Earthly and Heavenly Functions of Christ

Review of the Sacrifice of Christ

0:00 Our study in the Word of God these Lord's Day mornings represent an effort to set forth the major issues of biblical faith under the general theme, Here We Stand. Our present focus of concern is to find in the scriptures the main themes of scripture relative to the salvation which we receive and proclaim. And there would be no one who has any degree of acquaintance with the Scriptures who would debate the fact that Jesus Christ is the central figure in the salvation

0:46 set before us in the Word of God. And so for a rather lengthy period of time we have considered the mystery of this person, this one who is truly God, truly man, one person in two natures forever, and are now concerned with concentrating upon that which the scriptures tell us concerning the majesty of his offices. That is what our Lord does as a prophet, as a priest and a king in pursuit of the salvation of his people. Now the dominant emphasis of Scripture falls upon the priestly office of Christ, and in a very real sense his prophetic and kingly offices take their regulative principles from his functions as a priest.

1:39 And so we have disrupted the normal order in which these things are considered, prophet, priest, and king, to give in the very structure of our studies an honest acknowledgement of the dominant emphasis in Holy Scripture. Having established from the word of God the reality of our Lord's priestly office, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek is the language of the Bible. We then consider the essence of his sacrificial work he offered up himself in the language of Hebrews 7. Something of the accomplishments of that sacrifice.

2:19 He made an objective, penal, vicarious satisfaction for sin. And then last Lord's Day we contemplated the perfections of that sacrifice. In the language of Hebrews he has by one offering perfected forever them that are sanctified. He has offered a sacrifice again in the language of Scripture once for all.

2:43 And the whole teaching of the Word of God is that that sacrifice is perfect. There is historic objectivity, absolute finality, and intrinsic efficacy in the sacrifice of our great priest. Now this morning we move on to consider another vital aspect of the priestly functions of our Lord Jesus Christ. You will remember, some of you who were with us months ago, that at the beginning of our consideration of the priestly office of Christ, I suggested that the functions of the priest were basically two, that of oblation or sacrifice, that of intercession or presentation in the presence of God.

Rethinking the Framework: Earthly vs Heavenly Functions

3:34 However, as I have examined the biblical materials more carefully and more extensively, I believe there is a better category within which to consider the various aspects of the priestly work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so the first thing that I want to do this morning is to establish with you an accurate framework of thought with respect to the other dimensions of our Lord's priestly activity. I want to establish with you a framework of thought that will help you to contemplate the activities of Christ, your great high priest, in such a way as to do justice to all the biblical materials. Up until my more extensive study on the matter, I would have said, in keeping with what would be called traditional orthodoxy,

4:27 that the most helpful framework within which to consider the priestly functions of Christ is the framework of sacrifice and intercession, oblation and presentation. That's why I gave you that framework several months ago. However, I do not believe that that is the most accurate or helpful framework. Now, that framework is not erroneous or heretical, but it is imprecise and restricted and can actually hinder us from grasping the fuller dimensions of the glory of Christ as the great high priest of his people.

5:04 Therefore, I want to suggest that we conceive of our Lord's priestly functions as consisting in not sacrifice and intercession, but rather this category. The earthly once-for-all activities of our priest and the heavenly continuous activities of our priest. Now you see the distinction? It is no longer a distinction between sacrifice and intercession, but a distinction between activities peculiar to earth and activities peculiar to heaven.

5:44 Activities peculiar in their once for all-ness and activities peculiar for their continuous-ness. Now let's think of that for a moment. The former activities of our priest are inseparably associated with suffering, humiliation, and death. Turn please to Hebrews chapter 5.

6:14 Hebrews chapter 5. Now remember all I'm attempting to do is set before you an accurate framework within which to conceive of the priestly functions of our Lord. Speaking of our Lord, the priest, forever after the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5, 6, the writer to the Hebrews says, who, now notice the next phrase, in the days of his flesh, whatever activity he is about to describe is limited to that which he calls the days of his flesh. having offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears

7:01 unto him that was able to save from death and having been heard for his godly fear though he was a son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered and having been made perfect he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now it is not my purpose to give a detailed exposition of the passage, but simply to underscore this principle. There are certain priestly functions attached to what the writer to the Hebrews calls the days of his flesh. That is the days of his humiliation.

