A Living Hope - Jesus is Your High Priest Forever!

The verse we heard from, I believe it was the preschool, which is the youngest class, it's been on my mind even before this morning. I don't know if you remember what it said, Matthew 13, 16. Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. There's a lot of people who have the opportunity to hear God's Word. I believe that's true in this country. Many of you probably didn't have the opportunity to grow up in a country where God's Word is not common. And there are countries like that. In India, for example, Christians, even just people who identify as Christians, whether they're actually believers or not, are just 2% of the population. It's a very small percentage. And there are some places where Bibles are not common. And I thought about that even as I was reminded of it this morning, hearing the children. Blessed are your eyes because they see. Blessed are your ears because they hear. May it never be that we take for granted what God speaks to us and what God shows us. I believe there'll be many people at the judgment seat of Christ whom God will say, you had the chance to see and you had the chance to hear. You had a Bible in your home. I thought about even, for example, it's common that you go to a hotel room, I don't know if it's still the case, but you would find a Bible there in the drawer placed by the Gideons usually. I don't know if they're allowed to do that still, but I think so. We live in a country where you can go to a hotel room and there'll be a Bible there. You have an app on your phone. You have all these resources. And God will say, you had no excuse. I believe that's also true about RLCF. There are many people who have taken this church for granted. Ah, it's just, you know, they have some complaint about this, a complaint about that. I believe God will say, blessed are your eyes because they could see in your ears, they could hear the things that you got to hear. I remember hearing that as a kid growing up. And there was a time in my life where I took it for granted, I'll be honest. The fact that I got to hear the richness of the truth, I took it for granted. I had complaints. I had a lackadaisical attitude towards my Christian life. But it's not this, it's not the case today, I'll tell you honestly. I don't take this church for granted, even though I've been here longer than all of you. I don't take it for granted. Every time I get to meet with you all is fresh. Because the Spirit of Christ is here. And you all want that, I believe. You are a people, we are a people that desire Christ. We don't want the traditions of men, we don't want popularity, we don't want fame, we don't want a big church. We want Jesus Christ, Himself, like we've been singing all morning long. That's what I want too. And so, honestly, whether it's staying till nine o'clock like we were last night, or coming again at nine o'clock this morning to start over, or it was at eight o'clock, it's okay. This is where I want to be, around God's people. I have no other interest. Yes, you know me, I do a lot of other things, but this is where I want to be. This is what I look forward to being, to doing, and being who I look forward to being with. And you I don't know, you know, each of us has a personal walk with the Lord, but there is a joy in Christ, in His church, that I believe He wants all of us to experience. I gave up being around my family, and job prospects in California. Don't say that to brag, please, no. Or for you to feel sorry for me, no. But because I said, I found the pearl of great price. It's Jesus Christ in His church. And I knew that the Lord had called me, and planted me here. And it didn't matter who came and went, or who was around, whether I got along with them or didn't. Jesus was here, and He had planted me here. And I tell you, my dear brothers and sisters, that that rock will bring such a stability in your life, if you find Jesus in His church. And that if you're here because of the presence of Jesus, not for any other reason. Otherwise, you'll have an up-and-down Christian life. And I'm not saying this to beat anybody up, or to say that I'm better. No, I've wandered for so long. I had the privilege, more than probably any of you, or most of you, to grow up in a church that was like this, and I took it for granted. And it took me many years to see the value of Jesus Christ Himself, the head of the body, and to find my place in the church. But now, it's like, I found an oasis in the desert. I'm not going to leave. And it's not based on circumstances or people. It's based on the presence of Christ and His church, and the Holy Spirit. So, blessed are your eyes because they see. Blessed are your ears because they hear. Let's never take that for granted. I'm humbled and fresh this morning, meditating on that. Because there's a lot of other people. Why do you think you and I are sitting here, and the other person down the road is sitting in their home watching TV? Why? Is it because we're better than them? Absolutely not. God called me. God had mercy on me. God drew me to this place. I don't take that for