Hebrews Study – Lesson 7
By way of review…because we haven’t been together in a while, in our last study we talked about the writer of the Hebrews offering us a challenge in Heb. 3:1. His challenge to consider JESUS HIMSELF as our SOURCE of REFUGE, our source of COMFORT and our source of strength. We all to often tend to resort to Techniques and things that we can see, like friends, jobs, resources, etc., instead of coming to Him DIRECTLY with our needs. In our last study we emphasized the PERSONAL aspect of our relationship with Christ.
We also talked about how we are in constant battle within ourselves and with the external world around us. Remembering that we were once a part of this WORLD’S SYSTEM, and it’s ways, and we are now being CALLED to WALK WITH GOD through this world, having a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him, toward a NEW DESTINATION.
In REALITY most of us have LEARNED to tolerate this world and have become somewhat comfortable in being here. However, the writer of the Hebrews IS TELLING US, as he was telling these 1st century Christians, if we live this way WE WILL NEVER find REST, the REST that God talks about in His Word. He tells us in JN. 14:27 , ”Peace I give to you. My peace I give unto you…Not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid”. And in Mt. 11:29-30 He says, “Take MY YOKE upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find REST for your souls. For my yoke is EASY and my BURDEN is LIGHT.” This is what we are looking for. This IS what our heart desires. BUT,..THE WRITER OF THE HEBREWS WILL TELL US in Heb. 4:11 that this REST will not come to us without effort. He tells us that it will take LABOR to get there.
As we have progressed in our study we have some terms that have begun to surface that are VERY RELEVENT TO OUR JOURNEY. We want to take a look at some of these terms in just a moment, but first it might be a good idea to get a brief overview of where we are at in our journey.
In today’s lesson we will be finishing up the first section of this book and beginning the second section. In the Scolfield Reference Bible he divides the book of Hebrews in 3 sections ending with a conclusion. It follows similar to our original handout:
· The first section was: Christ as a Person Superior to All Other Persons (Introduction 1:1-3; section 1 1:4-4:16)
· Section II The Pre-eminence and Finality of the Priesthood of Christ (5:1-10:18) This section talks about His Credentials.
· And, Section 3, The Life of Faith (10:19-13:19) and examples of faith in action.
· Conclusion (13:20-25)
· (Show ORIGINAL chart)
Christ as a Person IS SUPERIOR to ALL others. We have seen some so called Great people walk the earth. Some of them have done some really great things. But, comparing them to the Life of Christ they just don’t measure up. If we were to look at the HUMANESS OF CHRIST there was NO ONE LIKE HIM!
This next section we will focus on His Credentials and Ability to function as OUR HIGH PRIEST, being SUPERIOR to the Old Testament system which contained the Law and was administered through Aaron and his family. Actually, we will see that Christ is the FULFILLMENT of the OT system. And, HE comes with FULL CERDENTIALS as the ONE, and ONLY having this validation. Bold statement.
BUT FIRST, by review as we have seen the book of Hebrews is full of doctrine and tenants of the Christian Faith. What is a Doctrine? (A spiritual truth) A doctrine is not only a spiritual truth, but one could classify good Christian doctrine as significant components of our faith and the Christian life…, finding its source from Scriptures. I have 2 new doctrines to add to our list:
· Faith is ESSENTIAL to UNDERSTAND GOD.
· Faith is ESSENTIAL to please God.
In our last couple of studies we have seen several terms and concepts surface that are significant. Terms like LABOR… and… REST. ENGAGE. ENTANGLED. THE WORLD. THE KINGDOM. HEAVEN. EARTH or EARTHLY. Home. FAITH. PRIESTHOOD(of the BELIEVERS). UNBELIEF. These are Significant terms that we need to understand and place into prospective in our lives. These terms are ESSENTIAL if we are going to ENTER INTO GOD’S REST that He has for us.
Where do they fit? What do they mean? How do I apply these terms to my life, allowing them to make a PRACTICAL difference in my life? How I live. Directing and heading me toward God’s rest. Pleasing God. (Entering into what could be termed as A HOLY PLACE) Do we have a CLEAR understanding of their meaning? Do we need to modify somewhat our definition of their meaning? HAVE WE RUMINATED (or meditated) OVER THEIR MEANING? Do we see these terms CLEARLY? Have we begun to APPLY THEM?
What is God’s REST? How is LABOR an important component of getting there? Am I ENTANGLED in this world? Or, am I trying to ENGAGE my world for the Kingdom with my gifts and talents? Do I know what my gifts and talents are? How can I engage my world with more fiancé, having a greater impact? Do I really understand the “World System”? It’s ways? It’s DECEPTIONS? How does GOD’S KINGDOM fit into this world? What does that REALLY mean? WHERE IS MY HOME and when will I SEE IT? Am I going toward that DESTINATION? AM I USING the SWORD OF HEB.4:12 to divide these things out in my life. What is FAITH and HOW DO I PROPERLY USE THIS IMPORTANT TOOL in my life?
· What do you think about these terms?
· What do they mean?
· How do they apply to my life?
