1. If you have been saved for any length of time, you have noticed that churches that were at one time very strong and evangelistic are now very weak and worldly. The question is inevitably asked – what went wrong?
2. There are many answers that could be given but there is one pattern that one often sees: the pastor and deacons died and the next generation dropped the ball. They were not spiritual men. They did not have the same zeal and fervor as their predecessors.
3. This was a problem in ancient Israel as well. The office of high priest periodically changed hands because of the death of the incumbents, and the ministry suffered from these inevitable interruptions (cf. 7:23).
4. But thank God there is one high priest, who the Bible says "continueth ever" and has "an unchangeable priesthood" (7:24).
5. His priesthood is never passed on to anyone else, and there is no interruption to its effectiveness. Today I would like to focus in on three aspects of the saving work of our great high priest.

I. THE POWER BY WHICH JESUS SAVES.

1. The Bible says in verse 25, "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him…" "To the uttermost" signifies the completeness of our salvation.
2. Someone put it this way:

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow could take a sheet of paper and write a poem on it and make it worth $6,000.00. That is talent.
• Rockefeller could take a piece of paper and sign his name on it and make it worth millions. That is capital.
• Uncle Sam could take an ounce of gold and stamp an eagle on it and make it worth $20.00. That is money.
• A mechanic can take material worth $5.00 and make it into an article worth $50.00. That is skill.
• A merchant can take an article worth eighty cents and put it on a counter and sell it for $1.00. That is business.
• But God can take a worthless sinner, wash him and cleanse him in the blood of Jesus, put His Holy Spirit in him and make him a blessing to humanity. That is salvation.

1. He is able to save by the power of His boundless love – "seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (vs. 25b; cf. I Tim.2:5). He is our only Mediator.
2. He is able to save by the power of His endless life – "But this man, because He continueth ever…" (vs. 24).
3. He is able to save by the power of His vicarious death (vs. 27).

• First, I pointed out that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to save by the power of His boundless love (vs. 25; cf. John 3:16; I John 3:16; 4:9,10; Rom.5:8).
• Secondly, I pointed out that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to save by the power of His endless life (vs. 24). Levitical priests came and went but the Lord Jesus "continueth ever" (vs. 24). His ministry is uninterrupted and eternal (cf. Rom.5:10).
• Thirdly, I pointed out that He is able to save by the power of His vicarious death (vs. 27).

1. Notice, it says, "this He did once" (Heb.10:10,12,14,18).
2. There is a big contrast between the high priest and our great High priest – the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not need to offer up sacrifices "for his own sins" because He was without sin – "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (vs. 26).
3. Also, He did not bring blood from animal sacrifices but "He offered up Himself" (vs. 27b; cf. 9:12-14). This brings us to my next point.

II. THE PRICE BY WHICH JESUS SAVES.

1. He "offered up Himself" (vs. 27b).
2. He died as our substitute (cf. Heb.9:27,28). Next week the Jewish passover begins – I am so glad that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb (cf. I Cor.5:7; I Peter 1:18,19; 2:24; 3:18).
3. The only price that could pay for our salvation was the precious blood of Jesus (cf. I Cor.6:20; 7:23).
4. Some religious people crawl around on their knees, some recite long prayers, some wave chickens over their heads, some have ashes smeared on their foreheads, some give away large sums of money, etc. – but none of this can ever save anyone.

III. THE PEOPLE WHOM JESUS SAVES.

1. The people Jesus saves are those "that come unto God by Him" (vs. 25). It is only "by Him" – not by the church, not by baptism, not by good works, not by Mary, not by the pope, etc. – it is only "by Him."
2. It is extensive – "them that come" ("Whosoever will may come…")
3. It is intensive – "to the uttermost" (vs. 25). The Lord Jesus Christ not only saves us from the penalty of sin but from the power of sin.
4. It is not a "partial salvation" but "to the uttermost." Some people believe that a born again Christian can "lose" his salvation. But how can that be when the Bible says that He "ever liveth to make intercession for them" (7:25b). Who are "them"? The people whom Jesus saves! Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for the unsaved!
5. Beloved, if you are saved, Christ is interceding for you right now – you are safe and secure. You need no other priest. Any other priest is a usurper and an impostor.
6. Unsaved friend, you cannot lose what you never had! I believe our churches are full of unsaved people. And after awhile, their true nature comes out and it becomes clear that they were never truly saved (cf. I Cor.11:19; I John 2:19).