Latest / Scripture Central / #45 Scripture Central Come Follow Me Insights (Oct 30 - Nov 5) Hebrews 1–6

Transcript

#45 Scripture Central Come Follow Me Insights (Oct 30 - Nov 5) Hebrews 1–6 · Scripture Central

0:25
Hello everyone. Thanks for listening to Come
0:27
Follow Me Insights with Taylor and Tyler presented by Scripture
0:30
Central. We use a lot of visuals in our
0:32
videos, so if you want to see the visuals, we invite you to
0:35
find us on YouTube. Thanks for listening and enjoy.
0:39
I'm Taylor and I'm Tyler. This is Scripture.
0:42
Central's Come, Follow Me insights this week.
0:45
The first half of Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews this If you've
0:50
ever been in a situation where you feel kind of giddy, you're
0:53
so excited with anticipation that that's how we feel getting
0:57
ready to jump into this Epistle to the Hebrews.
1:01
It is loaded. It is one of my favorite books
1:06
in the New Testament. And let me just let me begin
1:10
with a 30,000 foot overview of what the Epistle to the Hebrews
1:14
is. You ready?
1:18
That's it. The greater than sign.
1:21
That's it. The entire book.
1:24
What it's showing is that Jesus Christ is greater than or
1:30
superior to everything that the recipients of this letter hold
1:37
near and dear to their hearts. The the Hebrews.
1:40
We don't know where these people are living.
1:44
Specifically, we don't know exactly when this epistle was
1:47
written. We don't even know who
1:49
specifically wrote it. It says the epistle of Paul the
1:51
Apostle. But you'll notice it's one of
1:54
the longer epistles of all of them contained in the New
1:58
Testament. And yet it comes after Philemon,
2:00
which is the shortest, Romans being the longest of Paul's
2:04
epistles. Which tells us that even when
2:06
the Bible was put together, there was some uncertainty as to
2:10
is this really Paul? Because it doesn't have some of
2:14
the fingerprints of Paul, like his introduction at the
2:17
beginning. Paul, an apostle unto you, he
2:21
doesn't give his name ever the author.
2:25
However, there have been so many theories out there that maybe
2:30
Luke wrote it, maybe Apollo's wrote it, maybe Barnabas or one
2:33
of his other missionary companions.
2:35
The reality is, is the teachings in this epistle, they're all you
2:41
could probably summarize this book as the summary of all of
2:46
Paul's teachings in one book. Instead of these specific
2:50
putting out fires in Galatia or Corinth or Thessalonica or any
2:55
of the the different areas that Paul wrote to, this is more of a
2:59
general epistle pushing back against Judaizers and everything
3:05
that they hold so sacred. From the Old Testament and from
3:09
the Old Law of Moses. This book is showing the
3:12
supremacy and the majesty of Jesus Christ as being greater
3:17
than all of those things. So it turns out the 1st 4 verses
3:21
give that as a very clear thesis statement.
3:24
And then it turns out the chapters are broken up
3:27
identifying really amazing things from the Old Testament.
3:30
You have angels. Jesus is better than them or
3:34
superior. You have Moses in Mount Sinai.
3:38
Jesus is superior. You have priests and
3:41
Melchizedek. Jesus is superior.
3:43
You have the whole sacrificial system that was meant to point
3:46
people to Jesus Christ. He is superior.
3:49
So as you read through these chapters, you're looking for all
3:52
the really amazing things. We should not denigrate them
3:55
from the Old Testament, but ultimately we will see that
3:58
Jesus Christ surpasses them all, and the opening thesis
4:02
statement, these first four verses, gives that quite
4:04
clearly. That's right.
4:06
Now, as we dive in, we're going to be reading, as we always do,
4:10
in English. The amazing thing here is, and
4:14
I'm not a Greek expert, Taylor, you know a lot better Greek than
4:17
I do. But talking to people, my
4:22
colleagues who are Greek experts, they say hands down,
4:26
among the 27 books of the New Testament, the Hebrews, the The
4:31
Epistle to the Hebrews contains the most polished and most
4:36
poetic and most beautifully formed Greek of any of the other
4:40
20, the other 26 books in the New Testament.
4:44
It is just beautifully written, including verse one.
4:48
If you look at this example on the screen from greekbible.com
4:53
of Hebrews, chapter one, verse one, you'll notice that there
4:56
are a whole series of words that start with the letter Π or
5:02
English P, which isn't an overly used letter in Greek.
5:07
So whoever's doing the actual writing, taking the ideas,
5:11
whether they come from Paul or whether they come from a
5:13
committee of people, or whether it's some person on their own
5:16
taking all of those other writings and creating this book
5:19
on their own, we don't know. But whoever it is, they are a
5:22
master of the Greek language. Using alliteration, look at how
5:27
many words in verse one start with the letter π.
5:30
That's highly unusual. They've taken time to craft this
5:35
in in a way that will really stick and grab the attention of
5:41
the audience in the 1st century. What's amazing about this?
5:45
I remember when I started getting into grad school
5:48
studying the scriptures professionally.
5:50
I was. Really shocked to discover that
5:53
the words that I loved for their spiritual value actually were
5:57
some of the most beautiful pieces of literature that have
6:01
ever been produced across humanity.
6:04
And Tyler has pointed out that that one example.
6:07
And so it's like when we build temples.
6:10
So what happens in temples is crucially important for our
6:14
progress on the path of salvation.
6:17
But it turns out that you could do those ordinances just about
6:20
anywhere that we might call secret.
6:22
We just take the time to make the buildings that encapsulate
6:26
those ordinances extremely beautiful.
6:29
You might apply that metaphor here, that we have these
6:33
incredible, beautiful, saving truths that have been
6:36
encapsulated in a beautiful literary temple structure.
6:42
Beautiful. Now let's let's jump in and
6:45
watch how many words Taylor already gave you, a sneak peek
6:49
of certain words that are going to get plugged into this blink.
6:53
Jesus Christ is greater than blink.
6:56
Let's start in verse one. God who at sundry times and in
7:00
diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
7:06
prophets. You'll notice God would give his
7:10
message to your Father's and you you He again, the audience is
7:15
the Hebrews. These are not Gentile
7:16
Christians. These are Jewish Christians,
7:20
people who love the Law of Moses, who love the Old
7:23
Testament. These are the Hebrews.
