Replacing Insurance With Assurance
Hebrews 7:11-22
September 6, 2015

From time to time here at the church,
Our brothers and sisters from Lakeside Baptist
Will come and use our facilities for a funeral.

Several years ago they had a minister come in for a funeral who was blind.
I didn’t know it until later, mostly because
He did such a great job and quotes so much Scripture.

I’ll never forget how he started his message.
(And you all know that black preachers
Have a few more gears in their transmission than the rest of us)

He started talking about insurance.
“I hear a lot on the radio about insurance. Geiko and State Farm and Progressive. We go to the hospital and they want to know about our health insurance. We get life insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, car insurance.

But I’m here to tell you today friends you may have insurance, but what you really need is the blessed assurance.”

I’ll remember it forever.

And think about it for a second.
The difference between insurance and assurance.
• Insurance is expensive, assurance is free.
• Insurance goes into effect after an accident, assurance is in effect before it.
• Insurance is meant to bail you out, assurance says you’ll never need it.

By all accounts assurance is better than insurance.

And yet the majority of the religious world
Still seeks insurance over assurance.

That is what these Jews were doing,
To whom the writer of Hebrews was preaching.

They were being offered Jesus and the assurance of hope and eternal life.
They still wanted the insurance of their religious ordinances.

Judaism and the priestly system was a great form of insurance.

As we mentioned last week,
• They knew they couldn’t keep the Law.
• They had read all the commandments and they knew they would fall short.
• They knew that disobedience brought about a penalty of curses and death.

But they weren’t overly concerned because they had “curse insurance”.
It came in the form of their priest.

After they would sin; after their accident,
They would call upon their insurance agent who would then effectively work
To try and bail them out through a sacrifice and intercession.

And because this system had seemingly worked time after time
They had grown to love their insurance agent.

“Like a good neighbor their high priest was there.”

And so every time they blew it, they went to their priest,
And they hoped that their priest could set things right.

This reality is seen very clearly with the children of Israel under Moses after the golden calf incident.

If you’ll remember, God was so angry at that event that He actually moved His presence outside of their camp and threated to abandon them altogether.

Moses was working as a “go between” in the role of the priest.
The people hoped it would work.

Exodus 33:7-10 “Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.”

Can you see their anxiety as Moses approached the tent of meeting?
Can you see their relief when God would respond?

As Moses went out, the hoped it would work.

And that literally sums up every form of legalistic religion.
Whether it is Judaism or Mormonism or some false version of works-based Christianity.

People do something, hoping God will accept it
And be willing to forgive them because of it.
They have an insurance plan to cover their sin, and they hope it will work.

But church, God never intended for His children to have insurance. His intent is that His children have assurance.

He doesn’t want them to hope they will be forgiven,
He wants them to have hope because they are forgiven.

When “hope” is a verb it is filled with nervousness and anxiety.
But when “hope” is a noun it is one of the most calming realities a believer has.

This writer is trying to move his congregation
From insurance to assurance; from hoping to having hope.

And as we stated last week, his chief and finest argument
Centers around Psalms 110:4 and the man named Melchizedek.

Melchizedek only showed up for a few verses in Scripture.
After Abraham conquered the kings and brought back the spoil,
Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham paid him a tithe.

And that is all we know about him.
• We don’t know his pedigree, we don’t know where he came from.
• We don’t know when he started, we don’t know when he stopped.
• All that we know is that he was a priest based on character and he was a
priest that never left office.

Now according to the Law, Melchizedek would not have been allowed to be a priest.
• He wasn’t a Levite.
• He was also a King.
• And he served far more than just 25 years.

But in Psalms 110:4 God made a remarkable declaration.
He declared that one day He would ordain a new priest.

And His new priest would not be according to Aaron,
But according to Melchizedek.

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

God announced the coming retirement of the Levitical priesthood
And the coming inauguration of a new priest.
• God’s new priest would be selected based on character, not pedigree.
• God’s new priest would be both king and priest.
• God’s new priest would reign forever, and never leave office.

That is what we learned in the first 10 verses of this chapter.

This morning we move on to the RAMIFICATIONS of that decision.
Again, the stuff we deal with here is considered “meat” not milk, so I need you to pay attention and we are in desperate need of the Holy Spirit to make it clear to us.

Now, HERE IS WHAT IS HAPPENING in these 12 verses.
The writer asks a question and then he answers it.

That is admittedly a little tough to see
Because he gives so many qualifiers between the question and the answer.

But I want you to be able to understand this passage later when you’re reading through Hebrews on your own, so let me show it to you.
He asks the question in verse 11.
In verses 12-17 he talks about the ramifications of the question.
He finally answers the question in verse 18.

So if you’re like me, you’ll want to make a little note at the end of verse 11
To remind you that the answer comes in verse 18.

So let’s work our way through this text this morning.
#1 THE QUESTION: Why Did God Change Priests?
Hebrews 7:11-17

If you’ll remember, we actually introduced this question last week.

(11) “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?”

Now you’ll notice, in that question
He has some assumptions and he has some realities.

First he addresses the assumption that “perfection was through the Levitical priesthood”

Why would he assume that?
“(for on the basis of it the people received the Law)”

The reason people accepted the Law of God as their standard for living
Was because they believed that the priesthood could cover their failures.

They knew they couldn’t keep the Law,
But they had insurance in the form of their priest.

That means they believed that “the Levitical priesthood”
Could in fact make them complete and perfect and acceptable to God.

Well, THE QUESTION IS, if your priest makes you perfect, “what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek..?”

We’ve all heard the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”

That is the kind of logic the writer of Hebrews is using here.
If the Levitical priesthood was doing such a great job making people pleasing to God, then why would God change it?

Because in Psalms 110:4, He clearly introduced a new order.

WHY did He do that?
Now, BEFORE he answers that question,
He first wants you to understand some of the ramifications that exist
If God were to change priests.

It’s not as simple as just saying,
“Oh, I changed My mind, let’s give someone else a shot,
just to see what happens.”

It’s not that simple.
Changing the order of priests gets complicated.

WHY?
(12) “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.”

Here is why it is so difficult to change priests.
If you’re going to change priests what else do you have to change?

The “law”

WHY DO YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE LAW?
(13-14) “For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.”

Now, when we have talked about Melchizedek,
We already established who was the priest like him didn’t we?

Who is the priest like Melchizedek?
Jesus is.

Hebrews 5:9-10 “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.”

Hebrews 6:19-20 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus is this priest like Melchizedek that we are talking about.

But if God wants to make Him priest that is difficult.
In order to do it, God would also have to change the Law.

WHY?
Because the Law was pretty clear about who could be a priest.

Who could be a priest?
Only the Levites.
But “it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.”

So if you’re going to change priests,
You also have to change the Law.

Maybe you think the speed limit ought to be 90mph.
It can happen, but you’re going to have to change the law to make it happen.

That is the issue here.
God can change priests if He wants,
But to do so, He’ll also have to change the Law.

Now, you’ll see where He’s going with this in chapter 8,
But for now I simply want you to realize that
Changing priests was no small decision.

It’s not something you just do to do.
It’s not something you just try to see if you like it.

You aren’t going to lay carpet in your whole house just to see if you like the way it feels.

You wouldn’t make this decision
Unless you were absolutely certain
That the decision needed to be made.
And so it is with God and the priesthood.

BUT HERE IS AN EVEN BIGGER KICKER…
REGARDLESS OF THE DIFFICULTY, GOD DECIDED TO DO IT
(He announced that decision with the writing of Psalms 110:4)

So after the writing of that Psalm,
We knew that one day God would change the Law and the priesthood.

All we were waiting for was the day when it would occur.
HOW WOULD WE KNOW WHEN IT WAS TIME?

We would know it was time when the new priest arrived.
(15-17) “And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Now pay attention to his reasoning here.

Having a promise that God is going to change priests is one thing,
But “if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek”
Then you’ll know it is time.
If we see another priest that is a priest
“not on the basis of a law of physical requirements”

If we see another priest that is a priest
“according to the power of an indestructible life”

Then we’ll know God’s promise has come.

SO THE POINT UP UNTIL NOW IS OBVIOUS.
The priest God promised back in Psalms 110:4 has arrived.
That priest is Jesus.

He is priest based on character not pedigree.
He is priest who will be priest forever just as God said.

But that still doesn’t answer the question.

• We know God did change priests.
• We know God did it in spite of the difficulty involved.
(for doing it required changing the whole law)

But the question remains, WHY DID GOD CHANGE PRIESTS?
Well, do you want to see the answer?