We need to INTENTIONALLY order and put into practice these terms. The Old Testament Israelites were CARELESS and APATHETIC in dealing with these terms. They did not obtain God’s REST. To enter into God’s REST we MUST INTENTIONALLY APPLY THESE TERMS TO OUR LIFE, using 1 Cor. 3:11-5 (READ) as our MEASURING STICK. I Cor. 3:11-5 gives us a practical approach as to what we should be spending our time on. Also, we will continue to look and discuss the meaning of “the Priesthood of the Believers” as we continue through Hebrews. This is a VERY IMPORTANT TERM that CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE in how we live life here on planet earth. Some of these terms may be confusing at first, but should become clearer as we progress in our study.
As we continue LETS STOP for a moment and RUMENATE (meditate) on that VERY IMPORTANT verse found in chapter 4, Heb. 4:12. READ. THIS IS A VERSE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD MEMORIZE. We took a brief look at this verse during our last study. If you haven’t pondered over this verse in a while you need to take a few minutes and reacquaint yourself with this verse again. There is a lot in this one verse.
When we began our study we talked about how the LIVING GOD is behind the words on these pages (the Bible). Heb. 4:12 EXPLAINES how GOD USES HIS WORD to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our life. The Word of God is POWERFUL. If we understand what GOD IS DOING we are more apt to LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY as we read the Scriptures. Some of the work that God needs to do in us is not always PRETTY and often times PAINFUL. Understanding this verse can help us to LET GOD HAVE HIS WAY, believing that HE knows what HE IS DIONG. As we talked about in the beginning, the writer of the Hebrews was writing to IMMATURE BELIEVERS and to move from IMMATURITY to MATURITY means DEALING with some “STUFF”. This stuff in our lives is often TENDER and can be PAINFUL. TRUSTING GOD in the process makes it easier. A. W. Tozer described it best in his book “The Pursuit of God”. He says that this “stuff” is intertwined with human flesh and its removal is often accompanied by difficult means. Because this “stuff” is so intertwined with our human flesh God’s dealing with these areas can be painful. Trusting God through the process is ESSENTIAL. Knowing God, and His PROMISES allows us to trust God in difficult times, waiting out His working in us.
As we continue through the end of chapter 4 into chapter 5 we will notice that the writer of the Hebrews will focus on ONE AREA OF LIFE. It is the MAIN OBSTICAL to our relationship with God. As we will see it was ADIQUATELY AND COMPLETELY dealt with on THE CROSS. As we look at how God deals with this SENSITIVE part of our relationship, we will see that HE HAS PAID FOR IT AND therefore, has taken it COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WAY.
However, with FREEDOM comes RESPONSIBILITY. (Please read the following passages) Heb. 4:10 says that we can’t offer our works here. Romans 8:5-8 comes into play here…the natural man cannot please God. Rom 3:9-12 make it clearer…in our own we have NOTHING to offer. We must be the RECEPIENTS… receiving HIS FORGIVENESS AND GRACE. We come in the BOLDNESS of understanding TOTAL AND COMPLETE FORGIVENESS…obtaining MERCY, and finding GRACE in our time of need. READ Heb. 4: 16 God’s arms are wide open in this matter. His hand is outstretched saying COME … but, we must come RECEIVIENG, not offering. This is TOTALLY against our nature. (SN. We can ONLY please God by our OBEDIENCE.)
One might think that this is a HUMBLING EXPERIENCE coming to God receiving from Him instead of giving or doing something for Him…and IT IS! But, more importantly it is a FREEING EXPERIENCE. In the process of RECEIVING God’s GRACE we are getting rid of the BURDON OF LIFE…OUR SIN. In the process of receiving God’s grace we find His REST. The REST we are looking for. The writer of the Hebrews will remind us that this REST IS THE BASIS OF ALL OF OUR LIFE. (Forgiveness can and should affect EVERYTHING.) And, it is the basis of OUR FREEDOM. A FREEDOM THAT THE WORLD WILLNOT AND CANNOT UNDERSTAND. Stop and think about this for a minute.
There is a excellent example of Heb. 4:16 played out in the lives of 2 Bible characters…Cain and Able. READ Heb. 11:4. Two offerings were brought to God in this example.
· What were they (the offerings)?
· What does it say about Abel’s sacrifice? What does it imply about Cain’s?
· READ Gen. 4:3-7
Our REST comes from understanding Abel’s offering. It looked forward to Christ’s WORK on the Cross. Heb. 4:9 There remaineth, therefore, a REST to the people of GOD… The writer of the Hebrews sums up chapter 3 and 4 with The PROMISED REST to every believer who trusts FULLY in Christ’s work on the CROSS .Heb. V. 10 says that in trusting in CHRIST’S WORK fully we cease from OUR OWN WORKS.(When you are there… you are DONE!!) IN DOING SO, we enter into a RELATIONSHIP. FOLLOWING His Voice…Believing Him. Doing things we would not normally do. In doing so, we ENTER INTO REST. We ENTER INTO HOLY PLACES. With GOD.
· What is the definition of Holy. (Set apart for God’s intended use.)
