We're back to Hebrews chapter
7. Hebrews chapter 7. Ever since
the fall, man has been alienated from God. We've all, the Scriptures say,
gone our own way. When Adam fell, he lost the way
to God, he lost the truth of God, he lost the life of God,
and we lost it in him. He was the federal head, the
representative, of the whole human race. And whatever he did,
we did. And when he died, we died. And
now we are born dead, spiritually now, spiritually dead to God. We have no spiritual life by
nature in any way, shape, or form. That's the way we are by
nature. So how am I, a sinful creature, the total opposite
of what God is? God is light. I am by nature
darkness. How am I able to go unto him, to have fellowship
with him, to speak to him again. How can I do that? Well, I know this, I cannot do
it as I am, as I was born. And I also know this, to be able
to come to God There must be a blood sacrifice. God cannot be approached by a
sinner without a blood sacrifice. God cannot be approached by a
sinner without a priest. There must be a sacrifice. There
must be blood. There must be a priest. There has to be a mediator between
me and God, one who can represent me, my needs, and one who represents
God. An umpire is called over in the
book of Job, an umpire, a mediator, a high priest. Now in verse 26 it says this, For such a high priest became
us. Oh, how important that is. Such a high priest became us. Do you know what that means? Here is what it means. This high priest that became
us is exactly what I need. That's what it means. He is,
Jesus Christ, is exactly who and what this sinner needs in
order to come to God, in order to be able to stand in God's
presence, in order to have fellowship with God, Christ is exactly the one I need. He's the mediator. He is the
representative. He is the sacrifice. His blood
is the blood of atonement. He is exactly what I need. He
is all that I need. I don't need anything else or
anyone else. I only need Him. God has provided
in him all we need, and we're going to see this in these next
few verses. He is suitable to us. He is qualified
in every way to accomplish the work of salvation, the work of
redemption. He is suitable in every way to
accomplish that. It says in verse 25, Wherefore,
because of who this man is, he is able and willing, he's able
also to save them to the uttermost, and you and I have heard this
over the years, to the guttermost, he's able to save to the guttermost. But it means this, he's able
to save them evermore. I don't have to worry. Will I
fall again and be lost? You know, I know there are denominations
that believe you're saved and you can be lost again. You can
be saved and lost again. You just better hope when you
die, you're on the saved end of it, if that were so. When
I was growing up on the farm, I used to have these daisies.
You know, you can pick a daisy. She loves me, she loves me not.
You better hope when you go, I'm lost, I'm saved, I'm lost.
You better hope the last one you're saved, if it was that
way. It's not that way. He is able to save them forevermore
that come unto God by him. We do not come unto God apart
from him. God will have absolutely nothing
to do with any sinner apart from Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer. He is our righteousness. He is
our all in all. That's what it says over in Colossians
chapter 3 verse 11. He is all and in all. So he's
able to say to the utmost, them that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them, he ever liveth to represent
them. I have a mediator. I have a high priest. who lives
forever to represent me before God." Now, how good is that? How good is that? That's eternal
security. There's eternal security. Such a high priest became us,
suited to us exactly who and what we need. God provided him.
All right, now let's look at him. Let's look at this high
priest. Let's look at this one who's able to say to the uttermost.
First of all, let's look at his life. It says here, who is holy, holy. His holiness, his righteousness
is not imputed to him. He's holy by virtue of who he
is, the Son of God. He's holy in nature. When they sing, holy, holy, holy,
those angels read over in Isaiah, they fly and they say, they cry,
holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Who are they talking about? Him. They're talking about the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is God manifest in the flesh. That's who he is. He's holy. He's holy. One writer said, he's holy within
and without. Through and through, he's holy. You and I are made the righteousness
of God in him. We have his righteousness imputed
to us. But it's not imputed to him,
it's his by nature. It's who he is. It's his character. His life was won of absolute
holiness. Never a sinful thought, never
a sinful action. Of course, if you don't have
a sinful thought, you're not going to have a sinful action. Because it starts
with a thought. Holy. And then he says he was
harmless. Harmless. When he was reviled,
he reviled not again. Sinners were welcomed in his
presence. He was harmless. They felt comfortable.
I brought this out in the Bible class. This man receives sinners
and he eats with them. They felt comfortable. They did
not feel like at any moment he was going to break loose on them.
Harmless. Harmless. Without malice. Without evil. He was merciful. He was compassionate. He looked
on that crowd, that hungry crowd that had followed him. And he
said, I have compassion on the multitude. And he fed them. He
fed them. His whole life, this cannot be
said of anyone else. His whole life was for the benefit
of others. His whole being, His whole incarnation
was for the benefit of someone else. Here's the charge they said to
Him on the cross. They said this to Him on the
cross. He saved others. Let's see if He can save Himself. He saved others. His whole life
was for the benefit of others. His whole life was for the benefit
of us. who believed the gospel, who were brought to faith, who
were born of God. And it says he was undefiled, without blemish. Without blemish. Pilate said,
I find no fault in him. Now, that's amazing. You and I can find fault with
anything, really. It is the nature of the natural
man to find fault with anything or anyone. You can find a blemish.
