WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.460 Would you turn with me to Hebrews chapter 8, it's page 1005 in the Pew Bible, if you 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:10.980 want to turn there, let me encourage you to turn there. 00:00:11.700 --> 00:00:15.980 Hebrews chapter 8, this morning we're going to look at verses 1 through 6, and as Matt 00:00:15.980 --> 00:00:19.480 mentioned, next week we'll look at the rest of chapter 8, but this morning I just want 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:23.460 to focus in on the first six verses of chapter 8. 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:33.820 Page 1005, let me pray for us as we turn to God and his word. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:45.340 Father, as we have just sung, we have a complete salvation in your son, our savior, Jesus Christ. 00:00:46.040 --> 00:00:51.359 So as we come to your word again this morning, we ask you would help us to see more and more 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:55.799 the beauty of him who is our complete salvation. 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:03.179 Be exalted this morning, Christ, in the reading and preaching and hearing of your word. 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.780 We pray this in your name, amen. 00:01:08.259 --> 00:01:15.560 Hebrews chapter 8, 1 through 6, the writer says this, now the point in what we are saying 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:20.500 is this, always nice when a writer does that, isn't it? 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:23.120 Makes my job a lot easier. 00:01:24.240 --> 00:01:30.460 Now the point in what we are saying is this, we have such a high priest, one who is seated 00:01:30.460 --> 00:01:36.740 at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in 00:01:36.740 --> 00:01:39.180 the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:44.640 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, thus it is necessary 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:46.600 for this priest also to have something to offer. 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:53.220 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who 00:01:53.220 --> 00:01:54.980 offer gifts according to the law. 00:01:55.880 --> 00:01:59.560 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:05.340 For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God saying, see that you 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:09.099 make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain. 00:02:10.379 --> 00:02:17.480 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old 00:02:17.480 --> 00:02:24.500 as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:33.039 So one of the TV shows that my two and a half year old son loves to watch is Thomas, the 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:33.780 tank engine. 00:02:34.780 --> 00:02:40.759 And if you're not familiar with Thomas, it's a kid show about a bunch of friendly trains 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:43.519 who live and work on the imaginary island of Sodor. 00:02:44.299 --> 00:02:51.180 And the sort of life goal of all these trains is to be, as they say, a really useful engine 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:59.239 for the owner, Sir Topham Hatt, who's bald, just like me, so I have an affinity with Sir Topham 00:02:59.240 --> 00:02:59.540 Hatt. 00:02:59.540 --> 00:03:06.260 And each of the trains is a character with his or her own little personality quirk, as 00:03:06.260 --> 00:03:12.300 the unbelievably catchy theme song lets you know, Thomas, he's the cheeky one. 00:03:13.219 --> 00:03:15.600 James is vain, but lots of fun. 00:03:16.420 --> 00:03:18.020 Percy pulls the mail on time. 00:03:18.160 --> 00:03:19.760 Gordon thunders down the line. 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:22.180 Emily really knows her stuff. 00:03:22.700 --> 00:03:24.420 Henry toots and huffs and puffs. 00:03:24.419 --> 00:03:26.099 Edward wants to help and share. 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:31.139 Toby, well, let's just say he's square. 00:03:32.079 --> 00:03:32.719 Poor Toby. 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:36.839 It's embarrassing the number of times I've found myself humming that tune. 00:03:36.959 --> 00:03:41.299 And if you know the song, I'm sorry for putting it in your head for the rest of the service. 00:03:42.099 --> 00:03:44.539 There are two, there are four, there are six, there are eight. 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:44.879 Gotcha. 00:03:45.179 --> 00:03:45.879 You know who you are. 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:46.419 Yeah. 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:49.659 But of course, my son and I don't just watch Thomas. 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:53.319 Thomas, we also love to play with our wooden Thomas train set. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:57.060 So every once in a while, we'll clear off the dining room table and turn it into a big 00:03:57.060 --> 00:04:02.099 wooden train track and we'll race our little wooden engines around and up and down and pull 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:06.219 the little wooden train cars and of course, get into little wooden train accidents. 00:04:06.900 --> 00:04:07.919 It's all quite fun. 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:14.180 But then one day, after we had been watching and playing with Thomas for a while, we decided 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:16.879 to go see a real steam engine. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:21.959 So we drove out to Essex to show Jack the real thing. 00:04:22.939 --> 00:04:26.939 And I hadn't been up close and personal with a steam train before either, so I wasn't really 00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:27.920 sure what we were getting into. 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:32.339 So as we pulled into the parking lot, I'm humming the Thomas song and ready to see some really 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:33.060 useful engines. 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:38.159 And then I found out that in real life, these things are massive. 00:04:40.459 --> 00:04:44.100 We ended up standing right next to it when the whistle blew. 00:04:44.100 --> 00:04:48.780 And it didn't just hurt our ears, it sort of shook our guts. 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:56.560 And then as it churned out of the station, you could just sort of see the sheer force and 00:04:56.560 --> 00:05:02.500 power of this thing as it slowly began to pull the cars up the line and eventually picked 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:04.660 up speed down the track. 00:05:04.660 --> 00:05:13.220 Now, if you can picture in your mind a little wooden toy train and the ferocious, powerful, 00:05:13.500 --> 00:05:22.920 gut-wrenching reality of a steam engine, you'll start to get a picture of the contrast that's 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:25.680 at the center of our passage in Hebrews this morning. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:33.660 And that contrast is actually between two places, between two locations or two spheres. 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:39.139 The one place is the earthly tabernacle that God told Moses to build where the Old Testament 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:45.340 priests had their ministry, which was a copy and a shadow, a representation, a representation 00:05:45.340 --> 00:05:46.220 we're told. 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:48.939 It's the toy train, if you will. 00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:56.740 And the other place is what our passage calls the true tent or the real tabernacle, the throne 00:05:56.740 --> 00:06:04.220 of the majesty in heaven, the very presence of God where Jesus ministers on our behalf. 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:12.560 Not a mere representation, but the ferocious, gut-wrenching, powerful reality itself. 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:18.519 And in drawing this contrast between the earthly sanctuary and the heavenly sanctuary, Hebrews 00:06:18.519 --> 00:06:24.759 wants us to see how much more excellent Jesus' ministry truly is. 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:30.860 Because he ministers in a much more excellent place, he achieves a much more excellent ministry 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:32.139 on our behalf. 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:35.819 That's where verse 6 takes us at the end of our passage. 00:06:35.819 --> 00:06:42.939 And so this morning, we want to spend some time thinking about just that, the location 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:45.259 of Jesus' priestly ministry for us. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.980 And we want to see how this makes a difference for us today. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:57.600 Because after all, this letter that we call Hebrews was written to fuel our faithful endurance 00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.579 in difficult days. 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.319 That's the real point of the letter. 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:09.060 So we have to ask, what difference does it make to the church in hard times, in trial, 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:13.860 to your life now, and the difficulties that you face? 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:19.659 What difference does it make to know that we have a holy and faithful high priest, not 00:07:19.659 --> 00:07:23.879 on earth, in an earthly sanctuary, but in heaven? 