7:25
So in times past, God spake unto the fathers by the prophets.
7:30
And you've got an A Hebrew Bible, an Old Testament Bible in
7:34
the in our Old Testament that is filled with prophets.
7:37
These spokes persons for God. And notice he says, but God in
7:43
these last days hath spoken to us by his Son, whom he hath
7:49
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world's
7:53
connecting us back to John chapter one, verse one through
7:55
5. So let's start our list here.
7:58
The Son is greater than all of your prophets.
8:03
It doesn't matter who your favorite prophet or prophets
8:05
were. Jesus Christ, the Son of God is
8:11
greater than all of them, including their favorites, Moses
8:17
and Elijah and Elijah and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
8:24
And the list goes on. Look at verse three, who being
8:29
the brightness of His glory, we're Speaking of Jesus Christ
8:32
and the Son, who is in the brightness of God.
8:36
The Father's glory and the express image of his person
8:41
looked just like him the express image and upholding all things
8:46
by the word of His power. When He had by himself purged
8:49
our sins, completed his infinite atonement, he sat down on the
8:54
right hand of the majesty on high.
8:57
So the Son sent by God completes all this and then returns and
9:01
sits down on the right hand of majesty on high.
9:06
Interesting side note, here in some of our earliest editions of
9:12
the of the Bible, the New Testament, we have three really
9:18
old versions of of these books called codices or a codex.
9:24
One of them, the Codex Vaticanus, has a little marginal
9:30
note written next to Hebrews chapter one, verse 3.
9:34
And it's fascinating. You've got the text written in
9:37
the Greek and by the way, the Greek bibles.
9:40
All of those early codices are written in capital Greek
9:44
letters, all slammed together with no spacing, no punctuation,
9:49
and you get to the end of a line.
9:50
Then you just pick up in the next line with the next letter
9:54
and you just keep going, no spaces.
9:56
That's how they're all written, well out in the margin in
10:00
smaller text. You can Google this image the
10:03
the Codex Vaticanus marginal note.
10:06
It says in the Greek Fool and Knave.
10:11
Leave the old reading alone, don't change it.
10:17
That's a peculiar marginal note for some copyist to put in the
10:22
the margin of Hebrews chapter one, verse 3, particularly in
10:27
referring to those attributes of God the Father that the Son
10:30
would come down and complete that atonement and then finish
10:33
that and go and sit down on the right hand of majesty.
10:37
That's a verse that is very prone to be reworked, rewritten
10:42
for an editor, a copier 100 years down the road, 203 hundred
10:47
years down the road. Say, I don't like this, I'm
10:50
going to change the wording here to match to match my doctrine or
10:53
my theology a little better. It's fascinating to me that the
10:58
fact that a manuscript copier sometime in the in the early
11:04
years of the existence of the Bible would write that margin
11:08
marginal note implies that that copier or that manuscript writer
11:13
has watched other people or other scripts get changed,
11:17
especially with reference to the Godhead in other settings.
11:20
And he's saying fool a knave, leave this verse alone, don't
11:24
change it. That's fascinating.
11:26
Tied into what Nephi saw regarding the coming 4th of the
11:30
Bible. Now you'll notice verse 4,
11:34
Christ was made so much better than the angels.
11:39
So now we can add angels to our list of things over here on the
11:44
right that Christ is so much better than the angels.
11:47
But then there's a plot twist that this this book takes you a
11:51
direction you probably didn't see coming, as he hath, by
11:55
inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they.
11:58
So he's much better than all these angels that you've that
12:02
you've told stories. About And the Jews had a long
12:06
list of angels that they were super interested in knowing more
12:10
about, and wanting their influence in their lives.
12:14
And then he gives this comparison in verse 5.
12:16
For unto which of the angels said, He, at any time thou art
12:20
my son, this day have I begotten thee.
12:24
And again I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
12:28
Son. I love that.
12:30
I love that wording. There, that there.
12:33
Whoever's writing this epistle, or whichever group of people is
12:36
putting this together, they're calling up this, this covenantal
12:41
language of I will be your God, you will be my people, or I will
12:45
be your parent. I'll be your father, You'll be
12:48
my son or my daughter. Jesus Christ is the ultimate
12:52
example of one who makes and keeps covenants with God.
12:56
And now he's asking us to make covenants with him.
13:01
He won't break it. It's a it's a beautiful
13:03
connection. What's also really powerful here
13:06
is that this epistle begins very similarly to how the Gospel of
13:11
Mark begins, focusing on Jesus's identity as the Son of God,
13:17
which means the chosen King. Now when we hear the phrase Son
13:22
of God, we often think about the literal sense, which is true.
13:26
But in the ancient world, in the biblical times, the phrase Son
13:29
of God was just another way of saying the legitimate king.
13:33
And if you look at Mark, chapter one, how does Jesus's gospel?
13:38
How does that gospel begin? At the baptism of Jesus Christ,
13:41
he comes up out of the water and he hears his phrase Thou art my
13:46
beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased.
13:49
And so Hebrews and Mark are both trying to help us see.
13:52
That the King of Heaven has his Son, who will inherit all
13:56
things, making him greater than anything that we could put on
13:59
the board. So he he carries this idea
14:03
through the what did this Son do?
14:06
He came down from heaven and everything that was made,
14:10
everything that was created, was done through that Son, which
14:15
we've tied into the beginnings of Mark, we're tying into the
14:18
beginnings of John. You can kind of see how this
14:20
whole epistle once again, if you only had one book outside of the
14:26
Gospels to read. To kind of make sense of how
14:30
does this message now move forward among the Jewish group
14:35
who's joining the church? In my mind, there's nothing more
14:39
all inclusive than this epistles of the Hebrews to show all these
14:43
different doctrines. Why?
14:45
Because it's glorifying Christ. It's putting him at the center
14:48
of every chapter. And there's an invitation to
14:51
these, these Hebrews, wherever they may be living, whatever
14:55
time period they're in, to not abandon Jesus Christ and to not
14:59
let go of their covenant with him, knowing that many of them
15:03
are probably going to face severe persecution for embracing
15:08
this, this Christian religion, this Christian faith, and.
15:13
And for additional perspective. We love the words of Paul.
15:16
We have now read all of his epistles.
15:19
Imagine the book of Hebrews being what Paul This is my
15:24
imagination here. Imagine this is what he would
15:27
have taught people verbally when he was with them.
15:30
And so when he's now not with them and we get all those other
15:33
epistles where he's trying to correct and fix contention and
15:37
disorder. It's lovely that we now have
15:40
what may have been a common sermon from Paul about how
15:44
people can understand Jesus Christ, things that we don't
15:47
typically get in other Pauline writings because he's trying to
15:51
address specific issues in different wards around around
15:55
the Mediterranean basin who've already received this message.
15:58
And by the way, just as another side note on the on the Paul
16:01
point, if you're Paul and you're trying to convince Judaizers of
16:06
the supremacy of Christ and you want to to persuade people and
16:10
move the needle per SE, you probably don't want to introduce
16:14
yourself and you probably want to get somebody who's really
16:16
good with the Greek so that people can't tell it's you
16:19
giving the message. Because Paul isn't the most
16:21
popular, he would not have won the congeniality competitions
16:26
among the Judaizers. They don't exactly love Paul.
16:30
And so it's this idea of finding the best possible way for this
16:33
message to be received and in interpreted appropriately and
16:38
applied. Could could be another reason
16:42
why he's not introducing himself.
16:46
Now you go to chapter two. Look at here's the plot twist
16:49
that we promised you earlier. It comes here.
16:51
Starting in verse 7, thou meaning God madest him, meaning
16:56
Christ a little lower than the angels.
16:59
Now that's that's not what you would have expected, because
17:01
Christ is superior to the angels.
17:04
But God made him a little lower than the angels.
17:08
Thou crown crownest him with glory and honor and did set him
17:12
over the works of thy hands. So it's fascinating that Christ
17:16
who was greater than the angels is made a little lower than
17:19
them. We would call that doctrine the
17:22
doctrine of condescension. He gives up all of that, that
17:27
godly capacity and those abilities to become like us, who
17:32
are a little lower than the angels.
17:35
And so now he's become one of us.
17:38
Which now brings us to verse 9. But we see Jesus, who was made a
17:41
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
17:46
with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste
17:50
death for every man. For it became him for whom are
17:56
all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons
17:59
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect
18:03
through sufferings. That doctrine is fascinating,
18:09
and it's going to come up later on in the epistle as well.
18:11
Something about suffering that leads to power, that leads to
18:17
glory, that leads to wisdom, that leads to capacity that you
18:21
don't get in any other way. Some of you have lived life with
18:25
intense pain, be it emotional or mental or physical or spiritual
18:30
or relational. There is a lot of suffering that
18:34
goes on and it's this concept that when we go through those
18:40
sufferings, the the real question is, am I just going
18:46
through them or am I growing through them?
18:47
That's we've talked about that before.
18:49
Christ shows the perfect example of becoming He's made the
18:54
captain of our salvation perfect through his sufferings.
19:00
That's a that's a fascinating connection, doctrinally.
19:03
It is. One of the hard doctrines is
19:05
that we all signed up to suffer, to be challenged, to be tested
19:11
so that we can grow into him. And for anybody who has ever
19:16
overcome anything, you know what we're talking about, of the pain
19:20
and suffering, of dealing with the challenge and the joy that
19:23
comes from. Being saved or overcoming the
19:27
challenge and being upgraded and improved to the power of Jesus
19:30
Christ, that you have greater strength.
19:33
And the only way to become like God is to go step by step, grace
19:37
by grace, overcoming challenges through His power.
19:41
Love that. Now look at verse 14.
19:44
For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and
19:47
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same meaning,
19:52
flesh and blood, that through death he might destroy him that
19:58
had the power of death. That is the devil.
20:03
So you can add to the list that Christ is greater than death and
20:08
hell and the devil. He's these used to be all
20:13
powerful. They used to be the end all be
20:15
all for many people back in antiquity.
20:18
And Christ came and submitted to both and then.
20:22
Burst the bands of both death and hell from within.
20:27
He's greater than them. Now look at verse 15 and deliver
20:31
them, who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject
20:35
to bondage. And then it says verse 18.
20:39
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is
20:44
also able to succor them that are tempted.
20:50
He's greater than all temptation that the devil can throw at you,
20:55
or him or all of us combined. He's greater than that.
20:58
This doesn't show up specifically in here, but I want
21:01
to also add this one. He is greater than all
21:05
suffering. It's interesting the word
21:07
suffer. The word like a fairy you might
21:10
get on a ferry to go from place to place and to go to.
21:16
Suffering means to go, to be carried underneath like you're
21:19
drowning. We've talked about this before
21:21
and the word sucker means to run a course and he's always running
21:28
underneath us. No matter how much suffering we
21:32
are experiencing, no how matter how far down we are pulled under
21:36
or carried under, he is always running underneath us.
21:41
So he is greater than even all of our suffering.
21:45
Now we go to chapter 3, which is loaded with additional
21:49
comparisons here. Wherefore, holy Brethren,
21:51
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
21:55
and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus, who
21:59
was faithful to him that appointed him as also Moses, was
22:03
faithful in all his house. But then this epistle points out
22:08
that whoever built the house has more honor than the house.
22:13
Nobody walks into a building and says, wow, this building isn't.
22:17
Whether it be a temple or a house or a commercial building,
22:21
nobody walks in and says, wow, this is amazing.
22:24
I wonder how this house build itself.
22:27
I wonder how this temple constructed itself.
22:30
Nobody does that because everybody realizes that the
22:34
builder is greater than that which got built.
22:40
And it and this doesn't apply just to structures, it applies
22:44
to testimonies, it applies to conversion, it applies to
22:47
people. So he's comparing Moses as great
22:52
as you Hebrews think Moses is as much as you love him.
22:55
The reality is, is Moses was built up by the Master Builder,
23:02
by Christ, Jehovah of the Old Testament, He built him up.
23:06
So don't give the glory to the house, give the glory to the
23:09
builder. And if Moses were standing here,
23:11
I don't think Moses would say, Oh no, no, time out.
23:14
I want the glory. Look at all these amazing things
23:16
I did. I don't think there's a prophet
23:18
in the history of the Old Testament or the history of the
23:20
Book one or the history of our church who would say no, I did
23:25
all of these things. I think every single one of them
23:27
recognize the instrumentality of their life in the hands of the
23:32
master builder and anything that got accomplished, anything good
23:36
that happened. I don't think they're going to
23:38
be patting themselves on the back.
