OPEN: "Confiding in a co-worker, I told her about a problem in our office and my fear that I would lose my job. She was concerned and said she would pray for me. I know she keeps a list of 10 people she believes need her prayers the most, so I asked her if she had room for me on her list."
"’Oh, yes,’ she replied. ’Three of the people have died.’" (Kaye Gordon, R.Digest, 6/01, p. 64)
APPLICATION: Usually when someone prays for us… we’d like to have better results than that.
There are times in our lives when we feel the need to have someone else pray for us. Times when we are faced with difficulties, hardships and obstacles that we just don’t feel we can handle on our own. Those are the times when it’s encouraging to know someone cares enough to pray for us. The Bible calls that type of prayer intercession and it encourages intercession throughout its pages.
· God had Abraham intercede for Kings
· Job was told by God to intercede for his friends
· Paul urged “that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” (I Timothy 2:1)
And now here, in this passage of Hebrews we find that we have been paid the ultimate compliment: “… (Jesus) always lives to intercede for (us). Hebrews 7:25
Jesus intercedes for us. Boy, if you want results, you want Jesus praying for you. But as encouraging as that thought is for us, that Jesus is interceding for us, the writer of Hebrews is telling us that it means more than just having Jesus pray for us.
I. The writer is talking here about Jesus’ in His role as our NEW High Priest
You see, back in the Old Testament there was one man whose job was to “intercede for God’s people.” That person was known as the High Priest. Once a year, this High Priest would make special sacrifice (for his & the people’s sins) and bring the blood of that sacrifice into the presence of God. He would offer the sacrifices on the Altar, then carry the blood through the Holy Place, back into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. And there he would place the blood on the mercy seat - the top of the Ark guarded by the two angels whose wings spread out over the Ark.
Now many other sacrifices were offered throughout the year – but this was the most critical of all of them. For without this sacrifice there was NO FORGIVENESS of sins and the people would have died in their sins. So, year after year, on the day of Atonement, the High Priest would offer the sacrifice and “intercede” for the people at the Mercy Seat of the Ark for the forgiveness of the people’s sins.
But when Jesus came, He came to offer the ultimate sacrifice for our sins – He presented His own blood as a covering for our sins and He bro’t that blood into the very throne room of God on our behalf. And now He is constantly interceding for our sins every day because of that one sacrifice. NOW there are no longer any need for sacrifices = Jesus has paid for it all
ILLUS: Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we’ve become kind of like a man who suffered from a life threatening illness who has to take medicine every day to fight his sickness… BUT THEN, someone comes along with a medicine he only needs to take once. And he is healed.
I. But there is a problem with this scenerio.
Jesus wasn’t born of the tribe of Levi. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. The had Law decreed: You couldn’t be a High Priest if you weren’t of the tribe of Levi. In other words you wouldn’t be qualified to offer a sacrifice for the sins of others, if you weren’t born of the Levitical line. Not even Prophets and Kings could offer these sacrifices without incurring God’s wrath.
SO, how could Jesus offer his sacrifice if He wasn’t born of the Levitical line?
(pause) Well, the only way Jesus could’ve become a Priest was if God created another priesthood. And apparently that’s just what God did. The writer of Hebrews tells us God declared His intentions in Ps. 110. The 110th Psalm – that’s the same Psalm Jesus quoted during His ministry:
“The LORD says to my Lord: ’Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ (this is the verse Jesus said applied to Him - Matthew 22:44) The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: ’You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’" (Psalm 110:1-4)
This very Psalm (that Jesus said applied to Him) declared that there was going to be a new priesthood - a priesthood that would last forever.
II. But the writer of Hebrews goes even further – He declared that Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to the Levites.
Superior to the Levites? Just who was this Melchizedek? Well, Melchizedek was a priest and king of Salem (later Jerusalem) who reigned during the days of Abraham. The book of Genesis tells us Abraham returned from an important battle he gave a tithe (a 10th of the spoils of that battle) to this priest . The writer of Hebrews says “Now look here. Levi wasn’t even born yet and his great-grandfather Abraham is showing honor to this priest of Jerusalem.
In Hebrews 7:4-10 we read: Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
"Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people-- that is, their brothers-- even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor."
