Skip to content Christ's Prevailing Priesthood May 15 · 57 min ...more
May 15, 2025 · 57 min · The Greatest
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Pastor Jeff Schwarzentraub serves as president of Pastor Jeff Ministries, a national and global ministry designed to equip believers and challenge them to take
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The Prevailing Priesthood of Jesus 0:00 Growing up, I watched sports my whole life and 1 thing that I noticed is as soon as a championship is won, not only do people go out and buy all the gear of that specific team, but sometime right0:12 after the victory, it could be minutes later, it could be hours later, certainly within a day, people begin to ask this question. Yeah, they did it once, but can they do it again? Are they gonna0:24 be able to repeat? Now I grew up, when I was in college in the nineties in Illinois where the Chicago Bulls had a guy that played for them by the name of Michael Jordan. We invented the word0:35 repeat. We invented the word 3 Pete. We invented the word 6 Pete. And if he were still healthy and playing, we would have invented the word 30 Pete. Because not only was that team special, but that team0:47 was especially special because Michael Jordan was on the team. I reflect on my playing days and think, I might have been able to be a member of that team and they still would have won all those championships even if they0:59 would have never played me, because he was that good. As we take into a look into the word of God and we're talking about how important is it that this new priesthood continues to1:11 prevail? Last week we took a look at why the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior. And the reason it's superior is because of who he is and what God had established from all time. Long before he1:22 established the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood, he had established the order of the priesthood according to Melchizedek. And last week, we took a look at who Melchizedek was, the king of righteousness, the1:34 king of peace, the 1 who Abraham came back and tithe to, the 1 who has always been and the 1 who will always be. And the reason this is so important, especially for first century Jews who had been1:46 converted, is they begin to ask the question like, Hey, who's going to be our priest now? We've been kicked out of our synagogue. Who is gonna be the 1 that atones for our sins on a regular basis? How do we know where to1:57 go? And the author of Hebrews is saying, Don't you dare worry because the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior. Today, what he's gonna expand upon is the reason the priesthood of Jesus'2:09 superior is because of Jesus himself, the great high priest. The reason it's going to prevail is because of who Jesus is. And you may say, well, how does that apply to me? Here's how it applies,2:21 because every single 1 of you came here today for different reasons. Some of you are in a season of rejoicing. It's just natural for you. Perhaps you got a new job, perhaps you're, you just got engaged, perhaps your,2:31 perhaps your child just got married, perhaps you have a new child or a new granddaughter, a new job. Something happened in your life and you're saying, This is incredible, I'm just coming to give thanks to God, I'm2:41 rejoicing. Some of you come here in desperation. Some of you are wondering how you're gonna make it through today. Some of you are saddened by the fact that this is Mother's Day and you've been a mother but have lost a2:51 child, or you've always wanted to be a mother but you're not quite married yet, or you've recently miscarried and there's deep sadness in your heart. And some of you come here today because you just need a touch from3:02 God, because you feel distant from him. Some of you feel distant because you sense God's not around and some of you feel distant because you feel that your sin is keeping you from who he is. All of us come for different3:13 reasons, but all of us are coming because we need a great high priest in our life that's ministering to us. All of us are looking for someone, a higher being that cares about us and I'm here to tell you, the Lord Jesus3:25 Christ cares about you. That's what the author wants to point out. That's why this priesthood is so important because whatever you need and whatever touch you need to have, the Lord Jesus Christ is able to provide that3:36 touch for you. That's why you're here. And it's so important that you know that. I mean, even hardened atheists, when they go through desperate times or they're about to die, they'll call out in prayer to someone or3:47 something. I mean, we see it in the book of Jonah, we see it in people's lives presently, even the most hardened atheists, when they're really, really desperate will start calling out to someone greater than themselves3:58 because God leads us to a place where all of us realize I need something from God. I need some help from God. And if you're here today and you say, hey, I need a touch from the