#2 THE ANSWER: To Establish A Better Hope
Hebrews 7:18-22

Follow along here.

He asked the question back in verse 11.
“…what further need was there for another priest..?”

That was basically the question.

And in verses 18 and 19 he gives you two reasons.
• Notice the “on the one hand” statement in verse 18.
• And the “on the other hand” statement in verse 19.

The first reason there was need for another priest.
1) TO ELIMINATE WHAT WAS WEAK AND USELESS (18-19a)
“For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect)”

To put it plainly.
The Law (and the priestly system that supported it) had a FLAW.

What was that flaw?
It “made nothing perfect”
And let me remind you that perfection is required.
How many times do we hear God say, “You shall be holy as I am holy”?

But the Law “made nothing perfect.”

But that was their assumption wasn’t it?
That is what he taught us back up in verse 11.
They assumed that “perfection was through the Levitical priesthood”
But it wasn’t.

The Law never made anyone perfect.
In fact all the Law ever did was reveal that people weren’t perfect.

The Law is like a mirror,
It can show you what you look like,
But it can’t help you fix it.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 7:9-10 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me;”

Galatians 3:21-22 “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

The Law didn’t make anyone perfect.
To which the Jews would answer, “That’s what the priesthood was for”
It stepped in to make people perfect.

Really?
Then why did God change it?

Now, I’ll give you a bit of a spoiler for where the writer is headed.
He’s actually going to give three concrete realities that prove
The old Law and the old priesthood never made anyone perfect.

The New Priest (Psalms 110:4)
The Hanging Veil
The Reoccurring Sacrifice

All of those are his points.
• If your priests are so perfect, why did God promise a new one?
• If your priests are so perfect, why didn’t the veil ever come down?
• If your priests are so perfect, why did they have to keep offering those
sacrifices year after year after year?

That’s his argument.
The Law and the priestly system did not achieve perfection.
That system was too weak, and therefore utterly useless.

Romans 8:3 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

The Law was too weak and so God couldn’t use it.
That is one of the reasons that He went to all the trouble to change it.

But there is also a second reason He did it.

First, to eliminate what was weak and useless
2) TO ESTABLISH WHAT IS STRONG AND EFFECTIVE (19b)
“on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”

That is to say, God replaced the system that wouldn’t work,
With a system that would.

The old system was the verb version of hope.
You failed the Law time and time again and so you went to your priest hoping he could make you perfect.
And he never could.
It was never lasting, it was never permanent, it was never fully effective.
Every year you hoped it would work and it never did.

So God discarded that verb version of hope
And replaced it with the noun version of hope.

He brought in “a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”
• He brought in a system that actually tears down the veil.
• He brought in a system that actually enters the presence of God.
• He brought in a system that allows you and me to boldly go before Him at any time.

We don’t hope our priest can make us perfect.
We have hope because God already has.
(that is why we can now “draw near to God”)

It’s the difference between insurance and assurance.

People in religion all over the world are constantly trying to obtain a little “hell insurance” a little “fire insurance”.
• I’ll go to church…
• I’ll read my bible…
• I’ll pray…
• I’ll adhere to the requirements of my religion…
• I’ll do what I’m told to do…
Hoping that when I die, it will be enough.
Hoping that my insurance policy will cover it.
The problem is that it won’t.

If you’ve learned anything from our culture you ought to at least learn that INSURANCE IS NEVER AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED.

But we aren’t looking for insurance, we are looking for assurance.
• Assurance that my sins are covered.
• Assurance that my transgressions are washed clean.
• Assurance that my priest has it all taken care of.
• Assurance that now I am welcome before the Father.

That is what we are after.
And that is why God changed priests.

HE WAS REPLACING YOUR INSURANCE WITH ASSURANCE.

And if you’ll remember He was dogmatic about it.
(20-21) “And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER'”)

God just didn’t do it, God swore to it.
And God swore that after this change, He’d never change it again.

THAT IS ASSURANCE.
We have a successful priest.
We’ll always have a successful priest.

I’m not worried in the least that I might not make it to heaven when I die.
I trust my priest has it covered.

And that is why the writer says in verse 22
“so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”

JESUS IS OUR GUARANTEE.
When Jesus showed up (in the order of Melchizedek)
We knew that the fulfillment of God’s promise had come.

We knew that God was finally getting rid of the old priesthood
And establishing the new one He had promised.

And so Jesus is my proof that the “better covenant” is here.

I now have assurance.
Paul would say it like this:
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

John would say it like this:
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Peter would say it like this:
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Jude would say it like this:
Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

And Jesus would say it like this:
John 6:39-40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus is not our insurance, He is our assurance.

The only question is whether or not you have trusted Him.
Have you left the old system to embrace the new?

This writer wanted these Jews to let go of their old religious system
And place everything on the back of Jesus.
Trust Him
If you never have, I invite you to do that this morning.
• Rest assured He is God’s priest.
• He is the only priest that God is accepting.
• He will be priest for all eternity.
• And through Him you can forever draw near to God.

Not Again?
Job 2:1-13
August 30, 2015

Well, last time we met we looked at the worst day ever in Job’s life.
• He lost his farming crews
• He lost his flocks
• He lost his caravans
• He lost his children

It all hit him in a matter of seconds
And it came upon him from the hand of God.
It was the worst imaginable scenario that a person could face.

God literally crushed Job.

The question was how Job would respond.
Satan said Job would curse God, God said Job would remain.

And obviously God was right.

Job 1:20-22 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

Job’s response was not cursing.
Job’s response was worship.

“Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”
Literally Job “did not ascribe unseemliness to God”

Job maintained that God was well within His prerogative to do this
And because He was God He still deserved worship.

It was truly an amazing response and one which
Illustrated the bond that exists between God and His children.

Well, at this point in the story we would love to think it was over.
We’d love to think, “Well, I endured my suffering…smooth sailing from here.”

Most of the time even when we come to grips with the fact
That suffering must happen,
We still sort of like to believe that
Once we’ve had our fair share that we should be through with it.

We sort of like to say, “I’ve paid my dues, enough is enough.”

And certainly that would have been our desire concerning Job.
But that desire is absolutely crushed with the first word of the chapter:
“Again”

It is a painful word.
“Not Again?”

And yet we find that not only was Job crushed on one day,
But that God is about to allow it again.
This is obviously hard to swallow.

But, let’s work our way through this 2nd chapter, again making sure that
We lay a solid foundation regarding the remainder of this book.

There are 5 points to be seen here, just to help us understand the story.
#1 THE CHARACTER OF JOB
Job 2:1-3

We analyzed this already in chapter 1.
There we learned that Job was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

But we did learn that all of those attributes
Describe Job BEFORE suffering.

Our curiosity is Job AFTER suffering.

We know his initial response was awesome, but how about after the pain gets to fester for a little while?

Well, here we learn that nothing has changed.
Job is still righteous.

(1-2) “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

You read that and you already start to cringe don’t you?

We all sort of shrink back in our pew with the thought,
“I hope God doesn’t mention me.”

And then God does the unthinkable.
(3) “The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

Really?
“Have you considered My servant Job?”

“considered” there is actually three Hebrew words.
Taken together it carries the idea of
“placing someone above everyone else to examine their heart.”

God is asking Satan if he has singled Job out
And really examined him thoroughly.

And incidentally I can’t help but wonder
If God had a bit of a SMIRK when He said this.

We know Satan had “considered” Job
And we know that he had been totally unsuccessful
Even when Satan was given free reign against him.

And God is seemingly rubbing Satan’s nose in his defeat.

And God again recounts Job’s character.
“For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.”

God Himself just said that Job was the best on earth.

Furthermore:
“And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

Can we make sure the point is clear again?

What was the cause did God have to afflict Job?
None

Job was righteous
He did not deserve suffering
And even after being afflicted, Job still remained loyal

He is the best of the best.
He still “holds fast”

Remember our study of Hebrews?
Hebrews 3:6 “but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house — whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”

Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,”
Hebrews 4:14 “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.”

Well that was certainly Job.

So, if you’re keeping score
We now have two undeniable proofs that Job is righteous.

• One is the testimony of God.
• The other is Job’s endurance

Both of these prove to us that Job was righteous and that Job was real.
He did not deserve the suffering he experienced.

He was blameless.
#2 THE CONSPIRACY OF SATAN
Job 2:4-6

Well it’s obvious Satan didn’t much care for
God’s insinuation that he couldn’t get to Job.

This time Satan blames his previous failure on God.

