Hebrews Chapter 10 (part 1)

Hebrews Chapter 10:1-18

vs. 1-4

- “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.”

- The Mosaic law demanded a sacrifice every year. Never did the sacrifices provide a real cleansing or purification... it was only good for a year... then they had to come and do it all over again. “If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

- The main idea I want to point out here is about our guilt.

- There was a time in my life when I hit rock bottom in my faith. I had walked away from God... and He let me go... and life got miserable real fast...

- But when I finally broke down and cried out to God... He came running... and the great thing was grace...

- Now I know me. I sit and think about all my mistakes and go over them and over them time and again trying to figure out how I could have fixed them. It's just how my brain works. In my teaching, it comes in handy when I'm trying to find a better way to teach a lesson or something. In my music, it comes in handy when I have a short time to practice something.

- However, in general life... it can make life miserable. And I try my hardest not to sit and pick my life apart... it doesn't do any good... and usually just makes me more miserable.

- So... knowing that about myself... when I broke down and cried out to God... I was feeling the guilt. And even in the middle of turning to God... I was walking into this place of self-condemnation. “Oh God... You could never want me... there's no reason for me to turn to You because I've done all these things against You. I walked away and pushed You away and did all these things... I don't deserve to be able to come back. I don't deserve to be held like this...”

- And in the middle of all that... Grace took over... and you know... all those things that I would normally beat myself up about? I don't remember them. Not really. I remember that they happened. I remember that I did them. I remember walking away and telling God I didn't want Him in my life... but I don't remember it like I lived it. It's like watching a movie about somebody else's life. I have no REAL connection to the story. It's like I never lived it. Just know about it.

- So... the sacrifices. Yearly offerings to stave off God's anger... but they didn't relieve guilt. Man! I don't think I could have lived with that!

- It's like a murderer who feels guilty for what he has done and so he sends money or something to the family anonymously every year... hoping that giving something up will make him feel better. However... he's still as guilty as ever. He's still responsible for taking a life. He's not any less guilty. He might feel a little better for a little while... but I guarantee that there are times when it feels almost stifling because he can't escape the guilt.

- Sacrifices were a band-aid on a gashing, gaping wound. It may have covered up the problem... it may have even looked like it fixed it... but underneath... the same problem sat and bled...

- So what is the cure? What fixes the problem? Is there a solution?

- II Corinthians 3:4-18

- Luke 22:14-20

- Colossians 2:6-3:17

- Galatians 3; 4; 5

vs. 5-10

- vs 5-7 are quoted from Psalm 40.

- “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do Your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.'”

- Christ came to be the ultimate sacrifice. He came to end our suffering. To end our guilt.

- “First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were You pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, “Look, I have come to do You will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

- Now why would God set up a sacrificial system and then say that He wasn't pleased with it. Why do something like that and then decide it's not good enough?

- Throughout the Old Testament... there can be found a theme. “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” The sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come. It was a pattern. It was to get the people used to the fact that something else had to die for their sins in order for there to be forgiveness. It was so they would learn that in all things... even down to the small things, they were to be obedient. And it was to definitely learn... that people are not perfect. They can't do anything perfect. And they are most definitely not holy. They have no right (outside of Christ) to enter into the Most Holy Place or speak before God. They have no right to ask anything from God.

- God set up the system so that when Christ came... they would look back through history and go “OH! It all makes sense now! I understand! Yes! The Messiah has come to set us free from our sins! He has come to be the ultimate sacrifice! He has come not for our earthly freedom, but for our SPIRITUAL freedom! Hallelujah!”

- But that's... not what they did. There were a few. Sure. But the majority had let the religion, get in the way of faith.

- I Samuel 15:22-23

- Psalm 40; 51

- Jeremiah 7:21-29

- Hosea 6:4-11

- Amos 5:18-27

- Micah 6:3-8

- Matthew 9:9-13

- The Hosea reference above said something about Israel betraying God's trust just as Adam did. God wanted the people to know Him. To understand Him. But instead... they turned back to their own idols... again... and again... and again... They broke the covenant so many times... and God would renew the covenant... and they would break it. A never-ending cycle.

vs.11-18

- In Leviticus 20:26, God said “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.”

