Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220002S
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00:01 Hello, friends, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel.
00:03 We are so glad you have joined us. 00:05 We are studying the Book of Hebrews 00:07 in these last days, 00:09 and this week we're going to be studying 00:10 the message to the Book of Hebrews. 00:13 We would like to encourage you 00:15 to get your own copy of this quarterly 00:16 and you can do that by going to 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:21 That's 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 00:26 Well, we've got some Bible students behind me 00:28 and we're looking forward to jumping into this lesson 00:30 for the second week, 00:31 so we invite you to join us. 01:04 Hello, friends, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:08 My name is James Rafferty, 01:09 and we are so glad that you have joined us. 01:11 We are in week number two, 01:14 and the title of this week's lesson is 01:16 The Message of Hebrews. 01:18 I have some Bible students with me today 01:20 and I'd like to introduce them 01:22 before we get into our Bible study. 01:23 To my immediate left is John Dinzey. 01:26 John, it's good to have you with us. 01:28 It's a blessing to be here 01:29 and this is a very powerful lesson. 01:31 Amen. 01:32 And following John, we have Ryan Day. 01:34 Amen. 01:36 It's always a blessing to be a part of this panel. 01:37 Today, we're talking about Jesus, our Champion. 01:40 Amen. 01:41 And right next to Ryan, we have Jill Morikone. 01:44 Jill? So glad to be here. 01:46 I'm studying Jesus is our High Priest. 01:48 Amen. Amen. 01:50 And next to Jill, last but not least, 01:52 is John Lomacang. 01:54 And I'm covering Jesus makes a better covenant. 01:57 Amen. Amen. 01:59 I noticed in the titles that 02:01 a lot of the focus is about Jesus. 02:03 And that really is 02:05 what the Book of Hebrews is about. 02:06 It's all about Jesus and what He means to us 02:09 and what He's accomplished for us. 02:11 So the message of Hebrew Sabbath afternoon begins 02:15 with a number of Bible verses, 02:17 Hebrews 1:5-14, Luke 1:30-33, 02:23 Psalm 132:1-5, Hebrews 2:14-16, 02:26 Hebrews 5:1-4, 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 8:8-12, 02:30 we're going to be diving into all of these Bible verses 02:33 looking at all of these themes. 02:35 But before we do that, 02:36 we're going to start with a word of prayer. 02:39 John, would you like to pray for us? 02:40 Sure. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:43 Our loving Heavenly Father, thank You so much, Lord, 02:47 for the Book of Hebrews 02:48 that helps us understand so much 02:50 about the ministry of Jesus Christ, 02:53 His sacrifice for us, 02:54 and the promises that are there in 02:57 give us hope and encouragement. 02:59 We pray that Your Holy Spirit will be upon us. 03:01 Bless us that we may speak Your words, 03:04 and we pray for a blessing upon all that tune in, 03:07 that listen, we pray for Your name to be glorified. 03:09 In Jesus' name, amen. 03:11 Amen. 03:12 Thank you, John. 03:14 So let's just look at our memory text 03:16 for Sabbath afternoon lesson. 03:19 It's found in Hebrews 8:1. 03:23 Hebrews 8:1, it reads, 03:27 "This is the main point of the things we are saying: 03:30 We have such a High Priest, 03:32 who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty 03:37 in the heavens." 03:38 Hebrews 8:1. 03:40 The main point, Paul is summarizing here, 03:42 the main point of what we're talking about 03:45 in the Book of Hebrews. 03:46 And he's in Chapter 8, 03:47 so he's more than halfway through the book. 03:50 So he himself, the author of Hebrews 03:53 summarizes the main point 03:55 of this magnificent masterpiece, 03:58 a proclamation in the New Testament, 04:01 the Book of Hebrews, and he says, 04:02 "The main point is Jesus Christ." 04:04 And the main point 04:06 is that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand 04:08 of the Majesty in heaven. 04:09 In other words, 04:10 the right hand means the hand of power, 04:12 the hand of favor. 04:14 Jesus is at the right hand meaning 04:16 He has the power and the favor of the Majesty in heaven. 04:20 Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer has gained for us 04:25 power and has gained for us the favor 04:28 of the Majesty in heaven. 04:29 This is one of the most powerful themes 04:32 that we find in the Book of Hebrews. 04:34 Now going back to this lesson, 04:36 we want to look just a little bit 04:38 at what Paul is doing in the Book of Hebrews 04:42 in relationship to his purpose or his motive. 04:44 The lesson brings out that Paul wrote to the Hebrews, 04:48 to strengthen the faith of the believers 04:50 amid their trials. 04:52 He reminded them and us that the promises of God 04:56 will be fulfilled through Jesus, 04:58 who is seated at the right hand of the Father, 05:01 who will again take us home. 05:03 But in the meantime, 05:04 Jesus mediates the Father's blessings to us. 05:08 So we need to hold fast to our faith unto the end. 05:13 And that is why this book 05:14 is such a powerful proclamation, 05:16 such a powerful message, 05:18 the message of Hebrews to us today, 05:20 because Jesus is still seated at the right hand of power, 05:24 and Jesus is still mediating the blessings of God toward us, 05:28 and we need them. 05:29 Now Sunday's lesson begins with a title Jesus as King. 05:34 And it goes on to describe that one of the main points 05:37 of the Book of Hebrews 05:38 is that Jesus is still the ruler, 05:41 Jesus is King. 05:43 He is seated at the right hand of God, 05:44 meaning that He is the ruler, 05:46 not only in heaven, but also on earth, 05:48 because Jesus is His human name. 05:51 Jesus became a human being. 05:53 Jesus is not only God, 05:56 but Jesus is also part of the human family. 06:00 And really, in reality, 06:01 Jesus has always been the ruler of the universe. 06:04 But when Adam and Eve sinned, 06:07 we're told that this particular planet 06:10 in the universe of God was in a sense... 06:14 Well, I won't say hand it over, 06:16 but it was contended for by another power, 06:19 the devil, Satan, the usurper. 06:21 And Jesus even identifies him 06:23 in several verses in the New Testament 06:25 as the prince of this world. 06:28 John 14:30, John 12:31, 06:33 and John 16:11. 06:36 Jesus, however, 06:38 came and defeated Satan at the cross, 06:41 maintaining the right to rule those 06:45 who accept Him as Savior. 06:46 And that is clarified for us 06:48 in Colossians 2:13-15. 06:53 So the first two chapters of the Book of Hebrews 06:55 focus especially on the inauguration of Christ, 07:00 and what He has accomplished for us as God man. 07:03 And there's these juxtapose between God and man, 07:08 in the identity of Jesus Christ, 07:10 He is divine, and He is human. 07:12 And Paul goes back and forth in Hebrews Chapter 1, 07:15 identifying Christ in these two ways to show us 07:18 that He is the divine human ruler of planet earth, 07:24 that He has taken Adam's place, 07:26 become the second Adam in a sense, 07:28 and yet He is still God in human flesh. 07:31 And in doing this, 07:32 He has accomplished our salvation. 07:35 He has taken from the claims of the devil this planet 07:39 and given it to all those 07:41 who will accept Him as their personal Savior. 07:44 So Jesus Christ is identified as God man, 07:46 man in verses, 07:47 Hebrews 1:5 for example, in verse 9. 