Our scripture reading is Hebrews chapter five. Hebrews chapter five. Recall that the theme of Hebrews is Jesus Christ, the better mediator of a better covenant. And we will find much in Hebrews this morning that reflects on Jesus, the mediator and high priest of his church. And we begin with that here in chapter five, Hebrews chapter five. For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest, But he that said unto him, thou art my son, that today have I begotten thee, as he saith also in another place, thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that use of milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. So far we read God's holy word. We'll be turning back to the book of Hebrews later in the sermon this morning. Based on that and many other passages of the Word of God is the instruction of the Heidelberg Catechism in Lord's Day 12. Lord's Day 12. So we read that Lord's Day again. Look, question 31, why is he called Christ that is anointed? And the answer, because he is ordained of the Father and anointed with the Holy Spirit. And then the threefold office, to be our chief prophet and teacher, who hath fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption, and to be our only high priest, who by the one sacrifice of his body has redeemed us and makes continual intercession with the Father for us, and also to be our eternal king, who governs us by his word and spirit, and who defends and preserves us in the enjoyment of that salvation he has purchased for us. Question 32, but why art thou called a Christian? And the answer, because I am a member of Christ by faith, and thus am partaker of his anointing. that so I may confess his name. That's the first part of our duties. Second, and present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to him. And then finally, and also that with a free and good conscience, I may fight against sin and Satan in this life and afterwards reign with him eternally over all creatures. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, did you have any good days this week from a spiritual point of view? A day perhaps when you read the Bible, pondered it, prayed earnestly? A day perhaps when you fought against sin consciously? Those besetting sins, you consciously put them down. You rejected temptations that came into your life. A day, perhaps, when you lived in the joy of your salvation as an individual enjoying communion with God, as a family discussing spiritual things and enjoying harmony together. If you had such a day or if you had moments like that in the week that goes by, I want to tell you why. It is because Christ, your mediator, was requesting those things and giving them to you. That's why. He is giving you the grace to fight sin. He gives the grace to want to read the Bible. He gives the grace to pray earnestly. He is mercifully giving to you the blessings he earned on the cross and now bestows them upon you. If we did not have very much of that this week, we may not blame Him. We are, of course, prone to every evil. We are in our own strength incapable of doing any good. But if we did fight sin, if we did enjoy our salvation, the cause Behind all of that is Jesus Christ, our Mediator, our only High Priest. Lord's Day 12 is all about Christ and his work as Mediator. The word Christ means anointed. It says that he's been appointed to an office And the office is that of a mediator. The triune God determined that of the three persons of the Trinity, the Son would take the role of being the mediator between God and His people. And that office of mediator has three aspects to it, a prophet, priest, and king. Jesus fills that office. We've examined the office of Christ as our chief prophet and teacher. The work of a prophet is exactly to teach. And Jesus came to teach us about God, the one only God, the God of all power and wisdom. the God of all goodness, who is the Savior of his people. Jesus came to reveal to us the Father. Christ teaches us about God's salvation, about the will of God, his intent to save his people, and then the counsel of God, the plan. How would God carry that plan of salvation out? Jesus reveals that to us. He revealed the perfect plan of God, and then he accomplished it. He accomplished it by giving himself to the cross. As teacher, he not only reveals the salvation of God, he applies the salvation of God to his people. And he continues to teach us He teaches us by the reading as we read the Bible and especially through the preaching of the gospel as he calls men to be his official spokesmen who will then convey that knowledge to us. So we keep growing in it. But he has made each one of us to be a prophet. Every believer is a prophet partaking of the anointing of Christ. Because we are prophets, we can understand the Bible. We can read it, and it makes sense to us. Not every word. There are things difficult, but we can understand it. We have the Spirit. And then by the same Spirit, we have the confidence to speak the Word of God, to confess His name before men. Today, we turn to the second aspect of the office of Christ, And the theme for the sermon then is Confessing Christ, Our Only High Priest. Confessing Christ, Our Only High Priest. We'll notice in the first place his effectual offering. Secondly, his continuing work. And then thirdly, his congregation of priests. One thing that stands out about a priest is that he offers a sacrifice. In Hebrews 5 verse 1 says that right away from every every high priest taketh from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. The Old Testament, God established an elaborate system of sacrifices that was overseen by the high priest, the high priest. He is the