Good morning, everyone. It's
good to see you here. If you have your Bibles with you, turn
to 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles chapter 26. Today
we're going to be examining a story about King Uzziah. And it's a
story in which everyone who hears this message can find a valuable
object lesson. Each of you and me, we can find
and see in this story something that's relevant to us in our
day. For we're going to see in this story a vivid, clear depiction
of, first of all, pride. I'm speaking of a sinful pride
that infects all of us. You see, it's a problem that's
inherent in our very nature as sinners, part of fallen humanity. And so in this story, we're going
to have a manifestation of that which springs from the very nature
that we're all born with, and I'm speaking of sinful pride.
Secondly, we're going to see the peril, the certain peril
that is deserved by all of us based upon that very sinful pride
as it acts itself out. particularly in our religious
thoughts. And then thirdly, we're going
to see the remedy to that problem in the priestly office that is
so prominent in the story we'll be looking at. The priestly office
under the Old Covenant that pictures the one eternal great high priest,
the one and only mediator. And that's the title of my message
today. We're going to be looking at
verses 16 through 21 in 2 Chronicles 26. I would encourage you to
read the entire chapter on your own, but just to kind of fill
you in on some background before we begin. In the first part of
that chapter, we learn that Uzziah, he was a great king. He began
to rule when he was only 16 years old, and he ruled over Judah,
the southern kingdom of Israel, for some 52 years. For the most
part, King Uzziah and Judah prospered greatly under his reign. He was
a well-known king who was well-respected. He was well-loved by the people,
and the people there included the prophet Isaiah, who was born
and lived during the reign of King Uzziah. Some believe he
may have been the king's cousin. And they, all these, all of Judah,
considered him to be greatly blessed by God, and he was, as
the scripture bears testimony. In verse 4 of the chapter we
read that he did that which was right, meaning he dealt fairly
and he dealt justly in his office as a king over the people. And
as he sought to obey God, and verse 5 tells us that as he sought
God, that God made him to prosper. Verses 6 through 15, we read
about how greatly God helped Uzziah. He helped him against
his enemies, how he grew in strength. It speaks of how he built great
towers at many of the gates there in the city of Jerusalem. He
fortified them. He built towers out in the desert
by the wells where the cattle were watered. We read that he
loved to farm. He became very wealthy. He owned
lots of cattle. And in particular, we read how
his army grew large and powerful, and they were very well armed.
In fact, if you look at verse 15, just prior to our text for
today, it tells us there that, and he made in Jerusalem engines,
that's mechanical devices such as the catapult and so forth,
engines invented by cunning men, that's competent men, to be on
the towers and upon the bulwarks to shoot arrows and great stones
withal. And his name spread far abroad,
for he was marvelously helped till he was strong." The point
of that is, as verse 13 tells us, that under his reign Judah
made war, it says there, with mighty power. So here's the picture. We have a picture of a mighty,
powerful king whom God had prospered greatly, both personally as well
as in his reign over Judah. It's interesting when you consider
the name Uzziah means the strength of the Lord. You see, it was
God who had so prospered him up until now, who had made him
strong. And that brings us to the story
we'll consider today. So follow with me beginning in
verse 16. But when he was strong, his heart
was lifted up to his destruction, for he transgressed against the
Lord his God. and went into the temple of the
Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah
the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests,"
that's 80 other priests of the Lord, "...that were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the
king, and they said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee,
Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord." It's not your appointed
role. But to the priests, the sons
of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense, go out of the
sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, neither shall it be for thine
honor from the Lord God." Then Uzziah was wroth, he became angry,
and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he
was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead. before the priest in the house
of the Lord from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief
priest and all the priests looked upon him, and behold, he was
leprous in his forehead. And they thrust him out from
thence, yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had
smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper
until the day of his death. And he dwelt in a several house,
being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the
king's house, judging the people of the land." Well, first let's
consider the problem here that led to King Uzziah's demise,
pride. In verse 16 we read, "...when
he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.
