The DEMANDS OF A PERFECTING PRIESTHOOD—Hebrews 7:11-28
Need:
Can I be accepted/perfect before God? Can I earn His favor? If I follow the law spelled out in the Bible, will that make me accepted?
Mankind(in general) desperately wants to be accepted by his/her God. But we carry differing opinions as to how this can be accomplished.
I must know the truth regarding my status before God. Otherwise I will pointlessly waste my limited time on this earth with frivolous endeavors.
We must be accepted by God to find our peace, path & purpose.
But in order to do that we must rightly represent ourselves before Him.
Can we be sure that God accepts us?
& if so...
How can we be sure that God accepts us?
The Hebrew’s audience was informed of the need for a perfecting priesthood.
Mankind needs a means of access to God.
Thus...
Mankind needs a perfecting priesthood.
What defines a perfecting priesthood?
What are the marks of a completing priesthood?
4 demands of a perfecting priesthood.
1—A perfecting priesthood demands a...
Change of ORDER(:11)
Explanation:(:11)
:11—“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, & not be called according to the order of Aaron?”
“Therefore”—The writer makes a rhetorical statement made for the sake of argument, which is done in response to the questions which will surely arise in his audience of Jewish converts.
This directly intersects us in that we assume following certain behavioral rules & patterns endears us to God just as the Jews.
“If perfection”—The audience, at the very depth of their being, is concerned with the “perfection” they receive “through the Levitical priesthood”. This should be a concern for every human being on earth of every generation. In fact many have this concern but misplace their trust in something/someone thru which perfection cannot be attained. Like the Jews who deny Jesus as Messiah, they cannot receive the perfection.
The Jews interpret the reception of God’s intended perfection for them thru reception of the law of God. & indeed if that were the case then there would be no need for “another priest” to arise “according to the order of Melchizedek”. He would instead or rather have been “called”/arisen according to the order of Aaron. That is, he would have continued in the same order as Aaron, ministering according to the law & officiating continually in regard to animal & cereal & drink offerings for sin.
God’s Moral law stands permanently(Adultery, Homosexuality, Theft, Murder, Lying, Covetousness, etc.). These encompass God’s desire for humanity thru our relationships with one another. Acceptance of these relationships simultaneously prepares our hearts for relationship with the Almighty God.
God’s Ceremonial law(limited to Israel thru Temple) is set aside.
“Perfection”—teleiwsiv—N.f.—A completing, a perfecting. Strong—(the act) Completion, i.e. (of prophecy) Verification, or (of expiation) absolution:-- Perfection, performance. From—teleiow—V.—1) To make perfect, complete; 2) To complete (perfect); 3) To bring to the end (goal) proposed; 4) To accomplish.
“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. Strong—Regular arrangement, i.e. (in time) Fixed succession (of rank or character), official dignity:-- Order.
Argumentation:
Col. 2:8-14—“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Gal. 2:20-21—““I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me & gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.””
Illustration:
Supplier of goods
TV Show ‘Ice Pilots’/Story of Buffalo Airways a family-run airline in Hay River, NW Territories, Canada/Multi-faceted—Passengers-Commercial freight-Courier-Waterbombers(fire)/Called to deliver 2 generators to a town which had lost its elecricity in January!/Spent most of the day trying to get the largest generator in the DC-3 cargo door to no avail!/Tried the smaller generator—no go!/Came to find out that the town had acquired another transport co. which got the job done & the town had elecricity that night/Buffalo Airways couldn’t do it/It took a Change of ORDER!
Application:
?Is your representation before God need a Change of ORDER?
?Is your representation before God Perfecting or is it flawed?
2—A perfecting priesthood demands a
Change of APPROACH(:12)
Explanation:(:12) Law
:12—“For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.”
From Ceremonial to Practical/Actual.
However, “the priesthood” having met with “being changed” obviously presupposes “a change of the law”. But who says that there has been a change in the priesthood & thus the law? Only those who witness the obviously God empowered ministry of Jesus!....Which people the target audience is! Therefore, they must recognize the discrepancy between perfection by law & perfection by grace thru faith for Christ is no mere high priest He is the High Priest.
Jesus must be approached individually(personally) & directly(No go-between because He is the go-between!).
