What "Jesus Sat Down" Means for Us

 

To watch the sermon on this passage click here.

The main point of Hebrews so far: Jesus is our Advocate

He sat down at the right hand of the Father - the place o honor - the seat of mercy - where He acts as our advocate without ceasing. He never stops.

He both intercedes AND intervenes. As John MacArthur puts it: He is seated as our Redeemer and standing as our Helper in time of need.

He ministers to us from His position in The Sanctuary - In heaven.

verse 3 – every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices;

The Gifts - meal offerings - they were about a commitment to serve the Lord. 

Being thankful to Him for all He has done. 

The Sacrifices were about atoning for sin.

As Christians, we were saved for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

We didn’t save ourselves.

We cannot sanctify ourselves.

We still need the help of Jesus

We still need the ministry of Jesus

Our struggles as Christians are the result of trying to work in the flesh rather than lean into Jesus’ ongoing ministry on our behalf.

We NEED the ongoing present, active, right now ministry of Jesus to His people.

True Worship 

doesn’t happen without Jesus’ help

Serving God 

doesn’t happen without Jesus’ help

Sanctification 

doesn’t happen without Jesus’ help

You have to lean into Jesus’ ongoing work for you. 

Meaning: you actively, intentionally, look to Him all the time. 

Program yourself to think about that.

You have the resources

You have the tools

You have very specific instructions

And He Himself is ready to come to your aid.

You have but to ask.

How to "TAP IN" to the Advocate Ministry of Jesus:

1. Ask - meaning Pray

There needs to be far more prayer pouring

out of our hearts day in day out.

2. Obey

There are so many things we need to listen to and follow. 

There are over 1,000 commands to obey

There are sins to confess

There are promises you need to lean into

There are examples to follow

There are attitudes you need to change

Check everything you’re doing against the truth of God’s Word

Get a Topical Bible - helpful

Life Application Bible - also helpful

Bible on your phone - search tool

3. Create Margin

When there’s too much going on in your life, when there’s no margin - you very quickly shift into auto-pilot. More margin - more Drawing Near time

There are 168 hours in a week. 50 at work and 50 sleeping leaves 68 hours for God, family, etc.

How will you use those hours? If you "tithe your time" to the Lord, that's 16.8 hours. After church on Sunday morning, Home Group, etc., there are over 10 hours left. How will you lean into Jesus' intercession and intervention in your life in those remaining hours?

He stands ready to help you in whatever it is you come to Him with. 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Rob

God's Purpose in Salvation

 

If you weren't able to be with us for the worship gathering, you can watch the service here: SERMON

Hebrews 7 is a great passage that helps us to know more about who Christ is as our Great High Priest. In verses 11-28, we see the amazing work of Jesus on our behalf, and tucked away in verses 19 and 25 are an amazing truth that's absolutely central to the Christian experience.

Perfection (11-12)

One of the main things Melchizedek teaches us is that the Priesthood Wasn’t Perfect

The word perfect in this passage refers to salvation. 

The priesthood system, necessary though it was, could not bring salvation.

Judaism has been replaced. The old priesthood is obsolete, done, finished.

All the rituals and requirements of the Old Covenant are meaningless!

Another Tribe (13-19)

Verse 15 – …if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

Another priest
Still a priest - but one far better.

The central truth is in verse 19 - The hopelessness of the old system with it’s inability to bring true salvation, has been replaced with that which CAN!!

A priest through whom we draw near to God.

A Better Covenant (20-22)

The New Covenant brings that which the Old could not:

Freedom from guilt - 

Freedom from sin

        Grace and mercy

Drawing Near to God (19b)

Remember: OT - you couldn’t draw near

God is holy - you are not

The veil is there to prevent it

The whole vibe was “STAY BACK!!”

Our primary participation in Christianity

Our fundamental ambition

Is to draw near to God

John MacArthur says: The fullest expression of faith is to enter into the presence of God in His heavenly Holy of Holies and to fellowship with Him. 

We can boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence. 

Not only can we - we should - we must.

Steps to Drawing Near

• Disconnect - turn all the “noise” off. Go somewhere quiet. Turn off your phone. Get where there are no distractions. 

• Pray - we cannot draw near to anyone relationally without talking to them. 

• Listen - to God through His Word. We speak to God in prayer, He speaks to us through His Word.