23:40
I think they're going to be giving God the glory because
23:43
Jesus taught us how to do that appropriately.
23:45
And think about the extension. Moses was the builder of the
23:49
Tabernacle. Eventually the temple was built,
23:53
but God, through Jesus Christ built the world.
23:56
So again, as much as we put emphasis on the ancient
23:59
Tabernacle and the sacrificial system.
24:02
Or even the ancient temples or temples.
24:04
Today Jesus is still greater or superior than all of those
24:09
things, So let's take it one step further, verse five and
24:11
six. But Moses verily, was faithful
24:13
in all his house, as a servant for a testimony of those things
24:17
which were to be spoken after. But Christ as a son over his own
24:21
house. So which is greater, a servant
24:24
or a son in a Kingdom, in a castle in in that kind of a
24:28
setting? No question.
24:30
The Son is going to have more power and authority ultimately,
24:34
than the servant. And so he goes on to say,
24:37
wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith to this day, if you will
24:39
hear his voice harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in
24:45
the day of temptation in the wilderness, Most of you hearing
24:48
that today in the 21st century, that phrase, as in the
24:52
provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness,
24:54
you're like, whoa, I have no idea what you just said, but
24:58
ancient Hebrews would have known exactly what was being written.
25:03
Because, you see, there were all these series of stories that
25:05
took place in the exodus out of Egypt, where the children of
25:09
Israel kept provoking the Lord. They kept doing things to to
25:14
say, no, we don't want to be your people, we don't want you
25:18
to be our God. We don't want to talk to you.
25:21
And they kept provoking, kept provoking, kept provoking.
25:24
And then comes that fateful day when they come into Kadesh
25:28
Barnea down in the southern part leading into the Holy Land.
25:33
And they camp there and send in 12 spies to spy out the land.
25:38
And those men come back, one from each tribe.
25:41
And ten of them say, yeah, it is a land that flows with milk and
25:44
honey. It's beautiful.
25:45
It's amazing. But we're not able to take it
25:47
because there are so many people are like grasshoppers on the
25:50
land and there are giants and and we're going to be
25:52
overpowered by them. We can't take it.
25:56
And then Joshua and Caleb stepped forward and said we've
25:58
got the Lord God of Israel on our side, let's go.
26:02
And the people picked up stones to kill Joshua and Caleb and
26:06
Moses then told them drop the rocks.
26:09
We're going to go back out into that wilderness, and we're going
26:12
to spend the next 39 1/2 years wandering to let everybody who's
26:16
20 years old and older die before you get to have your
26:22
younger generation come in. You have provoked the Lord too
26:26
many times. And so now, with that that
26:29
understanding, look over. Say it again.
26:31
Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in the Day of
26:36
Temptation in the wilderness. Don't do what those people in
26:40
the book of numbers did that. You're all very familiar with
26:42
that story. Don't say getting into the
26:44
promised land or getting into heaven, or attaining salvation,
26:48
or overcoming these struggles of mortality.
26:50
It's too hard. There are too many giants on the
26:53
land and there's so many people. It's like grasshoppers.
26:55
They're going to consume us. We can't overcome.
26:59
Here's the writer to the Hebrews, Paul, and these people
27:03
who who are maybe involved in this saying basically don't make
27:07
the same mistake. You have the Lord God of Israel
27:10
on your side, and He is greater than all of the opposition to
27:17
your moving forward on the covenant path, to your being
27:20
able to keep those those promises and stay loyal within
27:23
that covenant with God. Look at verse 11.
27:29
So I swear in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
27:33
Yeah, this is kind of the conclusion there.
27:35
If you guys really do not want the free gift of the promised
27:38
land, fine. You will get exactly what you
27:41
demanded. I will keep you out and I will
27:44
let the next generation that has full access to the Abraham, my
27:48
my promises to Abraham. I will let them in and see if
27:51
they're willing to accept this free gift.
27:53
And by extension, now what we are being told is the gift is
27:58
still there. We all can enter the promised
28:00
land. Are we willing to receive it?
28:02
Or are we going to be complaining all along the way
28:06
and make such a fuss that God says all right, sounds like
28:09
you're going to be happy you're out in the wilderness.
28:12
I will let you stay where you want to be.
28:14
Agency is a real thing, and he respects it.
28:17
Look at the look at the contrast now in verse 12.
28:20
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart
28:24
of unbelief. Those those 10 spies who gave
28:28
the evil report in departing from the living God, but exhort
28:32
one another daily while while it is called today, Lest any of you
28:35
be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
28:37
For we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning
28:41
of our confidence steadfast unto the end and door to the end.
28:46
And it's kind of for for them. It's this call to remember.
28:52
Don't you remember the amazing things that God did for those
28:55
people, bringing them out of out of Egypt with a mighty hand?
28:59
Those 10 plagues bringing them through the Red Sea on dry
29:02
ground, destroying the armies of the Pharaoh.
29:05
Can't you see the living God and his capacity and he's pleading
29:10
for these, these recipients of this letter to grasp onto that
29:15
in the context, for our purposes here he set up this greater than
29:21
inequality to say heaven is greater than the promised land
29:29
that you've that you've spent so much time studying about in the
29:33
Old Testament and and living in that land in in the New
29:37
Testament time periods. He's saying that is the ultimate
29:41
promised land. That was just a place holding a
29:44
pattern or a metaphor for the real promised land which is
29:50
heaven. And you can't enter into there
29:53
without incredible amounts of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
29:56
and in God and His great plan for his children.
30:01
So you notice that he says verse 15 and 16, while it is said
30:06
today, if you will hear his voice harden out your hearts, as
30:09
in the provocation for some when they had heard, did provoke
30:15
Howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
30:18
Isn't that sad? Some actually heard the voice of
30:22
God. And still we're willing to
30:24
provoke him and say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I actually am not
30:27
interested in being relation in relationship with you.
30:29
I would rather be back in the metaphorical land of apostasy in
30:35
Egypt. So now we come full circle back
30:39
to the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is
30:43
to trust him, have faith in the Lord.
