Let Us Run With Patience!

Let Us Run With Patience
Hebrews 12

It is without question that we are in a struggle, and whether you choose to call it a race like the writer of Hebrews did or by some other name, that is up to you. The writer of Hebrews did indeed call it a race, and there is a great analogy that can be used to help us to understand the urgency of getting it right.
It is so easy for us to lose focus, when there is so many things out there to grab our attention, but as the writer of Hebrews points out; “We are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses”.

The opening line for this passage uses the word “Wherefore”, so in order to find out the meaning of this passage we will need to see why it is there. The previous chapter is talking about the men and women of faith and discusses the how and when they were faithful.

Today, we are going to incorporate that discussion into this passage and discuss at least for a bit about their influence on us as Christians.

The idea that we are compassed with this great cloud of witnesses can go one of two ways. We can read from this that the patriarchs and matriarchs of faith are in Heaven witnessing our day to day struggle and cheering us on, or we can look at it from the perspective that they have already witnessed to the faith that we have through their own struggle of life. To today’s discussion the thought that they are watching over us and cheering us on is going to be left as we choose to talk about the pre-existing witness for the faith during their own life.

Lest one should think we are ignoring such an interesting topic, I make this statement: “I do not believe that Hebrews 12:1,2 is talking about such a witness.” This is not to say that they cannot see into this world and see what is going on, but even though that is doubtful, it isn’t what our discussion needs to be about.

Going back into Hebrews 11, we should ask this question in conjunction with today’s study. Who are the witnesses?

We discover that because of their testimony/witness we are encouraged to lay aside the weights, and not only the weights but also the sins that we get tripped up on so easily.

Supposing that you are running in a marathon (26 Mile race) and decide you want to carry some sort of weight with you, something simple like a hand weight. Now in training that is fine to tie weights of any sort to your hands, arms, and legs as a means of building muscle; but as the big day for the race arrives, you take off those weights because even though you have gotten used to running with them they will weigh you down.

The same applies to our spiritual race. We must lay aside the weights or anything that would be a hindrance to our race. This could be different for different people (see Romans 14). We need to pay attention as we run to see if there is something that is hindering us from using our full strength to gain ground.

The weights could be stumbling blocks to us which cause us to sin. If something knowingly is left in place, creating a stumbling block in your path your energy will consistently be used to stand back up to try again. We are created for so much more than just surviving spiritually.

Running with Patience is translated from the word which means running with endurance. Are your spiritual muscles straining as you go along? Are you putting everything you have into the race? Too many Christians are running their race in a halfhearted way, not willing to exert the energy they need to “run well”. These Christian’s will most likely become focused on themselves and their race rather than looking at it like it is God’s race and we are all part of it. In 1 Corinthians 9:26 Paul talks about running aimlessly or fighting as one that beats the air.

In reality our focus should not be on the race we are running, but on the one who created the race. The Marathon was brought about during a time of war when a battle was fought and then won. As was their custom, they would send a runner back to headquarters with a message which at that particular time was about 26 miles away. The messenger was sent with a message that the battle had been won and he ran, without stopping the entire distance and as he approached the commander in chief he shouted we won, and then collapsed and died. His focus was on getting the message of the victory back to their headquarters, thinking not at all for the discomfort it would cause him, rather he expended all of his energy to get that message delivered. How are you running your race?

Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith finished his race well and has gone on before us to sit down in his rightful place as both victor and King. Jesus despised the shame that was his to bear. Are you willing to bear the shame that may be set before you. The name of Christ has been associated with good things in the past, but today, with so many professing christians living in whatsoever many they may choose to fulfill their lusts; many people are looking on at the name christian with disdain. Since the Law of God has been written on the heart of man, the onlookers know that when a christian sins something isn’t right, especially if it appears to be intentional.

What does it mean to follow peace with all men? (see Romans 12:18) Does this mean that in our dealings with others that peace will always win out? If we follow the path of peace, it will be our goal to bring peace to all men. How did Jesus bring peace to the people of His day? Sometimes Jesus confronted their sin and their psuedo-spiritual traditions in order to bring peace to them. It stands to be said that not everyone Jesus was bringing His peace to was willing to lay down the very things that were causing them a lack of peace.

Follow peace and holiness. If we follow peace with all men and we follow holiness; though there could be a potential for the two ideals to be at war with each other; if we have and understanding of both of these two words peace and holiness they will compliment each other. John 14:27 We can look at this passage from a worldly perspective and read peace as the absence of conflict (peace, peace when there is no peace), or we can look at it from God’s Perspective and see peace a a re-instatement of fellowship with God and man. Enter into this equation holiness. How does holiness fit with the kind of peace that God gives? In reality you cannot separate this kind of peace from the holiness of God.

