between the holy, righteous,
just, and true God of heaven and earth, and all men, there
is a warfare. All men by nature hate God, you
and me included. We are born with hearts which
are enmity against God. The scripture says the carnal
mind, heart of the natural man is enmity against God. Doesn't
say it is at enmity with God, but enmity. That means that man
by nature hates God. Hates the fact that he is. Hates
the fact that he rules. Hates the fact that he is in
control of all things. Hates the fact that one day he
must answer to this holy, righteous, and just God. Man by nature hates
God. And so he lives in constant warfare
and rebellion against God. If we could, if we could, we'd
kill him. Now that's just man's nature.
That's man's nature. That's what we all are by nature.
We can't, but if we could, we would. We can't resist his will,
but if we could, we'd break his arms. We can't topple his throne,
but if we could, we would. We would make ourselves God.
And so we, being angry against God, are under his constant wrath. We, being rebels against God,
deserve his wrath. And God Almighty, in his holiness,
justice, and truth, is at war against man. The anger of the
Lord is against the wicked continually. The Lord is angry with the wicked
every day. God Almighty is angry with those
nations that forget him. God's wrath abides upon the ungodly. I know we live in an age and
generation in which religious Soothsayers have convinced the
world that God loves everybody and God couldn't possibly send
anybody to hell and God's not angry with anybody. I'm telling
you, that's a lie. It is not according to this book.
He who is God Almighty must punish sin. He will punish sin, and
it's right for him to punish sin. Justice demands that he
punish sin. And if God in his justice finds
you a rebel against him, to hell you will go, and all the world
will say amen, including yourself. The fact is, God's warfare against
man is just. Now this warfare is a warfare.
that neither God nor man can put an end to in their essential
character. God Almighty cannot put an end
to the warfare in his essential being as God because he justly
must punish sin. And man cannot put an end to
the warfare because he will not and because he cannot satisfy
for his own sins. But the God-man, the Lord Jesus
Christ, our great God and Savior, came here in human flesh, God
and man in one glorious person to put an end to the warfare
and to make reconciliation between God and man, and he's done it.
Now let's look together tonight at Hebrews chapter 2, verses
17 and 18. I want to show you the purpose
of Christ's priesthood, the purpose of our Lord Jesus becoming our
great high priest. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 17.
Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God." Now look at it. In order to be a high
priest, merciful and faithful, in order to do his work as our
high priest, it was necessary for him who is God the to become
one of us, to be made like unto his brethren for this purpose,
now look at it, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. And
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succor them that are tempted. All right, now tonight let me
show you three things from this text of scripture. Number one,
our priest in heaven. Number two, our preservation
in trouble. And number three, our privilege
on the earth. All right, first let's look at
our priest in heaven. The principal thing I want you
to see this evening is that the primary work of Christ as our
great high priest was to make reconciliation or atonement for
the sins of his people. He is a merciful and faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people. Now we commonly talk about atonement,
and the strict word for atonement means covering. It is that word
that was used when the high priest would come in on the Day of Atonement
every year with the blood of the Paschal Lamb and sprinkle
the mercy seat, which overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant, in which
was the broken law of God Almighty. And when he would come in and
put the blood on the mercy seat, covering the law, covering the
sins of the people, then God said, I'll meet you on the mercy
seat between the cherubim. When justice has been satisfied
ceremonially, God said, I'll meet you. And that was a picture
of what Christ has done, putting away our sin, covering our sin.
The word atonement really means, in its essence, at one with. That's the basic meaning of the
word. When blood is shed and sprinkled upon the mercy seat
and redemption obtained, when sins have been put away just
as satisfied by the death of Jesus Christ, God Almighty in
his holiness and fallen, depraved sinners chosen by his grace are
now at one. We are at one with God. That's
what atonement is. The word that's used in the New
Testament is reconciliation. Turn to Romans chapter 5 for
just a moment. Romans the 5th chapter. Look
at verse 10. We'll come back to this in a
moment, the Lord willing, but look here at verse 10. Go back to
verse 9. Much more then, being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Since
we've been justified, we're going to be saved according to God's
purpose. 4. 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. And not only so,
but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
we have now received the atonement. Do you see how it's used? And
the word atonement here, really again, is the word reconciliation. Look in 2 Corinthians 5 for just
a moment. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17. When
we come preaching the gospel to sinners, the good news we
proclaim to men is not good advice, it is not even an offer of good
things, but rather it is the declaration of good things accomplished. It is the declaration of atonement
made. It's the declaration of reconciliation
accomplished by Jesus Christ the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 5
verse 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he's a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold,
all things are become new. Now in reality, in the context,
that verse of scripture has nothing to do with regeneration. It has
nothing to do with a new birth. It has nothing to do with the
experience of grace. It doesn't talk about that. This
is talking about reconciliation. Reconciliation accomplished at
Calvary. When Jesus Christ died in my
room instead, All the old things were passed away. God says, I'll
look, I'll search, and there shall be no sin found against
Israel. Jeremiah 50 verse 20. He does
not behold iniquity in Israel, nor sin in Jacob. That's what
the book says. Old things are passed away. The
old record of transgression is gone because Christ has purged
away our sins. And behold, all things are become
new. This is the name whereby he is
called Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. And if you
turn over to Jeremiah 33, 16 at your leisure, you'll find
the very same name given to God's church. This is the name whereby
she shall be called Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. Because we are now made the righteousness
of God in him. In preaching the gospel then,
we simply declare to sinners that Jesus Christ has put away
sin. He's put all old things away
for his people and made all things new. And now we call on you to
receive the atonement, to believe him. And believing him, God sprinkles
your conscience with the blood of Christ and speaks peace. Read
on, verse 18, 2 Corinthians 5, 18. And all things are of God,
this making you a new creation, making old things to pass away
and all things become new, who hath reconciled us." Now, you
see the word? Let's tell you what verse 17
is talking about. "...who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation."
