The Power of the Great High Priest

Here is the auto transcript from this week’s sermon on the Gospel to the Hebrews, The Power of the Great High Priest

Shabbat Shalom Church. Good morning everybody. Sometimes when we have the kids of the Lord's Prayer, we're kind of hearing it antiphonally. I was watching today and I think we were inventing a whole new sign language with feet and hands. I don't know what that was. Speaking in feet, I think. A new gift has broken forth in our presence today. But they're so cute. We love them dearly. We do definitely pray blessings upon them. Hope you've had a good week. I know it's been cold. It's cold again. And you know, that's Oklahoma. It's what we do here. I want to just make a quick reminder before we get in. First of all, hope Chris is doing better. The whole family today, they've had fever and stuff. They're home watching at home like some of us have to do from time to time. But I know that he would want me to stress this and make you remember that next Saturday is our last Shabbat in this facility. And HFF has been here for many, many years. And I don't know about you, but when you leave one home and you go to another, it's kind of a mixed bag of emotions. There's some comfort levels and things that you're kind of used to, some familiarity in the place that you've been. But there's also an enthusiasm and an excitement for the new place that you're getting ready to go. And in fact, Timber Creek Fellowship that has been gracious to host us, well, we were actually here first and then they came, but that was, they have been so gracious to be our host church, host family, allowing us to use their facility. They're also in the process of getting ready to transition to a new home. I'm not exactly sure when that happens. They're still working on the new facility, but we want to lift them up also and pray for them that their time and season of transition to their new home, whenever that takes place here a little later in the spring or whenever, will also be a blessing to them. But do remember next Saturday here, the Saturday after that, not here. We'll be at our new home at the Westmore Community Church. If you don't know where that is, it's on Southwestern Avenue between Southwest 104th and Southwest 119th. All right. Let's get to the sonic. All right. I don't know why that matters to me. Yeah, I do. But anyway, let's, let's move on. Today's message title is the power of our great high priest. The writer of Hebrews is making a case and, and forgive this horrible pun, but he's literally making PowerPoints and all God's people said, but he's literally making PowerPoints. To make a case. And he's doing this because his goal for his readers, for us is to fully embrace the truth of who Yeshua is and why, because of who he is, we have every reason to not fall away. But even more than just not falling away, we have every reason to press in deeper and deeper for a more full experience of what it means to partake of what God has brought for us in Jesus. So last week I introduced a word that perfectly describes the methodology he is using to make that point, but it's a word that has become problematic, especially in the Hebrew roots origin of a lot of people. And it's the word Midrash. It's a Hebrew word. And we're looking at how the book of Hebrews uses the methodology of Midrash, which is making connections and comparisons and some contrast to bring forth an interpretation of the scripture. So if someone, you know, if you're watching, well, Brent Avery said, that's a Midrash. He must be into Kabbalah. If you want to spread that lie, go ahead. It's not true. I'm simply pointing out that there is a method of Midrash, which uses comparisons and makes connections to bring about an interpretation. And that is the context. That is the only context in which I am using it. Now, why is that so important? Because I'm wanting you to understand as I'm learning that I'm wanting you to appreciate the intricacy, the amazing aspects of what the writer of Hebrews is doing. And in fact, as we go through today, there's going to be a place where I've struggled to figure out how to explain this to you. But the writer of Hebrews is using Greek words and Greek terminologies to allude to Hebrew word plays, things that are familiar to the Hebrew readers, but he's bringing out those things that they would be familiar with in the Hebrew words, but he's using a Greek word play to bring forth a Hebrew word play that they were familiar with. All God's people said, "Ow." Yeah, it's just that intricate. It's just that amazing. In fact, the hard part about this study is that as I keep going through now, you know, in the churches that I've served, it would be nothing for us to take a book like Hebrews and take an entire year or six months to do it. But there's some guy named Chris who's tapping his calendar and telling me I have to be done by the end of February. And that's okay, because we want to get as deep as we can, but we also want to keep moving. So last Saturday, we focused on how the Hebrew writer made comparison between the faithless Israelites of the wilderness generation who did not enter, and then made a comparison to the faithful son of God who did enter as our great high priest. That's the point of the comparison. Because of this, chapter four concludes with a powerful therefore. And it is so powerful, please hear me on this, it is so powerful that it applies to this moment in time. I mean, if you really listen to what he says and do what he says, it is a promise that could affect what happens to you in the course of the next 40 to 50 minutes. It's that powerful. He ends chapter four with these words. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For the fact is we do have a high priest. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us. We have one who has been tempted in all things as we are, and yet was without sin. Therefore, because of this, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Right now we have an amazing opportunity to draw near in confidence. We have been invited and you can either use these moments to press in and to pursue what the Lord is trying to share with you, or you can wander away with the distractions of life, which is very easy to do. Is there anyone here today who needs mercy? Is there anyone here today who needs grace? Grace sometimes isn't just, sometimes it's just favors. Like man, I need favor in my finance, in my job, in my relationships. Is there anyone here who needs help in your struggle? Life has just put some things on your plate that are just beyond you. Then how powerful is this moment if we believe what the Word of God says and enter with the confidence that the one whom we are approaching is advocating and interceding on our behalf? What could these moments be if we will take Him at His Word? Let's pray. Abba Father, I come to you in the name of Yeshua, the Messiah, with this simple prayer. Lord God, speak to us today as we draw near to you, draw near to us, that we might find grace and mercy and help to press on and to persevere in Jesus. To His glory and in His name I pray. Amen. All right, so this morning as we begin our study of the great high priest, really it's kind of an introduction to the subject. We're going to be exploring and mining the depths of what the Hebrew writers is showing us about the power of our great high priest in chapter five and six. And I'm going to break this down into three sections, three points, okay? I don't always identify my points for you, but today I'm going to do that. And the three points or three sections that we're going to look at are simply these. The first is going to be the power of appointment. What does it mean when God says He's been appointed our high priest? Number two, the power of participation or partaking of the heavenly gifts. Number three, the power ... This pulpit is driving me crazy. Doesn't usually do this. What's going on? The power of God's purpose is where we're going to end up. So as the writer of Hebrews is making for the fact points, he's making his cases, let's dive into the first one. The power of appointment. Hebrews chapter five, beginning verses one through three. For every high priest is taken from among men, is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God. In order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided since he himself also is beset with weakness. And because of it, he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins as for the people, but also for himself. The high priest, first of all, I want you to take notice of what he says. He is appointed on behalf of men. The position of high priest is not a position of popularity. It's not a position of politic. It is a position of service that he is appointed to because there are people who have a need and somebody has to stand in the gap to fulfill that need. That is the position of the high priest. It's not an arrogant position. It's not a lofty position in the sense of, you know, you took it for yourself. In fact, there are two words that describe, that emphasize this point. The first is taken, and it's the Greek word lambano, which has to do with aggressively taken or meaning it's a definitive choice. God has intentionally taken from men to establish a high priest. Why? On our behalf, because we need it. The second word is the word appointed, that he has set it in order, placed and established something in the right order. These two words emphasize that neither the selection of who is chosen or the purpose for which they are chosen or appointed is random. It is absolutely connected to a purpose. We have a need. His purpose is to fulfill that need. Therefore he takes from among men someone to meet that need. It's a very intentional thing. Secondly, he is appointed to set things in order. They are taken, and then hear this, they are placed in the appropriate order to fulfill the task of God's purpose. That's what it means to be appointed. They are taken and they are placed in the appropriate order, the arrangement to fulfill the task which fulfills God's purpose. That's why we have a high priest, because we need a high priest and God has set an order, an established pattern that he will use to meet that need. For God's purpose is to be fulfilled, for God's purpose to be fulfilled, everything must be set in order. Right place, right time, right persons. And that is why we have such a strong reason to hope and to not fall away. Our great high priest has been divinely appointed for us. You know, we're a movement that loves the divinely appointed times of the Lord, right? But there is nothing greater than the divinely appointed person who actually meets my need, which makes coming to those festivals even relevant. What do I have to celebrate if I'm still alienated from the God I'm trying to pursue? He has taken someone who is like me in the context of my humanity so that he can become the perfect person for me to intercede on my behalf. So he sets things in the proper place and order to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin on our behalf. Now there's a contrast being made here, or being set up. That's what normal human priests that he chose do. The difference is they don't just share our weakness, they share our sin. Jesus is going to share our sin, but he's not going to be a sinner. Did you hear that? You understand what I'm saying and what I'm not