Let's read just one verse. We'll
consider it briefly in its context, but let's just read verse 25. That's our text. Bobbie just concluded the hymn
that she sang that we know, we know that he is able. That is
the Lord Jesus Christ. There's much we don't know. Have
to confess that. Much we don't understand. Much
we can't comprehend. We're dealing with God. What
sort of God would it be if we could comprehend Him? But we
do know, being the God-man, He is able. He is able. And that's
exactly what we read in this text of Scripture. Wherefore,
He is able in light of who He is. Verse 24, this man, because
he continued with ever Not like those earthly priests, they died
and others took their place. Our high priest lives forever,
forever. Therefore, 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. You know, I've pointed
out every time I think that I've preached from this passage, or
rather this book, Hebrews, that the key word in the book is better,
better. Christ is better in comparison
to the priesthood. He's better. To the offering
of the high priest, Christ is better. Look at verse 27. Speaking
of him, that is Christ, our ever-living high priest, who needeth not
daily as those high priests under the Levitical priesthood, needeth
not as them to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins, he had
none, and then for the sins of the peoples. For this he did
once, and here's that better sacrifice, when he offered up
himself, He offered up himself. That being the case, that he
offered himself without spot to God. That one that we read
about earlier in Revelation 5, who alone was found worthy. He
offered himself. Therefore, we expect that his
sacrifice would produce much better, everlasting results,
since this is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world
in the purpose of God and has prevailed. He has accomplished
our eternal redemption. Yes, he's better by far. Look again in chapter 10. Again,
following this comparison of the earthly priest and their
sacrifices and the outcome of those sacrifices, Paul continues
to write in that same vein. In Hebrews 10 verse 4, for it
is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take
away sins. Not God himself command those
to be offered at one time under the law? Yes, but they were only
types and shadows of he that was to come. They were never
intended to take away sin. They couldn't. Oh, but look at
verse 5. Wherefore, when he cometh, when
he cometh, now it's about to change. When he cometh into the
world, he saith, Now this is Christ, our high priest, speaking
to God. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst
not, but a body hast thou prepared me. Verse 10. By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of that body, the body of Jesus Christ
once for all. Verse 12. But this man, after
he offered one sacrifice, we read in chapter 7, he offered
himself He offered one sacrifice for sins forever. It had this
blessed result. He sat down. He sat down because
the work was done. He sat down on the right hand
of God. Verse 14, for by one offering,
he had perfected forever them that are sanctified. Back in
chapter 7, verse 25 again, wherefore, wherefore, Because he, unlike
the earthly priest, continues forever, unchanging in his person,
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Whatever
worth he has, he yet has. Whatever merit he has before
God Almighty, he yet has. He never changes in his person,
in his acceptance before God, in his intercession as our high
priest never changes. He ever liveth. He ever liveth. Now, true, he did die. And by
dying, he obtained eternal redemption. He put away all the sins of his
people. Oh, but now he lives. He lives
to apply the blessed fruit of that redemption. The prisoners
must be set free by his mighty grace. In Exodus chapter 15,
in that song giving glory to God that led the children of
Israel across the Red Sea, They sing that God in his mercy has
led forth the people which thou hast redeemed. They weren't redeemed
at the Red Sea. They were redeemed that night
when God passed through and the Passover lamb whose blood was
upon the doorpost, he saw and therefore passed over them. That's
when they were redeemed. Oh, but now he brings forth those
people. And our great high priest does
the same. I think that verse in Exodus
15 is much like what our Lord said in John chapter 6. All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh unto
me I will in no wise cast out. The great shepherd who laid down
his life for his sheep now lives to seek and save every one of
his sheep, to apply the glorious benefits of that redemption. that they in time experienced
that pardon that he purchased for them. Turn if you will for
a moment to Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5. We see both
of these things spoken of here in Romans 5 verses 10 and 11. The death of our glorious substitute
and the results of it. And why he now lives to apply
the results of his redemption. Verse 10 of Romans 5. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life,
he ever liveth. But not only so, but we also
joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
the atonement." We have now received the atonement. What's Paul mean? The atonement was made when Christ
died upon the cross. Redemption was accomplished then
and there. What does he mean now that we
have received the atonement? We now receive the benefits of
that blessed atonement, the glorious application of all that he worked
out for us in his death upon the cross. That is why he saves
to the uttermost. He ever liveth to intercede for
those for whom he died. In John chapter 17, you see this
again. I pray not for the world, he
said, but for those whom you gave me out of the world. He
prays and intercedes for those he's about to lay down his life
for. And as we read in chapter 10
a moment ago, he died once. He died one time. Because once
was enough. once got the job done, once did
everything that it was intended to do in the death of God's Son,
and once that death reaps everlasting consequences. Our text says it
brings uttermost salvation. Uttermost salvation, Mike. I like the sound of that, don't
you? Uttermost salvation. Now, most
people, most people aren't interested in that. Our Lord said to the
religious folks of his day, those that are sick have need of a
physician. The whole don't need a physician.