Let’s talk a little bit about the phrase “lest any man fail of the grace of God”. How can a man fail of the grace of God? (see Romans 6:1-8) If we propose to take advantage of the grace of God by choosing to sin, we then in fact have become a rebel against it and have fallen short of it. I will be quick to say that if a person does fall into sin, God’s grace is there; but remember, as we discussed in previous lessons, there comes a point in time when outright rebellion is viewed as past hope because of our having blasphemed the Holy Spirit.

The rest of this section talks about what happens after a person has fallen from grace and allows a root of bitterness to grow. They become defiled, and become a fornicator, or profane person who cares not for his birthright and chooses to walk away from it as well as his sonship. Hebrews 12:17 says that when Esau realized what he had done, he tearfully sought to have it restored, but to no avail.

What does it mean to “Come unto Mount Sion”? Mount Sion was a term used for the Holy Mountain where God tabernacled with His People. As Christians and not just Jews Mount Sion is a spiritual mountain. It is a place that Christians will go to worship God. There was a lot of symbolism under the Old Covenant as we discussed in previous lessons, and this is one of them. As Christians we have been brought to a place where we can sit in heavenly places even though we are still on this earth.

The sacrifice of Jesus is better than the sacrifice of Abel or any animal sacrifice, and Jesus as the mediator has a better message than what Abel carried. We don’t really have Abel’s message recorded, but can assume based on several verses that his message was one that matched the prophets of the Old Testament. The message that Jesus carried would then have been the fulfillment of the message the prophets carried which made His message more powerful and carried more authority.

The writer of Hebrews, yet again issues a warning not to ignore the voice of Jesus. He patiently explains why in various ways indicating that under the Old Covenant if someone ignored the message of Moses, or another of the prophets, they were punished. After showing the superiority of Christ, the writer of Hebrews shows his audience that the message of Jesus carries more authority than any of the previous prophets, thus making disobedience of Him more severe.

Today our culture, and I am not just talking about the worldly culture has come to the place that we do not respect God for who He is. Lest one should think that we are trying to portray God as some distant impersonal God, that is not my point. We believe that God is our Abba Father and cares deeply for us, but that we have lost sight of His Holiness and have created more of a buddy than recognizing Him as a Holy God. Hebrews points out various times that a lackadaisical attitude can cause someone to fall from grace, or straight out unbelief in God’s Promises, and by willful disobedience.

For some reason, today we as Christians look at all sin like an error or mistake; but I propose to you that we abhor all sin whether intentional or otherwise. If a guy has to exert some effort to sin, that is no mistake but intentional. If he has to schedule an appointment to sin, that is intentional. We have found ourselves excusing these types of behavior as mistakes but they aren’t and they as well as we will pay for this. Sin has lost its ugliness.

We need to remember that we have received a kingdom, the kingdom of Heaven, and that as residents, even ambassadors of that kingdom we should be exhibiting the fruits of it. I understand that sometimes our spirit is willing, and our flesh is weak; but that really is no excuse for falling into sin because the power of God is real and if we are walking in the Spirit we will show the Fruits of the Spirit. We again have an appeal to hold fast that we may serve our Lord with the reverence due Him and with Godly fear.

“God is a consuming Fire” and woe unto whom the fire should swallow. If our hearts are in the right place, then we have nothing to fear, but for the vast majority of people, they shall face the wrath of God. Knowing that God is a God of Love is comforting to us, but if we stop there and refuse to recognize the other attributes of God, like God is a God of Judgment, or God is a Holy God, or God is a Righteous God; we are missing a reality that would cause us to lose touch with reality and we would not recognize the severity of the situation.

We may give lip service to God recognizing in word who He is, but our hearts can be far from Him; just like the Pharisees were in Jesus day.

Let Us Hold Fast!

Let us Hold Fast!

Hebrews 10:19-38

The significance of addressing the readers as brethren should indicate the care the writer of Hebrews felt for the people he was writing to. Usually, even in a secular setting, to call someone a brother indicates a particular level of feeling for that individual. Often in secret societies, gangs, and other groups/organizations there is a form of brotherhood present that even though they may have a high regard for each other as “brothers” it is a pseudo-relationship that has recognized the deep necessity of filling a void that can only be filled through a true brotherhood. The constitution of true brotherhood is based on the familial relationship which comes through having the same parents. As sons and daughters of God, we can experience that true brotherhood.

As an example of this pseudo-brotherhood I give this story. During the Civil War (or was it the Uncivil War) The future President William McKinley was visiting the Army hospitals on the field and as a Free-Mason noticed a fellow Free-Mason lying there in the hospital bed. Now this young man had been injured in the battle and though he had been fighting for the south (the opposite side), William McKinley indicated to those in charge of the hospital that they should take extra good care of the young man due to the “brotherhood” they shared in the Masonic Lodge.

If the Free-Masons can understand the concept of brotherhood, then shouldn’t we also who are born of the Holy Spirit also understand what a true brotherhood really is?

