An Eternal High Priest

I want you to turn to Hebrews chapter 7 here tonight, and I want to bring you to part 3. I sort of had a slight suspicion this might happen, but there will be a part 4. I told you there was only going to be three parts, but it's grown a little bit, and I think there's going to be a part 5 as well at least, with a few things being put back as well. But I want to take you to Hebrews chapter 7 here tonight. This is part 3, and I've called this message, An Eternal High Priest.

An Eternal High Priest. In part 1, we dealt with a faithful high priest. In part 2, sorry, in part 1, it was a merciful high priest.

Part 2, a faithful high priest. But this is an eternal high priest. At some other stage, I want to deal with a series, it'll be a different series at a different time, but we'll look at the garments, or those things the high priest wears in the Old Testament, which are pictures to us of ministries that Christ himself carries out as a great high priest.

But we're going to not look at that during this series, because I'm narrowing this down. We would be here for months again if I just begin to bring the fullness of this. But these are very important things.

He's merciful. He is faithful. He is eternal.

Reading from Hebrews chapter 7, starting with verse 11. Let's follow together as we read the scriptures. What a question.

If, therefore, perfection were but by the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should be after the order of Melchizedek and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

And it is yet far more evident that after the simultude of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, notice this carefully, this statement, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment given before for the weakness and the unprofitableness thereof.

For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. And insomuch as not without an oath, he was made priest. For these priests were made without an oath.

But this with an oath, by him that said unto him, the Lord swear and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.

But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 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. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you tonight. Father, for your word that encourages us and blesses us. Lord God, we want to stop and consider the great high priest of our profession and of our confession of our new birth, of our born again experience.

Thank you. Lord God that's sitting in this room, we don't have many priests, but we have one great high priest through the blood of the Lamb who has entered in for us. Whoever maketh intercession for us.

Lord God, he has moved with compassion. He has moved Lord God with a heart of pity. He ever liveth to make intercession.

He is unchangeable. No man will ever remove him. He cannot be touched by death or anything of this world.

Lord God, we thank you. He's faithful. He is diligent.

He watches over his house, the church and the world. Pray and make an intercession. Stand between you, our heavenly Father and us here on earth.

We love him. We praise him. We worship him.

We adore him. Father, I pray that your Holy Spirit will bear witness unto him. Lord God, as we gaze at him and consider him, that your Holy Spirit would teach us from the word of God concerning our great high priest in Jesus' mighty name.

Amen. Amen. Again, just reading from Hebrews chapter 7, it is so important that we understand what Christ is to us as our great high priest.

It says in chapter 7 verse 17, for he testifies thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Thou art a priest forever. Forever.

This is one of the things that defines Christ as our priest. Not only is he merciful with a heart of pity being drawn out, desire and be active to show you pity, to show you mercy, to show you grace. Not only is that his heart, he is also faithful.

In other words, he is reliable, trustworthy. He'll never fail you and he'll keep his word constantly. But here's a third aspect of our high priest.

He is ever our high priest, a high priest forever. That's why I've called this an eternal high priest. This is our third message concerning Jesus Christ depicted in the book of Hebrews as a high priest.

We've already said that the book of Hebrews is the only book in the New Testament that depicts Christ as our high priest. No other New Testament book does. If you don't study the book of Hebrews, and it's not an easy book, and it's not a book that people naturally study, but if you don't spend time in Hebrews, you're going to miss a wonderful revelation of Jesus as your high priest interceding for you, saving you, standing before the throne of God on your behalf.

You're going to miss this. But the book of Hebrews presents him and reveals he has a ministry, a unique ministry as high priest. And you know what? You're to gaze upon him, not only as being merciful, not only as faithful, but being an eternal high priest.

That is very important. And I hope tonight your heart gets gripped with the reality. It is important that the Bible says he's eternal, that he's everlasting, that he's your high priest forever.

It's an important statement. It's as important as knowing he's merciful and that he's faithful. You've got to know and understand and believe the word of God that he's a high priest forever.

There is no end. There's no darkness that's going to fall in this ministry. He doesn't slumber.

He doesn't sleep. He doesn't take a break. He never neglects.

He is an absolute faithful high priest forever. And he is your high priest. It's a wonderful and a remarkable thing that we're dealing with.

See you in your natural life. And this is, I want to contrast your life, my life here right now compared to what we're going to see in this message. See your life now is imperfect.

In fact, everything around you is imperfect apart from what every aspect, every attitude, every person you interact with, every situation of home life, work life of society is utterly imperfect. More than that, everything of this life is changeable and changing. There's nothing that you can look at that isn't constantly in flux and changing.

You can't rely on most things to be there tomorrow. You can't have that confidence. You have no assurance.

Also in your natural body, there's this process called aging. My mom has said several times to me, she said, Keith, growing old is not nice. That's a statement from someone in their eighties.

She wishes her eyes were like they used to be. Her ability to drive, her ability to walk, her balance. You see with age changes come.

The spirit is still the same. The heart is still the same. But do you know what? She has found that there is a change in coming and she doesn't like that change, but it's inevitable.

It's something that you can't avoid. It does come. Ladies, you may fight it, but it's coming.

It's inevitable. Then we have this thing of dying. See all of these things and what I'm giving you, the words I've just given you are vital to understand that Christ is none of that.

You see dying is a part of life. There's no one around you who isn't in the process of dying. Even the young ones who are actually growing up, they haven't come to full stature.

Actually death is still marching towards them. Death is an absolute certainty apart from the Lord Jesus Christ coming back. So when you take all these truths, all of these facts of reality, I want to contrast that because nothing's perfect in your life.

Nothing is standing the same. Age has taken its toll. Death is on your heels.

Sin is all around you in this world and yet there's only one realm. There's only one place you find perfection. There's only one place you're going to find something that's unchangeable.

There's only one place that you're going to find a person who actually will never die and he's never aging and this world is having no effect upon him and his name is Jesus Christ. It's a remarkable thing when you see the contrast of Jesus. He'll never pass away.