And quite literally, it's the word of reconciliation. We've
come preaching the word of reconciliation. Some of you are yet under the
wrath of God. Here's the word of reconciliation.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, the world
of his elect, his elect scattered throughout the world. How is
that? Not imputing their trespasses
unto them. Not imputing sin to them, but
rather imputing our sins to his son. And hath committed unto
us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for God. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you in Christ's name. Be ye reconciled to God. This is what we do in preaching
the gospel. I'm calling for you who are God's enemies, for you
who yet live in rebellion against God Almighty, who would, if you
could, shove your fist in God's face, and not only shove your
fist in his face, if you could, you'd kill him! I'm calling on
you to put down your weapons of warfare and kiss the sun! Be reconciled to God. How is
that? Be reconciled to God, for he
hath made him to be sin for us. who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him." This high priest,
the Lord Jesus Christ, is that one who has reconciled God and
his sinful people by making atonement for the sins of the people. This
reconciliation, this atonement for sin, is the primary work
for which our Lord Jesus Christ was made a priest. Turn to 1
John 2. Let me show it to you another
way. Christ's atonement for sin is the foundation and source
of all his other works as our high priest. Rex read just a
portion of that high priestly prayer offered in John 17 by
our Lord Jesus, where all that he does as our high priest, all
his work as our high priest is based upon his finished work
of reconciliation. My little children, 1 John 2,
these things write I unto you. that you sin not. We are often
accused when we preach free grace of saying, well let us sin that
grace may abound. Oh no. I preach free grace to you that
you sin not. Don't sin. Don't sin. And if
you're gods, I know you don't want to. We acknowledge that
sin's mixed with all we do, but we hate the sin that's in us.
And if any man sin, now when you do sin, when you do sin,
well God's going to be angry with you. Is that what it says?
What happens when the believer says, we have, we have, bless
God, nothing's changed, we have, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ, we have an advocate before God the Father,
representing us to the Father, a blessed advocate, He is Jesus,
our Savior, Christ, the anointed of God the Messiah, the righteous
one. And he is the propitiation, the
justice-satisfying sacrifice, the justice-satisfying atonement. He is the mercy seat for our
sins, and not for ours only. That is not just us who here
believe, but for God's elect throughout the whole world, also
for the sins of the whole world. by the sacrifice of himself at
Calvary. Our substitute, the Lord Jesus,
has faithfully executed his office as our great High Priest in things
pertaining to God, and he has effectually reconciled us to
God by the blood of his cross. For by his precious blood, Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, has put away our sin. He made reconciliation
for the sins of the people by putting away our sins through
the sacrifice of himself. Let's look again at Romans chapter
3. Very familiar text of scripture, but a text of scripture that
needs to be not just committed to memory, but committed to understanding
by the teaching of God. Romans 3, 24. Being justified
freely. Freely, without a cause. Without
a cause on our part. Without a cause in us. Without
something we do, David. Freely. Freely, without a cause.
