If you will take with me in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews chapter 7. We will read this morning verse 20 through verse 22. Hebrews 7, 20 through 22. And it was not without an oath, for those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath. But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him, the Lord has sworn, and he will not change his mind, you are a priest forever. Some add here after the order of Melchizedek. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. Por eso Jesús, ah perdón, y por cuanto no fue sin juramento, pues en verdad ellos llegaron a ser sacerdotes sin juramento. Pero él por un juramento del que le dijo, el Señor ha jurado y no cambiará. Tú eres sacerdote para siempre. Por eso Jesús ha venido a ser fiador de un mejor pacto. Let's pray. Father, what a great text set before us, and what a blessing when we see in verse 22, He is our surety of a better covenant. God, I just ask that you would open our minds and our hearts this morning as we study your word, and that you would comfort your people with this truth. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. He preaches through this sermon to the Hebrews. There has been one line. We look to this line every week when we read our call to worship. It is that we have been given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And our response to that is to worship. To give us the strength to do so. To give us the foundation by which we do so. Paul is arguing and saying, How can we? Pablo is argumentando, diciendo cómo podemos. I want you to see in our text this morning three things. Quiero que veas en nuestro texto esta mañana tres cosas. If you look back with me at verse 19 that we finished last week. Si puedes mirar atrás conmigo en versículo 19, cuando terminamos la semana pasada. I want you to remember the idea of the cookie. Quiero que recuerdes la idea de cookie. There's part of the Oreo here, part of the Oreo here, and something that holds it together. I am part of the Oreo, y parte de Oreo, y algo en que lo mantiene juntos. And in verse 19 we see, for the law made nothing perfect. That's the middle. But on the other hand, or but, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. It says in the end of verse 19, We finished last week looking at hope. Our hope is one and only in Christ. It's the same thing I quoted last week. Paul tells the Colossians. Set your mind on things above. Where Christ is. Who is your life? For you have died to this world. Your life is hidden in Him. And then he says, And when Christ, who is your hope? You then will appear with Him in glory. That's our hope. And we asked the question this morning, How do we hold on to hope? ¿Cómo agarramos esperanza? That's what Paul wants to do here. It's what Pablo wants to do here. I want you to see three things in our text this morning. I want you to see three things in our text this morning. First, a proposition of the means by which Christ has appointed a priest. A proposition of the means by which Christ has appointed a priest. Christ is a priest, but how did he become one? Our hope is in Christ, a better priest, but how did he become one? then upon that proposition, sobre esa proposición, we're gonna have an illustration and a proving of that. Vamos a tener una ilustración y una prueba de esta. How do you know? Como sabes? Well, David tells us in Psalm 110. Pues David nos dijo en Psalm 110. And then we get to the point this morning. What is the deduction that we're to take from this? What should we learn from Christ being our priest? Now, I want you to know on this last point. Paul wants you to know that it's obvious. Pablo quiere que tu sepas que es obvio. So first, primero. A proposition. Un proposición. How is the, what are the means by which Christ becomes a priest? Cuáles son los medios por los cuales Cristo es apuntado un sacerdote? Well, our text tells us by an oath. Nuestro texto nos dice por un juramento. It's by an oath Christ has his priesthood. Es por un juramento que Cristo tiene su sacerdocio. So first I want you to see how this connects to the arguments Paul's been arguing. The conjunction here is the word chi in the Greek. We simply translate it most times as and. But sometimes, a veces, that it works as a connecting, not what was behind, but what lays ahead. Pero a veces se conecta no lo que estaba atrás, pero lo que hay de venir. So, I think some translations are going to say, and therefore so. So, because of this, this. And it's very common in the book of Hebrews, that he's building argument upon