07:51 Let's just read there in Hebrews 1:5. 07:54 It says, "For unto which of the angels said 07:57 he at any time, Thou art my Son, 07:58 this day have I begotten thee? 08:00 And again, I will be to him a Father, 08:02 and he shall be to me a Son?" 08:03 So Jesus Christ here incarnate, 08:06 God's only begotten Son coming to this earth, 08:10 being a son, and God being His Father, 08:14 coming to planet earth, as a human 08:16 treading the same steps that we as humans tread, 08:19 being born of a woman, born in a stable, 08:22 born with the same weaknesses 08:25 that we ourselves are born with, 08:27 and yet overcoming our humanity, 08:29 our fallen humanity, and bringing us the victory, 08:32 bringing us the gift of salvation 08:35 through His victory for each one of us. 08:37 And then in verses 6, and 8, and 10, and 11, and 13, 08:41 there is this strong emphasis 08:43 that Jesus Christ is indeed God. 08:45 Let's read, for example, verse 8, 08:48 "But unto the Son he saith, 08:49 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: 08:53 a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom." 08:57 So in these verses, 08:58 we see that Jesus Christ is clearly God. 09:01 And it's so beautiful to recognize this 09:04 as a principle truth in the Book of Hebrews. 09:08 The Book of Hebrews is establishing 09:10 the theme of something better. 09:12 That word better is used over 13 times 09:15 in the Book of Hebrews. 09:16 And in Hebrews Chapter 1, 09:18 we could say that Jesus Christ is representing 09:20 or revealing to us a better God. 09:23 God's name has been misrepresented by the devil. 09:27 We go all the way back 09:28 to the beginning to the inception of sin, 09:31 and we find Satan seeking to misrepresent God. 09:34 God is withholder. 09:35 God doesn't want you to have the fruit of the tree 09:38 of the knowledge of good and evil, 09:39 because He doesn't want you to be like Him. 09:41 You're not going to die. God is a liar. 09:43 God is misrepresented by Satan over and over again 09:47 at the inception of sin. 09:49 And all through the centuries, all through the years, 09:53 down to the very incarnation of Christ, 09:56 people had a misapprehension of God. 09:58 They didn't understand who He was. 10:00 They didn't understand what He was like. 10:01 And so Jesus came to this earth as God man. 10:05 He didn't completely obscure His divinity 10:08 because He came to reveal the Father. 10:09 In fact, in John 14:9, Philip says, 10:13 "Show us the Father and suffices us." 10:15 And Jesus says, "Haven't I been so long with you, Philip, 10:19 when you see me, you've seen the Father." 10:22 Jesus Christ came to reveal, to disclose, 10:24 to uncover the Father to show us 10:27 who the Father really is, 10:28 what the Father is really like, 10:30 so that we could be not only reclaimed from Satan's grasp, 10:35 but that we could be endeared to the Father's heart, 10:38 so that our hearts could be connected with Him, 10:41 so that we could give Him willing service 10:43 so that our love, 10:44 our loyalty could be won back to the Father. 10:47 And this is what we see in the Book of Hebrews. 10:49 We see this amazing proclamation 10:51 not only of the enthronement of Christ in heaven, 10:54 not only the incarnation of Christ in this earth, 10:56 not only of the reclaiming of this world, 10:59 through Jesus Christ for each one of us, 11:01 but we see an amazing dynamic revelation 11:05 of who the Father is in Jesus Christ. 11:08 And Chapter 1 is key, 11:10 because it tells us that God the Father 11:13 didn't send some lesser created being to redeem us. 11:17 Jesus Christ wasn't less than the Father. 11:20 In other words, the accusation 11:21 that the Father in heaven doesn't love us, 11:24 doesn't have our best interest at stake, 11:26 and has no real love for us 11:28 in the sense of self denying and other centered 11:30 was in completely obliterated by Jesus, 11:34 because Jesus was the Father incarnate. 11:36 He was God incarnate. 11:38 And when He came to this earth, 11:39 He came to reveal 11:41 that the Father's heart is filled with self-sacrifice 11:44 that God Himself came to this earth, 11:47 not some third party. 11:49 In other words, a lot of the pagan religions 11:50 were believing that the God 11:53 whoever He is that rules needs the sacrifices 11:56 of some other person to appease his rassle 11:59 that He can be gracious to us. 12:01 But Christianity teaches that God Himself came, 12:04 that God Himself made the sacrifice, 12:06 that God in the person of Jesus Christ is the one 12:10 who reconciles us to His heart. 12:12 It's not some third party, it's God and us. 12:15 And so Hebrews Chapter 1 12:17 establishes this beautiful picture 12:19 of who God is, 12:20 and prepares us for the something better 12:23 that is found all the way through 12:24 the Book of Hebrews. 12:26 The usurper initiated that planet earth is his, 12:31 and he did this by misrepresenting God. 12:34 And so Jesus Christ came to destroy his trafficking. 12:38 Ezekiel Chapter 28 tells us 12:39 this was the trafficking of Satan. 12:41 Trafficking is merchandize of misrepresentation. 12:44 And, of course, Genesis 3 confirms that. 12:46 So Jesus has restored planet earth to us, 12:51 by properly representing who God is 12:53 and what He is like. 12:54 And that character of God is going to be the center part 12:57 of the last message 12:59 that is taken to the entire world. 13:01 And that character is exposed and revealed here 13:04 in the Book of Hebrews. 13:06 And we're going to see this over and over again, 13:07 as we move through the various chapters. 13:09 Jesus Christ then is the legitimate ruler 13:13 of this earth. 13:14 He is engaged in a war with Satan the usurper 13:17 for our allegiance, 13:19 and that allegiance is going to come, 13:21 our allegiance is going to come 13:22 when we see more and more of the character of God, 13:25 when we understand what God is truly like. 13:28 That's why Jesus says in John 17:3, 13:31 "This is life eternal, 13:32 that they might know me the only true God 13:34 or know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, 13:37 whom He has sent." 13:39 Jesus was sent by God to reveal 13:41 what God is really like so that we could know Him, 13:44 and in knowing Him, 13:45 enter back into that life eternal. 13:48 The Book of Hebrews does an outstanding job 13:51 at sharing this picture of God in so many different ways, 13:54 in so many different facets, 13:56 and we're going to be looking at a few of those facets here 13:58 as we get into our lesson in more detail. 14:00 Week number two, looking forward to it. 14:02 John, what do we have? 14:04 Well, in the Monday's lesson, 14:07 we have Jesus as our mediator. 14:12 And so for this lesson, 14:14 you will notice that the word mediator is used 14:17 concerning Jesus Christ 14:19 and how He becomes our mediator. 14:21 And in 1 Timothy 2:5, the Bible tells us, 14:25 "For there's one God and one mediator 14:28 between God and men, 14:31 the Man, Christ Jesus." 14:34 This is it. 14:35 This is Jesus Christ, who became a man, being God, 14:40 He became a man in order to fulfill 14:44 what the Bible says 14:45 concerning His sacrifice to die for us, 14:50 so that then He could become our mediator 14:52 and our high priest. 