Lord. I have a great I have great news for4:09 you. The Lord wants you to know that he wants to extend his mercy and his grace to you. So I invite you to open up to Hebrews chapter 7. We're gonna begin in verse 20 this morning. And really as we've been coming out of4:21 the superior priesthood of who Jesus is, now we're gonna take a look at his prevailing priesthood, 1 that's going to continue forever and forever, amen. He says this, Inasmuch as it was4:33 not without an oath, for they indeed became priests without an oath, but he with an oath through the 1 who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest4:45 forever. So much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests on 1 hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but4:56 Jesus on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through him since he5:08 always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted5:20 above the heavens, who does not need daily like high priest to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people because this he did once for all5:32 when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a son made5:44 perfect forever. And here in this text, we're gonna see the prevailing priesthood, the prevailing ministry of Jesus Christ and why we can be assured that he is always5:56 available to us at any time that we need to call to him. I'm gonna highlight 3 different aspects of that with 2 words each just to highlight these words that bring out for you why it's so important that6:07 Jesus Christ is still prevailing. And the first is this, Christ's priesthood prevails because he is promised and preferable. Jesus Christ is promised and6:19 he's preferable. Notice what he says in verse 20. It says, and in as much as it was not without an oath. Now I looked up this word in English this week, in as much. I couldn't find it in a6:31 dictionary. I thought it was a redneck word or something. In as much as it was not without an oath. He's been talking about the superiority of Jesus as a priest and he's really saying in accordance with as much or to the6:43 same degree that to the same way that that's what he's talking about. He's saying he's now transitioning into talking about the person of the priesthood, Jesus Christ. And he says, it was not6:55 without an oath for they indeed became priests without an oath, but he with an oath through the 1 who said the Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever. Now what's an7:07 oath? An oath is God's promise. It's his sworn affirmation that it's going to take place. It's his unbreakable word. Now why did God need an oath? Everything in the Bible,7:18 from Genesis 1 1 all the way through the end of Revelation chapter 22 is God's word and it's all true and it's all perfect and it's always true and it always bears what7:30 God wants it to bear. But you'll remember during Jesus' ministry, there were times where he said something like this, truly truly I say to you. And then he would speak. It didn't mean that, hey, everything else I say is7:42 kind of deceptive or lying, but now I'm telling you the truth. Here's what he's saying. Pay special attention to this. God is giving an oath about the priesthood. It doesn't mean that he had to give an7:53 oath, but he's promising an oath because to the former priesthood, he'd never made a promise. He never made an oath that it was going to be permanent. There's nowhere in God's word that the Aaronic or Levitical8:05 priesthood was going to last forever. We call it the Aaronic priesthood because Aaron was the first high priest. That's why it's the Aaronic priesthood or Levitical priesthood because they had to come out of the8:15 Levitical tribe or the the tribe of Levi. But God never told them this is gonna last forever. God never gave them an oath. It was always intended to be temporary. The way God set up the tabernacle, the way God8:27 set up the temple, the way God set up the sacrificial system, it was good in that it showed that God was holy, in that it showed that God was righteous, and it showed that we as human beings were sinful,8:39 and that God took sin seriously, and there needed to be atonement for that. But everything we see in what God set up were just shadows and types of the coming person, Jesus Christ, who fulfilled perfectly8:51 what God had set up. God had never promised there would always be a priest. Now this is why this is important. Because no matter what your religion is, no matter what your preferences are, we don't like those things to9:03 change. And I'm not talking about Baptist Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, I'm not talking about denominations, I'm talking about what you think is true. Like some of you hold on to the truth of God that says,9:14 God helps those who help themselves. Anybody know what verse that is? It's not in the Bible. I mean, cleanliness is next to godliness. It's Mother's Day, I9:26 know my mom's listening, that's not in the Bible, it never was. Right? We have these religious preferences that we like. We even begin