The encouragement to enter into the Holiest with boldness through Jesus blood may seem like an obscure reality, and so it would have been for the Jews as they struggled with the thought of entering into the Holy of Holies which was prepared for the presence of the Holiness of God. They understood that even the high priest couldn’t just go in; but once a year having sprinkled blood of a perfect animal over everything and through ceremoniously washing himself, prepared himself for this grand entrance into the presence of the Holiness of God. Now that the veil has been rent, torn top to bottom; there is nothing that can stop the child of God from entering into the presence of God their Father. The thickness of the veil appears to have been at least 4” thick so that along with it being torn from top to bottom indicates no ordinary feat of tearing the veil. The rending most assuredly came from the hand of God as He had prepared the way back into His favor through the death of His perfect Son.

The veil was representative of the flesh through which we are separated from the presence of God. When the body or flesh of Jesus Christ was broken or rent the symbol also was torn giving us access into the Holy of Holies.

The boldness that we may experience as a child of God is not an arrogance (which is a sin) but a humble acceptance that God wants to be your Father.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira are an example of entering into the presence of God with arrogance. The name Ananias means “Whom Jehovah has graciously given”. It seems as though Ananias was living his Christian life in a state of hypocrisy. He appears to have been one who delved into and claimed the mercy and grace of the Lord, notwithstanding that he was missing the characteristic of God that is Holy and Righteous and hates a lying tongue. Proverbs 6:17

In order to understand what is meant by the new and living way we go back to look at the old way. Romans 7:1-25 The Old Testament Law was not meant to bring death, but to bring life. As we continue on in this passage and as we have looked at in past lessons the Old Testament Law had no power to bring life to those who adhered to its principles. Sure, if it was kept perfectly, there was a blessing that fell to those who kept it; but life itself was not issued by the Old Testament Law. As Romans 7 says “when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” The Old Testament Law gives us insight to the Holiness of God and our woefully inadequate righteousness which is as filthy rags before the Holiness of our Lord. The New and Living way is being delivered from the effects of the Old Testament Law which condemn us to death for our unholiness to a New Testament Law that is written on our heart so we may serve the law with our spirit and not just by our deeds. This New way has the power to make you alive in Christ, since His Spirit has quickened or made us alive just as the bones were resurrected in Ezekiel 37.

When an individual draws near, he gets closer to something or someone. This is part of a plea to live godly, and as we go down through the passage we will continue to see the with clarity the necessity of being an intentional Christian. When the verse says draw near with a true heart, we could first look at what a true heart is. A true heart is one without pretense. It is without hypocrisy. A true heart can be trusted for its honesty. A true heart lives in full assurance of faith.

There is no place for the Christian to begin doubting his Salvation. This is not to say that if you do, you are not a Christian. What is being said by this is that when Jesus reaches into your heart and cleanses it from your unrighteousness, “sprinkling his own blood” upon the mercy seat of your heart; He has begun the work of redemption in your soul and to doubt that is to doubt the power of the Lord at work in your life. That is sin, and since that is sin it needs nipped in the bud and doubts need given to Jesus to gain that victory and any future victory. There is a reason why the armor of God includes the Helmet of Salvation.

As the Old Testament priests did their work in the temple sanctuary, they would be sure their first stop would be the laver. They would always wash themselves with this Holy Water before proceeding with any other type of service in the tabernacle or temple. The symbolism of this is they were to purify their bodies physically before they proceeded to sprinkle the blood on their toes, on the walls, and on the mercy seat. As a spiritual type, we too must be cleansed; first of all being drawn by the Holy Spirit and then having our hearts sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Hold Fast! The message is getting more intense as the author here gives plea that invokes a lot of feeling. Hold fast to the profession of our faith. First of all, what is the profession of our faith? What have we professed to believe? The profession of our faith is that Jesus Christ, God incarnate, has come to pay the penalty for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Hold fast onto that belief, that truth without wavering. The word wavering has the meaning of bending or leaning back and forth similar to the setting of the sun. Hold a steady course with your belief! What does it profit if our belief wavers like a man on a tight-rope. He tries to balance himself, but the rope keeps moving around and his foot has to be placed very carefully. He may make it across the rope, but how about securing your belief in something more secure like complete trust in the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ.

The word provoke has the meaning of stir up, to agitate. Is good works wrong. There is a push to say that heaven is a reward for those who have merely accepted Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for their sin, and that is indeed where it starts. These people believe that works good or bad have no bearing on whether you will actually receive the crown of life that has been promised. The reality is a Salvation experience that is not followed by Good works is dead. If we are to provoke each other to Good Works (stir up if you will) then how do we accomplish that without being impatient with the lack of growth in some of the babes in Christ? The good works we are to exhibit may include things like our kids club, going into prisons, going on the mission field, etc., but the main thing that should never be missed is the fruit of the godly which should then be what gives birth to the aforementioned works. The writer of Hebrews was concerned about the laziness in which the Hebrews were living their lives and was giving them instructions to stir each other up in Christ.