14:55 And Jesus had to live a perfect life 14:58 as a man in this earth, 15:02 and He endured the assaults of Satan that at every step, 15:06 the devil tried to stop Him from fulfilling 15:10 that which was promised back in Eden. 15:12 Because back in Eden the promise was made 15:15 that the Seed would come 15:17 and give the crushing blow on the serpent's head. 15:21 And so Jesus Christ is that mediator 15:24 between God and man, 15:26 there is no other mediator. 15:27 There's one and I like to stress that 15:29 because there are certain religious groups 15:31 that stress that there's another mediator, 15:33 and this is not true. 15:35 Jesus is the one mediator. 15:37 John 14: 6, 15:39 Jesus begins to help us understand 15:43 that He is the one, 15:44 notice, Jesus said to him, 15:46 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. 15:51 No one comes to the Father except through Me." 15:55 So you cannot come through the Father 15:57 except through Jesus Christ. 15:59 And I'm telling you, it's not the Apostle Paul, 16:02 it's nobody on earth, it's not Mary, 16:05 it's Jesus Christ alone. 16:08 He is our mediator. 16:10 And this is why we see in Acts 4:12, 16:14 Jesus is identified again here 16:16 as the only one that can offer us salvation. 16:19 And He's bringing this to the Jews, 16:22 who have begun to consider the sacrifices 16:25 as having properties of salvation 16:28 that the sacrifices could save us. 16:29 No, it is Jesus Christ that sacrifice will save us. 16:33 Acts 4:12, says, 16:34 "Neither is there salvation in any other. 16:38 For there's none other name under heaven given among men, 16:42 whereby we must be saved." 16:44 Salvation is only through Jesus Christ. 16:48 Now notice, here in Hebrews 9:13-15, 16:53 because for a period of time, 16:57 the children of the Lord were to offer sacrifices, 17:01 as a symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus would do for us. 17:05 And these animals, of course, they were, 17:09 there's a difference, these animals were selected, 17:12 they had to be without spot or blemish, 17:16 or anything that would disqualify them 17:20 because Jesus Christ had to live a perfect life 17:22 and these animals had to be in perfect condition 17:25 to symbolize Jesus. 17:27 Notice here beginning of 13, Hebrews Chapter 9, 17:30 "For if the blood of bulls and goats, 17:33 and the ashes of a heifer, 17:34 sprinkling the unclean, 17:36 sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 17:39 how much more shall the blood of Christ 17:43 who through the eternal Spirit," 17:45 notice how He calls this text, 17:48 identifies the Holy Spirit as the eternal Spirit, 17:50 "offered Himself," notice, "without spot to God, 17:54 cleanse your conscience 17:56 from dead works to serve the living God." 18:00 And for this reason, 18:01 and I highlight for this reason, 18:03 He is the mediator of the New Covenant 18:07 by means of death, 18:09 for the redemption of the transgression 18:11 under the first covenant. 18:13 And when it says under the first covenant, 18:16 it's identifying the earlier covenant 18:19 that God made with the people of Israel. 18:21 That is the Mosaic Covenant that those, 18:24 the verse continues, 18:26 that those who are called may receive the promise 18:29 of the eternal inheritance. 18:31 My brothers and sisters, friends, 18:32 there's an eternal inheritance 18:35 that is made available to us through Jesus Christ, 18:38 the one sacrifice for all, 18:41 the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ, 18:45 the only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ. 18:47 And please understand that salvation 18:49 is by grace through faith, 18:53 by grace through faith. 18:55 And there has only been only one way to have salvation. 18:59 From the beginning of time since Adam, 19:01 there's only been one way. 19:03 The animal sacrifices were only a symbol 19:06 of the Lamb of God 19:07 who takes away the sin of the world. 19:11 They were a shadow, they were a symbol 19:13 that all pointed to Jesus Christ, 19:16 His atoning sacrifice on the cross. 19:20 And so there's an interesting concept, 19:22 the lesson brings out, 19:23 that in the Old Testament theology 19:25 is that the promised Davidic King 19:28 would represent the nation before God. 19:30 And let's go into that rather quickly 19:33 because my time is speeding for some reason. 19:36 Exodus 4:22-23 brings out this, 19:41 "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 19:43 'Thus says the Lord: 19:44 'Israel is My son, My firstborn. 19:48 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me." 19:53 You see, God adopted the nation of Israel as their firstborn, 19:58 and they were to be representatives of God on earth 20:01 to help other nations understand 20:04 how God would bless those that serve Him wholeheartedly. 20:09 And so there is covenant language there 20:12 preeminence, 20:13 the covenant Son, the Son of God, 20:17 would be coming through the nation of Israel. 20:20 And this is why you see all those begets, 20:23 you know, all those begets are there only to identify 20:27 the lineage of the Son of God, 20:29 and that is Jesus Christ, 20:31 and that He was born of the Seed of David. 20:35 Now let's go to 2 Samuel 7:12-14, 20:39 God's speaking to David says, 20:42 "When your days are fulfilled, 20:44 and you rest with your fathers, 20:47 I will set up your seat after you 20:51 who will come from your body, 20:54 and I will establish His kingdom, 20:57 He shall build a house for my name, 20:59 and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. 21:04 I will be His father and He shall be my son." 21:07 So there in John Chapter 1, it says, 21:11 "And the Word was with God, 21:14 and the Word was God." 21:15 But eventually the Word that was God would become 21:19 a Son of God would become flesh, 21:22 and would be adopted as God's Son." 21:25 The Davidic Covenant secured God's covenant 21:28 blessings upon Israel through faithfulness of one person, 21:31 that is the Davidic King, Jesus Christ. 21:35 Now the lesson brings out some very interesting things. 21:39 It says, these promises for Israel 21:41 will now be fulfilled, 21:43 through the Promised Davidic King. 21:46 The people of Israel failed, but Jesus Christ did not fail. 21:50 He was victorious, 21:52 and He would be adopted as God's Son, 21:54 and God would give Him rest from His enemies. 21:56 And it says, and He would build a temple for God in Zion, 21:59 where God's name would dwell. 22:02 This means that God 22:04 would fulfill His promises to Israel, 22:06 through the promised Davidic King. 22:09 The Davidic King, of course, is Jesus. 22:12 The Davidic King would represent 22:13 Israel before God. 22:15 And this is what the lesson brings out, 22:16 and is very, very interesting 22:19 to consider that Jesus Christ is the Prophet, 22:24 Priest, King, He is the sacrifice, 22:26 He is the priest, 22:27 and He is the mediator for God's people. 22:30 So our ultimate salvation of hope 22:32 is found only in Jesus Christ, 22:35 and what He has done for us. 22:38 So I encourage you to do as John the Baptist said, 22:42 "Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away 22:45 the sin of the world." 22:47 It is through Jesus Christ, 22:48 the mediator between God and man, 22:50 that we have our salvation. 22:52 And so as we go through the Book of Hebrews, 22:55 things will unfold in a beautiful way 22:58 that I want to encourage you to consider Jesus. 23:01 Consider Him because He is our Savior. 23:04 And I want to bring out something here 23:07 because sometimes this is confusing to people. 