granted. I don't think I'm better than the person down the road who's looking for joy in something else. If I've found, if you and I have found our joy in Christ, let's just fall on our face and humbly say, thank you, Lord. That's it. I did nothing to deserve that you opened my eyes to see you. That you would find, that you would bring me joy more than anything else. So, let's humbly seek the Lord together, and we will see a great and glorious day coming. What will it look like when the sun turns to darkness and the moon to blood? I don't know. But I know what's coming after that. A great and glorious day. So, I don't have to be afraid of what that, you know, I wonder what the children thought. They're not here right now when they said, well, the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. Does that scare them? Maybe they'll ask, you asked them this afternoon, children, were you afraid when you think about the moon turning to blood? No, because there's a great and glorious day coming. You know, Hebrews chapter 11 talks about faith. And I've been thinking recently about this. I'd just like to share some thoughts on that before the children come and present to us what the Lord's been speaking to them for the last few months. Hebrews 11 verse 1 says, Because faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And faith is important. Jesus is called the beginner and finisher, author and perfecter of our faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. But in order for us to have faith, we must have something to have faith in. And this is something that, it might seem simple, it might seem straightforward, but faith, when you think about faith, often you think about yourself and the fact that you lack faith. The disciples fell into the same trap. They said, Lord, increase our faith. That would be like me standing across a bridge, on the other side of a bridge, a concrete bridge, a sturdy bridge, I see everybody walking across just fine. And I stand on the other side and say, Lord, help me to have faith to cross this bridge. Now if it's a shaky, wooden bridge that's swaying, then I might say, Lord, give me faith to cross this bridge. But if it's a strong bridge, if it's built, and I've seen the example of others who have crossed this bridge and made it to the other side, then what do I need? Is it small faith or big faith? What difference does it make? It's the bridge that's big and strong. So in order for me to have quality faith, faith that endures, faith that will overcome the world, like we read in 1 John, it's got to have something that I have faith in, that allows me to have faith that overcomes the world. And that's why we see here that faith is the assurance of something that I'm hoping for. I've come to see in my Christian life, and I hope this is of encouragement to some of you as well, that the reason that I often lack faith in my life is because I haven't seen the hope first. If I haven't seen something that I'm hoping for, what is the hope of my calling? And no matter how much I pray, Lord, increase my faith, increase my faith, increase my faith, I haven't seen the hope. My eyes haven't been opened to see the bridge. That would be like a blind man who hasn't seen the bridge yet, and you're telling him or her, a blind person, you need to cross this bridge, and he says, I don't know, can I? I hear the rushing water underneath, I see, I sense that this is quite high up above the gorge that we are, and then if such a person could have their eyes open to see the bridge, now, how much longer do you tarry on the other side, saying, well, I don't know, I need more faith. So I have come to see that the secret to having more faith is ultimately to have my eyes opened to see what is the hope of my calling. This was Paul's prayer. Let's look at this. Well, Paul said that in Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1, verse 17. The last part of verse 16, he says, I don't cease giving thanks for you. Paul was telling the church in Ephesus, now remember, we've seen this often, that the church in Ephesus at this time is perhaps the most spiritual church. Paul lived there for three years, planted that church, and you read how when he came there, it started with a little Bible study, where all they had was God's word, and they'd been baptized in the baptism of John. You know about the Holy Spirit? I believe that was Ephesus, right? And now he's writing to the church, and he says, when I'm praying for you, I thank God for you, and I make mention of you in my prayers, the last part of verse 16, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and eye-opening, you can say, a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, may be opened, think about that blind person standing on the other side of this big chasm, and Paul's saying, hey, I know why you lack faith, because your eyes haven't been opened to see the bridge. He says, I pray, not that you'll have more faith or anything like that, I simply pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance to the saints. Peter says the same thing, you go over to 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1, we