It was this heart of pride that was his undoing. And we can see
here, it was his temporal circumstances of prosperity, of having been
made strong that led to this. It says, when he was strong,
his heart was lifted up. Now, King Uzziah, he knew the
law of Moses, and he knew the command therein that none but
God's appointed high priests, they were to enter into that
sanctuary, that holiest, where the incense altar was also situated. And although God had greatly
blessed Uzziah, he made him strong and successful, had heaped upon
him great honor, he wasn't content, see, with the honor that God
himself had bestowed upon him. It reminds me of that famous
quotation that says, riches enlarge rather than satisfy appetites. And that would seem to be the
case with King Uzziah because he wanted to expand his honor,
see, into the one area that was forbidden, regardless of how
much honor and how prosperous and strong and influential and
powerful he had become, he wanted that which was forbidden him.
It's just like Adam and Eve, is it not? Here they were in
the Garden of Eden living in paradise with the abundant fruit
of all the trees in the garden, even the tree of life. But they
opted, and they, unlike Uzziah and all of us, they weren't born
with a sinful nature. They were created in God's image. You see, they weren't predisposed,
yet they opted to partake of the forbidden fruit from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. So what
we see, I say that to show you that we see here a manifestation
in Uzziah of the nature of all of us, all those who fell in
Adam as their federal head and their representative. We see
the prideful, sinful nature whereby we assert our independence. We decide what is right in our
own eyes. We interpret things as we see
fit, contrary to God's very precise and specific testimony. Likewise,
that's what King Uzziah did. He treated God's appointed way
of how things were to be as it pertained to this priesthood
He treated his command really with disdain, if you think about
it. He just chose to ignore it. His actions expose his apparent
conclusion. See that strict adherence to
the preciseness of God's prescribed way surely is not that big of
a deal. We'll be turning with me to Hebrews
chapter 7. You see, in defiance of God's clear instructions in
the law, as it was given to Moses, as I assumed, and he acted in
a role that was reserved specifically and precisely for others. The
Levitical priesthood, and as verse 18 there taught us, you
see, it wasn't just someone from the tribe of Levi, but it was
Aaron and his sons, the first high priests and his descendants
from among the Levites. Now, the importance of this was
that this priesthood, this office of priest, like all of the other
elements of the old covenant, the tabernacle, the sacrifice,
all of it, we know from scripture, is a picture. And it points us
to the one eternal high priest, Jesus Christ, the one appointed
mediator, a go-between. who was to provide eternal deliverance. See, not for national Israel. This old covenant was only for
the Jews. All other nations were excluded, you see. And they were
served by this priesthood under the temporary covenant. But it
typified a priesthood for a people who were chosen unto eternal
salvation. A far more glorious priesthood
It's referring to the priesthood of Christ for a chosen people
called in the Bible, spiritual Israel. Now to consider some
of this, let's see what God has to say. Follow with me. Begin in verse 23 of chapter
7. Hebrews. Says, and they truly
were many priests talking about those priests under the old covenant
because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
They were human. They died. And so their sons
would succeed them. But this man, speaking of Jesus
Christ, because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood,
wherefore he is able also to say them to the uttermost forevermore,
that cometh to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. For such an high priest became
us. This is what was fitting for us. This is what we needed.
