Old Testament oracle. And it is a common thing known
and practiced in civil society around the world, when one acts
as a surety in behalf of another. And we may not call it that,
but that's what it is in essence. Now, first of all, let's consider
the meaning of the word surety. The Old Testament word used at
least seven times has a rather broad meaning in the Hebrew. It actually means the palm of
the hand in one instance. It means to strike hands. That's part of the meaning. It
means to braid. It means to intermix oneself
with another. It means to give a pledge. or
to give security, as if the surety and the one he is surety for
are so mixed up together that what is required of the one that
has needed a surety is required of the surety in case it becomes
necessary. Because the surety has so mixed
himself up with another that he has assumed the debts, the
liability, and the legal ramifications of another. Now, is it too late? to seek assurity, yes it is,
after tragedy has already struck. And I think that's why Job cries
out in his misery in Job chapter 17 and verse 3, raising the question
in his pitiful state, Who is there that will strike hands
with me? There's another meaning of the
word surety. He pleads that God will be his
pledge, for none else would. Then again in Psalms 119 and
verse 1, The psalmist entreats by this,
be a surety for thy servant for good. He pleads that the Lord
God will be a surety for good. Thus, a surety is one who agrees
to be responsible for the things that are due from the one that
he has agreed to answer for. And becoming a surety, he agrees
to answer every and any debt, he agrees to pay and settle any
legal obligation, any legal default, any inability in that person
to answer the debt himself. or to perform some legal requirement
in behalf of that person. Thus, to quote Owen, if I may,
quote, a surety is one that undertakes for another, another who is defective
either in deed or reputation, Not only so, but the one who
has assumed to become a surety for another is from that point
on legally and justly liable to answer for the debts of that
one with whom he has mixed himself together, with whom he has struck
a stricken hand in the sight of witnesses. At the same time,
becoming a surety is something that is freely undertaken. It is not forced upon one, it
is not required of any. It can only be undertaken knowingly
and willingly. And also the assumption of suretyship
is not only voluntarily, but it is particular and it is definite,
meaning that it is in behalf of a certain person or a certain
people, the person or the debts of a definite individual or person,
a person by name who has not the wherewithal to answer on
their own or to pay their own debt. So assurity, therefore,
must have both the means and the ability to act as assurity. He must have the means to settle
the debt that may possibly be required of him in behalf of
the one that he has become a surety for. To illustrate, though it
is not exactly the same, most of us, I would imagine or I would
assume, have at one time or another both needed a surety or have
been a surety in behalf of others. such as signing for a co-signer
on a debt or an obligation, to help someone in the old days
who had no established credit or had bad credit or whatever. In the old days, this is how
we used to get access to credit. Our parents would go down and
would sign for us when we bought the new living room suit, or
the bedroom suit, or the TV, or whatever. In the old days,
likely, at Sears and Roba, and they would sign for us. that
we might have the item, and they were pledged to pay it in case
of our default or of our failure. Nowadays, I understand they send
young kids credit cards, but in the old days, you needed a
surety to get credit established. Now, Jesus in our text is called
the surety of a better testament, the new covenant, the everlasting
testament or covenant that God has made. We notice something
here in the beginning of our first text. In the words in verse
22, by so much. Look at that, literally by so
much. Some have it because of this
or in view of this. So we can see that verse 22 is
related to what immediately precedes in this passage or context of
the Scripture. And we notice that the preceding
verses have to do with one great major distinction between the
Levitical high priesthood and the high priesthood of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. as to their installation into
the public office of a high priest of the people, as well as the
distinct nature of that priesthood of Christ. It is after the order
of Melchizedek. And that is of the greatest importance. The kind of priest and the kind
of priesthood that Christ has is after the order, not of the
Levite priests, but of Melchizedek. Now we can drop back to verse
15 and kind of get our bearings from there forward. from a point
strongly repeated and emphasized in Hebrews, which is Christ hath
a priesthood, not Levitical in nature or order, but according
to the arrangement or the order of the priesthood of Melchizedek. And in Genesis chapter 14, And
verse 18, Melchizedek is referred to as the priest of the Most
High God, unquote. Actually, there are two very
important points to view here concerning the priesthood of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Number one, that his priesthood
is after the order of Melchizedek, based upon Psalm 110 and verse
4. You can see also Hebrews 7, 1
through 4, where the writer refers to that passage in Psalm, Thou
art a priest forever. after the order of Melchizedek. Secondly, we notice the point
here that when Christ the Son was made a priest, that He alone
was installed into that office with an oath from God concerning
or covering both things. The oath was You are a priest
forever, and that after the order of Melchizedek. Now, this oath
is meant in Hebrews 7 and verse 22 in the words, by so much. It refers to the fact that Jesus