argument. So he's looking forward to the next argument. That's the direction we're going to take this here. That he's looking to the next argument. That's how this connects. So, because, um, He is our priest, and there's a new covenant by which we have a better hope and draw near to God. Because of that, then this. Second, in the Greek here, there's a phrase added. My translation in English does not translate it. Some do. Mine does not. The Spanish does. It's just an emphasis on this argument he's about to present. Why is it important that we translate this? Because verse 22, that's the connection. This is where he's going. So it is much that we have this high priest. This is going to be our deduction. So, because of the argument we must translate it. The small phrase says Christ and his priesthood. Above and different to the one before. So this small phrase says because of this, he's different than that. Christ and his covenant have preeminence. Christo y su pacto tiene preeminencia over everything in the Old Covenant, sobre todo en el Antiguo Testamento. And it's priesthood, Aaron. Y su sacerdote, Aaron, because Christ has an oath and they don't have one. Porque Cristo tiene un juramento, ellos no lo tienen. Because everything flows from Christ. Todo fluye de Cristo. So Christ is above and preeminent of all of it. Entonces Cristo es arriba y preeminente sobre todo because there's an oath. Porque hay un juramento. We should learn something here. The faith and comfort and honor of faith consolación, honor, our own safety, nuestra seguridad, our surety, nuestra seguranza of the church, de la iglesia, depends on every practical aspect of Christ. Depende en cada aspecto particular de Cristo. the comfort to us as a church, the consolation de nosotros como la iglesia, and throughout church history, durante la historia de la iglesia, is that God made an oath with Christ. Es que Dios hizo un juramento con Cristo. This is why we must give ourselves to the study of Christology. Every aspect and every page of scripture is important. There are some who want to say in the Bible there are accidents. There are some who want to say in the Bible there are accidents. It's foolishness. It's a necessity. No, no, no. Everything is directed. Everything points to Christ. I want to quote Owen here because he said this so beautifully. He says, when therefore we cease to inquire with all diligence into all the revelations made concerning Christ or his offices, or any other thing which belongs to them, we do really cease to be Christians. El dice, por lo tanto, cuando dejamos de indagar con diligencia en todas las revelaciones acerca de Cristo, The moment you take up the Word of God for any purpose other than to see Christ, Owen says you stop being Christian. Owen says, you've left the intent of Christianity, and you're pursuing carnality. No, the intention of the scripture is singular. To point us to Christ. He finishes this with this, and there can be no greater evidence of our want of faith in Him and love to Him than if we neglect the due consideration of all things that the Scriptures reveals and testifies concerning Him. So, I think about modern Christianity, pienso de cristianismo moderno, and all the podcasts, y todos los podcasts, and all the YouTube channels, y todos los canales de YouTube. Some of them very good. And others are just a distraction from Christ. When the word of God is opened up, we should ask one question. What do you have for me of Christ? I just want Christ. And John Owen says, when we stop looking for Christ. When we stop looking for Christ revealed. We have a lack of faith, tenemos una falta de fe, and we've abandoned Christianity, abandonamos el cristianismo. When we make our aim anything other than Christ in the study of the scriptures, cuando hacemos nuestro punto cualquier otra cosa que estudiar Cristo en las escrituras, at that moment, en este momento, it's no longer a Christian religion, ya no es un religión cristiana. The third thing I want you to see is the proposition. Not without an oath, our text says. We see here first in this phrase that there are two ways that men can become priests. Vemos en esta frase dos formas que un hombre puede llegar a ser sacerdote. So a man that is a priest, un hombre que es sacerdote, has two options, dos opciones. One, with an oath. Uno con un juramento. The other, without an oath. Uno sin juramento. And we are given here in the negative. His priesthood, su sacerdotia, was not without an oath. No era sin juramento. And that is to show the negative of the priesthood