Earthly Functions: Suffering, Humiliation, and Death

7:47 The days of his identification with us in the likeness of sinful flesh. He still has a true humanity. But it is humanity stripped of all weakness, all suffering, all humiliation, all death. And so there were certain functions limited by suffering, humiliation, and violent death.

8:15 Those were the functions of our priest which were earthly and once for all activities never to be repeated. The same emphasis is found in Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 16. For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.

8:38 Verse 17. Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren That he might become a merciful and faithful high priest In things pertaining to God To make propitiation for the sins of the people For in that he himself hath suffered It is behind him His suffering is a historical accomplishment In that he himself hath suffered Being tempted he is able to succor them that are tempted. The suffering is behind him. His present ability to succor derives its virtue from that which occurred in the period of his humiliation.

9:27 And of course it was within this period that he offered the perfect, non-repeatable, non-extendable sacrifice because having died once, we read in Romans 6.10, Christ having died, death hath no more dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died unto sin once for all. So we must conceive of the functions of our great high priest as consisting, first of all, in a category marked by earthliness, by suffering, by humiliation, by death, and I must underscore again, everything pertaining to that phase of priestly activity is accomplished and is

10:14 behind him, never to be repeated. The agony of substitutionary death will not be repeated. The agony and suffering of temptation and humiliation will not be repeated. These are behind him.

Heavenly Functions: Glory, Exaltation, and Life

10:31 But now the second category of his priestly activity, namely the heavenly, continuous priestly functions, are associated primarily with exaltation, glory, and life. Now some of the activities began on earth in germ form. But the predominant emphasis of the Word of God is that these activities are associated by contrast not with humiliation but exaltation Not with shame but with glory Not with death but with life For instance, Hebrews 2 and verse 9. But we behold Him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death,

11:16 crowned with glory and honor. As we now conceive of our Lord, His present state is one of glory and one of honor. Whatever priestly functions He now performs, they must reflect the state of glory and the state of honor. Furthermore, Hebrews 7 and verse 25,

11:41 it's again in a context of emphasis upon His priestly activity. Verse 24, But he, because he abideth forever, hath his priesthood unchangeable. Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession. So the abiding, the continuous priestly activity, is marked no longer by death, but by life.

12:13 he ever liveth. So whatever he does as a priest, he does from a posture of exaltation and glory. He's crowned with glory and honor. He is suffused with never dying, everlasting life.

12:29 Or we could look at Hebrews chapter 10 as a final passage that emphasizes this contrast. Hebrews 10 and verse 11, And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oft times the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins. But he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. Do you see the contrast?

13:01 Whatever he is doing as a priest, he does as we contemplated last Lord's Day, from a posture of being seated, seated in expectation that he will conquer all his enemies. No longer will his enemies be permitted to conquer him, but he shall conquer them. Now let me emphasize again, though some of the activities that are described as pertaining to this heavenly, continuous, exalted state began on earth, the dominant emphasis of Scripture is, that they are the activities peculiarly associated with that state. Now, do you have the framework of thought clearly in your mind?

13:44 You say, Christ is my priest. My salvation depends upon the activity of my priest. How shall I think of his activity? If I were an Israelite, I could conceive of the activity of my priest by watching him.

13:59 I could stand there and watch him when he took the offering, when he shed its blood, when he took the body and placed it upon an altar, when he carried blood within the veil. You could rightly conceive of the activity of your priest simply by beholding that activity. But our Lord is not here in the flesh. But we have as much need to have a proper conception, even a greater need, than did an Israelite.

14:25 How then shall we think of his activity? My suggestion is, think of it in these two categories. He did certain things here upon the earth. There is an earthly activity of my high priest.

14:38 That activity was characterized by humiliation, by suffering, by death, and everything pertaining for it is behind him. It is once for all. His other activities are connected not with earth, but heaven. They are marked by glory and honor, life and exaltation, and they are not once for all activities, but they are continuous.

15:04 I don't know how to reduce it to a simpler formula than that and still be biblical. Do you have that in your mind? I trust you do. But you say, what in the world difference does it make?

