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I want to look at three observations 
tonight from verses 20 to 27. First of all, the divine oath, 
verses 20 to 22. It wasn't as if it was the sons 
of Aaron who, because of genetics or because of a particular tribal 
line, assumed the office of priesthood. Rather, with Christ, he was appointed 
according to the oath of God Most High. Secondly, we'll notice 
the permanent priesthood of Jesus, verses 23 to 25. And then finally, 
the character of the priest in verses 26 to 27. So as I said, 
what the apostle is doing here is demonstrating the fitness 
of Christ, the sufficiency of Christ as the high priest of 
the new covenant to save his people from their sins. I'll 
just pick up reading in chapter 7 at verse 20. Steve, could you 
just turn the fan on? Thank you. Verse 20. And inasmuch as he was not made 
priest without an oath, for they have become priests without an 
oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord 
is sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according 
to the order of Melchizedek. By so much more, Jesus has become 
a surety of a better covenant. Also, there were many priests 
because they were prevented by death from continuing. But he, 
because he continues forever as an unchangeable priesthood. 
Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost those who 
come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession 
for them. For such a high priest was fitting 
for us. who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 
separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, 
who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, 
first for his own sins and then for the people's. For this he 
did once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints 
as high priests men who have weakness. But the word of the 
oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been 
perfected forever. Amen. Well, let us pray. God 
in heaven, thank You for this wonderful description of our 
Lord Jesus. We thank You for His high priestly 
service. We thank You for His blessedness 
and His glory. We pray that tonight we would 
be again reminded of just how wonderful our Lord Jesus is, 
that we would worship Him, that we would love Him, that we would 
adore Him and that we would honor Him. And we ask in His most blessed 
name Amen. Well, if you want to turn back 
for just a moment to chapter five, just as I mentioned that 
the larger context begins in chapter five at verse one, there 
is a bit of a comparison in the beginning verses, but then a 
contrast in the latter half of the chapter. In verse 1 of chapter 
5, for every high priest taken from among men is appointed for 
men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts 
and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those 
who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject 
to weakness. Because of this, he is required, 
as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices 
for sins. And no man takes this honor to 
himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So a couple of observations here 
with reference to the priesthood. They were appointed for men, 
appointed ultimately by God based on the reality that they were 
Levites and they came from a particular tribe. Notice, as well, the primary 
focus of the priesthood. Verse two, he can have compassion. 
I'm sorry. Verse one, he is appointed for 
men and things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts 
and sacrifices for sins. And then at the end of verse 
three, so also for himself to offer sacrifices for sins. You can never forget that reality 
when dealing with the priesthood. He offers sacrifice for sin. That is his function. That is 
his primary duty. Of course, he intercedes as well. 
And those two are the basic extent of what a priest does. And so 
then he compares what the similarities are, but then he shows the contrast. He shows how Jesus did not appoint 
himself or rather he did not. He was not appointed based on 
the particular tribe, but it was announced by God in Psalm 
110 that he would be a priest forever. according to the order 
of Melchizedek. This whole idea is developed, 
and then we're back to this idea of Christ being from the tribe, 
or rather, according to the order of Melchizedek in chapter 7, 
beginning in verse 1, and he's summarizing now in chapter 7, 
verses 20 to 28, the difference between Jesus Christ being of 
the order of Melchizedek versus the Aaronic priesthood or the 
Levitical. priesthood, that were there by appointment, by appointment 
of the ceremonial law. So let's look at this divine 
oath, verses 20 to 22. It says, and inasmuch as he was 
not made priest without an oath, and then parenthetically, for 
they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath 
by him who said to them, said to him. They were made priests, 
again, not by oath, but by tribal descent. There was a particular 
group of men that were slotted to serve and function as the 
priesthood. Not so with Christ. This is one 
of the emphases of the section. to show that Christ is, in fact, 
a rightful high priest. Remember, he came from the tribe 
of Judah. No doubt that would cause some 
people to question his functioning and his service as a priest. 