Remember God had said that he could touch all that Job had,
But he could not touch Job.

Satan here says that’s the only reason he wasn’t able to draw Job away.

“Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.”

As if Job hadn’t already endured enough,
Satan now asks for the right to put Job in pain.

Anyone can handle the loss of his possessions and his children,
But if you wrack his body with pain, he’ll turn on you in an instant.

So the accusation is still the same.

Satan still believes that he can sever the relationship between God and His children, and he believes pain will do the trick.

And again, God granted the trial.

(6) “So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

God just handed Job over to be afflicted by the devil.
He, in effect, kicked Job out into the lion’s den.
And I must tell you, that Job isn’t alone in this.
Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!”

In fact Jesus said:
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

This is not that uncommon.
Only here we get to see the conversation where God allowed it.

So Job is about to get hit…AGAIN

The Character of Job, The Conspiracy of Satan
#3 THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE
Job 2:7-8

Satan afflicted Job with some sort of disease
That covered Job’s entire body with sores.

This would be two things working against Job.
• One would be the pain of the illness.
• The second would be the fear of death.

(I know God had decreed that Satan couldn’t kill him, but Job didn’t know that)

Job is facing a painful and deadly disease.

And that is why in verse 8 we find Job at an all-time low.
(8) “And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes.”

That is what you call rock bottom.
Job is sitting in the ashes scraping the puss out of his sores
With a broken piece of an old clay pot.

We don’t find him weeping or sobbing,
Mostly he just appears to be in a daze.

Job is totally crushed.
• He’s lost his fortune
• He’s lost his possessions
• He’s lost his children (future)
• He’s lost his health
• We’ll soon learn that he’s lost his respect and good reputation
My sister used to have a sign outside of her house that said,
“Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again.”

That has to be what Job feels like.
He’s been pounded and pounced on.

The Character of Job, The Conspiracy of Satan, The Circumstances of Life
#4 THE COUNSEL OF HIS WIFE
Job 2:9-10

Now, I broke this off as its own point,
But it really is still part of life’s circumstances.

Job isn’t just being afflicted, he’s being harassed.
Satan is no doubt using Job’s wife to encourage him to fall away.

I mean, listen to her advice.
“Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”

What was it Satan told God Job would do?
“curse You to Your face”

Apparently he’s using Job’s wife to push Job over the edge.

So now, not only has Job been stripped of all he has and afflicted with great sickness, he is now getting Satanic advice from the person he should be able to trust the most.

She wants to know: “Why do you still hold fast your integrity?”

That is to say,
“Why do you still think integrity is important?”
“Why would you possibly think being righteous matters?”

She sounds similar to where Asaph went last week:
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

Or like the discouraged writer of Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”
He even went so far as to say:
Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?”

That is where Job’s wife is.
She has bought the prosperity gospel thus far,
And now having lost her fortune and her children too,
She’s ready to curse God.

There was no reason for this in her mind
And she thinks it time to hold God accountable.

In her estimation, since God didn’t protect them,
He no longer deserves their allegiance.

She thinks it’s time to tell God what you think and die.

But again, notice Job’s unbelievable response:
“You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

Wow! What a perspective.
Job recognizes that his wife is just spouting off her Oprah theology.

The response she had is the
Same response you can see plastered all over Facebook.

It’s the response of the flesh and Job won’t hear it.

“Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

There’s a good question for you to answer.

Christians are notorious for spouting off that
They desire God’s will to be done.

The semi-religious all over the world know the words to the model prayer:
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Here’s the question.
Do we desire God’s will all the time, or only when it is agreeable?

• Do we believe God’s will is always right?
• Do we believe God always knows what He is doing?
• Do we believe God is always in control?
• Do we believe God genuinely loves and cares for us?
• Do we believe His plan is best?

If we do, then our circumstances should never cause disobedience.

Job truly believed a hymn that we sing all the time.
“Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way. Thou are the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, after Thy will. While I am waiting yielded and still.”

Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 18:1-6 “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.”

Paul said:
Romans 9:21 “Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?”

This reality is not hard to understand, it’s just hard to swallow.

It is the very essence of trust and submission.
It is a spiritual reality that occurs in the life of anyone
Who has come to believe that God is God and I am not.

Job believed it.
God could do whatever He desired…because He is God.

Now, I’m not saying I’ve always had that perspective in my life,
I’m just saying it is the perspective of one of the most blameless and upright men who ever lived.

“In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

And if he didn’t sin with his lips then he didn’t sin with his heart, because out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Job overcame.

• Satan said Job would curse God and once again Job worshiped.
• Satan said Job would fall away and once again Job held fast.

And once again the reality Paul revealed is solidified in our minds.
Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The relationship that Job had with God was a genuine one,
And nothing could sever it.

Not loss of possessions
Not loss of children
Not sickness or pain
Not worldly influence

God’s children are secure.
Job’s soul was anchored.
Job held fast.

Can I encourage you during your suffering?

Hebrews 10:32-39 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Don’t you love that phrase: “we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

That was Job, and I hope that is you.
• Job suffered immensely
• Job did not deserve it
• Job didn’t know why he was suffering
• But Job didn’t turn on God

One more point
#5 THE CONTEMPLATION OF HIS PAIN
Job 2:11-13

These final 3 verses simply serve as an indicator
To let you know the degree to which Job is suffering.

And let me just go ahead and show that to you.
The very last phrase says, “for they saw that his pain was very great.”

Job was suffering excessively
This was no easy path he was walking.

This righteous man, who had done nothing wrong
Was suffering immensely without a single explanation
Now none of us in here
Would claim to be blameless or righteous by our own moral abilities,
But if you are in Christ then rest assured that’s how God sees you.

When Satan asks God about you, God says the same about you because you are covered in the blood of Jesus.

What am I driving at?

When you suffer, you are also suffering “without cause” as Job was.

That doesn’t mean that God isn’t using it
Or that God doesn’t have a plan, for He does.

But rest assured, if you are in Christ, it is not some form of retribution for things you’ve done wrong.

All of that retribution
All of that scorn
All of that wrath
WAS FULLY POURED ON JESUS

And that is another problem of the prosperity gospel.
It clearly underestimates the sacrifice of Jesus,
Because it holds that believers can still pay a divine penalty for their sin
Instead of believing that Christ already did.

So, when you suffer excessively,
Don’t fall into the “what did I do wrong?” trap.
Christ already paid for what you did wrong.

Your suffering is for a different reason and one that we may not know.
We just know God’s promises in the midst of it.

So Job’s suffering was excessive, but it wasn’t because he sinned.
That’s the point.

Now, here we are also introduced to Job’s three friends
(you’ll grow to love them)

And before we move on to chapter 3,
You also need to understand them.

They all got together and decided to come and visit Job.

And notice their intent:
“they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.”

This is another very important point you have to grasp
So you can understand the rest of the book.

• As we read you’re going to hear Job square off with these three men.
• Eventually you’re going to hear God rebuke these men for their pitiful attempt at comforting Job.

In short, when you read this book
It’s easy to assume that these men were Job’s enemies
And that they cared nothing for Job.

But that isn’t the case at all.

These men were Job’s friends and all they wanted to do was “sympathize with him and comfort him.”

Now, I’ll spoil the story for you a little
To let you know that they will effectively do neither.

In fact, by Job 16 Job will say:
Job 16:1-2“Then Job answered, “I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all.”

So clearly these men set out to comfort Job, but do a lousy job of it.

The question I want you to consider right now is: WHY?
Where did they go wrong?

It wasn’t due to their lack of compassion.

In fact, notice verses 12 & 13
(12-13) “When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky. Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.”

Does that sound like they had no compassion for Job?
No, they loved him

They came to him
They wept for him
They sat silently with him for a week
These men cared about Job.

So why, if these men cared so much, did they do such a lousy job?

Good intentions cannot overcome bad theology.
Sincere compassion cannot overcome wrong doctrine.

There is only one thing that truly comforts the bereaved
And that is God’s truth.

God is the God of all comfort.
His truth is what brings comfort to the soul.

If you go with sincere compassion but distort the truth,
You will not be a comfort to the people you seek to minister to.

• You either won’t comfort them initially (like Job’s friends)
• Or you won’t comfort them eventually (like so many ear ticklers today)

That is to say you may sugar coat the situation
To make them feel good and love you at the moment,
But sooner or later false doctrine always falls apart and your comfort will be short-lived.

Job’s friends love Job, but they have a problem.
They believe the prosperity gospel.

And that is another reason why we need to study this book.