23:10 And in Jesus Christ, the nature of God, 23:14 and the nature of man was mysteriously blended. 23:18 He was God and He was man. 23:21 And this scripture that I read earlier 23:25 brings out something powerful. 23:27 It says here, again, and for this reason, 23:31 He is the mediator of the New Covenant 23:32 that by means of death, 23:34 it is the death of Jesus Christ and His resurrection 23:39 that makes it possible for Him to become our mediator. 23:43 Had He not lived a perfect life, 23:46 had He not been a perfect sacrifice, 23:49 He could not be our mediator. 23:50 But Jesus, the Book of Hebrews 23:52 brings this out that Jesus Christ 23:55 became our mediator 23:56 because He was the perfect sacrifice 23:59 for our sins. 24:00 And therefore, in Hebrews Chapter 4, 24:02 it brings out let us therefore 24:03 boldly come before His throne of grace. 24:07 Amen. Amen. 24:08 So we have one mediator, and that is Jesus Christ, 24:13 and we have one God, 24:15 and that God was manifested through Jesus Christ. 24:17 So that's the message of Hebrews so far, 24:19 that's what we've learned. 24:20 Don't go away. 24:21 We're going to be right back to discover more 24:23 about this beautiful message. 24:24 Amen. 24:29 Ever wish you could watch 24:31 a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again, 24:33 or share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter? 24:36 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel.com 24:41 A clean design makes it easy 24:43 to find the program you're looking for. 24:45 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:49 so you can follow along. 24:51 Sharing is easy. 24:52 Just click share and choose your favorite social media. 24:55 Share a link, save a life for eternity. 24:59 Welcome back, friends, 25:01 we are studying Hebrews these last days. 25:03 And this week's lesson is entitled 25:05 The Message of Hebrews. 25:07 And we're now going to be moving 25:08 to Tuesday's lesson with Ryan Day. 25:11 Amen. 25:12 I'm Ryan Day, and I have Tuesday's lesson entitled, 25:15 I love this, Jesus, our Champion. 25:19 Oh, I could just for some reason, 25:21 I just hear some music in the background. 25:23 I don't know why that famous orchestral, 25:25 wan-wan-wan, wan-wan... 25:29 I don't know I was, I'm a musical person. 25:32 So when I read this, I just heard this music, 25:34 Jesus, our Champion. 25:37 And the message actually starts out comparing 25:39 1 Samuel Chapter 8 to Hebrews Chapter 2. 25:42 And the question that is asked at the first of this lesson 25:45 is what did the Israelites look for in a king? 25:48 And how were these wishes fulfilled in Jesus? 25:52 So let's go back to 1 Samuel 8:19-20. 25:56 Those will be the verses we read starting out here. 25:58 But, of course, if you've read the background 26:01 of what's happening here, 26:02 in 1 Samuel Chapter 8, 26:03 the people come to Samuel the prophet and say, 26:05 "You know what? 26:06 We want our own king. 26:07 We don't want God to be our king anymore." 26:09 Previous to this, God was their king, 26:11 God was their ruler, but they got to a point 26:13 where their hearts had become hardened, 26:15 they were drifting away from the Lord, 26:17 and now they wanted to put a man 26:19 in place for their king 26:20 and, of course, you know, a case can be made here 26:23 that this is what attributed to the spiritual decline 26:25 and fall of Israel's future in the future. 26:29 But we see here in the latter verses 26:31 of 1 Samuel Chapter 8. 26:33 We're going to read verses 19 and 20. 26:34 And notice what the people are saying to Samuel, 26:36 now that Samuel has come to them, 26:38 he's warned them, 26:39 he shared with them the message of God 26:41 of what's going to happen 26:42 if they go about having a human king over them. 26:46 But we see here that it says, it says, "Nevertheless, 26:48 the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, 26:52 and they said, 'No, 26:54 but we will have a king over us, 26:57 that we also may be like the other nations, 27:00 and that our king may judge us 27:02 and go out before us and fight our battles." 27:06 Okay. 27:08 So you know, there's nothing wrong 27:09 with wanting to have a king 27:10 that will be judge over you, 27:12 and fight your battles. 27:13 But hopefully, we want God to be our king over us. 27:15 Only God is the judge. 27:17 And that is what they were missing. 27:18 They wanted a man to be over them. 27:20 But obviously the writer of this lesson 27:23 is comparing that to Hebrews Chapter 2, 27:26 in which Christ would ultimately come along, 27:28 and He would fulfill that in the flesh as man 27:32 and also as king of the universe. 27:33 Notice Hebrews 2:14-16. 27:36 These are some famous verses 27:38 talking about how Christ came down. 27:40 He was robed in flesh, He became like one of us. 27:43 Notice Hebrews 2:14-16. 27:46 It says, "Inasmuch 27:48 then as the children have partaken 27:51 of flesh and blood, 27:52 He Himself likewise shared in the same, 27:56 that through death He might destroy him 27:58 who had the power of death, 28:00 that is, the devil, 28:02 and release those who through fear of death 28:05 were all their lifetime subject to bondage." 28:09 And then verse 16, "For indeed He does not..." 28:11 And this is the New King James Version 28:13 I'm reading here. 28:14 "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, 28:16 but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham." 28:20 I like that in the sense 28:21 that it's pointing out the fact 28:23 that Christ humbled Himself as Philippians Chapter 2 says, 28:27 "He thought it not robbery to be equal with God," right? 28:30 "He did not want to be equal to God 28:32 but came down to rob Himself in human flesh, 28:35 that He might be one of us 28:37 and might redeem us from the works of sin." 28:40 Now that was the New King James Version. 28:41 I also like to read the King James Version, 28:44 translation of verse 16, 28:46 because notice, it really puts in perspective. 28:48 It says, "For verily He took not on Him 28:51 the nature of angels, 28:53 but He took on Him the seed of Abraham." 28:57 How would Christ come 28:58 to become our champion of the world? 29:01 How would He be our champion to come to save us from sin? 29:05 Notice, He's not coming from heaven 29:06 with all of the unfallen perfect divine nature, 29:10 of course, as we mentioned earlier, 29:11 was a blended nature. 29:13 But at the end of the day, my friends, 29:14 Christ took fallen human flesh, 29:16 He robed Himself, He was robed in flesh, 29:19 He grew up, He was tempted in all ways, like we were. 29:22 He became our champion, 29:24 because we can look to Him and say, 29:25 "Yes, Jesus understands." 29:28 I mean, history is flooded with stories 29:31 of religions from all over the world, 29:33 pagan false religions all over the world 29:35 that tells the story of how man wanted to be God. 29:38 But the beautiful thing about the Christian story 29:41 is we see that Christianity is a story about 29:43 how God became man so that He could save His people. 29:46 What a champion, right? 29:48 Jesus, our champion. It gets me excited. 29:50 I used to be a huge basketball fan 29:52 back in the day. 29:53 I still like to take in a good basketball game 29:55 every once in a while. 29:57 But, I mean, I used to be, 29:58 you know, completely wrapped up in basketball. 