who is holy, and harmless, and 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, for he
knew no sin, and then for the people's. For this he did once
when he offered up himself. You see, the sacrifice, he was
not only the priest, he was the sacrifice. For the law maketh
men high priests which have infirmity. They're sinners, like you and
I. But the Word of the Oath, that's
speaking of the priesthood of Christ, wherein God, in His appointment
here, He's engaged, that Word of the Oath is referring to the
fact He is engaged, all that He is, in the successful mediation
of this priesthood. You see, His entire glory His
greatest glory resides right there. That's why this is such
an important thing. The word of the oath, which was
since the law, it make it the son. That is, it make it him,
the eternal high priest who is consecrated forevermore. So what we see here is that the
seriousness of Isaiah's prideful, sinful action is due unto the
fact that that priestly office that he dared to fulfill, it
typified that which only the eternal high priest, the promised
Messiah, was appointed to fulfill, was capable of fulfilling, getting
tongue-tied here, and would fulfill in his obedience unto death on
the cross. You know, like Isaiah, I think
when things are going well for us, our tendency is to kind of
not need God so much, our sinful tendency. We become indifferent
sometimes. We often see that as men stop
attending to the means of worship or become lackadaisical with
respect to spiritual things. think of that, we have that tendency
to do that towards the God that made things kind of go well for
us, who blessed us and put us into that position. And while
there's a lesson in that, I want you to notice something different
about the lesson from our story today. You see, King Uzziah's
prosperity, his resultant pride from that prosperity, while I
guess we could say it made him indifferent to God's specific
command, in terms of about his appointed priest and their roles
in it being reserved only for the sons of Aaron. You see, it
didn't make him indifferent toward religion. Think about this. The
honor he desired, the act that he desired to perform was of
a religious nature. I mean, God had ordained that
the priest would go in and offer up incense and the holiest of
all. And so what I want you to do
with that in mind is I want to direct your attention toward
the religion of our day. That is, those who are not indifferent
about religion, just as King Uzziah wasn't. Think of it this
way. The Jews of old, unlike the Gentiles,
they had the gospel. in picture and type in that old
covenant ceremony, had it foreshadowing the very work of Christ at their
disposal. Although the scripture is clear
that most of them, they didn't perceive it, but it was there
at their taking. Likewise, today, consider that
there are many who have this gospel at their disposal. They,
like us who call themselves Christians, use this book. And therein is
that glorious, specific message of God's very precise, prescribed
way that he saves sinners. And so, I'd like for us to consider
the parallels that are drawn with the religion of our day,
that is, those who come in the name of Christ, who use his same
book, who know many truths concerning Christ, and yet, who by their
doctrine, that is, by how they presume that Christ saves sinners. They, like me, in many years
past, unwittingly but nonetheless we denied the successful mediation
of Christ that he came to accomplish. We see the manifestation of sinful
man's determination, his pride, as religious men and women naturally
who invoke, and I'm talking about those who would profess to be
even of the Christian faith, cling to a notion that they make
the distinguishing difference in their own presumed eternal
salvation. That it depends upon at least
a contributing work of their hand rather than solely depending
upon and resting in that successful, fully accomplished, Redeeming
works, see, of a suitable substitute, a mediator, an eternal high priest,
the one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, as we consider
this story's relevance to us today, and it is certainly relevant,
we may tend to excuse ourselves by saying, well, this couldn't
be applying to me. I'm certainly, I'm not renowned
and powerful and influential and rich like King Uzziah. I'm
not a king. But I want you to think again.
I want you to consider that the religious pride here afflicts
not just the high and mighty, who've achieved maybe some level
of notoriety, at least as they compare themselves to others.
And you know, if we could use that as an excuse, we could all
find someone more powerful, more influential, richer, always. But I want you to see that this
religious pride afflicts the outwardly meek and lowly. Those
who would, perhaps by their circumstances in this life, seem to have no
reason to presume that they are somehow blessed, though we truly
are blessed. When you think about the sovereign
God who holds this universe in His hand, our very existence,
we're blessed beyond, certainly beyond that which we show gratitude
for. You see, this religious pride
that afflicts us all, is shown in the fact that by nature we
all initially and pridefully presume to be, what, religiously
strong. And by that I mean this. We imagine
we're strong enough that something we can do by our decision for
Jesus, our free will choice, our dedication, our involvement
to religion. You get the sense. Something
we can do or that we imagine God does through us can make
the difference. Accomplish that which was accomplished
only by our one appointed high priest. The one mediator, the
Lord Jesus Christ. That shows up when we first get
interested in religion and our natural question is, what do
I have to do? I want to go to heaven, what
do I have to do to be saved? You see, the presupposition of
the question alone tells on us. We think, we just automatically
imagine there's something we can do to save ourselves to be
included in that number. And that's why in Acts 17, it
says God calls all men everywhere to repentance. Because he's going
to judge us, he says, by the righteousness of Christ. That
is that perfect work of mediation that he performed for us. A perfect
righteousness. You see, we're called to repentance
because as Proverbs 16, 25, which I so often quote, says, there's
a way that seemeth right to us. It's just natural. But that way
is a way that ends in death and destruction. Now, many who would
profess to be of the Christian faith, and particularly those
of us labeled Protestants, We accurately understand some things.