• We need to see our suffering rightly so we will have faith.
• We need to see others suffering rightly so we render comfort.

Well, there you have it.
The foundation has been laid.

• Job was righteous
• His suffering wasn’t a result of his sin
• Job’s friends genuinely loved him
Keep those three things tucked away
And next Sunday night we’ll dive into the dialogue
And learn quite a bit about suffering.

The Melchizedek Problem
Hebrews 7:1-10
August 30, 2015

Well I hope this morning you came ready to eat a little meat.

If you will remember a little over a month ago
The writer approached the subject of Christ being a great high priest.

He said:
Hebrews 5:9-10 “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.”

The writer had been starting to explain how Jesus
Was far superior in His priesthood to anything the Jews had ever known.

And his argument was this:
Jesus is greater because He’s not a priest like Aaron,
He’s a priest like Melchizedek.

But after making that statement the writer paused for over a chapter.
He introduced Melchizedek but did not immediately explain his reasoning.

Do you remember the reason?
Hebrews 5:11-12 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 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.”

Very simply put the conversation about Melchizedek is “meat”
That it is to say, it is truth designed for the mature.
It is truth designed for discerning people who discern truth.

So, I hope you came ready for meat,
Because with the parenthetical section behind him,
The writer is now ready to return to the subject of Melchizedek.

It is a subject of such importance
That the writer refused to enter it casually or carelessly.
He was not about to give you this truth until he was certain you were ready to hear it.

In fact, this truth (this picture) is his main point.
Hebrews 7 is the climax of the book.

One key to effective Bible study is to identify the author’s inspiration.
(that one thing that inspired him to write)

And the inspiration to Hebrews is clearly Melchizedek.
It’s not hard to imagine the writer of Hebrews preaching his heart out
Trying to show these Jews that Jesus is worth it all,
And yet feeling as though he is getting nowhere.

And then one day he’s just reading through the Old Testament
And he comes across Psalms 110:4

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

And as he reads that verse – BOOM!!! – it hits him like a ton of bricks.

In his mind that verse proves the supremacy of Jesus
Over Judaism like no other point he has ever preached.

And so he wants you to get it.

Psalms 110:4 crushes Judaism in favor of Jesus.

Of course the writer already focused on the oath part of that verse.
We saw that last week.

NOW the writer wants to show you
Why it is such an amazing promise.

But before you and I can really jump into chapter 7,
We have to level the playing field.
See, you aren’t Jewish
You didn’t grow up in Judaism
You probably aren’t familiar with all the subtleties

So I need bring you up to speed.

There is no doubt one aspect of Judaism was valued over every other.
One aspect of Judaism was more important than any other aspect.

And that was the priesthood
WHY?

Because the priesthood was your security.
The priesthood was your safety net. (your assurance)

Oh sure the Jews held the Law in high esteem.
• We hear them making reference to Moses and the Law all the time.
• They understood that the Law was God’s word, God’s standard, and they understood that it was important.

But I’ll tell you what else they understood;
It was impossible to keep it.

It didn’t take them very long at all to realize that
NO ONE COULD OBEY THE WHOLE LAW.

And that spelled disaster for the Jews.
Especially when they read verses from the Law like this:
Deuteronomy 28:15-19 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.”

And I hope you noticed that one little word in the middle of that text
That carries so much weight.

It is the word “all”
You must obey “all His commandments”

Any slip up regarding any command at any point in your life
Puts you on the wrong side of the holiness of God
And marks you as one deserving of God’s curse.
That is the harsh reality of the Law.

So yes the Jews did love and revere it,
But they all knew that no one could keep it.

In short, they all knew they were in trouble.

BUT THEY WEREN’T WITHOUT A SOLUTION.

God gave a command, and then they broke it, thus incurring God’s wrath.
What would they do?

They would go to the priest.
The priest would then take their sacrifice and present it to God
As a means of propitiation and atonement.

And at that moment the sinning Jew
Would once again be square with the house.

That means that Judaism rises and falls with the priesthood.
The priesthood was hands down
The most important aspect of their religion.

YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT.

And because the priesthood was so important,
The people were quite serious about who they would allow to be a priest.

And if you read the Old Testament you learn a few basics about the priesthood that it is important you understand.

(In fact, some of these basics were also the reason that
The people were not willing to accept Jesus as a priest)

1) THE SERVICE OF A PRIEST
Numbers 8:19 “I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”

Hopefully you remember that the priest’s role
Was to serve before God on behalf of man.
It was their job to take the sacrifice to God.

You should also know that every priest served in a temporary capacity.

Numbers 8:24-25 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. “But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.”

No priest served for more than 25 years.
It was a temporary service.

2) THE SELECTION OF A PRIEST
Numbers 8:14-16 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. “Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering; for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel.”

Very simply put nothing mattered as much as pedigree.

In the New Testament we can read 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1 and see that the people who lead the church must fit character based qualifications.

But in Judaism, character wasn’t even considered.
Only one thing mattered, and that was your pedigree.

You had to be from the tribe of Levi to be eligible.

Ezra 2:61-63 “Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name. These searched among their ancestral registration, but they could not be located; therefore they were considered unclean and excluded from the priesthood. The governor said to them that they should not eat from the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.”

It wasn’t about their character, it was about their lineage.

(since Christ was from the tribe of Judah
You can see why some Jews would have difficulty accepting Him as a priest)
Another important thing:
3) THE SALARY OF A PRIEST
Numbers 18:20-21 “Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel. “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting.”

Priests were given no portion in the Promised Land.
Their salary, their reward was the tithe of the people.

God’s command was that the priest received 10% of your income,
And he performed his work by atoning for you before God.

Now those are just some basics about the priesthood
That you need to understand.

That is a good way to actually sum up the priesthood according to the order of Aaron.
• It was pedigree based
• It was temporary (both in tenure and effect)
• It was rewarded with a tithe

All Israel understood this.

And all of these realities had served as evidence
As to why they didn’t think they needed Jesus.

They wouldn’t come to Jesus because He wasn’t a Levite.
And furthermore they didn’t think they had to.
They already had a priest.

And you can sort of imagine the preacher’s frustration.
Every time he tried to push them to Jesus, they just stood behind those verses in Numbers and used them as an excuse to reject Jesus.

They were stubborn about it.
They were dug in.
They had an iron-clad argument and wouldn’t budge.

Well, on the day that the writer read Psalms 110:4,
He realized THE HAMMER that would break down their argument.

That hammer would be “The Melchizedek Problem”

Melchizedek (and particularly Psalms 110:4)
Poses a major problem for anyone
Who wants to stay in Judaism with that old priestly system.

Now first, let’s look at Melchizedek
And then I show you why he is such a problem for Judaism.

Three points
#1 HIS SERVICE
Hebrews 7:1-2a

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils,”

Very simply here the writer reminds you about the only appearance
That Melchizedek every made in the Bible.

(You might remember this from our study of Genesis 14)

• Abraham and Lot had moved into Canaan,
• They had parted company because the land couldn’t support them both.
• Lot moved close to Sodom, Abraham moved toward Hebron.
• A war arose in Sodom and the short version is that Lot was kidnapped.
• Abraham took his men and went and rescued Lot, defeating his kidnappers and also taking the spoil.

This was actually a pivotal moment for Abraham
Because we were going to find out what Abraham’s truest desire was.
Would he want to keep the money or would he want to trust God?

• When Abraham returned we are introduced to Melchizedek
• He is both a priest and a king and he blesses Abraham.
• Abraham then in turn pays a tithe to Melchizedek.

Genesis 14:17-20 “Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.”

And that is the only time Melchizedek shows up in the Bible.

It is one little exchange.
• We don’t know where he come from.
• We don’t know where he went.
• He just shows up, blesses Abraham, receives a tithe, and disappears from the pages of Scripture.

And we really wouldn’t ever concern ourselves with him again
Were it not for Psalms 110:4.

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
The Psalmist (under inspiration of the Holy Spirit)
Recognized something in Melchizedek and wrote about him.

And that makes Melchizedek very important to understand.

So you see his service.
#2 HIS SPECIFICS
Hebrews 7:2b-3

Now in looking at that verse and a half we actually see three specifics about Melchizedek that we need to grasp.

1) HIS TITLE (2b)

We already saw that he was
“king of Salem” and “priest of the Most High God”

But here we learn a little more.
He “was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.”

There are a couple of very important things there.

One is that Melchizedek was both a king and a priest.

And incidentally, this never happened in Israel.
• You could read about Saul being rejected by God for offering a sacrifice.
• You could read about Uzziah being turned into a leper for trying to offer sacrifices.