to think that church should function a certain way with a certain style9:38 of worship and a certain style of liturgy and, you know, we like to stand and kneel or we like to have a band or we don't like to have a band or we prefer organ music or piano music or a choir or no choir9:50 and all these kind of things or here's how a pastor should dress, he should be wearing a liturgical robe, he shouldn't wear a liturgical robe. We have all these religious practices that we think are important for10:00 everybody to have. God doesn't have nearly the practices you think he does. Right? But we like to hold on to this. And the Jews in the first century were holding on to the fact that through the Aaronic priesthood, that's10:10 how our sins were atoned for, that's how they were covered. There were 84 high priests in Israel and myriads of other priests that are countless in every different city. And they're wondering now that they're not being10:21 let back into the synagogue, then where can I go to get my sin covered? And who's gonna listen to me when I need forgiveness? And where can I go to get help? And the writer of Hebrews has said, it's Jesus.10:34 Not only is his priesthood superior, but he himself is superior. And he says, here's why he's superior. He's superior because he's promised. God always had a plan for Jesus to be the high10:46 priest. All the way before the law was even set up, when we see the order of the priesthood of Melchizedek, and then we see this oath coming from Psalm 110 verse 4. The Lord10:57 has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest for how long? Forever. Now the only 1 who qualifies for forever is 1 who has always11:09 existed and 1 who will always exist. And in God's word, we find there's only 1 who meets that qualification and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. He always was, he always is, he always will be. And he11:21 showed that that's who he is when he rose from the dead with his incredible credentials. And so God made an oath. He's letting the Jews of the first century who had turned to Christ, who are now being persecuted for11:33 their faith, who are now not let being let back into the synagogue. You don't need to worry. I made a promise, and the promise was my son, and my son will be for you, the great high priest. My son will be the 1 who11:45 you go to for all of your needs. My son is the 1 who performs all those duties and performs them perfectly. It's my son. The old priesthood was simply a foreshadowing of God's 1 and11:57 only son. But why is that so important that we understand the word? We need to understand that when God makes an oath and God makes a promise in his word, these promises are true. Some of you don't realize how12:08 powerful this book is. Even some of you here that would agree with me that this book is inerrant and there's no errors in it and there's no lies in it and that it's all true still have a hard time applying that to your12:20 life personally. So I just wanna read to you some scriptures. Isaiah verse chapter 40 and verse 8. Isaiah 40 verse 8 says, the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our Lord stands12:31 forever. Matthew 24 35, Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away. Isaiah 55 verse 11, so12:43 he says, so my word be which goes forth from my mouth, it will not return to me empty without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. My word12:55 never makes an air. My word is perfect. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 says, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any 2 edged sword. It penetrates to dividing both soul and spirit, joints and marrow, judges13:06 the attitudes and intentions of the heart. Even if you don't necessarily believe this book, if you read this book, this book will read you. This book is alive. This book has a way13:18 of cutting through all of you. Your motivation, why you do what you do, how you do what you do. This book reads you. Like I wish we could put like on every Bible something, you know, like a danger13:30 symbol, like do not read. If you read this, this book will radically change your life and everybody's life around you. That's how powerful the word is. Second Timothy 3 16 says, all scripture is God13:42 breathe, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Jesus said in John 17 17, sanctify them in the truth. Your word is13:54 truth. Remember Pontius Pilate asked Jesus before he sent him to be crucified? Well, what is truth? Your word is truth. Jesus is the embodiment14:06 of the written word. He is the word of God. He is truth. Everything about Jesus is true. When you read something in the Bible, you can take it to the bank because it's true.14:18 Everything God says is true. Every promise that he makes is true. When he promised that his son is going to be a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, guess14:30 what? Jesus Christ was intended to be and will always be the high priest according to God's word forever and ever. Because that's what his word says. I mean,14:42 