The Majesty Of His Ministry

Take your Bibles this morning, turn to Hebrews

chapter eight. We're gonna look at the first

half of this chapter in our Bible this morning.

And let me just remind you about the argument

that's being made because we're definitely seeing

some repetition here, some emphasis upon, of

course, Jesus and his high priestly ministry

that is so different from that of the Levitical.

priesthood and so much better, of course, as

we have reiterated week after week. These people,

again, Hebrews who had professed faith in Christ,

and now were beginning to experience difficulty

in their lives as a result of their determination

to follow him. And they were feeling insecure,

uncomfortable. Their families no longer held

them in the esteem which they once had because

now they were followers of Jesus. They were no

longer welcome in their local synagogues. The

Roman government was beginning to look at them

questionably. Perhaps they weren't quite as free

to work as they had been before in whatever their

occupation might have been. struggles were beginning

and the temptation that they had experienced

was a temptation to go back to what they considered

to be a more comfortable life, go back to Judaism,

go back to the way that things once were when

they weren't experiencing the difficulties that

they were now experiencing as followers of Jesus.

And of course, the writer of Hebrews just repeatedly

is making the argument, don't do that. There's

nothing for you there. Nothing better than Jesus.

You know, when you look at scripture, the Bible

paints a bleak picture of people apart from Christ,

right? I mean, whether we're talking about the

Old Testament or the New Testament, to be separated

from God because of our sin, well, is a terrible

thing. And we really only have one... person

to blame, and that is ourselves. In Genesis chapter

six, verse five, this is what the Lord said about

the people of that day. He said, the Lord saw

that the wickedness of man was great in the earth

and that, and listen to this, every intention

of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Every intention of the thoughts of his heart.

was only evil continually. That was written in

Genesis chapter six, verse five. Thousands of

years ago, that was the experience or the condition

of humankind. Doesn't sound too different from

the world in which we live in, does it? That's

what God saw when he looked. at mankind in those

days. And then of course God spoke later through

the prophet Jeremiah and he said this, the heart

is deceitful above all things, desperately sick,

who can understand it? And so that's the condition

of mankind as spoken by God through the prophet

Jeremiah. Sick, desperately sick, wicked, beyond

imagination, who can understand this? And again,

I know if you're like me, you look at the world

in which we live sometimes and you think, my

goodness. I can't even wrap my brain around the

wickedness that exists in our world. Seems like

everywhere we turn, there is someone plotting

and scheming and planning and programming to

steal from us, to defraud us, to steal our identity,

right? I mean, everywhere we look, the world

has not changed much. At least the world apart

from Christ has not changed much over all these

years. Of course, in the New Testament, the Apostle

Paul reminds Christians of what they were. what

their condition was before they trusted in Christ.

And he says this in Ephesians chapter two. He

says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins.

You were by nature children of wrath. You were

separated from Christ. You were alienated from

the commonwealth of Israel. You were strangers

to the covenants of promise. And listen to this,

having no hope and without God in the world.

So to be Without Christ is to be without hope,

to be without God in the world. That has not

changed. So again, the writer of Hebrews is encouraging

his fellow believers, don't turn your backs on

Christ. There is nothing for you in Judaism.

There is nothing for you under the old covenant.

continued to stick with Jesus no matter what

it may require of you. And so the question, of

course, that they were battling, and as Neil

pointed out, I thought so very well last week,

the question that we're kind of dealing with

here is, what would it require for a people who

are described the way sinners are described in

the scriptures, what would it take for a people

like that to be saved to the uttermost? In other

words, for their lives to be transformed from

someone whose every intention of our thoughts

is only evil continually to be transformed into

someone who could stand before the Lord and praise

him and honor him and worship him. What would

it take to bring about that kind of transformation,

that kind of change, that kind of salvation?

And of course, as we read here, it would require

a high priest. And if you just look up the page

there in the end of chapter seven, the qualifications

for the kind of priest that it would take to

do this. First of all, he had to be holy, a holy

priest. Again, the word implies utter sinlessness.

No human high priest would qualify in that regard.

The second word there, innocent. Again, the word

implies not even a shred of evil in someone's

life. I don't know anybody like that, do you?

There was no high priest, no Levitical priest

who could fit that criteria. Unstained is the

next word. Absolutely pure is what that word

implies. Free from anything that might disqualify

this individual from being a priest or a high

priest. Again, no one on earth met that qualification

apart from... Jesus. Separated from sinners was

the next qualification. Again, we've talked about

this. Those words mean different by nature, not

separated in the sense far removed and unreachable,

but separated in the sense that totally unlike,

totally different from, we've already talked

about the fact that Jesus was a different kind

of high priest, a completely other kind of high

priest from the Levitical priesthood. So again,

only Jesus fits this criteria to be separated

from sinners, different. from them by his very

nature. And then, of course, the last exalted

above the heavens. Again, one to whom all authority,

power, and honor has been given. And again, there's

only one person that meets that qualification,

right? And it is Jesus Christ. And that's the

argument that's being made. There is salvation

in no other name. You will not find the security

that you are looking for under any other covenant

or plan or religion. It is only in Jesus Christ,

and I love the way that chapter eight begins.

You know, it's often difficult, and you can talk

to Neil, you can talk to me. When we're preparing

a message, what we try to do each week is to...

work our way through a passage of scripture and

try to give you the main emphasis, all right,

to try to relate what God is saying to us through

that passage. And every now and then we get a

chapter eight, verse one that says this, now

the point in what we are saying is this, I love

that. I don't have to wonder about what the point

is, God's gonna tell me what the point is, all

right. And of course the point is we have such

a high priest. What would it take to make you

fit to live eternally in the presence of God,

a holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners,

exalted above the heavens high priest. And the

point that we're making is we have that kind

of high priest. We have that in Jesus Christ.

That's the point. That's what he wants us to

understand. That's what he wants us to see. That's

why he has gone to such lengths to make this

argument, to present his case. He wants to convince

us beyond the point of ever having our minds

changed that Jesus is that kind of high priest.

He is the only one that can meet our need for

salvation. And that is exactly what he has done

in offering himself. as our sacrifice on the

cross and rising from the dead and then being

exalted to take his seat at the right hand of

the Father. This is what is trying, the author

of Hebrews is trying so fervently to convey here

and to convince us of, and just to help us as

present day Christians. to understand the security

that we have in Jesus, the freedom that we have

in Jesus, the boldness that we can have in Jesus.

Our lives are secure. Our future is secure. so

we can go out there and live boldly for Christ.

So let's read these verses together. Chapter

eight, we're gonna read just verses one through

six, and then we'll talk about this some today.

And again, if you don't have the words, they'll

be here on the screen in the front of the auditorium.

Now the point in what we are saying is this.

We have such a high priest, one who is seated

at the right hand of the throne of the majesty

in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in

the true tent, that the Lord set up, not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts

and sacrifices. Thus, it is necessary for this

priest also to have something to offer. Now if

he were on earth, he would not be a priest at

all, since there are priests who offer gifts

according to the law. In other words, while these

words were being written, the temple in Jerusalem

was still standing. The sacrificial system, the

Levitical priesthood was still actively being

engaged in every day, and so the writer of Hebrews

is making it perfectly clear. That's going on

right now. If Jesus were here now, he wouldn't

be serving in that capacity. He would not be

a priest at all, since there are priests who

offer gifts according to law. But he says they

serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things.

Not the real thing, a copy and a shadow. For

when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was

instructed by God saying, see to it that you

make everything according to the pattern that

was shown to you on the mountain. Now we don't

know exactly what happened on the mountain because

Moses was the only one that was there with God.

But the implication here is that God gave Moses

very clear instructions on how the tabernacle,

the tent in the wilderness was to be constructed.

And that perhaps he even showed him somehow.

a model of the heavenly temple that he could

look at and see and grasp with his mind in order

to make sure that the temple or the tabernacle

that they would build there in the wilderness

would be exactly made after the pattern of that

real temple, that real true tent. So anyway,

God made sure that Moses had everything he needed

to make the tent according to the pattern which

was shown to him on the mountain. But as it is,

verse six says, Christ has obtained a ministry

that is much more excellent than the old, as

the covenant he mediates is better since it is

enacted on better promises. Let's pray, and then

we'll look through this text together here. Father,

we are so very thankful today for Jesus. Thankful

for the new covenant in his blood. Thankful,

Father, that we can live with absolute certainty

that we are yours. and that there is nothing

that will ever separate a Christian from the

love of God, nothing. Help us to live in that

light, in that truth, to live bold, courageous

Christian lives because of it. We have the perfect

high priest, a better covenant, a surer salvation.

and I pray that we would live in light of that.

So help us now as we look to this high priestly

ministry of Jesus in our behalf, help us to understand

more clearly today just exactly what it is that

he is doing for us and where he's doing it from,

and I pray that we would all leave here rejoicing,

not only in the freedoms that we have as Americans,

but Father, even more than that, the freedoms

that we have in Christ. and it's in his name

that we pray, amen, amen. First thing that we

read about here is Christ's seat. We have such

a high priest, the writer says, one who is seated

at the right hand of the throne of the majesty

in heaven. And we've talked about this already,

this whole idea of the fact that Christ is seated

implies that his work is completed, all right?

The work of salvation is done. That's what he

said, or what he is saying here. The work of

salvation is complete. Of course, in John 19,

John 19:30

verse 30, we read that just before Jesus gave

up his spirit, gave up the ghost on the cross,

he cried out what? It is finished. And that's

what he was talking about. The work of salvation,

the work that I came to do is finished. I've

done it, I've completed it. Of course, the Greek

words there in John's gospel mean that this work

is fully accomplished. I have accomplished what

my Heavenly Father sent me to do. The debt has

been paid in full. God's wrath had been satisfied.

Our sin was taken away. That's what took place

on the cross. Our salvation was made secure.

And as we have emphasized and re -emphasized,

Christ's death on the cross didn't simply make

it possible for us to be saved. It saved us.

It secured us once and for all time. So this

idea of Christ being seated, again, distinguishes

him from human priests who never sat down. There

was no place in the temple or the tabernacle

for the priest to sit down. There was never an

opportunity for the priest to sit down because

his work was never done. But that's not so for

Christ. His work was fully accomplished on the

cross. There is no more work to be done to accomplish

our salvation. Please hear that. So many people

that I run into and talk to. They're working,

working, working, trying to secure their salvation.

Let me tell you, Christ has already done that

for you. And of course, it's always been that

way. It's human nature. That's the way we think.

But the work of salvation has been accomplished.

It is finished. Jesus said in John chapter six,

verse 28, the disciples were... talking to Jesus

about this very thing, and they asked him, what

must we do to be doing the works of God? And

that question wasn't about how can we serve you

on earth, but it was really about their own salvation.

What must we do to inherit, to keep eternal life?

What is it that we need to be doing? And this

is what Jesus said to them in response. He says,

this is the work of God. Again, another one of

those places in scripture where we're not left

to our imagination. The Bible makes it perfectly

clear. This is the work of God. If you're wondering

what there is that you must do in order to be

saved, Jesus said, this is the work of God that

you believe in Him whom He has sent. Believe.

Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

and what? You'll be saved. That's what... Paul

and Silas told the Philippian jailer, believe,

believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be

saved. There is no work for you to do. Christ

himself has done the work. He has completed the

work. The only work left is simply to believe.

And of course, again, what's being presented

here is a stark contrast to the high priestly

ministry of Jesus and the high priestly ministry

of the Levitical priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood.

Again, priests for whom Work was never done.

They never got to sit down. Hebrews 10, and we'll

get to Hebrews 10 in the next few weeks, but

Hebrews 10, verses 11 and 12 says, and every

Hebrews 10:11

priest stands daily at his service, offering

repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never

take away sin, but when Christ had offered for

all time a single sacrifice for sins, himself,

he sat down at the right hand. of God. His work

was completed. So when we think about Christ

being seated in the heavenlies, that's what we

should first think of. We should just first understand

he's seated because his work is done. Now that

doesn't mean, or at least the work of salvation

is done, that doesn't mean that he's not still...

working in our behalf. That's what we talked

about last week, right? There is an ongoing ministry,

a present ministry of Jesus Christ right now,

right this very moment. And again, we need to

understand as glorious as the cross was and the

salvation that was gained there for us, that's

not the end of it. Christ is continuing to serve

right this moment as our high priest. He is serving

us in heaven at the right hand of the Father.

right this very moment. And again, one of the

other significant things about him being seated

at the right hand of the Father. Of course, we

recognize that right hand of the Father as being

a place of honor, being a place of authority

and power, and we're gonna talk about that in

just a little while. But I want you to understand

that being at the right hand of the Father also

implies that this ministry that Jesus is engaged

in is a ministry of compassion. Remember, we

have a high priest who sympathizes with us in

our weaknesses. He's experienced everything that

humankind has experienced because he himself

was a human being. He clothed himself in human

flesh. He lived among us for 33 years. And so

now as high priest, he can sympathize with us

in our weaknesses. And this idea of his being

at the right hand speaks of that kind of sympathy,

that kind of compassion. When these words were

originally heard or read by the believers in

this day and time, especially these Hebrew. They

would have been reminded of the Sadducees, the

Jewish ruling council of the elders. When members

of that council sat in judgment, a secretary

would sit on either side of the presiding judge.