We understood, I understood even in years past before I came to
believe the gospel by God's grace. You see, I knew that the old
covenant was abolished at the advent of Christ. Some even more
accurately understand it's abolished by way of Christ's fulfillment,
see, of all that was pictured therein. And I would have told
you there's certainly no God-appointed priest any longer, or pope. No need for one, for you see,
its entire purpose, as the Scriptures tell us, was to point to Christ,
and now the type, what has been being typed, has come, the anti-type. Christ has already arrived. Now,
with all of that truth, many, Of these same folks, just like
many of you and me in the past, we would make no pretense about
boldly asserting that Christ's work of mediation. And I would
call it that. I would have said that Christ
was a mediator. I mean, Scripture calls Him a mediator. But the truth is, you know, now
in hindsight, I can look back and say that I really should
have described it as an attempt at mediation. But regardless,
I didn't see that then, but I would say that work of mediation, you
see, I would make no bones about the fact that it was ultimately
ineffective for most for whom he lived and died. In fact, many,
including yours truly in years past, we only deemed it to be
effective for those who would rise to the occasion, who would
do something to appropriate that blessing unto themselves, whether
it was by their decision for Jesus, the exercise of their
faith, as was the case with me, or something that they see or
imagine is done by them or through them, even with God's enabling
help. And you see, that is to presume
that the real work of reconciling ourselves as sinners to God could
be accomplished by, in my case, my act of faith. In other words,
it was a work performed outside of God's appointed mediator that
made the real difference. That's the work that I attributed
to making the difference in my salvation once, and sadly, so
many still do. Many, like me in years past,
would never openly deny our need for Christ as a mediator, And
I wouldn't openly deny it, because, you see, I didn't even recognize
the fact in my own heart and mind that that's what my doctrine
exposed. It was, in fact, a denial of
what he came to accomplish. For, see, my doctrine, my gospel
at that time didn't really require that. That was just something
that the scriptures said had to be so, but the real issue,
the culminating drive or focus of every sermon was, I need to
get you to make a decision, see, for Jesus, because that's what
really made the difference for me. I imagine the pivotal issue
in my salvation hinged upon that which I would do for myself,
not solely hinging upon the work of Christ as the one and only
mediator. You see, as sinners born in darkness,
we're unaware of our complicity with Isaiah here and his actions. And we'll stay that way unless
and until God graciously confronts us with the true gospel. We only
become aware of our complicity with Isaiah by God-given faith
under the sound of the true gospel, the gospel you're hearing even
today that sets forth Christ's work alone. as being the sole
ground of all of our salvation. So this is vitally important.
And I pray that even in the hearing of this gospel message that God
might grant someone spiritual life, spiritual eyes to see,
to be made aware. This religious pride which we
all possess in common, the same religious pride manifested
by King Uzziah, It should be, and perhaps, if God is so pleased,
may be made evident when we consider the honest answers to some questions
about our hope. And when I say honest, I'm not
accusing anyone of any intentional deceit. But if in our heart of
hearts, if we just peel back the onion, And if God is gracious,
let us examine what exactly it is that we're basing our hope
on for heaven's glory. What distinguishes me or you? Why will you be heaven-bound
as opposed to those who will perish? And what I want to ask
is, would your answers look or sound a little bit like some
of the ones I once would have given, in which I know the vast
majority of so-called Christianity today would also give. Would
it sound or be similar to things such as this? I recall a time
when, under the preaching of a minister, with great conviction
I felt stirred, and I believed God was working with me. And
so I walked down the church aisle and I professed Him. I professed
my faith in Christ before men, and I was baptized to profess
the same. Or perhaps it might sound like
this. I'm truly sorry for my sins.
I know a lot of people will pray, particularly publicly, God forgive
me for my sins, but here's the truth of it. I was so sorry I
did something about it. I quit doing some of those things
I used to do. Listen, in the quietness of my
own home, I cried genuine tears of remorse and sorrow over my
sins, and I asked God to forgive me, and I believe I'm heaven-bound
because I believe He will honor my request and forgive me. I, maybe it'd sound like this,
I prove my faith with my pocketbook. I put my money where my mouth
is. Why, I donate money regularly to the church and I know that
if God hadn't really done a work in me, there's no way I would
be wanting to give all that money away. Why I even give a tithe
as prescribed by the old covenant in mirroring that requirement
of 10% or I give even more than a tithe. Or maybe it would sound
like this. Listen, I walk my talk. I know
there's a lot of people who play at church, but I see what they
do out in the community. It's been said that your characters
reveal more about what you do when no one's looking. And I
can say I'm a moral man, or I try my best to obey all of God's
revealed will. Or maybe it's just this. Pure
and simple, I believe. I believe in God and Jesus Christ. And those that perish, they don't. And I think that makes the difference.
You get the idea, we could go on and on. I read my Bible daily. I pray fervently every day. And listen, aren't those things,
things that are part of God's revealed will, many of them are,
for His people? We should read our Bible. We
should pray. We should give of our time and
we should give of our money. But here's the issue. if and
when you took comfort from any of those things in having imagined
they played a causal role in your finding favor with God or
being accepted by God. If such things as these, things
done by you or in you or even through you that you credit God
with doing, but in you, the center, If it forms any part of the ground
or the cause of your salvation, of your being favored by God,
well, if that's the case, when you examine your heart, and may
God be pleased to show, as He will all His people, that's exactly
where we start out. If that's the case, then I pray
today that the story of King Uzziah, that you'll see in it
that those notions place you in His company. For you too,
as we all initially do, have dared to usurp the role that
God the Father appointed to be accomplished by the one and only
Mediator, the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. For you see, that's
to presume that you make the ultimate difference that only
He could make and did completely make in His obedience unto death. by the shedding of his precious
blood." Think of that. We dare to place some work of
our hand in rivalry with the death of Jesus Christ and what
it alone could accomplish. I want you to consider how in
Paul's letter to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 2, verses 5 and 6,
we read, "...for there is one God and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself for ransom gave
himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time." The all
there is referring to all sorts. Unlike the Old Covenant priesthood,
which was limited to the nation Israel, it's all Jews and Gentiles
from every nation. Who are those all from among
those nations? Those to be testified in due
time. Now, a ransom is that which is
paid to free someone from punishment. are from captivity. It's not
an attempt made. It's a price paid. And all those
for whom he gave himself a ransom are thereby justified before
God, not guilty. Their sins have truly been paid
for, put away completely on that basis alone of that paid ransom. And so to deny its success, to
imagine there remains something to be done and you see is not
only to diminish, but it's to scorn. The infinitely valuable
blood of Christ is being inadequate payment in the eyes of God's
law and justice. But there's good news. God graciously,
for some, he brings the gospel our way. And you know, initially
its message cuts deep. The scripture says the word is
like a two edged sword. It cuts deep as the light of
the gospel is shed upon the evil. the awful sinfulness of those
religious thoughts. The things that we thought were
good, or as Paul said in Philippians 3, that which was gained of me
I now count lost. Well, perhaps that two-edged
sword is cutting and taking place for some even today, because
you see, this takes place in accordance with God's prescribed
means under the sound of the very gospel you're hearing. And
how will you react? Well, notice what King Uzziah
did when he was confronted. He became angry, and he became
determined to proceed according to his own way, that way that
led to his destruction. And sadly, that's how many so
often react, just like King Uzziah. It's how me and you and all of
us would persist in acting apart from God's grace and mercy. You
see, we react in anger. and in determination to proceed
on the way that leads to destruction. It surfaces oftentimes in this
form. If what you're telling me is
true, then that would mean my beloved grandmother, my Aunt
Susie, or let's just get down to it, yours truly, it would
mean I've been lost. All that I have invested in my
past religion is for naught. And so, apart from God's grace,
men and women say, well, I'm going to take my chances there.
I'm not going to have that. I can't go there. I don't want
to hear your gospel. I'll take my chances relying
on my profession of faith rather than looking to what the Scriptures,
as you pointed out, point me to. That is, not my act of faith,
but the object of true God-given faith. In other words, pointing
us to Christ, You see, for that God-given faith is not something
that I do in order to procure God's favor, but rather it was
a purchased gift for me by that ransom that he paid on the cross
of Calvary. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God, not of works,
lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2.8.9. And so, men persist in
the way that seems right to them, only to find its way it ends
in alienation, eternal banishment from the presence of God, or
as was said of Isaiah, being cut off, just as was pictured
by his being cast out as a leper. Now, let us briefly consider
the peril that then awaits all who persist and act out in accordance
with that sinful pride. In our story today, leprosy arose
up immediately in Isaiah's forehead. According to the law of Moses,
lepers were to be sent out to live separately outside the city. Not only did Azariah and those
80 other priests immediately usher him out, but as we read,
we saw he began to leave on his own. You see, he saw that God's
judgment had been rendered upon him, and he knew that he was
to be cast out, alienated, cut off. You see, I think that may
be a picture of what takes place at the judgment, you know, because
we we see in the scripture it says every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall confess ultimately that sinners who persisted in
that sinful prideful determination to presume salvation was at least
in some way based on a requirement they met. You see, for them too,
they will know at some point, sad as it is, that God is just. in cutting someone off who would
so dare scorn the blood of Christ. It says that Uzziah dwelt the
rest of his days in a several house. The word several means
free. It was a free house or a separate
house. See, it was free in this sense.
It was free from the conversation and the company of men, free
from the business of government that he had been ruling over,
which his son took over. It's interesting, isn't it, that
in asserting his independence from God, he became independent,
cut off, free from fellowship with others. It reminds me of
how in many ways God often gives us what we want. The problem
is in our sinful wants and desires. As man persists, I want to be
judged on my faith. Well, he'll judge you on your
sinful faith, and it better measure up to the very perfection of
the standard by which he says he's going to judge all men,
the perfection that Christ alone rendered in his sinless obedience
unto death. You see, it's serious business
here. I hope you can see that for any of us to inject ourselves
into fulfilling the role that Christ alone was appointed to
fulfill, the role that he alone was able to fulfill, and that
he alone did fulfill at the cross of Calvary. Well, to put yourself
in that role is to think and act in concert with King Uzziah
when his heart was lifted up to destruction. And so the end
is likewise just as perilous. It's to be cut off, alienated,
given what our stubborn, self-reliance, independence and pride deserves.
Freedom, all right? Freedom from the eternal presence
of a holy God. Because he cannot and will not
commune with sinners. They can't be brought into his
holy presence who dare to approach him. apart from the exclusive
mediation of the one and only mediator, the eternal high priest,
the man Christ Jesus. You see, their sins had to be
put away so that he can see them as he sees Christ, holy, unreprovable. We've considered now the pride
of man that leads to our demise, or can, the peril that awaits
us if we persist therein. So now let's consider for a moment
the priesthood, and particularly as it typifies the precious,
eternal priesthood of Christ. You see, no one is drawn into
the kingdom, so to speak, and converted under the sound of
the gospel. that only would talk about the
peril or the destruction. We're not going to be scared
into it by hellfire and brimstone. The danger, apart from seeing
the provision that God made in Christ. I think that's because
we really can't appreciate the evil. Here we are going about
on a way that seems right to us. And you can tell me it's
a dangerous way, but Apart from seeing a provision that is outside
of that which I can provide, I have no reason but to continue.
It just continues to seem right to me. I think we only can appreciate
it by examining what it really took, what it really does take
for a sinner, a prideful sinner such as you and me, to be reconciled
before a holy God. We only see the peril, I think,
as we see the provision, and what a provision it is. Turning
now to Hebrews 10, what a provision. Only the God-man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, as that one mediator appointed by God, could and did
do this work of mediation, of reconciling lost sinners unto
a holy God by offering up the sacrifice of his own humanity. And he did it in satisfaction
to God's law and justice. That's the incense, the sweet,
satisfying fragrance, you see, in the nostrils of God as it's
so beautifully described in Ephesians 5 too. We're here in Hebrews
chapter 10 as we consider now the priesthood of Christ. Let's
look at some more commentary from God on this. Verse 1, verse,
he says, for the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not
the very image of the things, It foreshadowed Christ. It can
never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year,
continually make the comers thereunto perfect. And then skip down. Verse 4 says, For it is not possible
that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. I just mention these two verses
again to reinforce the truth. That's what this Old Covenant
priesthood was about. It was to foreshadow a work of
mediation that Unlike that priesthood could accomplish nothing eternally
But this one was what was being typified and it got the job done
Continue now down in verse 9 it says then said he that is Christ
lo I come to do thy will O God He take it away the first referring
to the old covenant that he may establish the second by the which
will we are sanctified set apart made holy and through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest that
is under the Old Covenant standeth daily ministering and offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins
but this man, the God-man. After he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, he sat down on the right hand of God. He
rested. The work was finished. He was victorious. His righteousness
demanded he come out of that grave and he sits at the right
hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool for by one offering. Nothing left to be done by you.