Encouragement is also a part of the Christian’s vocabulary and as we encourage each other in the Lord we will be stirred up to lived Godly.

Apostasy:

The Word of God says: “Buy the truth and sell it not”, and then in another place “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free”.

What can be expected if we have knowledge of the truth, and have experience the truth in our hearts and then we choose to sin wilfully? It is clear that there is but one sacrifice that is accepted by God for the sins of mankind and if that sacrifice along with the blood of Jesus that was shed for the sin gets trampled underfoot in the process of their rebellion, there is nothing left for them but an end where the wrath of God is felt.

The Better Covenant

The Better Covenant
Hebrews 8

While the Old Covenant was a physical covenant which required physical observances, the New Covenant is spiritual and while the observances have changed somewhat; they are both spiritual and physical. The Old Covenant was a shadow of things to come, or we could say that it is a shadow of a New Covenantal reality. The High Priest that we’ve been studying about is Jesus and we have compared Him to the Old Covenant high priests who were sinners trying to do the work of God.

In today’s lesson we are going to look at our High Priest who has ushered in a New Covenant and then we will compare that with the Old Covenant. We will look at why the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant and discuss why the Old Covenant is obsolete.
First of all, I want to draw your attention to Hebrews 8:11. Listen to what it says. “And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.”

I am going to let that there and we will come back to that later to discuss that, but keep that in mind as we go along through the rest of the lesson.

Meanwhile, back in Hebrews 8:1 the author is asking us for a review. So back to chapter 1 of Hebrews and on.

Up to this point we talked about:
The various ways that God speaks to mankind
The Glory of the Son
We compared Jesus to the Angels and Jesus was better
The various warnings that were given up to this point
Jesus being perfect in suffering
We compared Jesus to Moses as an Apostle and Jesus was better
The various types of rest that God has given to Mankind
The Priesthood of Melchizedec
We compared the Priesthood of Melchizedec to the Aaronic Priesthood and the Priesthood of Melchizedec was better.
We talked about Who Melchizedec is and why Jesus can take on Melchizedec’s Priesthood
The Oath that God swore to Abraham
The swearing of oaths

All these things add up to one thing, we have a high priest setting on the right hand of Our Majestic Lord. Psalm 24

A Better High Priest

We go right from acknowledging the placement of our risen Christ to describing His ministry. The word minister in verse 2 of Chapter 8 is Leitourgos which means public servant. This word actually has deeper meaning than just a public servant though and we want to look at its deeper definition. It gets broken down to public servant in the Temple or Gospel and a worshipper of God and a benefactor of man. This is not necessarily the definition across the board wherever minister is used, but in this verse it is. This word Leitourgos is also where we get our word Liturgy.

Going on to the word sanctuary the Greek word is Hagion (Hag`-ee-on). The definition of Hagion is Holy Place, or Holiest of All or Sacred thing. Based on the definition of this word and by dissecting the word we understand that Sanctuary has been Sanctified by the presence of God.

The next word we want to look at is tabernacle. The word tabernacle in Hebrews 8:2 is Skene (Skeenee) and means tent or cloth hut. Literally it means habitation. With this in mind let’s read Hebrews 8:2 again and see how that sounds. “A minister of the Sanctuary, and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.” So breaking this verse apart using the Greek to give meaning to the words that have been used, we start to see something that would help us to understand this verse.

The context of this is: Our High Priest who is defined by His position at the throne of our Majestic God, is a Public Servant to the extent He draws man’s heart to God; through His serving in the place that has been Sanctified by Himself, making it a Holy Place in the living quarters that was set up by God. So the true Tabernacle is a place designed and pitched (or put into existence) by God. We can draw from this a conclusion that The True Tabernacle of God is not the Tabernacle that Moses and the Israelites built, but one that God built.

1 Corinthians 6:19, 20
Romans 12:1, 2
Jude 24, 25

The Tabernacle is the heart of man that God has bought with a price (His own Blood) and has Sanctified it by a continued renewing of our minds making our hearts holy and unblameable before Him, allowing Him to Dwell (Tabernacle) with us. Just as the Shekinah Glory came and rested on the physical tabernacle that Moses and the Israelites set up, God’s Shekinah Glory can rest on the Tabernacle that He so intricately has set up and purified.

The high priests under the Old Covenant were ordained by God to offer gifts and sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. This High Priest, who sits on the right hand of the throne of Majesty has offered His own sacrifices and gifts to God on behalf of mankind.

Ephesians 5:2

The High Priest here in Hebrews 8 is set at the right hand of Majesty. His work is complete. The high priests would not sit so long as they were in the tabernacle made under the Old Covenant because their work was never finished as long as they were in it. Jesus as our High Priest has finished His work of offerings and gifts to God, thus He is set down.

Exodus 25:40
Revelation 21:22

The Old Covenant was a shadow of heavenly things, and its key distinguishing feature was to bring men to Christ.