He'll never change. Do you realize how comforting that is that when you see him as a merciful high priest, you may change your feelings, change even as a Christian. Yesterday you revel in the truth of his mercy upon you.

If you sin, then today you sin and you go, is he still there? Is he still praying for me? Will he forgive me? See how you change. His truth never changes. So saints, it's very important that you know that he abideth forever.

He is your high priest forever, unchangeable, eternal in the heavens. There's certain words when you begin to read the book of Hebrews, there's certain words come up time after time. In fact, they dominate the entire book of Hebrews.

Let me mention just a few of them. The word heaven or heavens is mentioned 17 times in Hebrews. That's to be noted.

Do you know what that tells me? This book, when it begins to deal with Christ as your high priest, it's a heavenly book. It's not a book about this world. It's not even necessarily about his earthly ministry.

It is now showing you that this is his present ministry. All through the book of Hebrews, it's turning your eyes upon heaven, upon eternity. It's a remarkable thing.

Not of this earth, not of this world, not even of the church. It's not even dealing with the church. It's dealing with one who actually dwells in the heavens.

The word perfect appears 14 times. There is something that is perfect, and this book reveals it, but nothing in this world is perfect. Christ, your high priest, he is perfect, and this Bible depicts it.

There's no lack in it. There's nothing essential missing from it. It is absolutely perfect when you see him as your great high priest.

There's also the word better. It's used 13 times in this book. The better covenant, better promises, many things are better.

Do you know why they're better? You know why they're better than the old covenant? Because Christ is your high priest. Christ makes everything better. I hope that you realize you're blessed here tonight, that abundantly you're blessed by all the provisions of Christ.

Life is better. Your future is better. Everything is better because of Christ Jesus.

It's a remarkable and it's a wonderful thing, but listen to the word we're dealing with tonight. The word eternal is used in different ways here, 15 times in this book. Sometimes it's written eternal.

Other times it's written forever, but it's dealing with the same thing concerning eternal things. Eternal things are dealt with in this book, but I want to tell you the best of all these eternal things is eternal Christ in his ministry. Christ is forever a high priest.

He will never, he cannot stop being a high priest. He is your high priest and that's what this Bible talks about. And then the word, here's another word, a bit different from the others.

And I want you to note this all through the book of Hebrews, the word priest or priest, priests, plural, is used 32 times. The book of Hebrews is a book about priesthood, about ministry, but everything it says about even human priests is to make you look heavenward to a perfect priest, to a better priest, to a priest that is called a great high priest and he becomes your priest. I've just got a few points for you here tonight.

As we look at an eternal high priest, I want to encourage you. I want to strengthen you because you know what? You've got many enemies of your faith. Sin comes against you.

The devil comes against you. This world is set against you. You've got a mind that's naturally prone to thoughts.

You've got a heart that is prone to discouragements. You've got a life where you're surrounded at work, at home, in family, on the high street. Every time you go into the workplace, you're being bombarded by many things.

And so for a moment, we must stop. You have to gaze upon Christ. You ought to study him as your great high priest, as an everlasting high priest.

Here's my first point here tonight. The eternal nature and deity of our high priest. Let me say that again.

I don't want you to lose it. The eternal nature and deity or divinity of our high priest. This is the first thing I want you to see here tonight, that Jesus Christ, and not even in the aspect of his ministry, as a person.

Just for a second, let me make a distinction between his ministry as high priest and his person as God's son. So in this first point, I'm not dealing essentially with his high priestly ministry, but who he is, who he was that was brought forth to become your high priest in ministry. There is a difference between what you do and who you are and what your ministry is and who you are as a person.

There's a distinction. It says in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 8, and this is very important that you look at this. Because you know what? I want you to see that Christ who was raised up to be your high priest actually is divine.

He was God and he is God. There's certain groups that deny that, but the Bible teaches clearly that Jesus was God, that he was worshipped as God. I once spoke to a preacher in this city.

He was a good man, a saint man, but just not a well-taught man, an ignorant man. And he said, do you know, and this is what he said to me in this city a few times. He said, I was talking to a Muslim and the Muslim challenged me that Jesus never said he was divine.

And he admitted, he said to the Muslim, yes, you're right. Jesus didn't say that. So he tried to come and tell me that.

He said, so Jesus didn't say he was divine. I said, that's an absolute lie. And I could show you time after time.

And in fact, the entire new Testament depends on Christ being divine and being God. It's not a closed thing. It's actually an open truth.

So if I was to prove to you that Jesus is God, that the Bible teaches it, it's very easy. But I want to take you to Hebrews chapter 1 and prove that Jesus is God, that he's divine, that he always has been. Of course, you know, we could go to John chapter 1, in the beginning was God.

We know that speaking of Christ, he was in the beginning. He was God. He was with God.

He is God. So if you go to John 1, it's clear. Or you could go to 1 John, the letter of 1 John.

That chapter deals with his divinity. Or you could go to Revelation chapter 1. That deals with his divinity. And so we could go on looking at verses that Christ is divine.

He was worshipped as divine. He claimed titles that were divine. He spoke as one who was divine.

And he manifested himself as divine. But I just want to confine myself here to a moment to show you that in Hebrews chapter 1, the entire book is about Christ being your high priest. But where does it start? With his divinity in chapter 1. In other words, don't move on to him being your high priest forever.

If you don't get it in chapter 1, he is divine. He is God. He's worshipped as God.

Because you know what? If that isn't in place, you've got a very weak high priest. If he was merely a man, if he was merely created in time, you've got a poor substitute for a priest. But I want to tell you, he came out of eternity.

What does it say in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 8? But unto the Son he saith, thy throne, O God. Do you see that in your Bible? Do you hear what I've just said unto you? So God the Father is talking to the Son in this verse. And he says, thy throne, speaking to Jesus, thy throne, O God.

He calls his Son God in this verse 8. Then he says this is forever and ever. So he's speaking to his Son Jesus, calls him God, says his throne that he's sitting upon is forever and ever. And he says the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.