All those who know themselves to be uttermost sinners, are
glad to hear that Jesus Christ brings to them an uttermost salvation,
that his mighty grace is able to save to the uttermost. What does that mean? To uttermost? As much as they need saving.
Uttermost here means forever. It could be translated forever. Eternal salvation. Our Lord said
they shall never perish. If the salvation of a sinner
is entirely dependent upon the great shepherd of the sheep,
if he's responsible for them, if he's their surety, Paul speaks
about that in this epistle of Hebrews, if he's their surety,
if he became responsible before God the Father for them. And
when he did that, when he did that, in the everlasting covenant
of grace, God ceased to look to them for satisfaction. Now he looks to his son, and
his son is able to save to the uttermost as much as they need
saving. Therefore, he says, They shall
never perish. They shall never perish. They're
in my hand. How can they perish? Who can
pluck them out? Who's able? Oh, not from the
hand of the great shepherd of the sheep. And this word uttermost
means also to perfection. To perfection. Would God not
perfect the work that he began? He that had begun a good work
in you, will He not perform it, perfect it, complete it until
the day of Jesus Christ? Will He not? Has God Almighty
ever put His hand to any work, any purpose that He did not fulfill
perfectly? Who will stop Him? Who will stop
Him? We speak of the great God and
Savior and especially this great work of salvation The work that
his grace has begun, his grace shall complete. Paul said that
God, in Romans chapter 8, let me read you this familiar text
of Scripture. For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Oh my,
that sounds like uttermost salvation. That sounds like perfect salvation.
We're being conformed to the image of God's Son? No greater
perfection than that. For whom he did foreknow, he
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
the Son, that is he, the Son, might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Yes, an eternal, everlasting,
perfect salvation. Let's consider. We'll be brief. Three things. Consider this great
ability of our great high priest to save sinners to the uttermost
first of all by considering the sinners themselves. Look at what
he's got to work with, Lester. Look at what he's got to work
with. That should be ample evidence
to show that salvation must be of the Lord. They need uttermost
saving, uttermost saving, like the old hymn by Joseph Hart.
He put it this way. To understand these things are
right, this grand distinction should be known, should be known. Though all are sinners in God's
sight, there are but few so in their own. Ask them. Ask them. Ask him, and that will prove
heart's point. Not many know that they're sinners.
To such as these our Lord was sent, they're only sinners who
repent. What comfort can a Savior bring
to those who never felt their woe? A sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost had made him so. Really? Really? That's necessary
as well? Oh yes, that's a work of grace
as well. Everyone that has learned of
the Father, our Lord said, what cometh unto me? Everyone that
learns their utter need of a Savior, that learns that they're a sinner
to the uttermost, come to the Savior that can save to the uttermost. A sinner is a sacred thing, the
Holy Ghost hath made him so. New life from him we must receive
before for sin we rightly grieve. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 wrote,
In Adam all stumped their toe. In Adam all suffered a slight
wound. Oh no, oh no. In Adam all die,
all die spiritually, looking at the sinner, not how he fancies
himself to be, not like he's been told he is, but as he really
is, looking at that sinner, dead in trespasses and sins. Who then
can be saved? Who then can be saved? Remember
who asked that question? It was disciples. Remember of
whom they asked that question? The rich young ruler. The disciples
were impressed with him. I mean, this young man sought
out Christ. This young man did what the religious
leaders would never do. He bowed down before the Son
of God. And he said, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
And the disciples looked at him and thought, what a fine exemplary
young man this must be. And the Lord Jesus Christ sent
that young man away sorrowful. And he said, oh, it's impossible
with man. Who then can be saved? Ezekiel,
our Lord asked the prophet, looking over that valley, of dead, dry
bones. Ezekiel, can these bones live? Can these bones live? Remember
what he said to his disciples concerning his friend, his friend
Lazarus? He said, our friend Lazarus is
dead. Again, I ask the question, who
then can be saved? And how sad it is, Mike. I would
to God that it wasn't so, but it's so. You know that it's so.