• Write - whether writing prayers, thoughts in response to His Word, or other things of a spiritual nature, the difference between swirling thoughts in your head and real communion with God could be the discipline of Journaling.

• Worship (worth-ship) — whether it’s listening to worship music, singing along, marveling at His creation, or meditating on a passage of Scripture, worship is an emotional expression of praise to God. (Heart-value)

• Time - We cannot draw near in just a few minutes here or there. Extended, focused, intentional time spent purposefully drawing near is what we need in our frenetic, busy, fast-paced lives. 

The Beautiful promise from Hebrews 4:16 – Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 


Intercession (23-25)

After accomplishing our salvation, Jesus ascended back to Heaven

And sat down at the right hand of the Father where He is actively, intentionally, purposefully praying for you TO DRAW NEAR

The chapter concludes by turning our thoughts back to Jesus:

The Perfect One (26-28)

Te whole point of Melchizedek was that there has always been a plan for something greater than the Levitical priesthood.

Jesus is

holy - incapable fo sin

innocent - never harmed, wronged, or slighted anyone.

undefiled - not a single blemish

separated from sinners - around people but not influenced by them. 

            (We can’t spend time with anyone w/o influence)

exalted - God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is 

    above every name.

Jesus is Our Great High Priest

The One who brings us to God

I pray you draw near to Him in a powerful way this week!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Rob

The Mystery Man

  

 WATCH THE SERVICE HERE

There are several things that make this a difficult passage to understand and apply to your daily life. 

Two of them:

• The Mysteriousness of Melchizedek

• The Priest System - we’re unfamiliar with it

This chapter doesn’t tickle your ears

It comes hard and fast to the mind

But when it gets in, it will feed your soul.

Hebrews 12:2 – fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,

Melchizedek helps us understand Jesus as our great and perfect High Priest.

About Melchizedek

1. He was both King and Priest. 

He’s on a different level than the typical priest.

Zechariah 6:13 – He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices

Priests weren’t allowed to be King.

Kings weren’t priests.

So being both gets our attention right away.

2. He Blessed Abraham

The one through whom everyone on earth will be blessed is being blessed by Melchizedek.

Verse 7 – without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

No one could possibly be greater than Abraham, yet Melchizedek shows his superiority to not just Abraham, but to the entire Levitical priesthood by blessing Abraham.

3. Righteousness and Peace

In the middle of the wickedness and depravity of the times - Melchizedek stood out as a righteous man. A man at peace with God.

Melchizedek is an example of what it looks like to be without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

He shows us that it is possible to live an upright life in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 

(Philippians 2 gives detailed instructions.)

4. Permanence

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually.

Levitical priests had to not only be in the Tribe of Levi, but also able to trace their lineage back to Aaron. Melchizedek was superior to the Aaronic priesthood with no genealogy. No records. 

Also: all priests were imperfect men, so their sacrificial work was imperfect. Because their priesthood was a limited time frame, it didn’t last. Melchizedek was superior in that his priesthood didn’t have a start/stop timeframe.

The Levitical priesthood was never meant to be perfect or permanent. It always pointed to something greater. Melchizedek's priesthood was a demonstration of something greater while also pointing to something greater still.

It’s not about ancestry or origin. This was a product of divine designation. 

Jesus wasn’t from the line of Levi either.

He was from the line of Judah.

5. Melchizedek is Superior

The offering made to Melchizedek is quite significant. It was always the lesser, giving the greater, the blessing of an offering. 

The tenth of the spoils was significant amount.

Abraham the patriarch - To be a patriarch was to be at the top of the food chain so to speak. This offering placed Melchizedek higher than even Abraham.

Also, Levitical priests only served the people of Israel while Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God. This is the Universal name for God. Melchizedek is a priest not just for the people of Israel, but for everyone.

What does all this mean?

Jesus is: 

Our King and Priest

The Savior of the world. 

The Royal One who sits on the throne.

Jesus also brings ultimate 

Blessing

As Melchizedek blessed Abraham

Jesus blesses us - in salvation and in daily life.

Righteousness and Peace

Jesus imparts His perfect righteousness to us, bringing peace with God.

His work is:

Permanent!

He made One Sacrifice for all time

His work does not need to be repeated

All that’s left is for us to repent and trust in Him and receive that forgiveness.

Superiority - Jesus is Better

No matter what system, plan or structure you’ve got in place, Jesus is better. 

Don’t rely on your own efforts - look to Him.