the more I ever study God's word, I've been studying it for 30 years. And I listen to people say stuff like, it's just a man made book. It's just made up. There's all sorts of errors. I know the person has never studied14:52 the Bible. Because the longer I study it, there's no way human beings could create this truth. That over 700 years before Jesus was born, it would be prophesied he'd be born in Bethlehem, or15:04 that his garment, or that he'd be sold for 30 pieces of silver, or that soldiers would gamble for his garment, or that he'd ride in on a donkey, or the very words he would say while he was on the cross. Like it's in15:16 print over 7 50 years before it even happened. And there's over 300 of those. Every single word that when I practice it in my life is true.15:29 See, we've got to realize is, he is the promise. He is the 1 who's preferable. Given in our great high priest. We've been given15:40 so many promises from his word that we can hold on to. Like, this is not just a point to skip over and say, Jesus is the high priest because God promised he's the high priest. That's true. But15:52 here's a bigger question. How much do you believe this word and what are you holding on to? What's God's promise that you're needing today in your life? What do you need to take before the throne? Because when we pray,16:03 that's why it's so important that we pray the word back to God because we can tell God, God, you said this, and we I know that you're truthful, and I know that you'll bring it to pass because you say that your word will16:14 always come to pass. That's why we need to pray without giving up. That's why we need to continue to prevail in prayer. Like there's some of you that are here today, your child's wayward, and it's not that your child's16:25 been wayward for a week or a month. Your child's been wayward for years and you prayed for years, and you've called on all your neighbors to pray for your child, and you've wept, and you're desperate, and you're16:35 saddened. And here's what Jesus would say, keep praying and don't give up. My word is true. My word will come true. Right? There's some of you here today that are saddened.16:47 You're saddened by the fact that you haven't been able to get pregnant, or you're saddened by the fact that you've lost a child, or you're saddened by the fact that you don't have a job, or you're saddened by the fact16:57 that, you know, you can't seem to make life work right now. What what's God promising you? What are you holding on to? Where are you going to get the strength that you need? So I thought I could take a little time17:09 this morning just to share a few promises from God's word that may be helpful to some of you because I know they're helpful to me. I mean, when we see that Jesus I mean, notice this in verse 22, so much the more17:21 also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The old covenant wasn't bad. God is the 1 that gave the old covenant. God's the 1 that showed him, here's how your sin17:32 can be covered. Here's the seriousness of sin. Here's my holy It's not bad, but what Jesus brought is better. It's so much better. It's kinda like this. When I was in high school, my first17:44 car was a 19 88 Delta 88 Oldsmobile. K? Those of you that were in the age, you know what I'm talking about. I mean, the front of the car started about right here, and then the back of the car, you know, with the trunk,17:57 was kind of about right here, and it was really, really wide, and you know, it was a good starter car. I mean, it could go over grass, it could hit mailboxes, garbage cans, any number of18:08 things before I came to Christ. Okay? So and it the purpose of the car was to get you from point a to point b. I mean, I I was talking to my dad about this earlier this week. He told me that my18:20 high school football coach who we're still friends with told my dad the story the other day and he asked me if I remembered it and I didn't. And he said, you know, I remember 1 time where Jeff took off out of the parking18:28 lot and he was going like 50 miles an hour through the parking lot over speed bumps and everything, which I can believe that happened, I just don't remember it. And he had said to me, I guess, Hey Jeff, you're going 5018:40 miles an hour in the parking lot over speed bumps. And I said to him, Well that's what shock absorbers are for. Which I could also see myself saying, but the point is that car could get you from point a to point b,18:52 but there's a better way. If somebody wanted to give me a new Lamborghini today, that could also get me from point a to point b, but it could get me there a much greater time and much greater style. Amen? When we talk19:03 about a better covenant, we're talking about what's under the hood. And what's this better covenant? What's this new covenant? Jesus said, this new covenant is in my blood, which is shed for you and for many for the19:13 forgiveness of sins. What's this new covenant? This new covenant is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Under the