head. of all the priests and the Levites, God emphasized the exalted position of the high priest in the Old Testament, starting with when he commissioned, when God said to Moses, Aaron will be the high priest. And now there are special clothes that you must make for him. And they had to hire men, yet men who were filled with the spirit to make these ornate clothes for the high priest. layers of robes in different colors and pants to wear and something that cover the head and then over all of it that pure white linen robe. There was gold attached to it. On the breastplate of the robe was the ephod made out of gold with 12 sections in it, and in every one of those sections was a precious stone, and each one of the stones was engraved with the name of a tribe of Israel. And on the shoulders, there were two precious stones set in gold attached to the robe. And on each one of those two stones, six names of the tribes were etched so that the high priest consciously, as he went before the Lord, was doing this on behalf of Israel. He represented them in his beautiful robes. The high priest's office required holiness. They would stand before God. And so God demanded that Moses and his sons be sprinkled with the cleansing blood, that they be anointed with the special oil, pointing to the fact that the Spirit would sanctify them and qualify them for the work. And even then, they had to be sure to wash in certain ways symbolically to be cleansed before they began any work at the tabernacle. The high priest alone would be the one that would go into the most holy place. No one went there but the high priest once a year on the great day of atonement. The high priest oversaw all the activities of the tabernacle and later the temple, the daily activities of the lamps for the oil the oil for the lamps inside the building, the incense that was offered on the altar of incense, the daily sacrifices for the nation, as well as any sacrifice that the people could bring themselves. All the priests and the Levites answered ultimately to the high priest. Think of the high priest performing his duties before God on behalf of the people, dressed in his white robes, taking his hand and putting it on the head of the animal. conferring the guilt of the nation to the animal or the guilt of the one who was offering it to that animal, then cutting the throat, taking the blood, taking the animal and cutting him up and putting him on the altar with the wood and the fire that had originally come from God himself out of heaven, pointing to the terrible wrath of God against sin, offering the sacrifice in the place of the people. All that the high priest did was a picture of Christ, the high priest, our only high priest. Notice that when we talked about Jesus as prophet, we said he's our chief prophet and teacher, because Christ obviously uses people to spread the word. He uses preachers to prophesy, to bring the word. But when you're looking at Christ, the high priest, there is only one who could offer the atoning sacrifice. And so that's why he's the only high priest. There is not another. The Old Testament priests were pictures, but they're done. Jesus. is the only high priest. Jesus offered a sacrifice. He offered himself. And that's why I'd like to go to the book of Hebrews. I encourage you to take out your Bible and read along with me as we go through the passages that we've studied in detail, but just be reminded again of of all that Hebrews teaches us about Jesus, our High Priest. And so we start there at chapter 5 where we read, the first four chapters involve showing that Jesus is greater than the angels, greater than Moses, greater than Joshua, but now we come to the heart of His work, that of a High Priest. And so in chapter five, right away, as I pointed out already, what is the office of a high priest? It's to offer gifts for sins. That's verse one. Verse three adds to that, by reason hereof, he ought as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins. Points out in chapter five, verse four, no man takes this honor unto himself. Jesus didn't either, verse five, Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest, but he, God, God did this, who said, thou art my son, and then verse six, thou art a priest forever. So God appointed Christ to the office of priest. Chapter seven then turns to Christ as being in the order of Melchizedek. That means he would be both king and priest, but the thing that really stands out here in chapter 7 is the unending nature of his priesthood. Verse 3, for example, looking at Melchizedek, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually. So that's a strong emphasis here in chapter 7, repeated in verse 24. But this man, Christ, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. an unchangeable priesthood. Now it points out in verse 25, what does he do there? He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for him, for them rather. So that gets into the other part of his work, intercession. We'll come back to that. But then the sacrifice, 27. Chapter 7, verse 27, who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the people's, but this he did once when he offered up himself. Chapter 8 then summarizes that. Notice how it starts there. Chapter 8, now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty on in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle. That's Jesus. But again, verse three, For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. Wherefore, it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. What did he offer? What did he offer? We'll come back to that. Verse 9 points out, chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 points out the necessity of shedding of blood for cleansing. And then in verses 14 and 15, this is Hebrews 9, 14, 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. And for this cause, he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, For the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. It points out that in the Old Testament, they had to have daily sacrifices. Every year they had to go in and sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, but not with Jesus. Notice how the chapter concludes that way, verse 25, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place with the blood of others." No. Verse 28, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Chapter 10 finally gets to the question, then, well, what did he offer? What do you mean he offered himself? Chapter 10, verse 5. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. A body. His own body is what he would offer. on the cross and so in chapter 10 verse 10 by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all and finally in verse 12 for this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God. That's the message of Hebrews. He's a high priest. High priests offer sacrifices for sin. Cleansing blood had to be shed. The blood is his own. The body is his own. He is the sacrifice. That's Hebrews' message. That was Jesus' message. In John chapter 10, Jesus said in verse 17, therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me. I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. He has that power. And in Matthew chapter 20, he explains in the first, in the middle of the chapter there, that he would be arrested, that the Gentiles would take him and crucify him. And then notice what he says in verse 28, Matthew 20, verse 28, even as the son of man came, he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus offered himself. That's what he did as our high priest. And that sacrifice is effectual It's effectual. That's what I put into the first point there, the effectual offering. The Catechism is extremely brief in its description of what Jesus does as a high priest in that way, that by the one sacrifice of his body has redeemed us. That's all it says. As we go through Lord's days, 13, 14, 15 and 16, it will continue to open up. Different aspects of that work of Jesus, that's our deliverance. His sacrifice on the cross. So let's. Draw out what that means then. A sacrifice is an offering. Jesus willingly offered himself. No man takes my life from me. He said, I lay it down of myself. And as in the Old Testament, the high priest would lay his hand upon the head of the offering, transferring symbolically the guilt of the people to the animal. Jesus took the guilt of his people upon himself. He could do that because he is the elect of God. God chose Christ first in eternity and in him all his people who would be members of his body. Because they are one and because Jesus is the head, the guilt of the people could be put on him. God saw the guilt of his people on his son. And he accepted Jesus as a substitutionary sacrifice for his people and poured out his wrath upon him. God did that. For the sins of all those whom Christ represented, the wrath was poured out. Christ finished the wrath. The wrath that kills, the wrath that pushes away, the wrath that casts into eternal destruction. Jesus took it all on behalf of his people. He redeemed them, not with money. But with his precious blood, he redeemed his people. There is no other sacrifice possible. There is no other sacrifice necessary. He finished the wrath for his people. On the basis of this, the Bible says things like God casts their sins behind his back. He no longer remembers our sins. Now, we all know that God cannot forget. We forget all kinds of things. We forget something that happened to us when we were children. God cannot forget. And yet, what does it mean that God says, I no longer remember their sins, I forget them? It means that he takes them off our account. It means that he does not deal with us as guilty sinners who deserve the wrath for their sins. He doesn't look at us that way. He doesn't deal with us that way. Rather, he looks at us as redeemed in the blood of Christ. As we discuss in catechism class, and I try to emphasize, remember, there's three things so important to make sure you have a sacrifice that is effectual. One, substitution. Jesus became a substitute for His people. He died in their place. Second, satisfaction. He had to pay a debt. He had to satisfy the justice of God. Substitution, satisfaction. Third, for a specific people, not just a death that's out there available, but for specific people, all those three elements make The sacrifice of Jesus, effectual, absolutely. Nothing can be added to it. Nothing. No works, no merit, no merit of saints, no merit of angels, surely not merit from us. No earthly sacrifices may be offered any longer. Rome's mass is an accursed idolatry. They they're denying the effectualness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by saying, oh, we're we're offering a bloodless sacrifice, which is taking care of the temporal punishment of sins. No. Jesus bore it all. And so the book of Hebrews stresses that he offered himself once, once, no more sacrifice for sin. That is the primary work of Jesus, our only high priest. But he has continuing work to do. That's the second thing that we examine this morning. And that's the work of intercession. The Catechism says there's two parts, there's the sacrifice and there's the intercession. God set this before the Israelites very clearly also in that Old Testament high priest. He made intercession for the people. And all the children remember