of Aaron. Y eso es a mostrar el negativo de sacerdotia de Aaron. that he did not have an oath. Now, in your Bible, in your Biblia, depending on what Greek text it was translated from, depending on the Greek translation, somehow between the Texus Receptus and the eclectic text, in a form between the Texus Receptus and the Texus Eclectus, They put the division of verse from 20 to 21 differently. So, some of you have the second part of verse 20 in verse 21. Or you have it in verse 20. It doesn't matter. Paul, in writing Hebrews, did not write verse 21 and 22. Pablo, escribiendo en Hebreos, no escribió versículo 21, 22, or even verse 20, o aún versículo 20. And so, the division of your verses do not matter here. La división de tus versículos no importa aquí. The phrase is there. La frase está ahí. That they were without an oath. Ellos estaban sin juramento. Second, segundo, so first we see that a priest becomes a priest with an oath or without an oath. Primero vemos un sacerdote y llega a ser sacerdote sin juramento o con juramento, second, segundo. The dignity and honor of a priesthood, dignidad y honor de un sacerdocio, depends, depende on how God initiates the office. Depende como Dios inicia el oficio. He initiated the office of Aaron with a calling. With Christ, it's an oath. Nothing is lacking, we see here. Nada falta, vemos aquí, with the oath that God made with Christ. En el juramento que Dios hizo con Cristo, to elevate his priesthood over that of Aaron. Elevar su sacerdosis sobre este de Aaron. To elevate the glory of the priesthood of Christ over that of Aaron. To show its efficiency. And to show its honor. He held nothing back, so he stood it with an oath. Let me give you two reasons why I think God sealed the priesthood of Christ with an oath. First, the glory that's due his person. We see this clearly in verses 26 through 28. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need like those high priests who offer sacrifices daily for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weaknesses as high priests, but the word of the oath which came later than the law appoints a son who has been made forever a priest, a priest forever. verse 26 to 28, because it was convenient that we had such a high priest, holy, innocent, immaculado, apartado de los pecadores, y exaltado más allá de los cielos, que no necesita, como aquellos sumos sacerdotes, ofrecer sacrificios diariamente, primero por sus propios pecados y después por los pecados del pueblo. Porque esto Jesús lo hizo una vez para siempre, cuando Él mismo se ofreció, porque la ley We see the dignity of Christ here. God desiring to set him above all priests. Dios deseando a poner el sobre todos los sacerdotes, to show his preeminence in all things. A mostrar su preeminencia en todo. He sealed his priesthood with an oath. Lo sello su sacerdote con un sacerdocio, con un juramento. So why is it sealed with an oath? Porque esta sellado con un juramento? Look at Christ, mira Cristo, is he not worthy of such? No es digno de asi? But second, segundo, to encourage us, animarnos, to give us security, adornos seguridad, to grow the faith of the church, crecer la fe de la iglesia. Under the Old Covenant, the whole effectivity of the Old Covenant was dependent on the priest. They had to place all their trust and all their faith in this man. That he would rightly handle their offering. That he would rightly offer. Or no atonement was made. But there was a problem. They were weak. They were sinful. They first had to offer a sacrifice for their own sins. But God showed, we have a priest not like them. And he sealed that priesthood with an oath. How can the church have comfort in the oath by God? That Christ is our priest. The person swearing is God. A persona jureando es Dios. In Psalm 110, where this promise comes from. Psalm 110, donde esta promesa viene. So David gives us this in Psalm 110. You'll be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, verse four. In Psalm 110, seras sacerdosia por siempre en la orden de Melchizedek, Psalm 110, cuatro. In that psalm, in this psalm, verse one says this, versículo uno dice así. The Lord says to my Lord. El Señor dice al Señor a mi Señor. Hear this, escucha esta. That's God in God. It says Dios in Dios. Where is the comfort of the church? Donde es la consolacion de la iglesia? Where is our security? Donde es nuestra seguridad? God in God. Dios in Dios. There's nothing more sure in the whole world. God and God swearing by himself. The matter or substance of what is sworn is that Christ would forever be our