Many thanks to all of those that led us in worship this morning. Mike, of course, the praise team, Lynn and Deborah, thank you so much for preparing us to receive the word of God this morning. And for those of you perhaps that are listening and watching via the internet, We do welcome you, and along with our congregation to begin with, turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter two. 2 Timothy chapter two, this has been a focal point for us, and then we're going to turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Paul writing to Timothy, this is the last epistle, the last letter that Paul wrote. And he wrote it to a young man that at the time was pastoring the church at Ephesus. And in verse eight of 2 Timothy chapter two, he says, remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. We have been focused on, during the Advent season, of course, Advent now is behind us, for the next couple of Sundays, anyway, we're going to look at, a week or so ago, we looked at remembering Jesus Christ as prophet this morning, we're going to remember Christ as high priest, and then a week or so, we'll look at remembering Christ as king. Now, why is this important? Well it's important because these are the Old Testament officers that God the Father prepared for his son to occupy while he was on earth and now in heaven. So that's important to remember. So Paul challenged Timothy, remember Jesus Christ. Go to Hebrews chapter 10 now. We're going to be in quite a few passages in the book of Hebrews this morning. So remember that and we'll camp back and forth in a number of these. For the law, verse one, having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with these same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make those who approach perfect. Well then, would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshippers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when he came into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me, and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will, O God. Quote from Psalm 40. Previously saying, sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin you did not desire, nor had pleasure in them. which are offered according to the law. Then, he said, behold, I have come to do your will, O God. This is Jesus. He takes away the first, the Old Testament covenant, that he may establish the second, the new covenant, found in Jeremiah and through the New Testament. By that will, we have been sanctified through the offerings of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. In fact, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once. The words for all are in italics, which means they were added. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, After he had offered one sacrifice for sinners forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has perfected forever those that are being sanctified. That's you and I, the saints. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with him after those days, says the Lord. This is the new covenant found in Jeremiah. I will put my laws in their hearts and in their minds, I will write them. And then he adds, their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. Now where there is no remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. So something happened and something significant happened. Something in a person that we're called to remember Jesus, our high priest. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Challenge us by what we're about to learn this morning, and may we take these words that are more than mere black lines on white paper. They are the expression of who you are in Jesus Christ to us, in whose name we pray, amen. First slide, Brother Jeff. So, a couple of Sundays, two or three Sundays ago, we opened with Remember Jesus Christ as Incarnate. And the incarnation enabled Christ to occupy the Old Testament ministry positions of prophet, priest, and king. Christ is to be remembered in the permanency of the incarnation. He too is to be remembered as personifying these three Old Testament spiritual offices, those of prophet, priest, and king. In the manger, lay Christ's principal prophet. Excuse me, brother, number 10, slide 10. Keep going. Yeah. This was a couple of Sundays ago, and maybe we need to re-preach it, I don't know, but anyway, it was a couple of Sundays ago. Christ Jesus, the permanent incarnation as prophet. All right, it would be, No, it's like, go ahead, keep going. Keep going. Keep going, now this is not preaching time, folks, okay? Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the one. Keep going. This is the last, this is the one. Yeah, okay, here we go. Now we start preaching. So turn your watches off. Second line. Advent means that Christ was born to remove all the effects of the curse of the Trinity. A couple of weeks ago we closed out with a quote from Joy to the World, and that is that The fact that Christ assumed these Old Testament spiritual ministries, that of prophet, priest, and king, they transform us as far as the curse is found. Christ was born to remove the effects of the curse. The Trinity imposed a curse on rebellious sinners ever since Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden. In fact, even before that with Satan, but primarily to the creature, creatures who are men and women. Christ will remove the curse and the effects that impact the earth. If we were to go to Romans chapter eight and second Peter, which we'll be in in a few weeks, we will learn that he will remove that curse from the earth. And all rebels, which means everyone, in fact it means save sinners, but all