old Zacharias going into the temple in Matthew and rather in Luke. And what did he do there? He brought the incense into the most holy place, and then he prayed for the people. And the incense was a picture of the prayers arising, a sweet smelling saber to God. And then he would come out of the temple and he would raise his hands and he would bless the people. And God even gave them the words of the blessing. It's what I use most times the second service of each Sunday. The Lord bless thee and keep thee and so on. That was what God had the priest do day after day. That was the work of the priest. Offer the sacrifice. Bring the incense or the prayers of the people, pray for the people, then come out and bless them in the name of God. This is the work of our only high priest, as Hebrews 7, 25 says, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession. He ever liveth to make intercession. Now it is absolutely amazing to think of this reality, that in heaven, Christ stands before God as high priest. He is there in his glorious robes with a light shining brighter than the sun. That's how bright they are. And he's standing there in his human nature, body and soul, in which he paid for our sins. That is always in the presence before the very face of God, our high priest who redeemed us from sin. Do you think that that does not affect God? Do you think that that does not affect His attitude toward us? Do you think that that does not affect His dealing with us? Have you ever wondered why God still puts up with you? Why God doesn't say, okay, that's it. You've done it again. I'm tired of this. I'm not dealing with you anymore. You can just go. I don't want anything more to do with you. You know why God never says that? Because Jesus is standing right in front of him. The merciful high priest who died for your sins. Think of how that would affect us if we were conscious of that. Husbands and wives sin against each other. And if the one who is sinned against at that moment would think that sin too. has been paid for by Jesus. How will that affect the way we react? When we look at children, disobey, disobey, did it again, and we would think, but those sins too have been paid for by Jesus. And when children have parents that do things that are not the best, or teachers that do not treat you so fairly, if we would think, ah, but those sins are covered by the blood of Christ. And if someone in the church sins against us, and we would think, but Jesus purchased that person. Doesn't mean sin doesn't have to be dealt with. We understand that. We're not saying, oh, well, forget it. No. But what what a change in attitude. That's what God has. Jesus Christ is ever before the face of God. As the high priest who purchased his people. That's why When we go to God confessing our sins, he readily forgives them. He declares that to us. You are forgiven. You are. Your sins are sent away. And because of the generosity of our God, then we can turn to others and and use the same mercy and forgive others. How many times that Peter seven times? No, Jesus said. I say not unto you seven times, but seventy times seven. Jesus stands before God. But let's be more specific about Jesus Christ's intercessory work. What is He doing in heaven? as our intercessor. Well, he stands between God and us, and that's tremendously important. He represents us, as the high priest had the names of Israel on the e-foot, on his chest. He represents us, and he can do that because he's holy, he's righteous. God will always accept him. If we would try to go to God directly, We would not have an audience with God. We're sinners. We cannot stand in the presence of God. So so that to begin with is amazing. He represents us. And then he brings our requests to God, he perfects the prayers of his people, the parts of the prayers that are wrong, that are wrong. He does not bring those as requests to the father. He may say, Father, forgive them where they know not what they ask. My brother has to say that a lot. But he removes the sin in the prayer. The sin that comes in, corrupted by our hearts, corrupted by our minds. A lack of reverence. A lack of conviction. A lack of concentration. A lack of wisdom. A lack of zeal. improper motives. There's a lot of perfecting that has to be done to our prayers. And then he adds what we should have. Father, this is what he needs. This is what she needs. Give this. Give this. And then his request is, Grant this, grant these requests because I redeemed them on the cross and because I earned every blessing that I request. I earned it in my life and in my death. And the father always hears his son's requests. Understand Jesus doesn't have to get down on his knees and beg He's standing there in his robes of righteousness and he's not trying to change God's mind because he is God and he's bringing requests that are in perfect harmony with the will of God. God never has to say, no, not that. No, don't ask that. Whatever Christ brings. His father gives. infallibly. And then his work isn't finished. Then he takes those requests that he has made to his father, those blessings, and he applies them to his people. This is a crucial part of our salvation. Christ's death on the cross is the basis of all our salvation. That's where everything was earned through his shed blood. But who's going to give them to us? All those things that are there in the storehouse of God, so to speak, who gives them to the people? And that's Christ's work too, as I preach. He's the perfect mediator. He's very God. He has the power to take those blessings and apply them. And he's been given the spirit as his own spirit. And he sends forth that spirit into the hearts