became a priest not only after the order of Melchizedek, but
also because of an oath. Christ is the surety of the New
Testament. This contrasted from the priesthood
of Aaron, and from the Levites, not one and not once was a high
priest of Israel ever put into an office with such an oath. Never was it said to Aaron or
to others, You are a priest forever, because, as Hebrews said, death
ended their tenure or ended their reign. But our high priest ever
lives to make intercession for us. Romans 8 and verse 34. Hebrews
7 and verse 25. He is able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them. The word is pantalous, full-ended
is how we might render it. The word is at least twice in
the New Testament. The other time it is found in
Luke's gospel, chapter 13 and verse 11, where it is translated,
at least in the King James Version, as in no wise. That woman altogether was bent
over and could in no wise lift herself up. So it's there. in
the negative. Thus we are told, not only was
Christ made a surety, the guarantee, the sponsor of the New and the
Better Testament, but He was sold by an oath of swearing and
that from the Father Himself. The Son was made assurity, emphasis
on made. That is, he was appointed, he
was constituted, he became, he was made assurity. And yet not against his will,
but freely and willingly agreed to act as assurity. Literally, to guarantee the new
and the better covenant, our testament, to perform all that
is needed and all that was required. And listen, brother and sister,
to pay the full debt of each and every heir of salvation and
to bring many sons unto glory. Hebrews 2 and 10, that none of
them be lost that the Father hath given unto the Son. John
chapter 17. Now, if you will pardon a slight
digression, let's go to the Old Testament. in order that we might
get a handle, a better handle on this matter of becoming a
surety. The principle of first mention
comes into play, and the place is Genesis chapter 43, verse
1 through verse 11. We'll not take the time to read
that, but in the context, the contextual setting is on this
wise. You may remember it. When as
Jacob would send his sons again a second time down into the land
of Egypt to buy food for the famine was sore in the land. His sons remind him that quote,
the man Genesis 42, 33, the man, the Lord of the country, that's
Joseph by the way, had held their brother Simeon as hostage. and commanded them, when they
came again, to bring the youngest son, whose name was Benjamin,
with them. And Jacob resisted, saying, Two
sons are gone, shall I lose Another, two of his sons made serious
pledges concerning the sending of Benjamin. First of all, in
Genesis 42 and verse 37, Reuben, one of his sons, offered that
my two sons will be slain if we bring Benjamin not safely
again. But secondly, in our focus, Genesis
43, verse 8 and verse 9, Judah offered himself as a surety for
Benjamin. Look at verse 9 if you're there.
I will be surety for him, unquote. That is, I will guarantee or
I will pledge I will bring him again unto you. Notice further,
of my hand shall you require him. And if it be that I fail
to bring him again unto you, then let me bear the blame forever."
In other words, in becoming surety, Judah so mixed himself up with
his younger brother that it was actually life for life. My life, if his life be lost,
if I bring him not safely again, then shall I be forever to blame. Thus, Judah has a special interest
in Benjamin, does he not? Judah has a more special interest
in the welfare of Benjamin. In other words, he has now a
very special incentive. to protect and preserve and save
him alive and return him again into the house and the presence
of his father. He's liable himself to be put
literally in the place of Benjamin. and therefore to do all and everything
necessary to return him again safely unto the Father, even
up to the giving of his very own life. Benjamin must be spared
and brought safely home, even if it require the death or the
disgrace of Judah the surety. Now one other point concerning
suretyship from the Old Testament, mostly from Solomon in the book
of Proverbs. Solomon is against it. Solomon
warns his readers against becoming a surety. He counsels us again
and again not to become a surety due to the possible consequences
of becoming a surety for the death of others. Now, some passages
are the most prominent and inclusive and exhaustive, is his first
mention of one becoming a surety, either of a friend or of a stranger. And this we find in chapter 6,
and if we might turn there, and read chapter 6, verses 1 through
5 of Proverbs, what Solomon counsels, or literally, this is wisdom
being personified here in this passage of the Scripture. But
listen to this, how passionate it is. If thou be surety for thy friend,
if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, thou art snared
with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words
of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver
thyself. when thou art come into the hand
of thy friend. Go, humble yourself, and make
sure, thy friend, give not sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to
your eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from
the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. You have put yourself in a tenable
and dangerous and precarious situation. Go and seek deliverance
from the obligation of that surety ship that you have made. This
is a part of wisdom's instruction and exhortation to the young,
that they might avoid rash and unthought-out consequences of
surety ship and of agreeing to become surety for another in
case the original debtor defaults, then the surety is obliged to
settle then that debt. The second verse said, you are
ensnared by your words, you have entrapped yourself. The third
verse says, deliver yourself, seek release, plead with the
one that you have stricken hands for, for a release. The fourth