“Changed”—metatiyhmi—1) To transpose (two things, one of which is put in place of the other)—1a) To transfer, 1b) To change, 1c) To transfer one's self or suffer one's self to be transferred—1c1) To go or pass over, 1c2) To fall away or desert from one person or thing to another Strong —To transfer, i.e. (literally) Transport, (by implication) Exchange (reflexively) Change sides, or (figuratively) Pervert:-- Carry over, change, remove, translate, turn.
“Necessity”—anagkh—1) Necessity, imposed either by the circumstances, or by law of duty regarding to one's advantage, custom, argument; 2) Calamity, distress, straits.
Argumentation:
Ps. 51:15-17—“O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken & a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.”
This is the prophetic statement of a man who lived during the engagement of the Law. Even then the law was only intended as a tutor to bring us to Christ. Its substance was in Christ who was to come(Col. 2:17 below).
Jn. 16:19-24—“Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, & He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, & you will not see Me; & again a little while, & you will see Me’? “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep & lament, but the world will rejoice; & you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again & your heart will rejoice, & your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, & you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
The multi-varied reasons people don’t approach God directly thru Christ, is that they have no saving relationship with such a perfecting priesthood! Thus they cannot be accepted/perfected/declared righteous.
Perhaps you come from a Catholic or cultic background, where you have been taught that heaven cannot be had apart from the ‘leader’s’ approval & supplications. WRONG!
If you are not pointed to (the biblical)Christ than you are pointed in the wrong direction!
Col. 2:8-17—“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy & empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, & not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; & you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality & power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses & the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities & powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
Illustration:
Pool Chlorinator/Limits the growth of bacteria, algae, & viruses/A Chlorinator is basically a basket which holds chlorine tablets/The water to the pool flows thru the bottom of it circulates up thru it with an adjustable mesh to control the flow into the pool water/
Salt chlorinators(somewhat new approach) turn salt into chlorine + hydrogen gas through a chemical reaction with the help of an electric current....
HOWEVER....There is a system which uses copper ionization from a simple bar of copper replaced every 4-7 years/Don’t have harsh chemicals & is a more natural water not toxic to plants/Uses less than half the electricity of a salt chlorinator/Change of APPROACH
Application:
?Is your representation before God need a Change of APPROACH?
?Is your representation before God Perfecting or is it flawed?
3—A perfecting priesthood demands a
Change of POWER/Ability(:13-19)
Explanation:(:13-19)
:13—“For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.”
The one “of whom” Melchizedek pictures is of “another tribe”(not a Levite) & from a tribe which was not called to taking part in “officiating at the altar”
“Officiated/Gave attendance/Served”—prosecw—1) To bring to, bring near—1a) To bring a ship to land, & simply to touch at, put in; 2) To turn the mind to, attend to be attentive—2a) To a person or a thing: of caring for, providing for; 3) To attend to one's self, i.e. to give heed to one's self—3a) Give attention to, take heed; 4) To apply one's self to, attach one's self to, hold or cleave to a person or a thing, 4a) To be given or addicted to, 4b) To devote thought & effort to. Strong—(figuratively) To hold the mind towards, i.e. Pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to:-- (give) Attend(-ance, -ance at, -ance to, unto), beware, be given to, give (take) heed (to unto); have regard.
:14—“For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.”
It is obvious that the One whom Christians recognize as their “Lord” is from the tribe of Judah. Judah being a tribe of which Moses, in the law or otherwise, declared “nothing concerning priesthood.” In other words, no instruction was given Moses on the mount or thru other revelation that any other than Levites were to serve as the priesthood.
Judah may speak of kingship, but that is separated from priestly service.
“Evident”—prodhlov—1) Openly evident, known to all, manifest. Strong—Plain before all men, i.e. Obvious:-- Evident, manifest (open) beforehand.
:15—“And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest”
:16—“who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.”
Even more apparent beyond this obvious fact, is the fact that a priest should come according to the “power of an endless life” which supercedes any priest according to “the law of a fleshly commandment.”
Jn. 1:4—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men.”
Jn. 5:21, 26—““For as the Father raises the dead & gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.”....““For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,”
Col. 3:3-4—“For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
1Jn. 1:2—“the life was manifested, & we have seen, & bear witness, & declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father & was manifested to us--”
1Jn. 5:11—“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son.”
