SERIES: The Careful Considerations of Our Christian Confession
Hebrews 3:1-6; 7-17; 3:18--4:11; 4:11-13; 4:14---5:11
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to deeply/profoundly consider the aspect of their Christian confession concerning Jesus as their Apostle & High Priest.
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to further consider the intricacies of their Christian confession.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of their Christian confession.
What barriers/tendencies do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in their Christian confession?
5 Challenges traditionists must face/reckon with in their Christian confession.
A—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
GREATER / LESSER STEWARDSHIP(3:1-6) Faithfulness
B—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...SINGULAR / DIVIDED HEART(3:7-17)
C—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
PERMANENT / TEMPORARY REST(3:18--4:11)
D—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
FULL DISCLOSURE / SECRECY(4:11-13)
Tiger Woods--John Edwards--Jesse James, etc.
E—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...PERFECT / LIMITED/Grounded/Earthly PRIESTHOOD(4:14--5:11)
Last time in Hebrews, we looked at...
D— The challenge of choosing ...
FULL DISCLOSURE vs. SECRECY(4:11-13)
Today’s Consideration is...
E— The challenge of choosing ...
PERFECTION(PRIESTHOOD) vs. IMPERFECTION(4:14—5:11)
OR
The CHALLENGE of CHOOSING a PERFECT PRIESTHOOD(Mediator)-II
—Hebrews 4:14—5:11
Attention:
Political Representatives in election years/Mudslinging campaigns/Go-betweens who fails.
Are these were reliable mediators/Effective representatives of your values?
Need:
Why would I want to choose Jesus when I can go to the church building, walk up to the pastor or priest, share my concerns with him directly, & receive his blessing? After all, he’s closer to God’ than I am or can ever be, right?
The practical aspects of Catholicism are & Protestantism can be of this genre/ilk/stripe. The religion(approaching Jesus) takes precedence over the relationship(with Jesus).
The writer to the Hebrews set before his audience a deeper/further consideration of a Perfect Priesthood.
Christians, tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of a Perfect Priesthood.
What challenges do Christians, tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in the consideration of a Perfect Priesthood?
6 Challenges traditionists must face in their confession of a Perfect Priesthood.
Previously we found that The challenge of choosing a Perfect Priesthood is accepting...
1—The Priest’s PATH(:14)
2—The Priest’s TEMPTATION(:15)
3—The Priest’s THRONE(:16)
4—The Priest’s SACRIFICE(:5:1-3)
5—The challenge of choosing a Perfect Priesthood is accepting
The Priest’s PLACEMENT(5:4-6)
Explanation:(5:4-6)Appointment/Nomination
:4—“And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.”
The office of high priest was not one chosen by one’s own initiative but was an honored designation determined by God. In this sense Aaron & the entire high priesthood was effectively “called.”
By inter-testamental times, the office of High Priest had become a political appointment. Thus a liberal theology produced ‘yes men’ acceptable in the eyes of occupying political dignitaries & government.
“Takes”—lambanw—Strong—A prolonged form of a primary verb, which is use only as an alternate in certain tenses; To take (in very many applications, literally & figuratively [properly objective or active, To get hold of; ):-- Accept, + be amazed, assay, attain, bring, X when I call, catch, come on (X unto), + forget, have, hold, obtain, receive (X after), take (away, up). Whereas decomai is rather subjective or passive: To have offered to one; while aireomai is more violent: To seize or remove].
“Honor”—timh—1) A valuing by which the price is fixed—1a) Of the price itself, 1b)Of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold; 2) honor which belongs or is shown to one.
“Called”—kalew—Strong—To "call" (properly, Aloud, but used in a variety of applications, dir. or otherwise):-- Bid, call (forth), (whose, whose sur-)name (was [called]).
:5—“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”
In the same way that the earthly high priest does not “glorify himself” in seeking the office, likewise, Jesus “did not glorify Himself” as such, but the office found Him.
Rather it was God the Father who stated(Ps. 2:7) that Jesus was indeed His Son & that He had “begotten” Him as High Priest. When did this “Today” occur?— Before His birth...At His birth...At the cross...After the cross...At the resurrection? I tend to think the timeframe for “Today” is after the cross. It was only then that Christ had fully completed His earthly ministry/mission—having had the full potential to sin prior to His death but never succumbing to it.
“Glorify”—doxazw—Strong—To render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application):-- (make) Glorify(-ious), full of (have) glory, honor, magnify.
“Today”—shmeron—1) This (very) day); 2) What has happened today.