And the secretary that sat on the left side of

the judge would record the condemnations. But

the secretary that sat on the right side of the

judge would record the acquittals. So again picture

Jesus sitting on the right hand of the judge

Recording the acquittals we because we've trusted

in him have been declared not guilty. We've been

declared righteous by God That's the idea of

Christ being seated at the right hand of the

Father the throne of majesty, and of course that

refers to God himself, the throne of the majesty.

Don't miss that definite article there, the majesty

in heaven. Christ is seated at the right hand

of the Father, again, ministering in compassion

on our behalf. John 3 .17, we love to quote John

3 .16, but John 3 .17 says this, for God did

not send his Son into the world to condemn the

world, but that in order that the world might

be saved. through him. That's the ministry that

continues right up to this very moment. And of

course, it talks about the service of Jesus,

the ministry of Jesus. It refers to him as a

minister in the holy places, and then later on,

a ministry that is so much more excellent than

the old. So again, Jesus is ministering on our

behalf right now, right this moment, calling

him a minister here. And again. That's not a

word that we would typically use of Jesus, is

it? But that's what he was. That's what he is.

He's a minister in the truest sense. And that

word implies, again, this present, ongoing, continuous

activity. Jesus is presently at work in behalf

of his people. You can always count on that.

We sing that song, right? He's working even when

we don't feel it, even when we don't see it.

He's working. Jesus is working in our behalf.

He's serving as our high priest right now at

the right hand. of the Father, exercising that

ministry in our behalf. Of course, an excellent

ministry, much more excellent than the old. Again,

Jesus' work in our behalf is not only different

from, but it far exceeds the service of any human

priest. There's no human priest that ever lived

that could do for us what we needed done for

us. that could clothe us in his own righteousness

and make us fit to stand before the Father in

heaven. No human priest could do that. Only Jesus

could do that. Again, sympathizing with us all

the while in our weakness and powerfully extending

mercy and grace to help us in every conceivable

situation. You know, the biggest mistake we make,

and I think we make this mistake even as Christians,

we find ourselves facing some hardship, and what

do we do? We set out to take care of it on our

own. We need to understand that there are just

things in life that we are not able to take care

of on our own. But we have this high priest seated

at the right hand of the Father who loves us,

who gave himself for us, whoever lives to be

our intercession, praying for us, being our access

to the Father. We have a resource that we can

call upon anytime, and we know that when we do,

they send the help of grace and mercy our way.

Jesus is exercising this kind of ministry in

heaven, far greater than any human priest could

have ever exercised. And of course it talks about

where all of this is taking place. He's doing

this in the holy places, in the true tent. seated

at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. There

are several things that I wanna just share about

where Jesus' ministry is. And we talk about heaven

a lot here, and we've said over the years, heaven

is not some cloudy, floaty place. It's a real

place. Matter of fact, it's more real than any

place you've ever been. This sanctuary in which

Jesus carries out his ministry, first of all,

the words in heaven. Those are words that have

always described the place where God dwells,

the residence of God. A long time ago when Aaron,

my son, was just a little boy, he asked me, he

said, daddy, where is Jesus? Or no, he said,

where is heaven? And I said, well, heaven's where

Jesus is. Jesus is in the Father's house, right?

Isn't that what he said in John? In my Father's

house. That's where he was going and that's where

one day his disciples would be reunited. with

him, where we one day will be reunited with him.

In the Father's house, heaven, the words heaven

just simply imply the residency of God. God dwells

in heaven. You know, we're talking about the

tabernacle and the temple. Mankind has always

wanted to build a place where the presence of

God could dwell. Let me tell you, God's presence

can't dwell in a place built with human hands.

And that's why it's emphasized here. This place

is not a place that was set up by man, it's a

place that was set up by God himself. That's

where Jesus is. He is serving us from heaven,

from the place where his father lives, from where

his father dwells. And of course it's a holy

place. Not only a heavenly place, but a holy

place. Speaking of righteousness, Revelation

21, 27 says of heaven, says nothing unclean will

ever enter it. Again, that's our problem, right?

Because as human beings born into this world,

we're born into this world in sin. We are not

righteous, but we are unrighteous. We are not

good, we are evil. And scripture says, nothing

unclean will ever enter heaven, nor anyone who

does what's detestable or false, but only those

whose names are written in the Lamb's book of

life. So again, it is only. in Jesus, where we

are made fit. Again, clothed in His righteousness,

made righteous to stand before the Father. That's

what the holy places is about there. Heaven,

the residence of God, these holy places of absolute

righteousness, and then the words, the true tent

that the Lord set up, not man. Again, it speaks

of reality. Every other temple, every other tabernacle,

every other sanctuary is just a copy. a shadow,

an imperfect model of the reality of heaven.

