Let me invite you to join me in your copy of God's Word in Hebrews chapter 7.
We had yesterday a 10-year family reunion for the church, and I'm tired.
! Maybe that's why words aren't coming out of my mouth the way they should.
Our text for this morning is Hebrews chapter 7, verses 11 through 19 as we continue our verse-by-verse study.
Of this letter. Before I read it, beloved, let me remind you this is God's Word to us written for His glory and our good.
So we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
Verse 11 of Hebrews chapter 7.
Now, if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law,
what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek,
rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests.
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,
who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent,
but by the power of an indestructible life.
For it is witnessed of him, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness,
for the law made nothing perfect.
But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
Before we begin our consideration of this morning's text about Melchizedek,
I would like to re-deliver the summary I gave you last week of the author of Hebrews,
when he begins mentioning Melchizedek back in chapter 5.
Recall that the author first mentioned him in speaking of Jesus' earthly priesthood.
He goes on in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 11 to say,
about this we have much to say.
And he's referring to Jesus' Melchizedekian priesthood.
And it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
So he stops to rebuke this little, tired, suffering church.
This letter is meant to be pressing them on in their faithful endurance.
And he stops at this point and rebukes them.
He says, you have become dull of hearing.
And he warns them against apostasy, against abandoning the faith altogether.
And he then exhorts his hearers to faithful and patient endurance
to inherit the promises, chapter 6 and verse 12.
And he roots the surety of those promises in Jesus' person and work.
Chapter 6, verses 19 and 20.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.
A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.
Where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.
Having become a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
So we've been following an arc, I pointed out to you last week,
over about seven or eight weeks.
Beginning in chapter 5, verse 10.
Being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
To, verse 20 of chapter 6.
Having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
He picks back up that theme here again.
So, we've come back to our author.
Explaining the significance of what it means that Jesus is a Melchizedekian priest.
In the beginning of chapter 7, we saw last week that Melchizedek foreshadows Christ's offices.
That he foreshadows Christ's qualifications.
And that he foreshadows Christ's superiority.
And the author is driving his original hearers and us in our study this morning.
To this point found in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 25.
Consequently, he, being Christ, is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God.
Through him, being Christ.
Since he always lives to make intercession for them.
This is the case that is being built.
It's that Christ is able to save forever.
To be able to save perfectly all those who come to God through him because he lives.
And because he lives, he intercedes for us.
You see, the Hebrew believers were being tempted through their suffering to abandon their faith.
And go back to the comfort of Judaism.
And the author of this letter wants them to avoid doing so.
Out of a great pastoral care for them.
He's saying, don't go back.
Don't make shipwreck of your faith.
Continue to pursue Christ.
He wants to see them and us faithful to the end.
The question for us is, will we persevere?
Will we persevere?
Now, if we are Christ, we most certainly will.
But we are living in that time right now.
Will I be faithful to the end?
Now, we most likely will not be tempted to turn to Judaism.
But we very well may be tempted in the trial of life, in the discomfort of living as a people for the praise of God,
to turn to some other religion of the world.
And this is the simplicity of it.
You have two basic religions in the world.
And everybody ascribes to one of the two.
The one that we're commending this morning is to place your faith in Jesus Christ.
Saving faith.
To throw all of yourself on Him.
Turn from your sin.
And plead His person and His work for the salvation of your soul.
The other, in whatever form it takes,
merely works to be found right before God.
Whether a person recognizes that there is a God,
will be good enough in some measure,
will live by their own command and their own rule.
Everyone who doesn't place believing faith in Christ,
who doesn't recognize that nothing they can do can make them accepted,
can make them right,
is following this way.
And Judaism is that.
It fits in that category.
So we're not so different from the Hebrew believers.
Temple worship was meant to point to something greater.
It was meant to say to the Hebrews,
not this,
but this is a dress rehearsal for something much grander.
We want you to see what you really need
as this ironic worship is carried out.
Now, an example of a failure to persevere,
as far as we can tell,
has come to light just in the past couple of weeks.
Some of you may be familiar with Josh Harris.
Wrote half a dozen books.
I Kissed Dating Goodbye is the most popular of them.
Not the best of them,
but the most popular of them.
Pastored a Sovereign Grace church for 14 years,
I believe.
He recently announced on social media
that he was divorcing his wife.
Prior to that,
he had just repudiated a bunch of his writing.