Now that is the heart of this, of Hebrews chapter 1. You've got to see that this great high priest, he is God. He is God. You've got to understand this and be able to communicate it.

It says in Psalm 90 verse 2, before the mountains were brought forth or ever, thou hast formed the earth and the world. Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. If you're in evangelism, I'm sure you've faced this.

I've heard it 10,000 times. You begin to witness to someone and to say, so who created God? When did he begin? And you know, they don't realize how foolish that is. And you hear time after time after who created God.

And they say it as if you have never heard this before, that they're the first one who has ever thought this up. And they're so smart and intelligent. They proved that there's no God because who created God? There had to be someone before God.

But do you know what the most basic thing of the Bible, when you're born again, or if you have faith in your heart, you believe that God is, that he exists eternally, that he always has been, he always will be, there's no beginning to him, there's no end to him. That's the definition of God. If God is an eternal, you don't have God because God is defined by being eternal.

There was no beginning. There is no creation of God. He didn't become God.

He didn't graduate. He has always been the same eternal God of love, of faith, of righteousness, of holiness. He is unchanging.

Who he is is who he has always been. He is the very, very same God. But we know there's groups in our world who claim to be some kind of Christian, like the JWs, the Jehovah's Witness.

They deny the divinity, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Mormons deny the deity, the divinity of Christ. They say, we're all becoming gods.

He became a son of God. That's heresy. That is dangerous.

You must never give room to that error or that teaching. It's a very dangerous teaching. But I tell you what, also the prosperity movement in America, they fell into this.

All their top preachers believe that Jesus on the cross, Kenneth Hagin, he used to teach one of the top fathers of the whole faith movement. He actually taught that Jesus on the cross died spiritually. That Jesus on the cross, his nature became sinful.

And that he had to go to hell and suffer for three days. That's what they teach. And that in hell he was born again as the son of God.

Now I want to tell you, that is heresy. The worst doctrine and heresy of the prosperity movement is not the money doctrine. It's not.

That's far lesser. That's a side issue. But when they teach that Christ suffered in hell, or died in the cross spiritually, or became a man, all these preachers, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, all of them have taught this at some point.

Maybe they've renounced it, but certainly over the years they haven't. They all taught that Christ became a man on the cross, that he actually gave up his divinity. When he committed his spirit into the hands of the father, his deity left him.

Now he's going to suffer as a man. That is rank heresy. That's very dangerous.

So you can see it's important in Hebrews chapter one, our first fundamental thing. If you're going to understand what it means for Christ to be your high priest eternally, you've got to see that his nature is eternal. He is God.

That the one who is your high priest, he was not as we dealt with last time, 100% a man. He was made or took on the nature of a man. He wasn't 50-50.

He's 100% man, but he's also 100% God. He's divine. He always has been.

Jesus didn't start existing. He took on himself human flesh and became as a man so that he could have mercy on us, that he could be made perfect to be the author of your salvation. Listen to what it says in Hebrews chapter one.

There are many points and they're remarkable statements. Every little statement, sometimes three statements within one verse reveal his divinity. Listen carefully.

Verse two, chapter one, verse two, speaking of Christ half in these last days spoken unto us by his son. It's talking about how God speaks to the church, the new Testament believer and Christian. How does God speak to you? In his son.

So God in heaven won't even speak to you unless it's through Jesus. It's always through Jesus Christ that he actually speaks to you. He's got nothing to say to you.

Let me be very straight. He wouldn't even speak to you of grace or mercy or blessing or kindness apart from the son. So who is this son? He is God.

It is God, the son who was raised up. And God, the father says, I won't speak to you unless it's through the son. Listen to what else it says.

Or ever thou has, uh, sorry, I've lost my way. Um, whom he has appointed heir of all things. So this person is not only spoken to God only speaks through him, but he is heir of all things.

He's going to inherit everything, the entire universe, all created things. This one called the son of God, he is going to inherit everything. Everything is going to belong to him.

He is coming to take or to redeem, redeem back everything. And also says in verse two, by whom also he made the worlds. So nothing created was made unless it was made through Jesus Christ.

All of creation is made by Christ. God speaks to you through him. And do you know what? It is him that creation was made.

He is there in Genesis chapter one. He is there when God, the father said, let there be light. Remember in chapter one, you've got God speaking the Holy spirit move on.

But I want to tell you it all happens through Jesus. Everything has always been through Jesus Christ. He is eternal.

He didn't begin being when Mary gave birth to Christ. No, that was his humanity. But his divinity was there in Genesis chapter one at the beginning, at the beginning of the Bible, Christ was there create no things as we read of in John chapter one as well.

Then look at verse three, who being the brightness of his glory. So look who the brightness of his glorious of God, Jesus Christ is the brightness of the glory of God. Where are you going to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ? Nowhere else.

Mary doesn't stand a chance. I want to show you. It says on the express image of his person, only Christ expresses divinity or reveals to you who God is.

Only Christ can do that in his essence and his character and his nature and who he is. He reveals that he is God or who God is. Remember what Jesus taught? He says, the father reveals me, but I reveal the father.

I'm in the bosom of the father and the father reveals me to whomsoever he wills, but also the reverse is true. No man can know the father unless they know me. If you're going to know God, the father, you have to come through me.

So it's Christ who reveals him. He is the express image of him. And it says upholding all things by the word of his power.

It means to hold things together to know the planets, this earth, your very being, you know, all the scientists, all the great men of the earth, all those intelligent people who would never speak to someone like me. Do you know all them? They try to explain the atom. They try to explain how all of creation, the physical world is held together by a power and they study it and they study that power and they try to give a terminology and they try to write sophisticated degrees on it.

But do you know what? None of them can comprehend. There's a power that holds everything together. There's a power that holds all the planets in place and the earth in place and the stars in place and all of creation, everything.

There is a dynamic power holding everything together. They can't even comprehend that. I'll tell you what that power is.