verse literally said, don't rest or sleep until it is done. And the fifth verse said, flee
or free yourself from this ensnarement. Why? Why does Solomon say that? Proverbs 11 and verse 15. He that is surety for a stranger
shall smart for it. That is, he shall suffer the
consequences. And who avoids becoming a surety
is safe or is secure from it. You can also read about it, Proverbs
17 and 18. 20 and verse 16, 27 and verse 13,
that it is a man that strikes hands or becomes surety that
lacks understanding and avoid it completely with strangers
or a strange or a wayward woman. Suretieship can reduce one to
poverty. It can ruin their reputation
and their credit should they become liable for the debts of
another. Now, in spite of all that Solomon
has said and has counseled us, We notice something wonderful
and amazing. That in spite of all of these
things, we are told that Jesus Christ became, or was made, surety
of the better testament. He took on the works and he took
on the liability of a surety. He mixed himself up together
with the elect. He became surety for all of God's
little precious Benjamin. He took hold of the seed of Abraham. Hebrews 2 in verse 16. He became the guarantee of the
testament. that all that is required by
way of debt or performance would be fulfilled by our surety, that
all of the heirs of the testament receive their appointed portion
by and through the suretyship of our Lord. And as Solomon said
of assurity, he shall smart for it. I notice that the margin
in the King James at least in Proverbs 11 and verse 15 has
this alternate. Shall be sore broken. He shall smart for it, he shall
be sore broken. Another version has it simply,
shall suffer. He that has become a surety shall
suffer. Another rendered it, shall surely
suffer, that has made himself surety for the debts of another. Jesus did what wisdom through
Solomon warned and cautioned again. And as Charles Bridges
wrote on Proverbs 11 and verse 15, quote, the blessed Jesus
from his free grace became surety." He mixed himself up together,
not one but the whole number of the elect of God even taking
human nature, that He might have our nature, that He might have
a kinship with us, taking true human nature yet without sin,
and having a true human soul, and giving Himself to the death
of the cross, enduring the curse of the law, answering the full
debt, paying the last farfling of our debt, and answering every
charge, leaving nothing owed by the personal elect themselves. Now, consider the question. Have
you ever thought of it in this light? Why must Jesus pay our
sin debt? He is holy, just, and pure. He is very God. He has no sin. Why must Jesus die for our sin? And upon what legal ground will
God require at His hand the debt of our sin and not spare His
Son the death of the cross. Is it not even on the same ground
as when Judas said, I will be surety for them? Of my hand,
said the son, Jesus, you shall require their debt. If I lose
one of them, let me bear the blame forever. Had our Lord hated
and refused suretyship, had He not died the death of the cross,
we would be lost forever and forever. Had we no surety, our
debt would go unpaid, for we had not the means or the proper
ransom for the sins of our soul. To paraphrase the woman at the
well who said unto our Lord at Jacob's well when he spoke of
giving living water, she said to him, Sir, the well is deep
and you have nothing to draw with. From where will you get
then this living water? Even so, Our debt is great. and growing. We have no means
to answer the debt which we owe, but it must be paid if we are
to be justified. And it must be paid. It must
be paid to God. It must be paid to God in full. There is no discount. There is no partial payment by
our surety of our debt. God will not agree To accept
a reduced amount, he requires the full measure and the full
amount. Back to the question, upon what
legal ground did God require the debt from Christ? And the
answer is, he became surety. He made himself the surety of
the New Testament. He mixed himself together with
the elect. He struck hands with them. He was made surety by an oath
from God. Thou art a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. Let me say it another way. He
guaranteed the debt. He liabled himself for the debt.
He assumed our debt when he became the surety of the covenant before
the world begun. He struck hands and when the
debt became due, God required it of our surety, a just and
a legal thing to do, for it is done throughout history. And
our surety gave himself, made no resistance, opened not his
mouth and answered the debt, answered it in full. He was made
sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. I would like to close a little
short so we have the Lord's Supper. There is an example of this from
Paul. though on a lesser scale in the
little epistle of Philemon or Philemon, whichever you prefer.
And in verse 17 through verse 19 of that little epistle, Paul,
by the providence of God, had met with a runaway slave by the
name of Onesimus. And Onesimus had been converted
under the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Paul writes a letter back
now to Philemon concerning Onesimus. Paul says to the master of Onesimus
in the flesh these words, If he owes you anything, put that
on my account and I will pay you the debt that he owes or
whatever wrong he has done. Paul became surety for literally
an indigent man to restore him to the favor of the one that
he had wronged. I will pay it of my own hand. I assume, no doubt, Onesimus
had stolen from his master when he absconded. And Paul libels
himself for that debt, though this is after the fact, I admit. Jesus was before the fact, if
we may say it that way. He made himself surety in eternity
when the covenant was established before the world. And so our
surety answered the whole debt. He repaired the breach. He covered our wrongs. He gave
full satisfaction to the justice of God as our surety, answering
and paying our debt.