It just wasn’t permitted.
Kings couldn’t be priests.
And yet Melchizedek was both.

We also learn of his character because of the translation of his name.
He was “king of righteousness” and “king of peace”

So Melchizedek was the righteous and peaceful king
Who also served as priest.

That’s his character and his service.

Another specific we see:
2) HIS TRIBE (3a)
“Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life,”

So what tribe was Melchizedek from?
– we don’t know
We have absolutely no clue about his pedigree at all.

And incidentally
The phrase “having neither beginning of days nor end of life”
Does not mean that he was eternal,
It simply means we don’t know anything about it.

From a knowledge or historical standpoint,
We don’t have a clue where he came from, or where he went.
No one does.

So we see his character which was good
And we see his pedigree which was unknown.
3) HIS TENURE (3b)
“but make like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.”

Now here the writer actually gives you his first clue
As to where he is headed.
He is making a comparison isn’t he?

Who is he comparing Melchizedek to?
– Jesus
(Melchizedek was a “type” of Jesus – which we’ll get into later in Hebrews)

And the main similarity he wants to make
Between Jesus and Melchizedek is that
“he remains a priest perpetually”

Since we don’t know where Melchizedek came from or where he went,
Or when he started as priest or when he ended.
All we can assume is that Melchizedek was always a priest.

He never retired.
He was never bumped out of office.
He never quit.
He just stayed a priest forever.

And the writer is clear that Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek is a priest.
Jesus served based on character not pedigree.
Jesus served as both king and priest
Jesus served permanently, not temporarily.

Everyone can see that.
• Jesus is clearly not a priest like Aaron.
• Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.

Now, every Jew would willingly consent to that point.
There’s nothing controversial going on there.

They would have had no problem with the comparison.
They would just say, “Sure Jesus is like Melchizedek, but the Law clearly states that our priests have to come from Levi.”

“So regardless of what kind of priest Jesus is,
He still can’t be our priest because He’s not from the tribe of Levi.”

Well, that leads to the writer’s third point about Melchizedek.

His Service, His Specifics
#3 HIS SUPERIORITY
Hebrews 7:4-10

Here the writer wants you to understand something about Melchizedek

1) WHAT HE RECEIVED (4)
“Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.”

Very simply, what did Melchizedek receive?
“a tenth of the choicest spoils.”

What is the point?
Well, whatever Melchizedek did for Abraham,
Abraham thought it was worth paying a tithe. (And a tithe of the best)

Why does that matter?
2) WHY HE RECEIVED IT (5-8)

Now when you read those verses, let me ask you a question.

Why did the Jews pay tithes to their priests?
Answer: They were commanded to.

“those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people.”

• It didn’t matter if they were good or bad.
• It didn’t matter if they were effective or ineffective.
• It didn’t matter if they were faithful or unfaithful.
You had to pay them because God commanded it.

But why did Abraham pay Melchizedek?
It certainly wasn’t commanded.

The answer is because Melchizedek was greater than Abraham.

(6-7) “But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.”
You understand the natural order of things.
The greater blesses the lesser.

So if Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who is greater?
– Melchizedek

And who is lesser?
– Abraham

And since Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, what did Abraham do?
He paid him a tithe.

So if you’re keeping score we have now learned two things.

One is that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.
The other is that he did so because Melchizedek was greater.

One more point here
What He Received, Why He Received it
3) WHO HE RECEIVED IT FROM (9-10)

Now of course we know it was Abraham,
But the writer wants to extend your thinking a little.

When Abraham gave that tithe to Melchizedek,
It wasn’t just Abraham who did it.
Who was it?
All of Israel.

(9-10) “And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”

Since all Jews came from Abraham,
Then all Jews through Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.

This is some of that “meat” stuff we were talking about.
(It’s like in Romans 5 were Paul said we all sinned “in Adam”)

One of the great grandsons of Abraham was Levi, the father of the priests.

That means (according to this writer) that
If Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, then he is also greater than who?
-Levi

And if Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, who else paid tithes?
-Levi

Do you know what that makes Melchizedek?
The priest of the priests.
So let me ask you, who is superior the priest or the priest’s priest?

You get the answer and hopefully you get the point.
• Melchizedek is a priest based on character not pedigree.
• Melchizedek is a priest who is also a king.
• Melchizedek is a priest who never leaves office.
• Melchizedek is a priest superior to every Jewish priest who ever lived.

And Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.

Is everybody with me up to that point?

BUT PREACHER YOU SAID THAT MELCHIZEDEK WAS THE PROBLEM
FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED TO STAY IN JUDAISM.

Well look, he may have been a better priest,
But it still doesn’t change the fact that he wasn’t a Levite,
Or that God clearly said that a priest could only serve 25 years.

He may have been a better priest,
But he would have not been able to be a priest in Israel
Because he wasn’t a Levite and he was also a king.

So Jesus may have been a priest like Melchizedek,
But that still doesn’t qualify Him to be our priest.

Can you follow that line of thinking?

“Good, bad, or otherwise, we still aren’t following Jesus. God said our priest couldn’t be a king, had to be a Levite, and could only serve for 25 years.”

Sounds like a solid argument doesn’t it?

HERE IS THE HAMMER THAT CRACKS THAT ARGUMENT.

Look at verse 11.
Hebrews 7:11 “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?”

Listen to what he just said.
“if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood”

That is to say,
• If God was so pleased with the Levitical priesthood…
• If God was so willing to accept their service…
• If those priests could make you perfect before God…

“what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?”
Did you catch that?

If God was so happy and content with the Levitical priesthood,
Then why did God abandon it to
Appoint a priest according to Melchizedek?

Because in Psalms 110:4 that is clearly what God did.

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

See, all along the Jews tried to stick with their Levitical priest
Under the belief that God only accepted the Levites.

(after all, if God won’t accept your priest, he doesn’t do you much good)

So if God only accepted Levites,
Then it is pointless to have any other priest.

But obviously that is not the case.
• Years after the Law was established.
• After many years of service from the Levites.
• After many years of failure and disobedience.

In Psalms 110:4 God ordained that He was going a different a direction.
• No more Levites, they aren’t working.
• No more priests based on pedigree.
• No more priests who only serve temporarily

It’s time My people have an effective priest, so I’m appointing a new one.
• I’m appointing one that is priest based on His righteousness.
• I’m appointing one that is priest based on His ability to bring peace.
• I’m appointing one that is priest who will also rule as king.
• I’m appointing one that is priest who will be priest forever.

My new and better priest will not be like Aaron.
If you need an example, My priest will be like Melchizedek.

Do you see the point?

As long as God was appointing Levites as priest,
Then you’d for sure better use a Levite.

But if God Himself changes direction and determines that now
He will no longer use Levites but will instead use a priest like Melchizedek,
WHAT HAD YOU BETTER DO?

You had better find the priest like Melchizedek
So that you are using the priest God will accept.
And if you will recall we already said that
No one has any problem recognizing that Jesus is that priest.
• Jesus is righteous
• Jesus is brings peace
• Jesus rules as King
• Jesus is priest forever

But even more than that, Jesus is the only priest that God will accept.

Are you getting the point?
• This writer is not trying to get you to add Jesus to your list of acceptable priests.
• This writer is telling you that if you have any other priest than Jesus, God won’t accept him.

And that was the hammer blow that cracks the Jewish argument.
God has selected a new priest,
And if you try to use anyone but Him,
You will not be accepted.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

FRIENDS, IT IS ONLY JESUS.

Now, the writer is just getting started on the Melchizedek argument, and there is much more to learn.

But for now you need to know in Psalms 110
God made a decision
And that was to fire the Levites and appoint a new priest.

And remember that “the Lord has sworn and will not change His mind”

That priest is Jesus and without Him,
There will be no forgiveness before God.

Job and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Part 2
Job 1:1-22 (13-22)
August 23, 2015

Well last week we began this study of “The Woeful World of Uz”

It is a book that certainly takes an in depth look at suffering.
But we also discussed last week how this book also
Deals a death blow to the prosperity gospel.

The prosperity gospel is that train of thought that says
It is God’s will for His children to be “Healthy, Wealthy, and Happy”

For years it was outlandishly and arrogantly portrayed by television evangelists who dressed in expensive outfits all while promising riches to people if they would just offer a little “seed” faith money.

It was a scheme to say the least.
The only people getting rich off of this ministry was the ministers who proclaimed it.

But the prosperity gospel became more
Than just a few television evangelists
Asking for money and promising wealth.

It wasn’t long before it jumped over into the world of health and blessing,
Proclaiming that not only should a person be rich,
But healthy and blessed as well.

While the initial problems certainly robbed many people of their MONEY,
This last problem has been robbing people of their HOPE.

See, the prosperity gospel at its core says that
God blesses the righteous and curses the wicked.

Certainly this is true in an eternal sense,
But it is very dangerous to apply this in a temporal sense.

Take for example the infamous 73rd Psalm.
TURN TO: PSALMS 73

Here you have Asaph who is on the verge of having his faith wrecked
All because he has believed the lies of the prosperity gospel.

You can say that the righteous will be blessed and the wicked will be cursed,
But you’ll have trouble applying that when you take an honest view of the world.

Asaph did and it nearly wrecked his faith.
(READ VS. 1-12)

Do you see Asaph’s problem?
The prosperity gospel isn’t proving true.

He didn’t see the wicked being cursed, he saw them being blessed.

This caused him to question the value to seeking righteousness.
(READ VS. 13-14)

And those two verses accurately describe
The fallout to the prosperity gospel.

The idea is that the prosperity gospel should encourage righteousness by telling people that their righteousness will be rewarded with prosperity.

In reality, all it does is discourage righteousness because it doesn’t seem worth the effort when the immediate prosperity doesn’t happen.

That is where Asaph was.
He nearly left the faith completely.

But Asaph had a revelation (similar to what we’ll have through the book of Job)
(READ VS. 15-20)

Asaph was allowed to see “the end”
And this is where all things are evened out.

• “the end” is where the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are cursed.
• “the end” is where true justice is played out

And when Asaph learned that, his faith was absolutely renewed.
Prompting one of the most inspiring statements of faith and contentment in all of Scripture.

(READ VS. 21-28)

And perhaps that helps you understand
The dangers of the prosperity gospel a little more clearly.

You cannot take promises meant to be fulfilled in eternity
And try to force their application today.

If you do, it will wreck your faith.

Instead we focus on eternity, not today
• We store up our treasure there
• We look for justice there
• We anticipate comfort there
• We seek glory there

And we understand that until then, we may in fact suffer.
The Bible does in fact make promises to the righteous
About how the consequences of their righteousness on earth.

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Suffering does not always indicate God’s displeasure.

We are learning that suffering is not a time to feel abandoned by God.
Suffering is a time to trust Him all the more.

And we could give many other examples:

Take Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they faced suffering:
Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Take Habakkuk who was told in his lifetime the Chaldeans would come and destroy Israel:
Habakkuk 3:16-19 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

Take countless other saints of old who suffered in their righteousness:
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

You see example after example of times when the righteous suffered.

And perhaps the greatest example is that of Job.
So we study the book of Job,
Not only to learn about grief and comforting those who suffer,
But also to learn the absolute heresies of the prosperity gospel.

This book is meant to strengthen your faith in the Sovereign God
Who promised that He will cause all things
To work together for good to them who love Him.

Now we started this study last Sunday night, let me quickly recap what we saw:

#1 THE CHARACTER OF JOB
Job 1:1-5

I want to stress again the importance that
You understand the first two chapters of the book of Job.

If you fail to grasp them
You will not be able to rightly discern the rest of this book.

One thing you must grasp is the character of Job.
We won’t rehash it all, but last week we saw:

• HIS PIETY “that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
• HIS PROSPERITY – we noted how impressed we were that he maintained piety in the midst of prosperity.
• HIS PATERNITY – we saw his concern for the atonement of his children
• HIS PERSEVERANCE – “thus Job did continually”

And if you missed last week, I would invite you to
Make this note in your margin to sum up the first 5 verses.
NO ONE DESERVED TO SUFFER LESS THAN JOB.

If the prosperity gospel is true
Then Job would have never suffered a day in his life.
He was a righteous man.

#2 THE CONSPIRACE OF SATAN
Job 1:6-12

And here I remind you again what we learned last week.

One of the things that makes studying the book of Job so unique is that
In Job we actually get a peek into the spiritual realm.
(This doesn’t happen for us)

But here we are allowed to see what Job never even got to see.
There is no evidence that Job ever knew about this encounter.

But we are allowed to see the spiritual cause to Job’s suffering.

To sum it up,
• Satan (the roaming lion) had completely struck out concerning Job.
• Despite Satan’s efforts, Job had remained righteous.
• When God brought this fact to Satan’s attention, Satan fired off an accusation against Job.

(9-11) “Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nothing? “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

Satan basically said that the only reason Job
(or any of God’s children for that matter)
Serves God is because it has been beneficial for Job to do so.

“Why wouldn’t he worship you? You pay him to do it.”

And then Satan asked for something.
• Satan didn’t ask for God to simply quit blessing Job.
• Satan asked for God to actually afflict Job.

“If you’ll make worshiping costly instead of beneficial,
Then Job will quit worshiping.”

And the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Satan is operating under the assumption that
It is possible to sever the relationship between God and His child.

Satan is challenging the security of the believer.
And according to Satan, all you need to sever the relationship
Between God and His child is suffering.

And that is a real issue isn’t it?
After all, suffering is going to happen.

If our worship of God is only because of the good God has done
Then it is a very real possibility that when the good stops,
So will our worship.

Our worship has to be rooted in who God is.

Our worship has to be like Asaph who could say, “the nearness of God is my good” even when the prosperity of God is nowhere to be found.

Our worship has to be like Habakkuk who could say, “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD”

Our worship has to be like those Hebrew boys who could say, “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

But you see the issue.
Satan says Job will stop worshiping if God will afflict him.

And then the real shocker – GOD SAID “YES”
(12) “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.”

And we recognized that the suffering of Job
Was up to the sovereignty of God.

I told you not to fall into the trap that blames all the bad on the devil
As though God had absolutely no hand in it.

If you do that, it will wreck your faith, for it puts Satan in power over God.

Rather, you should understand that
God is sovereign even over your suffering,
And that your suffering is always allowed for a purpose.

Even though we seldom know that purpose.

We have seen that at times suffering can be for:
• Leading God’s people to repent (as the exile was for Israel)
• Providing salvation for God’s people (as it was for Joseph)
• Sanctifying God’s people (as it was for Moses)
• Bringing glory to God (as it was for the man born blind)
• Or even proving a point to the enemy (as it was for Job)

We don’t always know what the purpose to our suffering is,
But we do understand that God is sovereign over it
And He promises that the end result will be good.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

So that catches us up in our story from where we left off last week.
Let’s move on:

The Character of Job, The Conspiracy of Satan
#3 THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE
Job 1:13-19

Well we called this sermon,
“Job and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”

And these verses certainly show you why.
This was a terrible day.

Let’s look at it a little closer.
(READ VS. 13-15)

I first want you to understand the day that was selected.
(13) “Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house.”

I hope you remember what we learned in verse 4 about this.
(4) “His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day…”

Whenever it was your birthday, you held a party at your house.
Job’s bad day was none other than the birthday of his firstborn son.
OUCH!

And first we learn that on that day, the Sabeans attacked Job’s farming crews and killed everyone save one servant who was a messenger.

(READ VS 16)

Of course we pick up on the “while he was still speaking” revelation.
All of this news hit job in a matter of minutes.

And here we learn that fire fell from heaven
And consumed all his sheep and shepherds save the one messenger.

(READ VS 17)

Then Job received word that the Chaldeans raided his merchant transport.
They stole all his donkeys and once again killed all his merchant traders,
Save the one messenger.

(READ VS. 18-19)
And now we find that a violent wind destroyed the house of his oldest son
And killed all of his children.

There we have four afflictions, all of them on the same day.
All of them coming to Job in a matter of minutes.

Of the four judgments.
2 WERE NATURAL (The attacks of the Sabeans and Chaldeans)
Which certainly would have caused the question as to why God allowed it.

2 WERE DIVINE (fire from heaven and a great wind)
Which would have caused the question as to why God did it.

Satan told God to personally afflict Job, and that is what happened.

Perhaps Satan can tempt the Sabeans and Chaldeans to attack,
But verse 16 clearly relates that the fire was “the fire of God”

Are you ready for another harsh pill to swallow?
GOD AFFLICTED JOB

God reached out and touched all that Job had.
And God did so in a manner that we would say was “EXCESSIVE”
To say the least.

And if you are following along in the story
Then you understand what is at stake.

• If Job’s worship of God is only because of blessing, then Job is finished.

• If Job (as Satan implicated) only worships because it is beneficial to
worship, then Job will now stop.