read, you know, see Peter lays it out, diligence, applying diligence in your faith, this is verse 5, moral excellence, moral excellence, knowledge, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, think about this ladder, as it were, going up, ascending in the Christian life, becoming more and more like Christ. But then he says, therefore brethren, be all the more, because you have such a high calling, because it's not just that God's called you to live a substandard, barely making it, sometimes good, sometimes not Christian life, because you've got love, and partaking of His divine nature as the ultimate goal, therefore brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble, and if you do this, the entrance into the eternal kingdom will be abundantly supplied to you, it'll be as if the gates, you know, you read verse 11, for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Here's a picture the Lord gave me some time ago about this. I wonder if, this is just picture analogy, don't just take it with a pinch of salt, that for some people, they're crawling like a snail into the kingdom of heaven, that God will look at, okay, He's going to take His time to enter, we'll just slowly open the gates and eventually He'll make it in, and there'll be others from a mile away you can see them speeding into the kingdom of heaven, and God will say, angels, open it quickly, He's charging into the kingdom of heaven, is that the testimony you want? Santosh is coming full speed into the kingdom of heaven, swing the gates open wide, that's what I want. I don't want a riding off into the sunset type of Christian life where I'm slowing down as I get older, I don't see Paul did that, we've been reading the biographies of godly men and women, they charge the gates of heaven, because they charge the gates of hell when they were here on this earth, so verse 12 for me is, verse 11 charging the gates of heaven, abundantly supply the gates, we'll swing wide open, why? Because, verse 4, God has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises that are what? What is the hope of our calling? What is the bridge? The bridge is that God has promised He wants you to be a partaker of His divine nature. He wants you to be fully conformed into the image of Jesus, Romans 8 verse 29, this is what our hope is, if you've seen it, if you believe it, not just that for some of you, but for you personally, I've seen it, I'm seeing it more and more, I'm having my eyes opened more and more to the greatness of His loving heart as it were and I'm seeing a little bit more that God in His tremendously great love said, Santos, you will be like Jesus Santos, you will be like Jesus, you will be a partaker of my divine nature that's for me, now you must see that for yourself the Holy Spirit, see Paul, I think, when we read in Ephesians 1, he says I pray that your eyes will be opened, I think part of Paul would have wished that he could have opened their eyes you know, if Paul could go to the blind person, spiritually blind person and open their eyes but he says, no, I can't do that, because whatever Paul did would be a work of man and all our preaching, all our teaching, all our exhortation all our encouragement and all of that is simply out of saying you must have the Holy Spirit open your own eyes we can't open your eyes as teachers, we can't even open the eyes of our children as their parents, but what we can do is pray that's what I pray for our children, my own personal children and every child in this church because God has placed them within the circle of our responsibility Lord, let the eyes of their heart be opened, with all their Bible memorization with all their singing the songs and doing the presentation, Lord, open the eyes of their heart they will see that the hope, that they have a calling as well that each of them will see that they too can be conformed into the image of Jesus and that God has already promised it, the hope of his calling let's go back to the book of Hebrews, chapter 6, Hebrews chapter 6, and this is a phrase or a concept that the writer of Hebrews emphasizes more than once, don't grow weary, I think it's in chapter 3 also, Hebrews chapter 3, it says in verse 6 Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose house we are if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end, and that's what he says in verse 11 as well of chapter 6, Hebrews 6 verse 11, we desire now, let me stop there for a moment, if you read the earlier part of chapter 6, you'll see that he's talking about people who once upon a time received the truth, they sat in a church like RLCF perhaps, or they sat under good teaching and they've fallen away, this is a verse that many people who believe certain doctrines don't want to teach from that it's possible, read it carefully, that verse 4, that some people could have had once been enlightened, in other words, once upon a time, their eyes were opened to see the bridge, they've tasted of the heavenly gift made partakers of the Holy Spirit, we're not talking about people who were just faking it, they