saying? Jesus is going to share our sin because he's going to take my sin on himself. He's going to live the experience of my weakness. Three things that make his appointment perfect. Number one, he has an affinity with humanity. Why? Because he was chosen among men. You see, the incarnation of God's son, him becoming flesh, was by design to create his affinity with us. Now you know, when I was a kid, someone, a preacher would use a word like affinity. I'm like, "Oh, what does that mean?" Because affinity is not a word that we use a lot, but I like it because affinity is an attachment, it's an affection that's based on a common bond. So affinity is, you know, if I have an affinity with you because you want the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win and we share that common bond, I just lost half my audience. We have a shared affinity, a shared common bond. Affinity is an attachment and an affection. It is a love, here it is, it's a love based on unity, a commonality. Our great high priest loves us and understands us because he became one of us. Verse two, because of this, he can deal gently with us because he has lived our experience, took on our limitations and shared our sin. Remember what I mean by that, what I don't mean by that. He has taken my sin on himself. The regular priest shared not just our experience of weakness, but also our sin. So he had to make intercession not only for the people, but for himself. The arrangement was designed, please hear this, that arrangement was designed, that order was designed to keep him ever aware of his own needs, his own weaknesses while making sacrifice and gifts for the sake of others. That's a pretty cool design. Come on. It has, it literally has humility built into the system. The high priest that walked into the Holy of Holies thinking, "Hey, I'm here to make atonement for all them losers out there." Yeah, they're probably going to use the rope on him. This is not a position of hubris, this is a position of humility. And it's built into the system. The role of the high priest was to be a service of love and connection with people and with God. It was designed to create a powerful unity with people in whose place he served to intercede before God. Number two, he has an arrangement for our destiny, meaning he has been properly placed and set in order to serve the exact needs of our day right now. Olam hazeh, this age, this day. In fact, the role of the high priest was to set in order that which was out of order. So if his ministry is to set that which is in order, that which is out of order, does it surprise you that his ministry comes with an order, an arrangement, a set design? Because why? What's his ministry? He's trying to restore to the design. All right? Why is this even necessary? Because you're out of order and you're out of order and I'm out of order. That was a really bad impersonation. But that's the truth. We stepped out of order. We were created for one thing. We chose another. We stepped out of order. Number three. So, so he has, this is an arrangement for our destiny because ultimately he wants to restore us to, from our past so that we can go back to being what we were supposed to be from the beginning. That's our destiny. Number three, he has an arrangement for our ability to approach. I want to go back to verse chapter four. "Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." That may be the most Hebrew sentence you will ever read in your life. Why? Because there are so many Hebraic allusions in that one sentence that we could camp here for the rest of the day. Think with me. He is speaking about our confidence in our great high priest. He is using temple altar terminology to do it. Terminology that the Hebrew readers would have been familiar with. At the same time, using a term that is, that is perfect. It serves as a perfect bridge for the Melchizedek Midrash, which we are coming to. Where Melchizedek is going to be the point of the comparison to help us better understand our great high priest. And I'm just, you know, just spoiler alert. Can I just throw this out? The Melchizedek Midrash, and I'm going to say this so many times, the Melchizedek Midrash isn't so you can figure out who Melchizedek is. It's so you can know who Yeshua is. Promise myself I keep control. It's not about figuring out who Melchizedek was. It's about knowing who your high priest is. Amen? All right. Get back on track, Brian. So notice some of this altar terminology. He invites us to draw near. You know this. This is altar terminology. The Hebrew word for sacrifice is korban. It's built on the same Hebrew root word, which means to draw near. Leviticus chapter one, when you draw near with your draw near offering for the purpose of drawing near, this is how you shall draw near. Okay, we get it. Do we? This is about drawing near, draw near to God and he will draw near. That's altar terminology. But notice that we aren't told to draw near to the altar, but to the throne of grace. Now wait a minute. I thought we found grace at the altar. Do you remember what differentiates between the regular priest and the high priest? The high priest can enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant resides and where the mercy seat, the throne where the blood is sprinkled, to the throne of grace. But you don't understand, Brent, I mean, that's in the Holy of Holies. I can't go in there. Guess what? Now you can. If you enter with the great high priest who has paved the way, rent the veil and said, come with me. I'm invited to go with my high priest to the throne of grace. It is there that we can find mercy and help. It is there that we seek him. It is there that we inquire of him. Do you remember the root word I just mentioned of sacrifice, for sacrifice and nearness, how they share the same root, three Hebrew letters, kofresh bet. If you rearrange those same three letters, you get the word bakar bet kofresh, which means to seek or inquire. You're rearranging the letters. Yeah, because then that root, to seek and inquire, also is the word that is used for the herd from which the sacrifice is selected. When you go to the herd to choose your bull, your goat, your lamb, why are you going there? Because you're choosing that animal to pave the way for you to go in, for you to seek the Lord, for you to inquire, for you to draw near to the Lord. You see, this is what I'm saying. We could be here for hours if we stopped at every verse and looked at what the writer of Hebrews is doing. Do you see the lengths that even in the language used to invite us to draw near, God sets everything in its proper place to make sure we get the message. That's how important his purpose actually is. He paints with a beautiful brush, amen? So God puts in place and establishes an order to restore order. Hebrews chapter four, verses four through seven. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. So also Christ, the Messiah, did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest, but he who said to him, "You are my son, today I have begotten you." Also in another passage said, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." In the days of his flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his piety. Now I would like just to point out, he was heard because of his piety and he still went to the cross. But sometimes what God, how God answers you is better than what you're asking for. It may not look like it, it may not feel like it, but ultimately to accomplish his purpose in your life, he may say, "You know what? I'm not going to change the circumstance, but I'm going to be right there with you through every moment of it." Amen? Notice the emphasis on order and arrangement. It is not a placement that one takes for himself. This would be the exact opposite of the heart and purpose of a position, which is to create affinity and connection with people. You can't move into a ministry of righteousness doing for others by an act of selfishness. Did you hear that? Now church, this is for every church, everybody that's ever listened to this message. If we want to understand why a lot of our programs don't work and why they don't prosper, it's because we're trying to accomplish righteousness through selfishness. We want to convince ourselves that what we're doing is for somebody else, but the truth of the matter is the vast majority of our programs are designed to serve us, not somebody else. Okay, I'm going to move on. Remember Philippians 2, 5-11? Have this attitude in yourselves, which is also in Messiah Yeshua, who also, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name, which is above every name. So at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Did you hear it? It was because of his humility. It was because of his service that God said, I'm going to appoint you to be a great high priest. Yeshua didn't come down and say, "Hey, I'm the Son of God. I'm taking over. I want that job." That's not how it went. He didn't campaign. Jesus delivers. Sorry, I had a view of 2024 flash before my eyes and I said, "Please come back." The writer reminds us that Aaron didn't appoint himself. He was chosen by God, not by men. They didn't take a vote. He received his placement and was set in order of the priesthood necessary. Please hear this for that time and that day. But God was the one who appointed and made the choice. So Jesus was also appointed, chosen by God for that place to fulfill his purpose. And God exalted him to the right hand of the Father to be the great high priest on the throne of grace, making it possible for us to approach in confidence, not because of who we are, but because of who he is. Can we stop for a moment of drosh? If we live our lives going to the Father, going to the Son and telling him what he owes us, is that a place of selfishness or righteousness? It's not righteousness. If my prayer life is about God, "Do for me, do for me, do for me, do for me." Those are three words, by the way, "do for me," not "do for me." Sorry, sometimes I hear myself and I think, "That sounded weird." But maybe we need to listen to how our prayers sound. I posted about this recently, because it's something the Lord's laying on my heart. Maybe we would experience more of the manifest power of God if our prayer life was more about asking him to fill us with the Spirit so we could give to others instead of, "Hey, fill me with the Spirit and meet my need." We get our first teaser about the coming midrash of Melchizedek. The writer says, "Hey, remember how God spoke and said, 'Today you are my son, I have begotten you?' Hey, that same God also said, 'You are a priest forever,'" in the order of Melchizedek. Remember how this book started? All about how God has spoken. So why all of this emphasis on today? Remember "Hayom Shalom," we started that way last week? Because the appointment of a priest was literally, hear this terminology, "for the day." This is what is actually implied by the word that we translate as "order." That which is arranged and established is arranged and established for the day. Remember Luke begins his gospel by introducing us to a priest who was serving in the order or the division of Abijah. The order told them when they would serve and in what capacity they would serve. And their order told them what the arrangement was literally for the day. The Greek word "ephemeros" is the Greek word, it's built on the word "hemeros" which is the word for day, and it's the word we translate as division. When God sets something in order, He sets something in order that is appropriate for the day. Think about the creation week. Six days I worked, that was the appropriate order. On the seventh day I did what? I rested. I defined the purpose of the day. The priesthood is a defined purpose for the day. That's what the whole idea of the order and the division is. How many of you, none of you are old enough to remember this personally, but from your education. Does anybody remember Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac? Remember that? Can I read for you a portion from a page that kind of explains what that book is going to be? It says, "Being an almanac and an ephemeros." Wait, what? Oh, Ben Franklin throwing down the Greek. "Being an almanac and an ephemeros of the motions of the sun and the moon." What do those two things do? They mark the day. "The true places and aspects of the planets, the rising and setting of the sun, the riffing," I don't even know what that word means, "setting and the soothing of the moon for the year of our Lord." Poor Richard's Almanac was an ephemeros, which was supposed to point the correct placement and order of the heavenly bodies and their movements. That is the ministry of the great high priest. It is the set order that he has set aside for, it is the placement of his ministry to serve us in the appropriate way at the appropriate time. By the way, remember Zacharias the priest was chosen to serve at the altar of incense that day by lot. Now, he wasn't the high priest, but he didn't just go up and say, "I'm doing this." Priesthood is an honor bestowed upon the humble, and God makes that choice, not us. This is why Hebrews keeps focusing us on the day, the day, the day, because that is what the priesthood does. It serves for the day. By the way, what is the, you know, a lot of us prophecy buffs are anticipating the eventual rebuilding of the altar and the establishment of the evening and morning sacrifice, the sacrifices of the day. And it's what happens at that altar that will tell you exactly what day you're in. That's a little freebie sidebar prophetic. Verse seven, "In the days of his flesh," if you think I'm making up this day emphasis, look how verse seven, how he carries on. "In the days of his flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the one who was able to save him from death. He was heard because of his piety. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered. And having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him, the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." We've already talked about this, so I won't go into great detail, but remember the perfection is the perfection that we see, not the perfection that was lacking in him. Do you understand that? He became perfected for us, meaning he did the things that made him the perfect high priest for us. It wasn't like he was imperfect and needed to be made perfect. We needed to see the perfection of God's order. That's what happened in him. And now I see him for who he truly is. Notice the emphasis on the days of his flesh. Why the day emphasis? Because that was the order of the day when he came in his flesh. He came to be the korban. He came to be the sacrifice. And now his day is serving at the right hand of the majesty in heaven, because that's the order of things. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, the gospel of John records that Jesus said it was fitting for John to baptize him to fulfill all righteousness. Remember John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, both of whom were Levites. So what does that make John? We'll do the math. The word for fitting, ephemeris, the appropriate, perfect setting in order. And Yeshua looks at him and says, "It is ephemeris. It is perfect and fitting." In fact, the word also means conspicuously the right thing to do. Why? Because everything is being set in order. Because he was willing to experience all things in the right way, even experiencing our weakness, he became the perfect go-to. Do you guys have go-to's in your life? No? You ever use that phrase? "Oh, that's my go-to." Tanya and I have a television show. I don't know what our problem is. We have watched this series. We've lost count. I'm not even going to tell you what it is because I'm too embarrassed. What do you want to watch? It's a joke. It's stupid to even ask. We're just going to sit there and just loop and loop and loop. Jesus became your perfect go-to. Come on. He is your perfect go-to. When you need grace, he's your go-to. When you need mercy, he's your go-to. When you need help, he's your go-to. And when everybody around you is irritating and frustrating and "Ahh," he's your go-to. Because he's perfect for that position in that ministry. The writer of Hebrews is teasing us again with his next midrash on Melchizedek. The perfect go-to for someone to use as a point of comparison with a high priest king of righteousness. Well, Melchizedek is going to be his go-to. Number two, the power of participation. We're going to do these last two sections very quickly. Now before I read this section, I will only have time to draw out a couple of the main points of comparison, but the focus shifts now to a comparison between what the Messiah did in his day for us and what we ought to be doing in our day for him. Okay? That's the point of comparison, so listen to what the writer says. "Concerning him, we have much to say and it's hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing." He's getting all up in our business. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." The writer of Hebrews stops long enough to make a point by comparison. Jesus has fulfilled his purpose in his day for us, but often we are failing to fulfill his purpose for us, because unlike him, who never stopped listening to what the Father had spoken, we become dull of hearing. We have become poor listeners. Now remember this is addressed to the Hebrews, who undoubtedly spent their entire lives remembering how the very first thing they were taught to say as a child was, "Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai, O God, hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, hear O Israel." And this guy says, "You've become dullards. You're not listening." The entire Gospel of John is John laying out how Yeshua is always listening to the voice. He says, "I don't do anything unless I hear the voice of the Father say it or I see him do it." Again, I want to stress this again. Not because he is less than, but because he is unified with, and because he wants everything that he does to be the Father doing the one speaking, testifying about him. He illustrates this with two very poignant comparisons, neither of which put us in a good light. We'll just say, "Well, those Hebrews. He must be talking about them, right?" Comparison number one, he says, "We're like infants who ought to be eating meat, but we still crave milk. And because we still crave milk, we don't listen, and we don't listen, we don't grow. And because of this, we're not really ready for what the writer calls the word of righteousness. The powerful truth that is being revealed to us in Jesus and the powerful opportunity that we have to partake of that righteousness, we're not really getting the benefits of it because we're still back here craving milk and not meat." You know, something recently happened, and a friend of mine said something to me that kind of helped me understand maybe how the Hebrew writer was seeing things. Years ago, we got to go to an Israeli state-run foster care facility, and myself and some college kids, we went in just to interact with the kids. No, we weren't passing out John 3:16 tracts or anything like that. We were just interacting with the kids, loving on them, playing with them, just letting them know, "Hey, not everybody in the world hates you." And they invited us into their dining room, to their little cafeteria one night to eat with them. And I only found this out recently, and this was way back during like 2000 to 2007 when we were there, but I found out that our group did something that was shocking to them. They were all looking at each other, whispering around their tables like, "What are they doing?" We were drinking milk. And it was time to get your food and then go up and get something to drink. They had a place, a dispenser for milk that was really supposed to be used for cereal, but some of us, because we're just Americans, took our cup up there and filled it with milk. And they were shocked. And you know what my friend, my Israeli friend told me? Milk is for babies. I sent him a picture the other night. Big glass of milk and some freshly made chocolate chip cookies. Judge me all you want, Bubba. Nothing goes better with cookies. They were shocked. And so was the writer of Hebrews. Man, you ought to be at the buffet and you're still back there having cereal. Comparison number two comes in chapter six. "Therefore, leaving the elementary teachings about Messiah, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and a faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the age, the days to come, and then have fallen away from it, it is impossible to renew them to repentance since they crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain, which often falls on and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God. But if he yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed and ends up being burned." The writer describes the power of participation that we have been called to. But too often we fail to actually experience the fullness of that partaking and that participation in the Holy Spirit. Why? Because we're still craving milk. But now he uses kind of an agricultural illustration. He says we're like people, we're like a field that is saturated with water but doesn't produce anything. Now this is kind of the imagery that the Lord gave me for this and I realize it doesn't match every single crop that can be grown, but crops don't grow in puddles, unless maybe it's rice. Too much water puddling in the field means something's not going to grow there. And the problem, my friends, is that too many times in the body of Christ we become fields of puddles instead of fields of produce. Why? Because we're just sitting there soaking, ruminating over and over and over again, fighting and fussing over the elementary things of the faith. Now the six things that he lists, and this needs a whole discussion by itself and we don't have time for it. But friends, now listen to me. I know I stepped on some of your toes last week and you need to understand I need the right to be honest. I love the Torah. I've said for a long time that I learned probably more about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John studying the Torah in one year than I'd learned about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in my Bible college studying it for four years. Now that's an overstatement and it's not true. But it was my way of emphasizing the point that going back to those first things gave me a better vantage to move on to the next things. So if these things that he lists, many of which are New Testament kind of conflicts that they're dealing with, washings and baptisms, I mean things that also come from the Torah. If we can stagnate on things