- A couple places in Leviticus when He's talking about things that were ceremonially unclean and things that they needed to stay away from, God made that statement.

- Now... as many times as God renewed the covenant and the temple was in good working order and there was a priest there who loved God and longed to serve God... the people were never holy. They always turned back to their sin... and many times... they tried to appease God, while still worshiping their idols. Not the way of a holy life...

- The people could never reach that goal. As humans... we are not holy creatures. We are born into sin... there's no way out of it...

- Except... through Christ. Through the blood of Christ... we can be made holy.

- “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”

- Who's being made holy? Us. Through Christ living and dwelling and working in us.

- Last night we had a youth meeting at our house, and dad's lesson was on the clay and the potter. And my brother brought up a different point...

- My brother is an art major... so he's had to do a little bit of everything... pottery being one thing... He's not good at it. Lol He has a horrible time getting the shapes that he wants...

- But one thing that he learned while doing that class, was that you could keep both hands on the outside of the clay. If you keep both hands outside... then the vessel you're trying to make, just makes a round ball... and when you put something like that in the kiln to fire it... as soon as it gets hot... it explodes...

- So a potter... in order to get the vessel to shape the way they want it to... has to keep one hand on the outside working... and one hand on the inside working...

- God is making a holy people... but the old covenant... dealt mostly with the outward man... The new covenant, changes us from the inside out. Making us holy... starting with our hearts and spirits... not our bodies...

- “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, Says the Lord: I will put my laws int their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.... I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

- “And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”

- Okay think about that last statement for a second... the old covenant didn't forgive sins completely. It just held off judgment. The new covenant however... FORGIVES. Completely.

- Wow... what a thought.

- footnote- “The costly sacrifice of an animal's life impressed upon the sinner the seriousness of his or her own sin before God. Because Jesus shed His own blood for us, His sacrifice is infinitely greater than any Old Testament offering. Considering the immeasurable gift He gave us, we should respond by giving Him our devotion and service.”

- Romans 2:12-11:36

- Jeremiah 31:31-34

- Ephesians 4:17-5:20

Hebrews Chapters 8 and 9

Hebrews Chapter 8 and 9

vs. 8:1-5; 9:1-15

- “Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There, He ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.”

- There is a temple in heaven. The Tabernacle plan that was given to Moses in the wilderness, was a replica of the Tabernacle in heaven. It was to be a mirror.

- “And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If He were here on earth, He would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning. “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

- We're moving over to chapter 9 for a minute...

- The first 10 verses are explaining the old covenant worship. The purification process, the order of things and the placement of objects in the temple.

- “That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron's staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark's cover, the place of atonement.... When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use. This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established.”

- Once a year, the priest would go in that inner room and use the blood to cleanse himself and the people. Now, the important piece of furniture here is the mercy seat or the atonement cover (whichever your translation uses.) The mercy seat sat on or covered the ark of the covenant. Once a year, the priest would go into the Most Holy Place, and he would take the blood and wipe it onto the east side of the mercy seat. In Jewish theology, the east side was the judgment side. So when they sprinkled the blood on the east side, it was to stave off judgment.

- Now, when Christ died and went to heaven... it was as that perfect sacrifice. If everything in the earthly Tabernacle was a mirror of the heavenly Tabernacle, then we can assume that the mercy seat was also in heaven.

- “So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With His own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”

- Christ walked in to the Most Holy Place... and put HIS blood on the mercy seat to stave off judgment. The perfect sacrifice. The perfect salvation. The perfect plan.

- “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why He is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.”

- Think about it... God... before He created anything, set a plan in motion... that would require HIM to sacrifice Himself... for us. For His creation. He set up a system that would require HIM to give something up.

- How many of us would do that, given the chance? Would we set up anything at all that required us to give something up? Required a sacrifice on our part? We are such selfish creatures... created by the most Selfless being in all of history... Our God... loves with abandon. Loved us so much, to set up the system so that we could SEE how much He loved us. So that the only way for us to be saved from our own sinful selves... is to see how much He loves us. And accept that He loves us enough to feel pain, to be humiliated, to die a human death... Do any of us love to that extent?

