Intro to The Central Message of Hebrews -- Heb pt.7 (ch.5-7)

The Problem Then:

• is this new way worth suffering for?
• is it worth dying for?
• how sure can I be that it is better than the old?
  • the key question here is:
• Does it give me better access to God?

The Problem Now:

• There are huge forces active in this world
  • natural disasters, the whole economic system could collapse
  • We hear about more war and killing than ever
• Plus personal disasters, loved ones dying or leaving us
• Does God care, or will he abandon me
  • this is a key question for us
• If he does, how do I get access to him?

The book of Hebrews is about:

• persevering in trusting God, even in difficulty
• but how can I be sure it is going to work? That this is the truth?
• If I am sure that I will persevere and not fall away?
• Faith always needs to based on a sure rock

• Christ became human and in his weakness overcame sin,
  so now we can relate to him and look to him as the ultimate sacrifice.
• He has become the reality of the Old Testament picture of the promise.
  • In him there is the new tabernacle which is God’s direct presence.
  • Jesus’ blood is the sacrifice.
  • This is the new promise and covenant.
• And so we can live in the promise today
  • and rest in the promise
  • and hold on to Christ in the hard times
  • with faith that we will receive our inheritance in the things (promises) that are unseen,
  • and in this promise we can live a life of Christ and love one another.

Intro to The Central Message of Hebrews

1. The Message of Hebrews as a Whole
2. The Message of the Central Section
3. Living Out This Truth

Three Parts to the Central Message:

1. New priest who is far better
2. New Sanctuary (access behind the curtain) and
   New Covenant
3. New Sacrifice, as firm as an anchor

Symmetrical (Bookends)
before and after central message:

• 4:14–16 Let us then approach the throne of grace
  • with confidence,
    • so that we may receive mercy and find grace
• 10:19–25 Let us draw near to God
  • with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith:
    • hearts cleansed and bodies washed

What a priest is, and why do we need one?

• A prophet takes God’s word and brings it to the people
• A priest takes you and brings you to God
  • Vos: The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews p.94–95 -Jesus takes an electric cable from you and plugs you into God’s power

Heb 5:11–6:1 —Intro to the section

11. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing.
12. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of God’s revelation. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food.
13. For everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the message of righteousness, since they are an infant.
14. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
1. Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…

Heb 6 Introduction to central message

17. In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath,
18. so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

6:19–20 Taster
In reverse order

3. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast,
2. which reaches inside behind the curtain,
1. where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
1. New priest who is far better [chapters 5–7]
2. New Sanctuary (access behind the curtain)
   and New Covenant [chapter 8]
3. New Sacrifice, firm as an anchor [9-10:18]

Heb 7:1–10 Two orders of priests

• Priests were Levites—from the tribe of Levi
• But Jesus was not a Levite! How could he be a legitimate priest?
• There was a very important priest in the O.T. called Melchizedek, who had even more honour than Abraham!
• Jesus was prophesied to be a priest in the order of Melchizedek—Psalm 110

Hebrews 7 The Problem:

11. So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood — for on that basis the people received the law — what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order?
12. For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.

7:11–27 The New Priesthood is Better

• Another reason for setting aside the old law is that “it is weak and useless” —it has no power to produce change
• Now there is a better hope for drawing near to God
• Jesus is the guarantee and is better that the Levites because:
  1. He does not die, and so he always lives to intercede for us
  2. He does not need to sacrifice for himself before he sacrifices for us

Hebrews 7 Conclusion:

18. On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless,
19. for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
    …
27. He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all.
28. For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, but the word of solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever.

7:28 Summary of ch.7:

• Priests appointed by the law
  • a system full of weaknesses
• Priest appointed in Ps.110 (not according to the old law)
  • a son, perfect, forever

Takeaway

• You have direct access to center of the universe
• A perfect priest brings you to God
• He has made a new way for you: Straight in!
• And he had cleansed you so thoroughly that you can walk in with total confidence

Enclosing the central message:

• 4:14–16 Let us then approach the throne of grace
  • with confidence,
    • so that we may receive mercy and find grace
• 10:19–25 Let us draw near to God
  • with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith:
    • hearts cleansed and bodies washed
• Summary: 6:19–20 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast which reaches inside behind the curtain, where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf