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Exhortation December 27, 2020 Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 7:23-28 to the Uttermost Gentle and Lowly- the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers Dane Ortlund

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Exhortation December 27, 2020 Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 7:23-28 to the Uttermost Gentle and Lowly- the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers Dane Ortlund Exhortation December 27, 2020 Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 7:23-28 To the Uttermost Gentle and Lowly- The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers Dane Ortlund I. What is Christ doing NOW- Real Time? a. Neglected doctrine- The heavenly intercession of Christ, what he is doing NOW. b. There is much written on what Christ DID in his life, death, and resurrection to save us. c. For many of us, our functional Jesus is not really doing anything now; all of our salvation has been accomplished. d. We will consider Christ’s heavenly intercession, not only because it is neglected, but it is a part of Christ’s work that is uniquely reflective of his heart. II. Consider Justification and its relation to intercession a. To be justified is to be declared perfectly righteous in Christ. b. We are declared right with God not once we get our act together, but an honest acknowledgement that we never will. c. But this has happened in the past. “Therefore, since we have been justified...” Romans 5:1. d. Consider intercession- Christ’s heart is a steady reality flowing through time. The present manifestation of his heart for his people is his constant interceding on their behalf. III. What is Intercession? a. Christ intercedes between us and the Father, but why? Was something left incomplete in our justification? Isn’t it the FINISHED work of Christ? b. ANSWER: Intercession applies what the atonement accomplished. c. It is a reflection of the fullness and victory and completeness of his earthly work, not a reflection of anything lacking in his earthly work. d. Tying justification and intercession - Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34 e. Christ’s intercession shows how profoundly personal our rescue is. Christ’s heart now manifests itself in constant pleading with and reminding and prevailing upon his Father to always welcome us. f. This does not mean the Father is reluctant to embrace us, or that the Son has a more loving disposition toward us than the Father. The Son’s heart is full toward us and thus intercedes for us. The Father’s deepest delight is to say yes to the Son’s pleading on our behalf. g. The intercession of Christ is his heart connecting our heart to the Father’s heart. IV. Hebrews 7:25 a. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” b. “to the uttermost” is one Greek word denoting comprehensiveness, completeness, exhaustive wholeness. c. We are the uttermost sinners who need the uttermost Savior. d. What do we do sometimes? Do we not find within ourselves an unceasing low- grade impulse to strengthen our saving faith through our own contributions? e. Because Jesus holds his priesthood permanently and continues forever unlike previous priests who died, Christ is able to save to the uttermost. f. God’s forgiving, redeeming, restoring touch reaches down into the darkest crevices of our souls, those places where we are most ashamed, most defeated. These are the places where Christ loves us the most. His heart willingly goes there. His heart is most strongly drawn there. He knows us to the uttermost, because his heart is drawn out to us to the uttermost. We cannot sin our way out of his tender care. His heavenly intercession is the reason we know that he will save us to the uttermost. g. The divine Son never ceases to bring his atoning life, death, and resurrection before his Father in a moment-by-moment way. “Christ turns the Father’s eyes to his own righteousness to avert his 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.” (Calvin) h. Christ continues intercession on our behalf because we fail here on earth by still sinning. He does not forgive us through his work on the cross and then hope we make it the rest of the way. (Picture a plane towing a glider, but never letting go of the glider.) i. Jesus is praying for you right NOW! j. “It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life” (Berkhof). What if you heard Jesus praying for you in the next room? Would that not be comforting? V. Conclusion a. If you are in Christ, you have an intercessor, a present-day mediator, one who is happily celebrating with his Father the abundant reason for both to embrace you into their deepest heart. (Cf Sibbes). b. Our sinning goes to the uttermost. But his saving grace goes to the uttermost. And his saving always outpaces and overwhelms our sinning, because he always lives to intercede for us. .
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