30:00 I was a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan. 30:02 And, you know, there was a history, 30:04 if you know anything about the history of the NBA 30:05 and the World Championship Basketball, 30:07 then you know that for years, 30:09 the Boston Celtics seemed to be the champions, 30:11 the reigning champions of the world. 30:13 They always, seemed to always find a way to win, 30:15 and there's always the struggle. 30:17 But back in the days when I was younger 30:19 before my Christian devout days to Christ, 30:22 you know, I was huge Lakers fan. 30:24 And, you know, we were looking for a man 30:26 to step up to the plate to help lead 30:27 the Los Angeles Lakers to the World Championship 30:30 to defeat these Boston Celtics. 30:32 Well, that happened in 2010. 30:34 And our champion that year was a man 30:36 by the name of Kobe Bryant. 30:37 Kobe Bryant stepped up to the plate, 30:39 he became the champion 30:40 and I was just so amazed by how he played, 30:42 how great he was. 30:44 I had Kobe hats and Kobe jerseys 30:46 and Kobe shoes and my bedsheets 30:49 were Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. 30:51 I was such a huge basketball fan. 30:52 But my friends, you know, all of us have our heroes, 30:55 we have those peoples we look forward to, 30:57 whether it be a sports star, 30:58 whatever it may be, 31:00 that we see as champions as heroes, 31:01 as people we look up to. 31:03 But at the end of the day, 31:04 is anybody really going to even come close to Jesus Christ? 31:07 Kobe Bryant didn't save me from my sins. 31:08 And when Jesus Christ grabbed a hold of my heart, 31:12 and showed me who He really was, 31:15 I changed my perspective, 31:17 the world began to grow dimmer, 31:18 and I begin to see God for who He really was. 31:21 David, like David was the hero 31:24 and the champion for Israel in the days 31:26 that he slayed Goliath 31:27 because Goliath represented the enemy, 31:30 he represented the enemy's plans, the enemy's, 31:32 you know, chains of sin, and an oppression 31:35 that he wanted to bring upon the children of Israel. 31:37 David stepped up as a man after God's own heart, 31:41 and he slayed Goliath. 31:42 And Jesus is, of course, David is a type of Christ, 31:45 but Jesus Christ is our champion. 31:47 I love Isaiah 42:13, it says, 31:50 "The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man." 31:53 I love that. 31:55 "He shall stir up his zeal, like a man of war, 31:58 He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud, 32:01 He shall prevail against His enemies." 32:04 You know what? 32:05 We may have our heroes here and there that give us, 32:07 you know, some excitement 32:08 from whatever ballgame might be playing 32:10 or whatever event we might be at. 32:12 But at the end of the day, Jesus Christ is the champion 32:15 that saves the human race. 32:17 At the end of the day, when this world is passed away, 32:20 we're going to be looking to Him saying, 32:21 "Thank you, oh, God, for saving us from our sins, 32:25 that we might have eternal life in You." 32:28 Another great passage is Isaiah 59, 32:30 which really highlights the beautifulness 32:33 of how God comes down to bring us righteousness. 32:36 And, of course, Isaiah 59:15-20, 32:39 I'll read that quickly here. 32:40 It says, so truth fails. 32:42 And, of course, when it says truth fails, 32:43 it's talking in context of the children of Israel, 32:46 who had allowed oppression, 32:47 who had forsaken the ways of God, 32:49 and they had basically forsaken the truth of God. 32:51 And so it goes on to say, 32:53 "And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey." 32:56 And notice here, it says, "Then the Lord saw it, 32:59 and it displeased Him that there was no justice." 33:02 You see, we serve a God of justice, 33:04 our champion, Jesus is a God of justice. 33:08 And so it goes on to say in verse 16, 33:10 "He saw that there was no man, 33:12 and wondered that there was no intercessor, 33:15 therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him, 33:18 and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. 33:22 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, 33:25 and a helmet of salvation on His head, 33:28 He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, 33:31 and was clad with zeal as a cloak. 33:35 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury 33:38 to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies, 33:42 the coastlands He will fully repay. 33:44 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, 33:48 and His glory from the rising of the sun, 33:50 when the enemy comes in like a flood, 33:54 the Spirit of the Lord will lift up 33:56 a standard against him. 33:58 The Redeemer will come to Zion," 34:00 I love this, "and to those 34:01 who turn from transgression in Jacob, says the Lord." 34:05 My friends, Jesus is our champion. 34:08 At the end of the day, 34:10 He is the champion of the world. 34:11 The lesson brings this out and I have to highlight this. 34:14 It says, "As Christians, we often think 34:17 that we are engaged in solo combat with Satan." 34:20 I think all of us have been in that sense. 34:21 Yeah. 34:22 But when we read Ephesians 6:10-18, 34:26 we see that, yes, 34:27 we are in combat with the devil, 34:29 but God is our champion, 34:31 and He goes to battle before us. 34:34 We are part of His army. 34:37 That is why we have to use His armor, 34:40 not our own armor, right? 34:42 Also, we do not fight alone. 34:45 That you in Ephesians 6 is plural. 34:49 We as a church take the armor and fight together 34:52 behind our champion, 34:54 who is God Himself. 34:56 My friends, you don't have to fight your battles alone. 34:58 Amen. 35:00 In fact, you cannot win the battles 35:02 in and of yourself and by yourself. 35:03 Allow Jesus Christ to be your champion. 35:06 Jesus has already won the war. 35:09 He's already taken this world back. 35:10 It is His. 35:12 Allow Jesus Christ today to be your champion, 35:14 the champion of your life. 35:16 Amen. 35:17 Thank you so much, Pastor Ryan, I love that. 35:19 I love your energy and enthusiasm 35:22 for the Word of God. 35:23 I've been blessed by what everyone shared. 35:25 Jesus is our King. 35:27 He is our mediator. He is our champion. 35:29 And I have Wednesday's lesson, Jesus is Our High Priest. 35:34 And to me, that's the overarching theme 35:37 of the Book of Hebrews. 35:38 We see, of course, Jesus as King, 35:40 Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father, 35:42 Jesus as mediator, 35:44 but Jesus as our High Priest. 35:47 So I'm going to hopefully we'll get through all this, 35:49 I want to look at seven functions 35:52 of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. 35:56 Seven duties, seven obligations, 35:58 seven functions that they were involved in, 36:00 and we're going to compare them with seven ways 36:04 that Jesus fulfilled that even better. 36:07 So let's take a look at that Jesus as our High Priest. 36:11 This is the seven functions or duties, 36:14 obligations of the Levitical priesthood. 36:16 Now, I'm sure there's more, 36:17 we're just going to cover seven. 36:18 Number one, to offer sacrifices to God 36:22 on behalf of sinful humanity. 36:26 Function number one, offer sacrifices to God 36:29 on behalf of sinful humanity. 36:31 If you look at Hebrews 5:1, we see this, 36:34 "For every high priest taken from among men 36:37 is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, 36:40 that He may offer both gifts and sacrifices," why? 36:44 "For sins." 36:46 Offering those sacrifices on behalf of sinful humanity. 