were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and they've tasted the good word of God, verse 5, and the powers they've seen, experienced the powers of the age to come, but then they fell away it's possible, that God be true and every man a liar, this is not me preaching a certain doctrine it's God, just simply reading God's word, but having said that he says in verse 9, beloved dear brothers and sisters who are loved by God, we are convinced of better things concerning you the writer of Hebrews says, whoever he's writing it to, this church wherever it was, he says, I'm convinced that you're not going to be one of those that falls away, he says, I'm hoping for that, I'm convinced of it and I hope you're convinced of it as well, that you won't be one of those who falls away, because verse 10, God's not unjust to forget your work, etc., but then he says in verse 11, so how shall we be convinced that we won't fall away like others will or may we desire that each one of you show the same diligence, so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so what I see God saying here through the Holy Spirit is not, you better make sure you make it you better make sure you don't fall, you better make sure you overcome, these are the things that I tend to tell myself, Santoshi don't fall, don't fall, don't fall and I keep reminding myself, better not fall, that's okay but what I see the writer, the Holy Spirit telling us to, he says, make sure that you don't lose sight of the bridge, make sure that you don't lose sight of the full assurance of hope and if your eyes, if you see that bridge completely, God has finished it, it goes all the way to the other end, he's finished that bridge then you won't fall away falling away doesn't come because I fell into sin I used to think that, oh I fell into sin, I must have fallen away, no falling away comes because I've lost sight of the bridge I've lost my way, that's what Jesus prayed for Peter, I pray that your faith will not fail, why? that you don't lose sight of the hope, and isn't it wonderful that Peter writes years later in 2 Peter chapter 1, I want you also to not lose sight of that hope, just like Jesus was praying for me Peter saying I'm praying for you friends, saints gathered all over Asia that your hope will not fail, that your faith will not fail, that you don't lose sight of the hope and then he says verse 17, he talks about Abraham let me read verse 12 also, so that you will not be sluggish, sluggish, it's a phrase that's been on my mind for the last few weeks, sluggishness, I'm wary of sluggishness creeping into my Christian life, where things are pretty good nothing rocking the boat outwardly, my job is pretty safe I've got a place to live, I have enough food to eat my children are growing, we have a comfortable church environment, that's the time when sluggishness will creep in, it's when things are relatively at ease outwardly, and you tend to think, well actually my life is pretty good, that sluggishness will creep in, and that's how many who are first will be last, how is it that many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first, because those who are first, look at others around them and say oh I'm better than that person, I'm better than the other person, so they become sluggish I've been a Christian for so long, I've been married for so long I'm an elder in a church, oh yeah, sluggishness and others who are last will be first, so let's not sluggishness come in, how can we make sure that sluggishness does not come in, hold on to that hope the full assurance of that hope, and he gives the example of Abraham in verse 17 he says, first of all, you know that when God gave Abraham, he says that in verse 13, when he gave him a promise he says, you will have a son, and by your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, they will be as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, and then he said it's through Isaac, Isaac is your promised one because he tried it with Ishmael, but God didn't just say it will be so, it says that he said it and then he took an oath does God need to swear? I wish some of the children were here, they're back there still, there's only one person who's allowed to swear Jesus said, don't swear by heaven or by earth because you can't change one hair on your head but God is allowed to swear it's using earthly language, why is it? Because he wants us to be absolutely certain if God takes the effort to swear, so that's what you're going to read here, it means he says I'm going to actually swear, I'm going to say it, that in itself is enough but on top of that, I'm going to take an oath and then after that, if there are people, it's like God saying I'm going to build a bridge, and I'm going to assure you, you will get to the other side and then you sit there and say, no, I don't believe you God what a tragedy, that God said it and swore it, and there will be people who said, no Lord, you can't do it for me, I failed too many times, or I don't feel it will work out, this and that for when God, verse 13, made the promise to Abraham since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself saying, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply you that word surely, he says, I swear, I will bless you I swear, I will multiply you, now this was for Abraham, and so verse 15, Abraham saw God say it, and swear it, and he says okay Lord, I'm going to hold on to that, now he lost his way a little bit, he tried with Ishmael he did this, he went to Egypt, and put his wife in a compromising situation, but he held on, despite the fact that he failed now and then, despite the fact that, I mean read Genesis 20, and imagine put yourself in Abraham's situation, where he's failed his wife, he's failed God so miserably, and the very next thing you read in the next chapter is God remembered Sarah, and Abraham says, okay, I'm going to fulfill my promise, Abraham, I see with all your failures, and all that sin and all that other stuff, you're still holding on to me, you haven't lost sight of the bridge, guess what you're going to get to the other side, don't lose sight of your hope brothers, sisters even if it feels like you're sluggish, if it feels like you're dragging you don't feel like it's going well, hold on to that hope, say Lord, I'm going to press in, I'm not going to be sluggish so, it says, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise, he got to the other side of his journey of faith, that's why we were singing in Father Abraham, in the same way, so that was just a type, God's promise to Abraham was a physical son, and earthly blessings in the same way for you and I, whose promise is what? Divine nature, becoming conformed in the image of Jesus in the same way, God desiring even more to show to Santosh, somebody asks you, where's your name in the Bible? You show them Hebrews 7 verse 17, to the heirs of the promise, that's you and I, in the same way, God desiring even more to show to Santosh the unchangeable unchangeableness of his purpose, interposed with an oath God took an oath when he spoke to me as well, can you say that? Do you hear God swear it? I'm not trying to be irreverent please understand, but I'm trying to point you to Christ, so that he will speak faith into your heart, to see how he has said it and he has sworn it, in the same way, God desiring even more to show Santosh the promise, put your name there please and the unchangeableness of his purpose interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge, will have strong encouragement and take hold of the hope set before us this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek so, it's like Jesus has built the bridge and he's walked to the other side, and he's calling me from the other side saying, hey I'm here, and I've built the bridge, I said it you will get there, and you will be standing with me, and I've sworn it that you will get there, and you will be standing with me, seated on the throne with me for all ages, now walk, we have as an anchor of the soul a hope, oh don't lose sight of Jesus on the other side of that bridge don't lose sight of it, a hope sure and steadfast where Christ is, now, really what started these thoughts was this phrase here in verse 20, that Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us having become a high priest forever this is the phrase I've been thinking about for two weeks the word forever, yes I know Jesus is forever he is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, with him there's no beginning or end but he's a forever priest, what does it mean for Jesus to be a priest forever let me ask you this question, is Jesus a priest for you today is there some way in which Jesus is functioning and serving you as a high priest today I think most Christians know about what Jesus did for them on Calvary, that he died for their sins and he rose again but what about today, what about June, what are we on, June 11th right, June 11th, 2023, how is Jesus a high priest today, it says he's a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, now this is what God swore, he says that in Psalm Psalm 110, the writer of Hebrews is actually quoting and he does this, quotes this passage 3 or 4 times I think, Psalm 110 verse 4, why can we have confidence in this bridge that we see ahead of us, this hope it's like a bridge, a sturdy bridge, and therefore I don't need to wait for more faith, it's like my faith is in the promise of God, the hope that I have, Psalm 110 verse 4, the Lord has sworn the Lord has sworn, the Lord has taken an oath, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, he said it he swore it and he's not going to change his mind, that's like a third time almost, what, what was the swearing that God did he says to Jesus, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, this is what God swore that Jesus is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek so I wanted you to see that, that swearing, now let's go back to Hebrews chapter 7 and I want you to see 3 things that in which God is, that Jesus Christ is a forever high priest not a high priest who once upon a time offered a sacrifice 2,000 years ago on Calvary, but since then every moment of every day he's been serving as a high priest