Judah was the kingly tribe. Levi was the priestly tribe. How could Jesus serve and function 
as a priest if he came from the wrong tribe? Well, it wasn't 
based on tribal descent, but rather this oath of promise that 
God had given his priestly lineage. traces back not to Aaron, but 
rather traces back to Melchizedek. And that's what we find here 
in the quotation from Psalm 110, verse 4. The Lord has sworn and 
will not relent. You are a priest forever, according 
to the order of Melchizedek. This satisfies the divine requirement 
for him to be a lawful, functioning priest. He is of the order of 
Melchizedek. And now notice as well the reason 
why or the reason for this in verse 22. By so much more, Jesus 
has become a surety of a better covenant. I suspect we all know 
what surety means, but we'll give a bit of a technical definition 
and then a wonderful illustration in the writings of the Puritan 
John Flavel. The word means surety or guarantee. The word was used in the papyri 
in legal and promissory documents to designate a guarantor or one 
who stands security. Jesus himself is our security 
that there will be no annulment of this new and better covenant. He is the surety of a better 
covenant. Peter T. O'Brien says, the word 
rendered surety, guarantor, is a legal term which appears only 
here in the New Testament, but was commonly used in Hellenistic 
Greek of a surety who assumed responsibility for another person's 
debt if the latter could not meet it. It's a beautiful concept. We need a surety. We need one 
to stand in our place, to stand in our position and to take upon 
himself the obligations placed upon us. John Flavel describes 
it this way. in a personification or perhaps 
an illustration of the covenant redemption where the father promises 
to the son a people to save. The father says, my son, here 
is a company of poor, miserable souls that have utterly undone 
themselves and now lie open to my justice. Justice demands satisfaction 
for them or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them. What shall be done for these 
souls? And thus Christ returns. Oh, my father, such is my love 
to and pity for them that rather than they shall perish eternally, 
I will be responsible for them as their surety. Bring in all 
thy bills that I may see what they owe thee. Lord, bring them 
all in that there may be no after reckonings with them. At my hand 
shalt thou require it. I will rather choose to suffer 
thy wrath than they should suffer it. Upon me, my father, upon 
me be all their debt. But, my son, if you undertake 
for them, you must reckon to pay the last mite. Expect no 
abatements. If I spare them, I will not spare 
thee. Content, father, let it be so. Charge it all upon me. I am able 
to discharge it. And though it prove a kind of 
undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, 
yet I am content to undertake it. That's a blessed, wonderful 
statement. You didn't get it all. Email 
me. I'll send it to you because you need to get that in your 
heart. It's glorious. Beautiful, the covenants of redemption, 
that pre-temporal covenant where God has purpose to save a people. 
He gives the elect to the sun. The sun steps up. The sun lives. The sun dies. The sun rises again 
to be the surety of a better covenant is what we are told 
here. This picks up the better hope of verse 19. It is consistent 
with what we'll find in chapter 8 verses 6. It is a better covenant 
which is established on better promises. The new covenant prophesied 
in Jeremiah 31 in the book of Hebrews is identified as a second 
covenant, as a new covenant, as a better covenant, as an eternal 
covenant. What the apostle is doing is 
showing the superiority of Jesus Christ. He's also showing the 
superiority of the new covenant versus the old. In this new covenant, 
built on better promises, we have full, free salvation in 
and through this perfect high priest. This one who stood in 
our place, this one who carries out to the uttermost the work 
that God the Father had given him so that he may be the executor, 
the surety of a better covenant. That's the divine oath. Let's 
look, secondly, at the permanent priesthood, verses 23 to 25. 
We've already been told that in Psalm 110. You are a priest 
forever. Well, if you read the Old Testament, 
you will realize that no Levitical priest served forever. There 
was this inevitability that faced them. There was this roadblock 
in the way that faced them. It was the specter called death. 