- Revelation 5; 15

- Exodus 40:20-21

- Leviticus 16:3-22

- Colossians 2:8-23

vs. 8:6-7

- “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it....”

- Now... the first covenant, was a shadow of what was to come. The Tabernacle, all the things in it, the sacrifices, they all had meaning. Down to the measurements of the building. Everything had a meaning behind the purpose. (It would fill books to try and explain it all...)

- The law was given largely to show the people how much they needed something better. They couldn't ever measure up. Every time there was sin... they had to come to the temple to make a sacrifice to cover the sin. At the end of the year, they had to make a sacrifice to cover all the sins that they'd committed... that they didn't realize that they'd committed...

- If nothing else... it was to show the people that they couldn't save themselves... no matter what they did...

- It was also a living out of what was to come. They got in the habit of accepting the blood sacrifice for their sins. Of having to go ask someone else to offer up a sacrifice for their sin... because they couldn't do it on their own...

- The old covenant... was like training wheels on a bike. You're still pedaling. You're still learning to steer and make the bike go forward... but... you're not totally on your own. You're still completely dependent on those training wheels to make sure you stay standing.

- The new covenant, was like taking those training wheels off. It's no longer just about following all the rules. It was about maintaining a balance of rules and relationship. You can't depend on the training wheels anymore... they're not going to hold you up. You have to depend on your balance. You have to depend on your relationship with God. Sure part of that relationship is still following the rules... but as your relationship deepens... the rules... get easier. They don't feel so much like rules anymore... they're more like... things you do or don't do because you love God... not because He dictates them to you...

- II Corinthians 3:4-4:7

- I Corinthians 11:23-26

- Mark 14:22-26

vs. 8:8-13

- These verses are quoted from Jeremiah 31.

- “But when God found fault with the people, He said: “The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make anew covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them our of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the Lord.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.”

- A covenant was made for generations... until somebody broke it. God held up His end of the deal... however... the children of Israel walked away from the covenant time after time. And time after time, God would renew the covenant. He would go to the people, turn them around and restore the covenant. How many times did the new high priest or the new judge, go through the land and tear out all the idols and renew the temple worship... only to have the people turn again to their idols in the next generation?

- So finally God said “Enough! I'm letting you go! But I'm not abandoning you... No... Instead, I will make a NEW covenant with the people. One that will be not based on your actions... not based on how good you are... but rather... on your heart. I'm not writing out laws on paper or stone. I'm not writing it out so you can see it... I'm writing it out on your hearts. In your consciences. I'm putting my Spirit in you so that my law will come more naturally. You'll be constantly reminded of right and wrong in a different way. Not by a law... not by ceremony... not by other people watching your actions... but by My Spirit communing with yours. I will forgive all your sins and they will never be remembered again. There will be a new sacrifice... one that will wash the sins away... not just cover them up temporarily. I will be your God and you will be My people...”

- Jeremiah 31; 32

vs. 9:16-28

- “Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person's death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.”

- A will is a document that is read after you die. In it, you state what you want done with all your properties or possessions after you have died. If you wish to leave your house to your son or daughter, then you would make sure that you put that in the will.

- However, writing the document does not mean that it goes into effect right then. The Will only goes into effect once you have died. I mean... if you made a Will and it went into effect right then... WOO! Wouldn't that be a mess... Turning assets over to your kids when they're only 5 years old? Haha...

- But anyway... so once you have died, your Will goes into effect.

- “That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God's commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you. And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness [of sin]. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals.”

- The blood is the key. Without death, the will can't go into effect. God's plan, can't go into action. The first covenant went into effect with the blood of animals. The second covenant... the better covenant, went into effect upon the death of God's own Son. HIS blood, HIS death, brought about the new covenant.

- footnote- “When the people sacrificed animals, God considered the people's faith and obedience, cleansed them from sin, and made them ceremonially acceptable according to Old Testament law. But Christ's sacrifice transforms our lives and hearts and makes us clean on the inside. His sacrifice is infinitely more effective than animal sacrifices. No barrier of sin or weakness on our part can stifle His forgiveness.”

