The Sovereign Redeemer

I had a news article that really caught my attention, and it sums up what I feel is a good description of modern-day Christianity, and I'd like to read it to you at this time, friends. It's only a few sentences long, but to me it's one of the best descriptions of how we view God in your day and mine. It's a quote by the football quarterback Peyton Manning, the night his team won the Super Bowl, and a reporter asked him how he was going to celebrate his big victory.

Now, I don't pretend to know this man's spiritual condition. All I'm doing is reading you what he said. Here are his words.

You know I'll take some time to reflect, Manning said. I have a couple of priorities first. I want to go kiss my wife and my kids.

I want to go hug my family. I'm going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight, I promise you that. I'm going to take care of those things first, and say a little prayer to thank the man upstairs for this great opportunity.

Now, friends, if that doesn't sum up in a few choice words how the church in America views God, I don't know what does. The average churchgoer today puts his family above God, puts his own self-gratification above God, and then tips his hat to God by placing him on man's level. Notice this football player's priorities.

First he's going to go love on his family. Then he's going to go love on himself by drinking a lot of booze. Then at the bottom of his list he's going to acknowledge God by a quote and say a little prayer to thank the man upstairs.

He's not a man upstairs, friend. He's a great, majestic, almighty God. But that's how the church in America views God today.

That's how we do. We put our families and ourselves before God, and then we tip our hat to him on Sundays. The crime of this generation is we have shrunken God down to our size or smaller.

Well, I'm going to give you a different picture of God from the pages of my Bible. The title of my message today, friends, is The Sovereign Redeemer. And my text can be found in the book of Hebrews in chapter 7 and 8. I will begin in chapter 7 and verse 25.

I want to read you this important passage of Scripture as it describes the Sovereign Redeemer who is exalted and preeminent over all things. 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. For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's.

For this he did once when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. Now the things which he hath spoken, this is the sum.

We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. Now friends, that is not the man upstairs, but the Sovereign King of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Redeemer. And there are several aspects I would like to draw out from our text today, friends, and I'll first list them, and then elaborate upon each head as we proceed.

1. He is able to say to the uttermost, because he is a Sovereign Redeemer. 2. His character is holy. 3. He is the sacrifice for sins.

4. He sits at the right hand of the Father, and he earned that right by way of a bloody cross. Let's examine this first attribute of our Savior, and that is His almighty power to save, to save all who come to Him. Jesus declared, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus can't save a self-righteous person who sees no need of a remedy for sin. The gospel is for the needy, the hungry, the thirsty, but I can promise you this, friend. If you realize you are lost, and admit you are a sinner who deserves hell, and you come to Christ for salvation, you can rest assured He has the almighty power to save you, and that to the uttermost.

Next I want you to see the next attribute of this Sovereign Redeemer, and that is His character of holiness. God is holy. He is not like sinful man.

He is not the man upstairs, like us, but He is altogether different from us. He is high and lifted up. Isaiah 57.15 declares, For thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy.

I dwell on the high and lofty place. Listen to me, friends. Our view of God today is too small.

That's why we can sin all we want to, because we are on His level. We can sit on the throne of our lives and rule there, and still call ourselves Christians. Listen to me, friend.

I know I'm a sinner, and I need a sin substitute in the person of Jesus Christ. And so do you, friend. So do you.

A person has to get lost before they can be saved. You have to realize your need of a substitute for sin before you can apply the remedy for sin. But today, we offer folks a tiny little Jesus before we show them their need of Him.

We just hand out our little Jesus like a stick of chewing gum, and most folks will take that kind of Jesus and chew on Him for a little while, until the flavor goes out of their religion. Now I want us to look at this last aspect, friends, from our text, and that's found in Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 1, where it talks about Jesus as a high priest who sits on the right hand of Almighty God. Listen to me, friends.

The Sovereign Redeemer didn't just come to earth to die on a cross just to make salvation possible. He came with a specific purpose to save sinners, and He earned that right to sit at the right hand of the Father by way of a blood-stained cross. That cross had His blood all over it because of my rotten, filthy sins.

And that cross had His blood all over it because of your wretched sins. He paid the price when He offered up Himself. He is a Sovereign Redeemer who is preeminent above Moses, who is preeminent above angels.

He is superior to Melchizedek. Christ supersedes the Levitical system. He is a better sacrifice.

And Christ's sacrifice was once and for all. And if you want Christ's savingly, friend, then you better go to where He is, and that's at the right hand of the living God, where He sits in all His sovereignty and authority as a living Lord. And if you want Him, you better throw down your shotgun of rebellion, friend, and repent of your sins, and exercise faith in this Sovereign Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is chief among ten thousand.

He's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, the pearl of great price. He is the Lamb slain, who is worthy to be praised. Listen to me, friends.

He's not only worthy, He is worth it. If you don't know Him as your Savior, then turn to God and become a seeker of Him. Become a beggar for mercy, because He can give salvation, or withhold it, and still be God.

He is a Sovereign Redeemer, blessed be His holy name, wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. Let us pray.