:6—“As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;”
Regarding the fact of Christ’s High Priesthood(which was still future), it is stated elsewhere(Ps. 110:4) that He is a “priest forever.” Thus Jesus’ priesthood is not limited to earth or mortality but reaches beyond it to eternity.
“Forever”—aiwn—1) For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; 2) The worlds, universe; 3) Period of time, age. Aiwn is usually better expressed by age, it is the world at a given time, a particular period in the world’s history. Strong—properly, An age; by extension, Perpetuity (also past); by implication, The world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):-- Age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the , while the) world (began, without end).
“Order”—taxiv—1) An arranging, arrangement; 2) Order—2a) A fixed succession observing a fixed time; 3) Due or right order, orderly condition; 4)The post, rank, or position which one holds in civic or other affairs.
“Melchizedek”—Melcisedek—= “king of righteousness”—1) The king of Salem(peace) & priest of the most high God, who lived in the days of Abraham.
Argumentation:
Jn. 5:31-37—““If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, & I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, & he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning & shining lamp, & you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.”
Jn. 8:54—“Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.”
Rom. 8:2-4—“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Illustration:
American Chopper/The owner’s[Paul Teutul] two sons Paul Jr. & Mikey/Mikey is the goof-off—don’t even know what his job is/Paul Jr. on the other hand takes his work very seriously/He has ability & drive/Thus Paul Jr. would be the logical replacement should Paul Sr. die/Would you want Mikey or Paul Jr. to build your bike?/Would you want a goof-off or someone who is able?/Jesus is Able thus he received the PLACEMENT
Does the Placement of Christ in your life...in your scheme of priorities...
depend upon your whims(feelings—how well or poorly you’re doing, —what others say) or What God says is true?
Application:
?You chosen the Perfection of the Priest’s PLACEMENT?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of a PERFECT PRIEST / Mediator?
6—The challenge of choosing a Perfect Priesthood is accepting
The Priest’s SUFFERING(5:6-8)
Explanation:(5:6-8)Obedience
:6—“As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;”
Regarding the fact of Christ’s High Priesthood(which was still future), it is stated elsewhere(Ps. 110:4) that He is a “priest forever.” Thus Jesus’ priesthood is not limited to earth or mortality but reaches beyond it to eternity.
“Forever”—aiwn—1) For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; 2) The worlds, universe; 3) Period of time, age. Aiwn is usually better expressed by age, it is the world at a given time, a particular period in the world’s history. Strong—properly, An age; by extension, Perpetuity (also past); by implication, The world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future):-- Age, course, eternal, (for) ever(-more), [n-]ever, (beginning of the , while the) world (began, without end).
“Order”—taxiv—1) An arranging, arrangement; 2) Order—2a) A fixed succession observing a fixed time; 3) Due or right order, orderly condition; 4)The post, rank, or position which one holds in civic or other affairs.
“Melchizedek”—Melcisedek—= “king of righteousness”—1) The king of Salem(peace) & priest of the most high God, who lived in the days of Abraham.
:7—“who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers & supplications, with vehement cries & tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, & was heard because of His godly fear,”
As High Priest, Jesus lived at one point of His life “in the days of His flesh.” He had become a man.
In those days He offered up prayers & supplications to God His Father.
The manner in which He offered them up was with “vehement cries & tears,” thus being heartfelt “prayers” & not mere words. Likewise, His “supplications” were not mere selfish indulgences for personal gain, but a means of approaching God in humility & thus accomplishing God’s will.
Jesus’ “godly fear” netted Him an audience with God. if our reverence for God is such as Christ’s(& it should be!), then we have an audience with & an ear for God!
“Prayers”—dehsiv—1) Need, indigence, want, privation, penury; 2) A seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God or to man. Dehsiv is petitionary & gives prominence to the expression of personal need, or for particular benefits. It may also be used of a request addressed to man.
“Supplications”—ikethria—1)An olive branch—1a) Suppliants approached the one whose aid they would implore holding an olive branch entwined with white wool & fillets, to signify that they came as suppliants; 2)Supplication. The attitude of humility & deprecation in prayer is specially emphasized. Used 1X.
“Vehement”—iscurov—Strong, mighty. Strong—Forcible (literally or figuratively):-- Boisterous, mighty(-ier), powerful, strong(-er, man), valiant.
“Cries”—kraugh—A crying, outcry, clamor. Strong—An outcry (in notification, tumult or grief):-- clamour, cry(-ing).
“Tears”—dakru—A tear.
“Heard”—eisakouw—1) To give heed to, comply with admonition, to obey; 2) To listen to, assent to, a request, to be heard, have request granted. Used 5X.