In answer to the question, who then can be saved? In answer
to the question, can these bones live? The answer that religion
gives is yes. Yes, that's easy. It's easy. I can be saved, sinners are told,
by taking the first step to God. Just about everybody believes
that. That's what they've been told
all of their life. That's what they want to believe.
That sad news, because that's what it is, receives a ready
hearing. Because sinners like to hear
that God is in their hands. That God is at their beck and
call. That God's like the spare tire. I'll use him when I need him.
Otherwise, he can stay in the trunk. I'll use him when I have
a need of him. Oh, the rebels love to hear God's
done all that he can. And now it's up to you. Oh, that
gives them sleep at night. And churches are filled with
those who've done that very thing. You remember? When our Lord spoke
in John 6 to that multitude that had followed Him with their feet,
they followed Him with their feet. That's what most people
conceive coming to Christ consists of, moving your feet. And these
people followed Christ physically and He looked at them and said,
you haven't really come to me, my soul. He said, no man can
truly come to me. No man can come savingly unless
the father who sent me draw him, fetch him, bring him to me. No man can come unto me savingly
otherwise. And they didn't like that. And
then Christ spoke of Sovereign mercy and grace. They didn't
like that. And then finally they said, this
is a hard saying. Who can receive it? We don't
have to hear this. And that multitude that came
to Christ with their feet turned and left the same way with their
feet. And that multitude, I wonder
where they went. Filling up churches. Just filling
up churches. But now here are a few left. And our Lord says to them, will
you also go away? Will you also go away? Do you
want to join the crowd? Do you want to go where the crowd
is? Do you want to join all the hoopla and all the noise and
all the commotion? Do you want the glory in the
flesh? You want to join up? Or you want to remain here? Peter
said, Lord, Where else are we gonna go? Got nowhere else to
go, Mike. Nowhere else to go. Because Lord,
you have the words of eternal life. You're the Christ. Nobody
else is. If we leave you, we leave the
only mediator between God and man. If we leave you, we leave
the way, the truth, and the life. If we leave you, we leave that
name in which there is salvation in none other. Where can we go? Blessed is that man or woman
that has been so taught of the Father that in his heart of hearts
there has been implanted the seed of God's undying grace from
which faith springs, and he says, I can't go away. Nowhere else to go. Oh, yes. Thank God for that. And yet,
as I said, so sad, so tragic to see that multitude. I don't
mean in our Lord's day. I mean in our day. I've got loved
ones in that crowd. loved ones following that crowd. And it's heartbreaking because
I hear them describe the Jesus that they're trusting. And then
I come to the Word of God and read how he's described here.
And one of them is an imposter. They both can't be the same.
One of them cannot be the true God and Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. And how tragic that is that a
sinner is trusting another Jesus, another Jesus. How sad, how sad. And when they hear, when they
hear that it is salvation, that it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy, when
they hear that salvation is of the Lord, they respond, my soul,
I've never heard such a thing. Where did that come from? The
Word of God. Where is that message? It's the
message of God's Word. It's the gospel of God's free
grace. I'll tell you what, I'll tell
you what. If I didn't believe that it pleases God through the
foolishness of preaching to save sinners, that that's the means
that God uses and nothing else, if I didn't firmly believe that,
if I didn't believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the
power of God unto salvation, if I really didn't believe that,
I'd throw in the towel. I'm telling you the truth. I'd
throw in the towel. I would be the first one out
the door. Shut her down. Just shut her down. Oh, but bless
God, His Word is the power of God unto salvation. His glorious
gospel, the gospel of the blessed God, the everlasting gospel that
concerns God's Son, that gospel that speaks of salvation being
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the means that
God uses to call out His elect, and I believe that. I believe
that and God keep me faithful to it. The gospel is all that
he proclaims it to be. That is the gospel that we shall
preach. Look for nothing else. I won't
resort to tricks and gimmicks. Oh, no. Pray that God would be
pleased to bless the gospel concerning his son. Look at what he has
to work with. sinners. Oh, but now look what
his grace does to uttermost sinners. Look at it from that aspect.