In a temporal sense Job’s decision to worship God has not been worth it.

It is like Asaph lamented earlier:
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

The tension couldn’t be higher.
Can Satan sever a relationship between God and His child?
Will suffering cause Job to curse God to His face?

Well, let’s see

The Character of Job, The Conspiracy of Satan, The Circumstances of Life
#4 THE CULMINATION OF EVENTS
Job 1:20-22

“Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.”

Satan promised that Job would respond with cursing,
Job responded with worship.

And just in reading that verse is your understanding of worship broadened?

We live in a day when worship
Has almost entirely been relegated to an emotion.

People think good worship is likened to a pep rally.
I’ve seen it more times than I care to remember someone in a “worship service”
Purely seeking to prompt an emotional response from people.

They should jump higher
They should shout louder
They should cry harder
They should chant longer

And when something like that occurs, someone says –
“Now that’s worship!”
Job might disagree.
• There were no pep rallies happening here.
• There were no “chills” running up Job’s spine from musical key change
• There was no jumping occurring from Job

But the Bible unequivocally states that Job was worshiping.

HOW?
WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE?

(21) “He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

You won’t find a more humble spirit anywhere in Scripture.

Did you catch what Job said?
“Naked I came…naked I shall return”

What does that mean?
• It means that God has not cheated me.
• I don’t have any less now than what I started with.

That’s perspective isn’t it?
Was Job born with children?
Was Job born with camels or oxen or sheep or servants?
NO

All of those things were gifts from God to Job.
God has now taken those things away,
But as far as Job is concerned that only makes he and God even.

We don’t view it like that do we?
We read the excessive affliction applied to Job and say, “That’s just wrong.”

Job didn’t.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
(You’ll sing that hymn differently now won’t you)

According to Job, God only did
What was well within His prerogative to do.

Job knew that God is God, and He had the right to do everything He did.

And look at the culmination.
(22) “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

I do have to tell you that the translation of this verse is a little regrettable.

It is true that “Job did not sin” and for the sake of the rest of the book,
You must remember this.

But the last of this verse is a little misleading.
It says “nor did he blame God”

That almost sounds like Job didn’t credit God for having done any of this.
Like Job said, “God didn’t do this to me…the devil did.”

But that isn’t true.
Job 6:4 “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, Their poison my spirit drinks; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.”

Job 7:20 “Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?”

Job 10:1-3 “I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. “I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; Let me know why You contend with me. ‘Is it right for You indeed to oppress, To reject the labor of Your hands, And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?”

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.”

Job very much attributed all this to God.
He knew God did this to him.

If he hadn’t known it was God who did it, then Satan’s point would have been muted. Job had to suffer at the hands of God for Satan’s point to put into effect.

So what does it mean “nor did he blame God”?

“blame” in the Hebrew is actually two words.

NATHAN – which means “to give” or “to put” or “to set”
TIPHLAH – which means “unseemliness” or “unsavoriness”

Literally the Scripture says that Job did not put unseemliness on God.
Job did not ascribe wrongness to God.

Job didn’t say that God didn’t do this.
Job said that God wasn’t wrong to do this.
God wasn’t outside of His right.

Do you want to sum up Job’s worship in one word?
SUBMISSION

Job was fully submitted to the God of the universe.
Job fully understood who was God and who was not.
Job clearly worshiped, not for what God did for him, but for who God is.

And so, we quickly find that SATAN WAS WRONG
• Affliction could not cause God’s child to turn away from God.
• Satan could not cause God’s child to fall away from Him.

Even in the midst of affliction that bond stood strong.

Romans 8:31-39 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 14:4 “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

The ones who fall away in the midst of affliction
Are the ones who were never truly worshipers of God.

The ones who fall away were the ones who
Never truly worshiped God for the right reason.

They only came to God for the promised prosperity
And quickly left when the affliction came.

They are like the rocky soil.
Matthew 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

True worshipers are secure and Job was a true worshiper.

 

 

 

So, let’s make sure we understand the essentials of chapter 1.
• Job was righteous
• Job’s affliction was not a punishment for his sin
• Job’s affliction was at the hand of the Sovereign God
• Job’s affliction did not turn his heart away from God

You really need to know that.
In fact as we start to hear from Job’s wife and Job’s friends
You will need to remember that
So that you don’t start to think they are correct in their assessments.

Believe me there will be times when they will sound right (Satan’s deception and the prosperity gospel are that tricky), but because of chapter 1, we’ll know they aren’t.
Now let me encourage you to reevaluate your suffering.
It may not be your fault at all.
But God is doing something remarkable with your life.

Beyond that, let me encourage you to reevaluate your worship of God.
Why do you worship?

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

 

The Anchored Soul – Part 4
Hebrews 6:13-20
August 23, 2015

As you know we’ve been working through the book of Hebrews.
And most recently we’ve been in the middle of a parenthetical section of the book where the writer is talking about having an anchored soul.

The issue with the Hebrews was simple.

They were vacillating.
They had made at least an outward profession concerning Christ, but pressure from the Jews caused them to contemplate leaving Jesus and returning to Judaism.

The writer of Hebrews wrote very simply to solidify in their minds
Why they should stick with Jesus.

He sought to anchor their souls.

So he began to give them reasons why Jesus was greater.
• Greater than the prophets
• Greater than the angels
• Greater than Moses
• Greater than Joshua
• Greater than Aaron

He even told us in chapter 5
Hebrews 5:8-10 “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.”

And if you’ll remember the writer showed us how Jesus is a greater priest because Jesus doesn’t serve like Aaron served.

Those priests only served for a short while
And all they could negotiate with God was atonement for 1 year.
But Jesus serves according to the order of Melchizedek
And thus holds His priesthood permanent.

This means that the salvation of Jesus isn’t temporary, but eternal.
He can save you forever.

But then, he entered this parenthetical section.

It is a section meant to encourage the Hebrews to
Pay attention to the great truth about Jesus being our high priest.

And you’ll recall the points.

#1 HE EXPOSED THE PROBLEM
Hebrews 5:11-14

(11) “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

• You won’t hear the truth.
• And because you won’t hear it you haven’t learned it
• And because you haven’t learned it you don’t know it
• And because you don’t know it you can’t benefit from it

You really, really, really need to pay attention to the truth.

In fact, in the next passage he showed us the penalty for those who don’t pay attention to the truth

#2 HE EXPLAINED THE PENALTY
Hebrews 6:1-8

There we read of people who had been
Thoroughly exposed to the truth and yet refused to heed it.

Instead of receiving the truth and following Jesus,
They fell away and the consequence is destruction.

He even gave an illustration about ground that continually receives rain,
But which only responds with thorns.

That ground is cursed and ends up being burned.
So it is with a person who just won’t receive the truth they are given.

So the writer started out with a really harsh confrontation and warning.

Last week we heard him soften up his approach a bit
#3 HE ENCOURAGED THE PEOPLE
Hebrews 6:9-12

There he reminded the people that while there are really apostates who fall away from the faith, he didn’t think that was who they were.

He was “convinced of better things concerning [them] and things that accompany salvation.”

He saw their love for God
He saw their love for God’s people
He believed them to be the real deal

His desire was that they now work just as hard to grasp the truth
As they had to serve one another.
And he concluded in verse 12 saying, “so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

In short, don’t be like the sluggish people
Who are slow of hearing and eventually fall away,
Be like the faithful people who know God’s promises
And trust them with faith and patience.

He encouraged them to hear the truth and confirm their hope,
Imitating the faithful of old.

That brings us now to his final point here in this parenthetical section.

He Exposed the Problem He Explained the Penalty He Encouraged the People
#4 HE EMPHASIZES THE PROMISE
Hebrews 6:13-20

The people of old that we are supposed to imitate trusted the promise,
Now he talks about the promise he wants us to trust.

To get started I now need to remind you of
What specific truth he wanted them to see and trust.

(It’s tough to catch because it’s been about a month since we last read it)

Look back at where the writer was before he began this parenthetical section.
Hebrews 5
He was talking about how real high priests are sympathetic and faithful
And how they minister on behalf of man to God.

And then the writer introduced Jesus as a greater high priest
Hebrews 5:5-6 “So also Christ 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”; just as He says also in another passage, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

In order to introduce Jesus
• He quoted from Psalm 2 to remind us that God selected His Son to
be our priest.
• He then quoted from Psalm 110 to show us that His Son would be
a priest forever like Melchizedek.

That passage in Psalms 110 is huge to the writer
Because not only did God make an announcement in that passage,
God also took an oath there.