rebels who have not repented, called out to Jesus for salvation, will be subdued, Revelation 21. He will do it in the saints. I John chapter 3 says, and when we see him, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. Just how far is the curse found in saints? The expression of the curse is extensive. It reaches not only to earth, but to the universe. Robbie and I have been noticing the moon and the planet Venus, which is to the right and down a bit from the moon. And then the planet Saturn, which is up and to the left of the moon. It's dimmer, obviously, than Venus. But all of the, when you look into the heavens and you see these things, the curse has impacted the universe. How significant is sin? Our sin impacted God's good creation. All of it. And what is found, of course, is the intensive moral depravity of humanity. We've seen that over this past week, have we not? Over the past month or so. We should rejoice in redemption and forgiveness that makes us new men and women, By adoption, by reconciliation, yet we, every one of us, can say with Paul, oh wretched man, oh wretched woman that I am. Now this was the same man that said that. We still are confessing our sins and dependent on Christ for our propitiation. John wrote about this in 1 John. Christ is our propitiation. Paul wrote about it. In other words, he took God the Father's wrath on himself. And we still are dependent upon his propitiation. Always shall be. We still must put to death the internal sources of hemorrhaging sin. All the little secret sins that we have. And the pressing for the renewed knowledge of our creator who is also our redeemer. And Colossians speaks to this. Next slide. So why is there moral depravity? And it is a moral depravity. We are depraved. We're sinners by choice. Murderers are murderers by choice. Why is there moral depravity? Because the first location of the curse was in the heart of the creature made in God's image. The Bible tells us in the day that he ate, he died. Adam and Eve, and everyone subsequent to them has, in a way, eaten and died. So the removal of the curse, which is essential to our salvation, will be the transforming of the moral image of the creator and his redeemed creatures. Believers will be the prime manifestation that the curse will no longer be found. And as Isaiah said, and in his government there will be no end. So how does this take place? Well, it takes place through Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament offices. Why is this important? Because it takes place through fulfillment of Christ of the Old Testament offices, in Christ of the Old Testament offices. Mere speculative knowledge. There's a lot of people that know something about God and something about Jesus. But that doesn't transform us. A full-orbed faith. And this faith alone prompts within believers a desire to learn of Jesus in all these offices. Meditating on his person and his work as mediator. We're gonna look at that as we go through the message this morning. Christ is savior, he is redeemer, but he's more than that. He's a prophet because he's the word incarnate. His infallible prophetic authority helps the believer to avoid pleasing our flesh because Christ did not please his flesh. Prophets proclaim who God is to us. And that's what Jesus did. Secondly, his priestly mediation secures grace for obedience as well as God the Father's acceptance of our doing his duties within the church through faith alone. Sang a hymn about that this morning. Priests do two things. They prepare us to worship, and we are to worship God obviously, prepare us to worship God by bringing his children into God's presence. Prepare to worship God in his presence. And Jesus alone can do this. Next slide. And his role as king, which we'll look at in a couple of weeks, is one of power and authority, which equips believers for God the Father's ministry within the church. When we serve God, serve the Trinity within the church, We are showing that we accept that Christ is King to the glory of God the Father. The King is the person to be worshiped. So the prophet proclaims, the priest brings us into the presence of God, and the King is the one to be worshiped. So you should know these things. Christ's mission to earth secured all of these. There was nothing arbitrary about what the Trinity decided eons ago. It wasn't random. There's always a plan, a purpose to the will of God. His fulfillment of these roles is designed to produce, and we sang about this this morning, Prophet, priest, king, produce holy people. Why are we separated from God? Because he's holy. And our sin is unrighteous. As prophet, he declared the inward spiritual nature of the law. Read about that here in Hebrews 10. Embodying. The truth of its commands, his obedience, was meant as a teaching lesson to you and I. He was the only prophet ever to completely obey the law. Only prophet. If he wasn't as obedient, then we are to be affectionately, we are to affectionately love and live the law. Can't say but it is an expression of the expectation of God for his creatures. As a great high priest, he purified for himself a peculiar people. We learned this in Peter. Zealous for good works, and through his intercession work, his mediation work, he keeps us holy by giving us more grace. Learned that from I Peter too, did we not? And as king, he concerns himself with making and keeping believers holy so that we might follow his obedience and worship him as king. We have remembered Christ as the incarnate word and the prophet of God. Today we're gonna look at his high priesthood. Next slide, Brother Jeff. So we asked a question here a couple of weeks ago, why