- Side note on Christ as High Priest. When Christ died on the cross, the veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple, was ripped in half. This was no simple task... “Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.”- http://www.the-tabernacle-place.com/tabernacle_articles/tabernacle_holy_of_holies.aspx

- Christ's death meant no more middle men. Christ went in to the Most Holy Place to place the perfect blood on the mercy seat.... for the last time. There is no more sacrifice... and no more mediation by men. Christ is now our permanent mediator. He sits at the Father's right hand and mediates whenever we need Him to... not just when we do good things... or not just when we deserve it... And we don't have to bring Him an animal to do it. He does it because He loves us... unconditionally.

- “For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And He did not enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began, But now, once for all time, He has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes the judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.”

- One time deal. Perfect. No need to continually offer up a sacrifice. Christ paid the ultimate price. He paid off the loan. We are no longer in debt to our sin. There's no more need for a payment. It's been paid off. The only debt we now owe, is a debt of gratitude.

- I Peter 3:18

- I John 1:5-10

- I Timothy 2:3-6

Hebrews Chapter 7

Hebrews Chapter 7

vs. 1-3

- Melchizedek. The mystery man... lol

- So we talked about Melchizedek a little a week or two ago. So some of this may be a little review...

- The last verse in chapter 6 says that Jesus became our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

- “Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.” There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.”

- In looking at Christ as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, there's a few things about Melchizedek to consider.

1. He was a man with no earthly history. He had no record of ancestry. (Which was odd in a time where ancestry was of such high importance.)

2. He was a king who ruled in peace and justice.

3. He was a respected High Priest.... without an ordination... He came before the law... By the time Christ came along, you couldn't be a priest without an ordination by certain people... Christ was ordained not by man... but by God... just as Melchizedek was. He had no earthly ordination.

4. And he was a leader who demanded respect, not by his wrath or by his strong hand... but by who he was and what he had done. The kind of man he was.

- Is that not a mirror of our Christ?

- Genesis 14:17-24

- Romans 5:18-21

vs. 4-10

- “Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. “

- footnote- “The writer uses this story from Genesis 14:18-20 to show that Christ is even greater than Abraham, father of the Jewish nation, and Levi (Abraham's descendant). Therefore, the Jewish priesthood (made up of Levi's descendants) was inferior to Melchizedek's priesthood (a type of Christ's priesthood).”

- So... since Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, then the law and covenant made with the Levites as to the priesthood, was also inferior to the priesthood of the one who was greater than Abraham in the beginning... Thus, Christ has a priesthood that is greater than the earthly priesthood of the Levites as a priest like unto Melchizedek.

- “The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.”

- So Melchizedek, because he has no known beginning or end, is greater than the men who are known to die. And if an ancestor made a covenant or treaty with someone, then their descendants were also held to the same agreement. So when Abraham paid the tithe... it was as if Levi and all his descendants also paid the tithe... so they, as well as Abraham, were inferior to Melchizedek.

- Yet again, this is a way to prove that Christ's priesthood is superior to that of the Levites.

- Hebrews 9:1-10:18

vs. 11-14

- “So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? And if the priesthood changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.”

- footnote- “Jesus' high-priestly role was superior to that of any priest of Levi, because the Messiah was a priest of a higher order (Psalm 110:4). If the Jewish priests and their laws had been able to save people, why would God need to send Christ as a priest, who came not from tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe) but from the tribe of Judah? The animal sacrifices had to be repeated, and they offered only temporary forgiveness; but Christ's sacrifice was offered once, and it offers total and permanent forgiveness. Under the new covenant, the Levitical priesthood was canceled in favor of Christ's role as High Priest. Because Christ is our High Priest, we need to pay attention to Him. No minister, leader, or Christian friend can substitute for Christ's work and for His role in our salvation.”

- With the change of priesthood, came a change of law. The first law, was based on the priesthood of the Levites and was dependent upon their carrying out of the animal sacrifices as well as all the purity rites. The second law, under Christ, is based upon His priesthood, and His one-time sacrifice... and on Grace. Forget trying to maintain our own cleanliness or purity... earthly works... just don't cut it anymore...

- Had Christ come from the tribe of Levi... things may have been looked at a little differently... as it is, because the priesthood changed, there was also a sacrificial law change.

vs. 15-25

- “This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.”