… that proves Melchizedek had a greater priesthood than the Levites
III. But even more than that, Melchizedek had been intended to be a “type” of Christ, an example of who Jesus was to be, a snapshot, if you will, of what Jesus would look like.
And it was a deliberate comparison on God’s part. God planned it out ahead of time.
Heb. 7:2 tells us Melchizedek’s “name means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace.’”
Thus thru Melchizedek, God was intending to declare that the coming Messiah would be a King bringing both righteousness and peace.
But even more than that, through this great Old Testament priest God declared something special about Jesus’ priesthood:
We don’t know where Melchizedek came from, and we don’t know anything about his death.
And so Hebrews 7:3 tells us, Melchizedek was “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
In other words, God had intended Melchizedek to be a picture of what Jesus would be - an eternal priest.
IV. Now what this means is this:
1st - there’s only ONE sacrifice now that God accepts. Because Jesus is of an eternal priesthood, He has offered ONE eternal sacrifice. God has NO NEED of any more sacrifices.
ILLUS: Back when I was serving my first congregation, I received a call from an older woman in nearby trailer park. When I entered her trailer I could tell she was a woman who struggled to make ends meet. As I sat on her couch, her little dog came up and lay on my lap. She talked with me about her daughter who was in the hospital with a life threatening illness. She said was afraid and she wanted God’s help. Then she asked the most unusual question: "Does God still accept sacrifices?"
I began to explain that God doesn’t need our sacrifices anymore since Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us when she interrupted (I don’t think she was really listening to me) "I was thinking that maybe if I sacrificed my little dog, God would have mercy on my daughter and heal her."
ILLUS: There’s a new book series out in Christian Book Stores called the “LEFT BEHIND” series. It’s a fictional series built around a popular theology that many hold to these days. Part of that theology upon which "LEFT BEHIND" is built, is that there will be a new temple built in Jerusalem where Jews will offer sacrifices to God.
I can tell you with great confidence, there will be no new temple built in Jerusalem, because God has no need of any sacrifices to be offered to Him. When Jesus died on the cross, He offered the ultimate final sacrifice and any other offerings would be unnecessary. To drive that point home, about 40 years after the cross the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, never again to be rebuilt. And to make sure that another Temple would not be built, guess what’s built on the Temple Mount - one of the most hallowed buildings in all of Islam. For the Temple to be rebuilt in the place God required would now bring about WWIII. God had no intention of allowing another Temple or any other sacrifices. There is only ONE sacrifice that God now accepts.
2ndly, there was only ONE High Priest that can intercede on our behalf. Since Jesus has an eternal priesthood – no one else will ever replace Him. NO ONE ELSE can intercede between God and man.
As Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (He is saying "I am THE High Priest. I am the only one who can intercede for you).
Peter said the same thing when he declared: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
Many people will tell you: It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere. And others will tell you that “all faiths will lead to Heaven.” But it isn’t so, because if those sentiments were true, then Jesus would not be who the Bible says He is, and His death would be an empty gesture.
The Bible declares, in no uncertain terms: Jesus offered the ONLY sacrifice acceptable for our sins AND His was the only name under heaven by which we can be saved.
CLOSE: Years ago in Chicago, there was a great gathering of the world’s religions. Practically every known religion known to man was represented, and many speeches and sermons were delivered attempting to prove that “all faiths led to Heaven…” declaring that “All religions were saying the same thing.”
During one session, Dr. Joseph Cook of Boston suddenly rose and said: "Gentlemen, I beg to introduce to you a woman with great sorrow. Bloodstains are on her hands, and nothing will remove them. The blood is that of murder, and nothing will take away the stain. She has been driven to desperation in her distress. Is there anything in your religion that will remove her sin and give her peace?"
A hush fell upon the gathering as the speaker turned from one to another for an answer. Not one of the company replied.
Raising his eyes to heaven, Dr. Cook then cried out, "I will ask another the question…
…John, can you tell this woman how to get rid of her awful sin?"
The great preacher waited as if listening for a reply.
Suddenly he cried, "Listen, John speaks "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleans us from all sin (I John 1:7)."
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Better than Angels - Hebrews 1:1-2:9
The Jesus Fixation - Hebrews 2:14-3:14
The Only Priest - Hebrews 7:1-7:28
New and Improved - Hebrews 8:6-8:13
The Better Blood - Hebrews 9:11-9:28