old covenant, God covered over sins waiting for the day that Jesus came.19:25 Under the new covenant, God cleanses you from the inside out from all of your sins, so you don't have to walk around with guilt and shame ever again. The new the old covenant was rightly19:37 relating to God, so you could experience him. The new covenant is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That's good news, amen? That when a19:48 person turns from his or her sin called repentance and they turn by faith to Jesus Christ, God imparts his Holy Spirit in your life to be with you forever so that20:00 everywhere you go, there Jesus is. Friends, that's a better covenant. That's a better promise. That's what he talks about. Now what are God's promises? I mean, what are you hanging on to this20:12 morning? Do you just read this book? I used to just read the book and ask people, well, what's a Hebrew? What's a Corinthian? What's a Philippian? I wanna learn that I don't know anything about this book. And I've20:22 learned a lot of those things over the years, but now I read the book to say, God, what are you saying to me about me? And what are you saying about my life? And what are promises that you're making to me that I can hold20:32 onto because Lord, I need you today? What about this? For some of you that need provision, some of you are here, God, are you gonna provide for me? Can you provide for me? You know what the word of God says? Here's what20:43 he tells you, Philippians 4 19, and my God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Not only is God willing up to not is not only is God willing to open his bank20:55 account for you, but but he's willing to give you a blank check and sign his name. Like, what do you need? I'll give you everything you need. Now, you may not need the Lamborghini to get you from point a to point b, but21:06 what do you need? God says, I'll take care of you. Look at the birds of the air. Look at the lilies of the field. Your heavenly father takes care of them. They don't labor. They don't sweat. And yet your heavenly father21:17 takes care of them. How much more will God take care of you? You don't need to worry about provision, but you tell God. You pray back to him, Lord, you promised me according to your glorious riches. You take care of me.21:26 I'm gonna believe you for that. Or what about direction? Some of you are asking a question, what job should I take? Who should I date? Who who should I marry? When should we start having kids? I mean, where should we go21:37 to church? I mean, what should we do for mother's day? I mean, there's all these different things that we can worry ourselves to death about. But Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 says this, trust in the Lord with all your21:49 heart and lean not on your own understanding In all your ways acknowledge him and he'll make your path straight. Matthew 6 33 says it like this, seek first the kingdom of God and22:01 his righteousness and what? All these things will be added unto you. Quit trusting ourselves and trust him. Lord, I want what you want. Lord, I want to do what22:13 you want me to do. Lord, open the right doors. Close the other ones. I just want to please you. Will you help me? He said, Yeah. I'll help you. I'll make your path straight. I'll get you there. What about some of you22:23 that come in here today need hope, feel desperate, despair, discouragement, all those different things. Jeremiah 29 11 says, For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. It It means God has22:35 a plan for all your lives. Did you know that? Plans to prosper you and give you hope and a good future. I mean, when you read the word and you take the word at face value22:47 and you believe this is God speaking, God has a purpose and a plan for you that's hopeful. God has a future for you that's hopeful. That means your future days are always better than what you just experienced. That22:59 means where you're going is better, especially for those of you that are discouraged, like, I don't see how it can get any worse. Here's what God would say, oh, it's gonna get way better. You're just in a season right23:09 now. I know the plans I have for you. I'm a good father. I'll lead you to where you need to go. That's why the enemy's constantly lying in your ear and telling you, it's over. You blew it. It's done.23:21 Nothing can happen now. No. No. No. Not according to my God. My God will take care of that. Or what about his presence? If you ever feel alone, feel abandoned, feel like23:32 nobody else is going through what I'm going through. Well, you're not alone. The Bible says in Psalm 23, 4, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, where are you? You are with me,23:45 Your rod and your staff comfort me. Friends, you are not alone today. Even in your loneliness, you're not alone. God is with you and he loves you and he cares for you. Matthew 28 20 says, I'll be with you always to the23:57 end of the age. Hebrews 13 5 says, never will I leave you or forsake you. It means no matter what