Death kept them from serving forever. Notice, in verse 23, 
also there were many priests because they were prevented by 
death from continuing. Josephus, the historian, said 
there were 83 high priests from the time of Aaron to the destruction 
of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The New King James sort of 
renders it as only in the past, but there was a high priest currently 
operating at the time the author penned Hebrews 7. So not only 
the ones that were in the past, but the one currently ruling 
or currently serving as high priest. They were prevented by 
death from continuing. John Gill has a blessed or an 
appropriate comment here. He says, Death has a power to 
forbid alone continuance in this world. Makes sense, doesn't it? You're 
not going to serve as an auto mechanic forever, because you're 
going to meet death. You're not going to serve as 
a businessman forever, because you're going to meet death. You're 
not going to serve as a lawyer forever, because you're going 
to meet death. The same was true with the high 
priesthood. They were typical. They were 
pointing forward to something. They were for a time, but they 
were prevented by death from continuing. Death has a power 
to forbid a long continuance in this world. John Gill, again, 
and no man does continue long here. Death puts a stop to men's 
works and to the exercise of their several callings. No office, 
even the most sacred, exempts from it. No, not the office of 
high priests. These were but men, sinful men, 
and so died. And their discontinuance by reason 
of death shows the imperfection of their priesthood. So you see 
the perfection of Christ's priesthood, this Melchizedek priesthood, 
by virtue of the fact that it is forever, that it is eternal, 
that it is not cut off. that introduces them this idea 
of his eternality, not the idea, but it sets forth in verse 24, 
his eternality. But he, because he continues 
forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. He doesn't have the 
same limitations that the sons of Aaron possessed. He will not 
meet that specter. He actually did meet it and he 
rendered it a moot. He destroyed death and the power 
of the one who had or the one over death. Jesus Christ lives 
forever. He continues forever and therefore 
has an unchangeable priesthood. Notice back in verse 16, it says, 
who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment. 
But according to the power of an endless life, Jesus Christ 
is the same yesterday and today and forever. And that is one 
of the qualifications or one of the attributes that sets him 
forth as the perfect priest on behalf of his people. So he is 
not like the succession of Levitical priests that were cut off by 
death. He is eternal, and now the apostle draws a salvation 
or a salvific implication from that in verse 25. Therefore, 
he says, based on the reality we've just sketched, we could 
go into more detail in terms of the differences between Aaron 
and between Jesus. You notice how back in chapter 
5, And if you go all the way back to chapter 16 in the book 
of Leviticus, what does the priest do before he offers up sacrifice 
for the sins of the people? He offers up sacrifice for his 
own sin. Not so the Lord Jesus. He is 
holy, harmless and undefiled. He does not have the need to 
offer up sacrifice on his behalf. There's major distinctiveness 
between the Aaronic priesthood and this priesthood of Christ. 
That's what the author is taking pains to demonstrate and display 
before the people. And here he brings it home for 
a consideration in terms of our salvation. Therefore, he is also 
to save to the utter most. He is powerful. Look back at 
chapter two in verse 18. Chapter two, in verse 18, something 
that the apostle has developed, something that the apostle wants 
the readership to understand. Remember the historical context. 
The temple is standing. Sacrifices are engaged in. The 
people of God, the professing Christian church, Jewish Christians 
are being tempted to apostatize. Tempted to defect, tempted to 
go back to Moses and the ceremonies and turn their back upon the 
Lord Jesus. So one of the things that the 
author is doing is setting forth the glory of Christ, the sufficiency 
of Christ, the blessedness of Christ, the ability of Christ, 
so that the people of God, the professing Christians, will not 
leave off. They'll persevere. They'll go 
forward. Brethren, one of the reasons 
why you ought to persevere each and every day is not because 
you're strong and not because you're mighty, but because your 
Christ is strong and your Christ is mighty. He saves to the uttermost. He answers every single obligation. You need justification. He provides 
it. You need sanctification. He provides 
it. You need glorification. He provides 
it. There is nothing left on our 
behalf to accomplish. He has paid the debt. He has 
satisfied divine justice. He has secured our salvation. 
It is in that vantage point or from that vantage point that 
we pass on. That's what the author is highlighting. Encourage the brethren with the 
sufficiency and the superiority of Jesus Christ so that they 
will not be tempted to go astray back to the shadows, back to 
the tides when they have Jesus notice in two seventeen, actually. Therefore, in all things, he 
had to be made like his brethren. that he might be a merciful and 
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation 
for the sins of the people. This isn't hypothetical. This 
isn't a possibility. What the author is saying is 
that Jesus has made propitiation for the sins of the people. He isn't giving a general idea, 
a hypothetical atonement that's out there if the sinner wants 
to grab hold of it. No, it was rendered for the sins 
particular of the people particular. When that high priest went in 
on the Day of Atonement to atone for the sins of Israel, it was 
for Israel. It wasn't for the Hittites. It 
wasn't for the Hibbites. It wasn't for the Girgashites. 
