What Our High Priest Does, Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Jesus Christ intercedes for me in the presence of the Father to guarantee the promise based on His redemptive sacrifice. As Charity Bancroft penned in a poem that is now a well-known hymn, Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea, a great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free.

For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me. Today's message is part two of a sermon titled, What Our High Priest Does. But here are the three components to the high priestly function of Christ. Number one, he intercedes for me at the presence in the presence of the Father. He intercedes for me in the presence of the Father. Verse 25 and 26, Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him. Get that, come to God through them.

Don't just come on our own. Since he always lives to make intercession for them, for such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. He is in the very presence of God. And that's how the author of Hebrews begins this very book, this whole letter. Hebrews chapter one, verse three. When he had purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He's in the very presence of God.

And so when it says he intercedes for me, that word intercedes means to plead, to make appeal. And it is a present active, which means it's a continual thing. It's always going on.

It's always going on. Jesus, today and forevermore, if you are in Christ, he sits at the right hand of the Father and he makes appeal for you. Think about that. As you walk through the course of the day, may God grant you grace to remember that at some point in time during the day, you remember that at that very moment, Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father and he's making appeal for you. He pleads, he makes appeal and he does it continually. But he does it by virtue of his presence at the right hand of the Father. His very presence there is what makes appeal for me. And if he is there and I am in him, then I am there. What profound truths.

Profound. So that is the first one. He intercedes for me at the presence, in the presence of the Father.

Here's the second one. Now it's a continual statement that goes on and I want you to remember this. I'm going to ask you to remember this because what I want us to do as a people, as a church, as a body, I want us to be able to have a concise picture and understanding of what the high priestly function of Jesus Christ is. He intercedes for me in the presence of the Father. Number two, to guarantee the ultimate promise. To guarantee the ultimate promise.

Look with me at verse 22. By so much more, Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. The guarantee of a better covenant. What is that better covenant? That's the new covenant. As you're reading in the New Testament, you go through the, well, the New Testament begins with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Old Testament ends with Malachi. The New Testament means that new covenant. Old Testament means old covenant.

So Jesus Christ comes and he brings forth with him the new covenant. It is a new promise. And to guarantee that, here's, this is very important.

All right. To guarantee. What does it mean? The New King James word is surety. It means guarantee.

All right. So he's guaranteeing the ultimate promise. The ultimate promises of the new covenant.

And that's what we're going to unpack. We need to understand the new covenant. Because you remember at the Lord's table, the night he was betrayed, the night before he was crucified, he sat down with his disciples and he said, this is the new covenant in my blood.

We need to know what that means. When we say new covenant, we need to have encapsulated in our mind something that gives us an understanding, a picture of what the new covenant is. Otherwise, our remembrance at the Lord's table is perfunctory if we don't know what it's talking about.

Let's not just go through the motions. What has God revealed to us? What is this new covenant that he has promised for us? See, Jesus Christ sits in the very presence of the father, interceding for me, guaranteeing the ultimate promise. That ultimate promise is the new covenant.

We need to understand what that is. Now, what does this guarantee? The word guarantee means under good security.

One who accepts legal obligation. It's like Jesus said, I will stake my life on this promise. You remember the story in the Old Testament, story of Joseph in the latter part of Genesis. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers because they were jealous of him. Sold into slavery, went down to Egypt and he worked for Potiphar. He was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and he landed in jail and he got out of jail by being able to interpret a dream for Pharaoh. Seven years of famine and then seven years of feast and then seven years of famine. And because of that, Pharaoh established him as the governor over all of Egypt to coordinate bringing into the storehouses in those seven years of feast so that they can prepare for the seven years of famine. So the famine comes and Joseph's brothers are all up there in Canaan and they are looking at each other and says we're hungry and dad says then go get some food.

Go down to Egypt and get some food. So they show up and guess who they're standing in front of? Their brother. Now they didn't recognize him you see because he was an Egyptian governor and those Egyptian governors had a lot of makeup on their face so they wouldn't have recognized their brother had they tried, right?