36:50 If you look at the Old Testament, 36:51 the Book of Leviticus we see five major offerings. 36:55 Leviticus 1 is the burnt offering. 36:58 And we see Christ's fulfilling that, 37:00 His life being consumed. 37:02 Leviticus 2 is the grain offering, 37:04 there's no death in that. 37:06 We see Christ providing eternal life. 37:09 Leviticus 3 and 7, we see the peace offering, 37:13 or the offer partook in 8 of the sacrifice as well. 37:18 This is where you and I are called 37:20 to spiritually partake of Christ. 37:23 In Leviticus 4 and 6, we see the sin offering 37:25 or the purification offering, 37:27 and we see Christ given as the ransom for our life. 37:32 In Leviticus 5 and 7 we see the trespass, 37:35 the reparation offering, 37:37 and we see Christ's pain, the debt of sin. 37:41 Let's look at function or obligation number two. 37:44 The priests were to intercede for the people. 37:48 Leviticus 16:12-13. 37:52 Leviticus 16:12-13. 37:54 "He, this is Aaron as the high priest, 37:57 shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire 38:00 from the altar before the Lord, 38:02 with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine 38:05 and bring it inside the veil. 38:07 He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord 38:09 that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat 38:13 that is on the testimony, lest he die." 38:16 So the high priest was to intercede 38:19 for the people. 38:21 Number three, the high priest was to mediate 38:23 between God and sinful humanity. 38:26 Now this is very similar to the intercession. 38:28 We're still in Leviticus 16, we see verses 16 and 17. 38:32 "So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, 38:37 because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, 38:39 and because of their transgressions 38:40 for all their sins, 38:42 he shall do so for the tabernacle of meeting 38:44 which remains among them 38:45 in the midst of their uncleanness. 38:48 There shall no man in the tabernacle of meeting 38:50 when he goes in 38:51 to make atonement in the Holy Place, 38:53 until he comes out, 38:55 that he may make atonement for himself, 38:58 for his household, 38:59 and for all the assembly of Israel." 39:02 We see this mediatorial role between God and humanity. 39:07 We also see number four, that the priesthood, 39:09 the Levitical priesthood was hereditary, 39:12 passed down from father to son. 39:15 We see this in Deuteronomy Chapter 18. 39:18 Number five, we see that the Levitical priests 39:20 were to serve in holiness. 39:23 Leviticus 21: 6 says, 39:26 "The priest shall be holy to the Lord their God." 39:30 Verse 7, "The priest is holy to his God." 39:34 Verse 8, "He shall be holy to you, 39:37 for I the Lord who sanctify you I'm holy." 39:41 Number six, we see that the Levitical priesthood 39:44 was to bless the people. 39:46 I love this blessing in number six. 39:48 This is similar you could say 39:49 the Lord's Prayer for the Old Testament. 39:51 Leviticus 6:23-27, 39:54 "Speak to Aaron and his sons saying, 39:56 'This is the way you shall bless 39:58 the children of Israel." 39:59 Say to them and we know this, 40:01 the Lord bless you and keep you, 40:02 you could sing this, Ryan, 40:04 the Lord, make His face shine upon you 40:05 and be gracious to you. 40:07 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you 40:09 and give you peace. 40:11 Finally, number seven, the Levitical priesthood 40:13 was called to teach the people. 40:16 We see this in Malachi 2:7, 40:19 "The lips of a priest should keep knowledge, 40:22 and people should seek the law from his mouth, 40:25 for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts." 40:29 Now we're going to look at Jesus as our High Priest 40:32 and how He fulfilled those seven functions, 40:36 you could say, of the Levitical priesthood. 40:39 To offer sacrifices to God on behalf of Aaron, humans, 40:42 to intercede for the people, 40:44 to mediate between God and sinful humanity. 40:47 We understand the priesthood was hereditary, 40:49 to serve in holiness, 40:51 to bless the people and to teach the people. 40:53 Now also, Jesus not only was the function 40:56 of the Levitical priesthood, 40:57 He offered the sacrifice 40:59 to satisfy the demands of the law. 41:00 We also see He was a high priest 41:03 after the order of Melchizedek. 41:05 That's right. 41:06 We will study this more in coming lessons. 41:08 So we really don't have time to get into this now. 41:11 But we do see that Melchizedek was a priest and a king. 41:15 He served in both functions together. 41:18 And we also see that Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi 41:23 like the Levitical priests. 41:25 In that sense He follows 41:26 after the order of Melchizedek, as well. 41:29 So let's look at this comparison. 41:30 Number one, Jesus offers a better sacrifice 41:35 than the Levitical priests. 41:37 Why? He became the sacrifice. 41:40 Hebrews 7:26-27, 41:43 "For such a high priest was fitting for us, 41:46 who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 41:49 separate from sinners, 41:51 and has become higher than the heavens, 41:53 who does not need daily 41:55 as those high priests to offer up sacrifices, 41:58 first for his own sins, 42:00 and then for the sins of the people. 42:01 For this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." 42:06 You see, Jesus didn't need 42:08 to offer sacrifices for Himself. 42:09 He was the perfect sacrifice. 42:12 He didn't need to offer daily sacrifices 42:14 for the people, 42:15 He died once and for all, 42:17 and that death covered the sins of everyone, 42:21 He became the sacrifice. 42:23 Number two, Jesus offers a better intercession 42:27 than the Levitical priesthood. 42:28 He became our intercessor. 42:32 Hebrews 7:25. 42:34 I love this verse. 42:36 He is also able to save to the uttermost. 42:39 That word means He can save completely, 42:42 He saves forever, 42:43 He saves entirely perfectly and through all time, 42:48 He saves us those who come to God through Him, 42:51 because He always lives to make intercession for us. 42:56 That's right. 42:57 Number three, Jesus offers a better mediation 43:00 than the Levitical priesthood, 43:02 because He became our mediator. 43:06 Pastor Johnny read this, I believe earlier, 43:08 1 Timothy 2:5, 43:10 "There is one God and one mediator 43:12 between God and men, 43:14 the Man Christ Jesus." 43:18 Number four, Jesus comes from a better order, 43:21 not the Levitical, but the Melchizedek. 43:24 And we covered this briefly just before. 43:26 If you look at Hebrews 7:3, 43:29 it talks about Melchizedek being without father, 43:33 without mother, without genealogy, 43:36 having neither beginning of days nor end of life, 43:39 but made like the Son of God, 43:42 he remains a priest continually. 43:45 Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi, 43:48 Jesus is a priest forever. 43:51 Number five, Jesus has a better position 43:53 than the Levitical priesthood 43:55 because Jesus was holy, 43:57 without any trace of sin. 43:59 Remember the Levitical priesthood 44:01 were to be holy, 44:02 but Jesus actually was holy. 44:05 Hebrews 4:14-16, 44:08 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest 44:10 who has passed through the heavens, 44:12 Jesus the Son of God, 44:14 let us hold fast our confession. 