30:47
Look at verse 18 and 19 And to whom swear he that they should
30:50
not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not they
30:55
lacked faith, and because they lacked faith they wouldn't do
30:58
certain things. So verse 20 or verse 19 we see
31:02
that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
31:07
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rignan taught at the school of
31:09
Prophets. Faith is the great governing
31:11
principle of all action. You can't do anything unless you
31:15
first believe. And if you don't believe that
31:17
God's going to save you, you're not going to move forward on
31:20
that covenant path. So we've mentioned before the
31:23
possibility that the name Layman might come from 2 Hebrew words
31:28
la, Aman. Aman means faith or trust or
31:31
belief. And la in Semitic languages
31:34
means not. So it means not believing, not
31:38
faithful and what happened to them, those who chose to be non
31:45
believers. Did not get the promised land.
31:49
They didn't get all the blessings God had to offer.
31:52
So even in this name, there's this invitation to remind
31:56
ourselves we should avoid this unbelief.
32:01
We should not be like those in verse 18 that believed not.
32:08
So one of the reasons we have the scriptures is to preserve
32:11
stories of the consequences of what happens to people.
32:16
When they choose to stay committed to God in a trusting
32:20
covenant or relationship versus those who choose not to stay in
32:24
a trusting covenant relationship to be non trustworthy, non
32:29
faithful, non loyal, isn't that amazing?
32:33
Knowing that in the Hebrew context for the Lamanites, isn't
32:38
it fascinating that for generations that group didn't
32:41
believe? And yet God's covenants, they're
32:46
still part of the House of Israel.
32:47
They still have access to Abraham's covenant at any time,
32:51
and isn't it beautiful that they're in Helaman?
32:56
You get this large group of Lamanites who did choose to
33:01
believe, who did choose to to go against the tradition and the
33:05
unbelief of their fathers and their ancestors and to turn to
33:09
God and how quickly and completely the Lord embraced
33:13
them in that covenant. Samuel being one of that large
33:17
group of Lamanites who their righteousness exceeded the
33:20
Nephites at that point, their belief far exceeded the Nephites
33:23
at that point. That gives hope that even if
33:26
you've struggled in the past with unbelief or loved ones have
33:29
struggled with unbelief, don't give up hope, don't give up
33:33
faith in the Lord and door to the end stick with Christ.
33:36
That's that's really the message of the Epistle of the Hebrews is
33:39
stay with Christ. Well, even Christ is superior to
33:44
unbelief that his eternal promise to always allow us to
33:50
come into His embrace if we choose.
33:53
There's nothing that anybody can do to stop God from offering
33:59
that loving embrace. You can walk away for a while.
34:02
You can tell the people to walk away.
34:04
It doesn't mean that he is somehow stopped offering.
34:08
His loving arms of mercy. As soon as people say actually
34:11
I'm done being out in the wilderness, I want to be in that
34:14
loving embrace. They were immediately welcomed
34:17
in. And that is the promise of the
34:19
gospel that's powerful. Now we go to Chapter 4, and the
34:26
list continues to grow. Verse one.
34:29
Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of
34:32
entering into his rest. Any of you should seem to come
34:36
short of it. You've got this rest, this
34:38
promised land that's that's given to you.
34:41
For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them.
34:45
But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed
34:48
with faith in them that heard it.
34:52
So the promise is given, but you can receive all kinds of
34:56
promises, and if you don't believe in them, then you're not
34:58
going to act in such a way to access them.
35:01
And that's what he's warning against.
35:03
For we which have believed, do enter into rest, as he said, as
35:07
I've sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest, all of
35:10
the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
35:13
For he spake in a certain place of the 7th day on this wise.
35:17
And God did rest the 7th day from all His works.
35:22
So here's this notion of He's comparing the Old Testament rest
35:29
or the Old Testament Sabbath observance, and there's
35:34
something that is greater than even that to enter into that
35:39
rest of the Sabbath day. By the way, there are so many
35:44
Old Testament references here. If you have the time, actually,
35:48
I'd encourage you to take the time to pause when you're
35:51
reading and go look up some of these references and read them
35:54
in context. And you'll just see the richness
35:57
that is packed into the book, this epistle of the Hebrews.
36:01
And you'll see these powerful connections between the Old
36:04
Testament and the New Testament. To make this case really clear,
36:10
Paul and others, whoever is responsible for this book, they
36:14
knew the Old Testament extremely well.
36:17
And they're they're using examples and words and phrases
36:20
and and snip snippets and snatches from the Old Testament
36:25
peppered throughout this this entire epistle.
36:28
Notice verse 9 and 10. There remaineth therefore a rest
36:33
to the people of God, for He that has entered into his rest.
36:37
He also has ceased from his own works as God did from His.
36:42
So that's something that the Old Testament law of Moses would
36:46
teach very clearly. And they they all get this.
36:48
But look at verse 11. Let us labor therefore to enter
36:53
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
36:58
unbelief. Did you catch that?
37:01
Let us work really hard, let us labor to be able to enter into
37:05
that rest. Work so hard, like God did for
37:08
six days, to be able to enter into that day of rest.
37:13
And he's talking to us saying you have to work at this to
37:17
enter into the rest that God has provided for us, that we look
37:21
forward to as a promise. And we have faith in him that
37:25
he's actually going to give us rest from our worldly cares,
37:29
from our struggles and the tests of mortality.
37:32
But it means we're going to have to work really hard in the
37:34
process of getting there. Have you ever gone on a on a
37:37
relaxing vacation that was just rejuvenating?
37:41
It was fantastic. Your family or you as an
37:44
individual or as a couple, whatever it was, you were able
37:47
to just unwind and and spend some quiet, restful time.
37:53
Well, the question I have for you is, did you just up and
37:57
decide one day, let's go on this vacation and you did no work to
38:02
prepare for it. Now I guess that's possible, But
38:05
for most of us, especially when you go on a family vacation,
38:09
there are untold amounts of work that need to go into the
38:12
preparing for planning, for reserving, paying for packing,
38:17
for taking care of all of the house and the yard and any pets.
38:23
And there's incredible amounts of work that go into the process
38:28
of striving to enter into rest. Now stop and think about that in
38:34
a Sabbath day perspective. How much work do we put into
38:40
entering into the Sabbath day rest so that when the Sabbath
38:44
day does come, it isn't a day that is harried or that is
38:49
filled with anxiety and rushing here and there and everywhere.
38:52
But it's a day where we can truly set aside our worth,
38:55
worldly cares, our our work, and we can enter into that rest.