It's the word of his mouth. Remember God spoke in the beginning, all things are created. Do you realize that it's still the words of Christ that holdeth in place everything or upholdeth it or makes things move in the right direction? It's all held by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and it goes on to say, when he had by himself purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of majesty on high.

Then here's one last point I just want to give you there. It says in verse six, and let all the angels of God worship him. You only worship God and here's all of the angels, the angelic beings, who are they worshiping? Jesus Christ.

So how can anyone deny the divinity of Christ? Here is Christ revealed in all his glory. Everything is created through him. Everything is going to belong to him.

He upholdeth everything and you know what? All the angelic beings of heaven, of eternity, of earth, they're all worshiping him. They're magnifying him. Even the demonic powers of men have to run and worship at his feet.

Even the demonic with 6,000 odd demons within him. He ran to Jesus, fell down and worshiped the lamb of God. There's a power in this that is remarkable.

Since this is the building block of known as your high priest. He is divine. He's God.

Yes, he's a man. He's got the full nature of humanity. He knows what you feel like.

He's being tempted but never forget he's divine. He is God. This would not be an eternal priesthood.

He would be a very weak priest if he was not the eternal God who created all things. Who is coming back to reign over all things. It also says in chapter 1 verse 10, and thou Lord in the beginning has laid the foundations of the earth.

Do you see here it's speaking about Christ laying the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hand. They shall perish and notice this carefully. Look at the contrast between what is eternal and what is of this life.

They shall perish. What? This world, the heavens, the cosmos, all these things are going to perish. It's very clear here.

But thou remainest and they all shall wax old as does the garment. And as a vesture shall thou fold them up and they shall be changed. But thou art the same.

Who's it speaking about? Jesus Christ. He is going to be the one at the end of time who rules up all of creation like a mere bit of material. All of these shall perish but he won't.

So our high priest after everything visible, everything of this world, the cosmos itself, the entire world. At the end of time when God himself folds it up it's Christ who's going to do that. Your great high priest.

But never forget when he's folding everything up his priesthood continues and remains the same. It is eternal and it says they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years shall never fail. Aren't you glad it says in Hebrews 13 and verse 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He is unchanging in his nature. Look at him. He is eternal.

Why is he eternal? Because he's deity. He is God. He had no beginning.

He never began. He never come into being. He was born of a woman in order to take on human flesh.

But that same Christ that was born in a manger is the one that created the universe. He is the one that upholdeth all things. He's the one that's going to summarize it and bring it to an end one day.

But look at him. He is your high priest. He is God.

So this one that feels for you, this one that's faithful to you, this one that's eternal. He's not just some impersonal being. He is God.

He's the eternal God. The second point here I want you to see. The eternal nature of his priestly office.

The eternal nature of his priestly office. Not only is he God, but he was called to a specific ministry in time and eternity to be your high priest. This ministry of high priest, it's eternal.

That's our message. He's an eternal high priest. But I want you to see the nature of his office.

It's eternal. It'll never, ever come to an end. Do you know when you go into the Old Testament and you see the high priests of the Old Testament, there was under a hundred in the Old Testament over these years.

When you go into Jewish history, you find out that there were about 18 high priests that functioned in Solomon's temple, one after the other. When one died, another replaced him. Each of those priests in office began to age.

Their beards began to change color. Wrinkles began to appear. Age began to take its toll on their bodies.

Every single one of them, 18 men served in Solomon's temple, replacing each other, dying, going to the grave. Now you've got a new, brand new high priest who didn't even know the previous generations. We're told in the history books about 60 served in the second temple.

But notice with all these human priests, less than a hundred over a span of 1500 years, that they kept changing. They kept dying. Every single one of them was imperfect.

They had to offer a sacrifice for their own sins. They were men prone to sin. Every one of them sinned.

Yes, they knew what others felt like. They did understand that element, but you know what? None of them was perfectly righteous. Every sacrifice was as much for them as for anybody else.

And this high priesthood continued on the earth until AD 70, when the temple was destroyed and Israel scattered across the nations. Since AD 70 until now, Israel has not had a high priest. Today, they do not have a high priest.

They've gone almost 2000 years, no high priest in Israel. See, if you're ever evangelizing a Jew, you need to ask them certain questions. Say, how do you get forgiven? What do you do with your sin? Because your entire religion depends.

You know what it depends on? A bleeding lamb. You don't have a lamb in Israel today. You've got no sacrifice today.

But I'll tell you what else you don't have. You do not as a nation, an entire people, you don't have a great high priest. You don't have one standing between you and God the Father in heaven.

You're there as a nation. You have no high priest. See, their high priest didn't continue.

They're a remarkable nation, a nation birthed of God with a remarkable history, but they have no high priest unless they come to the Lord Jesus Christ. But see the second point, the eternal nature of Christ's priestly office. In chapter 5 and verse 6, it says this, As he saith also at another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Notice this wasn't Aaron's priesthood. It wasn't the Levitical priesthood. It wasn't Israel's priesthood or the Old Testament priesthood.

It's called the order of Melchizedek. And notice the difference. It's forever.

That's why it's unique. This priesthood of Melchizedek is eternal. It's always been eternal.

It will be eternal. It's everlasting. It's not just of this earth.

It's in a condition of perfection. And so, Hebrews says that, Thou art a priest forever after the order. It's the priesthood.

Not only as person is eternal, but as priesthood is eternal. It will never, ever come to an end. It cannot be touched by the things of this world.

It says in Psalm 110, and this is where Hebrews is quoting from, and it's important you go to Psalm 110 if you have your Bible with you, verse 4. And it says this, The Lord has sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Paul in Hebrews chapter 5 through to chapter 7 is talking about things from the Old Testament, the order of Melchizedek.

It says in chapter 6 verse 20, whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made a high priest, and stay in Psalm 110, but listen to this, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Then in Hebrews chapter 7 verse 17, For he testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Verse 21, For these priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath by him that saith unto him, The Lord swear and will not repent.

Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Then in chapter 7 verse 24, But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. So the entire book of Hebrews constantly emphasizes that Christ after the order of Melchizedek, it's eternal.

It's forever. It's unchanging. It can't be touched by the hand of man.

But this man, because he continueth forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. This priesthood cannot change. It is perfect.

It is reliable. It is faithful. It is merciful.

It is everlasting. And so there's going to be no change. See, if it wasn't everlasting, it means it's going to change.

It'll come to an end. You could actually fear, what if he doesn't forgive me? Well, that can only happen if his priesthood comes to an end. But what if he doesn't hear me? That's impossible.

But what if I go too far? You have a great high priest. It's a remarkable thing. And you know what? It depends upon him being eternal.

This entire priesthood is effective. The Melchizedek, let me explain about him. Melchizedek is mentioned in three different places in the Bible.

Twice in the Old Testament, in one book of the New Testament. Melchizedek is revealed historically as an actual man. In Genesis chapter 14, Abraham met him.

So he's a physical, historical man called Melchizedek. He was a king priest. The second time you read about him is in Psalm 110.

And I'm going to bring you there in a second. And it is mentioned prophetically. It's a prophecy by King David in Psalm 110, looking forward, looking heavenward, looking into eternity.

It's a prophecy about the coming Messiah, the Messiah who was going to come to deliver all men. He actually is going to have to be after the order of Melchizedek. Then the third time you read about him is Paul writing in the book of Hebrews, specifically in chapter 7, where we read about the order of Melchizedek.

And then the entire book of Hebrews is all about Christ as Melchizedek. So in Genesis, historically, in Psalm 110, prophetically, and then here in Hebrews 7, doctrinally, all this comes together to teach you. And that's over a 2,000 year period, 2,000 years.

Here is a teaching concerning Melchizedek. And in Psalm 110, and I want you to see this for yourself, we actually see King David a thousand years after the appearance of the historical Melchizedek making mention of him once again. Now let's look at the context of Psalm 110 for a moment.

Look at verse 1. It says, the Lord said unto my Lord, Lord and Lord. And look in your Bible, the first Lord is in capital letters. The second Lord isn't.

Now that's written very specifically because when you read the word Lord in capitals, it means something. And notice the conversation is between two Lords. They're talking to each other.

They're interacting. Now the first Lord in capitals is the Hebrew word Yahweh or Jehovah. That's who it is.

And he is speaking of my Lord. That's a different Hebrew word. It's the word Adonai.

All these names are names in the Old Testament for God. So the Lord is saying unto my Lord, or we could say Yahweh or Jehovah is saying unto Adonai. Now who are these that are speaking? Jehovah, Yahweh is speaking to Adonai.

And notice what he says. Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Then he says in verse 4, the Lord has sworn, Lord, capital letters, Jehovah, Yahweh, God, the father has sworn.

Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And so we see in this Psalm, this prophecy looking forward, it's actually saying God, the father is speaking to Christ, the son, and he's speaking about his priestly ministry, his kingly ministry. And he's saying, your priestly ministry is going to be forever.

God, the father's talking to the son saying, you are going to be a priest. I'm going to raise you up. Now King David, by the spirit of prophecy speaks concerning the Messiah.

He looks into eternity. He looks into heaven and he sees this conversation at the throne of God. He sees it and he prophesies about it.

How God, the father, is talking to the son. Two persons of the Godhead, two persons who are deity, they're divine, speaking one to the other. And you know what? He sees it in this prophecy and he gives it to God's people.

He revealed that the priesthood of the Messiah would be after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek's only been mentioned in one other place in the whole Old Testament, but David prophesies and he says, you know what? There's another priest coming. Melchizedek was in Genesis 14, but there's another priest coming.

He is after the same order or the same priesthood. And you know what defines it? It's forever. This priesthood is forever and ever and ever.

It is eternal. It is unchangeable. It isn't Levitical.

It isn't after the order of men or of this earth. It's absolutely different. It's a remarkable one.

By solemn oath, we see in Psalm 110, by solemn oath or the swearing of an oath, we see Jehovah making Adonai a priest after the order of Melchizedek. This was so important. God said, I swear.

In other words, he bound his soul with a pledge. He didn't have to do that for himself. He keeps his word.

He is faithful. Do you know why he done that for you? Do you realize God the Father swear an oath? Very few preachers preach about the oath of God. You almost never hear about the oath of God.

It's very important because God swear the oath. Why did he do that for you? He didn't just make a promise. Remember last time we talked about the promises.

But you know what? This is an oath. God's swearing an oath. And the Hebrew six says he didn't do it for himself, but for you to bring it into your fears and your doubts and your up and down motions.

He gave it as an anchor for the soul to join you to Christ within the veil. In other words, he said, I swear, I pledge myself. I have raised up Christ, my son, to be your personal high priest.

And I swear he'll never change. I swear it is eternal. I swear he'll be faithful.

I swear he'll be merciful unto you. Don't you see how determined God is that you receive this? He's trying to convince you. He's trying to persuade you.

He wants to talk to you and argue with you and bring you to a place of faith where you go, I believe this. I believe his prayers are effectual. The blood is effectual, that he'll keep me, that he'll preserve me.

It's an utter remarkable thing that this revelation came forward. So we have a thousand years before David was the historical man. Two thousand years, sorry, three thousand years later, you have, sorry, let me say that again.

A thousand years after David, you have Paul writing in the New Testament, the doctrine of Melchizedek for the church. He's no longer history or a prophecy, nor it's reality. Christ is a priest forever for the church.

Now notice again the word order, the order of Melchizedek. The word in the Old Testament means style or pattern or what it looks like. In the New Testament, this word order means to be arranged in a certain way or in a certain manner like Melchizedek.

The order of Melchizedek is the arrangement or making this Melchizedek look like the person in the Old Testament. Let me explain this here. This arranged order is mentioned six times in Hebrews.