00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:33.240 Now, of course, it's hard for us to imagine how strange and how revolutionary the Christian 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.019 claims would have been in the first century. 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:40.300 Can't you almost hear certain Jews in the first century asking their fellow Jews who had 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:46.360 placed their trust in Christ, well, okay, if Jesus is the ultimate high priest, as you 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:52.899 claim, why isn't he ministering in the temple in Jerusalem, offering sacrifices, making prayers? 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:56.120 That's where priests belong, in the temple. 00:07:57.579 --> 00:08:03.060 And at the same time, you can hear their pagan neighbors too, perhaps a bit confused, asking 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:04.000 pretty much the same thing. 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:07.599 Wait, so you follow this Jesus, and he's your priest? 00:08:07.979 --> 00:08:10.239 Okay, but where's your temple? 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:16.339 How does he do me any good if I can't go visit him, and I can't give him my sacrifice to offer 00:08:16.339 --> 00:08:17.039 to the gods? 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:18.959 What kind of religion is this? 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:24.419 Those are some of the questions that the earliest Christians would have been asked almost every 00:08:24.419 --> 00:08:28.419 single day as others engage them about their faith in Christ. 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:34.899 But you know, isn't it still strange and revolutionary for us today? 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:40.740 Because aren't these some of the same sorts of questions that many today have about Christianity? 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:44.460 Why would you follow someone? 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:52.519 Why would you center your life around someone that you can't see, and you can't hear, and 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:53.279 you can't touch? 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.340 What good does that do? 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:04.080 So why is it good news that Jesus is our priest in heaven? 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:08.060 I want to look at three reasons this morning. 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:09.300 Why? 00:09:10.540 --> 00:09:11.780 And the first one is this. 00:09:13.020 --> 00:09:19.960 If Jesus exercises his priestly ministry in heaven, then that means it's accessible everywhere. 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:25.139 Now get the point that Hebrews is making about the wilderness tabernacle, and by extension, 00:09:25.280 --> 00:09:26.940 the Jerusalem temple in verses 4 through 5. 00:09:26.980 --> 00:09:27.540 Do you see it there? 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:30.720 He's quoting Exodus 25, 40. 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.100 And that's the point in the Old Testament story when God first starts telling Moses and 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:40.000 Israel to begin building the tabernacle, to start building this mobile sanctuary, this 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.300 tent that they could tear up and set down as they journeyed toward the promised land. 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:49.360 And eventually, God would allow Israel to build a more permanent temple in Jerusalem, but the 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:53.600 tabernacle and temple are basically functionally and theologically the same thing. 00:09:53.660 --> 00:09:54.220 They're continuous. 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:57.279 But notice what Hebrews points out here. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:03.379 Right in the Old Testament scriptures from Exodus 25, that from the very beginning, that 00:10:03.379 --> 00:10:08.459 tabernacle, that temple wasn't meant to be permanent. 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:17.939 It was, he says, just a copy or a shadow of the heavenly pattern that God revealed to Moses 00:10:17.939 --> 00:10:19.059 on Mount Sinai. 00:10:19.059 --> 00:10:26.359 In other words, just like my son's wooden trains are just a small copy of the awesome reality, 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:35.399 the tabernacle was just a sketch, just a representation, a symbol of something much, much, much greater. 00:10:37.739 --> 00:10:44.879 Now, on the one hand, we should realize that this is saying something really positive about 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:46.500 the Old Testament tabernacle, isn't it? 00:10:46.500 --> 00:10:57.519 I mean, if we have eyes to see it, the tabernacle was a sketch of heaven itself on earth, a glimmer 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:04.000 of the unspeakable beauty of God's eternal dwelling place in the midst of his people. 00:11:05.179 --> 00:11:09.600 Hebrews isn't trying to sort of denigrate the tabernacle. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:16.720 But he's also saying that for all of that, it wasn't the reality itself. 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:18.700 It was just a shadow. 00:11:20.340 --> 00:11:22.259 Could it give comfort to Old Testament believers? 00:11:22.420 --> 00:11:27.100 Could it teach them things, true things about God and about God's redemption and about God's 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:27.440 future? 00:11:27.920 --> 00:11:28.440 Absolutely. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:31.100 But it wasn't the thing itself. 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:33.840 It was still full of limitations. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:39.800 And one of the limitations of the tabernacle, which is obvious when you think about it, 00:11:40.560 --> 00:11:44.460 was that it could only be located in one place at one time. 00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:50.879 Because it was on earth, you could only get to it in one spot. 00:11:51.899 --> 00:11:56.139 So if you wanted to participate in what was happening there, if you wanted to be where the 00:11:56.139 --> 00:12:00.299 spiritual action was, so to say, you had to travel to get there. 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:06.080 And at least three times a year, Israelites were required to travel to the temple to participate 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:07.379 in annual festivals. 00:12:07.939 --> 00:12:13.639 Just think of the cost and the planning that had to go into such a life and such trips. 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:18.399 Just think of the sorrow if you couldn't go and couldn't be present. 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:24.700 Some of the psalms that we have in the book of Psalms are written by people who, for one 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.640 reason or another, are distanced from the temple and can't get there. 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:32.080 And their heart longs to be back in God's presence. 00:12:35.520 --> 00:12:44.220 But you see, what Hebrews is saying here, that now, exalted to heaven, seated at God's 00:12:44.220 --> 00:12:52.840 right hand, Jesus' high priesthood is exercised in a place that isn't limited to one spot. 00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:56.860 That now it's accessible and available everywhere. 00:12:59.320 --> 00:13:01.780 And of course, we don't see it that way at first, do we? 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:07.340 To our default way of thinking, Jesus' exaltation to heaven makes him less accessible, right? 00:13:08.180 --> 00:13:09.920 He's gone away and now we can't see him. 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:10.860 What good is that? 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:17.180 But that's because we don't have a proper understanding of the relationship between what 00:13:17.179 --> 00:13:19.359 the Bible calls heaven and earth. 00:13:21.359 --> 00:13:24.859 You see, generally speaking, we tend to fall into two broad ways of thinking about these 00:13:24.859 --> 00:13:25.199 things. 00:13:25.939 --> 00:13:29.679 On the one hand, there's the broadly sort of materialistic way of viewing heaven and earth, 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:32.419 which basically says that heaven doesn't exist. 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:33.379 It isn't real. 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:34.759 All that matters is earth. 00:13:36.439 --> 00:13:41.019 And on the other hand, there's the broadly sort of dualistic way of thinking, which says 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:42.559 that heaven is all that really matters. 00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:48.199 And earth is just either an illusion or basically evil or ultimately irrelevant at the end of 00:13:48.199 --> 00:13:48.559 the day. 00:13:51.099 --> 00:13:54.519 Do you see in your own life how people fall into one of those two categories? 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:57.119 And maybe even our own thinking kind of tends towards one or the other. 00:13:59.059 --> 00:14:02.079 But you see, both of these views are incredibly problematic, aren't they? 