It wasn't for the Jebusites. It wasn't for the pagans. It 
wasn't for the Canaanites. It was a particular redemption 
rendered for a particular people with specific sin. That's why 
he laid his hands upon the scapegoat and he confessed the sins of 
Israel and then he drove that goat away into the wilderness 
so Israel could have something of a sacrament. Something of 
an ordinance where their physical limitations could grab onto and 
see that goat driven out into the wilderness, their sin being 
taken away. Brethren, he comes to do a specific 
task. Hebrews chapter 4, notice in 
verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest who 
has passed through the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us 
hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest 
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points 
tempted as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly 
to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace 
to help in time of need. Throughout this epistle, the 
apostle is setting forth the superiority of Jesus Christ. And here he says that he is powerful. He is able to save not just partially, 
not just possibly, not just a little bit, but notice the language 
of Hebrews 725. He is able to save to the uttermost. He is able to save completely. 
He is able to save you totally. He is able to save you without 
defect. You can hang your soul on verse 
25. You can hang your life on verse 25. You can hang everything 
on verse 25 because this fit High Priest. This king of kings, 
this Lord of Lords, this prophet of his church, came to save his 
people from their sins through that priestly interaction, through 
that priestly satisfaction of divine justice. He saves to the 
uttermost. Brethren, that is the encouragement 
that the Christian church has. We're not partially saved. We're 
not a little bit saved. We're not saved today and lost 
tomorrow. He saves to the uttermost. In 
Hebrews chapter 12, he's defined, or he's described, as the author 
and finisher of our faith. He begins it, he completes it. 
Paul tells the Philippians, I am confident that he who began this 
good work in you will complete it unto the day of Christ. Don't 
despair. Don't grow despondent. It doesn't 
depend upon you. It depends upon the surety of 
a better covenant. The scripture says you look and 
you live. Believe on him and you shall 
be saved and you're saved to the uttermost. If you are a believer 
in Christ, that is something no one can ever take from you. I'm not a prophet or the son 
of a prophet, but someday we may see economic collapse and 
everything you own will be gone. Now, again, that's not a prophetic 
word. That's not a prophetic statement. 
It's trying to illustrate the point. I mean, you could have 
a fire and I hope that doesn't happen because then I'll feel 
guilty or I put the whammy on you or something. I don't know. 
But you could lose everything. You could end up in dire straits. to be in a horrible situation. But you know, the one thing they 
can never take. Nothing can ever be stripped 
from you. Is this perfect salvation? He saves to the uttermost. He saves completely. He renders 
it absolute on behalf of his people. He saves to the uttermost 
those who come to God. Here is that mediator through 
him. We must have Christ. It is not 
the case that all religious systems lead to heaven. It is not the 
case that however a man functions or however he behaves, whatever 
light he might possibly have, if he tries real hard, he'll 
achieve heaven and the acceptance of the Father. It is simply not 
the case. The only way to the Father, the 
only way to this complete and uttermost salvation is through 
the mediator. through the high priest, through 
Jesus Christ, the Lord. There is no salvation apart from 
him. There is no other name given 
under heaven among which we must be saved. This was Peter's declaration 
at a time when the Caesar, when the emperor was known as Lord 
and Savior. Peter came and said, there's 
one Lord and one Savior, and it's Jesus Christ. It isn't Caesar. Brethren, we must have the mediator 
or we perish in our sin. He saves to the uttermost. He 
is the mediator. And then notice not only sacrifice, 
which will be developed in a bit more detail to follow in just 
a moment. But notice what he says here 
at the end of verse 25, since he always lives to make intercession 
for them. There's that blessed attribute 
of eternality. Notice what it's connected to 
in the context. Notice what the eternal benefit 
of Christ's people is. He intercedes for us. He is there 
on our behalf. We sing that song, Five Bleeding 
Wounds He Bears, received on Calvary. He pleads those merits 
on behalf of his people to his father. God has stationed Christ 
at the right hand, as king, as prophet and as priest, to be 
the advocate with the father. To be the one that shows, that 
demonstrates, that always lives, to show his sacrifice and then 
intercedes on behalf of them. It's a blessed reality. This 
is stated in Romans 8, 33 and 34 as well. F.F. Bruce said this, he lives eternally, 
eternally engaged to bless and protect those who have committed 
themselves to him. He lives eternally. eternally 
engaged to bless and protect those who have committed themselves 
to him." Isn't that a great thought? What's Jesus doing right now? 