prophets? So let's ask this question, why priest? Ernie, why is this important? It's important because it's the word of God. Old Testament priest, and you should know some of this probably from Sunday school years ago, or maybe even now. We haven't ventured into this in the book of Exodus, but we will. They were appointed by God from the tribe of Levi, called Levites. And they were given the authority to offer sacrifices, among other things, also prayer and praise to Yahweh on behalf of the people. And these duties, priestly duties, in essence sanctified not only the people, but the priest. The priest needed sanctification too. We learned that this morning. and they made them acceptable to come into God's presence. Albeit, that ability was limited in the Old Testament. The high priest, once a year, was to offer a sacrifice for himself and for the Israeli nation on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which generally happens toward the end of September, first part of October. in the holy of holies, or the most holy place, within the tabernacle and later within the temple, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, and where the Shekinah glory of God descended as a cloud. And this was defined for us in Leviticus chapter 16. Now we're not gonna go there this morning, but it would do you well to read, it's okay to read the book of Leviticus. All God's people said, All God's people said, it's okay to read the book of Leviticus. And just remember that Christ satisfied the ramifications of the law from the book of Leviticus. So, this passage and other passages describe for us the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. Now another of the high priest's role was that making daily intercession. Since he only went into the Holy of Holies once a year, he had other things to do. He made daily intercession for the Israelites in the holy place. The holy place is, if you were to look at a cross section of the temple, you would walk into, first of all, the court of the Gentiles, where the Gentiles were allowed, and then from the court of the Gentiles, you would walk into the holy place. Now the holy place is, the priest continually did their work every single day in the holy place, and all the morning and evening offerings were offered in the holy place, but not the most holy place. The holy of holies. only once a year. And then only the high priest was permitted to go into the Holy of Holies. So he made daily intercession to the Israelites in the holy place. Sanctify the offerings that were made by the priest, by the other priest. And that's the room in the temple outside the most holy place, the Holy of Holies. The Levitical high priest interceded on behalf of the Israelites, and he represented them before God. He presented them before the presence of God. Now, who is Jesus, the great high priest? Of the three Old Testament ministries that we've talked about, prophet, priest, and king, this one is probably the most misunderstood, because we get all wrapped up in the liturgy of the priesthood. Now, Dr. T.D. Alexander, who teaches in Ireland, so my ancestors are from Ireland, so this is a smart guy. He said this. As our great high priest of the heavenly sanctuary, Jesus Christ atoned for our sin by presenting himself to God the Father as the once for all sacrifice for human sin. That's what we just read. Once for all sacrifice. He's not only the priest, he's also the sacrifice. Next slide. Christ is virgin born. Without the virgin birth of Christ, there's no incarnation. It must be accepted, there's no incarnation without the virgin birth. Jesus, through the virgin birth, circumvented the inheritance of our sin nature. And the New Testament declares that Christ was sinless. That's the doctrine of impeccability. Turn to Hebrews chapter four. It's found in 2 Corinthians five, but go back a couple pages here. Hebrews chapter four. And verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Temptation's not sin. So he was tempted, but he didn't sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. No sin in Christ. No capability of sinning. And that's important. Jesus himself engaged in a controversy in John chapter eight when the woman was brought to him that was found committing adultery. And later on in that chapter he says, which of you convicts me of sin? Now this is a very arrogant statement had he not been sinless. Because you certainly can convict me of sin. And I you. Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell you the truth, why don't you believe me? And Jesus declared, and it's found through the New Testament, that he was, no one could accuse him of sin, incapable of sin. Old Testament high priests were required to offer a sacrifice for themselves. That's Leviticus 16. Christ required no such sacrifice. Now, he did participate in the sacrificial lambs that were offered on Yom Kippur, but it wasn't because he needed to have some sacrifice made on his behalf. He participated. because it was the expectation of his father to demonstrate that he was human, the God man. So what's different about Jesus as a priest? All this talk about priesthoods and so forth, there's a lot of it in the Old Testament, quite a bit of it as a matter of fact. So there are three ways, we're gonna look at these and this will be the target of the message this morning. There are three ways that Jesus' high priesthood ministry is unique. The first one is Christ offered the perfect sacrifice that atones or ransoms for sin and from sin. Hebrews chapter nine, turn over a couple pages. Hebrews chapter nine. Verse 24, for Christ does not enter the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God. What do priests do? They bring us into the presence of God. Christ is different because he is God. Not that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood of another. Doesn't need to. He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world, but now once at the end of the ages he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Supported unto man once to die and after that the judgment. Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time. Apart from sin, we will be removed from the presence of sin for salvation. He atones and he ransoms. Now in Mark's Gospel, we're studying Mark's Gospel in a Sunday school class this morning, over these next few weeks, probably months too, Mark 10, Jesus said, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. The word ransom there means something to loosen or dissolve. It is a redemptive price. that was required by the Trinity. And literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of animals were slaughtered because that's what God required. A blood sacrifice until Jesus on Calvary. Atonement and ransom can be interchangeable. Slight differences, but not many. I Timothy 2. We're told there's one God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all. God the Father required payment. And you and I couldn't make that payment. Next slide. Sacrifices in the Old Testament. In fact, there are sin offerings, there are a number of offerings mentioned in the first part of the book of Leviticus. Sacrifices were offered to atone, to ransom the sins of Israel. In Leviticus 16, there is the beautiful picture of the scapegoat. The goats would be killed and offered as sacrifice for the nation of Israel and another one would be brought in and the high priest would place his hands on the scapegoat and they would allow that goat to go free. So when Jesus died, God the Father required his death. And the scapegoat was you and I. Remember Jesus Christ, our great high priest. These sacrifices that we've just read in Hebrews 10, the law having a shadow of things to come could never, ever, ever pay for sins, never make us perfect. It's not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats could take away sins. So Jesus' participation as a gray-haired high priest is not from the Levitical course of priests. Brother Josh talked about this a few weeks ago on Sunday evening. His lineage is from the tribe of Judah, so he's not from the tribe of Levi. It's altogether different. And his priesthood, he was Melchizedek, Melchizedek, anyway, that word. Melchizedek, Melchizedekian. Which is one of these obscure individuals that kind of shows up on the plains before Abraham in Genesis chapter 14. Now why did God do that? Why is it in the Bible? Why does that apply to me? Look at Hebrew chapter six. Turn back just a couple of pages. Hebrews chapter six. Why is this preacher important? Well, here's why. Thus God, verse 17, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, What's the first thing that the devil told Eve to tempt her? God has not said, God's lying to you. How many times have we said that in our life? God's not being truthful with me. It is impossible for God to lie. And if you don't have that underlined or highlighted or whatever, you need to do that. It is impossible for God to lie. That we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul. That hope, of course, is Jesus, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence, there it is again, the presence behind the veil, the Shekinah glory of God. The presence of the triune God. no high priestly role of Jesus Christ, we are not presented before the presence of his Father. Where the forerunner has entered into us even Jesus, having become high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek wasn't a Hebrew. So we have this obscure guy that kind of shows up in Genesis chapter 14 and then all the way through, quite often in the book of Hebrews he's mentioned. So that teaches us that God the Father was not focusing on the Levitical priesthood, he is focusing on a king priest. And that's who Christ embodies. And back to Hebrews chapter five. So we're told that the book of Hebrews emphasizes that Christ was appointed as a priest. And that did resemble that of Melchizedek, but his priestly activity, what he does for us is similar to that of the Levitical high priest, but he's altogether different. And in chapter five, in verse one, we are told, for every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men to things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. What did Jesus do? He offered the gift of himself and the sacrifice of himself for our sin. We didn't ask him to do this. It was his choice. The high priest presents offerings that atone for the sins of the people, and obviously Jesus did this in his death. And Jesus, we learn, is appointed by God to end the sacrificial system. Christ's sacrifice not only atoned for our sins, not only satisfied the ransom that the Father required for our sins, but he voluntarily shed his blood. The entire book of Hebrews tells us that his blood is sufficient to forgive and to ransom us from the wrath of the father. Why is this necessary? Because without all of this priestly work, our priestly work, we would still be under the wrath of the father. But as Paul said, there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in the high priest of heaven, Jesus Christ. Next slide. All of this was known, again, eons before Jesus lay in a little manger as an infant. Hebrews 10, go back to that for a moment. We've looked at this and we won't go through all of this again, but in the verses 10 through 14, it teaches us