even about the Messiah, there are some people, and you can see this on Facebook, and forgive me guys, I've got to be honest and take some time to talk about this, that just ruminate on trying to prove over and over and over again that Yeshua is the Messiah. And sometimes I wonder about the people who spend the most time talking about it if the problem is they're the ones who have the problem. The Lord kind of illustrated this for me the other night. I was just going through Facebook and I have a friend, I don't mean to speak ill of him at all, but it was just like a rapid fire posting of memes, which were scriptures, about one topic in scripture. Now you know that most of us in our Facebook friends list, while we have some people in that list that don't agree with us, how many of you agree that the majority of those people probably are in agreement with us on most of those subjects? And I'm sitting there thinking, who are you trying to prove? Same subject over and over, what point have you proven? And by the way, while you've been banging that drum trying to prove that particular doctrinal point, what about the person that's really hurting, that needs to understand the grace of what that thing is instead of your incessant banging of the drum demanding that they do it? Look, we have to talk about those subjects. Elementary doesn't mean unimportant. Come on. I mean, elementary was probably the most important time of education in your life. Because if you get to this stage of your life and you don't know two plus two is four, this isn't even a good illustration in our current society. If you get to the place in your life and you don't know, remember what you learned in elementary school about two plus two is four, you're in a bad way. Elementary doesn't mean unimportant. But you don't go back to your first grade class week after week, month after month to have the teacher tell you what you were supposed to be able to know and move on with your life. The writer of Hebrews says, people are becoming a bunch of puddles instead of becoming fields with produce. We are a priesthood of believers living in the day of salvation, and oftentimes we are failing to fulfill our purpose, our divinely appointed service for the day because we're puddling instead of producing. We're invited to partake. And this is, I mean, this is such a terrifying thing for him to say. But he says, we're not even, you're not even ready for the word of righteousness. How many of you don't want that to be a description of you? Because I'm pretty sure the word of God is alive and active and powerful, and if I'm missing the word of righteousness in my life, I am missing something powerful. I don't want to be that guy. So let's try to wrap this up. He goes on, I say that and there's two more pages of notes. He goes on because this is a contrast between the power of participation and truly partaking and the sad reality of apostasy. Apostasy is powerful. If you don't know what apostasy is, apostasy is you're walking one direction and you turn and you walk away from something. Righteousness is you turn away from something to follow God. Apostasy is you turn away from God to follow him no longer. That's apostasy. And this entire book is about why we have every right to keep moving towards God and not moving away from him. Apostasy is powerful though, because once you fully apostasize, there is no coming back. He writes that it is impossible. Remember how we pointed out in an earlier message about what the word able, the word for able is you can do this is actually from the Greek word dunamis, which is the same word that Paul uses over and over for power. And now he's telling you there's another powerful thing in this world that is trying to draw you away. And it is powerful because if you succumb to it, you will not turn back. Now church, please hear me. Those of you who are watching, I've got to take time to do this. I'm sorry. I know we're going to go along, but I have to do it. Apostasy is not a personal struggle with sin. Come on. It's not that you have apostasy is not that you had a bad day and you let your flesh get over you. Romans chapter eight tells us we're going to have those days. Apostasy is a covenantal choice. John six, six, six, and many of them turned and followed no more. That is a powerfully tragic moment. And it's not my job to run around determining that, which I don't know how far has somebody turned. Having a question you need answered is not apostasy. Using the frustration of an unanswered question to walk away from God. That is apostasy. Listening to one side of an argument and making a decision to abandon Jesus. That's apostasy. But I don't know how far that person has turned. And so we keep pitching, amen. We keep praying, we keep hoping, but we have to understand we live in the day of salvation. We are a priesthood of believers and our job is to turn people to God, not turn people away from him. Listen to what he writes. Verse nine, but beloved, we are convinced he wants to end on a power, a better, more positive note. And so do I. We are convinced of better things concerning you. Thank goodness. And the things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way, he knows he's speaking hard. He knows he's speaking hard truth. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the end so that you will not be sluggish. Can I paraphrase? So you won't be a puddle, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. He's going to give us a whole chapter of those types of people in chapter 11. The Hebrew writer wants us to carry on and be productive. And the only way to do that is to connect with the point number three, the power of God's purpose. I have to pause and I have to say something. Reality has puddled over this issue of apostasy for too long. Whole denominations and church movements are based on denying what the Hebrew writer is telling you is a reality, that apostasy exists. And there are whole systems of theology designed to teach you that what he says does exist and you should be terrified of it doesn't exist. That a born again believer can't walk away. I'm not, you know, I know this is a topic we probably need to spend a lot of time on and we're not going to. We're just hitting it right now and we're moving on because this entire book says it does happen. And I want to just ask you this question before I move on. How, when in history has this line ever produced good fruit? Well, I would never do that. Well, that couldn't happen. Remember when Jesus, his final confrontation with the Pharisees, we would never have killed the prophets like our fathers. You just confessed that you would. Now I'm going to get on some toes, some sensitive issues. We would never use the Torah to become legalist. We wouldn't make that mistake. Well, we'll leave that. Let's talk about them Christians for a minute. All of us. We would never use the grace of God to justify sin. We would never continue in sin that grace may abound. There's an entire doctrine out there right now in Christianity that says exactly that. You don't have to repent, you don't have to confess, you don't have to believe, you don't have to be baptized, you don't have to do anything. So just stay in your sin because he's already decided you're saved. Okay, I'm going to move on. If you want to puddle on the subject of whether or not a believer can walk away and break covenant, you just knock yourself out. I'm not trying to be arrogant and I'm not trying to be snippy, but an entire revealed section of God's word says it exists and it ought to terrify you. Not because you live in fear of losing your salvation, but because you live in reverent awe of God and how important the salvation, how wonderful this thing is he has done for us and how horrible it would be to let hubris and arrogance rob you of it. All right, moving on. The power of God's purpose for when God made the promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself saying, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you. And so having patiently waited, he obtained the promise for men swear by one greater than themselves and with an oath given as confirmation is an end to every dispute. In the same way, God desiring even more to show the heirs of the promise, the unchangeableness of his purpose interposed with an oath so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast, one which enters within the veil where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. The writer says two things never change God's word and God's purpose. Bishop team, you can come back. Both of which are expressed as God's good news promise. He never lies and he never changes his purpose. And because of that, we can trust the father's promise. You see, when you understand those things can't change, it's impossible for them to change because God doesn't change. Then we have confidence to approach. Did you see a hope both sure and steadfast, one which enters the veil? You know, we gather here on the seventh day of the week, Shabbat. The word, the Greek word for, or Hebrew word for week is Shavua. At the end of tonight, you say you shift your greeting from Shabbat Shalom to Shavua Tov. Have a good week. Shavuot is the feast of weeks. The counting of days, counting of weeks. But a week is composed of seven days, which is a picture of completion. And the seven days of God's creation week are a promise of his purpose. There is a rest that is yet to be entered. And Yeshua is the guarantor that the path is paved and the doors open and the invitation to join him is extended. This is the day of his salvation. And we're going to talk about Melchizedek and the order of Melchizedek and what all that means. But what about the order for your day? If you and I are truly called to be a priesthood of believers, that means he chose us. Did he chose us because you deserved it? That would be hubris. But you're a chosen person. We're a chosen people. We have a day in which we live, in which we have a designated service to perform. And that service can only be fulfilled as long as we keep pressing in and going in, as long as we keep partaking of the heavenly gift of releasing our lives to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we move from milk to meat so that we can actually begin to experience the power of the word of righteousness. A life that is driven not by selfishness, but by righteousness. And the world is waiting for us not to figure out the order of Melchizedek while ignoring the order that I am called to. There are people that are waiting out there for you to be the one to give the grace, to give the help, to show the mercy, to take their hand and say, "Come on, the door's wide open. You can enter too." Well, how do I do it? Call on the name of the one chosen by God. Exalt the Son. Be baptized. Oh, it's fitting, it's conspicuous, it's perfect to unite with Him. Uniting with Him in His death, rising to walk in the newness of His life. It's perfect. And then go become a vehicle for the word of righteousness to flow through you, not just for your sake, but for people who need help and grace and mercy. We have a great high priest, and he said, "Come on in." As we go into this time and we sing and we exalt Yeshua for who He is and how the Lord says He's perfect for who we are, He has given us everything we need to fulfill our day and our appointment. Let's press in as we stand and sing. (music)