A Better Covenant

Jesus has a better ministry than the Levitical priests did due to the fact that He is a Better High Priest and has initiated a New Covenant which produces better promises.

The Old Covenant could deal with man’s faults by pointing them out, but did nothing to correct the faultiness of the heart. It was all about the physical relationship with God, keeping in touch with the sacrifices and methods of worship. They were promised under the Old Covenant that God would bless them physically with wealth, and health if they would keep His ways.

The New Covenant, not only was able to deal with the faults of mankind, but was able to correct the faultiness of the heart of man through a re-creation of the heart. God promises blessings which are not physical, but are spiritual. Consider the Peace, the Joy, the Hope, the Power to Live Above Sin, the Restored Relationship, and the Everlasting Life that God has promised to all who receive His gift of Salvation.

The Old Covenant was not without fault but served the purpose of helping people to understand their need of a Savior. When Jesus, our Savior came, He mediated a New Covenant which offered better promises.

Hebrews 8:8 Gives the promise that God would make a new covenant with Israel; offering them the Better Covenant. He goes on to clarify saying “Not according to the covenant that I had made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not”.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Zechariah 8:7,8
Isaiah 54:13

This New Covenant is not like the Old Covenant for more than one reason, but I want to draw your minds to something that is noteworthy. The Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone while the New Covenant is written on the Fleshy tables of the heart. Instead of the Law of God being on some piece of stone hidden away in the Ark of the Covenant, the Law of God becomes incorporated into the heart of man, the Ark of the New Covenant and the New Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat is the Throne of God where He reigns over your life under the New Covenant.

Now as we move on to verse 11, What have we set the stage for?
Does this mean that Christian teachers have wasted their time in teaching in the church? Does this mean that the time of discipleship is over? This is not how the Early Church felt, and the Apostles as well as other leaders in the church took time out to teach. One of the gifts that is mentioned is the gift of being a teacher. So then, what does this mean?

First of all, lets look at the New Covenant. If the New Covenant allows for mankind to have the laws of that covenant written on their heart, and allows God to reside in their heart (the Ark of The New Covenant); then it is evident that those who have accepted the terms of this covenant know who God is even if it is a basic knowledge. God’s ways are past finding out so we will never on this side of death understand God completely.

A New Covenant

Psalm 103:1-22
The joys of knowing your sins have been forgiven is something that under the Old Covenant they never could truly experience. Sure, they made sacrifices for atonement for their sins; but it was just a temporary fix for them. Every year they had to make the trek as heads of households and all of Israel if they could to Jerusalem to make yet another atonement for their sins.

Now that the New Covenant has been issued, the Old Covenant is gone. This does not mean that it is of no value, but that it has no hold over us. Hebrew 8:13 describes it as decaying preparing to vanish away. What then is the point of including the Old Covenant in our Biblical Canon? As we strive to learn more about God and the plan that He has set up for mankind the text of the Old Covenantal agreement has value in helping us to understand some key points about God. It is of great value to see how God has worked with mankind in the past.

For what it is worth, I want to just give you something to think about. There is a group of professing Christians, who believe that God wants them to re-instate the Old Covenant ways of worship and living including returning to animal sacrifices. Every once in a while this doctrine pops up and I just wanted to make you aware of it. What then does it mean if you return to the Old Covenant ways of doing things? It means you have rejected Jesus Christ your Savior and the New Covenant.

Psalm 101:1-6

Jesus Our High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-5:1-14, 7:1-28

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” Hebrews 4:14

First of all, I want to summarize the book of Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews was written as a means of pointing out the best of the two covenants. We do not merely see the comparison of the Old Covenant Vs. the New Covenant, but we see them explained in a way that helps us to get a better picture and vision of the types of our Saviour.
The author no doubt was dealing with a group of Christians who had come to the point spiritually, they no longer were feeling God speaking to them. It seems as though they had began dabbling again with the Old Covenantal system of worship so their seeing could replace their lack of feeling.

Jesus is the perfect High Priest, not just because He has that connection with His Father, but because He was acquainted with grief and chose to bear ours. Isaiah 53:3,4

In Hebrews 5 we will discuss the priesthood, both Aaron’s priesthood and the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Aaron’s appointment as a priest begins in Exodus 19:6, Exodus 28:1,2
The first mention of the priesthood begins as a Priesthood for the entire Israel nation with God as their High Priest. The whole purpose of this priesthood was to maintain the religious nature of the worship of God and through the holiness of the nation of Israel, the heathen nations would be drawn to God. Once the nation of Israel was established as a nation of priests, God proceeded with special instructions for them (a code of conduct if you will). The power of God when He spoke was so awesome that the Israelite trembled and begged Moses to have God speak through him. So was God’s initial plan for the priesthood failed?
God’s plan for the priesthood was not failed, but actually makes a very good point! Our God is so holy that sinful humanity, as most certainly some of the Israelites would have been, cannot bear to be in the presence of a Holy God.
Till now, God had remained the High Priest for all of humanity, but He began setting the stage for the arrival of a High Priest that could Identify with the people. First of all, God set up Aaron the world’s first human High Priest. He was human so he identified with mankind, but he was imperfect as were a myriad of following High Priests.
I hope I was able to give a concise study of the Aaronic Priesthood, and then as we look at Melchizedek, we can remember the Old Covenant Priesthood, which pointed to something far greater.

