HEBREWS-JESUS IS BETTER: Stop

 Stop Hebrews 5:1-10 We’re in a study through the book of Hebrews. And if you’re visiting this morning, it’s a great morning because we take that last step onto a mountaintop today? Have you ever done that before? You’ve been going up and up, perhaps a mountainside or a trail and finally you’ve arrived - the best view is one step away. That’s where we are. This book of Hebrews is a climb up a tough mountain. This book was written 2000 years ago - it’s too Jews become Christian soon after the time of Jesus death, burial and resurrection. But - something happened to these Christians… They’d forgotten about the power of Jesus who wooed them, to whom they submitted their lives, to whom they’d trusteed to be their way to a connection with God, and who was now, Lord. And so the writer of the book of Hebrews is often referred to as “the Preacher” and the letter is often thought of as a sermon. Preaching’s aim is to: 1. Explain God’s own word, The Bible. Not to bring personal thoughts great ideas or personal revelation and to show a Biblical grounding for our world view. 2. Glorify God so that we become worshipers. We should experience preaching, be drawn into God’s magnificence and worship Him MORE week-in-and-week-out. Why to point us to salvation, to strengthen us in God’s grace, to arm us to live in this world. So, if this preacher then seeks the same - to explain God’s word and to bring God glory - we should find that in Hebrews 5:1-10. And we will. He’s been climbing us up to see Jesus’ position, that’s the mountain we climb and today we get to enjoy the view. But we’ll take these last few steps very carefully - because the view of Jesus is very clear from there and we want to enjoy every moment of it. Because our goal today is to have God’s word explained by the preacher in Hebrews and to see God glorified by the truth we learn, we experience, and we enjoy. Today we’ll see something about God and his desire for us to know Him, as we enjoy this view the preacher gives us of Jesus, and if you see Him today for the first time; you’ll have the opportunity to a make the decision of a lifetime. So prepare for that because I’ve been praying for you. Hebrews 5:1–10 (ESV) 1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. In this book of Hebrews we’ve said we’re climbing a mountain, and each section links back to the last, leaving nothing disconnected. This passage started of “for” meaning it’s linked to the last. So lets glance back and 4:14-16 Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV) 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Last week we saw Jesus called our High Priest and because He is that we should “hold fast our confession” we should keep trusting because Jesus isn’t asking us to build a mountain of good works and nice things about ourselves to climb to reach up to God, do you understand (?) he’s offering us HIS life as access to God. The Priest’s job was to be a master of ceremony of sorts, the ceremony through which your sins were forgiven - he’s the connection point to God. The High Priest offered the ultimate annual offering for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus, the Son of God, now IS that high priest, but he’s not disconnected from reality. He’s not an aristocrat politician who’s never worked a day in his life yet I’m supposed to believe he’s “everyman” as he eats pizza with a fork and a knife. As chapter 4 closed off the writer want’s us to remember, Jesus isn’t that disconnected high-society Priest you cannot know and you need to clean up for, remember what Jesus was like? He went and found blue-collar guys and He didn’t bring them into His inner circle, but rather, He built His inner circle out of them. If there was any doubt about who this Jesus is, we know He’s the high-priest (remember the one who directly communes with God and makes sacrifice for the sins of the nation - that’s going to come up later…) He’s not disconnected he understands temptation, He isn’t repulsed by you - He’s the God man who came on earth and build his Inner circle from the common man. Every high priest is chosen by God for a purpose, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Jesus did that. Here is where it gets interesting. Jesus being the fullness of God had no sin in Him - He experienced life, and all temptation just like us, Hebrews 4:15 JUST said that and I think verse 2 adds to the understanding of that. Hebrews 5:2 (ESV) 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Theology is the Study of God Ology being the study of, like Campanology is the study of bells or Pomology is the study of fruit growing - most importantly TheOlogy is the study of Theos or God. Studying God, reading and understanding and knowing our Bible IS theology - and so we must read it theologically. Jesus is God and the fullness of God’s character so reading theologically how to do we understand that Jesus can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward because He’s beset with weakness? What in the world? Isn’t that weird? This word, weakness is asthenia not AstraZeneca (who can help if you cannot afford your medications, whatever that means) but asthenia means weakness or sickness. So Jesus took on and was affected by a weakness or sickness. I think of the worst occurring dream ever - knowing I can do something punch, run, jump well and quickly but in my dream I’m struggling - I cant swing my arm, my legs wont move quickly, etc. I just can’t. Jesus when He willingly became a man he was over come with a weakness. I took on the condition of humanity - He set aside a LOT to come live as a man. John 10:11 (ESV) 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:18 (ESV) 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” Philippians 2:6–7 (ESV) 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Jesus emptied Himself of much to take on the weakness of flesh. Needing