“Likeness/Similitude”—omoiothv—Likeness. Strong—Resemblance:-- Like as, similitude.
“Fleshly/Physical/Carnal”—sarkikov—1) Fleshly, carnal—1a) Having the nature of flesh, i.e. under the control of the animal appetites—1a1) Governed by mere human nature not by the Spirit of God, 1a2) Having its seat in the animal nature or aroused by the animal nature, 1a3) Human: with the included idea of depravity, 1b) Pertaining to the flesh—1b1) To the body: related to birth, linage, etc. Strong—Pertaining to flesh, i.e. (by extension) Bodily, temporal, or (by implication) animal, unregenerate:-- Carnal, fleshly.
“Endless/Indestructible”—akatalutov—1) Indissoluble, not subject to destruction. Strong—Indisoluble, i.e. (figuratively) Permanent:-- endless. Used 1X.
:17—“For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
This is borne out in Ps. 110:4—which states of the coming Messiah, that He not only is “a priest forever” but that His priesthood will share some likeness/order to that of Melchizedek’s. Who is it that testifies to these things?....God Himself thru His servant David declared—“The LORD has sworn And will not relent/repent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”(see :21).
Heb.....“Relent/Repent/Change His mind”—Mxn nacham naw-kham'—(Niphal)—To be sorry, console oneself, moved to pity, ease oneself.
“Priest”—iereuv—A mediator between God & man; One busied with sacred rites.
“Order”—taxiv—An arranging; Ordering; Due or right order; Post, rank or position—In Ps. 110:4—hrbd dibrah dib-raw'—Cause, manner, reason.
:18—“For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness & unprofitableness,”
There are 2 aspects which must be considered in grasping the significance of Christ’s priesthood in relation to that of Melchizedek.....
1)....Thus “on the one hand”(negatively speaking) it is a statement that that which was formerly in place(law) has been annulled. It is annulled because the law itself has, at its core, an inherent “weakness & unprofitableness.” Why is that?....Because “the law made nothing perfect”. No one can attain God’s intended end thru the law. Why was the law given then?
Gal. 3:18-26—“For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; & it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
“Annulling/Disannulling/Setting aside”—ayethsiv—Abolition, disannulling, Put away, rejection.
“Commandment”—entolh—Order, command, charge, precept, injunction.
“Weakness”—asyenhv—Weak, infirm, feeble.
“Unprofitableness/Uselessness”—anwfelev— Unprofitable, useless.
:19—“for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”
1)....“on the one hand”(negatively speaking)—that which was formerly in place(law) has been annulled. The law being inherently “weak & unprofitable,” “made nothing perfect.”
*2)....On the flip side of the annulling of the “weak & unprofitable,” is the ushering in “of a better hope” than the law. The law brought a limited “hope” in that it merely made one aware of one’s sin & accountability to God & only provided a means of temporarily relating this sin before God in a fleshly sense. A “hope” making us aware of our severely limited ability.
The “better hope” of Christ’s priesthood is that we are able to draw nearer to God because of it. This insinuates the opposite was & remains true before & without the better hope of Christ....that is, one cannot draw near to God, in the same manner, thru the law— that one can draw near by grace thru faith. If there is a nearer position available then the merely near is obsolete & unacceptable.
This is another incentive to avail oneself to Christ in full assurance of faith without wavering or fear.
When others tell you, ‘Don’t believe’ or ‘Don’t leave our beliefs or & Don’t leave your old beliefs,’ know that we can truly trust God’s salvation in Christ regardless of the comfort of Law.
“Nothing”—ouden—No one, nothing.
“Perfect”—teleiow—To make perfect, complete; To bring to the end; To accomplish.
“Hope”—elpiv—Expectation or confidence of good.
“Better”—kreittwn—More useful, serviceable or advantageous; More excellent.
“Draw near”—eggizw—To bring near, To join one to another; To draw or come near, approach.
Argumentation:
Rom. 7:18-25—“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, & bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
*Rom. 8:1-5—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & 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. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
Rom. 3:19-26—“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, & all the world may become guilty before God. 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.”
*1Cor. 2:3-5—“I was with you in weakness, in fear, & in much trembling. And my speech & my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
*1Cor. 4:18-20—“Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, & I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.”
