Ever Interceding

Hebrews 7:25 NKJV

Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Why This Text?

The High Priestly intercession of Christ speaks to both what Christ is doing now and what reflects His heart towards us.

The month of October is often referred to as Reformation month; in the past, we have dedicated multiple messages to this topic. We did not do so this year but that does not mean we do not believe them to be important.

Justification by faith alone is certainly a pervasive theme of the Reformation.

While we believe in that doctrine we still sin - and we feel the weight of sin.

We know that Christ loves us because we believe He died for us but we are “wired” for the temporal and we want to know how Christ feels about me now.

Now after all the times I have sinned, and the times I have failed Him miserably.

Too many times we are like Peter, I am going fishing…I failed and how could Christ still love me?

What we struggle with is does Christ feel the indifference we can feel towards others? We know we should be passionate and care but we are often caught up in our lives and our priorities.

Jesus is in Heaven - how can He still feel for me on Earth?

This text tells me what Christ is doing now.

Much of Scripture contains the historical account of all that was promised about Christ and all that He accomplished during His earthly life.

Scripture does devote a limited portion speaking of the return of Christ and even a more limited portion to what He is doing now.

Hebrews was a book focused on why Christ was better; He is better than the Old Covenant promises because He fulfilled them.

This text tells me what Christ is passionate about.

Jesus’ heart towards us is that he is CONSTANTLY interceding for us.

If Jesus is in Heaven now and what He is all about is interceding in our behalf this tells us the importance of this work.

What Is the Intercession of Christ?

Jesus says what were shocking words in His day in John 14:6.

John 14:6 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The work of Christ has always been about redeeming broken and fallen mankind; what man struggles with is the exclusivity of that offer - it is through Him alone.

Unregenerate man bristles at the thought that his righteousness isn’t enough, and that He lacks what God requires.

It is only those who are broken by their brokenness, who hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness, who can be saved. You cannot meet God half-way; it is about broken sinners who need to be healed.

What is intercession?

Intercession is different than a mediator.

A mediator must be able to represent both parties accurately and fairly.

This is different than an attorney who represents his client; the mediator must represent both parties.

Tell me, who can represent God? Which one of you can represent the holy magnificence of God? Which one of you can speak fairly of His demands in the Law?

We can try, but we will fall short because we would error towards our side; the one of sinners who have broken the Law.

The mediator brings together two parties in agreement.

Intercession is doing on behalf of another what that other person cannot do.

Why Do We Need Intercession?

Back to this topic of justification - if we were really justified why do I need an intercessor? Isn’t it a meaningless role for those who are declared righteous?

Does the fact that Jesus intercedes now mean that He left something undone?

When Jesus intercedes He is not completing something undone, He is applying what the atonement accomplished.

Ortlund, Christ’s present heavenly intercession on our behalf is a reflection of the fullness and victory and completeness of his earthly work, not a reflection of anything lacking in his earthly work. The atonement accomplished our salvation; intercession is the moment-by-moment application of that atoning work.

This brings Romans 8:33-34 into full view.

Romans 8:33–34 NKJV

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

What we cannot believe is that the Father is out to get us but Jesus keeps pacifying the “mean father” with His work.

The atonement of sinners was something in that eternal contract from eternity past: the Father thought the plan, the Son bought that plan and the Spirit wrought that plan.

The Son is making intercession for us because it is the will of the Father who relishes in that work in our behalf and the Spirit makes us constantly aware of all that Jesus is doing for us.

Bunyan, Christ a Complete Savior

As you must know him, and how men are justified by him, so you must know the readiness that is in him to receive and to do for those what they need that come unto God by him. Suppose his merits were [completely] efficacious, yet if it could be proved that there is a loathness in him that these merits should be bestowed upon the coming ones, there would but few adventure to wait upon him. But now, as he is full, he is free. Nothing pleases him better than to give what he has away; than to bestow it upon the poor and needy.

The Completeness of His Intercession

The word, uttermost, means completeness and wholeness.

What does this say to us? Those who know the fullness of our sin before God - we who are the uttermost sinners need a to the uttermost Savior.

Jesus doesn’t make up for what we lack - if you believe that you do not understand how lacking you are.

Hebrews 7:24 spoke to His eternal and unchangeable priesthood.

Hebrews 7:24 NKJV

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.

Hebrews 7:23 spoke to His ongoing priesthood, He is not subject to death as they were - He overcame death.

Hebrews 7:23 NKJV

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.

How Should This Change My Life?

This verse speaks of only one condition for this intercession

Those who are drawing near to Him

His ability to save is a present tense verb - it is never ending.

Those who come to Him is also a present tense verb - it speaks to our perseverance in coming to Him.

Those who once profess Him and refuse Him are not manifesting the ongoing nature of belief; those who are redeemed won’t stop coming to Him!

Those who are redeemed know No one ever cared for me like Jesus and they will not let go; though they fail Him, and they deserve none of His goodness, they come to Him again and again.

However, those who forsake Him have stopped drawing near to Him, they show no work of the Spirit and they stand in their own righteousness.

And those who keep coming have another promise on the extent:

You cannot sin yourself out of Christ’s tender care

Why can’t we sin ourselves out of His care? He is that ever-living High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for them.

Stop on that word “always” because is means always.

Calvin says, “to avert [the Father’s] gaze from our sins. He so reconciles the Father’s heart to us that by his intercession he prepares a way and access for us to the Father’s throne.”

As Christians are ongoing sinners.

Christ continues to intercede on our behalf in heaven because we continue to fail here on earth.

He does not forgive us through his work on the cross and then hope we make it the rest of the way.

John 17 tells us that Jesus is praying for you right now.

Berkhoff said, “It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life.”

Richard Sibbes, What a comfort it is now in our daily approach to God to minister boldness to us in all our suits, that we go to God in the name of one that he loves, in whom his soul delights, that we have a friend in court, a friend in heaven for us, that is at the right hand of God, and interposes himself there for us, in all our suits that makes us acceptable, that perfumes our prayers and makes them acceptable. . . . Be sure therefore in all our suits to God to take along our elder brother. . . . God looks upon us, lovely in him and delights in us, as we are members of him.

You have sinned to the uttermost and Jesus saves sinners to the uttermost - His saving outpaces our sinning because He ever lives to make intercession for us.