No Non-Essentials in Christ's Saving Activity

15:15 My friend, listen. Oh, listen this morning. Listen carefully. There are no non-essentials in the saving activity of the Son of God.

15:23 There are no non-essentials in the saving activity of the Son of God. Every facet of His activity, as conceived in the Father's mind in eternity, as embraced by the Son of God in the covenant of redemption, as actually worked out in time, every single part of the Savior's activity is calculated to meet a specific need in specific sinners who commit specific sins against a real God and a real law, and we need real forgiveness, real deliverance, real consolation, real succoring, and the real ministry of a real priest.

16:12 And therefore we only impoverish our own souls if we have the spirit of those Hebrews to whom the writer had to say, I have many things to say concerning Christ as a priest, some of which are hard of interpretation. Why? Seeing ye are become dull of hearing. And then he reproves them for their inability to go beyond general notions of the priesthood of Christ.

16:44 He does not make it a mark of spirituality that they've maintained the simplicity of their faith. He castigates them as a mark of carnality that they're unprepared to go on and to push into a richer, fuller understanding of the glory of their Melchizedekan priest. Therefore, if there is any indisposition in your heart this morning, it is not a mark of superior spirituality. It is a mark of carnality.

17:12 And I commend you a careful reading of Hebrews 5, 11 through 14 as a buttress of that assertion. Well then, having attempted to set before you this framework within which we can rightly concede of the priestly activities of our Lord, in the second place, what I want to do this morning is to establish the fact and the nature of the heavenly priestly activity. We've looked at the earthly priestly activity, primarily one of obedience leading to the sacrifice upon Golgotha. Now what we want to do is to turn our attention to this second sphere of our priest and his glorious activity.

17:57 We want to establish the fact and the nature of his heavenly priestly activity. Now I wrestled with how to do this. As I delved into this matter and saw that there were aspects concerning which I have been woefully ignorant and in a sense just parroted those who have gone before me in saying sacrifice and intercession,

18:19 Should we take these things one by one in detail? And I said, no, I find it more helpful when I'm coming to new territory to go by it rather quickly at once to get an overview, and then when I feel I see the thing in its wholeness, then to go back in greater detail. We've used the illustration of going by a beautiful piece of scenery at 60 miles an hour in which you catch just the outstanding features, then you go back by the same scenery on foot and can pause and look at the particular delights that would meet your eyes. Well, we're going by at 60 miles an hour this morning, and I want to suggest, as we look at a number of scriptures, that the fact and nature of our Lord's heavenly priestly activity can be understood in the following ways.

Heavenly Function One: Sympathetic Assistance

19:06 Number one, Hebrews chapter 2, verses 16 to 18. Now you'll notice the contrast. He hath suffered, past tense, he is able. He hath suffered, he is able to succor.

19:25 The suffering is behind him, and in its place there is now this sympathetic assistance to the needy. And that's how I'm describing this first element of our Lord's heavenly, continuous, priestly activity. It is an activity of sympathetic assistance to the needy. For that's what it means to succor.

19:50 It means to respond to someone's cry for help. And here we have the picture of the needy people of God crying for help. And here is a priestly activity that is not Godward, but is manward. Now you remember I made the statement early in this series that a priest activity was primarily Godward.

20:11 And that's true. But there is something richer than that. There is a manward dimension of priestly function. And here it is emphasized as the succoring of our great high priest.

20:23 And the parallel to this is, of course, Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 14. Having then a great high priest who hath passed through the heavens, that's where he now is, Jesus the Son of God, Let us hold fast our confession, for we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one that hath been, it's behind him, hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near. You see the emphasis? He is now in the glory, but he came there by way of suffering, suffering the temptation similar to our state, and he has brought with him into heaven what one writer has called a reservoir of human sympathy brought out in the crucible of his own temptations.

21:20 And so he now ministers what? Sympathetic assistance to the needy. Now that's not intercession. That's why I say it is too constricting to say that his heavenly ministry is purely intercession.

Heavenly Function Two: Prevailing Intercession

21:35 Intercession has reference to his activity Godward. Here this sympathetic assistance to the needy is manward. But we must hurry and keep it 60 miles an hour. The second element of his heavenly priestly activity and we going to go back in weeks ahead and enlarge upon these is what I am entitling his prevailing intercession Hebrews 7 and verse 25.

