NO GREATER BLESSING

January 18, 1998 am MF Blume

Hebr 6:13-20 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation [is] to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Hebr 7:14-28 For [it is] evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath [he was made priest]: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Our rather lengthy text was read since it is most vital we realize this great truth of the power of Jesus' blood.

A High Priest during Old Testament times intercede before God to the people.
In those old days, there were many High Priests due to the simple fact that each one was destined to die a physical death.

Their intercession was only temporary so long as they were alive.
But Jesus Christ is a High Priest who will never die!
His priesthood is unchanging!
That means He can deliver anyone to the uttermost.

Imagine hiring the best lawyer you could find to represent your case in the Court of Law.
Right in the middle of the case, he dies!

What an awful situation, knowing that another Lawyer will not be able to do as good as this one has.
Well, Jesus Christ is the best we will ever know, and He never dies!

He is ever alive to make intercession for us and plead our cause.

We required a High Priest like that (Hebr. 7:26), because we required a holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than heavens High Priest due to the sin that we were in!
The degree of iniquity we held could only be dealt with by the degree of holiness He had!
Nobody else but Jesus could be that for us.

The Old Priests had weakness.

They died.
So we can say that the Law made men priests which had WEAKNESS.
However, something better than Law worked on our behalves.
God's own WORD of an oath made the Son of God our High Priest!
And our priest is consecrated, and perfected forevermore.

Priests of old only served in replicas of the real place where blood had to be offered

Animal blood was so inadequate that it was not fit for Heaven itself.
A replica of Heaven was built, called the temple.
Men who died were chosen to offer animal blood up.
Trying to help people from sin and death, they themselves died!
They could not minister the blood to the degree of holiness that Jesus' blood was.

The one on our side is in the heavens.

He is in God's sanctuary and not a meager replica temple.
The law and its replica temple had mere mortal men as priests.
Jesus has a better ministry since He is in the real thing! Heaven itself.

The Old Testament was weak and had fault.

Israel left Egypt, gathered around a mountain and received a law written on stone that was read to them all at one time.

This New Testament has it that God writes on every single heart of each person involved.

All know Him from the least to the greatest.
God personally puts this word in our hearts. None of us miss it.
This is possible, because "knowing each one" requires God to first be merciful to our unrighteousness and to forget our iniquities.

Hebr 8:11-12 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Law did not do that.
Law could not do that.
Sin could not be removed like that by the blood of bulls and goats.
Such blood was so weak that it was offered every year.
Remembrance of sin was made every year and therefore hardly dealt with at all.
My sins could not be forgotten by the dealing of animal blood.
My relationship with God would have only lasted one year under that covenant.
Then my sins were thrown back in my face the following year all over again
It was as though I started out all over again to see my sins dealt with.
How can I forget my sins if God cannot even forget them?
Fact is, if we did forget under law, God did not. He demanded a sacrifice from us every ear.

My entire past would have been thrown in my face annually under Old Testament law.

THANK GOD FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
His blood removed my sins once and for all.
Even God was not pleased with having to remember all men's sins every year under Law.

It was as though Jesus said, "I'm coming to put an end to this weak way of handling sin. I'm coming to put an end of people having their sins thrown in their faces every year.

It was like a heavy load was supported by weak columns that had to be replaced every year since the weight of the load wore out the old columns.
But Jesus is a tower we can run to and ever be safe!

It was like a shaky tabernacle one ran into to hide from a tempest, but wore out every year and required us to run into the storm again into another one.
The Law was weak.
Storms of sin aged and wore it out.
This is indicated below...

Roma 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

Under law, so long as people renewed themselves every year, it was great.

Imagine being in Babylon for 70 years without a temple and sacrifice, as Israel was under punishment from God.
Sins not dealt with for seventy years.
How would that make the people feel before God knowing that each year they were supposed to sacrifice in order to see their sins dealt with?

Imagine a killer disease in our blood that is only held at bay for 365 days by an inoculation that only lasts a year.

If we missed our appointment the very day after a year expired, we would die.
All Israel had to come to Jerusalem every year for the Day of Atonement and have their sins atoned for another year.
No work could be done on that day.
All labour ceased.
They shut down all servile work or they were destroyed by Law.
Why?
Because no sacrifice for their sins would then have existed to see their sins removed.

If you missed atonement to have the priest bless you, then you were a sinner with all the sins you committed before the previous year's atonement, 360 days ago, were in you once again. You were lost without hope.

But Jesus came to end all that.

He came to end the horrible reminder of our past sins that were thrown annually in the faces of Israel.
He came to tell sin, "You'll not return next year to this soul, or ever! Leave forever!"