and will forever ask yourself, Lord how are you a high priest for me today let the Lord show you that, that's really what I wanted to share this morning so first of all, Hebrews 7, we read in verse 6 Hebrews 7 verse 6, now he uses the order of Melchizedek and you can read about it sometime in the book of Genesis, I think it's chapter 15 or so where, or 14 maybe where Abraham had just won a great battle against the kings of Sodom in that area, and as he was coming back with a spoil, he met this priest and king, now under the law you couldn't be a king and a priest, David couldn't be a priest Abimelech couldn't be king, you were either one or the other you were the priest or the king, the kings were descended from Judah, the line of David the priests were descended from Levi, two completely different, everything back in the old covenant was physical, lineage, if you said well I'd like to be a priest, they'll say well what's your lineage, oh you're Judah sorry, no matter how much you feel qualified by it or anything like that you're not descended from Levi, you cannot be a priest, and if you wanted to be a king it was those who were descended from Judah initially, but you couldn't be both, but there's one man who, like we read here, we don't know where he came from or where he ended up, we don't know how he started, we don't know his genealogy as it were, and it's a type, we'll find out who this Melchizedek was, what was he actually, who was he actually but he was a type, God allowed this person to kind of show up all of a sudden in the middle of the history of Israel, without father, without son, no trace of his ancestry no trace of his descendants, this person just kind of pop up in the middle of history and he shows up there, just in that one place in Genesis to minister to Abraham, and it says here in verse 6, that the one whose genealogy is not traced, Hebrews 7 verse 6 from them, collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises, so Abraham is a picture of us, Melchizedek is a picture of Jesus, and what I want you to see there, it might seem simple, but Melchizedek blessed Abraham Abraham had received the promise of the son, and he didn't have Isaac yet, but Melchizedek was the one that blessed Abraham and the writer of Hebrews goes on to clarify that, that he's very intentional by saying in verse 7, without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater here's what the Lord comforted me with as I meditated on this he is blessing me, you know we sang, come bless the Lord we sing often about, bless the Lord oh my soul, have you paused for a moment to let God bless you, the greater blesses the lesser that's the point of it, have you let Jesus bless you in some way, is your spiritual life, is how thriving a life you're living, coming because Jesus has blessed you thank you for my many blessings Lord, I have enough food, I have clothes, I have health, and all this stuff, no, spiritual blessings Jesus is greater than you, and he's blessing you now do you think you won't succeed, now do you think that you won't finish the end of your life, the greater blesses the lesser remember that, Jesus is blessing you, the greater blesses Jesus, blesses you who has the promises the next thing I want you to see is Hebrews 7, let's skip down to verse 26 Jesus is a perfect high priest now if you were there under the Old Testament and you watched these Levitical priests offering sacrifices, and you watched for example Aaron offering up the high priest, and you knew that Aaron is going to go offer a sacrifice for you if you were really honest, you would look at Aaron and think, man this is the same guy that once upon a time built an idol for us a calf, and we sinned together, and then God punished a whole bunch of us and my best friend over there was struck down with a plague because of it and that other cousin of mine died, my son was killed, or my father died and this guy is going to be my intercessor going to the most holy place, and that's what he says and throughout history, if you watch these priests, you knew they were just like you they shouted at their wives, they fought they got irritated, and all these things, and you thought how is this person who is just as sinful as I am, going to go in there and how is God going to somehow accept this sacrifice that Aaron or Eliezer or whoever else down the line offers and that's what he says, verse 26, it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy innocent, undefiled separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens who does not need daily, like those old high priests to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, so what Aaron had to do is go before God and say Lord, I'm a sinner, and so please cleanse me first of all with his blood, and then I'm bringing the sins of the others as well Jesus didn't have to do that, because he was holy, undefiled, innocent separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens, he didn't have to offer a sacrifice of his own sins as well, because he never sinned so that should give you the confidence that you're acceptable before God do you