You can find a fault. But when Pilate looked at this
man, examined this man, he walked out and he said to the crowd,
I find no fault, no blemish in this man. That's because this
man is God. I find no fault. He was the spotless
Lamb of God inside and out. There was nothing unbecoming
in his character, in his conduct. He was holy, harmless, undefiled. Even though he walked among us,
we didn't rub off on him. You know, bad companions corrupt
good manners, don't they? They didn't corrupt his. He said, Satan has come, and
what? Finds nothing in me. There is nothing in me that he
can sink his teeth into. I tell you what, if he came here
this morning, he can find something in me. I guarantee you he can
find something in us to latch on to. But when he came to the
Lord, he could find nothing in him to tempt him with. He couldn't
in the wilderness. He was hungry 40 days, 40 nights. He's a real man now. He's really
hungry. You go 40 days, 40 nights without eating. He's really hungry. And he said, if you're the son
of God, Make those stones bread. Relieve your hunger. Couldn't
do it. Couldn't get him to do it, could
he? Wouldn't do it. You see, he didn't do anything
to relieve his own suffering. Not one time did our Lord ever
do anything to relieve his own suffering. He did everything
for others, not for himself. And then it says he's separate
from sinners. That doesn't mean he was standoffish.
Here's what this means. He was separated from all men
and all worldly occupations and entirely devoted to God. My need is to do the will of
Him that sent me. He was so totally dependent and
devoted to doing the will and work of his Father that he provided
nothing for the next day to eat. He didn't have a pantry. He didn't
have a refrigerator. He had no place to lay his head.
He depended on his Heavenly Father to send his food the next day
whenever he needed it. He was so devoted He didn't do
anything to provide for himself. That's how devoted our high priest
is. He never did anything other than
serve his Father perfectly. And then it says he's higher
than the heavens. That's because he's from heaven. No to be compared
to him in heaven and earth. far above Aaron's priesthood,
far above that old priesthood. He's so much better than that
old priesthood that it says he's higher than the heavens. What
can you compare it to? Nothing. And then look at his
sacrifice. Look down here in verse 27. Who
needeth not daily, as those high to offer up sacrifice, first
for his own sins. They had to offer up a sacrifice
for their sins, and then they would offer up a sacrifice for
the sins of the people. But listen, here is his sacrifice. It is so much better. This he
did once when he offered up himself. The high priest of old offered
up sacrifices day after day after day, and they can never take
away sin. Look over in chapter 10. Look in verse 1. For the law,
having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offer
year by year continually, make the comers thereunto Couldn't do it. But this man,
this man, his sacrifice is perfect. And it was offered
one time. One time. Look back in chapter 10 of Hebrews. Look in verse 11. After he had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, and that one sacrifice for sins was him, himself,
he sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting
until his enemy be made his good stool. For by one offering, here
is his perfect sacrifice. For by one offering he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified. How did he do it? By that one
offering. What was that one offering? Himself. He's exactly what we need. It
was himself. The high priest of old, he would
have to offer up one for himself, and then for the people, and
then he'd have to do it again, and again, and again. But Christ
knew no sin, had no sin, did no sin. offer up himself one time. One time. His sacrifice is the
perfect sacrifice that puts away sin. Now, where is he now? Where is he now? It says back
in verse 26, he is separate from sinners, and made higher than
the heavens. Now look over in chapter 8, verse
1 and 2. Now the things which we have
spoken, this is the Son. We have such a high priest who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the
heavens. Aaron never sat there. In fact,
Aaron did not sit down at all. His work was not finished. Our
Lord's work and sacrifice was so perfect. that when he, right
before he gave up the ghost, he cried, it is finished. They
buried him. He rose from the grave. He ascended
on high and he sat down. The work is done. Redemption
accomplished. It's done. Finished. And that's
where he is. He is seated. at God's right
hand. This priest, who became us, suitable
to us, exactly what we need, is seated at God's right hand,
representing us, interceding for us, there for us. He's not in a temple over in
Jerusalem, over Palestine. He's not there. He's in heaven. That's where he is. Seated at God's right hand. If he were on this earth, we wouldn't need him. Because
Aaron was doing that work. That's what it says on over here. If he were on earth, in verse
4 of chapter 8, for if he were on earth, he should not be a
priest. Seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according
to the law. But he's not on earth. He's in heaven. Seated at God's
right hand. Representing a people. Interceding
for a people. Forevermore. Forevermore. Now let's look at the perfection
of his person. Look in verse 28. For the law maketh men high
priests. That was established when God
gave the law. Mount Sinai and the priesthood
was set up. The law maketh men a high priest,
which have infirmities. They're sinners. Sinners saved by grace, but they're
still just sinners, just like you and I. But the word of the oath, which
was after the law, which I read to you in Psalm 110, maketh the
Son, the Son of God, God, the second person
in the Trinity. He was made our high priest. He was made our mediator. He was made our representative. Can there be a better one than
that? Can we have a better one than God Himself representing
us? Can we have a better one than
God interceding for us? Can we have one better than God
dying for us? Does it not say in Acts that
God purchased the church with His own blood? This is attributed
to God. That's who represents us. I need one who is able to save
to the uttermost, and we have that one in the Son of God. We have that one in the Son of
God. He is the Son of God. He is God. This priest that we have, seated
at God's right hand, is God. He's seated there in human flesh. He's God. Listen, He's God and
yet He's a real man. There is a real man, flesh and
bone, seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, representing
a multitude of sinners. A multitude of sinners that was
given to him by the Father before the world began. And he's right
there representing them. Just as Adam, just as Adam represented
the whole human race, the Lord Jesus Christ represents that
whole heavenly race. He represents that. He is God incarnate, God in the
flesh, set apart to be the priest that we need. We have the sacrifice. We have
a perfect sacrifice. We have this perfect man, God-man. We have this perfect priest,
perfect work, perfect intercession. Listen, Jesus Christ is exactly
what we need. It says, let me read to you once
again, for such a high priest became us, suited to us, just for us. is what we need,
and we need no more.