The word order is mentioned in chapter five, chapter six, and chapter seven. And it's mentioned these six times. The order of Melchizedek is very important and it's emphasized time and time again by the Holy Spirit saying the order, the order, the order.

Melchizedek in verse three of seven, listen to what it says, made like unto the son of man. Melchizedek in Genesis 14 that you read about having a connection with Abraham, it says that Melchizedek in Genesis 14 was made like unto the son of man. So when you see this literal man in Genesis 14 talking to Abraham, interacting, the New Testament doctrinally says Melchizedek in the Old Testament was made like unto Jesus Christ.

This term used for made like unto means to assimilate closely, to become similar or to become like this. So Melchizedek the man was patterned, made like unto God's son in heaven. It's a remarkable thing.

In other words, Melchizedek who dealt with Abraham was modeled upon the real Christ. He was a man on the earth and Christ is going to be Melchizedek after the order of Melchizedek. But the one in the Old Testament is modeled.

See when he ties, when Abraham ties to him, that's modeled on Jesus Christ as your great high priest. That's why I connect Tithon straight through to the New Testament and in Hebrews 7 it mentions Tithon four times. Everyone says the New Testament doesn't mention Tithon.

Who told you that? Who told you that? Because my Bible does mention Tithon and it mentions it in connection with the person of Christ in the church. But the Melchizedek dealing with Abraham is modeled every single thing. Remember he didn't bring a blood sacrifice.

Point to me one priest in the Old Testament, even the ones of God who didn't bring a sacrifice, there are none. But Melchizedek didn't bring a blood sacrifice. You know what he brought? He brought bread and wine for Abraham to eat.

Why do you think he didn't bring a blood sacrifice? He's patterned after the son of man. Everything is carefully patterned. All of this is a remarkable thing.

And you know what? God made a little model in Genesis 14 to give you an insight and understand that we by faith, we're interacting with this great high priest of the most high God and he becomes our priest to pray for us and to bless us in the name of God. There's an entire revelation here. And then you come to the doctrine in the book of Hebrews and you say Jesus Christ is after the order of Melchizedek.

He has been raised up to be your high priest. Or in Hebrews chapter 7 verse 15, we're told he's made after the simultude of Melchizedek. Sorry, after the simultude of Melchizedek, there arises another priest that is Christ after the pattern.

That word simultude means resemblance or in the same manner or very like onto Melchizedek in the Old Testament. So clearly this means that in the New Testament, our high priest represents in certain ways the Melchizedek of the Old Testament. And Melchizedek in Genesis 14 was carefully patterned after the eternal son of God in heaven.

Do you see everything in the Old Testament as a pattern? The temple is a pattern over what's in heaven. The tabernacle, the temple, all of these things, the priesthood. But here you have this priesthood of Melchizedek was also a pattern, a picture or a type.

Here's the third thing about this ministry, the eternal nature of redemption. It says in Hebrews chapter 9 and 12, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he Christ as our high priest entered into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Do you see in these verses how Christ entered into the holy place? He actually entered into this ministry as your high priest, how through his blood, his blood had to be shed. The blood of Jesus is the whole foundation of his entire ministry without a sacrifice, without the shedding of blood. How could he pray for you? How could he be merciful to you? How could he be faithful to you? It's the blood that makes him all these things.

It is because of the blood and it says here in this verse 12, having obtained eternal redemption for us. So Christ as high priest embarked on that ministry by obtaining eternal redemption. Notice every word here.

He obtained that he went and got redemption for us. He obtained it. He died on the cross.

He suffered in the body. He laid down the body. He finished the work.

He completed it. He made full provision. He obtained it for us.

What did he obtain on the cross? Eternal redemption, eternal redemption. This word redemption is so important to understand tonight that you understand what redemption is. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7, it says, in whom we have redemption through his blood, Christ's blood.

Do you realize the word redeemed, it basically defines redemption by the blood. You can't think of the word redeemed or ransom unless you think of the blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no redemption.

And you're going to see that in a second. Redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to his riches and grace. What does the word redemption mean? The word actually means to buy, to purchase or to pay a price.

When it says that Christ redeemed us through his blood, that means the blood was the price that was paid for you. That precious blood is what it took to save you out of sin, to forgive you, to redeem you from the hand of Satan himself. Only the blood could do that.

And so this word redemption, it means the price that has been paid to buy out of. The word to ransom means to pay a price or to release somebody by paying a price. It means to secure or guarantee your release, your rescue, your deliverance by paying a price.

Do you know what Jesus done by shedding his blood? He guaranteed your release. He initiated your release. You'd still be in your sin apart from the blood of the lamb.

But notice that your high priest, before he ascended and embarked on this, he paid the price. He attained or obtained eternal redemption. It says in Acts 20, 28, the church of God, which he, that is Christ, has purchased with his own blood.

And so we see that the church itself has been purchased, been redeemed. A price was paid for the church. What was it? His blood.

It's all through the New Testament. Through the shedding of blood, he gets himself an entire church, a people in the New Testament by the blood of the lamb. That's why in Revelation 1, it says that we are washed in the blood of the lamb.

I believe this teaching of the blood is the greatest of teachings. It is one of the most fundamental and vital teachings of our New Testament. So this term redemption was a very specific term used in the Old Testament concerning purchasing a slave from his captivity.

To redeem a slave means you pay the price for his rescue and he goes absolutely free. He gains freedom never to be a prisoner ever again. A price is paid for his freedom.

And you know what? You and I were prisoners to Satan himself. We were bound hand and foot. There's no way we could gain release.

But someone stepped forward through the cross, through the shedding of the blood. Someone obtained your rescue and your deliverance. You know, when we read the word redemption, it means you go free.

You're forgiven. You're set free now. You're absolutely free from your past, from your sins, from captivity, from bondage, from the fear of death, the fear of judgment and wrath and indignation.

You've actually been redeemed as a very precious thing. And so this word redemption, blood redemption is vital. And you know what? If you're going to understand your great high priest, you better understand being faithful, being merciful, being eternal, praying for you, standing representing you and representing God to us.