see the bridge? that my bridge of acceptance before God is that Jesus never sinned, not that I've never sinned, not that Lord, I haven't sinned in a little while, that's a shaky bridge my confidence is that Jesus never sinned, so Lord you have to accept the sacrifice now for me that's a strong bridge, Jesus is a perfect sacrifice so now I'm not sitting here looking well, how's it been the last week, now it's good to judge ourselves we had communion yesterday, we broke bread, we heard even the warning, let a man examine himself, don't take the bread and the wine lightly but, my acceptance before God is based on the fact that Jesus never sinned, he's a holy sacrifice he didn't have to offer up sacrifices verse 27, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, because he did once for all, when he offered up himself, he didn't offer up a bull or a goat, he offered up himself, pure, a pure sacrifice because the law appoints men as high priests who are weak weak means sinful, they have also sinned, but the word of oath the word of swearing, verse 28 which came after the law, appoints a son made perfect forever Jesus is perfect forever, so you will always have a perfect sacrifice that means that if you sinned 5 minutes ago, and I haven't sinned consciously, let's say some time ago, you and I are the same because our basis of coming to God is 100% of the fact that Jesus never sinned, and you know how the devil loves to get in there and says well, you think God's happy with you? He saw how you spoke to your wife last week or yesterday, he saw that thing that you did yeah he does, and you know me, I would never condone sin I want sin to be even worse than I think it is but I want to always remember the bridge I want to always remember the hope that even though I might have sinned, even though those things might have happened, I have a perfect sacrifice you have a perfect sacrifice, and if you were born again yesterday and I was born years ago, we both have the same perfect sacrifice it doesn't get more perfect than perfect you think I'm more perfect than the criminal serial rapist who was just born again 2 minutes ago no, we're both as perfect as Christ is the same perfection, we have the same perfect sacrifice I hope this is a bridge for you, a bridge of hope don't look at the past, forgetting the things that lie behind, press on look forward to the bridge that's ahead and one more thing, Hebrews 7 verse 23, the former priests on the one hand existed in greater numbers, how many priests were there in the old covenant? greater numbers, that's all we're told, we're not given a fixed number we know there was a lot, that's what the writer of Hebrews is saying there were a lot of priests I don't even think you can count them, because there's no list of all of them, there was a lot of them but he says the priests on the one hand, verse 23, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, Aaron died and now you have Eliezer, and you're thinking, ok I trusted Abraham but Eliezer, I don't know, and then Eliezer died, and then his son and then you're like, what if the priest died and now you've got a high priest that you really don't trust him at all this was the old covenant, they were prevented by death from continuing, Aaron could not continue as a high priest because he died Eliezer couldn't continue as a high priest because he died, and so on down the line but Jesus, oh what a wonderful phrase, verse 24, but Jesus but Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently, Jesus is still a priest today therefore, he is also able to save forever those who draw near to God through him since he is still a high priest today, always lives to make intercession for them. Have you seen the high priesthood of Jesus today beyond what you saw that he did on Calvary it's become a revelation for me that's really helped me I know that Jesus was my high priest on the cross when he became the bull the sin offering, the guilt offering, all of those offerings, he offered up a perfect sacrifice, I've seen that, but I've lost sight sometimes on how he is a high priest for me today, and that's why when I'm faced with a trial or a circumstance, I get shaky because I know that Jesus died for me 2,000 years ago but it's a little bit of this, what have you done for me lately, mentality you know what Jesus has done for you lately? He's praying he's been praying for you all night while you were fast asleep when you woke up and you couldn't sleep because you were tired some reason you woke up, he was praying for you and this morning as you drove, he was interceding for you and while you were singing to him, blessing him, he was blessing you, interceding for you, saying Father help them, send the Holy Spirit afresh they're lifting up their hands and they're saying Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit, Father send the Holy Spirit to them you know what Jesus has done for you lately? more than what he did for you 2,000 years ago? He is a high priest today so my hope is not that Jesus died yes that is part of it, it's not even that he rose again but that he lives do you see the