The Book of HEBREWS
James J. Barker
Lesson 19
HE IS ABLE TO SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST
INTRODUCTION:
- One of my favorite verses is
Hebrews 7:25 -- "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them."
- I think I was in chapel in
Bible college when I first heard a preacher say -- "from the guttermost to the
uttermost!"
- And I have heard it again
and again over the years. Truly God
does save sinners "from the guttermost to the
uttermost."
- AN UNCHANGEABLE PRIESTHOOD (7:23, 24)
- A SINLESS SUBSTITUTE (7:25-27)
- A PERFECT SALVATION (7:25-28)
I.
AN UNCHANGEABLE PRIESTHOOD (7:23,
24)
- The Aaronic priesthood had
one notable flaw -- it always ended in death
(7:23).
- "But this man..."
(7:24). Christ rose from the dead
and "continueth ever," therefore His is an unchangeable priesthood.
- Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus
Christ the same
yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
- Hebrews 7:25 says our Lord
"ever liveth to make intercession for" us.
- W. Griffith Thomas said, "It
seems to be the thought of Hebrews, that Christ ever lives for the express
purpose of guaranteeing the believer against sinning" (Let Us Go On).
- Christ died to save us from
the power of sin, as well as from the penalty of sin.
II.
A SINLESS SUBSTITUTE
- The Lord Jesus Christ is not
only our Great High Priest, He is also our sinless
substitute.
- The author of this epistle
to the Hebrews has already mentioned that Christ was "without sin"
(4:15).
- Now he says Christ "is holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (7:26; cf.
7:28).
- First Peter 2:22 says, "Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
- First Peter 3:18 says,
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the
Spirit."
- Second Corinthians 5:21
says, "For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin."
- First John 3:5 says,
"And ye
know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
- The Bible teaches that Christ died as our sinless substitute.
- The offerings of the high
priest could not settle the sin question.
But our great high priest did not need to offer up sacrifices, because He
is sinless. Other priests offered up animal sacrifices, but Christ offered up
Himself (Heb. 7:27).
III.
A PERFECT SALVATION
(7:25-28)
- Our Lord is able to
save us completely and perfectly (7:25).
- Our Lord is able to
save us completely -- "to the uttermost" (7:25).
- But in order to be saved,
sinners must come to God "by Him" (7:25) -- not by their church, or by baptism,
or by good works, or by Mary, etc.
- Our Lord said in John 10:9,
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved."
- And our Lord said in John
14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me."
- Peter said in Acts 4:12,
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
CONCLUSION:
- The Lord Jesus Christ is our
Great High Priest. His is an
unchanging priesthood.
- Christ is our Mediator. First Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus."
- Therefore, we need no
priests, because the Lord Jesus Christ is our great high priest and our only
mediator.
- We need no pope. Roman Catholics call their pope "holy
father." According to John 17:11,
this is a title reserved for God alone.
- Our Lord said in Matthew
23:9, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which
is in heaven."
- Roman Catholics teach that
since our Lord has ascended into heaven, their popes are here to represent Him
here on earth. That is why they
refer to the pope as the "vicar (substitute) of
Christ."
- But our Lord said He would
send the Holy Spirit, not a pope.
He said in John 16:7, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send
him unto you."
- So we have God the
Father. He is our "Holy
Father." We have God the Son. He is our Great High Priest. And we have God the Spirit. He is our Comforter.
- We have no need for popes or
priests. The book of Hebrews refutes Romanism because the Roman Catholic system
is built around their priesthood (7:27).
- The Roman Catholic mass
contradicts the plain teachings of
Scripture (cf. Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 18).
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