- Christ was made High Priest because of His power... not because of His earthly lineage. His resurrection from the dead, gave Him the right to become that High Priest.

- “Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. This new system was established with a solemn oath...”

- The old law was there to show the people their need for something more. It was the schoolmaster, teaching them of their shortcomings and need for a savior. They were never able to meet the requirements... not fully anyway. There was always a need for something more. Something else they had to strive for. And they never matched up.

- Christ's sacrifice however, made it so we COULD measure up. He split the veil... we now have access to His presence. We have been washed clean and pure by HIS blood... and we don't have to worry about our previous sins. They've been washed away. And God promised. He made an oath.

- “Aaron's descendants became priests without such an oath, but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to Him, “The Lord has taken an oath and will not break His vow; 'You are a priest forever.'” Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.”

- Our relationship with God is not dependent upon someone else's relationship with God. Nor does it depend upon the life-span of that person.

- In Sunday School we were talking this morning about Moses and the kind of man that he was and the kind of leader he was for the people of Israel. The people of Israel kind of depended on Moses to tell them how their relationship was going with God... because they didn't have any personal relationship with Him. When Moses died... Joshua took over... can you imagine that time period? Knowing that their Spiritual leader was now gone... and somebody new was taking over the people's relationship with God... that had to be a little scary...

- Thank God we don't have to depend on Moses anymore... Our salvation and relationship aren't dependent on somebody whose life is fleeting. Our salvation and relationship depend on a God Who is forever.

- “There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.”

- Forever! If a priest's relationship with God was flawed by sin... then the people usually followed the priest's lead... and the people fell into sin. And if a priest was sinning... he couldn't go before God to advocate for the people.

- and if there happened to be a godly priest? Well... eventually he was going to have to turn the office over to somebody else... whether he wanted to or not... because a little thing called death would get in the way... Just as the priesthood only lasted as long as the priest was alive... so the sacrifice only lasted a little while... It covered the past sin... but not the future or the present... so there was a constant cycle of sacrifice because once just didn't do it.

- But Christ... He lives forever! And He is ALWAYS able to intercede on our behalf. One sacrifice for all time. A Never-ending priesthood that is always pure and always able to go before God for us and with us.

- II Corinthians 3:7-18

vs. 26-28

- “He is the kind of high priest we need because He is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when He offered Himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed His Son with an oath, and His Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.”

- Okay so remember when we were talking about the oaths earlier? When God makes an oath... there's no getting out of it. There's nothing that can break that promise.

- Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm. It was a prophetic Psalm about Christ.

- “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies. When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew. The Lord has taken an oath and will not break His vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts. He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth. But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way. He will be victorious.”

- In Psalm 98, it says “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

- In older texts, the right arm symbolized power. So Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father, the Power source... and God brings salvation, by His right arm... Christ.

- Now, if you look over into Revelation 4 and 5. John sees heaven. He sees all the elders and the angels and everyone is worshiping God. Then in 5, he sees a scroll in the right hand (right hand...) of the one sitting on the throne. When the angel shouted and asked “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” No one stepped forward. Of all the elders. Of all the angels. And John wept to think that no one could open it. Nobody could take the scroll... until the Lamb who was slain... steps forward.

- Some versions read that the Lamb stepped from the midst of the throne (which would make sense if He were sitting on the right hand of the Father...). Christ steps forward and takes the scroll. The song that fills the heavens says “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

- Only Christ. The earthly priests... couldn't do it. The angels... couldn't do it. WE... couldn't do it. It had to be God. Only GOD HIMSELF could bring about our salvation... and in the end... only He will be our judge. He has offered it to us freely.

- Sunday School this morning was talking about the covenant... He said that in the beginning, God made a covenant. There were no strings attached. It was given unconditionally. “I promise to....” However, when we choose to enter the covenant, we then enter it conditionally. It becomes conditional because of us. He offers it freely. All can come. No one has to be afraid. But once we enter into the covenant... then we have some responsibilities. It's like marriage. It's offered unconditionally. It's an offer. We can or cannot accept. But once we accept the offer and enter into the marriage state... we now have a responsibility to remain faithful, to communicate, to remain committed... But just the offer? God says “Please come... I love you... come... you don't have to change anything about you, you don't have to become someone new... just come. Because I love you THIS MUCH!” And all we have to do is accept the offer and THEN let God do a work in our lives.