44:16 For we do not have a High Priest 44:17 who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, 44:19 but was in all points tempted as we are, 44:21 yet without sin." 44:24 He was perfect. 44:26 He was without sin, 44:27 and yet He can identify with me and my suffering, 44:31 erring sinful state. 44:34 Number six, Jesus offers a better covenant, 44:37 which Pastor John is going to touch on. 44:39 Hebrews 7:32, 44:41 Jesus became the surety of a better covenant. 44:46 And finally, number seven, 44:48 Jesus offers a better sanctuary, 44:52 a heavenly sanctuary. 44:53 We see this in Hebrews Chapter 9. 44:56 So the incredible thing is that we can look to Jesus. 44:59 Jesus is our sacrifice. 45:02 Jesus was our substitute. 45:05 Jesus is our High Priest right now, 45:08 even now, interceding in heaven for us. 45:11 Amen. 45:12 I want to begin by saying after all of you, 45:15 repetition is a good teacher, 45:17 because we're talking about some of the same themes 45:20 all the way through 45:21 how efficacious Jesus is. 45:23 That's why I like the title of mine on Thursday, 45:25 Jesus Mediates a Better Covenant. 45:29 Now, we've covered so much of this, 45:30 and I think that as I said, repetition is a good teacher. 45:33 But let's focus on Hebrews Chapter 8, 45:35 all the way to Hebrews Chapter 10, 45:37 which are, the main focus is the work of Jesus 45:41 as a mediator of a New Covenant. 45:44 The issues with the Old Covenant was that 45:47 it was only a foreshadowing of the good things to come. 45:50 All the articles of furniture, 45:52 all the sacrificial system aspects of it, 45:54 the priesthood, everything included in that 45:56 was simply a shadow of good things to come. 45:59 Paul talks about that in Ephesians, 46:00 and in the Book of Colossians. 46:02 Also, every aspect of it was designed to illustrate 46:06 the work that Jesus would do in His life in the future, 46:09 the water, the laver, the water of life, Jesus, 46:12 the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, 46:14 Christ, the candelabra, the light of the world, 46:16 all aspects of it, the mediatorial work of Christ, 46:19 the altar of incense, 46:20 that He's receiving the prayers of the saints, 46:23 and mediating in their behalf. 46:25 If anyone sins, 46:26 we have an advocate with the Father, 46:28 we have a High Priest, who is mediating, 46:31 He's able to save to the uttermost. 46:33 All the aspects of the sacrificial system 46:35 were a prefiguring, 46:37 an object lesson of the ministry of Christ. 46:39 That's why today we don't look forward 46:41 to the system being reestablished. 46:44 We praise God that it was removed 46:46 in favor of Jesus. 46:48 You also find that the priesthood. 46:49 Let's go to Hebrews Chapter 7, 46:51 I'm going to break down a few things 46:52 and try to do what Jill does. 46:54 She could cover 20 pages in 10 minutes. 46:56 I don't know how she does that. 46:57 But let's talk about the weakness of the priesthood, 47:00 because the priesthood 47:02 of the Levitical priesthood was just a shadow 47:04 of the faultless priesthood of Jesus. 47:07 Hebrews 7:18-9, for on the one hand, 47:11 talking about the faultiness of the priesthood. 47:14 "For on the one hand there is an annulling 47:16 of the former commandment 47:17 because of its weakness and unprofitableness." 47:20 Verse 19, 47:21 "For the law made nothing perfect, 47:23 on the other hand, 47:25 there is the bringing in of a better hope, 47:27 through which we draw near to God." 47:29 How do we draw near to God? 47:31 We draw near to God through Christ Jesus. 47:33 Let's look at verse 20 to 24, 47:34 talking about the perfection of Jesus as priesthood. 47:38 "And inasmuch as He was not made priest 47:42 without an oath, 47:43 for they have become priests without an oath, 47:46 but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: 47:50 'The Lord has sworn and will not relent, 47:53 You are a priest forever 47:54 according to the order of Melchizedek.'" 47:56 Jill just brought that out. 47:58 Verse 22, "By so much more 48:00 Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant." 48:04 Verse 23, "Also there were many priests, 48:07 because they were prevented by death from continuing. 48:10 But He, because He continues forever, 48:14 has an unchangeable priesthood." 48:16 Praise God for that. 48:17 Today, we have a High Priest 48:19 who is still ministering in our behalf, a mediator. 48:22 Also the New Covenant accomplishes 48:24 what the Old Covenant could not. 48:25 Hebrews 8:4-5, "For if He were on earth, 48:30 He would not be a priest, 48:31 since there are priests who offer the gifts 48:33 according to the law." 48:35 Verse 5, "Who serve the copy 48:37 and shadow of the heavenly things, 48:39 as Moses was divinely instructed 48:42 when he was about to make the tabernacle. 48:44 For He said, 'See that you make all things 48:47 according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'" 48:50 So Moses when he was given directions 48:53 and instructions on how to have that temple built on earth, 48:56 he was given a picture, a representation, 48:59 a blueprint of the perfect tabernacle. 49:01 Look at verse 6. 49:03 "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, 49:07 inasmuch as He is also mediator of a better covenant, 49:11 which was established on better promises." 49:14 Do you see the earthly priest, 49:16 they had an expiration date, 49:18 is called death. 49:19 They were faulty in every particular. 49:21 Let's look at Hebrews 8:7-9. 49:24 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, 49:27 then no place would have been sought for a second. 49:29 Because finding fault with them, He says: 49:31 'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, 49:33 when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel 49:36 and with the house of Judah, 49:37 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 49:39 in the day when I took them by the hand 49:41 to lead them out of the land of Egypt, 49:42 because they did not continue in My covenant, 49:45 and disregarded them, says the Lord.'" 49:47 Now this is an amazing passage. 49:49 He talked about finding fault. 49:51 The fault was on two levels. 49:53 The faultiness of the human character, 49:55 which is still continuing today, 49:58 but what's even deeper than that 50:01 the faultiness of the priesthood, 50:03 and the deeper faultiness of the sacrificial system. 50:07 So we find the imperfection of the priest 50:10 and the inefficacy of the sacrifices, 50:13 bulls, goats, lambs, doves, 50:16 those things were impossible 50:18 to take away the sins of humanity, 50:20 but they were foreshadowing the work 50:21 that Jesus would do when He came. 50:23 Look at Hebrews 9:13-14. 50:26 "For if the blood of bulls and goats 50:28 and the ashes of a heifer, 50:29 sprinkling the unclean, 50:31 sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, 50:33 how much more shall the blood of Christ, 50:36 who through the eternal Spirit 50:37 offered Himself without spot to God, 50:40 cleanse your conscience from dead works 50:43 to serve the living God?" 50:44 So right away, you see, 50:45 you have a faulty animal that's going to die, 50:48 you have a faulty priest that's going to die, 50:50 trying to cover a faulty sins 50:52 that continue popping up every week, every day. 50:55 How could a faulty system bring perfection? 50:57 It could not. 50:59 Let's look at Hebrews 9:15. 