If somebody were to ask you that, what would you say? Well, he's 
ruling over, you know, President Obama. Yeah, he is. Praise God. He's over Prime Minister Harper. 
Praise God. He's over every event in this 
world. Praise God. He holds the reins of the universe. 
All authority has been given to him in heaven and on earth. 
Praise God. You know what else he's doing? 
He's praying for me. He's interceding for me. He's at the right hand 
of the Father with me in his thoughts. Isn't that amazing? He's got the reign and rule over 
the universe and he's got you on his mind. That's great. It's a time when 
you should smile. He's got me on his mind. We should 
all have a card. Smile now. Happy time. Jesus 
thinks of you. Jesus intercedes for you. Jesus is eternal and unchangeable 
priesthood. He always lives to make intercession 
for his people. How is he not the surety of a 
better covenant? What son of Aaron fulfilled such 
a task? He met death and he succumbed. He died. His was not an endless 
priesthood. His was not an unchangeable life. 
He went off to the grave. Not so our blessed Lord Jesus. He continues forever according 
to the power of an endless life. He rules over all things to the 
church. And he intercedes for the people 
in the church. What a glorious thought. And 
remember, it's Hebrews 1, 3 that sets forth Christ as the one 
who upholds all things by the word of his power. That one who 
upholds all things by the word of his power intercedes for you. 
And then notice, thirdly, the character of the priest, verses 
26 and 27, for such a high priest was fitting for us. Such a high 
priest was fitting for us, his fitness. Jesus, the Savior, is 
the perfect answer for man, the sinner. Jesus, the Savior, is 
the perfect answer for man, the sinner, for such a high priest 
was fitting for us because he is directly antithetical. He 
is a direct contrast to what we are. We're unholy. We are harmful and we are thoroughly 
defiled, right? He is just the opposite. The 
character of this priest is described in glowing terms. He's not the 
sons of Aaron who had to go in and offer up sacrifice for his 
unholiness, for his defilement, for his uncleanness. He didn't 
have to go and take blood to the mercy seat and pour it down 
on there because he himself was defiled. That's not the case 
at all. He doesn't make sacrifice for 
his sin. Rather, he is the sacrifice for 
our sin. The Apostle describes him as 
holy. This means personal piety, obedience 
to the Father, accomplishing the Father's will. This will 
be developed in detail in chapter 10. Not only does Christ die 
for His people, but He is the perfect sacrifice. He is the 
one who lived for his people as well. He obeyed the law perfectly. He is harmless. This means free 
from all guile or he's innocent. His moral qualification to be 
high priest. He was marked by integrity and 
untouched by evil. You see how it corresponds exactly 
to what we need. Who of us can say with reference 
to holiness, yes, I have a personal piety. Yes, I have an obedience 
to the father. Yes, I'm a glowing specimen of 
a human being who loves the law, who delights in the law. Who 
of us can say we're free from guile or innocence? We are morally 
qualified for acceptance with God. No, this high priest is 
fitting for us because we are so unfitted for God. And if he didn't come and answer 
in this particular manner, we would die in our unholiness. We would die in our disobedience. We would die in our defilement. Here, the last term is undefiled. It means pure, unstained, moral 
purity. O'Brien again says, taken together, 
the three adjectives forcibly describe the sinlessness of the 
high priest. He is fitting for us. He answers 
specifically for us. He corresponds to our particular 
need. And it's almost as if the apostle 
wants to reiterate that thought in Hebrews chapter eight, verse 
one, just in case we haven't got it yet. He says, now, this 
is the main point of the things we are saying. I want you to 
pay attention. I want you to get this. Let this 
enter into the ear gate and find its mark in the heart. This is 
the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a 
high priest. Don't go back to the temple. 
Don't take the sacrifice to the priest. Don't go back to that 
compound. Don't go back to that system. 