He saves those uttermost sinners with an uttermost salvation. Oh, look at that view of his
mighty grace. See Lazarus. See Lazarus again. Lazarus is dead. Lazarus is in
the tomb. Martha, he can't hear you. Mary, he's not aware of your
tears. You may call his name in heartbroken
sorrow, but he no longer can respond. He can't see. He's dead. He can't come out
of that tomb. He's dead. And people say, oh,
yes, but his will is still intact. No, no. Mike, his will is dead
with him. His will is dead as the rest
of them. His will is not some independent
outside of his nature. No, it's a part of his fallen
nature. That's why our Lord said to fallen
sinners, you will not come to me. No man will come to me unless
the Father who had sent me draw him Lazarus. is dead. Oh, but look. Oh, my soul, look. What a wonder. Lazarus is coming
out of the tomb. Here's Lazarus. He's still bound
with gray cloths, but here he is shimmying out of that tomb.
Mmm, he's coming out Lazarus is alive. How can that be? How can that be? I'll tell you
how it is just like this just as our Lord said Verily I say
unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
but is passed from death unto life. Verily the hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God, and they that hear shall live." I want to read that again. They
hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear be rebels
though they are. be prodigals though they are.
If the Son of God speaks to them and says, live, they shall live. It doesn't make no difference
how great a sinner they are. Greater is His grace than their
sin. Where sin reigns, His grace reigns
much more. Glory to His name. That's what
happens to Lazarus. He heard the voice of the Son
of God. That's why he came out of the
tomb. That's how it happened. Listen to this. You know the
story well. Why did Lazarus come out of that
tomb? He was dead. Christ himself said he was dead.
He'd been dead four days. Martha said, man, he's been in
that tomb so long, he stinks. And now here he comes out alive.
What in the world happened? Well, I'll tell you what. Free
will didn't do it. A preacher didn't do it. The
pope didn't do it. The church didn't do it. Oh,
no. He who is the resurrection and
the life did it. He who told Martha, Martha, your
brother's going to rise again. Martha, I'm the resurrection. I wonder how Martha viewed the
Lord Jesus Christ after she saw her brother rise from the dead.
I wonder how she viewed him after that. Oh, now, now I think I
have a better understanding of his words, I'm the resurrection
and the life. When she thought of those blessed
words after that, she didn't think of a far off distant event.
She thought of him, Jesus Christ himself, who's able to save unto
the uttermost. Father, I thank thee that thou
hearest me, he says this in front of the tomb of Lazarus. And I
knew that thou hearest me always. But because the people which
stand by have said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent
me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth. Miracle of miracles. Reigning,
conquering grace. He that was dead came forth. And that's how any sinner, that's
a picture of how any sinner comes forth out of death to walk in
newness of life. You had he quickened. Child of
God, think of that. You had he quickened who were
dead. You were dead. You were dead
spiritually and as helpless spiritually as Lazarus was in the tomb. You
could not hear. You could not see. You could
not will to come to Christ until he came in his mighty grace and
power and said, live. Then you believed. Then you were
willing. Then you came as a result of his first coming to you. You had he quickened who were
dead. Oh, yes. Look at the result of
his glorious salvation, the result of that one who sits upon the
throne, worthy, able to save to the uttermost. Ask Barnabas. Oh, we could go every miracle. Every miracle is a demonstration
of his saving grace. That's what they picture. Oh,
what they picture is greater than the miracle itself, the
miracle of God's glorious salvation. Ask Barnabas. Ask that leper. Ask that woman with the issue
of blood, who'd spent every dime she had on physicians and wasn't
made whole until she came to the great physician and touched
his healing virtue. When his virtue, his merit, his
worthiness flowed out of him into her, she was made perfectly
whole, uttermost, remember? That's one definition of the
word perfection. What happened? And they would
all say, Jesus did it. Jesus of Nazareth did it all. Ask this rebel. Ask this rebel. Why is this rebel saved? Who
made me to differ from another? Why did I obtain mercy? Because he is able to save to
the uttermost. My answer is this. In the words
of the old hymn, it was grace that taught my heart to pray.
and made my eyes overflow. It's grace that's kept me to
this day and will not let me go." I like that. I like that. Because he's able to say to the
uttermost all. That even includes this depraved
sinner. All that come unto God by him. I'll stand with the Apostle Paul
and say, but I am what I am by the grace of God. There's no
other explanation. No other reason that this sinner
should taste the glorious salvation of the blessed God. Now, last
of all, we've considered this uttermost salvation as viewed
in the sinner, as viewed in that sinner saved. Oh, but now, let's
come to the very sweetness. The very jewel, the very blessed
jewel of the diadem, Jesus Christ himself. Oh, there it is. There's the answer. He's the
uttermost savior. We read there in verse 25, he
is able. Oh, wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me? We've all cried that. He is able. No one else is. Oh, but he is. He is. This is what Isaiah saw. And he answered the question.