that the all-sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice for sins where the author says we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus once for all. For by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. What's sanctification? It's a progression of our holiness. When we pass from this life into the other, via either death, where the overwhelming majority of people will be, or when the Lord returns. Our sanctification from holiness point will be complete. Now, our sanctification from a learning point will never end. So Jesus is a perfect top priest. He's unique in that he not only atoned for sins of others, but he consecrated them as holy. You're consecrated before God as holy. Do you live as holy? Holiness is what the Trinity requires. Look at Hebrews chapter 12. Holiness is what the Trinity requires. And it's a requirement we cannot fulfill without our high priest. The author of the book of Hebrews in verse 14, pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. seek and pursue holiness. And thankfully in Jesus, that his holiness has been applied to us. So Christ is at once the atoning sacrifice, he's at once the high priest who brings us into God's presence. His death on the cross occurs on earth outside the heavenly sanctuary, but he didn't stop there. With His ascension, and we preached on this a few years ago at Easter time, with His ascension, Jesus presents Himself, the perfect sacrifice to God the Father to atone for sins. All of this necessary, all of it necessary. His sacrificial death on the cross is linked to His ascension to the heavenly sanctuary. to be fully effective. Christ's self-sacrifice meant that he must come before his Father's presence, and he did. Theologian Richard Gaffin for the Gospel Coalition says, this efficacy resides not only in his death on earth, outside the true and heavenly tabernacle, but also in his appearing and presenting himself as a sacrifice in heaven. in the inner sanctum of the tabernacle, the right hand of God. His sacrifice on earth, which was absolutely necessary, has no need of being repeated, but its efficacy depends on his perpetual presence in heaven. What a great high priest we have. Next slide. Christ has the power to perfect those. You and I know Jesus as Savior because He prepares us through His death and His resurrection and His mediation. And why is all this done? So that we learn to worship. The Savior is now the great high priest that has passed through the heavens, and he's appeared in the Father's presence on our behalf. He was, he is, he is to come. The perfect sacrifice in the presence of God the Father. And beloved, when we get to heaven, we're gonna see this, and this is going to be one of the opportunities and modes for worship. So let's learn it here on earth. so that we can celebrate in heaven. Secondly, Christ continually brings believers near to God. We saw this in the latter part of Hebrews chapter six. Christ secured for us a far greater privilege than any of our Old Testament brothers and sisters. They were excluded from the holy place. which only priests could enter on a daily basis, and they were excluded from the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, which required the high priest, and then only once a year. But you and I, because of his sacrificial atoning work, all of that is now mute. All of that has been satisfied in Jesus. When Jesus died, the Holy Spirit violently tore the heavy curtain. The Hebrews called it the parachet. It was approximately four inches thick that separated the holy place from the most holy place. And it was rent from top to bottom. There is no more separation. And that curtain remained immovable until once a year the high priest went in. The Spirit of God rejoiced with the death of Jesus and tore that curtain. Christ brings us near to God. Now, it's no more a curtain. He's a perfect sacrifice, gives believers access to God in heaven. He did that for me. He did it for you. Next slide. The latter part of Hebrews 10 tells us that Christ brings repentant sinners into God's presence by his grace and his faith alone. He continually brings us near to his Father. And the third thing that makes him different is that Christ continually makes intercession for us. Why is prayer important? There you go, right there. If Jesus prays for us, do you think we ought to pray? Hebrews chapter seven, turn back. Hebrews chapter seven. Verse 25, therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always lives to make sinner's session for them. For such a high priest is fitting for us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily as those high priests offer sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the people's. For this he did once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints high priests to men who have weakness. But the word of the oath which came after the law appoints the son who has been perfected forever. Christ prays for us. Romans 8 tells us that it's God who died and for Christ his brother who died and is furthermore risen and is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. Now, I'm a believer. He's not doing that for you this morning, but he can and he will. If you recognize that you are a sinner before him, confess that sin, repent of that sin, call out to Jesus in salvation, he will make intercession for us. But he's not doing that now. This is intercession for us that know Christ as Savior. Christ continually lives in God's presence. because he's God. So he makes these specific requests and these petitions before God on our behalf. Well, preacher, I don't pray like that. He's not just, just hold on a