food for His body - and not getting hangry, that alone is amazing. He can deal gently with us (ignorant and wayward) because He took on that weakness of flesh. Who are the ignorant and wayward? The ignorant are uninformed like. Romans 2:4 (ESV) 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? The same underlying root word is translated “not knowing” here. Not knowing that God’s kindnesses meet to lead you to repentance. Jesus, the high priest chosen by God who understands life the way you experience it because he set aside a lot to experience it with you and like you, deals gently with those who don’t know that God’s kindness is designed to lead us to repentance. We’ll come back to this but repentance is a change in understanding. Maybe you’ll see Jesus today as the one who sympathizes with you and makes a way to God, and that will make you trust Him and not yourself - trusting Jesus is the aim, the path to get there IS repentance. Hebrews 5:2–10 (ESV) 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. The preacher here is explaining to the Jewish believers that Jesus is called by God to be their understanding - he’s showing a difference between Jesus and the human priests though, which will become clearer as we continue to read theologically. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” We’ll study the priest hood of Melchizedek later, and John Nicholas is excited for that task but for now lets say that as God was weaving together His priest hood, to make a connection back to Himself and show the priesthood was always present in worship of Him, this mysterious Priest without human lineage exists through out Gods word and now the preacher in Hebrews connects Jesus’ priesthood to this eternal mystery. Now as we turn to verse 7-10 a difference is drawn in Jesus priesthood, lets catch that subtlety: 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Jesus life on earth was lived with a weakness implied by the condition. He had a hormonal state, He got hungry He felt pain, I’d imagine it was the ultimate living nightmare having limitations of the body (like my reoccurring nightmare where I’m not fast, etc.) and so hits prayers with loud cries and tears to God were His surviving this condition. He was alien here and it was uncomfortable. Are you? Paul called it “this momentary light affliction in 2 Corinthians 4:17 he said I prepares us for glory - does this life draw you closer to God? It should, because the woes and trials and condition of this life is the contrast between light and dark it’s the edges of the shadows that let you see the difference. Jesus knew them, because he took on weakness we’re just naturally weak - that’s why Jesus is GREAT news. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. If the Priest was human and offered sacrifices for his own sin first as it said in verse 3, but Jesus took on the weakness of this life and this condition outside of God’s protection, yet did so without sinning. He obeyed we trust HIM as our hope Hebrews 3:6, we’re to be so very careful that we’re tricked into NOT believing in HIs grace (Hebrews 3:12), and we’re to trust our confession in Jesus not in ourselves (Hebrews 4:14) and when we need help what are we to do (ask people on Facebook what they think? Our first move is to draw nearer to Jesus (Hebrew 4:16) we’re to be a people obedient to God who have Jesus as their priest, their way to having sins’ paid - not to trust our works but to trust our Lord, Jesus. Maybe you need to trust Jesus today. Maybe you’re a believer who needs to trust Jesus, more/again. Look at these verses this week, remember that Jesus love was so powerful it drove Him to step out of direct communion with His father God, and down into the oddness of life in our fleshly bodies - that would require Him with tears to approach His father for strength in this life. Does that encourage you, it encourages me to pieces guys, that it took the strength of the God man to tears in praying to His father that He’d survive among sin and resist sin, Church - you think you’re going to avoid sin? We need to learn to Trust Jesus more, and daily. Trust Jesus more trust Him again. Maybe you’ve never trusted Jesus. Maybe you’ve seen Jesus as that mean teacher ready to smack you across the hand with a ruler. Today you’ve seen it explained by the preacher of Hebrews that Jesus is the priest Chosen by God to be empathetic with your weakness, and to offer a way for you to God. Are you finding a way to God alone, you’re fooled, deceived, and tricked - and you’re NOT finding you way to God. Only by repentance and trust in Jesus as Lord is there a way to God. Jesus Himself would say: John 14:6 (ESV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have been working and not trusting Jesus to know God STOP, stop right now! If you haven’t known God because of Jesus, Stop and see Him, right now! If you haven’t understood this great news of Jesus before, stop and hear it right now. If you have strayed from God and stopped following Jesus, stop and come back, right now. That’s the view from up here and it’s one step away - it’s a view of all that God has done in, and through, and with Jesus the one step is repentance. That’s the point and the pinnacle; it’s Jesus. That those who didn’t know and those who didn’t understand and who didn’t follow - the ignorant and wayward of verse 2 which is EVERYONE who doesn’t know God can in an instant because of Jesus the perfect priest who’s God appointed job is to make the connection between God and His people. So stop take the step and repent today and follow Jesus, He’ll become Lord and you’ll be God’s - we want to baptize you a sign of your commitment to the new life you have in Jesus. Come up after, John will close us - and let us know about what Jesus has done for you, TODAY! HEBREWS-JESUS IS BETTER Stop Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 6 of 6 Sunday 4/15/2018