39:02
Are there things that we could do better?
39:03
Perhaps on Saturday? Saturday is a special day.
39:07
It's a day we get ready for Sunday, that old primary song.
39:12
What are things we could do so that once the Sabbath comes, it
39:16
is truly a delight, A day of rest for us, That we can sit
39:21
there at the table of the Lord and enjoy the sacrament and have
39:26
it be a rejuvenating, regenerating kind of an
39:29
experience, rather than sitting there all panicked because we've
39:32
got other worldly cares that we haven't set aside.
39:37
We haven't done the proper work to be able to fully enter into
39:41
that rest. It's just something to consider.
39:43
Building on this, I think about some Book of Mormon leaders.
39:46
We have King Benjamin who laborers.
39:49
He pours out his life working for the people to enter into
39:54
divine rest. His son we also have Mosiah does
39:57
the does the same thing. You have Alma in the Book of
40:00
Mormon or in in his book where he can't rest.
40:04
He needs to go out and preach so that he can have eventually
40:07
divine rest. And the opposite of that smack
40:10
dab in the middle of Benjamin and Mosiah who work hard so that
40:14
people can experience divine rest is you have King Noah and
40:19
what does he do? He gluts himself.
40:23
On the labor and work of other people, it's an interesting
40:27
example of what leaders shouldn't be doing.
40:30
The role of a leader is to work hard on behalf of other people.
40:35
Noah did the opposite. He had people working hard so
40:38
that he could rest. Guess what Noah's name means in
40:42
Hebrew. Rest.
40:45
He's this lazy king who's glutting himself on the labor of
40:50
others, and so Jesus has already done all the work for us.
40:54
He's now asked us to join him in the effort.
40:57
And if we are ever put in any kind of position of
40:59
responsibility, it is not so. We can rest from our laborers,
41:03
but it gives us an opportunity to labor a bit more on behalf of
41:08
other people in the great work of God to bring people into the
41:13
divine Rest. And all these themes show up
41:15
here in the pistol to the Hebrews.
41:18
So now that brings us to another item we can throw over on this
41:22
list, the High Priest. Now that word or those two words
41:30
are significant to a Hebrew audience.
41:33
Why? Because it's the High Priest who
41:36
is the only person who gets to go into the symbolic
41:40
metaphorical presence of God in the Holy of Holies, passing
41:43
through the veil one time every year.
41:46
It's on Yom Kippur Day of Atonement and only the High
41:50
Priest gets to do that. Look at verse 14.
41:53
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into
41:58
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
42:03
profession. He's saying, look, your high
42:05
priest down in Jerusalem, he's going into the symbolic presence
42:08
of God in the Holy of Holies in the temple.
42:10
But our high priest, our great high priest, he passed through
42:14
the real veil and went into heaven into the literal presence
42:18
of God. Nothing symbolic or metaphorical
42:20
about that. So our high priest Jesus Christ,
42:24
is greater than your high priest Hebrews.
42:28
He's setting up the inequality yet again.
42:31
For we have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the
42:34
feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like
42:38
as we are yet without sin. Our High priest was tempted on
42:44
every front, but he never once gave in.
42:47
And then this powerful conclusion.
42:50
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
42:56
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help.
43:00
In time of need, that's so different than, say, the ancient
43:04
Jewish high priest. The ancient Jewish high priest
43:07
did not create a pathway for all Jewish people to go into the
43:12
symbolic presence of God. It was simply one man, once a
43:15
year, representing everybody for Jesus.
43:19
Everybody is now allowed in, and this is one of the best
43:23
summaries of that. To move boldly, to seek after
43:28
mercy and grace. I love that strong invitation.
43:31
It's. Powerful.
43:32
And we'll pick that up again next week in the second-half of
43:36
Hebrews, where where it gets developed even further.
43:39
This idea that the temple and Tabernacle motif of passing
43:43
through the veil into the presence of God, We'll hit that
43:45
really hard in chapter 10. Look at chapter 5 now for every
43:49
high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things
43:53
pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices
43:56
for sins. So.
43:59
He's making these gifts and offerings as a sacrifice for
44:02
sin, but those are symbolic. Those are metaphors.
44:05
So the high priest and all of the sacrifices that he makes, or
44:10
any of the priests for that matter in the temple, they're
44:13
not nearly on the level of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice as our
44:19
great high priest. So once again, showing the
44:21
supremacy of what the Savior offers compared to what they're
44:26
holding on to. Now verse four, no man taketh
44:32
this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was
44:35
Aaron. No man becomes the high priest
44:38
because he wakes up one morning and says I'm feeling like I am a
44:43
high priest and somehow anoints himself or lays hands on
44:48
himself, or appoints himself to this role as the high priest who
44:52
has to be a literal descendant of Aaron.
44:55
Preferably Father to Son in its in its pedigree.
45:00
Notice verse 5. So also Christ glorified not
45:04
himself to be made in high Priest, but he that said unto
45:07
him, Thou art my son today have I begotten thee.
45:13
Jesus didn't take it upon himself.
45:15
God gave it to him, just like the Savior gave it to Aaron in
45:20
the Old Testament and his sons after him.
45:24
As he said, saith also in another place, thou art a priest
45:26
forever after the order of Melchizedek.
45:29
This one's interesting, because who do the Jews like to say is
45:33
their father Abraham? And who did Abraham pay tithes
45:38
to? To Melchizedek, this great high
45:41
priest. And so with a with a double
45:43
lesson, we're getting in this epistle that Jesus is greater
45:48
even than Abraham because Abraham paid to Melchizedek.
45:52
So Melchizedek obviously was greater than Abraham and Jesus
45:55
is now better than both of them. Yeah, so you'd add Abraham to
45:58
our list over here. We would add Melchizedek.
46:01
And I'm going to use the Hebrew, not the Greek spelling that we
46:04
have here, Melchizedek. Melchizedek had a priesthood,
46:10
and Christ is after the order of Melchizedek, not after the order
46:14
of Aaron and the high priests that come from Aaron.
46:18
Jesus isn't in that line. He gets his priesthood the same
46:21
way Melchizedek got his straight from God as well, and it's a
46:25
higher priesthood than the one that you're using in your
46:28
sacrifices in the temple. Look at verse seven, who in the
46:33
days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and
46:36
supplication with strong crying and tears unto him that was able
46:39
to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.