The scripture says they hated me without a cause, referring
to our Lord Jesus. Same word. Hated me freely. Without any cause in me. We're
justified freely without any cause in ourselves. By His grace. But this justification that comes
to us freely costs the Son of God dear. through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation. There's that word again. It's
the word mercy-seeking. It's the word justice-satisfying
atonement through faith in his blood. Our faith, now, our faith
didn't justify us, but we received the atonement. We received this
reconciliation. We are ourselves reconciled in
our hearts to God by faith in his blood. To declare God's righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say at this time,
His righteousness. The gospel is a declaration of
God's righteousness in the forgiveness of sin. That He might be just
and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Now our Lord
Jesus, with His own blood, He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Listen to
this. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Atonement
has been made. Reconciliation has been accomplished
by the blood of Christ shed at Calvary. But if we're to understand
the nature of our Lord's sacrifice, if we're to understand the efficacy
of His atonement, certain questions need to be answered. Very simple,
very plain questions. Questions that are answered clearly
in the book of God. Number one, who was the sacrificer? Turn to Ephesians 2 and you'll
see. Ephesians 2. I'm sorry, chapter 5, in verse
2. In the Old Testament you had, in order for men to approach
God in the tithes and ceremonies of the law, you had to have an
altar, you had to have a priest to make a sacrifice, and you
had to have a sacrifice to be offered. Who was the sacrificer? The Lord Jesus Christ himself,
our great high priest. He is our priest. He is our altar. We have no material altar any
more than we have a material priest. People, you know, I go
places sometimes to preach and they still have altar calls.
They still have these little idolatrous bitches down front.
And they call folks to come to the altar. I put an end to it.
Not while I'm preaching. Not while I'm preaching. Oh no.
We have an altar. I'll no more call me into a physical
altar than I'd call him to a physical priest. Christ is our priest
and Christ is our altar. Read on. And as Christ is our
priest and altar, he is our sacrifice and he is the one who offers
himself to God. Ephesians 5 verse 2. Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given himself for an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling Saviour. It is true the sword
of justice slew our Saviour, but he is the one in whose hand
the sword of justice is, for he is himself God. Our Lord Jesus
was not made to die by any hand but his own hand, or any will
but his own will. He gave up the ghost, he laid
down his life, himself. A second question, what was the
sacrifice? By what sacrifice was atonement
made? By what sacrifice could atonement
be made? Our Lord said in Hebrews 10,
the blood of goats and of calves could never take away sin. No
sacrifice you or I make, be it ever so costly, be it ever so
noble, be it ever so painful, be it ever so, ever so sacrificial,
can take away one sin. before God Almighty. Don't try
to make a bargain with God. Don't try to offer something
to God on condition that He offers something to you. It's not going
to happen. It's not going to happen. The only thing you've
got to offer God is more sin. You cannot by any sacrifice you
make put away sin or in any way diminish your guilt before God
or diminish His wrath against you. How then can sin be put
away? Only by the sacrifice of Christ
Himself. Look in 1 John 3 verse 16. The Lord Jesus Christ gave himself. He laid down his life. He gave
his whole being, body, soul, and spirit into the hands of
divine justice to die for man, for our sins. He laid down his
life for us. 1 John 3 verse 16. Hereby perceive
we the love of God. Because he laid down his life
for us. The sacrifice of Christ, we often
say is his blood. But the life is in the blood.
His blood represents all that he is. When he poured out his
life's blood unto death, he had given all. He gave himself for
us to put away our sins. His human nature was the sacrifice.
His divine nature was the author on which the sacrifice and gift
were made. And that divine nature upon which
the sacrifice was made makes the sacrifice of his human nature
meritorious and acceptable. Third, to whom was the sacrifice
offered? There are some totally ignorant
of scripture, totally ignorant of the gospel, totally ignorant
of the things of God, who would tell us that the Lord Jesus offered
himself to Satan. He didn't owe anything to Satan.
He offered himself to God. There are others who tell you
that in preaching the Lord Jesus offers himself to you. He does
not offer himself to you. I beg to differ. Where in this
book do you find Jesus Christ offering himself to anybody?
Won't you please accept Jesus? That's not the issue. Will he
accept you? That's the question. He doesn't
offer himself to man. He doesn't offer himself for
you to give thumbs up or thumbs down to him. The Lord Jesus,
by the eternal Spirit, offered himself as a sacrifice for sin
to God Almighty against whom sin was committed, to God Almighty
whose justice has been offended. Sin was committed against God,
therefore the sacrifice must be made to God. It is God whose
justice must be satisfied. It is the hands of God's law
from which we must be ransomed. For whom? For whom was this sacrifice
made? It was offered for the people. He came to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people. When Aaron was a high priest
before Israel, he wore the breastplate on which were the names of the
twelve tribes of Israel. Now you read the Old Testament
carefully. You read it carefully. In the Old Testament this doctrine
was taught as clearly as it is taught in the New Testament.