priest. Not only that he would be a priest, but forever. I do need to address the word forever. It's often used in the old covenant as well. I'll make a covenant with Abraham forever. In other places as well. We must understand this word. That it is in effect. It's in effecto. As long as the covenant is in effect. As long as the terms of the covenant are in effect. This is forever. Until the promise is fulfilled. It's the very argument that Paul makes in Romans 7. He's arguing about salvation. And he says, you have died to sin. It says, muerto a pecado, that you may belong to another. Para que perteneces a otro. While this covenant lived, you're there. Mientras este pacto vive, estás ahí, forever, para siempre, until it dies. Hasta que muere. Christ has died. Cristo murió and rose from the dead. Levantado y muerto, that you may belong to him forever. Para que perteneces a el para siempre. I want you to see there's four advantages that we can take from Christ having an oath. Our priest was particularly given to the office of priesthood by an oath from God. And God, and God, y Dios, y Dios. And he had never done it before. Y nunca hizo eso antes. God, and God, swearing to a priesthood. Dios, y Dios, jurando en un sacerdote. Second, segundo. The person of our high priest is so determined. La persona de nuestro sumo sacerdote es tan determinado, with an oath, con un juramento, Continually, continuamente. in the full assurance of faith, in total segurança de fé, we can come to him, podemos ir a él, you have a high priest forever. Tienes un sumo sacerdote para siempre. He's never going to die. Nunca va a morir. I want you to think about it like this. Quiero que pienses así. Maybe if you're in the nation of Israel, tal vez estás en la nación de Israel, and you like a priest, y te gusta un sacerdote, and you think, well, next year I hope he makes it. We have one that's always there. Because he's sworn forever. Third. There is no possible change in him. He's never gonna fail. There's no rope tied to his ankle. There is no chance of him coming out. There's no change. The principal advantage that the new covenant has over the old covenant is that Christ is our surety. So you see here the proposition. There is a priesthood. And this priesthood is on an oath by God. God in God. That Christ will forever be our priest. Second. Oath, the means, el juramento, el medio, is illustrated for us in the scriptures here. Es ilustrado en las escrituras aquí. If you'll look at verse 21, mira verse 21. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are priests forever. El señor ha jurado y no cambiará. Tú eres sacerdote para siempre. I won't spend too much time here, because I really want to get to verse 22. However, just say this. The entirety of the scripture is Christ. This is the mystery hidden. And it's hidden in types and shadows. but it's never hidden from the true Israel. We speak of it as hidden and in mystery. And as our confession says, como nuestra confesión dice, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices wherein he was revealed, en las promesas, tipos, y sacrificios, y por medio de los mismos en los cuales fue revelado. So we speak of mystery and hidden. Hablamos de misterio escondido. Because it was in types and shadows. Chapter 8 is going to tell us that in verse 5. But in faith they saw it. David wrote this of Christ. The testimony that David proclaims, the testimonio que David proclama aquí, is that Christ would forever be our priest, y que Cristo siempre será nuestro sumo sacerdote. And so we have this proven from the prophecy of the Old Testament. Tenemos este probado de profecía del Antiguo Testamento. I want you to note here as well, quiero que notes aquí también, The preaching in the Old Testament, the predicando in the Antiguo Testamento, was that there would be a change. in priesthood. Que será una cambio en sacerdocio. And Paul says earlier, we studied this a few weeks ago, Pablo dice antes, y estudiamos esto unas semanas, a change in the priesthood means a change in the law. Un cambio en la sacerdocia quiere decir un cambio de la ley. And we're to understand that in the context of this passage, a change of covenants. Y debemos entenderlo en el contexto de este pasaje, un cambio de pacto. So we come to point three. What are we to understand from this oath? What are we to understand? What's the benefit? Christ is my priest by an oath. Well, Paul states what he claims or thinks is the obvious in verse 22. This makes Jesus, or Jesus is made by this, the guarantor or surety of a better covenant. I