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:09.300 The materialist still has to admit that there are unseen realities. 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:13.080 After all, take mathematical principles, right? 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:18.560 They are most certainly true, and they undergird the physical world. 00:14:19.280 --> 00:14:21.980 And in a sense, they're true independently of the physical world. 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.480 If everything suddenly vanished in a black hole, two and two would still equal four. 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:33.580 So it seems that reality isn't just matter, just earth, that there are transcendent realities 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:34.279 after all. 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:41.100 But you know, the other way, the sort of dualist picture of viewing the world is also deeply 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:42.240 problematic, isn't it? 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:44.440 To just say that earth is an illusion. 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:52.480 Doesn't our deep yearning for justice say loudly that the events of this earthly life matter? 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:59.740 And to go a step further, when earthly suffering occurs, who can say that it's just an illusion 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:01.340 and isn't worth weeping for? 00:15:03.580 --> 00:15:08.259 So this earthly life must be more than just an irrelevant waiting room 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:11.039 or an illusion that we're waiting to cast aside. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:18.139 So the materialist view and the dualist view, they're both much too oversimplified 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:20.159 and they're much too problematic to be true. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:23.019 But there's a third way. 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:30.860 There's the biblical view that's actually much more sophisticated and resonates much more 00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:32.279 deeply with our experience. 00:15:33.439 --> 00:15:40.899 You see, in the biblical view, heaven and earth are two dimensions that overlap and interlock 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:42.679 to form the whole of reality. 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:46.839 You see, when the Bible talks about heaven in the sense used here, it's not talking about 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:51.200 outer space, it's talking about the place where God dwells in fullness. 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:53.280 Heaven is God's dimension of reality. 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:55.220 That's what Jesus says in the Lord's Prayer, right? 00:15:55.800 --> 00:15:58.200 Our Father who art in heaven, 00:15:59.280 --> 00:16:01.340 your will be done on earth as it is 00:16:01.340 --> 00:16:02.300 in heaven. 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:05.259 So heaven is a way of speaking about 00:16:05.259 --> 00:16:07.460 that dimension where God 00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:09.200 dwells and where God 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:10.160 reigns. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:14.600 And that's why Hebrews can say in verse 2 that heaven 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:17.339 is, as it were, the true holy place, 00:16:18.079 --> 00:16:19.000 the true tent, 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:20.799 the true tabernacle. 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.879 Not because the old one was false or the old one was bad, 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:26.980 but because the old one was a symbol 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:28.699 of the real thing 00:16:28.699 --> 00:16:30.179 of God's dwelling. 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:34.539 And as I've said, heaven isn't something that's 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:35.639 far off. 00:16:36.299 --> 00:16:38.259 You don't need a spaceship to get there. 00:16:39.099 --> 00:16:40.399 No, it actually 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.959 presses down and impinges 00:16:42.959 --> 00:16:44.719 and intersects 00:16:44.719 --> 00:16:46.739 with our earthly side of reality. 00:16:48.459 --> 00:16:50.559 So you see, when Jesus ascends to the 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.899 Father and takes his seat 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:54.459 at God's right hand 00:16:54.459 --> 00:16:56.500 and becomes our minister in the 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:57.399 holy place, 00:16:57.399 --> 00:17:00.639 this means that our 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:02.459 priest is not 00:17:02.459 --> 00:17:03.980 now limited 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:05.700 to one place. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:08.680 In the place where he ministers, 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:11.379 it touches on the rest 00:17:11.379 --> 00:17:13.099 of reality, on all of it 00:17:13.099 --> 00:17:14.059 at once. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:17.339 And that's why Hebrews, 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:19.000 if you've been following our series, 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:20.279 can tell us again 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:21.279 and again 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:22.240 and again 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:24.319 to draw near to God 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:25.799 through Jesus. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:28.940 not because he wants us to pack up 00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:30.740 and travel to some earthly temple, 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:31.680 but because Jesus, 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:32.980 our great high priest, 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.099 has gone into the real 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:35.119 and true sanctuary. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:38.500 He's forged a path for us 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:39.899 into God's very presence. 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:42.079 Not entering a mere sketch, 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:43.960 but the real deal. 00:17:44.899 --> 00:17:45.659 And so now, 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:47.460 no matter where we are, 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:49.500 we can draw near. 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:53.640 And friends, 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:55.079 that means that you don't have to travel 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:56.880 to a certain place 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:58.819 to be nearer to God. 00:18:00.660 --> 00:18:02.000 There's no such thing 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.559 after the work 00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:05.880 of Christ. 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:07.559 There's no such thing 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:08.599 as sacred 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:09.619 space 00:18:09.619 --> 00:18:10.259 anymore. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:13.220 Because if we have a true 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:14.680 and living high priest in heaven, 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:16.119 then any space 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:17.199 is a space 00:18:17.199 --> 00:18:18.339 where women and men 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:19.599 can draw near to God. 00:18:21.899 --> 00:18:22.399 Now think about 00:18:22.399 --> 00:18:23.519 the implications of that. 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.479 We've perhaps all visited places 00:18:26.479 --> 00:18:27.439 that seem more holy 00:18:27.439 --> 00:18:28.519 or spiritual than others, 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:28.979 haven't we? 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:30.699 Places that seem to evoke 00:18:30.699 --> 00:18:31.419 awe. 00:18:32.139 --> 00:18:34.039 Perhaps an ancient cathedral 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:35.759 with high vaulted ceilings 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:36.539 and impressive 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:37.839 stained glass windows. 00:18:39.459 --> 00:18:41.239 Or perhaps a quiet monastery 00:18:41.239 --> 00:18:42.099 tucked away 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:43.239 up in the mountains, 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:44.939 far above the chaos 00:18:44.939 --> 00:18:45.759 of ordinary life. 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:47.099 Places that seem special. 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:47.960 Places that seem 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:49.099 closer to God. 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:51.079 But friend, 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:51.579 consider 00:18:51.579 --> 00:18:52.420 what Hebrews 00:18:52.420 --> 00:18:53.480 is telling us. 