You need to understand he's there by the blood. He didn't enter into that position without the shedding of blood. The blood is what put him in that position or gave him that ministry.

He was eternal. But see, this ministry was given unto him of his heavenly father. In ancient days, 2000 years ago, half of the city of Rome were slaves.

That's what defined them. Half of the city or 10% of the entire Roman empire, the entire economy of Rome was built upon slavery, upon owing debts, upon losing your liberty and your freedom. And as a slave, you lost property.

You lost all of your rights. You could lose your wife, your children, your house, everything. And the only hope was this act of redemption.

How would you get anything back again or get your wife back or your children back? Or how would you escape punishment? Or this bondage? The only way was redemption, that a price was so paid that you got a certificate saying, I'm a free man. I'm a delivered man. I'm a citizen of the empire now.

I've got all the rights that are common. You know what? In salvation, you get everything restored unto you. We have redemption through his blood.

What was my point? Eternal, the eternal nature of redemption. It says in Hebrews 9, verse 12, that he, Christ, as your high priest, obtained eternal redemption for you. That means he paid the price.

Who is it that's praying for you tonight? Who is your high priest tonight? Who is it that's looking upon you with pity? If you sin, if you fail, his heart is actually, he doesn't judge you. His heart is moved with compassion. He's compassionate saying, I want to help you.

I'm not casting you aside. I'm praying for you that your faith does not fail amidst all the temptations and the trials and the fears and worries. I am praying for you.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. It says in Hebrews 10 and 12. But this man, after he offered one sacrifice for sins forever, do you see how redemption is eternal? It's very important you know that redemption is eternal.

The blood is eternal. Some people think it corrupted on the ground at the cross at Calvary. That's utterly impossible.

It was incorruptible blood, like his body was incorruptible. You know, if he died and got lay in the grave, his body wouldn't have corrupted. It couldn't have corrupted.

He's incorruptible. He's the eternal son of God. But look at this.

After he offered one sacrifice for sin forever, he sat down at the right hand of God, entering into this ministry. It's on the basis of the one sacrifice forever. You know, redemption doesn't need to be repeated once for all.

His blood was shed. It's mighty to forgive you tonight. Do you need cleansing afresh? Do you need your conscience eased? Do you need to release the fresh? Do you need him to comfort you? He'll do it by way of the blood.

You've got a great high priest praying for you right now, right now, by name. He knows you personally. And you know what? It's through the blood that he prays for you.

Eternal redemption, freedom, deliverance from deaths, from bondage, from guilt, from all manners of doubts that would assail you. But fourth and last, I want to finish on this, the eternal nature of salvation. Hebrews chapter 5 and verse 9, and it says this, and being made perfect.

It says of Christ, in his high priestly ministry was made perfect. Remember what I said about that word perfect? He wasn't lacking anything. He was made perfect or a fitting, suitable high priest.

He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him, called of God a high priest after the order of salvation. And so you see here, your great high priest became the author of eternal salvation. The nature of salvation is eternal.

That is the mark of this salvation. It's very nature is this. The work that Christ does is to obtain or to be the author of eternal salvation.

I want you to understand this fourth and last point, the eternity of your high priest, the eternity of his divine nature, the eternity of blood redemption. But this last thing, the eternal nature of salvation itself. Many argue Calvinism and Arminianism.

You know that I defect from both schools of thought on certain central issues, but let's not depart from scripture. There are truths in scripture. I reject the errors of Calvinism, but also the errors of Arminianism.

Why don't we just preach the Bible as it is completely in its fullness without explaining it away, without adding or taking away just except scripture, not one verse by itself. That's heresy. You know, all you need to do to get into heresy is to take one scripture.

That's true. Take it out of its context, remove it from other scriptures that balance, and you're in error. You can go in error, many different directions, but I want you to hear this.

The salvation that Christ actually is the author of your high priest right now on the throne of God, praying for you, ministering as your high priest. He is the author. He is the writer.

He is the creator of eternal salvation. It says in John chapter 10, 27, there's Jesus speaking to his disciples. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.

Look at the mark of them. Did you see what I read from Hebrews? It says about eternal salvation. Then it says unto all them that obey him.

You must never separate eternal salvation from obedience or you've got a problem. It's not adding works. It's showing you that eternal salvation is the mark of those that walk in obedience.

So if you take the word eternal salvation and you separate from obedience, say it doesn't matter if you're obedient. Well, not according to my Bible. It actually shows you that the author of salvation unto all those that obey him or that take heed those words.

Then listen to Jesus. He knows them and they follow him. They listen his voice and I give unto them eternal life.

Who? Those who listen him, those who follow him. So if you find a sheep who isn't following Christ, isn't obeying him, isn't listening to his voice and they say I've got an eternal salvation, I can't be lost. It doesn't matter if I'm not living right.

I know I'm secure. I'm going to heaven. There's a problem here.

It's not biblical. It's dangerous to separate a holiness of life from eternal salvation. To claim eternal salvation.

I'm saved eternally. I'm fine. And yet not to care about your heart, your thoughts, your words, your action.

There's something wrong with us. And so Jesus says, I give unto him eternal life. Eternal life is a real thing.

Given to individuals, salvation is receiving eternal life. You can't be saved or born again without receiving eternal life. My sheep, they hear my voice, but I give unto them eternal life.

They have eternal life. It is eternal. What sort of life do you have? I hope you have eternal life, not just natural life.

And then he says, and they shall never perish. Those who have eternal life shall never perish. Don't add to it.

Don't change the word of God. Just for a second. You know that we deal with other scriptures at other times.

Why not just receive the word of God tonight? Shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Then he goes further.

My father, which gave them to me, is greater than all. And no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. So you're in the father's hand.

You're in the son's hand. The father has given you to the son to keep in his hand. He says, I give you eternal life and you shall never perish.

But notice who they are. They are sheep who hear the voice of God. They are those sheep following Jesus Christ.