of each individual believer. And personally deposits works. The blessing. That he asked for. Received. Now he gives. That's his work as high priest. Every spiritual blessing you have ever received, will ever receive, now and into eternity, is from Christ. Everything. That starts with the forgiveness of our sins. That's our first request. That's what we need. But then it's grace. That amazing, sovereign, particular grace that sustains you in your salvation so that you're never lost. The grace that gives you the power to fight sin. Grace in trials so severe that they can cripple you and bring you to your knees. almost unbearable suffering in the hospital, heartaches and sorrows in your life, physical afflictions, heart attacks and strokes and broken bones, watching a baby struggle for life in a NICU, grace in death of a dear friend, a wife, a husband, a child. who sustained you in all of that. Christ, by His grace. It's His grace that comforts and sustains. It's our merciful High Priest who is giving that to us. He gives us every gift. He gives us wisdom. Wisdom for our daily life. Wisdom when we are facing critical crises and need to make hard decisions. He gives us wisdom. Who holds your family in His hand? Who sustains the church so that it is not destroyed? Who gives us teachers that are devoted to instructing children? Who gives us office bearers that are willing to spend themselves for the church? Who gives assurance that you belong to Him and ever will? Who gives that? It's Jesus. And your obedience, the desire to obey, weak as it can be, the power to obey, as corrupted as that may be by our flesh. Where does that come from? From us? No. Even that comes from Jesus. Any and all blessings come because of our faithful High Priest, who's requesting and who's applying those blessings to us and that same high priest makes his church to be a congregation of priests offering sacrifices there is in fact in the church an office corresponding to the Old Testament high priest, and that's the office of deacon. And we might not see the connection there because our deacons do not offer sacrifices. Well, they don't need to, that's finished. But the office of high priest was the office of mercy. Let me show that, let me remind you of that reality. It starts with the fact that they saw people coming in their misery because of sin. And the only way that they could get rid of their misery of sin was a sacrifice that would make them right with God. So the offering of the sacrifice was an act of mercy. That's where it starts. The mercy also, when David became hungry and went to the priests and asked for food, and they gave him even of the shell bread, that was mercy to David and his hungry men. Evident from the fact that when they went into the most holy place, they took the blood and sprinkled upon what? The mercy seat. that Jesus himself in Hebrews chapter two is called our merciful and faithful high priest because he offered himself a propitiation for sins and runs to the cry of his people. That's what a high priest does. He's merciful. And that is the office of deacon mercy. Beholds those who are in misery and has pity upon them, misery, mercy, then in kindness seeks to lift up. That's that's God's mercy. And that's the office of deacon. They see those in need. Their calling is to watch for that, to see especially the widows, because especially in Bible days, they were very destitute. To help lift them up out of poverty or affliction of others who may try to take advantage of them. But anyone in the congregation that is in direful straits financially, that's their desire to help them. The form for the installation of beacons said they are to do it with cheerfulness and simplicity. Simplicity means not saying, well, we'll give you this, but we really don't want to. No, no. We want to. That's simplicity. And to assist the poor with compassion and affectionate, hearty affection. The form adds, they do this not only with external gifts, but with comfortable words from scripture. And that again is fully in harmony with the Old Testament priests. They were the official teachers in Israel, the Levites and the priests. They didn't get special messages, that's the prophets, but they had the law. And their duty was to read the law to the people and explain the law to the people so that they would know this is God's will for you. His people. Deacons have authority, therefore, to bring the scriptures to God's people in the name of Christ, the high priest. They bring the comfort from the word of God. They bring instruction about being good stewards. They bring sometimes admonitions on what you ought to be doing and rebukes for what has been done. All of that is the office of deacon, the office of mercy. More broadly, when the Catechism speaks of our offering sacrifices, let's be very clear, this is not in any way a propitiatory sacrifice for sin. Christ's sacrifice took care of the sin entirely. He paid for it completely. He merited righteousness, which is eternal. Our lives never merit a thing. Never. yet God requires that we offer sacrifices. Romans chapter 12, well-known verse one, we beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And 1 Peter chapter two, verse five, Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood, your holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We're required, but they pay nothing. They merit nothing. because they're arising not with that desire to earn, to pay, it's just thankful praises which brings an offering to God. Because God has done so very much for us, He expects that, He demands that we bring these sacrifices of thanksgiving. Any believer that's conscious of the