you do, God's still pursuing you with his mercy and grace. Isn't that good news? Or what about help?24:10 Lord, help. I'm desperate. I I just need you. I mean, these are some of the ones I've been hanging on to lately. Psalm chapter 46 verse 1, here's what he says.24:22 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Who's gonna help me? God. When's he gonna help me? Presently. He's a present help in time of trouble. What about24:33 this? Psalm 27, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When my enemies encamped against me, it is they that stumble and fall. I'm not24:45 worried. I would have despaired had I not believed I'd see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Or how about Psalm 1 21? I live my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?24:57 Well, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. The 1 who created everything out of nothing in 6 literal days is the 1 who is available to me right now to meet my needs. And if he can do all that,25:07 there's nothing that's too hard for him because nothing is impossible for my God. Or how about deliverance? Some of you that have struggled with the same sins over and over and you just can't seem to get over the hump25:18 and you know you're a believer and you ask yourself this question, why do I continue to do that? And how come it doesn't go away? And is there any God that can help me? Oh yeah, you can. Psalm 50 verse 15 says, call25:30 upon me in the day of trouble and I shall rescue you and you will honor me. Call on me. I'll rescue you. I'll I'll deliver you. I'll make25:42 it so that you honor me because when I do that, you'll know that it was me that took it away. So call to me. Or what about trust? We could look at Joshua chapter 1 and verse 9 of of not fearing. Have I not told you to be25:54 strong and courageous? And you all know those, but how about Deuteronomy 31 verse 8? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at them for the Lord your God is the 1 who goes with you.26:05 He will not fail you. He will not forsake you. The Lord is the 1 who goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Like, what are you fearing? Fear is26:17 what leads us to make all the bad decisions in our life. Fear is what leads us to and keeps us from being everything that God wants us to be. Some of us are consumed by fear, fear of where the world's going, fear26:29 where our life's going, fear where our marriage is going, fear where our kids are going, fear where our church is going, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear. And when we live in fear, we make really bad decisions. And God26:38 reminds us, Hey, you don't need to fear, I'm here. I'm with you, I got this. This is not too hard for me. Or how about healing and forgiveness? Some of you need physical healing. Some of you just need to be cleansed and26:50 released. How about Psalm 1 0 3 where he says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all the all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Who forgives all27:02 of our sins and heals all of our diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with loving kindness and compassion. Who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.27:14 Or what about just confidence? Confidence, Psalm 56 verses 3 and 4. When I'm afraid, I put my trust in you, in God whose word I praise, in God who I trust, I shall not be27:26 afraid. What can flesh do to me? Now some of you as you're watching me, I'm I'm watching your eyes and some of you are saying this, why are you just quoting scripture? I didn't come for that. I came for you to preach,27:36 tell a story. That's why I'm doing this. Because there's many people that come to church week in and week out that listen to a preacher that like hearing about the word, but don't know how to apply it to their life and27:48 the reason that you're desperate is that the word of God is not taking root in your heart and God wants you to know whatever emotion you're dealing with, he's got a solution for.28:00 Whatever problem you have, hang on to him. We don't need to worry and fret and stress. God's up in heaven saying, I got this, I gave you my word, my word will always come28:12 true. That's what God wants you to know today. What are you stressed about? What are you fearing? What are you worried about? What are you concerned about? There's a scripture in God's word and probably a myriad of28:23 scripture in God's word that would say, no, name. I got this. It's not a big deal. And why is this so important? Because the enemy will lie to you and lie to you and lie to you and tell you this book28:34 isn't true or it may be true about your salvation but nothing else. And God wants you to know today that not only is his word true, but he'll bring everything to pass that this word says. That's why for me,28:46 amen, let's give God praise for that. That's why for me, first Tuesday is the most important meeting of the month because for me, I can stand up here and preach and I can28:58 teach you about God and I hope it's