But there he was. Now Joseph recognized his brothers. He says I want to find out what's on their heart. And he says where are you guys from?

He says your servants are from the land of Canaan. I think you guys are spies. No, we're not spies. We're here to get food. I think you guys are spies. We're not, we're really, we have a family back in Canaan. We have a father and we have a younger brother and oh you have a younger brother do you?

Really? Well how about you go back there and bring him back and show me just to prove to me that you are actually telling the truth. Oh but oh my dad's not going to like that.

We'll do it anyway. So they go back. Now they get to take some food back with them, all right? And they go back and when that food ran out, the brothers were all standing there looking at each other and Jacob says why are you standing there just looking at each other?

Go get some more food. And then the guys say listen dad, there's a problem here, all right? The man who spoke to us said you will not see my face again unless you bring your youngest brother with you. And Jacob's heart melted.

Oh man, I lost one son. I don't want to lose Benjamin too because Joseph is a Jew. Because Joseph and Benjamin were the children of Rachel, his most beloved wife.

That brings up other issues but they are not on the table today. It is the inspired word of God. It's historical narrative.

What is described is not necessarily what's prescribed. We all understand that, right? So Jacob says what do I do if you go down there and something happens and Benjamin doesn't come back?

What do I do? I will not be able to bear that. Here's where Judah, Judah steps up and he says dad, I will stake my life on bringing Benjamin back. If something happens it will be my life for his and I will put my life down to guarantee that Benjamin comes back to you.

How's that for a guarantee? Do you know who Jesus Christ is? In Revelation he's called the lion of the tribe of Judah.

There's no coincidence there. That's divine inspiration. That's God's purposes throughout history. Jesus is the guarantee of the ultimate promise and that ultimate promise again is the new covenant. When Jesus said this is the new covenant in my blood, he's come to replace the old.

It's time to get out of the launch simulator, get into the rocket that will get you to destination and that rocket is Jesus Christ and his high priest has come to replace the old. That will take us into the very presence of God. And what is that promise?

Let's unpack that for just a moment here today. We understand what that promise is, that new covenant. It's just simply this. Where God looks at you, if you are in Christ, God looks at you and says you are mine forever. You are mine forever. Expanded a little bit, God looks at you, if you are in Christ, God looks at you and says you will be forever with me just like my son. That's the promise. That's what he says in verse 25. Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, for he always lives to make intercession for them. Saved to the uttermost, meaning in the most comprehensive sense, completely and forever. Completely and forever. All that humanity needs saving rescue from, he does it.

Completely and forever. And so what does my high priest do? He intercedes for me in the presence of the Father to guarantee the ultimate promise.

Thirdly, based on his ultimate sacrifice. He intercedes for me in the presence of the Father to guarantee the ultimate promise based on his ultimate sacrifice. What is a sacrifice?

A sacrifice means to give up something of great value, to give up something of great value. Here's the profound part of what the author of Hebrews is teaching us about the priesthood of Christ. Not only is he the priest, he is the sacrifice that the priest offers. It says in chapter 9 verse 12 that he entered with his own blood, with his own blood.

In scriptures, when he talks about blood being spilt or blood being given, it means the forfeiture of life, that one gives up their life, and Christ forfeited his perfect life in relationship with the Father so that you could be brought back to the Father. As we have in verse 26, for such a high priest was fitting for us. In other words, this is just exactly what we needed. There's only one way we could get back to the Father and this is it. And Jesus Christ provided that. That's what it means.

It's all wrapped up in the word fitting. Such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. With his own blood, he forfeited his life in relationship with the Father. It says in verse 27, he did this once for all when he offered up himself. He offered up himself freely, willingly, lovingly, perfectly.

He offered up himself. We need to meditate on these things. One form of meditation is singing. There's a song that we sing often, Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea. I have a strong and perfect plea, a great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on his hands. My name is written on his heart.

I know that while in heaven he stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace, weekdays at 10 a.m.