They are really listening to the word of God. For you and all of us can grow cold and hard. All of us can grow negligent.

All of us can grow weary. All of us can hit a brick wall. All of us can go through cold times.

All of us. Okay. So be careful what I say next.

Someone whose heart gets hard against God is in a very dangerous situation. When you harden your heart, close your ears. Do not listen to the spirit of God.

Do not receive godly rebukes. I tremble for you or anyone in that situation. There's something wrong.

Either God's going to awaken you or you're not a sheep. Because to have a hard heart against the word of God and yet claim you have eternal salvation. I'm okay.

I'm fine. And yet you've got a hard heart. I really worry about you.

I worry about anyone in that condition. But do you know what? Let's not throw out scripture. It talks about a security in Christ for the real genuine Christian.

In John chapter seventeen verse three, it defines what eternal life is. And this is life eternal. That they might know thee, the only true God.

You want a definition for eternal life? See, everyone argues, I've got eternal life. What do you mean? Oh, I can't lose it. No, we know what John ten says.

But let's define it better than that. What is life eternal? It's not just a length of time or a state of security. It says that they might know thee, the only true God.

What's eternal life? Knowing God. Intimacy with God. To know God means you have an intimate communion and fellowship.

And so, if you don't have a intimate communion with God, if you do not know him, then don't tell me you've got eternal life. Someone who says I've got eternal life, but they don't act like him. They don't know him.

They don't fellowship with him. Says to know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Eternal life is a quality of life.

It is a relationship with God. It's communion. It's not a theological statement where you argue about points of doctrine.

It is a relationship with the most high God. Listen again what it says in Hebrews chapter 2. Because you know what? This book of Hebrews deals with eternal salvation. All through the book of Hebrews, it's dealing.

There is a high priest. There's a relationship with him. There's an eternal salvation that he obtained for you.

Redemption by the blood. Eternal salvation. A walk with God.

But do you know what Hebrews has as well? Seven warnings given to believers. Listen to the first one, what it says in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1. Therefore, we ought to give more earnest heed. It's talking to us, those that are redeemed by the blood.

We ought to give more earnest heed. The mark of a real Christian is what they should do. Give heed earnestly.

I mean, you ought to be burning saying, I want to listen to the word of God. You can't afford to let anything in your heart that dulls your hearing or causes you to stop listening to the voice of God. It's very dangerous.

It's dangerous when someone, they're not given earnest heed. That's not casually sitting in a service Sunday saying, I picked up a few sermons. I was there Sunday.

That is not earnest heed. This is you saying, I need to hear from you God. I want you to impact my heart.

Earnest heed to the things which we have heard. Talking about preaching. Lest at any time we should let them slip.

You sit here, you hear the word of God preaching about Christ and you just let it go. You're not giving earnest heed. You're letting it go.

You're letting it slip casually. Then he goes on to say in verse three, how shall we escape? We, Paul writing says, we, how shall we escape? If we neglect so great a salvation. Pardon me.

He talks about being a great salvation. If we neglected, how shall we escape? In other words, salvation can be neglected. He's given a warning to real believers, not sinners.

They don't have this. They've got no right to claim it. He's talking to the church.

Don't neglect it. Give earnest heed to God's word, but do not neglect this great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us that heard them. In the book of Hebrews, seven warnings.

One of these days I'm going to preach on the seven warnings in Hebrews to genuine Christians. Some in the church say the seven warnings aren't for us, for Christians, they're for someone else or for the Jews of the first century, poor Jews. The Christian Jews in the first century have to have these warnings, but you don't get them.

But do you know what? My Bible gives these seven warnings in a book. There's making you look to Jesus Christ, who's the author of eternal salvation for you, of your salvation. And there's no contradiction in these things.

It says in Hebrews 7, 16, it's while I'm coming to an end, because my throat is finished with having preached so much in Germany. Hebrews 7, verse 16, who has made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. In verse 24, but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost, who come unto God by him, seeing.

And notice, why is it he can provide all this? Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession. The eternity, the everlastingness of his high priestly ministry is important. And that's why Hebrews repeats it time and time again.

You've got a high priest who's not only merciful, not only faithful, but he's eternal. And he will be in that position for you. Let's pray.

Father, we love you. We thank you tonight. Father, we praise you for this revelation of Jesus as our great high priest in the book of Hebrews.

Father, give us a hunger, even over these days, these weeks, Father, that we might read it, that we might consider Christ as our great high priest, that your Holy Spirit would teach us in such a real way of the everlastingness of his person, of his deity, of the everlastingness of his ministry, Lord God, of the eternity of redemption of its eternal factor and of salvation itself. Lord God, you never made salvation to be so fickle, Lord God, nor God to be, nor God beaten down into the ground. But Lord God, it's a mighty force in the soul of your saints who listen to you, who follow you, who obey you, who walk in holiness and true righteousness.

You want that believer to be secure and to rest his soul in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord God, that what we're dealing with tonight isn't of this world. It isn't going to end in death, nor God, it isn't imperfect, but we're dealing with the great high priest who has brought us into better promises, into something eternal, everlasting that cannot fail us.

The blood will not fail us. Our high priest will not fail us. Salvation will not fail us.

Lord God, the person of Christ in this position will never fail us because all these things are eternal in nature and your word promises, Lord God, their reliability. Lord God, the eternal factor that they came from heaven and they shall return back into your hands one more time. We love you, Lord Jesus, and we commit our souls into your hands.

Will you keep us? Will you preserve us, Lord God? Will you keep praying for us? We're so weak, we're so frail, Lord God, so moved by feelings and thoughts and emotions, but Lord God, thank you that we have, Lord God, a great high priest and we're joined to him by an oath, by a vow that our father in heaven swear. He swear an oath to establish Christ, joining us to him by that vow and promise in Jesus' name. Bless these words to our hearts so God encourage us and strengthen us and Lord God, make us mindful, Lord God, to gaze daily upon our Christ at the right hand of the father in Jesus' mighty name.

Hallelujah.