He asked, who is this? Who is this that cometh up from
Edom with garments dyed red, as one who hath trod in the wine's
fat? And listen to his answer. I that
speak in righteousness, I that travel in the greatness of strength,
speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. Mighty to save. Oh, this uttermost sinner needs
an uttermost savior. And he says, I'm exactly what
you need. I'm all that you need. You're
complete in me. He says, I've trodden the winepress
alone. And of the people, there was
none with me. He says, I looked, and there
was none to help. And I wondered if there was none
to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation unto me. Yes, Jesus Christ is able to
save to the uttermost all that cometh to God by him. No cases are too hard for him. None too fallen, none too sinful. Yes, he's able to reach way down. He had to reach way down for
me. And he was able to reach way
down for me. Oh, behold him, our glorious
high priest, ever living, ever interceding and the grounds of
his effectual intercession before God Almighty is not our merit. Thank God, not that. No such
thing. He doesn't plead our worth, but
his own. His own. Think of that, child
of God. When you lie down at night, think
of that. What is the worth of the Son
of God? How much merit does He have interceding
before God on your behalf? How pleasing is He to God Almighty? How accepted is God's own Son? We can't reach that high. We
can't dive that deep. It's without limit. The Lord
Jesus Christ, we're told, though he was rejected by the builders,
Peter says he's chosen of God and precious. Precious. View him. View him. Consider him. Altogether lovely. Without flaw. Without fault. Without sin. Perfect, perfect. And then ask yourself, why wouldn't
God? Why wouldn't God hear him? Why wouldn't God accept him?
Why wouldn't God be pleased with him and with all those who are
in him? Behold the captain of our salvation. Salvation is his work. Salvation
is his doing. And salvation is his responsibility. That's why he came to this earth.
God sent him. That's why he was made like unto
his brethren. That's why he was named Jesus
to save his people from their sins. He didn't do that for a
possibility. Behold him living under the law
and fulfilling all righteousness, rendering to God perfect, complete
satisfaction. Behold him being made sin. being
made a curse for his people, forsaken by God for a possibility? For a possibility? Nonsense. Never, never. And then, then,
seen with, as the old hymn writer put it, as Bobby sang for us
Sunday morning, viewing him, our ever-living, effectual, intercessing
high priest, He ever lives above for me to intercede. His all-redeeming
love, his precious blood to plead. His blood atoned for all his
race and sprinkles now the throne of grace. The father hears his
prayer. His dear anointed one, he cannot
turn away the presence of his son. His spirit answers to the
blood and tells me I and born of God. Yes, he's able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing that
he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Understand, and then
we'll come to a close. When we read of his intercession
before the throne of God in the presence of God for us, It's
not like he's trying to persuade God to do something that he's
not inclined to do. That's not what it means at all,
and of course you know that. It's not that he's perpetually
reminding God of his atonement at Calvary. No, no, no. What
it means is his very presence. His very presence is enough. His very presence itself is proof
that His sacrifice is accepted. His presence before God, for
us, speaks everlasting satisfaction and is the proof, proof, that
He obtained our eternal redemption. With such a Redeemer, with such
a surety, with such a high priest, child of God, how can those for
whom he intercedes not be saved to the uttermost? What reason
can there be for them not being saved with an everlasting salvation,
seeing that he himself intercedes for them? Oh, with such a Savior
as he is, why wouldn't we be? Think of it. Let me close by
reading the last verse of another of my favorite hymns. I've got a bunch of them. When
with holy choirs we're standing in the presence of the king,
and our souls are lost in wonder while the white-robed choirs
sing, then we'll praise the name of Jesus with the millions round
the throne. Praise him for the power that
reaches deeper than the stain is gone. Praise the Lord for
full salvation. God still reigns upon his throne. And I know the blood still reaches
deeper than the stain has gone. Thank God that's good news. Uttermost
salvation for this uttermost sinner. Amen.