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:56.279 That a person 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:56.819 praying 00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:58.359 at the foot 00:18:58.359 --> 00:18:59.099 of their bed 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:00.359 in the name 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:01.099 of Jesus, 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:02.519 a seemingly 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:03.400 commonplace 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:03.779 thing, 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:06.319 that that 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:06.759 is a more 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:07.460 holy 00:19:07.460 --> 00:19:09.299 and all-filled 00:19:09.299 --> 00:19:09.980 reality 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:11.759 than the most 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:12.259 impressive 00:19:12.259 --> 00:19:12.819 cathedral. 00:19:14.099 --> 00:19:15.240 That that person 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.019 is drawing 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.519 closer to God 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.680 than if he or she 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:20.240 were to travel 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:21.480 to the most serene 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.200 mountaintop monastery. 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:27.960 Friends, 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:28.779 don't underestimate 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:29.740 what Christ 00:19:29.740 --> 00:19:30.740 has done for you. 00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:35.220 And that means 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:36.299 no matter what place 00:19:36.299 --> 00:19:37.799 you find yourself in, 00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:40.180 if you turn to God 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:40.940 in Christ, 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:43.079 your prayers 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:43.980 are received 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:47.000 in the very throne room 00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:47.940 of the universe, 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:50.659 the very control center 00:19:50.659 --> 00:19:51.480 of reality. 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:54.299 You can be gathered 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:55.680 with a few friends 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:56.740 in the basement 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:57.419 of your dorm, 00:19:58.139 --> 00:19:58.859 praying for God 00:19:58.859 --> 00:19:59.859 to move in the hearts 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:00.460 of your friends. 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:00.559 friends. 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:02.680 You and your spouse 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:03.620 can be pacing 00:20:03.620 --> 00:20:04.220 the floors 00:20:04.220 --> 00:20:04.880 of your hallway 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:05.680 at 2 a.m. 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:06.759 with your sick child, 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:07.779 praying for patience 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:08.620 and wisdom. 00:20:10.059 --> 00:20:11.120 You can be in the middle 00:20:11.120 --> 00:20:11.799 of the office, 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:13.000 praying for clarity 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:13.860 about your work 00:20:13.860 --> 00:20:15.600 and praying for graciousness 00:20:15.600 --> 00:20:16.480 with your colleagues. 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:18.039 You can be on the other 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:18.840 side of the world 00:20:18.840 --> 00:20:19.759 on a short-term 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.319 mission trips, 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:21.319 or you can be walking 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:21.940 the halls 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:23.079 of your high school. 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:23.420 Friends, 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.980 any of these places, 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:26.299 the places where 00:20:26.299 --> 00:20:27.720 real-life trials come 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:29.100 and where endurance 00:20:29.100 --> 00:20:30.339 is especially needed, 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:32.039 any of these places 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:33.100 can be a place 00:20:33.100 --> 00:20:34.339 where heaven 00:20:34.339 --> 00:20:36.120 and earth meet 00:20:36.120 --> 00:20:37.519 and you draw near 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:38.600 to God 00:20:38.600 --> 00:20:41.200 through the faithful ministry 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:42.360 of our heavenly 00:20:42.360 --> 00:20:43.440 high priest Jesus. 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:47.759 So friends, 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:48.680 don't be embarrassed 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.480 that Christ is in heaven. 00:20:50.740 --> 00:20:51.339 Rejoice. 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:54.400 Because if he is in heaven, 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:57.860 then his priestly ministry 00:20:57.860 --> 00:20:59.820 is accessible everywhere, 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:01.920 at any place, 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.340 to any need. 00:21:06.820 --> 00:21:07.480 But you see, 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:08.460 that's not the only reason 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:10.120 why Jesus' heavenly location 00:21:10.120 --> 00:21:11.759 is good news for us. 00:21:12.080 --> 00:21:13.640 It's also good news 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:15.019 because it means 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:16.240 that his priestly ministry 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:17.120 on our behalf 00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:19.640 is always abiding. 00:21:22.580 --> 00:21:23.500 As you think about it, 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:24.460 the old tabernacle, right, 00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.779 was set up by human hands 00:21:25.779 --> 00:21:27.440 and made of earthly materials. 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:28.660 And as we've said, 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.259 that doesn't make it 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:30.299 inherently bad, 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:31.180 but it does mean 00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:31.960 that it wasn't meant 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:32.799 to last forever. 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:33.420 Eventually, 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:34.519 the thing was going 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:35.220 to wear out. 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:37.039 Who knows what 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:37.819 it would have looked like 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:38.480 before they actually 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:39.119 built the temple? 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:40.920 Who knows if any 00:21:40.920 --> 00:21:41.339 of the parts 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:41.880 that they originally 00:21:41.880 --> 00:21:42.400 built it with 00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:43.119 were still the ones? 00:21:43.180 --> 00:21:43.559 You know the old 00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:44.299 philosophical problem? 00:21:44.339 --> 00:21:44.859 If you have a boat 00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:45.480 and you keep replacing 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:45.839 the parts, 00:21:45.900 --> 00:21:46.720 is it still the same boat? 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:47.859 Who knows what 00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:48.400 the tabernacle 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:49.099 would have looked like? 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:50.019 The thing was probably 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:51.299 wearing out perpetually. 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:54.440 And even the temple 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:54.980 in Jerusalem 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:55.960 didn't last forever. 00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:58.319 It was torn down. 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:00.660 In AD 70, 00:22:00.740 --> 00:22:01.880 the Romans destroyed it. 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:04.539 But you see, friends, 00:22:04.660 --> 00:22:05.859 Jesus has entered 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:06.660 a sanctuary 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:08.660 that will never fade 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:10.000 and will never crumble. 