Hebrews 5

God made Christ our perfect High Priest forever

He is able to save from death

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:  2 being able to feel compassion for those not knowing and having been misled, since he himself is also surrounded with weakness.  3 And because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people and for himself. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify himself to be made a high priest; but He said to him, You are my Son, today I have Fathered you. 6 As he also said in another place, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, having sent up prayers and requests with strong crying and weeping to him who was able to save him from death, had his prayer answered because of his reverence of God. 8 Though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things that he suffered.

• Think about being infinite and everywhere and then suddenly being limited to the tiny space of a human baby.
• Think about having infinite power, infinite strength and instantly having no power.
• Think about being the absolute authority, the boss of everything, and then having no authority: but being under authority and required to do the most hideous task ever asked of anyone.
• That was the suffering of Jesus, for us.
• Add to that, He had to be tested in every way that man is tested, and He could not fail one single time or eternal salvation would be lost.

• Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tested like we are, yet without sin.

Jesus is our perfect author of eternal salvation

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all those that subordinate themselves to him; 10 called by God a high priest after the order of Melchisedec. 11 of whom we have many things to say, and hard to explain, since you are dull of hearing. 12 For though by now you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and are like those that need milk, and not solid food. 13 For every one that uses milk has no experience in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those that are perfect/complete, those who by constant use have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

• We are complete in Christ.
• Evil is subtle like the serpent in Eden. Evil wears a mask of good. The way to discern good from evil is to examine a thing to see if it obeys God’s word. And the subtle part, does it glorify God, versus ourselves, or other beings?
• All good that leaves out God is from evil. All that is against God and what He has said is from evil.
• Remember Eden had two trees. We either feed on Christ, His word, and His love or we are feeding our hearts on other things that are usually from evil.

• Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and I will not give my glory to another…

                                             Hebrews 6

His word is beautiful

He has given us a taste of His heavenly gift and the powers of the age to come

1 Therefore leaving the beginning teachings about Christ, let us go on to completeness; not laying again the foundation of turning from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And we will do this, if God permits. 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the beautiful word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to restore them again to repentance; since they re-crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put him to open shame.

• After the cross, Christians were being persecuted for not bringing sacrifices, so some of them went back to the old way.
• The passage is speaking of going on to maturity (verse 1).
• They cannot do that while clinging to dead works but in turning from dead works back to their living Lord who was with them.
• Dead works are anything we do to try to help God forgive us…anything that adds to what Christ already did on the cross.
• If we seek to glorify Him, this will not be a problem.
  
• t is when we are seeking to show what good Christians we are that we stumble on this. 
• I and me get in the way, meeting our needs by the approval of others rather than the approval of God.
• ‘Christ can no longer be crucified. He can never die again in His own person. But He dies again in us when we reject truth, grace, faith, remission of sins, when we seek to be justified by our own works or those commanded by the law. Whoever has any fear of God or love of Christ, flee from this evil.’ (Martin Luther, Galatians)

7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and brings forth herbs fit for those by whom it is tilled, receives blessing from God: 8 But that which bears thorns and briers is rejected, and is near to cursing; whose end is to be burned.

• The herb doesn’t turn into a thorn bush; the thorn bush doesn’t turn into a herb. Don’t live according to the flesh, producing thorns but according to the Spirit, producing fruit.

• John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches: he that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

There is none greater than God

9 But loved ones, we are convinced of stronger things about you, things that hold deliverance, though we speak like this. 10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love that you have shown toward his name, you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that every one of you show the same diligence to the supreme fullness of confidence to the goal: 12 Do not be slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, 14 saying, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

• 1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all.

His Counsel is immutable

16 For men swear by one greater than themselves: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end to all strife. 17 So when God, greatly wanting to show to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it by an oath: 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and one which enters within the veil; 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

• Hebrews 7:3 explains that the ‘order of Melchisedec is an eternal order. In order to know the worth of the anchor you must feel the stress of the storm.

• Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 Nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

                                               Hebrews 7

Jesus Christ is the King of Righteousness and Peace forever

1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all the spoils; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3Without father, without mother, without pedigree, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like the Son of God; abides a priest continually.

• The word Melchisedek means king of righteousness.
• He was made like Jesus. Not the other way around.
• He was an example to teach us truths about Jesus who will reign over all forever as priest to the Most High God, His Father (Genesis 14:18).

• Zechariah 6:13 he will build the temple of the LORD; and he will bear the glory, and will sit and rule on his throne; and he will be a priest on his throne: and the counsel of peace will be between them both.

• Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he will reign for ever and ever.

4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 Truly those that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, from their brothers, though they came out of the loins of Abraham: 6 But he whose line of ancestors is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

• The book of Hebrews explains the superiority of Jesus Christ to every other being except our eternal heavenly Father and this is part of that explanation.
• Melchisedec was better than the Levitical priesthood because he was before them and Abraham gave him a tithe.

He lives forever

8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.  9 And so to speak, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was still in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. 11 So if perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there for another priest to rise after the order of Melchisedec and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, that necessitates a change in the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is far more evident that after the likeness of Melchisedec there arose another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifies, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

• Acts 1:3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God

• Revelation 1:18 I am he that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

18 So, the former commandment is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by which we draw near to God. 20 And he was made priest not without an oath:  21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said to him, The Lord swore and will not change his mind, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

• Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

He is higher than the heavens

He is the guarantee of a better covenant with God

He always lives to make intercession for us

22 By so much more also Jesus was made the guarantee of a better contract/covenant. 23 And they were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue because of death: 24 But this man, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save them to the uttermost/evermore that come to God by him, because he lives forever to make intercession for them.  26 For such a high priest is fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who does not need to offer up sacrifices daily, as those high priests, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for he did this once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men high priests who have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son, who is made perfect/complete forevermore.

                                               Hebrews 8

Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant

1 Now a summary of the things being said: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord raised up, and not man. 3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: therefore it is necessary that this man have something also to offer. 4 For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are those priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve as an example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle: see, He said, that you make all things according to the pattern shown you in the mount.

• God showed Moses exactly how to make the tabernacle and He showed David exactly how to make His temple ( Exodus 25:12, 1 Chronicles 28:12)
• They were patterned after the real one in heaven (Revelation 15:5).

Our eternal high priest is merciful to our unrighteousness

6 But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, in as much as he is the mediator of a better covenant that was established on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless then no place would have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he said, Behold, the days come, said the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in my covenant, and I did not regard them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they will be a people to me: 11 And they will not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all will know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and I will never, by no means, remember their sins and their iniquities. 13 When he said, A new covenant, he has made the first obsolete. Now that which decayed and grew old is near to disappearing.

• God’s first covenant didn’t change the hearts of the people.
• Man does not measure up to the holiness of God.
• Outward behavior is not what God looks at.
• “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they will be to me a people for all will know me from the least to the greatest.” Verses 10, 11

• 1Samuel 16: for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

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SUMMARY: Hebrews 5-8

• God made Christ our perfect  High Priest forever
• Jesus is our perfect author of eternal salvation
• His word is beautiful
• He has given us a taste of His heavenly gift and the powers of the age to come
• There is none greater than God
• His Counsel is immutable
• Jesus Christ is the King of Righteousness and Peace forever
• He lives forever
• He is higher than the heavens
• He is the guarantee of a better covenant with God
• He always lives to make intercession for us
• Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant
• Our eternal high priest is merciful to our unrighteousness