The Great Intercessor
Hebrews  7:1-28

 In  the book, The Day Lincoln was Shot, the author tells of a black woman who came to the outer gate of the White House. She was sick with hunger, staggering up to the sentry box. A soldier stepped out, swung his rifle diagonally across his body, and said solemnly: "Business with the President?" The other guards laughed. "Before God," the woman whispered. “Yes.”
"Let her pass," one of the guards said, still laughing. "They'll stop her further on."
The woman staggered thru, and across the drive and on up to the white House porch and the big doors. There a second soldier barred her.
"No further," he said, "Against orders.”
With what seemed to be her final energy, the woman darted under his arm and ran straight thru the long corridor and down the length of the carpet and upstairs with her face in dark agony. The presidential office guard stood before the door with his
rifle in both hands. Breathing hard, and crying at the same time she begged: "For God's sake, please let me see Mr. Lincoln." "Madam," the guard said, "The president is busy. He cannot see you." She may have screamed or sobbed, because the noise she made caused the door to open and thru the iridescence of her own tears, she saw the wavering figure of the President of the U.S. He looked down at her and he was smiling. In his deep tones, he said, "There is time for all who need me. Let the good woman come in."
She was Mrs. Nancy Bushrod, and when he had seated her beside his desk, it took time for her to compose herself. She told him her name and how many babies she had and that her husband‘s name was Tom Bushrod and that both of them had been slaves on the Harwood plantation outside of Richmond, when they had heard
about the Emancipation Proclamation, they heard it said that it meant that they were free, and they had run away and come straight
to Washington. In thankfulness to Mr. Lincoln, Tom had forthwith enlisted in the army of the Potomac, leaving Nancy in a little shack with twin boys and a baby girl. His pay kept coming regularly every month, and then it stopped. Nancy had walked the streets of Washington City, looking for work. No one had any washing or
sewing, or cleaning to be done. She started to cry again. Would the President please help her about Tom‘s pay. She would not have come, but there was no other way.
"You are entitled to your husband‘s pay," Mr. Lincoln said, "Come this time tomorrow and the papers will be signed and ready for you." Mrs. Bushrod told about it later, she said, "I couldn't open my mouth to tell him that I was going to remember him forever. and I couldn‘t see because the tears were falling. When he had escorted her to the office door, he said: my good woman (in the tone of the stern lecturer),"Perhaps you will see many a day when all the food in the house is a single loaf of bread. Even so, give every child a slice and send your child to school. (p.l54)

2. This is one of the more touching instances of an intercessor. Lincoln interceded for the woman because of a breakdown in bureaucracy. We see it on different levels of human life. A young man wants the family car to take his heart-throb to the movies. Having been rejected by the father, he turns to his mother to have her plead his case. We ingratiate ourselves with friends of the boss so that our friend will give a good word for us in hopes of a promotion.

3. In the Bible intercession is an important term. There are too many instances to mention. The Greek word translated intercession means "to go to meet a person, especially for the purpose of conversation, consultation, or supplication, to make  intercession for someone." In the Old Testament the priest offered the sacrifice for the sinner, interceding for him. In the New Testament, and particularly in the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ is the high priest who stands with the sinner and speak to God for him.

4. Just a word about the ideas of our Scripture. They may seem foreign to us. The ideas of a priesthood, or sacrifices may sound peculiar and strange. But remember this, they sound strange because you have been living in a culture highly influenced by Christian ideas in which heathen practices as well as Jewish influences on sacrifice have been eliminated. The Christian world has influenced education and we stand today with a great deal of that influence here weather one is a Christian or not. Contrast what you would be doing if you were not under Christian influence.
Suppose that the world had never heard of Christ. What would you be doing today? What kind of animal would you be sacrificing? To what God would you be praying? What kind of influence would the priest have on your life? The idea of sacrifice is well   neigh universal. All kinds of objects are sacrifice for all kinds of reasons.
This can be seen in a lessor state in the O.T. Judaism. Sacrifices were carried on up to 70 A.D. when the Temple was destroyed. Christianity did away with sacrifices.
In so doing Jesus became the intercessor of man in his relation to God.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US?

I. Jesus offered himself once for all. v. 7.
1. One of the salient points of Hebrews is that Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of men. This sacrifice is described as a final act, something he did once for all. Were it not for the gospel we would still be caught up in the act of sacrificing for our sins. This is still done in different cultures around the world. I read an account by a Presbyterian missionary to Nepal where the Buddhist priest led the people in sacrifice. On the last 3 days of a 10 day feast, the priest stand in a football like stadium and slaughter buffaloes to the goddess Durga. Hundreds of buffalos were brought and slain. By the time the days are over the priests are wallowing in a lake of
blood, up over their feet. The Buddhist devotees stand near the buffaloes on the first few days and as the warm blood gushes from the slashed animals they drink it until their stomachs are distended and they have to vomit it up. Then they drink all over again until they are saturated with blood, and they vomit it up again.