- Your pastor can't do it for you, your parents can't do it for you, your best friend can't do it for you... only Christ can offer you salvation. And only Christ WILL offer you the real salvation you desperately need.

- Romans 3:21-31

- I Corinthians 1:27-31

Hebrews 5:11-6:20

Hebrews Chapter 5:11-6:20

vs. 5:11-6:3 MILK TO MEAT

- My heading for this section says “A Call to Spiritual Growth.”

- “There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

- The readers were growing stagnant. They were being fed the same basic concepts that they'd started with. Granted, sometimes it is good to go back and review some of the basic things... as a reminder or a refresher. But to just dwell on the basics... doesn't get you anywhere.

- God has not called us to be stagnant waters... He's called us to be living water... flowing into the lives of other people so they too can have life.

- Instead... footnote- “These Jewish Christians were immature. Some of them should have been teaching others, but they had not even applied the basics to their own lives. They were reluctant to move beyond age-old traditions, established doctrines, and discussion of the basics. They wouldn't be able to understand the high-priestly role of Christ unless they moved out of their comfortable position, cut some of their Jewish ties, and stopped trying to blend in with their culture. Commitment to Christ moves people out of their comfort zones.”

-Have you ever heard this philosophy on religion? Basically, the belief is that “yeah... sure... there's a superior being. Maybe even a God. And if that Being wants something to do with my life, then that's fine... but I'm not gonna spend my time working toward anything more than that. Relationship with something you can't see? What's the point in that? I'm going to live my life the way I want and if God wants to help me out occasionally... that's fine.”

- There's no commitment in something like that. And there are Christians... who live their lives like that.

- “Yes God... I'll come to church, I'll put money in the plate, but don't ask me to pray... don't ask me to change my job... don't ask me to do something I'm not comfortable with... I'm just here for fire insurance... keep me out of hell and I'll give the church some money and a few hours a week...”

- Our pastor's been doing a set of sermons titled “Little Jesus, Big Me. Big Jesus, Little Me”.

- The main idea throughout has been making Jesus center of our lives in all things. Sometimes we make Jesus an accessory. We only take Him out when we really need Him. Mike used a sweeper as a prop one Sunday... a sweeper comes with all of these accessory attachments... and so he gave each attachment a name... and one of the attachments was Christ. And you know... when we live our lives based around us... we are the main sweeper... and Jesus... is just something we use every once in a while when the dust is in a corner we just can't quite reach...

- Like when our life starts spiraling out of control and we just can't seem to regain our hold on the wheel... like when somebody gets sick, or dies, or we lose our job, or our job is just getting crazier by the day, or our kids are doing crazy things and we don't know how to deal with them... those are the times when we come to the end of ourselves that we call for God. “Oh GOD! I need help! I'll do anything you want me to do! But I just really need help right now please!?”

- In John 3, John the Baptist said that “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

- okay so stay with me for a second... In the 1500's, Ferdinand Magellan sailed from the Atlantic Ocean, into the Pacific Ocean. Proving that the earth was round.

- Had Magellan not gone... or had other explorers not gone out to find out what else was in their world... we still would have thought that the earth was flat...

- You can live in your world... see everything around you... and yes I think you could believe the world was flat. The sky... the trees... the ground... nothing screams sphere... You can even take a journey... I can cross from one end of the US to the other... and never really see a spherical shape.

- Until you take a trip AROUND the world and come back to the place you started from... your world will stay 2 dimensional.

- The same applies to our Christian walk. If we stay in our comfort zone and never take a step out into faith... we will stay in our 2 dimensional world. God will never be bigger in our lives than He was in the beginning.

- So are you still drinking milk? Or are you moving on to solid food? How about a 4 course meal? Ready to move on to meat? Move past the 2 dimensional... “God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

- I Corinthians 13:8-13

- I Peter 2:1-12

- Ephesians 4:1-16

- Luke 8:14-15

vs. 6:4-8- ONE SACRIFICE

- “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to come—and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing Him to the cross once again and holding Him up to public shame.”