51:01 "And for this reason 51:03 He is the Mediator of the New Covenant, 51:06 by means of death, 51:07 for the redemption of the transgressions 51:09 under the first covenant, 51:11 that those who are called may receive the promise 51:14 of the eternal inheritance." 51:15 What is the writer saying here? 51:17 All those sacrifices that were performed 51:19 for thousands of years 51:21 under the Old Covenant, 51:22 in the land of the Jews in the Jewish system 51:25 would be of no value 51:27 if Jesus did not die and rise again. 51:30 They couldn't be a substitute. 51:32 Just say, for example, Jesus didn't rise, 51:34 all those sacrifices that have been of no value, 51:37 because it was His spotless blood 51:39 that ratified and made all of those sacrifices valid. 51:43 It gave efficacy, it says, I know that's a faulty lamb, 51:47 but it pointed to the spotless Lamb 51:49 that taketh away the sins of the world. 51:50 Look at verse 23 of Hebrews 9. 51:53 "Therefore, it was necessary 51:55 that the copies of the things in the heavens 51:58 should be purged with these, 52:00 but the heavenly things themselves 52:02 with better sacrifices than these." 52:04 What is that saying? 52:05 The earthly priests couldn't make it to heaven, 52:07 but Jesus did, His own blood, He entered in. 52:10 That's why Revelation says, 52:11 we have overcome by the blood of the Lamb. 52:14 When John has seen the picture, 52:16 and no one is found worthy to open the scroll. 52:18 He says, "Look, I see a Lamb as it had been slain." 52:22 That's the efficacious, sinless, 52:24 spotless Lamb, Christ Jesus. 52:26 You see only through Jesus 52:28 can we find the purging of our sins 52:31 and the blotting out of our sins. 52:32 Praise the Lord for that. 52:34 makes it clear, 52:35 what was the earthly purpose of the sanctuary. 52:37 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come." 52:40 You see, many people thinking that the ceremonial system 52:43 and the commandments were both shadows. 52:45 No, no, no. 52:46 One was the gauge of the morality 52:48 or immorality of humanity 52:50 that shows us the need for a system of sacrifices 52:53 that showed us the need for the perfect Lamb of God 52:56 and His efficacious blood that was spotless. 53:00 But if you get rid of the mirror, 53:01 which is the Ten Commandments, you find that you feel perfect, 53:04 then you don't need Christ. 53:06 That's why the commandments still exist today. 53:08 Without the law, there is no knowledge of sin. 53:11 Paul said, "I have not known sin, but by the law." 53:14 He wasn't talking about just the ceremonial system. 53:16 But that was temporary, 53:18 done away with when Jesus Christ died. 53:19 But the commandments, 53:21 the Ten Commandments that continue to exist, 53:23 show us today, 53:24 we don't need lambs and bulls and goats, 53:27 we have the High Priest, Jesus. 53:29 He is the priest, He is the judge, 53:32 and He's also the sacrifice. 53:33 Praise His name. 53:34 That's why we go down 53:36 to the Book of 2 Corinthians 5:17. 53:39 And this is what the beautiful thing 53:41 of the message of the New Covenant 53:43 of better sacrifice. 53:45 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 53:49 he is a new creation, 53:50 old things have passed away, 53:52 behold, all things have become new." 53:55 What has the Lamb Jesus have done for us? 53:58 Romans 5:6-10. 53:59 What has He done for us? 54:01 Here it is, "For when we were still without strength, 54:05 in due time, Christ died for the ungodly, 54:08 not lambs and bulls and goats, but Jesus. 54:11 For scarcely for a righteous man 54:13 will one die yet perhaps for a good man, 54:15 someone would even dare to die, but God." 54:18 What two words? 54:19 The two words between salvation and loss 54:21 are the word or the phrase but God, 54:24 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 54:26 in that while we were yet sinners, 54:28 Christ died for us," the efficacious Lamb of God. 54:32 Now verse 9, "Much more than 54:35 having now been justified by His blood, 54:39 a symbol of the Old Covenant, 54:41 we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 54:44 For if, when we were enemies, 54:46 we were reconciled to God 54:48 through the death of His Son much more, 54:51 having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 54:56 "And I end with the declaration of John, 54:59 the eternal declaration that covers 55:01 from the entrance of sin to the eradication of sin. 55:05 Revelation 13:8, 55:06 "And all who dwell on the earth will worship Him, 55:09 whose names have not been written in the Book of life 55:13 of the Lamb slain 55:16 from the foundation of the world." 55:18 Yes, friends, Jesus is the mediator 55:21 of the better covenant. 55:23 Amen. Amen. 55:25 Great thoughts. Thank you so much. 55:26 And we do have 55:28 just a couple of minutes left over 55:29 for some closing thoughts. 55:30 John? 55:32 Yes, Jesus Christ is our mediator. 55:35 And I am praising the Lord because He was victorious 55:39 and because of His victorious sacrifice 55:41 you and I have hope. 55:43 Amen. Amen. 55:44 Many years ago, 55:46 there was a popular song called, We Are The Champions. 55:49 Well, you know, I can say this for sure 55:51 that we cannot even dare claim the victory for ourselves 55:54 'cause we are only overcomers 55:56 because of the Eternal Champion of the world, 56:00 Jesus Christ. 56:01 My friends, please, please allow Jesus Christ 56:03 to be the champion of your life today. 56:06 Amen. Amen. 56:08 On those days, when I might feel discouraged, 56:10 or I might wonder, "God, where are You? 56:13 God, can You forgive me? 56:14 God, I'm reaching out after You," 56:16 I'm reminded of Hebrews 7:25. 56:19 "He, Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God 56:22 is able to save to the uttermost, 56:26 those who come to God through Him 56:28 because He always lives to make intercession for them." 56:31 So just hold on to that promise, 56:34 know that Jesus is right now interceding for you, 56:37 He can wash you clean, 56:39 and make you His child 56:41 That's right. 56:42 Thank you. Jill. Thank you, Ryan. 56:43 Thank you, John. 56:45 And when we think about 56:46 the beautiful ministry of Jesus, 56:47 we find these words in the Book of Hebrews. 56:49 Hebrews 10:23. 56:51 He says, in light of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, 56:54 in light of the provision of sins being blotted out, 56:57 sins being forgiven, lives being renewed. 57:00 The writer says these words to us and I encourage you, 57:03 Hebrews 10:23, 57:04 "Let us hold fast to confession of our hope without wavering, 57:09 for He who promised is faithful." 57:12 Yes, we have a High Priest, a faithful High Priest, 57:15 who is continuing to mediate, 57:18 that we may one day be where He is. 57:21 Hold fast, that day is not far away. 57:24 Amen. Amen. 57:25 Thank you, John, for sharing with us 57:27 that Jesus is the mediator of better covenant. 57:29 And thank you, Jill, for sharing with us 57:31 that Jesus is our High Priest. 57:34 And thank you, Ryan, for sharing with us 57:36 that Jesus is our champion. 57:38 Many men want to be gods, 57:39 but God is the only one that became a man. 57:42 And thank you, John, for sharing with us 57:44 that Jesus is our one mediator, and Jesus is our one king. 57:50 Thank you for joining us for this week's lesson study, 57:53 The Message of Hebrews. 57:55 It's a powerful message, and it's a message of hope. 57:58 And we're just so thankful that we have hope 58:01 in this world today. |
Revised 2022-01-06