want you to observe two things here. First, there's another covenant with his people. The text is clear. The text is claro. Jesus is the surety of another covenant. Jesus is the seguranza de otro pacto. And so we must assume, debemos asumir, there is another covenant with the people of God. Hay otro pacto con el pueblo del Señor. This is presupposed throughout this entire sermon to the Hebrews. It will come to a head in the next chapter. Where he's going to say, this covenant and this covenant. But we are to understand these two covenants as these. One from Sinai and one from Calvary. We will deal with the distinction here in chapter 8. Not only is there another covenant presupposed. No solamente hay un pacto, otro pacto presupuesto, but it's also presupposed that it's good. Pero también la presuposición está bueno. Now, I know that you're going to ask the question, how can it be good? Yo sé que vas a hacer la pregunta cómo puede ser bueno. Last week you told us it was useless and weak. La semana pasada nos dijiste que era inútil y débil. So, we have to ask the question, how then is it good? Tenemos que preguntar cómo es bueno. First, let me give you some reasons. Déjame darte unas razones. So, the assumption is this. La asumpción es esta. If this is a better covenant, si este pacto es mayor, the implication is the other one was good. La implicación era la otra, era bueno. It's good in that it flowed from the wisdom and counsel of God. Es bueno que fluya de la sabiduría y concilio de Dios. It's good in that it exposes sin. And it's most good in that it showed Christ as the only means of redemption. The complete and full satisfaction of the wrath of God. That's what the old covenant shows. That's why David looks at the sacrifice. This isn't enough. That's what the covenant does. Number three, number tres. It's also presupposed, tambien es presupuesto, that that covenant had a surety. Que este pacto tambien tenia un fiedor. It had a guarantee as well. Tambien tenia un garantor. Some want to place Christ as this surety. Algunos quieren poner Cristo como este fiedor. but our passage will not allow that. Nuestro pasaje no permite esta. No, no, Christ is distinct. Cristo es distinto. He's preeminent in this covenant. El es preeminente en este pacto. Jesus cannot be the surety of an ineffectual covenant. Jesus no puede ser el fiador de un pacto ineficiente. Who then was the security of the old covenant? It was the priest. Now hear me out, escúchame, Psalm 50 in verse 5. Gather to me my faithful ones who made a covenant with me by sacrifice. So the covenant was made in blood. And that by Aaron and his sons. So the surety of the old covenant was the priest. And we see later their frailty. So first, I want you to see what is presupposed that there is another covenant. What is positively spoken here? First, that there's another covenant. We deduct that. We find out positively. The surety's name of our covenant is Jesus Christ. Matthew tells us because he'll save his people from their sins. This makes Jesus, our text says. Second, what is confirmed about our surety? That he is the means of all of our hope. All of our hope must be in him. He's the surety. Third, it says he was made the surety. We're to take this in the same way that we take 2 Corinthians 5.21. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. The same idea. He sent him. He put him forward. As our propitiation. That Christ was set forward by God. And four, numero cuatro. He is the surety of a better covenant. Now, I'm going to expound on this in just a moment. But I want to unpack these two ideas. First, primero. Christ is our surety. Christ is our surety. You have no other guarantee. You have no other guarantee. We sing it. We sing it. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. I don't need another argument. I don't need another claim. It is enough that Christ died and he died for me. Paul will preach the means and the efficacy of the person and work of Christ. Pablo va a predicar el medio y eficacia de la persona y obra de Cristo. The rest of this sermon, el resto de este sermón, the rest of the sermon to Hebrews will be directed in these two ideas. El resto del sermón de Hebreos va a ser dirigido en estas dos ideas. Christ is your surety. Cristo es tu fiador. You've got nothing else to stand on. Second, the new covenant is our kingdom. Paul will show that the fruit of the person and work of Christ, Pablo va a mostrar que la fruto y obra de Cristo is that we've been given a kingdom. Es que un reino es dado a nosotros. He's going to