- This passage sounds SO condemning at face value...

- footnote- “In the first century, a pagan who investigated Christianity and then went back to paganism made a clean break with the church. But for Jewish Christians who decided to return to Judaism, the break was less obvious. Their lifestyle remained relatively unchanged. But by deliberately turning away from Christ, they were cutting themselves off from God's forgiveness. Those who persevere in believing are true saints; those who continue to reject Christ are unbelievers, no matter how well they behave.”

- In Hebrews 10:26-27, it says “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume His enemies.”

- In Hebrews 9:11-28 speaks about Christ's sacrifice for sin.

- Christ's sacrifice was the only sacrifice that covers sin. The only thing that rids us of our sin. Nothing else washes us clean. When we KNOW this... when we have walked this walk... and THEN choose to turn and walk away from the One thing that can save our souls... there's no more sacrifice! Nothing else washes us clean! And when we choose to walk away... that's it. There's no hope. We are just as lost as we ever were.

- Doesn't mean we can't come back... think about the story of the prodigal Son. The father stood waiting and watching for the wayward one to come home...

- However, as the footnote stated, no matter how good a life you live... if Christ isn't in your heart and you haven't been washed in the blood... you're still headed for an eternity in hell. You can be the best person ever... but without Christ as your savior... there's no hope after you die...

- “When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God's blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it.”

- Even if we look like we're being productive... God knows what kind of fruit we're really producing... and if our lives aren't founded in Christ... then we're just producing thistles and thorns. We're not producing anything edible or useful...

- Our hearts are open books before the throne of God...

- Romans 8:1-17; 3:9-28

- John 15:1-17

vs. 6:9-12- PRESSING ON

- “Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don't believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance.”

- In other words... even though the author(s) are speaking in way of a reprimand or reminder... don't get discouraged. Continue in the work. Even though sometimes it may seem like you're not making much progress... God doesn't forget you. Even if you do feel stagnant sometimes... God's still there... so if we continue in the work and continue to press on, then we will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. We will move past this stage of stagnancy and press on to the inheritance. (This is not an excuse to become stagnant for a time... everybody has low spots... but when you find yourself in a low spot... don't give up. Press upward and onward... no matter how easy it would be to just quit or take a break.)

- I Timothy 4:15-16

vs. 6:13-20- WAY PREPARED

- So what are God's promises? What exactly are we inheriting?

- “For example, there was God's promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in His own Name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.”

- This next verse cracks me up... not going to lie... “Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.”

- Seriously!? They left out the part about God showing up and reminding Abraham of the promise like 5 times... and the fact that Sarah didn't really believe it was gonna happen... and Abraham saying “God... we're old! We can't have kids!” And how about Hagar? Was that whole situation waiting patiently? I mean that verse makes it sound like once Abraham heard from God he just sat down and waited quietly until the fruition of the promise came... lol

- Abraham waited for 25 years for the promise to come about... and during that time... he wasn't always the most patient of men...

- However, Abraham did wait. And he did trust... and even in his moments of doubt... he turned to God for confirmation. God's timing is not our timing... Hardly ever does God do something on our time schedule. Lol Actually make that... never...

- But the point is that God always holds true to His promises... even when it seems like he's forgotten about them.

- “Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

- The idea of oaths was that once you took an oath, you were bound by it. There was no getting out of it. And so when you took an oath, you got somebody who had more power than you, to hold you to the oath. In case you wanted to back out... you had somebody there who wouldn't let you.

- Well... God has no one greater than Himself... so when He makes a promise... He is making the oath by Himself. And God doesn't lie... He can't... it's not part of who He is... So when God makes a promise... you can be sure that it's going to come through.

- Thus, we can be sure that “in Whom we have believed”... is sure to save us. Christ has already gone on before us to make sure that the way is ready. He's become our High Priest through His sacrifice and death. He's paved the way... and He's promised that we can enter in...

- So come won't you? Accept His promise... even if you have to wait a little while for it...

- Galatians 3:15-22

- II Peter 3:3-16

- Luke 1:37