We have a high priest. We have a sufficient one. We 
have a superior one. We have one that corresponds 
to our specific need. Note how he continues to describe 
that. We have such a high priest who 
is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in 
the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle 
which the Lord erected and not man. Now, I suspect your temptation 
today is not to go back to the Mosaic Temple. I suspect your 
temptation is not to find the synagogue of the Jews and bring 
a sacrifice so that you can get right with God. I do suspect, 
however, there are other temptations that might seek to vie for your 
attention. The Apostle says, focus on Christ. Look at this high priest. Look 
at this one who is superior and sufficient. Don't be detracted. Don't be sidetracked. Don't go 
in opposite direction, but rather bask in the sun of his love. Realize what you have in the 
person and work of the Lord Jesus in the language of Paul and Colossians. 
We are complete in him. You're not complete in your peer 
group. You're not complete with your boyfriend or with your girlfriend. You're not even complete with 
your husband or your wife. You're certainly not complete 
with chemicals and drug abuse. You're not complete in music. 
You're not complete in television or movies. You're not complete 
in all those things that the world peddles as completeness. You're complete in Christ. You 
have everything in Christ. He is sufficient. He is superior. He is the surety of a better 
covenant. That's the emphasis of the passage 
to get their minds off of sin and to get them rooted firmly 
in that finished work of the Redeemer. This is what you have. This is what you are. This is 
why you run. This is why in Hebrews 12, after 
discussing those great heroes of the faith in chapter 11, He 
then exhorts them in chapter 12, verse 1, to run the race 
that is set before them. Therefore, we also, since we 
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, this is the Old 
Testament saints, let us lay aside every weight and the sin 
which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance 
the race that is set before us, What are we looking at? Are we 
looking at our accomplishments? Are we looking at our Bible reading? 
Are we looking at our church attendance? Are we looking at 
our puritans? Are we looking at whatever? We're 
looking at Jesus. You see, the doctrine gets real 
practical. The understanding of who Christ 
is as high priest is to function in such a way that the runner 
pressing on to the prize is looking to his victor, looking to the 
Lord of glory. He is looking on to Jesus, the 
author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was 
set before him endured the cross, despising the shape and is sat 
down at the right hand of the throne of God. He sets forth 
the priestly office of Jesus Christ as the object of our focus 
and attention for the run or for the race that we are running. 
Run with endurance, looking unto Jesus. So he is describing the 
fitness. The character, the sinlessness 
of the Lord Jesus. But he doesn't stop there. Verse 
26 is his character or his sinlessness. Verse 27 is his sacrifice. Who does not need daily as those 
high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then 
for the people's. Sure, it's holy. I don't know 
about you, but as we've been working our way through the book 
of Deuteronomy, It's kind of thinking about differences between 
the old covenant and the new covenant. This is a significant 
difference. The priesthood of the old, the 
priesthood of the new. The priesthood of the old had 
to go into the temple and confess his own sins and make atonement 
for his own sin. The priesthood of the new doesn't. 
The priesthood of the new is fit. The priesthood of the new 
answers to our particular need. The priesthood of the new covenant 
does not need daily. As those high priests to offer 
up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the people's, 
there was an interesting thing in the book of Numbers as well. 
Remember that situation in Numbers 11, just a little bit of difference. 
I don't think it'd be a stretch to say Moses functions as a mediator 
of the old covenant. Moses is the sort of go between 
God and Israel. Remember that the people send 
Moses back up to the mount because they don't want to go into the 
presence of God there in Deuteronomy 5, recounting the Sinai event. 
Moses is a blessed mediator. Moses is a great man. But Moses 
says to God, why are you laying their burdens on me? I can't 
handle it. Read Numbers 11. With Flavel's quote in mind, 
Jesus says just the opposite, doesn't he? Moses says, you're 
laying these burdens upon me and I can't handle it. You might 
as well just kill me. What's Jesus' statement in Matthew 
11? Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden. In other words, 
cast your burdens upon me. Take my yoke upon you. There's 
significant difference between the Old and the New Covenant. 