equate that kingdom with the covenant. El va a hacer igual este reino con el pacto. All of this is the new kingdom, the new covenant. Todo esto es un nuevo pacto. So, let me define the word better here. Better yet, don't let me define it. This term is used several times in the book of Hebrews. Let's let Hebrews define itself. Some want to take this word better. Unos quieren tomar esta palabra mayor, and they want to make it to mean improved. Y quieren cambiarlo a ser mejorado. rather than something else, en lugar de algo diferente. So when you use the word better, cuando usas la palabra mejor, you can say, I took this and made this better, and now it looks like this. Puedes decir, yo tomo esta, lo hizo mejor, y ahora parece así. Or you can take it, or puedes decirlo, this isn't better. Good, or this isn't, this is good. Ese es bueno. But this over here is greater and better. Pero esto aquí es mayor. So I'm going to read the uses and you determine. Voy a leer los usos y tú determinas. Chapter one and verse four, capítulo uno, versículo cuatro. Having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is much more excellent than theirs. Siendo mucho mejor que los ángeles, por lo cual, por cuanto, ha heredado un nombre más excelente que ellos. We're not comparing apples to apples. No estamos comparando manzanas de manzanas. We're not saying Jesus is a better version of an angel. No estamos diciendo que Jesus es un mayor version de un angel. No, no, no. He is far greater and the name he has is greater. El es mucho mayor, el nombre que el tiene es mayor. 719, siete, diecinueve. For the law made nothing perfect, But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God. So here it's the same use as in our text today. A better hope, and I would say not a bettered hope, or one that's been bettered, no una esperanza que ha sido mejorado, but a different hope, un esperanza diferente. And the text we have here, 722, the texto que tenemos aquí, 722, and the next use, 86, el segundo uso, 86, but as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is much more excellent than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. Once again, it's a greater covenant. 923. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. Por cuanto fue necesario que las representaciones de las cosas en los cielos fueran purificados en esta manera, Talking about the sacrifice of Christ, Christ isn't a better Bettered, sacrifice of the lamb. Cristo no es un mejorado sacrificio del corredo. He is a different sacrifice, a greater sacrifice. Él es un sacrificio diferente, mayor sacrificio. 1034, 1034. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. We are not looking for a bettered earth. No estamos mirando una tierra mejorado. We are looking for a different one. Estamos mirando una diferente. 1116, once dieciséis. But as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city. Pero en realidad anhelan una patria mejor. It's a greater city in heaven, not a bettered city. This city is not going to be cleaned up and made to look better. It's a different one. I think we have one more, uno mas. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life. Las mujeres recibieron a sus maridos mediante la resurrección. Otros fueron torturados no aceptando su liberación a fin de obtener una mejor resurrección. I promise you, we're not looking for a bettered life now. Te prometo, no estamos mirando una mejorada vida ahora, but a new life, pero nueva vida. So the idea of the use of this word is not something improved. La idea de la usa de esta palabra no es algo mejorado, but greater in its nature, pero mayor en su naturaleza, greater in its substance, mayor en su sustancia. So you see, Jesus is the surety of a better covenant. Jesus is el fiador de mayor pacto. Not one that he has bettered. No uno que el ha mejorado, but a better one altogether. Pero uno mejor completamente. And second, segundo. The means of our surety is the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other hope. There is nothing else that can save. Church, we have a surety. It's Jesus Christ. And we don't need anything else. And our king, Jesus, nuestro rey Jesus, has given us the kingdom. Nos ha dado el reino. And we're to delight in him and the use of it. Y debemos deleitarnos en el, en el uso de ella. Let's pray. Oramos. Señor, gracias por tu bondad y misericordia. Gracias por un gran texto así. Ayudarnos, Dios, a amar a Cristo. Todo más. Ayudarnos a ver en cuanto Cristo es mayor que todo. Y que amanece toda nuestra adoración. En nombre de Cristo, susurramos, amén.