He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. So for just
the remaining moments here, I want you to consider the glory of
God in the person and work of Christ as we consider what it
took for him to successfully serve out his priestly office
to provide an everlasting, eternal salvation for the sins of his
people. We see first we had to have a
suitable substitute. We needed a priest. We needed
a goat between someone to stand in our room and in our stead.
a mediator. You see, it had to be one, as
Galatians 4 tells us, who was born of woman, made under the
law to redeem them that were under the law. See, we needed
a substitute made like unto us, yet he had to be unlike us in
one way, without sin. For only a man could die to pay
the sin debt due unto those for whom Christ died. And so, we
see we have to have a perfect humanity. That means a sinless
sacrifice, as pictured by those unblemished lambs under the Old
Covenant, if perfect satisfaction was to be made on our behalf
before God. That is, perfect obedience to
the law, but as a substitute for sinners, so the penalty had
to be paid due unto their sin, so the law had to be satisfied
in penalty as well. And so it took, as we read in
Hebrews 7, a holy one, a harmless one, undefiled, separate from
sinners. And yet this one who was totally
without sin, he would bear the demerit of the sins of a people. Spiritual Israel, as we just
read, as he offered one sacrifice for sin. Now, how can that become
mine? That brings us to the glorious
truth of imputation. Scriptural term referring to
God's accounting or charging of the merit or demerit of something
to another The sins of a people see were charged to Christ laid
to his account and yet it didn't contaminate him He he 2nd Corinthians
521 says he who knew no sin Hebrews 9 14 says he offered himself
up now for sin, right? But it says there without spot.
I He died for sins he had no part in producing. And just as
he died for sins that he had no part in producing, but were
imputed or charged to him, that did not contaminate or become
an inherent sin nature with him, but rather were judicially and
as a matter of law charged to him. Likewise, for all those
for whom he died, they possess a righteousness. That's the merit
of his obedience unto death, what he accomplished, that satisfaction
that you and I have no part whatsoever in producing. You see, my holiness
before God, and that's what the scripture says of believers,
they're unreprovable, holy. It's because they're accepted
in the beloved. My righteousness still resides right there at
the right hand of the Father, but God judiciously and mercifully
and graciously imputes it to his people. You see, we see in
this mediatorial work the vital gospel principles of substitution. We need a substitute, a high
priest of satisfaction to justice that must be made. and of the
imputation whereby God graciously bestows the merits of the Savior
to his people. And we need an eternal High Priest.
He hath perfected them forever, we just read. He was the one
we read of in Hebrews 7, who ever liveth to make intercession,
ever pleading before the Father that finished work on the cross
for his people. And that forevermore. Well that's
wonderful news and I hope that even today God will use this
story of King Uzziah to call someone to evaluate in their
heart of hearts where their hope lies and to ascertain and see
if they too are looking solely to the Savior in his finished
work of mediation. Some of you I know recall in
Isaiah chapter 6 we have the record of the prophet Isaiah's
calling in his conversion And there, King Uzziah's death is
mentioned in connection with the time of that conversion.
And accordingly, many who I read believe that God used this very
tragic event, the story we've looked at today, of his demise
and ultimate death in the providential working out of his purpose to
reveal himself to Isaiah. And so my prayer today is that
he might use this story the same way today. to reveal himself
as he is uniquely known through the person and mediatory work
of Christ, the one and only mediator.