Never once, never once was any sacrifice made or any prayer
offered for all people on the earth, not even one time. Aaron
was a high priest for Israel. The sacrifice was made for Israel. Atonement was accomplished for
Israel, and only for Israel. And the blessings based upon
the atonement were given to Israel, and only to Israel. And even
so, our Lord Jesus Christ, as our great high priest, wears
our names engraved not only on the palms of his hand, but on
his very heart. as those whose names are written
with his in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation
of the world, and he offers sacrifice for his Israel, and makes atonement
for his Israel. The Lord Jesus, again in that
high priestly prayer in John 17, never prayed for the world,
he's a priest. He's a priest for somebody in
particular. And he states this emphatically. I pray not for
the world. John 17.9, John 17.20. I pray
not for the world. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. And our
Lord Jesus offered his sacrifice for those whose sins are actually
purged by his sacrifice, for whom atonement has been made,
and who are actually reconciled to God by him. The sacrifice
was offered to God for those who by faith receive the atonement. Again I ask you to turn to Romans
5 verse 11. Not only so, but we also join
God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received
the atonement. Reconciliation has been put away. atonement has been made. I'm
calling on you now to receive the atonement. Receive the atonement
bowing to Jesus Christ. Receive the atonement believing
on the Son of God. Receive the atonement being reconciled
to God on the basis of justice satisfied and righteousness established
through the obedience of Jesus Christ unto death as our substitute. But what's the result of Christ's
in atoning sacrifice? Christ is a high priest of good
things to come, we're told in Hebrews 9 and 11. So what are
those good things which come to his people as the result of
his priesthood and his sacrifice? The whole part. Complete redemption. Everlasting
justification. Perfect sanctification. Peace
and reconciliation with God. Eternal salvation. This is what
the book says. Turn over to Hebrews 5, verse
9. Hebrews 5, 9. And being made perfect, he became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him,
called an high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now I'm
laboring this because those who weaken, oppose, or deny the efficacy
of Christ's sacrifice and the reconciliation he has accomplished
are the enemies of men's souls, enemies to Christ's honor, enemies
to the cause of God, enemies to the glory of God, enemies
to you. They are not friends of the gospel,
but foes. Either the Son of God accomplished
redemption for us, or he did nothing for us. Either he accomplished
redemption, or he is a useless man as a high priest. Either
he effectually put away sin, or you have no business calling
on him as your Lord and Master and worshiping him. All right,
now briefly let me give you these last two things. Christ is our high priest in
heaven. Preservation in trouble. Because he is our high priest
in heaven, He's able to succor them that are tempted. Look at
verse 18. I hope you can get hold of this.
Learn to cast all your care on him, for he cares for you. Suffered
being tempted, he's able to succor them that are tempted. Because
he is such a great high priest, he's able to help. This one who has by the sacrifice
of himself satisfied the wrath and justice of God Almighty,
this one who's brought in everlasting righteousness, this one who sits
on the throne of glory with the reins of monarchy in his hand,
he's able to help them that are tempted. He helps us by his effectual
intercession for us. He helps us by supplying us in
time of trial, temptation, and trouble. He helps us by giving
us continually the multiplied blessings of his free grace through
the merits of his blood. Now then, here's our privilege
while we live upon the earth. Our privilege and our responsibility. It is the privilege and responsibility
of those who are tempted to call upon Christ for help and for
relief. The word sucker implies more
than just help. It implies a call for help. It is a help for those who call. A help for those who cry for
help. A help for those who need help.
Do you? Does it seem that Satan has you
in his grasp? Are you tempted and tried? Are
you weak and helpless? The Lord Jesus Christ is a high
priest for such needy sinners as we are. He bids us call on
him in time of need and he promises to help everyone who does. He
bids us, you know what that word call means? Whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It doesn't just mean
Cry out Lord. It doesn't just mean cry out
Lord Jesus or oh God. Oh no, no, no. That's to call
on the name of the Lord is to worship Him. To worship Him. Fall down before Him of desperate
need and worship Him. Fall down before His throne in
your time of great trial and trouble and worship Him. And
He promises for all who call on Him, He'll get help. Turn
to one more text, Hebrews chapter 4, Hebrews 4 verse 15. For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Oh no, but we have a high priest who was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without Let us therefore, what a word, since
we have such a high priest, let us therefore come boldly. Now
that doesn't mean come ordering God or commanding God. These
fellows you see on TV just command God. It doesn't mean come and
bombard heaven and get God to do what he wasn't planning to
do to start with. That's not what it is at all. Oh no, but
come like a child. in desperate need comes to the
father of whose love he's confident and whose care is bountiful come
freely come freely come freely unto the throne of grace bless
God he sits on the throne the throne of universal monarchy
and it's a throne of grace how come how come that we may obtain
mercy Pastor, I don't feel like I've
so sinned. I've been so unfaithful. I've
been so unbelieving. I'm not worthy to come to this
door. That's the reason to come. Come for mercy! Come for mercy! Not for merit, for mercy! That
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help. When? Just as often as you need it.
Just as often as you need it. Come then to God by faith in
his son. Fall down before his throne.
Call on his name. Worship him. And you'll find
mercy and grace to help in your time of need. Amen. All right, Lindsay, let's sing
a hymn.