Who was Melchizedek?
The King of Righteousness
Then the King of Salem (or Peace)
Many people believe that Salem is the same as Jerusalem.
No Beginning or End
No Father or Mother
High Priest for ever

Other View Points:
Ancient literature uses Melchizedek as a nickname for Shem the son of Noah.
Some People believe Melchizedek was an earthly King who was so righteous he was also made High Priest.
Jewish Hellenistic philosopher Philo identifies Melchizedek as Logos
Some people believe it was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

They do not really know what become of the inhabitants of Jebus/Jerusalem during the conquest but many believe because of their righteous king Melchizedek they were integrated into the camp of Israel. They also believe that the descendants of Melchizedek became Jerusalem’s Priests. This view goes against what the Word of God says.

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Hebrews 3:6
Hebrews 10:23
1 Thessalonians 5:21
2 Thessalonians 2:15
Matthew 11:28

Genesis 14:1-24 (14:17-24)
Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham gave him Tithes. This is all it says in Genesis about Melchizedec but it is full of implications. Melchizedek recognizes His authority over Abraham as He has the power and authority to Bless. Abraham would not give tithes to a fellow human, He obviously understood this was God standing before him as a pre-incarnate Christ. At this point in time, Abraham was careful in his dealings with humans and he understood what was going on in this discourse. This was the beginning of an anointing on Abraham’s life. We go right into another discourse, where the king of Sodom, who apparently was standing there through the previous conversation with Melchizedek, wants to bless Abraham as well for his role in rescuing his people. Abraham refuses with an oath to God that he would no longer take blessings or goods from the hand of the wicked, lest they should boast that they had increased Abraham’s wealth.
Abraham’s faithfulness was then rewarded with a further blessing that would eventually bless all nations!

Psalm 110:4
Acts 16:17 Servants of the Most High God…

The job description of the High Priest was to offer sacrifices and gifts on behalf of the people to God. No High Priest of God would try to honour himself with his position or by his position, but he would wait on a holy appointment for the calling. The same way Christ did not look for his own glory in being a High Priest, but was chosen by His Father for that calling.
Jesus, as we pointed out before was acquainted with grief or sorrows. Hebrews 5:7 indicates an earnest prayer to save Him from death. Through His faithfulness, He became the Author of Salvation and and the High Priest forever.

The earthly High Priest was the only one allowed to enter the Holy of Holies (on penalty of death), but through Jesus death He tore down that middle wall of partition between us as mankind to give us an entrance with the Father in the Heavenly Holy of Holies.

Isaiah 32:1
“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.”

Tithe : Numbers 31:41

How does knowing that Jesus is our High Priest strengthen our profession?
Knowing that Jesus Christ as God in the Flesh knows what it is like to face temptations, He understands our weaknesses and intercedes on our behalf.

Does coming boldly to God imply a lack of humility?
Esther 4:16 Though Esther had no assurance of being heard by the king, because of her desperation, she approached the king with her petition. She actually was facing a penalty of death for coming uninvited.
That middle wall of separation between us and God has been torn away. It is as if there is a standing invitation to approach the throne of God. We do not need to go through a ritual now to hear the voice of God, but do we have the attitude that I will die if I don’t hear from him? The Word of God always brings life!

If, despite your sin, Jesus has compassion on you, how should you relate to other sinners?
Matthew 18 Treating each other with humility and forgiveness is actually a display of the meekness we carry within our soul. If a Righteous God who has the power to destroy mankind for its sin chooses to be merciful then who are we to look at a fellow sinner in disdain.

Why is it important that Jesus is of the Priestly order of Melchizedek, not Aaron’s?
The earthly priesthood has always been faulty for the reason of those who were the priests, even though they were ordained by God for that purpose, had a sinful nature and were not the perfect priest. Melchizedek was first the King of Righteousness and then the King of Peace. Everything about speaks of a deity!

If Jesus learned obedience through suffering, what might be our calling?
As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we too are called to obedience. The question remains though, Are you obeying your Father because that is what you are called to do, or are you obeying Him because as a son or daughter you wish to see His plan fulfilled. The real answer lies in that question. If we are just being obedient because that is our calling, then we will always chafe under that obedience. This is a heart question, and must be answered with the heart. We can either remain a servant in the kingdom of God or be a partner.

What is significant about Jesus coming through the tribe of Judah?
Though it was prophesied by Jacob (Aka Israel) that a kings would rule from among the descendants of Judah until “Shiloh” come and draws all men to Him. This is a reference to Jesus our Savior and Messiah.