Illustration:
Renewable resource vs. non-renewable
Invention of the internal combustion engine/Requires fuel which is non-renewable/But it is an easy trade-off, hugely popular & transforming because it accomplishes impossibly heavy work for the cost!/Change of POWER/Ability
Solar cell/Directly converts solar energy(light) to electricity with no(or very little loss) & no fuel loss/Change of POWER/Ability
Application:
?Is your representation before God need a Change of POWER/Ability?
?Is your representation before God Perfecting or is it flawed?
4—A perfecting priesthood demands a
Change of EFFECTIVENESS(:20-28)
Explanation:(:20-28)
a. Oath—(:20-21)
:20—“And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath”
“He....made priest” is added in the NKJV/KJV to give sense to the wording but it rather is a reference to the last mentioned subject—that of the ushering in of a better hope. Therefore the literal & thus better understanding is—“It”(the better hope) is not ushered/brought in without an oath.
“Oath”—orkwmosia—N.f.—1) Affirmation made on oath, the taking of an oath, an oath. Strong—Asseveration on oath:-- oath. Used 4X.
:21—“(for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The LORD has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’”),
In contrast, “they”(the Aaronic priesthood) became such “without an oath”. There has never been a promise of God that the law & thus the Aaronic priesthood would remain forever.
God Himself thru His servant David declared—“The LORD has sworn And will not relent/repent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”(see :17).
God will not change His mind(“And will not relent”) regarding His declaration of Christ’s eternal priesthood. This was never declared to the Aaronic priesthood.
“The oath does not represent greater truthfulness but puts the emphasis on permanence.”—John MacArthur
b. Certainty—(:22)
:22—“by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.”
Jesus, to a far grander degree than the Aaronic priesthood, “has become” the assurance of “a better covenant.” The absolute assurance of the covenant’s betterness is thus tied directly to “Jesus” & is centered/found only in Him as its “surety/guarantor.”
“So much more”—tosoutov—Of quantity—so great or many.
“Surety/Guarantee”—egguov—A surety, a pledge, a sponsor as in a bondsman. Used 1X.
c. Continuance—(:23-25)
:23—“Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.”
Jesus’ better priesthood is also seen in contrasting it with the “many priests” of the Aaronic priesthood. The many priests were such simply because they each died—they were not eternal, so their priesthood was not either, passing on to succeeding priests.
:24—“But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.”
However, Jesus(“He”) does “continue forever” & thus has an “unchangeable priesthood”. His priesthood had no need to be passed along to another.
“Unchangeable/Permanently”—aparabatov—Unviolated, not to be violated, inviolable; Unchangeable & therefore not liable to pass to a successor. From the negative of parabainw —to go by the side of, to go past or pass over without touching, transgress.
:25—“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Due to Jesus’ permanent & unchangeable priesthood, “He is also able to save” completely/“to the uttermost” absolutely anyone(unqualified) who so chooses to “come to God”. However, they must come to God thru Jesus alone. There is no other way except thru Jesus. Jn. 14:6—“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is able to save completely those who seek Him for the simple reason that He “always lives” & in so doing lives with the intent of making “intercession for them.” This is the purpose of Christ’s ministry & the purpose of any high priest.
“To the uttermost/Forever”—pantelhv—1) All complete, perfect; 2) Completely, perfectly, utterly. Strong—Full-ended, i.e. entire (neuter as noun, completion):-- + in [no] wise, uttermost. Used 2X.
“Intercession”—entugcanw—To light upon a person , fall in with, hit upon; To go to or meet a person for the purpose of conversation, consultation or supplication.
d. Holiness—(:26-28)
:26—“For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, & has become higher than the heavens;”
A High Priest such as Christ “was fitting for us”....He is everything & all we needed.
He is a High Priest who is “holy, harmless, undefiled.”
“Holy”—osiov—Undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious
“Harmless/Innocent”—akakov—Without guile or fraud, Free from guilt—one in whom exists absence of all evil, & so by implication the presence of all good.
“Undefiled”—amiantov—Not defiled, unsoiled. Removed from every kind of contamination.
He is also “separate from sinners”—Not by title or office but by essence.
“Separate”—cwrizw—To separate, divide, part, put asunder,
He has “become higher than the heavens”—This an indication that He dwells in the 3rd heaven or rather the realm of God’s transcendent existence.