amazing, glorious gift of salvation surely will ask himself every day, how can I thank God? How can I? In the Old Testament, they had sacrifices for sin, but they had sacrifices that purely were thanksgiving. No blood was involved. And now that's what God calls us to bring. So what are they? How do we do that? There are certain activities that are offerings. All the Psalms we sing this morning speak of our sacrifices, our offerings to God. And I could have picked many more Psalms. Here's one giving money. For the causes of the kingdom, In the back of the bulletin, it has our liturgy. And after congregational prayer is what? Offeratory. Not collections. Offeratory. We're offering something. It's a sacrifice. After communion, we specifically have a thank offering. And it's for benevolence, which is the most appropriate because benevolence is care for the poor and, and we are spiritually poor and destitute and have received tremendous mercy. Now, when we give to that, it's an offering. It's a way of saying things. Prayer is an offering. The Proverbs compare the sacrifice of the wicked with the prayer of the righteous. The prayer of the righteous is a sacrifice. The Psalms make that abundantly plain. It's the chief part of thankfulness, prayer is. It's an offering. There's no merit there. We're not seeking to get God's favor when we pray. We're simply out of thankfulness and joy, wanting to pray. Prayer is part of the work of the high priest. We noticed that before, that that's part of his work, that he prays to God. Well, now you can pray to God. You don't need a human priest to stand between you and God. Israel did. Rome still does. But you go directly to God through Jesus. You are a priest. So these actions can be offerings to God. Obviously, the heart has to be right. Collections, put money, put in the collection plate grudgingly or thoughtlessly. That's hardly an offering God accepts. Prayers that are just habit, not really from the heart. That's hardly an offering that God delights in. But most difficult to me is what the Catechism describes, that we offer ourselves a sacrifice of thanksfulness to Him. How do we do that? How do you and I offer ourselves a sacrifice to God. Well, clearly, it has to be to God. Whatever activity is part of this sacrifice has to be done with God in mind. So that I eat not merely because I like the food, but. But I'm doing it so that I can serve God with the energy from it. That I go to work not just because I want earthly things, but because that here I may serve him. I live, I work as unto God. That our recreation is not merely for our enjoyment, but out of keeping ourselves healthy so that we can serve God. and even enjoy His creation. Our studying in school, our exercise, our sleep, our family, our fellowship, everything must be toward God if it is going to be a sacrifice to Him. Everything must have one goal. It's directed to God. I'm doing this because I love Him. I'm doing this because I owe everything to Him. I try to think of illustrations, what's this like? And here's one that maybe it's not perfect, but think for a moment of the service of a covenant mother for her family. She's not working because she wants money. She's not earning their favor. She doesn't want their praise. She's doing it. because she loves them. She's doing it for their profit. She wants them to be happy. She wants them to benefit. It's all for them. Take that now for the whole of your life and say, that's what my life must be. Not for me, not for my glory, not for my enjoyment even, but every activity must be because I love God, because I want Him to be glorified and thanked. This is obviously a struggle. Because we want glory for ourselves. We want to enjoy life for me. What's in it for me? And the only way that we can do that, you see, is that Jesus imparts His spirit of humility, His desire to glorify God to us. But you see, that's what He does. We are priests of God. We are members of His body by faith. We are partakers of His Spirit. And therefore, we have the desire and the ability, not without sin, to offer ourselves to God. our calling. We are priests of God. Amen. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy glorious Savior, His amazing work, work that we do not think about nearly enough. But today we give praise to Thee for our only High Priest, and pray that Thou will apply to us the blessings He earned and make us to be sanctified, devoted priests of the Most High God, who serve Thee with every thought, with every breath, with every activity of life. Forgive us when we sin. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Psalm 116D. 116D is exactly looking to how we should respond to the great salvation of God. And all through here is language of offering and sacrifice and giving. So let's sing it with that in mind. All the stanzas, 116D. O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, ♪ For all is dead, now is to be ♪ ♪ How shall my soul thy grace restore? ♪ ♪ Ever be thanks, O Lord, to Thee? ♪ ♪ It should travel far and see now ♪ ♪ I didn't know the world across me ♪ ♪ In glorious days I've made my vow ♪ ♪ And here I graduate to proclaim ♪ ♪ This is the glory I seek to claim ♪ He has redeemed me from the grave, and with his servant let his heart be glad. I give them hope of one God's name. Be glorious, Saints, I pray thine alone. ♪ And here I'm rising to proclaim ♪ ♪ In this house, a house of praise, a house of praise ♪ ♪ All his saints his praise he gave ♪ ♪ And joy to sound his praise above ♪ the mighty one glory that as the ages shall enroll, for all the earth has sent its King, the man of men forevermore. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.