Over what people what people was Melchizedek Priest?
Melchizedek is a priest for all the people of the world.

Why is it important that Jesus’ priesthood is unchangeable?
Death and corruption are a result of the curse of sin. Jesus Priesthood is unchangeable because He will never experience death again nor will ever experience corruption. The Old Testament Priesthood kept changing for both of those. The Priest would first experience death and then corruption. This just further solidifies Jesus place the the ultimate High Priest.

What does it mean to save them to the uttermost?
Ephesians 3:20,21 Jesus power to save has no ending.

What is unique about our High Priest’s sacrifice?
The Old Testament Priests would sacrifice the best lambs for the sins of the people, but our High Priest sacrificed Himself as the perfect Lamb. All the other sacrifices and there were quite a few, pointed to this one sacrifice which was done once and for all! Hebrews 4:14-16

Entering into God's Rest

Hebrews 4:1-13

There is a subconscious push to recreate God as a sugar-daddy who loves mankind to the point He would never destroy them for their sin. Exploring a bit on who God is indicates that God is Holy and Righteous and cannot abide sin.

Hebrews 4 begins with a warning that though their is a rest promised, it is possible to come up short of it. Throughout Hebrews 4 the word Rest is used nine times and is referring to five different types of Rest: past, present and future. Fear in verse one means a humble reverence at the awesomeness of God!
The Land of Canaan was meant to be a rest from bondage and as we discussed last week, the stiff-necked, stubborn and rebellious Israelites could not enter into that rest. Later we see an obedient generation entering into the Land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Even though this obedient generation was able to enter into the rest, it was not the final rest. It was merely a rest from their bondage.
We could look further at how they maintained their rest, but suffice it to say through unbelief they became enslaved to the ungodly yet again.
Are you eeking out a living in the wilderness or have you entered into a rest from bondage?
The second type of rest is seen in verses 3,4. The Sabbath Rest which was instituted at Creation. God created for six days and then rested from His works.
The creation account has six individual days with clearly marked evening and morning. The seventh day, however, has no such distinction. The Rabbis interpreted this to mean that God’s rest has no end, or that His creative work is finished.
There is a belief that God has bowed out of the lives of the people He created after setting in motion the laws that govern them. Jesus indicated and is proof of the contrary to be true. Jesus used the phrase “My Father works, therefore I work”. John 5:17, John 10:37 Jesus, as God takes a special interest in His fallen creation and has been working to redeem it.
There is a standing invitation to mankind to enter into God’s Sabbath Rest, where our strivings in our flesh, all our attempts to be righteous can be laid at the feet of Jesus.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28-30
The Christian, though he has entered into God’s rest, will never be inactive. Our labors to be righteous will end and God’s Righteousness will be seen working out of our lives.
If we have entered into the rest that is prepared for us, why do we struggle so?
Rest for the Christian is not yet complete, and Satan knows it. We become tempted to sin through our weakness and then some get led away of their own lusts. James 1:14,15; Romans 7:8,11,23,24
Commentators almost universally agree that in verse 8 the name Jesus is actually meant to be Joshua. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. So now, let’s look at what it says. “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he afterward have spoken of another day.” This verse begins with an insinuation. For if Jesus had not given them rest. I am thinking that Jesus means Jesus our messiah and that the writer of Hebrews is saying if our Messiah had given the children of Israel rest, it would have been the final rest, or the best rest. When Joshua lead the Israelites into their rest, sure Jesus was the instigator of that rest, but He was not physically leading them into it like He is leading us into our final rest.
There are actually two types of rest after the rest of the Israelites. One of the rest types that they didn’t experience is the rest of the soul in trusting God for spiritual protection and guidance. The other is the final rest that all the Godly will experience.
God’s rest can only be entered by obedience. “If any man thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall”. Galatians 6:3, 1 Cor. 3:18, 1 Cor. 8:2, 1 Cor. 10:12
This unbelief or lack of trust may or may not meant to be a blatant disregard of God and His provision; but even Eve, who was deceived lost her rest along with Adam who had openly rebelled.
John 1:1, John 1:12
Some people view verse 12 as a threat but is it informing us of a tool which we must use to keep our hearts in subjection? The Word of God is alive and dynamic. When we allow the life within God’s Word to move within us, our sinful nature will be separated from our soul and spirit. This Word of God pierces our flesh and reads our thoughts and intentions.
God is able through His Word to see into our lives as if it were laid open by a scalpel.

The Ultimate Apostle and High Priest

Text:

Hebrews 3:1-19

Christ is better than Moses

Why should we consider Jesus?

Jesus, as an Apostle and High Priest was faithful to the one who sent him.  His mission was completed during his ministry while here on this earth ending in His death on the Cross.  His ministry ended fulfilling his High Priestly calling.

The difference between Moses and Jesus as Apostle and High Priest

Moses was faithful as a servant.  