22:02 Hebrews 7 and verse 25. Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Here is an explicit reference to the heavenly ministry of our high priest as consisting not exclusively, but surely and really in the ministry of intercession. Possibly Romans 8.34 is a parallel.

22:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. How am I to conceive of my Lord's present continuous heavenly ministry? A ministry shrouded in glory and honor.

Heavenly Function Three: Authoritative Administration

22:54 It is a ministry of extending sympathetic assistance to the needy. It is a ministry of prevailing intercession. But thirdly, now Hebrews chapter 3, it's a ministry of authoritative administration. Hebrews 3 verse 1.

23:12 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider, think upon, contemplate the apostle and high priest of our confession, even Jesus, who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house. For he hath been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by so much as he that built the house hath more honor than the house. For every house is builded by someone, but he that built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all his houses, a servant for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken, but Christ as a Son over his house, whose house we are,

23:57 If we hold fast, our boldness and the glory of our hope firm to the end. But now bring together these two lines of thought. Contemplate the high priest of our confession, and in what way are we to contemplate him? Well, there's a contrast.

24:16 We are to contemplate Him not as Moses who was the earthly human head of the household of God in the old economy, but we are to contemplate the divine Son of God who as our high priest is the head over His house, the church. But it is a priest who is head over His house. And therefore we are to consider our Lord in His heavenly, continuous priestly functions, not only giving sympathetic assistance to the needy, not only offering up prevailing intercession, but as exercising authoritative administration in the church.

Heavenly Function Four: Effectual Vindication

25:01 But it's the administration of our great high priest. God willing, we shall enlarge upon that in subsequent studies. But then, notice the emphasis of Hebrews 9.24.

25:14 It's what I'm calling the ministry of effectual vindication. Effectual vindication. To vindicate means to clear from criticism, blame, or guilt. How shall the people of God be cleared from criticism and blame or guilt?

25:31 For they still sin, they fail, they dishonor their Lord. Well, we have another priestly function of our blessed Lord. We read in Hebrews 9.24, For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands like in pattern to the true, but into heaven itself now to appear before the face of God for us nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place year by year with blood not his own else must he have often suffered since the foundation of the world etc.

26:10 I only read on to show you that it's a priestly context and it is as our priest that he now does what? It doesn't say he intercedes It doesn't say he pleads. It says he simply appears before the face of God for us. Well, what's he appear there for?

26:30 Oh, dear child of God, I can't wait to come to this study in detail when we go back at walking speed. But the essence of the teaching is this. Our Lord in his glorified person is the living embodiment of all the virtue of his own work in the period of humiliation and suffering. By His presence at the right hand of the Majesty on high, He, in that posture, is the one who vindicates His people, clears them of every bit of blame or guilt in a legal sense, so that every accusation that can be brought against us, He is our great advocate.

27:11 The parallel concept in Scripture would surely be 1 John 2, and verses 1 and 2. My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not, but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one. And he, now notice, he is the propitiation. Well, I thought he made the propitiation in the days of his humiliation.

27:37 Well, he did. But he is propitiation. He embodies in himself all the virtue of his own death on behalf of his people. And so there is something broader and richer, shall I say, than mere intercession.

Heavenly Function Five: Acceptable Presentation

27:55 There is effectual vindication answering all the accusations of the enemy on behalf of his people. And then finally, his activity must be conceived of as that which I am calling acceptable presentation. Notice the emphasis of Hebrews 13. What is our great high priest doing in his heavenly activity?

28:19 We read in Hebrews 13, 15 again, a priestly context. Verse 10, we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle. Jesus is then pictured as both priest and offering who has suffered for us. Now we read verse 15, Through Him, there's the key, Through Him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of lips which make confession to His name.

28:52 Peter's words are the best commentary upon this. 1 Peter 2 and verse 5, Ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house to be a royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through your sincerity? No. Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

29:16 Do you see the emphasis? How is it that our exercises of praise and worship and adoration find any acceptance with God? Certainly not for anything that is in them apart from Christ. Our most fervent prayers have enough sin in them to deserve damnation ten times over.