minute. Just hold on. This is achieved through our prayers. He's pleased to act in response to prayer. And so faith shown in prayer glorifies him. Faith in prayer. In Christ we have the incarnate God-man praying for us, for me. Interceding and glorifying God the Father through prayer. As 1 Timothy says, we quoted this a few moments ago, there's one God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. He mediates. He intercedes. Last slide. Yet, even a perfect man cannot simultaneously answer and petition the Father. Even a perfect man or woman. Because we're not God. Our great high priest must be God as well. With the divine nature to know all things and exist everywhere before the face of God. Christ suffered in his humanity. This uniquely enables him to mediate before the Father as a sympathetic high priest who understands, we read that a few moments ago, and he gives more grace to believers. He'll give more grace to unbelievers if you repent, call out to him in salvation. Therefore, Jesus is the only person Christ alone that can be our high priest, that can do this, that prays for us, that intercedes for us, that mediates for us, that forgives us, that atones for us, that provides holiness for us, that reconciles us back to God. He's the only one. And would you forsake the only one? that could intercede before you, before God, on your behalf. He's exalted forever above the heavens. Dutch theologian, Lucas Berkoff, wrote this. You talk about not praying? Berkoff said this. It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us. Does that console you? It consoles me. because I don't pray as I should. Even when we are negligent in our prayer life. Was that one of the New Year's resolutions you made for this year? Praying more? Even when we are negligent in our prayer life, He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which are not even present in our minds. Things that we're not even thinking about. Christ is interceding on our behalf. And which we often neglect to include in our prayers. Oh, I wish I prayed for that. and that he prays for our protection. Looked at a few weeks ago, 1 Peter chapter five, when we talked about the roaring lion, the devil, he prays for our protection against dangers of which not even we are conscious. I mean, we just kind of go through life, okay, all right, well. but it's significant to Jesus. And against the enemies which threaten us, and there are many. There are not a few, there are many. The enemies which threaten us though we do not even notice them. He's praying that our faith may not cease, that we come out victorious at the end. What a great quote. Praying for things we don't think about, praying for enemies we don't know about, praying for our protection from dangers that we have no idea may be lurking around the corner, that's our Jesus, that's our high priest. Remember Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the word this morning. We thank you for this truth. We've not covered it sufficiently. There's an entire book written about this, and we've just skimmed it this morning. Forgive us when we neglect to thank you for performing these great spiritual works on our behalf, even when we don't think about them. Oh, Father, we'll pray for healing, because we want it, and yes, we need it. And when it comes to neglecting our prayer life, when it comes to praising and thanking you for the work that you've done, the work that you are doing, and the work that you will do, how negligent we are. And Father, negligence is a sin and so we confess that before you this morning. We pray that you would have your sweet will your divine way because you love us. We thank you that you were the great once for all sacrifice. And that when we see you in heaven we will witness the wounds, the scars that you bore for us. Have your tweet, will your divine way to remain in the service. In Jesus' name we make this prayer, amen. We're gonna sing a closing hymn this morning. If the Lord has spoken to you, And as I said, and the Bible bears witness to this, if you're here today and you do not know the Lord our Savior, He's not interceding for you. He will. He can. That's His desire. And so the Spirit of God is moving in your heart and in your life to repent of your sins and call out to Him. It's necessary that you understand you have a responsibility to respond to Him. Don't neglect. The mercy of the conviction of your sins. That's what it is. It is a grace and a mercy. And so, we'll stay in here just a moment. If the Lord has spoken to you, you can make your way out of the pew. We can take you to a private prayer room, lead you to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but that's your responsibility. God created you, gave you wisdom, or gave you a mind to accept or reject the Word. That's your responsibility. As a child of God, the Lord may be leading you into the fellowship of this church. Maybe you know the Lord is Savior and you need to, you're not here at Flat Creek by a statement of faith, a transfer of letter, perhaps you need to follow the Lord and believe his baptism. We encourage you to make that right with him this morning as well. You do the same thing, just step out of the pew, meet me here at the front, and we'll be glad to present you to the Flat Creek family, the child of God. I was struggling with this message. I know I've given you a lot of detail this morning, but it's necessary. Because this is the work of Christ that is the most overlooked. We like the preaching, we like the prophet, we like the king. Without a high priest, we get all, we get hung up on stumps. But Christ did this for you and I, and continues to do that today.