This week the Hand is really about what you’re putting into the head that will affect the heart.  

Assignment this week:

Read these passages and meditate on the five qualities and how they apply to your own life: 

Ultimately - this passage is one explanation & applications of

Hebrews 3:1 – … consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession—Jesus

May meditating on these passages deepen your affection for your awesome Savior!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Rob

Orange Juice & the Glory of God

 

After pouring out a significant amount of ink on his rebuke and warning, the author of Hebrews turns to bring significant encouragement to his audience. As we walk through this passage, we can come to a great confidence in what Christ has done for those of us who are trusting in His name!

Watch the sermon here.

Hebrews 6:9-20

Speaking to the Saved

The shift is distinct and obvious - he's now speaking to believers in using the term, "beloved." Additionally, he's speaking from a point of being convinced because of the characteristics people are showing that "belong to salvation."

He Sees Real Fruit

There are two elements here:

1. You're all about the Glory of God

2. You serve other Christians. 

Drinking Orange Juice for the Glory of God

This article, written by a pastor years ago, frames out a pattern for glorifying God in every detail of your daily life. 

1. I will affirm, joyfully, from the word of God, that the color yellow is a gift of God. The sweet taste is a gift of God. The nourishment and the way my body uses it is a gift of God. The sun and the rain that grew the oranges is a gift of God. The trucking and the grocery chain that brought it to me is a gift of God. And the list could go on and on. I will gladly, joyfully, say that out loud. I will feel that.

2. I will lift my heart and voice in prayer, thanking God. And I will do this often so that others can know where all this came from, and how wise and strong and good God is.

3. I will remind myself that I do not deserve this juice. I deserve to be in hell today. And so, I will give thanks that my sins are forgiven and that this pleasure is, in fact, bought for me. This orange-juice pleasure is a blood-bought gift for this child of God on the way to heaven.

4. I will remind myself that this particular pleasure, this taste, this coolness on my tongue, this nourishment, reveals something of God to my senses and my soul that could not be known any other way. That’s why the world was created, because all of it is like a prism, giving us some new sight of the glory of God.

5. Then, I will share this juice, in love, with others at the table; I won’t horde it all.

6. And finally, I will use the strength that it gives me to live for the glory of God.

Whatever you do, you can take this framework and apply it.

Driving to work

Making dinner for the family

Mowing your lawn

Studying your Bible

Changing a diaper

From the most mundane work task

To the most exciting life event

You can glorify Him. 

You love the glory of His name. 

This is head, heart, & hand in one sentence

Ministering to others: CHALLENGE: Be intentional to minister to someone in some way every day this week. 

Do Something specific.

Maybe pray for them (ask how can I…)

Maybe you know of a need they have

Maybe you encourage them intentionally

Maybe do something to relieve pressure

Mow their lawn

Give them a Chick-fil-A gift card

Take them to lunch - buy them coffee

Watch their kids for an evening

Send them a Scripture passage text

Maybe sign up to help in preschool

Maybe offer to teach in SS

Join the choir

Serve in Trail Life

Pray for our students at Camp daily

There are 1,000 other things you can to to minister to someone in the body this week. 

Decide to do something daily!!

Capturing and Clinging to Confidence

Biblical discipleship leads to assurance of salvation. Serving others leads to assurance.

Read 2 Peter 1:5-13 and Titus 2:2-13. One of the central elements of the Christian life is to be involved in a biblical, Titus 2 model of discipleship.

God designed the church with the intent that we would be helping one another follow Jesus better. 

Contractual Obligation

Abraham was promised that his spiritual children would be as numerous as the stars

That’s us!!
And what an incredible promise it was and is.

God made the promise - and He guaranteed it with the authority and solid assurance of His name. 

It doesn’t get better than that.

Two Unchangeable Things

Jesus Christ is our Anchor

His virgin birth

sinless life

miraculous Scripture fulfilling ministry

substitutionary death

victorious resurrection

And the fact that He suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God

Is the anchor that will keep you from being tossed and back and forth in the storms of life.

Jesus is the forerunner

He enters now for us - so that when the

Time comes - we’ll be ushered in. He is seated at the right hand of God ready to bring us into heaven andante the Father's presence.

Reject being dull of hearing

Reject thorns and thistles

Press on to maturity

And you can enter into a deep confidence in Christ

Soli Deo Gloria!

Pastor Rob