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:13.160 No matter what happens 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:13.660 on earth, 00:22:14.059 --> 00:22:15.740 no matter what circumstances 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:16.460 arise, 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:17.700 our hope 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:18.920 and our identity 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:20.039 as Christians 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.279 cannot be shaken. 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:23.279 Have you thought 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:23.779 about that? 00:22:25.059 --> 00:22:26.119 If this building 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.000 that we meet in 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.000 tomorrow 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:29.819 were to fall 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:30.680 into the ground, 00:22:32.259 --> 00:22:34.059 it wouldn't change 00:22:34.059 --> 00:22:34.819 one bit 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:36.319 the true essence 00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:37.200 of our church. 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:40.039 We'd have to figure out 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:40.859 where to meet next week. 00:22:41.879 --> 00:22:42.440 That'd probably 00:22:42.440 --> 00:22:42.980 be kind of tricky. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.059 The elders and deacons 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:45.539 would have a pretty 00:22:45.539 --> 00:22:46.200 stressful week. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:48.720 But our worship 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:49.519 would continue 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:51.579 basically unchanged. 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:53.460 And our mission 00:22:53.460 --> 00:22:54.139 would continue. 00:22:55.559 --> 00:22:56.599 And our identity 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.720 would remain the same. 00:22:58.900 --> 00:22:59.299 Why? 00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:01.599 Because all those things 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:03.200 are rooted in Christ. 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:05.019 And the ministry 00:23:05.019 --> 00:23:05.980 he's performing 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:07.200 for us in heaven 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:08.539 isn't blown 00:23:08.539 --> 00:23:09.700 or tossed 00:23:09.700 --> 00:23:10.619 or hindered 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:12.259 by earthly circumstances. 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:13.900 He certainly cares 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:15.180 about our earthly circumstances, 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:16.539 but none of them 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:17.519 could ever change 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:18.400 or stop 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:19.139 his ministry 00:23:19.139 --> 00:23:19.779 for us. 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:22.240 And neither 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:22.779 can it change 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:23.160 or stop 00:23:23.160 --> 00:23:23.720 his mission 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:24.359 in the world. 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:28.440 Now, of course, 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:28.879 I realize 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:29.539 there's not a great 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:30.039 probability 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:30.720 that our church 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:31.119 will crumble 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:31.660 into the ground 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:32.079 tomorrow. 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:33.740 Let's hope 00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:34.359 that doesn't happen. 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:37.339 But for some of you 00:23:37.339 --> 00:23:37.900 here this morning, 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:38.799 I wonder if you do 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:39.460 feel like things 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:39.920 are crumbling 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:41.440 down around you. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:44.079 Maybe you're 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:45.259 drowning in debt. 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:48.640 Maybe your marriage 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:49.680 is lifeless. 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:52.640 Maybe you're agonizing 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:53.700 over hard decisions 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:54.599 that you face. 00:23:56.539 --> 00:23:57.140 Or maybe you're 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:57.900 starting to realize 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:58.920 some unsettling things 00:23:58.920 --> 00:23:59.740 about your own heart. 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:00.879 Maybe the image 00:24:00.879 --> 00:24:01.680 that you've had 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:02.220 of yourself 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.700 as a good person 00:24:03.700 --> 00:24:04.319 is starting 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:05.680 to crumble down. 00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:08.960 But friends, 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:09.720 earlier in Hebrews, 00:24:09.859 --> 00:24:10.460 we saw that 00:24:10.460 --> 00:24:11.839 Christ's entrance 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:12.839 into heaven 00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:13.839 on our behalf 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:15.819 was like an anchor 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:16.839 for the soul. 00:24:18.919 --> 00:24:20.039 Christ is a priest 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:21.119 who lives forever 00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:22.579 in a sanctuary 00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:23.939 that abides forever. 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:25.720 And that means 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:26.279 if you've placed 00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:27.299 your trust in him, 00:24:27.439 --> 00:24:28.879 if he is your life, 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:30.220 and for those 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:31.339 communities for whom 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:32.619 he is their life, 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:34.919 that no trial 00:24:34.919 --> 00:24:36.059 and no circumstance 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:37.000 can ultimately 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:38.740 tear you down. 00:24:38.740 --> 00:24:41.240 not because 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:41.960 he'll necessarily 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:42.839 protect us 00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:43.420 or shield us 00:24:43.420 --> 00:24:44.140 from all hardship, 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:45.779 but because 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:46.819 he endures 00:24:46.819 --> 00:24:48.019 and abides 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:49.380 through all hardship. 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:50.880 That there is 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:52.539 a fixed point 00:24:52.539 --> 00:24:53.819 that will not 00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:55.480 and cannot change 00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:57.400 because he's in heaven. 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:00.880 And you know, 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:01.600 this abiding 00:25:01.600 --> 00:25:03.720 means not just 00:25:03.720 --> 00:25:04.259 stability 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:05.580 for the present. 00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:08.080 Because you see, 00:25:08.140 --> 00:25:09.040 the idea of heaven 00:25:09.040 --> 00:25:10.580 in the Bible 00:25:10.580 --> 00:25:12.660 means not just 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:13.900 God's dwelling place 00:25:13.900 --> 00:25:14.640 in the present, 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:17.120 but it also, 00:25:17.280 --> 00:25:17.640 in a sense, 00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:19.360 points us to the future 00:25:19.360 --> 00:25:21.019 that God has in store. 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:24.480 The Old Testament prophets 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:25.500 foresaw a day 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:26.920 when God's glory 00:25:26.920 --> 00:25:28.319 would cover the earth 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:29.420 as the waters 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:30.180 cover the sea. 