29:42 Through Him let us offer the sacrifice of praise Acceptable to God through Him What does our High Priest do? Our High Priest takes all of our acts of worship All of our drawing near to God All of the expressions of service And He as it were clothes them in His own mediation And makes acceptable presentation not only of our persons, but all of our activities to the Father. This then is what I suggest is something of how we ought to conceive of the heavenly priestly activity of our blessed Lord,

30:28 an activity that involves sympathetic succoring of His people, prevailing intercession, authoritative administration of the house of God, effectual vindication of the people of God, acceptable presentation of all of their worship and service. And some of you have already seen the distinction in these things. Some are Godward activities, intercession, vindication. Some are manward activities, the succoring, the sympathetic identity with His people.

Godward and Manward Relationships Between Earthly and Heavenly

31:02 And is not that the description we have of an able priest in Hebrews 5? Look at it. Hebrews 5, verses 1 and 2, For every high priest being taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. There is the Godward activity of the priest, gifts and offerings and sacrifices.

31:27 But verse 2, Who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring, for that he himself is compassed with infirmity, And there is the priest in his manward activity. And blessed be God that our Lord Jesus, in his heavenly glorified state, carries on those ministries, both Godward and manward. Now, as we conclude our study this morning, having set before you what I hope will be a helpful framework within which to conceive of his priestly activity both upon earth and in heaven, having gone by quickly and looked at these five dimensions of his continuous priestly function,

32:14 will you notice as we conclude our study this morning the inseparable relationship between the earthly and the heavenly priestly functions.

32:25 Notice, though they are distinct, they are inseparable. Now here's the principle. The Godward activities all rest upon the sacrifice once made. All of the Godward activities in heaven now, the vindication of every claim against his people, the presentation of all of the offerings of his people the answering of all the claims of justice against his people all of the present Godward activities of the priest rests down upon the earthly once for all accomplishments of the priest.

33:04 It's on the ground of the sacrifice once made that all his work of intercession and vindication is carried on in heaven. But furthermore, all of the manward dimensions of his priestly ministry also are tied to the earthly experiences of the priest. He hath suffered upon earth. He is able to suffer from heaven.

33:32 You see then, the two aspects of his priestly functions are insincorable. The Godward aspects take their reference point from the once-for-all sacrifice. The manward dimensions of priestly function have their roots in all the agony and the suffering and the pain in the period of his humiliation. And though it is right and necessary for us to think of our great high priest carrying on his work in two distinct spheres, earthly, once for all, suffering, humiliation, temptation, and death, heavenly, glory, exaltation, life, it is right to think in those categories.

34:18 We must never separate what God has joined. For all that He now does in the glory is based upon what He performed and experienced while here upon earth. Now you see why Christians are so insistent upon the accuracy of biblical history. Our salvation is rooted in history.

34:40 Our Lord came to a point in His own earthly experience where the inducement to sin was real. That's why the Scripture says he suffered being tempted. He learned obedience through suffering. When the path of obedience meant suffering, our Lord and His humanity recoiled as we recoiled.

35:01 And what a wonderful thing to come now to a priest who's there in heaven, who has this reservoir of sympathy. And I can say, Lord Jesus, Your Word makes plain that this is what I must do as a man, as a father, as a mother, as a citizen, as a neighbor. Here's the path of duty, but Lord, I feel pain will come if I go down that path. What consolation to know.

35:25 He hath suffered being tempted. Therefore, he is able to suffer. Well, we must hold off any dilating on that theme until we come to it. But I do want you to see for your own profit the inseparable relationship between the earthly and the heavenly priestly functions.

35:45 And then notice, secondly, the end in view with all of these functions. What is the end in view? Nothing less than the well-being and ultimate salvation of all of his people. Why does he intercede that he might serve to the uttermost?

36:02 Well, until that salvation comes to the uttermost and we are glorified, what do we need in the meantime? We need someone who can minister to us in this mixed state where we are such a perplexing bunch of people who one moment are fervent in our love and the other is cold as ice. One moment determined with holy resolve to follow our Lord no matter what comes. In the next moment, like vacillating Peter's, we deny him.