So we can now forget about our sins.

Hebr 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Hebrews reads that there would be no conscience of sins had the sins been purged totally from the people, so the sins were not purged.

Purged means extracted totally.

Hebr 10:16-18 This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these [is, there is] no more offering for sin.

Our pasts will not come back in a year or ever to haunt us.

Our sins cannot glare at us any more, to only be removed by another annual sacrifice, leaving us a year later as though nothing was ever done about our sins anyway.

Jesus came to say, "No more fear of this disease in your blood rising up to kill you if you miss your appointment next year! My inoculation covers you the rest of your life!"

Only the High Priest could go into the temple. Alone

Every year.
We could not get in.

Hebr 9:7 But into the second [went] the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and [for] the errors of the people:

His work was not complete enough.

Hebr 9:9 Which [was] a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

It was weak work.

It barely succeeded.
It only held sins away fore a year, which sins were running back the following year to haunt the people once again.
Did they actually serve God?
No.
But we do today!

Hebr 9:13-14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 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?

Like an enemy on the verge of taking over our country and enslaving us all in a horrid concentration camp, that is only pressed back by our armies temporarily for a year, then the threat occurs all over again next year, sin was only held at bay for 360 days.

To think that the enemy was always there over the horizon.
No real victory.
What a torment to the minds of Israel, knowing their sin was not eradicated. Redemption only lasted 12 months.
Imagine being under slavery again after one year of freedom and peace.

But Jesus came and is a sanctuary that never wears out!

No storm can ever age that Temple!
He is an inoculation that removes sins forever.
His Battle totally defeated the enemy. You can bind Satan any time he comes around to you. Jesus drove the armies back into the sea of forgetfulness to be gone forever!

Jesus marched right into Heaven itself, as seen in Revelation 5, and is forever in God's presence, pointing to His blood for our justification.

After 2,000 long years, when he returns, He will appear no less powerful, and without sin for our deliverance from the world altogether in the rapture!
He is perfect -- complete.
No weakness.
Nobody could enter the holiest with the High Priest of old because his offering was so weak.

Nadab and Abihu saw Moses offer the blood in Leviticus 9, and felt the way was then forever opened.

But when they tried to enter too, they found man was not reconciled! God killed them.
What fear must have gripped Israel's hearts.
Not a very close relationship with God, was it?
If only their sins could be removed forever!

THEY CAN!

We can ALL go to God now! Not just one man.
We can dare to breach the barrier of the holiest of holies!
With boldness we have access to the throne of grace.

Hebr 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebr 10:19-22 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And [having] an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hold fast to this truth!
Do not waver!
Do not think God is ready to destroy you, so wyou wil not even try to approach Him.
Jesus blood opened the way!
If you feel unworthy, you are correct, but Jesus blood is worthy and that is what God looks for anyway!
So carry faith in the blood and you're free to enter God's Throneroom.

Hebr 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)

God promised with an oath that it is true, so we can rest assured all is right when we cling to the blood as our ticket to God!!

Law made weak men into priests, but the oath from God made Jesus a priest forever!

Hebr 7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Get over your fear.

When you realize that Jesus' blood removed our sins like an army removed our 4,000 year old enemy, you'll appreciate your freedom!
You think you're not good enough for God?
If you believe in Jesus' blood and stand on it as your salvation, you are forever good enough for God!
All the devil can do to you is lie abut your situation with God.
But if you dare to stand on these words from Hebrews, and face those lies and throw them right back into Satan's face, nothing will stop you!

The blood is your right to glory!

If the blood of animals only worked one year, Jesus' Blood is so powerful that 2,000 years has only made it 2,000 times more powerful than animal blood!

Talk about "New and improved!" Praise God, this blood blows away any other Old Testament means of cleansing!

You won't surrender to an enemy who is not even a threat!

Satan will lie all he can to your mind saying you're no good.
But you know the truth of what the Blood has done for you.
Since he is defeated, all Satan can do is lie.
He cannot bind you.
He can only try to convince you that you are already bound.
If you do not know the TRUTH, you will perhaps believe him.
You're only failure comes when you are unaware of the power of the Blood.

The High Priest only touched the glory of God in the Holiest once a year.

But we can have the Holy Ghost INSIDE US!
Jesus' blood washed us that much, that we can not only go into the Holiest Of God's throneroom, but we can have His Glory INSIDE US. HIMSELF inside us.
Anytime we need Him, He's inside us -- His glory!
Oh, the Blood of Jesus! Thank God for the blood of Jesus!
Believe this and enjoy victory!