Were it not for Jesus Christ and the gospel we would be involved in all kinds of practices like this. Over against all forms of heathenism, there is the sure word of God that he gave himself once for all...for us. There is no need for further sacrifice.

II. Jesus ever lives to make intercessor...v. 24-5.

l. There is a contrast between human intercessors and that of Jesus. Human intercessors die. The story about Lincoln is an interesting portrait about a man who is dead. Lincoln can no longer help us. Jesus also died, but the witness of the Bible is that he arose from the dead and now is alive. There is a way of describing the influence of people that makes them seem alive today. Shakespeare lives on in literature and is able to inspire the minds of people. But Shakespeare is dead. Aristotle lives today because of his profound intellect expressed in his surviving works. Moses lives on because of his relation to the law of God, but none of these--Shakespeare Aristotle, or Moses, can do anything for us. We are not talking about the influence of Jesus living on. The point is--Jesus is alive--really--and is our intercessor in the presence of God.

2. The example of intercessor points up the fact that he has called us to be intercessors. lnterceding for others in prayer is enjoined upon us. This is a very intangible way of looking at our role, but it is to be done. John G. Paton, the missionary to the New Hebrides, wrote of his father‘s prayers, 'I have heard that, in long after years, the worst woman in the village of Torthorwald, then leading an immoral life, but since changed by the grace of God, was known to declare that the only thing that kept her from despair and from the hell of the suicide, was when in the dark winter nights she crept up underneath my father’s window and heard
him pleading in family worship that God would convert "the sinner from the error of wicked ways and polish him as a jewel for the Redeemers crown. "I felt," said she, "that I was a burden on the good man‘s heart, and l knew that God would not disappoint him. That thought kept me out of Hell, and  at last led me to
the only Saviour. (IB,p.672)

3. Because he lives to intercede for us, we can serve  as intercessors in the behalf of others.

III. He is able to save completely. v.2

 l. Jesus is described as being able to save to the uttermost. The RSV says that "he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God. Williams translates, "He is able to save completely any and all who come to God thru Him." When the Lord Jesus begins to do something he does it completely and fully. One of the characteristics of the Lord‘s miracles were that he did them instantly and completely. There was
no waiting around; for there were no half-way miracles.

2. When it comes to our salvation it is described in three ways:

l) He saves us from our past. The past is difficult to shake. We are great for remembering the past. I can think of sins I have committed very easily. I may see
someone or something, or reminisces about the past, and the past comes up to remind me that I sinned against God. I remind myself of my calling in Jesus Ghrist and the words of Paul are helpful: "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the  goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Ph. 3:l2)

2) He is saving us presently. Those who are believers are spoken of as "those who are being saved." 1 Cor. 1:18, speaks of the word of the cross as folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The early disciples are said to have praised God and God gave them favor with the people and the "Lord added to their number those who were being saved." (Acts 2:47)
This is important to remember when you have ups-and-downs- in your Christian life. I come to deplore and hate myself sometimes for the things I have thought or wanted to do. What a wretched creature I am. But in times like these I cling to God‘s promise that he is able to save completely, and at present his saving power is in my life.
3) We must also speak of the future with reference to God's work in saving us completely. Paul wrote to the church at the city of Rome attempting to shake them  out of their laziness and said, ” Beside this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep for salvation is near to us now than when we first believed." (Rom13:11)  Further in the book of Hebrews these words are recorded, Heb. 9:23, "So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation"
3. Jesus’ ability to save completely is reflected in what he does for our past, how we live in the present, and his coming in the future.

Concl.:
l. What we have been saying from the book of Hebrews
may he reflected in the poem I saw years ago.

I sinned. And straightway, posthaste, Satan
flew Before the present of the Most High God,
And made a railing accusation there.
He said, "This soul, this thing of clay and sod,
Has sinned. "Tis true that he has named thy name
But I demand his death, for thou hast said,
The soul that sinneth it shall die, Shall not
they sentence he fulfilled? Is justice dead?
Send now this wretched sinner to his doom
what other thing can righteous ruler do?
And thus he did accuse me day and night
And every word he spoke, oh God was true.

Then quickly one rose up from God's right hand
Before whose glory angels veiled their eyes
He spoke, Each jot and tittle of the law
must he fulfilled ; the guilty sinner dies.
But wait, suppose his guilt were all transferred
to me, and that I paid the penalty.
Behold my hands, my side, my feet, One day I
was made sin for him, and died that he
Might he presented faultless, at thy throne.
And Satan flew away. Full well he knew
That he could not prevail against such love
For every word my dear Lord spoke was true.

2. Do you know personally that Jesus Christ is your intercessor? You cannot get to God from here. Only God can come to you. Jesus has come to bridge that gap
and stands before you as the way, the truth, and the life Do you know him as Saviour? I invite you to receive him?