NOW AVERAGE routine daily activities become GOD’S TOOLS and ACTUALLY BECOME A “HOLY PLACE”. Following God in a regular day now becomes an ADVENTURE. Our life now becomes, as someone in our church has so aptly called this KIND OF LIFE, “THE GREAT ADVENTURE”. This kind of life although looking average is now FULL OF PURPOSE and MEANING.
To enter into God’s REST we must let God do his work. It’s painful at times. We saw last week that the Word of God knows our heart BETTER that we do, Heb. 4:12. Our heart can be deceptive. EVEN if it seems right to us. The Word of God has the Power to HELP us to SEE things clearly so that we can make the RIGHT decisions. (READ Rev. 1:16 and 2:12 verses related to Heb. 4:12) We enter into this area with God by FAITH…BELIEVING what He tells us, no, matter how we see it.
He is not asking us to believe if we want to. He is TELLING US that FAITH IS THE ONLY WAY we can UNDERSTAND WHO HE IS and THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GRASP the magnitude of what He has in store for our LIFE. If we approach God with a human mind WE WILL NEVERE UNDERSTAND HIM! YET, WITH FAITH WE CAN SEE HIM FULLY. WE CANNOT UNDERSTAAND HOW HE THINKS with OUR mind! His ways are FAR ABOVE ours. Yet, in some Mystical way, exercising FAITH according to Biblical principles, we UNDERSTAND GOD…we see His Wisdom…somehow His Reasoning makes sense. We will talk more about faith and look at examples of faith and how believers OBTAINED GOD’S PROMISES exercising this IMPORTANT TOOL. It is sufficient to remember and REMARK that many OT Israelites MISSED OUT IN THEIR LIFE by NOT BELIEVING GOD. WE MUST REMEMBER that the MAIN THRUST of this book deals with the WALK of FAITH. The first 2/3rds of this book deal with who God is and our RELATIONSHIP with Him. The last 1/3 of this book puts into practice what that relationship looks like in the life of the believer. Hebrews chapter 11 is not so much about the power of believing as it is about the power of a relationship with God. This is important. We often want the tool, faith, instead of its powersource…God.
Now we come to the DOOR that allows us to ENTER INTO THIS HOLY PLACE. Chapter 5 Begins a FOCUS/THEME…The Pre-eminence and Finality of the Priesthood of Christ 5:1 – 10:18. This section deals with ONE ISSUE in our RELATIONSHIP with God. Do you know what it is??
Chapter 5 has 3 sections:
· The office of the high priest…lower case
· Christ, a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek
· Appeal and warning
Chapter 5:1-4 begins with a brief look at the high priest office according to man. God had appointed this position to Aaron and his line and gave him specific duties and responsibilities. This high priest after the order of man identified with man in EVERY WAY. READ Heb. 5:1-4. He not only could relate to mans needs, but his weaknesses, having them himself. The line of Aaron performed the duties of the high priest that pointed to Christ, but HAD NO POWER to forgive man of his sins. It says in v.2 that the high priest himself was compassed about with infirmities, the same weaknesses of every man. And, because of this, v.3 says, by reason of this he ought, as for the people, so also for himself present an offering for his own sins. One might have logically thought, thinking as a man, that maybe by practice Aaron’s line over time could have gotten it right and made it good enough to appease or please God in this matter. This is the basic premise of modern day thinking. It says that if we keep working at this eventually we’ll get it right. Then this world will be PERFACT.
Aaron’s line performing the duties of the Law showed man of his need for a Savior, but did not satisfy the requirement. It pointed to THE ONE that would remove the obstacle that separated God and man by satisfying Gods payment/requirement. We will look at more of the priestly roles and duties and how Christ is Superior to them in more detail later in this book.
However, Christ came through the line of Judah and not through Aaron’s line…the Levitical line. The Levitical line and the Law proved that it did not have the power to save.
However, Christ came through the GOD LINE, after the order of Melchizedek, the Priest/King. It was the only line sufficient to pay the price and HEAL THE WOUND of man, and mankind. READ Heb. 5:5-10.
READ Heb. 11-14 Heb. 5:13 Being unskillful has its drawbacks. Many of our attacks and deceptions from this world and it’s spirit comes from being naïve and unskillful. V. 14 talks about our SENSES BEING EXERCISED to discern both good and evil. Being naïve and unskillful MAKES YOU VAUNERIBLE, LIKE WALKING DOWN A STREET IN THE BAD SIDE OF TOWN unaware of impending DANGER.
In verse 11 the writer of this book uses the term “DULL OF HEARING”. THIS IS THE 3RD WARNING.
· What is he referring to?
· What does that mean?
· Where is this problem found?
· How does it affect our life??
· “Dull of Hearing” can often be found in many Bible rich environments. We can often hear so much good Bible teaching that it becomes “Just another class”. We MUST take Serious every admonition from God and His Word. Even if this truth comes from a familiar passage. Being smart with Bible knowledge can make us “apathetic” toward the prompting of God’s Spirit. These Jewish Christians may have known a lot, but were not necessarily following God.
Doctrinal Points:
· Faith is ESSENTIAL to UNDERSTAND GOD.
· Faith is ESSENTIAL to please God.
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