difference? Jesus died, okay he did that 2,000 years ago, but what about today? would he die for me today? would Jesus die for me today? Oh he would he's proving it by the fact that he's, now he doesn't have to die again he died once for all, but he's at the right hand of the Father as it were reminding the Father, saying Father remember I died that once that's all you needed because it was perfect, it doesn't need to be more perfect than that, you don't need a second sacrifice for Santos, I know he's sinned after he came to know me and all that, but remember that sacrifice was perfect Father, and on the basis of that perfect sacrifice accept him today, this is Jesus functioning as a high priest today for me, and therefore if he's going to keep doing that forever, what does that mean for me? I will make it, I'm going to get to the other side because guess what tomorrow Jesus is going to be praying for me, next week Jesus is going to be praying for me, Jesus is going to be functioning as a high priest as perfect as he was when he lived here on this earth, forever perfect and he's going to be interceding for me, he's going to be praying for me, he's going to be functioning as a high priest, whatever that means, all the earthly stuff that they did the sacrifices and the bread and going into the most holy place and what all Aaron had to do back then, it was just a picture, and they just did it once a year but Jesus does it every day, 24-7 Hebrews 7 verse 25, he ever lives to make intercession for them, why is Jesus still alive? Yes, he's God, he'll never die, but why is he still alive? This verse tells me, because he's interceding for you, why is Jesus still a high priest? Because there's a work that needs to be finished in your life, and he's committed to finishing it in your life How will you know? This is the essence of it brothers and sisters, how will you know? Because how will you know that you'll make it? How will you know that you won't fall away? He starts by saying there will be those who fall away How are you going to know that you won't fall away? Do you struggle with that question? I do, there have been times in my life where I'm like, Lord am I going to make it? Am I going to be one of those that falls away? I believe your word, but I'll tell you why that doesn't shake me anymore like it used to, it's because I've seen the bridge I cried out to God, I had the eyes of my heart open to see a little bit more of the bridge and I can see Jesus a little bit clearer He's still faint, but I hear his voice on the other side saying, Santosh I'm here hold on to that anchor, stay on the bridge, don't lose sight of it if you keep on this bridge, you will make it, stay on the bridge don't lose sight of the hope Jesus died, he rose again, but he lives like that wonderful hymn we sing, because he lives, I can face tomorrow because he died, my sins are forgiven, because he rose again, I'm justified but it's because he lives that I can take that next step forward, Jesus is alive today we say he's alive, he's alive, but does that translate into our Christian life? If it does, we'll never have a bad mood we'll never have a gloomy day, we'll never be discouraged we'll never sink into depression, and by depression I mean spiritual depression, where you've lost sight of your hope, and you've lost sight of the calling that God has given you, that should never happen, no matter what's going on in your body medically or physically, or even emotionally, spiritually you've not lost sight of it, a perfect high priest who is able to save you forever let's pray and commit this to the Lord it's one thing to hear it, it's one thing even for me to speak it, but the burden of my heart is that it will be real, because there's something coming this next day, or two, or three, or this next week where you'll be tested on this, my dear brother, dear sister you'll be tested on this, dear young people, you're going to face tests in your life ahead, where what you heard this morning will either be a reality in your life, it will actually be a real bridge that you're walking on or you will just say, oh well, I heard Santosh talk about the bridge but there's no bridge for me, see the bridge, ask the Lord, cry out to your heart this is the prayer of my heart even, for myself and for every one of you here and listening online, Lord I pray that the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened and will be open to see the bridge that's ahead of us, and see you on the other side of it calling us, that you haven't left us here on the other side to walk by ourselves, but the same spirit that was in you is now within us both to will and to do your good pleasure, both to decide today that I will stay on this bridge, and the power to walk on it, help us Lord we pray and as the children come Lord I pray you will fill them with your Holy Spirit and bless them bless us through them Lord, you bless them Lord, because you are greater we receive your blessing on their lives and on our lives, fill them with your Holy Spirit let the prophetic word come out through their tongues as well, we ask in Jesus name, Amen