46:43
That's a description of Melchizedek, the king of Salem.
46:46
We know so little about him from the Bible.
46:49
The doctor in Covenant section One, O 7 and a few other
46:51
sections refer to him and give us a little more detail about
46:54
him, but he's the king of Salem or the King of Peace.
46:59
Who's the ultimate king of Peace?
47:01
The Prince of Peace? The king who comes to Salem or
47:05
Jerusalem? That's Jesus Christ verse eight.
47:10
Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the
47:15
things which he suffered. Did you catch it?
47:19
There it is again. We talked about that back in in
47:21
the opening chapters that there's something about
47:25
suffering that teaches us obedience, that purges our soul,
47:32
that purifies us, that somehow makes us better.
47:37
Verse 9. And being made perfect, he
47:39
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
47:42
obey him. Notice obedience in verse 8.
47:46
And obey him in verse 9. There's a lot more going on in
47:50
this epistle. And just confess.
47:53
Christ, love the Lord and you're good.
47:56
That's all you need to do there. There's a lot more happening
47:59
here with this turning to the Lord in great obedience.
48:03
And it's important. Sometimes in the Church we have
48:07
this disease called perfectionism where we feel like
48:10
it is our job to perfect ourselves.
48:12
And then once we're done, then we'll say to Jesus, TA dah, I'm
48:15
like you. Can I now be entered into your
48:17
presence being made perfect or complete or whole or oriented
48:25
towards a larger purpose? This word perfect is actually a
48:28
very significant word that has lots of expansive meanings far
48:34
beyond just not having sin anymore in our lives.
48:37
It's about achieving our greatest potential, which is
48:41
only possible when we're in that covenant to relationship with
48:44
God. Which now brings us to our last
48:46
chapter for today, Chapter 6. Therefore, So the therefore is
48:53
a. It's this connecting word
48:55
between what we just got through talking about with this chapter
48:59
5, this suffering and this obedience and the sacrifices
49:03
that we're making. Therefore, leaving the
49:07
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
49:11
perfection. Joseph Smith changed that verse
49:14
with a really critical word. Because if you're not careful,
49:18
you'll read this and feel like, Oh well, when we grow up in the
49:23
gospel, then we can leave the principles of the doctrine of
49:26
Christ and we can kind of grow up and and move on unto
49:29
perfection. We can look beyond the mark.
49:31
And there have been many. An individual and many a group
49:36
in the history of our church who have got gotten caught up in
49:41
this seeking for perfection and looking to this idea of of I've
49:48
got to be better than good now and I've got to have these
49:52
higher visions myself and I've got to grow up.
49:55
I don't need the the little elements that we talk about in
49:59
in Gospel doctrine or in primary anymore because.
50:02
Those were milk, and I want the strong meat, which is referred
50:07
to back in chapter 5, verse 13 and 14.
50:10
The word that Joseph Smith added to verse one was the word not so
50:15
it would read. Therefore not leaving the
50:18
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to
50:22
perfection. And this is an inspired change,
50:25
because what this epistle's really saying is we're now
50:28
moving on to the next stage of the argument.
50:31
We're not leaving them behind permanently because they don't
50:33
care about them, but we have laid a foundation.
50:36
We're now building upon it. If we could go back and say to
50:38
the author, you use the word we're going to now build upon
50:41
the doctrine of Christ, it would have made even more sense.
50:44
But that is really what's intended here.
50:46
And so Joseph Smith's inspired update helps us to make sense
50:50
that we are not walking away from the doctrine of Christ.
50:53
So one possible way to to read this verse.
50:57
Combined with the 2 verses that came right before it connected
51:00
with the therefore remembering that the chapter breaks and the
51:04
verse breaks. Those are all very late
51:07
editions. It used to all just be 1 long
51:09
run on sentence with no punctuation and no spaces for
51:12
that matter. So keep that in mind as you then
51:15
look at verse one through this lens.
51:18
Potentially, therefore not leaving the principles of the
51:21
doctrine of Christ that could refer back to the milk.
51:24
Those that you teach, those first principles and ordinances
51:27
first, the milk of the gospel, let us go on unto perfection.
51:33
Or verse 14, the strong meat, those doctrines that are maybe a
51:38
little harder to grasp when you're in primary or maybe even
51:43
in seminary to some degree or another, but you you continue to
51:47
grow, the second-half of verse one says, not laying again the
51:51
foundation of repentance from dead works.
51:54
And of faith toward God. So those first principles,
51:59
they're laying at the foundation, verse two, of the
52:01
doctrine of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of
52:05
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement.
52:09
Those are more principles and ordinances of the gospel.
52:14
And then verse 3. And this will we do if God
52:17
permit, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened
52:21
and have tasted of the heavenly gift.
52:23
Men were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the
52:26
good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they
52:29
shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing
52:32
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to
52:37
an open shame. This would be wording and
52:41
phrases that Joseph Smith used and repeated when asked
52:44
questions about sons of perdition and outer darkness.
52:47
He would re refer to Hebrews chapter 6 and use some of this
52:50
language. That these were people who
52:53
knowingly are crucifying unto themselves the Son of God
52:57
afresh. Is there any wonder why so many
53:01
prophets and apostles have told us that sons of perdition and
53:06
those in outer darkness, the number will not be large,
53:09
because you have to be so obviously high and partakers of
53:14
the heavenly gift, and then to turn against him that.
53:19
It's just not happening to that degree in our DNH.
53:22
I don't think that the ancient prophets were intending to spook
53:26
anybody, but they were just describing.
53:28
There are there are a few individuals out there who who,
53:32
knowing better, have turned to ultimate hate and anger of
53:38
ultimate rejection. Jesus Christ truly wanting to
53:40
crucify them again. And I think most people who just
53:43
want to be have better lives, that's not how they feel.
53:47
So now we we come to this final column of chapter 6.
53:50
Let's pick up in verse 12 that ye be not slothful, but
53:55
followers of them who, through faith and patience inherit the
53:59
promises. For when God made promise to
54:02
Abraham because he could swear by no greater, he swear by
54:05
himself. You'll see that in the Book of
54:07
Mormon, as the Lord liveth or by the throne of God, and there's
54:12
nothing more sure than God's reality.
54:16
And so this epistle's even pointing that out that God had
54:19
nothing bigger to swear by other than himself.