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:33.220 And John in Revelation 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:33.839 saw a day 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:34.539 when heaven 00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:36.259 would come down 00:25:36.259 --> 00:25:37.400 to earth. 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:40.400 When God would judge 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:41.619 injustice and evil 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:43.640 and vindicate his name 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:45.359 and dwell in the midst 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:46.140 of his people 00:25:46.140 --> 00:25:47.220 forgiven 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:48.660 once and for all. 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:50.859 You see, friend, 00:25:50.859 --> 00:25:51.400 heaven 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:52.759 is where 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:53.420 the world 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:54.140 is headed. 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:57.619 It points ahead 00:25:57.619 --> 00:25:58.700 to the certain future 00:25:58.700 --> 00:25:59.539 that God has in store. 00:25:59.859 --> 00:26:00.339 And that means 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:00.819 that if Jesus 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:01.559 is our high priest 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:02.420 in heaven, 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:03.339 then he'll be our 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:03.799 high priest 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:04.759 for eternity. 00:26:05.880 --> 00:26:06.660 And that means 00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:07.059 we can have 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:08.140 a guaranteed 00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:09.240 place 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:10.740 in God's new creation, 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:12.240 in the city to come, 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:13.819 as Hebrews will call it. 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:18.119 And it also means, 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:18.559 friends, 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:19.619 do you realize this, 00:26:19.660 --> 00:26:20.099 that it means 00:26:20.099 --> 00:26:21.240 that as we live 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:22.599 with Jesus 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:23.680 as our king 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:24.980 and as our priest, 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:27.180 that our community 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:28.120 becomes 00:26:28.120 --> 00:26:30.019 a foretaste 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:31.620 of the future. 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:34.900 That our life 00:26:34.900 --> 00:26:36.320 together as Christians, 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:37.920 worshiping Christ, 00:26:38.320 --> 00:26:40.240 relying on his priestly work, 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:41.640 following him 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:42.460 as our king, 00:26:44.460 --> 00:26:45.460 friends, 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:46.880 that's the future. 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:48.740 Now, 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:50.920 in and among us, 00:26:50.920 --> 00:26:52.440 by his spirit. 00:26:54.940 --> 00:26:55.700 Don't think 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.519 that the Christian life 00:26:56.519 --> 00:26:57.259 is boring. 00:26:58.259 --> 00:26:59.039 It might be 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:00.220 ordinary at times. 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:01.700 But friends, 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:03.000 the ordinary life 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.140 of a believer 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:05.680 is more glorious 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:06.779 than anything 00:27:06.779 --> 00:27:07.539 you could imagine. 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:11.480 So if Jesus 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:12.220 is in heaven, 00:27:12.380 --> 00:27:13.360 then what he's accomplished 00:27:13.360 --> 00:27:14.180 is abiding. 00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:15.820 It never fades. 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:17.420 The quality 00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:18.320 of your relationship 00:27:18.320 --> 00:27:19.240 and access to God 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:20.000 is not shaken 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:20.920 by circumstances. 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:23.140 And he will usher us 00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:23.980 into God's future. 00:27:26.620 --> 00:27:27.680 But last reason. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:30.680 Last reason 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:31.420 why Jesus being 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:32.519 our priest in heaven 00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:33.480 is good news for us. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.259 It's not just 00:27:34.259 --> 00:27:35.160 that his ministry 00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:36.440 is accessible anywhere, 00:27:36.680 --> 00:27:37.339 not just that it will 00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:38.720 abide forever, 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:41.579 but it also means 00:27:41.579 --> 00:27:42.420 that his ministry 00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:44.059 is completely 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:45.359 effective. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.479 that it does 00:27:48.479 --> 00:27:49.959 what it was 00:27:49.959 --> 00:27:51.139 meant to do. 00:27:53.039 --> 00:27:54.240 Verse 1 tells us 00:27:54.240 --> 00:27:54.819 that we have 00:27:54.819 --> 00:27:55.519 a high priest 00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:56.079 who's seated 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:57.399 in heaven. 00:27:58.039 --> 00:27:59.039 Who's seated 00:27:59.039 --> 00:27:59.819 in heaven. 00:28:00.679 --> 00:28:02.159 He's sitting down 00:28:02.159 --> 00:28:03.059 at God's 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:04.719 right hand. 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:06.079 Now, 00:28:06.139 --> 00:28:06.859 being seated 00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:08.099 at the right hand 00:28:08.099 --> 00:28:10.139 meant typically 00:28:10.139 --> 00:28:11.279 to be established 00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:12.099 in authority 00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:13.199 and in favor. 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:15.160 And this idea 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:15.940 of being seated 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:16.779 at God's right hand 00:28:16.779 --> 00:28:17.660 typically points 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:18.080 to Jesus' 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.440 kingly identity, 00:28:19.600 --> 00:28:20.600 his kingly office. 00:28:22.519 --> 00:28:22.940 Princes were 00:28:22.940 --> 00:28:23.539 the ones who sat. 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:24.360 Kings were the ones 00:28:24.360 --> 00:28:24.680 who sat. 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:25.140 They sat 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:25.700 and they ruled. 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:27.799 But here, 00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:28.519 Hebrews wants 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:29.200 to make a point 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:29.920 about Jesus' 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:31.440 priestly ministry, 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:32.039 you see. 00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.420 Not just is Jesus 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:36.259 seated as our king 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:38.360 with all the rights 00:28:38.360 --> 00:28:39.100 and privileges 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:40.659 of a sovereign. 00:28:42.439 --> 00:28:43.259 But the one 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:44.039 who is seated, 00:28:45.139 --> 00:28:46.599 what is he doing? 00:28:47.639 --> 00:28:48.480 He's serving 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:50.240 as our priest. 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:52.019 He's ministering 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:52.559 to us. 00:28:54.439 --> 00:28:55.359 And as we'll see 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:55.959 in chapter 10 00:28:55.959 --> 00:28:57.240 by sitting down, 00:28:58.259 --> 00:28:58.899 Hebrews wants us 00:28:58.899 --> 00:28:59.980 to see that Christ's 00:28:59.980 --> 00:29:01.500 work is finished. 