“Higher/Exalted”—uqhlov—High, lofty; Emminent, exalted.
:27—“who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins & then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
Jesus thus does not need to offer up sacrifices daily as did the Aaronic priesthood. He does not need to offer sacrifices for His own sin prior to performing those of the people, because He is sinless(4:15).
Christ made sacrifice for the sins of others “once for all”. There is & will never be a need for another sacrifice beyond that which Christ made.
“Offer up”—anaferw—1) To carry or bring up, to lead up—1a) Men to a higher place; 2) To put upon the altar, to bring to the altar, to offer; 3) To lift up one's self, to take upon one's self. Strong—To take up (literally or figuratively):-- Bear, bring (carry, lead) up, offer (up).
“Sins”—amartia—1) Equivalent to amartanw—(V.)—1a) to be without a share in, 1b) To miss the mark, 1c) To err, be mistaken, 1d) To miss or wander from the path of uprightness & honour, to do or go wrong, 1e) To wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin; 2) That which is done wrong, sin, an offence, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act; 3) Collectively, the complex or aggregate of sins committed either by a single person or by many.
“Sacrifices”—yusia—1) A sacrifice, victim.
:28—“For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”
The “oath” is what “appoints” the (only begotten)“Son” of God as the “once for all” sacrifice(for all men) of “Himself.”
This is in contrast to that which “the law” “appoints.” It appoints sinners(“men who have weakness”) rather than the One “who has been perfected forever.” Thus the appointments of the law are therefore not eternal as are those of “the word of the oath.”
“Appoints”—kayisthmi—1) To set, place, put. Strong—To place down (permanently), i.e. (figuratively) To designate, constitute, convoy:-- Appoint, be, conduct, make, ordain, set.
“Weakness”—asyeneia—Want of strength, weakness, infirmity.
“Perfected/Consecrated”(see :19)—teleiow—To make perfect, complete; To bring to the end; To accomplish.
“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).
Argumentation:
Prov. 17:10—“Rebuke is more effective for a wise man Than a hundred blows on a fool.”
*Isa. 32:17—“The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness & assurance forever.”
Rom. 3:28—“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
Rom. 4:13-16—“For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void & the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
1Thes. 2:13—“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
*Js. 5:16—“Confess your trespasses to one another, & pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
How does a “righteous man” pray? By giving his prayer life. Life obtained thru faith in God thru Christ Jesus.
Illustration:
NC has the largest state-maintained highway system in the nation/But before the 1920s most of North Carolina’s roads were dirt/The NC General Assembly of 1921 agreed to issue $40 million in bonds to establish a paved state highway system/N.C. became known as ‘The Good Roads State’/Cars are a good idea but they are ineffective apart from good roads!/Change of EFFECTIVENESS
Our pool Chlorinator/Limits the growth of bacteria, algae, & viruses/A Chlorinator is basically a basket which holds chlorine tablets/The water to the pool flows thru the bottom of it circulates up thru it with an adjustable mesh to control the flow into the pool water/It has a removable lid(for adding chlorine tablets)/Must be sealed properly because chlorine is toxic/The lid has an O-ring made of Viton—higher chemical resistance/BUT during the winter, the O-ring expanded effecting the seal—No fumes but unbeknownst to me, air was getting into the line/Put up with it for a few days thinking the air was another problem/Finally decided to replace the O-ring/Perfection!/Change of EFFECTIVENESS
We collect limbs & sticks, take them to Granny’s & pile them for burning/Last batch had a lot of green wood(from the storm) & was difficult to light/Millie got it started downwind side of the brushpile but it couldn’t travel to the upwind side/Effectiveness hindered by the green & lack of air/Added newspapers—burned a while but not well/Granny added dry twigs & it took off!/Change of EFFECTIVENESS
Application:
?Is your representation before God need a Change of EFFECTIVENESS?
?Is your representation before God Perfecting or is it flawed?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A perfecting priesthood demands a change of...
1. ORDER(:11)
2. APPROACH(:12)
3. POWER/Ability(:13-19)
4. EFFECTIVENESS(:20-28)
a. Oath—(:20-21)
b. Certainty—(:22)
c. Continuance—(:23-25)
d. Holiness—(:26-28)
Presented 05/15/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