helpful to you and I hope it's helping you grow in your faith. But at the end of the day, the most important thing that you can do is for you personally to seek the face of God and29:08 trust his word. And hear the word of God prayed over you and hold on to that word even when everything you see looks just the opposite of what you're asking God for. That's when you know it's true. That's when you29:20 know God is at work. Reminds me of a story I've told you before about the lady that needed groceries and she was down to her last provision and every day in her house she would pray, Lord, thank thank you for providing29:32 for all of my needs. Lord, I just thank you that you're a good God, and I know that even though I don't have what I need, you're gonna provide it. Thank you, Jesus. She was so confident. She used to open the windows29:43 because she knew her neighbor hated it when she prayed. And she wanted him to hear, and she would every day just thank the Lord for her provision. Well, 1 day the guy next door got so mad, he's like, I'm just gonna buy29:53 her groceries and put it on her doorstep 4. And so that's what he did. And as she was thanking the Lord that day, she heard a ring on the doorbell, she opened up, and there were all the groceries. And she30:04 started praising the Lord saying, thank you, Jesus. I knew you would hear me. I knew that you would provide for all my needs. To which the neighbor said, no, no, no. You don't understand. He goes, I bought those30:14 groceries. Your God didn't do anything. And she didn't miss a beat. She said, she said, my God is so good. Not only did he provide my groceries, but he had the devil pay the bill, amen?30:30 See, when we hang on to the word of God, God can use any source. He's our source. He can use any resource to get us what we need and we keep praying until we see the result. Pray30:42 and don't give up. And for some of us, I mean, when we realize this new covenant, we're supercharged by his blood. His blood is perfect. His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness,30:54 which means this, God does bring conviction of sin because he's holy and we're not. And that's good, but God doesn't expect us to live with guilt. Guilt is, I know I've done31:06 wrong, shame is I am wrong. And here's what God says, through my blood, you may have done wrong, but you're completely forgiven and you're not wrong, you're my child. Which means this, when you come to church because you31:17 are supercharged by the blood of Jesus Christ in and through your life, you are completely cleansed, you are completely freed, you are completely welcome to bombard the throne of God with freedom and confidence. Is that31:28 good news or what? I mean, that's what this is all about. That's why he's telling these people that are looking to turn back to religion, don't turn back. You can't get this anywhere else. You can only find this31:40 in Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is promised and his covenant is preferable. Second is this, Christ priesthood prevails because he is permanent and31:52 prayerful. Listen to what he says. In verse 23 and 24, he's gonna tell us some obvious things. He says, the former priests on the 1 hand existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,32:03 but Jesus on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently. Now this isn't rocket science. He was saying the reason there were so many priests in the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood32:15 is because they could only minister for so long because they died. And when you die, it's very difficult to continue to minister. So somebody has to replace them. So that's why there were more priests32:27 under that order. But Jesus, because he continues forever, we don't he doesn't need a replacement. We don't need an upgrade. He is the upgrade. He has32:39 always been, he always is, and he will always be. That's what he's talking about. So this priesthood of Jesus and every promise of God is yes and amen because all of the promises of God are yes and32:51 amen in Christ Jesus. So we don't need to go looking for an upgrade. Not only is the current priesthood better than the former priesthood, but it's always gonna be there. You can always count on this priesthood. You33:01 don't have to worry about this Jesus going on vacation. You don't have to worry about Jesus dying. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He's as alive now as he's ever been, and he will be alive for all eternity, forever and33:13 ever. Amen and amen. That's the God that we serve. So when you're looking for what you need in your life, you need to know the the permanence of Jesus. He's permanent. Now God chooses to use33:25 gifts of other people. Like he raises up pastors and or priests or religious leaders, but they're only good for time and space, and they're only good so long as they proclaim the truth of33:36 God's word. To the extent that they proclaim the truth of God's word, they can be helpful to God's people. And that's a good thing. God uses the gifts of people to do that. But I want you to understand something. Jesus33:48 is the 1 who is doing the work through that person. Now let me tell you what I mean. What I mean is this. When you have somebody in your life that's investing the things of God into you, it's okay to be thankful for what33:59 they're doing in your life. If you have a pastor that presents the word of God and you're growing because of it, be thankful to God for the pastor that you have. If you have a small group leader or a men's leader or a34:09 woman's leader, a friend in your life that's helped you grow, be thankful for that. That's healthy. You know, Paul had Barnabas in his life encouraging him when he was a new believer. Timothy had Paul in his life34:19 encouraging him. We we see mentorship all throughout the Bible. Those are healthy things. What's unhealthy is when you think that your pastor or your spiritual leader is your source rather than a resource that God is34:31 using. Because the preacher, the the pastor, the ministry leader is just as dependent upon Jesus as you are or they should be. And they're only good to the extent34:43 that they're actually faithfully proclaiming the word. If they're not proclaiming the word, if they're not teaching you the Bible, if they're not teaching you how to walk with Christ, those people are a dime a dozen.34:52 They're just spreading religion. They're not helping you grow in your faith. I've been in ministry now for about 30 plus years. And, you know, in different parts of the country, when I get35:03 introduced as a pastor, different people mean different things when they say. Outside Chicago in the Midwest, when I would get introduced at a party or something like that, when I'd be with the kids in my youth35:15 group and there'd be lots of kids there and things were getting to get a little out of hand, they would always introduce me and they would say something like this, Hey, I want you to meet our pastor. And by that, here's35:25 what they meant. Don't swear anymore. Don't tell any stories of what we did last night. Don't don't say any bad things because he's a pastor. He's not gonna like that. So it was a warning to people to behave.35:38 When I lived in Texas and I got introduced as a pastor, it was like, hey, here's our governor. We're so excited about him. We want him to come to our school. We want him to eat lunch with us. I mean,35:50 he's pretty special to us. Remember the very first conversation I had when somebody asked me what I did for a living and I told him I was a pastor. And I could still see the look on his face.36:02 And had I told him, instead of saying I'm a pastor, if I would have said, you know what? My wife and I just moved here from Mars. We're actually aliens and we're just learning to adapt and speak English.36:14 That was the look on his face in response. Like, I don't even know what you're talking about. Is that a real job? Do you do something else? Do they pay you to do this? And I remember thinking at the time, Lord, thank36:26 you for bringing me to Denver. This city needs Jesus. Amen? And I love what God's called me to do, but I realized that I'm just36:38 1 little cog in the kingdom wheel for 1 little generation. I don't get to know how much longer I have the privilege of doing it. Helpful by teaching you the word, I'm grateful, but it's36:50 not about pastor. It's about kingdom. It's about Jesus. When you hear me talk about wanting to fill more seats, when you hear me talk about wanting to do more stuff, it is not at all37:01 because I'm looking to be elevated. It is for certain without doubt that I want Denver to be known as a city that glorifies Jesus Christ. And I want our church to be a37:13 leader in promoting the kingdom and the gospel of Jesus Christ to our city. So that when people hear about Denver, they don't come here for being in the mile high city or the mountains or marijuana. They come here37:25 because Jesus Christ is being put on such an awesome display that they wanna come and tangibly experience the presence of Christ. And as long as God gives me breath, my prayer is in my37:36 lifetime, we will see revival through his church in Denver and spread it around the world, amen? That's what we're about. And this is why we worship Jesus37:48 because he's permanent. He's the 1 we can hang on to forever. We have spiritual people in our lives that sometimes fail us. We have spiritual people in our lives that sometimes pass away, we have38:00 spiritual people in our life that sometimes move away. Jesus is going nowhere. He's immovable, he's a rock, he's your source, if you have him, you have everything that you need. And there's some sort of38:12 ripple effect that happens when God's people believe that. I'm not a big Marvel fan but my son is so I've seen about every single movie even though I don't understand a tenth of them. But I know 1 of theShow more In this video 0:00 The Prevailing Priesthood of JesusComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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