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:04.059 That it's utterly 00:29:04.059 --> 00:29:05.619 and totally sufficient 00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:06.319 and complete. 00:29:06.439 --> 00:29:07.179 That when he offered 00:29:07.179 --> 00:29:07.859 himself, 00:29:07.859 --> 00:29:10.199 that single 00:29:10.199 --> 00:29:11.219 sacrifice 00:29:11.219 --> 00:29:12.099 was enough 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:13.179 to cleanse 00:29:13.179 --> 00:29:14.139 and forgive 00:29:14.139 --> 00:29:14.659 the sins 00:29:14.659 --> 00:29:16.099 of everyone 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:17.179 who places 00:29:17.179 --> 00:29:18.179 their trust in him. 00:29:19.819 --> 00:29:20.719 And now, 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:21.319 in the position 00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:22.740 of utmost authority 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:23.419 and favor 00:29:23.419 --> 00:29:24.399 at God's right hand, 00:29:24.679 --> 00:29:25.519 Jesus assures us 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:26.099 that he's not only 00:29:26.099 --> 00:29:27.000 willing to save, 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:27.699 but he indeed 00:29:27.699 --> 00:29:28.559 has the power 00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:29.579 and the right 00:29:29.579 --> 00:29:30.279 to save 00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:31.919 everyone who 00:29:31.919 --> 00:29:32.619 comes to him. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:36.659 You see, 00:29:36.719 --> 00:29:37.619 because his sacrifice 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:38.399 wasn't brought 00:29:38.399 --> 00:29:39.439 into a mere 00:29:39.439 --> 00:29:40.339 representation, 00:29:40.899 --> 00:29:42.659 but it was brought 00:29:42.659 --> 00:29:43.419 into the reality 00:29:43.419 --> 00:29:44.279 itself where it 00:29:44.279 --> 00:29:45.339 really counts. 00:29:46.259 --> 00:29:46.859 His sacrifice 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:47.619 has been brought 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:48.279 into the very 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:48.959 throne room 00:29:48.959 --> 00:29:50.219 of the majesty 00:29:50.219 --> 00:29:50.959 on high. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:51.960 God's right. 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:55.940 And at last, 00:29:56.120 --> 00:29:56.840 it atones for 00:29:56.840 --> 00:29:57.559 our sins 00:29:57.559 --> 00:29:59.480 and takes 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:00.380 God's redemptive 00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:01.500 plan forward 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:03.360 and it brings 00:30:03.360 --> 00:30:03.900 us peace 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:04.480 with God. 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:07.180 That's what 00:30:07.180 --> 00:30:07.940 Revelation 5 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:08.460 was all about 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:08.940 that we read 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:09.519 earlier in the 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:09.940 service. 00:30:11.220 --> 00:30:11.680 That the 00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:12.160 Lamb, 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:13.600 Jesus, 00:30:14.360 --> 00:30:14.860 crucified 00:30:14.860 --> 00:30:15.620 for us, 00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:16.600 is on the 00:30:16.600 --> 00:30:17.059 throne, 00:30:17.420 --> 00:30:17.900 exalted, 00:30:17.900 --> 00:30:19.320 and is 00:30:19.320 --> 00:30:20.220 ransoming 00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:20.960 for himself 00:30:20.960 --> 00:30:21.480 a people 00:30:21.480 --> 00:30:22.040 from every 00:30:22.040 --> 00:30:23.120 tribe 00:30:23.120 --> 00:30:24.240 and language 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:25.540 and people 00:30:25.540 --> 00:30:26.259 and nation. 00:30:28.120 --> 00:30:28.560 Now, 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:28.720 friend, 00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:29.080 if you're here 00:30:29.080 --> 00:30:29.640 this morning 00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:30.340 and you're 00:30:30.340 --> 00:30:31.140 not a Christian, 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:31.880 I realize 00:30:31.880 --> 00:30:32.220 that there's 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:32.720 a lot 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:33.120 in this 00:30:33.120 --> 00:30:33.700 passage 00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:34.620 that might 00:30:34.620 --> 00:30:35.180 seem a bit 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:35.900 strange. 00:30:36.800 --> 00:30:37.360 I hope 00:30:37.360 --> 00:30:37.660 it's a little 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:38.300 less strange 00:30:38.300 --> 00:30:38.620 as we've 00:30:38.620 --> 00:30:39.019 been talking 00:30:39.019 --> 00:30:39.600 about it, 00:30:40.060 --> 00:30:41.360 but in the 00:30:41.360 --> 00:30:41.480 end, 00:30:41.519 --> 00:30:41.940 it all comes 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:42.280 down to 00:30:42.280 --> 00:30:42.700 this, 00:30:44.060 --> 00:30:44.600 knowing 00:30:44.600 --> 00:30:45.480 peace 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:46.200 with God. 00:30:47.759 --> 00:30:48.360 If there 00:30:48.360 --> 00:30:48.920 is a God, 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:49.400 then surely 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:50.059 to be right 00:30:50.059 --> 00:30:50.460 with him 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:50.700 is what 00:30:50.700 --> 00:30:51.460 matters most 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:51.920 of all. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:53.259 And as 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:53.740 Hebrews goes 00:30:53.740 --> 00:30:54.259 on to show 00:30:54.259 --> 00:30:54.980 because Christ 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:55.640 is in heaven, 00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:56.920 having effectively 00:30:56.920 --> 00:30:57.620 atoned for 00:30:57.620 --> 00:30:57.980 sin, 00:30:58.279 --> 00:30:58.700 he thereby 00:30:58.700 --> 00:30:59.279 brings about 00:30:59.279 --> 00:30:59.860 a new 00:30:59.860 --> 00:31:00.259 covenant 00:31:00.259 --> 00:31:00.799 between us 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:01.180 and God 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:01.839 that is a 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:02.700 new basis 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:03.579 for relating 00:31:03.579 --> 00:31:04.120 to God. 00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:05.299 One that's 00:31:05.299 --> 00:31:05.740 no longer 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:06.339 dependent on 00:31:06.339 --> 00:31:07.000 our performance 00:31:07.000 --> 00:31:07.759 or our 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:08.259 works 00:31:08.259 --> 00:31:09.000 or our 00:31:09.000 --> 00:31:09.500 righteousness, 00:31:09.960 --> 00:31:10.339 but one 00:31:10.339 --> 00:31:10.839 that stands 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:11.660 on better 00:31:11.660 --> 00:31:12.240 promises, 00:31:13.160 --> 00:31:14.059 on the rock 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:14.680 of a better 00:31:14.680 --> 00:31:15.360 mediator, 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:18.519 and friends, 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:19.099 the greatest 00:31:19.099 --> 00:31:19.539 of those 00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:21.400 promises is 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:21.880 that God 00:31:21.880 --> 00:31:22.599 will remember 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:23.299 our sins 00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:23.900 no more. 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:26.059 Complete 00:31:26.059 --> 00:31:27.339 forgiveness 00:31:27.339 --> 00:31:29.039 for all 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:29.660 who admit 00:31:29.660 --> 00:31:30.000 that they 00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:30.640 can't save 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:31.180 themselves 00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:32.420 and who 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:33.740 take Christ 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:35.339 alone as 00:31:35.339 --> 00:31:36.620 their representative 00:31:36.620 --> 00:31:37.640 before God. 00:31:40.860 --> 00:31:41.440 Now, 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:41.900 next week, 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:42.160 we're going 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:43.019 to talk more 00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:43.680 about this 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:44.519 new covenant 00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:45.819 and the 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:46.519 glory that 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:47.039 it is. 00:31:48.579 --> 00:31:49.160 But for 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:49.359 now, 00:31:49.460 --> 00:31:49.879 here's the 00:31:49.879 --> 00:31:50.819 main point 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:51.940 as we read 00:31:51.940 --> 00:31:52.279 in verse 00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:52.579 one. 