This is what the book of Hebrews is highlighted, especially these 
chapters beginning in chapter seven, introduced in chapter 
seven, developed in chapter eight and in chapter 10 as well. Christ 
is different. Christ is sufficient, Christ 
is superior, Christ is glorious. He does not need daily sacrifice. 
He does not need to sacrifice for himself. He sacrifices once 
for all. Verse 27, who does not need daily 
as those high priests to offer up sacrifices first for his own 
sins and then for the people's. For this, he did. Here it is 
once for all when he offered up himself. Every time you see 
that phrase in the book of Hebrews, you have to scratch your head 
and wonder what the doctrine of transubstantiation is really 
seeking to accomplish. You see, in the Romish mass, 
they're not saying we're remembering Jesus or our faith is being confirmed 
in a tangible way. They're saying that those elements, 
the bread and the wine, are being changed in the actual body and 
blood of Jesus. So they'd be re-sacrificed. They 
call it an unbloody sacrifice. When the altar boy rings the 
bell, as the priest holds up the host, the point of the congregation 
is to worship the bread. Because it's been changed, it's 
physically Jesus now, and they must worship. When that chalice 
or that cup is held up that contains the wine, the people are supposed 
to worship. The substance, or rather the 
elements, have been transubstantiated into the physical body and blood 
of Jesus so that he can be re-crucified, so that he can be re-offered. 
Remember I said earlier the function of a priest is to sacrifice. That's why in Roman Catholicism 
you don't have ministers, you don't have pastors, you don't 
have shepherds. You have a priesthood because 
they're engaging in sacrifice. It is to reverse the thrust of 
this once for all nature of Christ's sacrifice. He paid it all. He said it is finished. He doesn't 
employ a priesthood now to engage in an unbloody sacrifice. It 
is a once for all transaction. That brethren is worthy of our 
praise and our adoration to him. He sacrificed for a sacrifice 
for the people since once for all, when he offered up himself 
again, O'Brien says, by contrast, with the Levitical priests. Christ 
offered the definitive and ultimate sacrifice of himself once for 
all. He did not make an offering for 
himself, but of himself for the sake of others. He didn't make 
an offering for himself, but of himself for the sins of others. That's our high priest. That's 
the high priest of this better covenant. Verse 28 is simply 
concluding thoughts. Summary just draws together in 
one space the three things that he has been speaking of. There 
is the law and the oath. The ceremonial law appointed 
weak men, according to 711. The oath of God brings the perfect 
priest of the order of Melchizedek, who serves forever. The many 
Levitical priests and the one priest of the order of Melchizedek. The many died. They did not continue, 
but rather Christ Jesus lives forevermore to engage in his 
work on behalf of his people. And then the weak men are contrasted 
with the perfected son. For the law appoints as high 
priest men who have weakness, but the word of the oath which 
came after the law appoints the son who has been perfected forever. is the high priest, the surety 
of a better covenant. So, yes, he's our prophet. He 
speaks to us by his word and spirit. He is our king. He rules 
over all things for the church, and he is our priest. We need 
that cross. We need the prophetic mantle 
to be sure. We need the kingly crown, but we certainly need 
that cross. John Owen says that's the office we most relate to, 
the priestly office. As the unholy, as the harmful 
and as the defiled, we need Jesus, the one who is fitting for us. Well, brethren, let us pray and 
consider our blessed Redeemer. Father, thank you for Jesus. 
Thank you for doing what the Bible tells us. We thank you 
that you have orchestrated such a perfect sacrifice at Calvary. We thank you for the fact that 
Jesus is holy and harmless and undefiled. We thank you for the 
sacrifice of himself on our behalf. We thank you for salvation to 
the uttermost. We thank you that you who began 
this good work in us will indeed complete it until the day or 
see it through unto the day of salvation or the day of Christ. 
God, we just give all glory and all praise and all honor to you. 
And I pray that these passages, these texts, these ideas, these 
thoughts would encourage us in our Christian lives. that they 
would be a help and a benefit to us in the coming days, that 
they would be a strengthening and encouraging to us, and that 
you would just build us up in these things. And God, for any 
and all here that do not know you, we pray that they would 
come through Christ to you, that you would save them to the uttermost, 
that you would show them the forgiveness of sins and show 
them your mercy, your grace and your loving kindness. And we 
pray through Christ the Lord. Amen.