You know, we tend to think that we live in the

real world, right? I mean, things are solid around

us. Let me tell you, Jesus is in the real sanctuary.

He's in the real. I mean, this speaks of the

reality of heaven, and I think sometimes we need

to be reminded of the reality of heaven. We think

of it as just being maybe sometimes even a little

bit fictional, just a place that we hope to go

to when we die. Let me tell you, heaven is a

real place, real people go there, and this true

tent that the Lord set up, not man, this is a...

a wording that describes the reality of the sanctuary

in which Jesus ministers, this place made by

God himself. And according to scripture, again,

God is far too great to dwell in any other kind

of sanctuary. We cannot build a sanctuary beautiful

enough, big enough, quiet enough, elaborate enough

to contain the presence. And of course, the Bible

tells us about that throughout. God cannot dwell

in anything built by man. And so again, when

we think about heaven, when we think about the

sanctuary in which Jesus ministers, we just need

to understand that it far exceeds the beauty

and splendor of any tabernacle or temple that

was ever made. And let me tell you, man, the

tabernacle in the wilderness, it was an elaborate

setup. And then the temple that was built in

Jerusalem, beautiful. Beautiful. Gold and marble

and precious jewels. I mean, as far as human

buildings go, man -made buildings, it was as

good as it gets. But it doesn't even compare

to the true tent, the true tabernacle, the sanctuary,

the real sanctuary in heaven where Jesus is.

So as we anticipate, being there with Jesus,

worshiping there with Jesus, Just understand

that that place is going to far exceed our wildest

imagination. Beautiful, beautiful place. And

then the last thing I just want to talk about

is his sacrifice. The scripture says that every

high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices.

Thus, it's necessary for this priest also to

have something to offer. What does Jesus have

to offer, right? That's the question. Every priest

was required to have something to offer. And

of course, it lists two specific things, gifts

and sacrifices. Now that word gifts, these gift

offerings that people would bring to the temple

or to the tabernacle, they were given to represent

a person's personal devotion to God or their

commitment. to God or recommitment to God. They

were offerings that were given to express their

thanksgiving to God. Again, things that we would

associate with our sanctification, our growth

in the gospel, our growth in the knowledge and

understanding of Jesus Christ. And let me tell

you, Jesus is there ministering at the right

hand of the Father, helping you, helping me as

we grow. in Christ -likeness, as we become more

and more like Jesus. That's what his ministry

is doing. He's offering these gifts, these gifts

of devotion, these gifts of commitment, these

gifts of praise and worship and thanksgiving.

Jesus makes all of that possible for us. He makes

it possible for us to do that in a manner that

honors God. And so that's the idea behind that

word, gifts. And then, of course, the word sacrifices,

the blood offerings or the sacrifices that were

offered upon the altar, these were for the cleansing

of sin. And of course we know that Jesus offered

himself, right? He took his own blood into the

Holy of Holies. Not only was he the offering,

he was the offerer. And again, our salvation

was secured once and for all. So again, Jesus

still standing or still sitting in our behalf

at the right hand of the Father, securing our

salvation. So. all of these things and more going

on this very moment in heaven, in the true tent,

the real heaven, the real place, the real eternity,

the real sanctuary where Jesus, our real high

priest, ministers in our behalf. And of course,

you know what Jesus says that we should do now

as Christians who follow him, right? Paul says

in Romans 12, right, what are we to do? We're

to offer ourselves just as Jesus offered himself.

We can't offer ourselves for somebody else's

sin or for somebody else's salvation, but we

offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy, pleasing

to God. That's what we're to do. We're to serve

Jesus. We're to honor Jesus as he serves us and

strengthens us for this very aspect of our lives.

So, if you've trusted in Christ, If you've received

him as Savior and Lord, know this, your life,

your salvation, your eternity is as secure as

it can possibly be. Our high priest seated at

the right hand of the Father in the True Tent

guarantees it. We talked about that last week.

He is the guarantor of a better covenant. He

guarantees that one day we will be reunited with

him and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

never to be separated again. And that offer of

salvation is available to every man, woman, and

child today. If you've never trusted Jesus, trust

him today. Call upon the name of the Lord, as

the scripture says, and you'll be saved.