36:33 Oh, what do we need? We need a priest who can bear with the ignorant in the earring And so the end of all these priestly functions is the present well-being and the ultimate preservation of all the people of God. And then thirdly, dear child of God, do you see the extent to which we are dependent upon Christ? We are not only to look back to the once for all perfect sacrifice made by our high priest, But we are to look up to Him at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Application: Dependence on Christ and Estimation of Him

37:09 We are to lead by faith as well as be justified by faith. You see, God has so designed His salvation that every part of it from beginning to end comes to us in the context of living dependence upon the living Lord. Oh may God forgive us that we have such low thoughts of our Savior and therefore live so much in unbelief and vacillation. And then finally let me say the most telling truth about any person in the light of all of this is his estimation of Christ.

37:54 The most revealing thing about any person sitting in this building today is your estimation of Christ. The Scripture says, We are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit of glory in Christ Jesus. Why does a Christian delight to know that His Lord not only offered a once-for-all sacrifice to satisfy the claims of divine justice? Why is a Christian not content to say, Oh, I'm on the grounds of that sacrifice.

38:21 I'm fixed up forever, now let me get on to other things. Because the same Spirit who has brought him to faith in Christ and in that sacrifice has given him a sight of the glory of Christ. And he is never more at home than when he is consciously feeding upon and glorying in Jesus Christ the Lord. What is your estimation of Christ?

38:45 I did not ask, what is your theological propositions about Him? What is your heart's estimation of Him? Can you gladly say, O God, it is my delight to know that my salvation from beginning to end rests upon the activities of my great priest. And O Lord, I have no feeling of resentment that I've discovered this morning that I'm more dependent upon him than I ever realized.

39:13 Lord, it's my joy to know that I need him more than I ever knew I needed him. And Lord, I gladly consent from the heart that Christ shall be to me as my high priest in my understanding. All that he has been in reality, has that been the response of your heart?

39:33 If so, that's a good sign that you're in Christ and you belong to him. But if all this has left you with a feeling of, well, so what? Oh, my dear friend, it's a sure mark that you're a stranger to his grace. Dear children of God, to grow in grace is to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.

39:54 To know Him more accurately is to love Him more fervently. To love Him more fervently is to obey Him more diligently. I conclude with the statement with which I began last Lord's Day. Let thy soul grow big while meditating on the usefulness and the excellency of Christ.

40:15 Let thy soul grow big while meditating, not just hearing, but go home today and meditate upon the excellency and usefulness of Christ, particularly in his high priestly heavenly activities on behalf of needy sinners who come unto God by him. God willing in subsequent weeks we'll go back maybe take two a week I'm not sure I don't know because as I say it's opened up some new dimensions of truth to me and when I pause to examine them I may see things today I hope I do tomorrow that I didn't see today and if they are profitable to my own soul I trust by the grace and help of God

Closing Prayer

41:01 to pass them on in such a way as they shall prove profitable to your soul as well let us pray Our Father, we confess this morning that we are astounded that you have gone to such pains to make such lavish provisions for such unworthy sinners. Oh God, why? Why, Lord, we confess that we stand confused before the sheer light and glory of that which is ours in Christ.

41:52 Oh, forgive our dullness.

41:56 We believe you would say to us as you said to your ancient people, I have written unto them the ten thousand things of my law, but they have counted them a strange thing. Oh, God, forgive us. Forgive us, forgive us, we pray. We confess that we sin when we think low and unworthy thoughts of you and of your salvation in Christ.

42:21 Expand, we pray, our capacity to understand. Deepen our love, increase our hunger to know Him who alone is our Savior. And, Father, have mercy upon those whose estimation of Christ is proven by the days that they live, the weeks and months in which they live, utterly indifferent to His claims and to His glory, to His fellowship. O Lord, have mercy upon them, that they may by the Spirit discover a loveliness in Christ that will ravish their hearts and cause them to give themselves without reserve to Him.

43:05 Seal your word to our hearts. Sanctify this day. O Lord, be with us. And may we all know something of the power of the resurrection of Christ operative in us this day.

43:19 Hear our prayers and receive our thanks. We plead in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

43:34 Thank you.