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:55.200 Not just 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:55.680 that there 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:57.079 is such 00:31:57.079 --> 00:31:57.379 a high 00:31:57.379 --> 00:31:57.740 priest, 00:31:58.460 --> 00:31:59.279 but that 00:31:59.279 --> 00:32:00.180 we have 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:01.180 such a 00:32:01.180 --> 00:32:01.720 high priest. 00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:04.819 So, 00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:05.000 friends, 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:05.359 let me leave 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:05.639 us with 00:32:05.639 --> 00:32:05.819 this. 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:06.200 Can you 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:06.740 say that 00:32:06.740 --> 00:32:07.119 today? 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:08.720 Not just 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:09.039 that there 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:10.019 is such 00:32:10.019 --> 00:32:10.319 a high 00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:10.480 priest, 00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:10.799 but that 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:11.839 I have 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:12.399 such a 00:32:12.399 --> 00:32:12.579 high 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:12.939 priest. 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:15.179 That's the 00:32:15.179 --> 00:32:15.679 difference 00:32:15.679 --> 00:32:17.579 between 00:32:17.579 --> 00:32:18.659 merely knowing 00:32:18.659 --> 00:32:19.399 about Christianity 00:32:19.399 --> 00:32:19.980 and having 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:20.779 saving faith. 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:21.819 To be able 00:32:21.819 --> 00:32:22.240 to say, 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:22.740 not just 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:23.159 there is, 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:23.559 but I 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:24.159 have 00:32:24.159 --> 00:32:26.339 Christ, 00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:27.119 that I 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:27.579 am his 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:27.980 and he 00:32:27.980 --> 00:32:28.599 is mine. 00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:30.519 And in the 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:31.179 Christian life, 00:32:31.179 --> 00:32:31.819 that's also 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:32.319 what produces 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:33.379 faithful endurance 00:32:33.379 --> 00:32:34.220 in the midst 00:32:34.220 --> 00:32:34.679 of difficult 00:32:34.679 --> 00:32:35.019 days, 00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:35.599 not just 00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:36.179 knowing that 00:32:36.179 --> 00:32:36.779 there is, 00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:37.379 but friends 00:32:37.379 --> 00:32:37.720 that we 00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:38.399 have, 00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:39.600 that you 00:32:39.600 --> 00:32:40.240 have, 00:32:40.840 --> 00:32:41.320 that I 00:32:41.320 --> 00:32:42.000 have, 00:32:43.019 --> 00:32:43.680 such a 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:44.180 great high 00:32:44.180 --> 00:32:44.620 priest. 00:32:46.740 --> 00:32:47.360 Such a 00:32:47.360 --> 00:32:47.780 priest in 00:32:47.780 --> 00:32:48.160 heaven, 00:32:48.820 --> 00:32:49.480 who's utterly 00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:50.360 accessible no 00:32:50.360 --> 00:32:50.740 matter where 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:51.300 you are. 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:53.580 Such a 00:32:53.580 --> 00:32:53.960 priest who 00:32:53.960 --> 00:32:54.740 is utterly 00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:55.560 abiding no 00:32:55.560 --> 00:32:56.140 matter what 00:32:56.140 --> 00:32:57.040 your circumstances. 00:32:59.360 --> 00:32:59.980 Such a 00:32:59.980 --> 00:33:00.480 priest who's 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:01.000 utterly 00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.300 effective no 00:33:03.300 --> 00:33:04.000 matter what 00:33:04.000 --> 00:33:04.640 your sin. 00:33:06.860 --> 00:33:07.320 Friends, 00:33:07.380 --> 00:33:07.700 in Jesus, 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:08.640 we have 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:09.700 such a 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:09.900 high 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:10.259 priest. 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:12.500 Let's 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:12.720 pray. 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:25.319 Father, 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:25.660 by your 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:26.000 spirit, 00:33:26.100 --> 00:33:26.380 would you 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:27.240 grant us 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:30.660 a deeper 00:33:30.660 --> 00:33:32.240 vision in 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:34.200 faith of 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:34.640 our risen 00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:35.340 and exalted 00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:35.860 and reigning 00:33:35.860 --> 00:33:36.580 high priest. 00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:37.019 Lord, 00:33:37.019 --> 00:33:37.740 help us 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:39.480 to know 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:41.319 the security 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:41.920 and the 00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:43.460 joy that 00:33:43.460 --> 00:33:44.180 comes from 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:44.680 knowing we 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:44.940 have a 00:33:44.940 --> 00:33:45.420 priest not 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:45.920 on earth, 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:47.200 where things 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:47.819 fade and 00:33:47.819 --> 00:33:48.299 wear out, 00:33:48.379 --> 00:33:48.619 where they're 00:33:48.619 --> 00:33:48.980 limited, 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:50.400 where the 00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:51.019 benefits only 00:33:51.019 --> 00:33:51.500 go so 00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:51.940 far. 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:53.879 But, 00:33:53.940 --> 00:33:54.139 Jesus, 00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:54.480 that we 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:54.839 have you 00:33:54.839 --> 00:33:55.339 in heaven 00:33:55.339 --> 00:33:57.379 and that 00:33:57.379 --> 00:33:57.819 in you we 00:33:57.819 --> 00:33:58.480 have every 00:33:58.480 --> 00:33:59.200 spiritual 00:33:59.200 --> 00:33:59.859 blessing in 00:33:59.859 --> 00:34:00.259 the heavenly 00:34:00.259 --> 00:34:01.019 places where 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:01.519 it really 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:02.079 counts, 00:34:02.619 --> 00:34:02.920 where it 00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:03.259 really 00:34:03.259 --> 00:34:03.799 matters. 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:07.039 Holy Spirit, 00:34:07.099 --> 00:34:07.339 would you 00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:08.300 breathe faith 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:09.300 into those 00:34:09.300 --> 00:34:10.759 who don't 00:34:10.759 --> 00:34:11.239 quite get 00:34:11.239 --> 00:34:11.579 it yet, 00:34:11.639 --> 00:34:12.000 who aren't 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:12.779 quite seeing 00:34:12.779 --> 00:34:12.980 it, 00:34:13.059 --> 00:34:13.400 help them 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:13.880 to see. 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:15.940 God, 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:16.500 help us to 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:16.920 repent, 00:34:17.059 --> 00:34:17.880 to turn away 00:34:17.880 --> 00:34:18.300 from the 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:18.639 things that 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:18.960 we've been 00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:19.779 trusting in 00:34:19.779 --> 00:34:20.460 your place 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:22.440 and to 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:22.739 cling to 00:34:22.739 --> 00:34:23.279 you again 00:34:23.279 --> 00:34:25.279 as our 00:34:25.279 --> 00:34:25.820 upper and 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:26.519 uttermost. 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:29.059 Lord, 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:29.599 we pray all 00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:30.000 this in 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:30.360 Christ's 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:30.559 name. 00:34:30.860 --> 00:34:31.099 Amen.