TURN BACK TO: PSALMS 110
If you’re an outline type of person, you can make a note on this Psalm.
The Psalmist points out three roles
That God the Father appointed for God the Son.

• He would be EXALTED KING (1-3)
• He would be ETERNAL PRIEST (4)
• He would be EVENTUAL JUDGE (5-7)

Now, while all of those are titles worth discussing,
The writer of Hebrews focuses in on what is said in verse 4.
Because in that verse God not only made a promise, He took an oath.

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

God swore that His Son – Jesus Christ would be “a priest forever”

THIS MEANS THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE AN INTERCESSOR
We always have forgiveness
It will never expire

And that was the writer’s point back in chapter 5.
Hebrews 5:9-10 “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.”

Because Christ is a priest forever,
His ministry is forever and so is His salvation.

AND NOW the writer really wants to focus on the fact
That when God made that statement He took an oath to solidify it.
THAT IS BIG TO HIM.

In fact, he’s going to return to this thought again in chapter 7
Hebrews 7:17-22 “For it is attested of Him, “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “THE LORD HAS SWORN AND WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER'”); so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.”

You can see that the writer loves the fact that Jesus is his high priest
And he loves the fact that God swore that it would always be that way

He knows that because Christ will always serve as his priest,
That he will always have salvation.

It is huge to him.
That is the main promise he has been trying to get across to the Hebrews.

• I want you to know you have a great High Priest
• I want you to know you have a permanent High Priest
• I want you to know that He can save you forever
• I want you to know that thanks to Him, salvation is eternal
• I want you to know that instead of confusion, you can have hope
• I want you to know that there is security and assurance in Jesus

That is what this writer has been driving at all along.

THIS MORNING HE IS EMPHASIZING THAT PROMISE AGAIN.

Namely that you can bank on it.
• Not only because God said it (which would be enough)
• But because God also took an oath to confirm it.

God wanted you to know it is a done deal…permanent!

So, let’s look at how the writer begins to emphasize the promise.
There are three things he really looks at here.

1) WHO IS PROMISING? (13-15)
“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.”

Now the promise mentioned here
Is NOT the promise the writer is primarily focusing on.

Rather, he pulls this promise up as an illustration
To confirm in your mind about God’s impeccable character.

If I promise you something, and even swear I will do it.
Before you believed it you’d want to know if my word was any good.

I mean after all, a promise is only as good as the man who gives it.
An oath is only as permanent as the man who gives it.

So if the writer is about to tell you that God made an oath,
He first wants to show you that
God is the type of God who keeps the oaths He makes.

So, he gives us an example. – Abraham.
(Incidentally Abraham is also the type of person that the writer wants you to imitate)

Here the writer reminds us that God also made a promise to Abraham.
What was it?
“I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” (notice the “surely” there)
God swore that He would bless Abraham.

What the writer wants you to see is that He did.
And He did so without any help from Abraham whatsoever.

What does the Scripture Abraham did?
“patiently waited”

Notice it doesn’t say, “persistently worked”
All Abraham had to do was wait.

Why?
Because God promised to do it.

So do you see the point?

When God makes a promise (especially with an oath) it will happen.
All you have to do is patiently wait for it.

It is a done deal.

So you now understand that if God makes a promise
He has a faithful track record of keeping that promise.

God’s character is established.
We see who is promising and we trust Him.

But that isn’t all we want to know.
2) WHAT IS PROMISED? (16-18)
“For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to 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.”

Here the writer gives another quick analogy.
He talks about two men having a dispute.
Two men are in disagreement about something.

What ends the dispute?
“an oath given as confirmation”

Even among men, when one man takes an oath
It is supposed to end the quarrel.
We go to court and a man places himself under oath
Therefore we have confidence that we can believe his testimony.

Now if that is true of sinful men, it is certainly true of holy God.

“In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath…”

God could have just said it and that would be enough
Because God never lies.

But God wanted you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt
That these things were certain so He did what He didn’t have to do.
He “interposed with an oath”

And I already showed you what that oath was,
Even though it is not stated again here.

He is referencing God’s oath to set Christ as high priest forever.
He wanted everyone to know that He wasn’t just blowing smoke
When He made that decision.

It is a done deal
You can bank on it

And so the result of God’s oath should be your CONFIDENCE

(18) “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.”

The “two unchangeable things” are God’s promise and God’s oath
God did them both for a reason.

So that “we who have taken refuge” (that is we who have come to Jesus)
“would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

• God wanted the followers of Jesus to know that they had a High
Priest who would never leave office.

• To make sure they knew that, God not only promised it, He took an
oath to it.

The result then being that everyone who follows Christ
Could be extremely confident and filled with hope
Because their priest (and atonement) is forever.

Do you see that?
Do you understand the point?

There is no reason for anyone who follows Jesus
• To question whether that is the right move.
• To doubt the permanence of His salvation.
• To live in fear that His salvation will expire.

Jesus will be priest forever.
Jesus can save and save forever.
GOD SWORE TO IT.

That is security to the max.
No more fear, no more confusion, no more anxiety about losing salvation,
It all rests on the back of the One who will never stop being your priest.

So we see who is promising We see what was promised
3) WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? (19-20)
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

To put it plainly, the outcome is hope.
• The outcome is confidence.
• The outcome is assurance.
• The outcome is security.

I’ve got someone holding me in place!

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul”

Surely you know what an anchor is for.
It is to keep a ship from drifting, it is to keep it one place.

Remember that warning early on in the book?
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

Well here we find that we have an anchor
To keep us from drifting away.

When you talk about security of the believer,
Inevitably someone will talk about how a person might walk away from God.
“I know nothing can snatch me out of His hand,
But what if I get up and walk out of his hand.”

I don’t know about you, but to me that is a terrifying thought.
If that’s true, we could all be in very much trouble.

What if those Isis people make it over here and nock on your door (like they’ve done to many) and say, “You’ve got 24 hours to decide if you are a Christian before we come back and kill your family.”

Are you strong enough to watch your children beheaded?
Are you strong enough to watch your spouse killed?
Are you strong enough to endure the harshest of tortures?

Peter though he was, and we know how that ended.

My point?
If my security is only as certain as the strength of my grip, I’m in trouble.

I want Him holding on to me.
I want something to anchor me when I can’t hold on on my own.

GOOD NEWS!
That is what have.

Christ is our anchor, holding us, even when we couldn’t hold ourselves.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul”

Let’s go a little further.
If you go home this afternoon and want to do a little research,
Then go home and do a little study about anchors.

There are all types of anchors that you can buy for your boat.

And in your search you will see that two real questions will emerge
As you search for an anchor.

How strong does it need to be?
What is it supposed to grab?

Regarding the strength of the anchor you will hear about two things.
HOLDING POWER
That has to do with how strong those hooks are how well it grabs.
(You want an anchor that will be steadfast as it holds to the bottom)

SHAFT STRENGTH
Because the hooks may be locked, but if the shaft doesn’t hold, you’re still in trouble.
(You want an anchor that is strong and sure not to bend or let go)

Then they’ll want to know the type of SURFACE will you be anchoring to?
• Sand is easy, they offer a fluke (normal anchor)
• Mud is a little deeper, so you need a bigger fluke get deep in the mud.
• Coral requires a grapple hood to hold on to
• Shale, or clay, or grass requires a heavy anchor to be effective

SO YOU WANT AN ANCHOR THAT WILL ANCHOR WHERE YOU WANT TO BE.

Well, we want an anchor that will hold on to heaven
And won’t let go under any circumstances.

Now let’s look at the anchor.
(19) “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.”

Shaft strength – ours is “sure”
Holding power – ours is “steadfast”
Where does it anchor? – our “enters within the veil.”

Jesus Christ is there to anchor your soul to heaven.
It’s not you holding on, it’s Him holding on.
He’s the anchor.

“Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchased of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood!”

“Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed;
Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior, all the day long

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

“When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.”

“His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.”

And no matter the storm, no matter the wind, no matter the waves,
Our ship will endure because the anchor holds.

I might fear a lot of things in this life, but losing heaven isn’t one of them.
I know my anchor.

(19-20) “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
So do you see the writer’s point?

Hebrews, you are so confused regarding salvation.
You’ve let those Jews convince you to leave Jesus and return to Judaism.

If you knew the truth you’d never even consider it.
• Jesus is your High Priest – God swore to it
• He can save and save you forever
• He will anchor your soul

Don’t walk in fear, have hope!
THE ANCHOR HOLDS