54:23
Let's back to what here? That Jesus Christ.
54:26
He is the ultimate foundation for all answers, which is the
54:31
foundation for the words. Swearing is to say something in
54:35
truth. Which look at what he was
54:38
promising. Look what he was swearing in.
54:41
Truth. Saying verse 14, surely blessing
54:45
I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply
54:50
thee. He's making you a promise by
54:52
nothing higher than his own name, 'cause there is nothing
54:55
higher than that, and he's saying, I will bless you and
54:59
verse the bottom of verse 14 is and multiplying I will multiply
55:04
thee. And so, after he had patiently
55:06
endured, he obtained the promise.
55:08
Now that's Abraham, which is important because Abraham paid
55:12
ties to Melchizedek. And one of the key reasons for
55:16
all those stories of Abraham, 13 chapters, 26% of the book of
55:20
Genesis is dedicated to Abraham and Sarah and their
55:24
faithfulness, or rather their trust that God was greater than
55:30
everything and would fulfill these promises of multiplying.
55:33
And it turns out you are a child of Abraham and Sarah.
55:38
The promises are all the same and you we we can endure and
55:44
also receive the great prize. The invitation is, are we
55:48
willing to trust God and to be in that trustworthy relationship
55:52
of covenants? Now those covenants that that
55:54
are being talked about more than ever before in General
55:57
Conference and as we see them coming out of the scripture
56:01
page, probably with better eyes than ever before as a collective
56:06
group in the church. So let's pick it up in verse 16.
56:10
For men verily swear by the greater and an oath.
56:14
For confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
56:18
This covenantal promise, this connection, it it should end all
56:22
strife. It's also when we make
56:24
covenants, we make them in the name of Jesus Christ.
56:28
Think about sacrament. You do all that in the name of
56:31
Jesus Christ. There was a beautiful, powerful
56:33
talk by President Nelson in the morning session, April 2023
56:39
General conference and he talked about as followers of Jesus
56:42
Christ, we should be peacemakers.
56:44
And when we make promises and oaths in the name of Jesus
56:48
Christ we're promising. We want to strive to be more
56:51
like him and he is the ultimate peacemaker and peace creator and
56:56
peacekeeper. So if you want to see where that
57:00
oath shows up, great chapters to review is Genesis chapter 12,
57:04
verses one through 3, Genesis 15, where there's the cutting of
57:10
the animals and God, symbolized by fire, passes between the
57:15
animals confirming the oath. He will fill the promises that
57:19
were made to Abraham and also definitely Genesis chapter 17.
57:23
So these are all in the background when we're reading
57:26
this epistle. And for the hearers originally
57:29
who heard this, they would have known all this stuff.
57:31
And it's helpful for us to kind of pause every now and then and
57:33
say, all right, what were those Old Testament references that I
57:36
didn't memorize like the Jews 2000 years ago?
57:40
So look at verse 18 that by two immutable things.
57:47
The this idea of it's immutable. You can't, you can't take it
57:51
away. It is, sure, steadfast, firm,
57:55
immovable. Two immutable things in which it
57:58
was impossible for God to lie. We might have a strong
58:02
consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope
58:06
set before us. That's a lot of fancy words in
58:10
English to teach a really profound attribute of God.
58:14
He is a God of truth. He cannot lie.
58:17
He won't tell us certain things that we need to do or to believe
58:21
in, only to have us get up to the judgment bar and have him
58:24
say. Oh, actually, I changed my mind.
58:27
You can trust him. His his word is greater than all
58:32
of the rest of the world's assurance that it can give you.
58:35
Combined, it's immutable. This this is super important.
58:40
It's worth underlying circling, highlighting that in all the
58:45
discussion of covenants, we talk about our obligation to God.
58:49
It's deeply important. This is throughout the
58:51
scriptures. They're trying to convey God's
58:55
eternal, trustworthy nature as a covenant maker and a covenant
59:00
keeper. Yes, we make covenants and we
59:02
should keep covenants, but ultimately, the greatest person
59:05
who ever make and keep covenants is God himself, and we can learn
59:11
from his model. So if you ever feel at any
59:14
moment that you're feeling some struggle in keeping covenants,
59:19
just remember that God will always to keep His covenant.
59:24
That's partly what we're hearing here.
59:26
Among other things. Trust God.
59:29
He will never lie. He cannot break the covenants
59:33
that he has made to give you access to salvation if you are
59:38
willing to choose it with your agency.
59:41
Now look at how he finishes that concept.
59:43
Powerful words here in verse 19 and 20 which hope we have as an
59:48
anchor of the soul. Both sure and steadfast, which
59:53
enters into that within the veil.
59:55
It's talking about Jesus Christ being an anchor torso.
1:00:00
Why? Because he is the one who is
1:00:02
able to enter into the veil as our high priest and go into the
1:00:07
presence of God. The real veil, not the veil in
1:00:09
the temple. That is simply a a symbol or a
1:00:12
metaphor for the real thing that he has entered in into.
1:00:17
All of that. That's within the veil, the
1:00:19
heavenly. Verse 20 Whither the Forerunner
1:00:22
Is for us entered even Jesus made in High Priest forever
1:00:27
after the order of Melchizedek. And we'll pick up the
1:00:32
Melchizedek Priesthood motif at the beginning of next week's
1:00:36
lesson when we start in Chapter 7 to finish off this first
1:00:40
lesson in the Epistle to the Hebrews once again, the
1:00:45
messages. Jesus Christ is greater than and
1:00:49
you can fill in the blank with anything you want.
1:00:51
He is greater than everything this world has, whether it be
1:00:55
secular or spiritual. In nature.
1:00:57
Christ is the fulfillment, the embodiment of all of the good
1:01:02
symbols, and he completely overshadows and overpowers all
1:01:06
of the the negative and the bad stuff that this world has to
1:01:09
throw at us. So ultimately, Jesus Christ
1:01:13
himself is greater than my vadnais, than my imperfection,
1:01:17
than my trials, than my sufferings, than my opposition,
1:01:23
than my temptations. And you can keep going and
1:01:25
filling in that blank with all kinds of things.
1:01:27
Christ is greater than they all. And we leave that with you.
1:01:32
In the name of he who is greatest of all Jesus Christ.
1:01:37
Amen. Know that you're loved.
1:01:40
And spread light and goodness.