“Fear”—eulabeia—N. f.—1) Caution, circumspection, discretion—1a) Avoidance,1b) A reasonable shunning; 2) Reverence, veneration—2a) Reverence toward God, godly fear, piety; 3) Fear anxiety, dread. Usually used in a good sense. Used 2X.
:8—“though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
When suffering arises out of our of the surrender of our flesh to the will of God....we immediately “learn” that obedience is the better way of two ways. Our faith is thereby strengthned & obedience is easier.
This probably speaks specifically of Jesus’ going to the Cross(:7—“vehement cries& tears”). His suffering was earned thru “godly fear” & by which His obedience grew to the point of “perfection”(:9).
Jesus had a godly reverence for His heavenly Father even though He was a Son. & even though He was a Son, He still “suffered” & He “learned” the importance of “obedience” from the suffering.
Suffering is an important tool for teaching us obedience to God. It was important for doing the same in our Lord’s life so it must be employed in our’s as well. How much better off we would be if we would only approach our sufferings with the same concept that we would gain a greater trust in our Father.
The suffering encountered is that which is at once, Mental, possibly Physical, Heartfelt, & constantly Spiritual. These sufferings result from the spiritual battles in which we are engaged.
“Learned”—manyanw—1) To learn, be appraised. Strong—To learn (in any way):-- Learn, understand.
“Obedience”—upakoh—1) Obedience, compliance, submission; 2) Obedience rendered to anyone’scounsels, an obedience shown in observing the requirements of Christianity. Strong—Attentive hearkening, i.e. (by implication) Compliance or submission:-- Obedience, (make) obedient, obey(-ing).
“Suffered”—pascw—1) To be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo—1a) In a good sense, to be well off, in good case, 1b) In a bad sense, to suffer sadly, be in a bad plight—1b1) Of a sick person. Strong—To experience a sensation or impression (usually painful):-- feel, passion, suffer, vex.
Argumentation:
1Pet. 2:18-24—“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good & gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good & suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.”
Acts 9:15-16—“But the Lord said to him[Ananias], “Go, for he[Paul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, & the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.””
Paul was called upon to offer his body, soul & spirit to God’s will, predetermined for him. Thus his flesh suffered physically but more importantly he suffered mentally & emotionally as he allowed God to determine his path even in life-threatening opposition.
2Tim. 2:1-3—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
What is so soldier-like about committing God’s truths to faithful leaders? Opposition will always rear its head! That’s why Elders, Deacons & their Teachers must be strong men of faith!
2Tim. 2:8-14—“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.”
2Cor. 1:6—“Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation & salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation & salvation.”
Illustration:
Any teen needs a job/Thru the “suffering” induced by that commitment, they discover their true passion & purpose their direction./They also learn obedience eventually supplies necessary dividends rewarded thru the sufferingThey learn to man-up & save their money rather than squandering/They learn self-sufficiency/SUFFERING
UPS generally promotes from within/Obedience gained thru suffering in-house/SUFFERING
Application:
?You chosen the Perfection of the Priest’s SUFFERING?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of a PERFECT PRIEST / Mediator?
7—The challenge of choosing a Perfect Priesthood is accepting
The Priest’s CAUSATION(5:9-11)
Explanation:(5:9-11)Authorship/Salvation/Causation
:9—“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”
Jesus suffering is what wrought Him obedience(:8), which in turn, “perfected” Him. This perfection is not something attained by religious duty or pious acts but by the suffering engaged via a heart & flesh being fully submitted to God.
That is, He reached the point of singular completion—in God’s determination—by Whom(wherein) He could uniquely & absolutely fulfill every aspect of God’s desire for the mission to mankind.
Having reached this point of perfection thus made Jesus uniquely equipped to be “the author”/causer/fountainhead/source/foundation of our “eternal salvation.”
The salvation is not temporal but “eternal.” It is everlasting & will never fail. There are many means of temporal salvation, but only one which can bring about eternal salvation!
This implies that those who do NOT “obey Him” have no causer/initiator/author of true salvation.
Many acknowledge Jesus was a real historical figure—Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.—But they do not “obey Him.” They in various ways discount that which is recorded by & of Him.
—Islam claims His testimony was perverted by the Jews.
—Jews do not accept Him as their Messiah.
—Mormons supercede the Scriptures with various beliefs proffered thru other writings.
—Jehovah’s Witnesses supercede the Scriptures with various other contradicting writings by their own Governing Board & twisting the Scriptures to their liking.