Jesus Christ was faithful as the builder, the architect,over the house of God and being so, is more honorable than the house of God which Moses was servant over.  Jesus was also faithful as a son.

John 10:12 A hireling is not as the son who will care for the mission’s success. The servant or hireling is faithful in his work because he chooses to be obedient to his master.  The Son is faithful because He is Wholly committed to the cause of His Father who has a “special” relationship with his Son.

Moses Spoke of the Future, but Jesus is the Future and spoke of Himself.  He is God Revealed both in flesh and word.

What is the difference between an apostle and high priest?

The apostle is sent and represents God to man while the high priest represents man to God.

Why is Jesus worthy of more honor than Moses?

As we discussed previously, Moses was a servant over God’s Household and Jesus is the Architect and builder of it as well as the Son in God’s Household.

We have committed to being part of the household of God, yet only if we live steadfastly, hanging onto and rejoicing in the hope of our Salvation until the end.  There is no excuse for living a wishy washy life for God living as if it were in a tide-pool of life where the wave of life come crashing in and alter who we are in Christ!

What was the unforgivable sin in the wilderness?

The Israelites hardened their hearts through unbelief and tested the goodness/grace of God.

What does it mean to “harden your heart as in the provocation”?

-Provocation = irritation (par-ap-ik-ras-mos) Greek

-Harden = render stubborn (sklay-roo`no) Greek

The Israelites provoked God to wrath or we could say He was getting irritated with them because their hearts were stubborn and rebellious.  Though they had seen the Hand of God working throughout their experience, they refused to believe and trust in the Goodness of God and were determined to make their own way into the “rest” that was prepared for them.

What is meant by “I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest”?

Rest refers to reposing down or abode

Rest in this passage refers to the rest that could be found in the Land of Canaan and would only be realized once the idolatrous neighbors were destroyed.

-Something to think about-  God sware in His wrath.  The word sware in the Greek refers to a declared oath.  What is the difference between God swearing that something wouldn’t happen and us as mankind swearing the same.

God has given us a command that we should not swear at all because we are human and finite and cannot change anything about what will happen.  God on the other hand as God has the authority and power to make happen what he has chosen to swear.  If we as mankind swear by the name of God in essence we a holding God accountable for the oath we have just made and how ridiculous is that?

Note:  The writer of Hebrews, though his message in this passage is one of warning, exhorts the readers in a loving yet pleading manner.  “Take heed, brethren” is used to garner their attention into a focused observation of their way of life.

It seems as though it is easy to maintain a form of Godliness, but then deny the power thereof.  II Timothy 3:5

Things to notice: a heart of unbelief is evil with which we will depart from the Living God.

What does it mean to have heart of unbelief?

Unbelief = Faithlessness or unfaithfulness (Greek)

We so often are guilty of unbelief because when God asks us to walk through a trying time, we tend to lose heart and our trust in the hand of God more than falters.  In some cases we look at our circumstances we are in and panic showing a complete lack of trust in the guiding hand of God in our lives.  Many times we have placed our trust in our circumstances and when they are less than ideal physically we have to re-evaluate our place of trust.

We may even go through the motions of giving our circumstances to God, but then when we get up off our knees from prayer, the problems we have seem to follow us around, because we have grabbed them again as we left the sanctuary of prayer.  Is this showing a trust in God or a belief that He will take care of you according to His ultimate plan?

Are we geared for self-preservation and how does that affect God’s Plan for us?

A lot of our trust issues are rooted in our perspective on God’s Plan for us.  We need to keep in mind that God has a plan that He will perform if we allow Him and it will bring Him the Glory He deserves.  We need to back off from trying to order our lives and let God govern our path, and then as we grow in faith, God will get His Glory spread around because then we as His sons are committed to His cause and not ours.

Exhort = To Call Near, invite, invoke by imploring, or consolation.  (2) Beseech, call for, intreat, or pray (Greek)

-Something to think about-  Are you, on a daily basis encouraging fellow Christians to remain on the path of truth?

Do we get so caught up in our lives that we have neglected provoking each other to good works?

What is meant by “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin”?

Sin is indeed deceitful and so quickly our humanity embraces sinful behavior. Romans 7:8,11-25  We can have the best intentions of keeping ourselves free from sin, but as long as we are in this flesh we will have to battle against our carnal desires.  If we stay steadfast in the Lord we will remain partakers of the household of God.

As in all wars, there may be some spiritual battles that we lose due to not taking hold of the power/backup that is available to us.  If we remain committed to the fight we can be considered to be steadfast.  Are we gaining ground spiritually or are we losing ground?

Basically we again are made aware of the provoking of God to wrath in the life of the Israelites during their journey through the desert.  The writer of Hebrews does point out here that not everyone had provoked God to wrath or rebelled against Him.

God was grieved with His people for 40 Years and for those who had rebelled through unbelief, they could not enter into the rest He had prepared for them.