“Perfected”—teleiow—1) To make perfect, complete; 2) To complete (perfect); 3) To bring to the end (goal) proposed; 4) To accomplish. Strong—To complete, i.e. (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) Consummate (in character):-- Consecrate, finish, fulfil, make) perfect.
“Author”—aitiov—Adj.—1) That which is the cause of anything resides, causative, causing. Used 1X. Strong—Causative, i.e. (concretely) A causer:-- Author.
“Obey”—upakouw—1) To listen, to harken; 2) To harken to a command. Strong—To hear under (as a subordinate), i.e. To listen attentively; by implication, to heed or conform to a command or authority:-- Hearken, be obedient to, obey.
:10—“called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
As the causer of our eternal salvation, Jesus had been called by God to be our “eternal High Priest.” & as such, He is High Priest in the same “order”/sense as “Melchizedek.” A discussion regarding him is pertinent to the spiritual well-being of the audience, particularly as the aura surrounding Mechizedek directly concerns the High Priesthood of Christ Jesus. He is someone about whose ministry & very existence, the author of Hebrews desires to divulge to his audience. There is a great deal of spiritual truth pertinent to that of the priesthood of Jesus in Melchizedek.
However, the author has reached an impasse with his audience as their ability to hear such spiritual truth has become dulled. In fact their dullness has effected the writer/speaker to such an extent that his God-called ministry & ability to communicate the truths therein have rendered his usual task of explaining the Gospel difficult/unexplainable.
:11—“of whom we have much to say, & hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”
“Hard to explain/Hard to utter”—dusermhneutov—1) Hard to interpret, difficult to explain. Strong—Difficult of explanation:-- Hard to be uttered. Used 1X. From—dus—A prefix conveying the idea of difficulty, opposition, injuriousness, similar to our "mis-" or "un-" prefixes; & —ermhneuw(Eng.—hermaneutics)—1) To explain in words, expound; 2) To interpret—2a) To translate what has been spoken or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular.
“Dull”—nwyrov—1) Slow, sluggish, indolent, dull, languid. Not Idle but sluggish, descriptive of constitutional qualities & suggestive of censure. Strong—Sluggish, i.e. (literally) Lazy, or (figuratively) stupid:-- Dull, slothful. Used 2X(both in Hebrews). From— noyov—adj.—1) Illegitimate, bastard; 2) One born, not in lawful wedlock, but of a concubine or female slave.
“Hearing”—akoh—Hearing (the act, the sense or the thing heard):-- Audience, ear, fame, which you heard, hearing, preached, report, rumor.
Argumentation:
Rom. 3:20-26—“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Eph 1:3-14—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Jn. 14:6—“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Acts 4:12—““Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name[Jesus] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Illustration:
Aug. 5, 2010 a section collapsed of the San Jose Mine(San Esteban Mining Co.) a copper & gold mine in Copiapo, Chile/33 Chilean miners trapped/8 hrs. later a small shaft broke into their sealed shaft/Aug. 22(17 days) they were found/Fed & watered thru this hole/Drill operator, Jeff Hart & Matt Staffel with Layne-Christiansen Co. was sent from Afghanistan(military)/Schramm, Inc. & Center Rock, Inc. supplied drill & bit expertise/UPS shipped additional equipment at no charge/Hart & Staffel spent 33 days drilling/On Sat. Oct. 9th The drill broke thru to where the miners were trapped/NASA engineers designed & the Chilean navy assembled the 13 ft-tall 26 in. dia. rescue capsule/The winch & pulleys were produced & operated by OESTU Stettin an Austrian Co./69 days under the earth/No possible way of rescue without drawing upon the mining co.—Multinational efforts/Rescued on 10/13/2010/The efforts of many were CAUSATION/AUTHORSHIP
Mankind was & is in an emergency situation/God met our need with Christ!
Ga 4:4—“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,”
Application:
?You chosen the Perfection of the Priest’s CAUSATION?
?Does Your Confession meet the challenge of a PERFECT PRIEST / Mediator?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Political ’Representatives’ in mudslinging campaigns. Not really representatives.
Action:
The challenge of choosing a Perfect Priesthood is accepting...
5—The Priest’s PLACEMENT(5:4-6)
6—The Priest’s SUFFERING(5:6-8)
7—The Priest’s CAUSATION(5:9-11)
1—The Priest’s PATH(:14)
2—The Priest’s TEMPTATION(:15)
3—The Priest’s THRONE(:16)
4—The Priest’s SACRIFICE(:5:1-3)
Presented 10/17/2010am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