He's divorcing his wife,
and just here recently,
has decided that he's no longer a Christian.
I want to read to you,
this is the post that he put on Instagram,
and I do this with a heavy heart.
I don't,
none of this is standing in judgment of Josh Harris,
but to help you to see the danger,
outward appearance.
Who would have ever thought,
who would have ever thought
we'd be reading these words
written by Josh Harris?
He says,
My heart is full of gratitude.
I wish you could see all the messages
people sent me after the announcement
of my divorce.
They are expressions of love,
though they are saddened
or even strongly disapprove of the decision.
I am learning that no group
has the market cornered on grace.
This week,
I have received grace from Christians,
atheists,
evangelicals,
ex-evangelicals,
straight people,
LGBTQ people,
and everyone in between.
Of course,
there have also been strong words of rebuke
from religious people.
While not always pleasant,
I know they are seeking to love me.
They have also been spiteful,
hateful comments that angered and hurt me.
The information that was left out
of our announcement
concerning the divorce
is that I have undergone
a massive shift
in regard to my faith in Jesus.
The popular phrase for this
is deconstruction.
The biblical phrase
is falling away.
By all the measurements that I have
for defining a Christian,
I am not a Christian.
And I appreciate he's at least
intellectually honest.
He's willing to take the Bible
as the framework for Christianity.
But he's saying,
I can't call myself that
any longer.
He goes on,
Many people tell me
that there is a different way
to practice faith.
And I want to remain open to this,
but I'm not there now.
Then he quotes Martin Luther,
which is interesting.
But he says,
Martin Luther said
that the entire life of believers
should be repentance.
There's beauty in that sentiment
regardless of your view of God.
I have lived in repentance
for the past several years,
repenting of my self-righteousness,
my fear-based approach to life,
the teaching of my books,
my views of women in the church,
and my approach to parenting,
to name a few.
But I specifically want to add
to this list now
to the LGBTQ plus community,
I want to say that I'm sorry
for the views that I taught in my books
and as a pastor regarding sexuality.
I regret standing against marriage equality,
for not affirming you
and your place in the church,
and for any ways that my writing
and speaking contributed
to a culture of exclusion and bigotry.
I hope you can forgive me.
Now, there's certainly a lot of sentiment
in there that's good and healthy.
There's some things he says
that you can say,
yes, well, we would want to apologize
for contributing to cultures of bigotry,
to be sure.
But you can see the way in which it seems
as if he's entirely abandoned
the gospel of Jesus Christ,
even at his admission.
Now, we cannot know with any finality
what is going on in the soul of Josh Harris.
I'd invite you to join me in praying for him.
He has many close friends
who are walking beside him
and working with him.
I've even seen him tongue-in-cheek say
they're welcome to hang out with him
because now it would be considered evangelism.
We would like to think
that Josh has come to just a low place
in his life
and he is, in fact, in Christ.
But, either way,
this points to the reality
that the danger is real.
The temptation is out there.
He, as a public figure,
got a lot of heat.
And he found himself,
rather than standing firm in Christ,
Christ being the anchor of his soul
and pressing on in truth,
abandoning faith.
Abandoning it for something else.
The temptation is there.
And as you continue in your pursuit
of a life pleasing to God
in Christ Jesus,
you will experience trial
and you will experience discomfort.
Hold, beloved.
Hold.
This is the message of Hebrews.
And this morning's text
makes this point
by showing us two things.
Number one,
the insufficiency
of the Aaronic priesthood
and the Old Covenant.
And two,
the sufficiency
of the Melchizedekian priesthood
and the New Covenant.
If you're taking notes,
you could just say
insufficiency, O-T,
insufficiency, N-T.
First,
the insufficiency
of the Aaronic priesthood
and the Old Covenant.
See this in verses 11 through 14.
Now, if perfection
had been attainable
through the Levitical priesthood,
for under it
the people received the law,
what further need
would there have been
for another priest
to arise
after the order of Melchizedek
rather than one named
after the order of Aaron?
For when there is a change
in the priesthood,
there is necessarily
a change in the law as well.
For the one of whom
these things are spoken
belong to another tribe
from which no one
has ever served
at the altar.
For it is evident
that our Lord
was descended from Judah
and in connection
with that tribe,
Moses said nothing
about priests.
Now, we talk about this
a bit at length
about the different order
and why it was
that Christ came from
the Melchizedekian order
versus the Aaronic order
and he's just continuing
to make that point here.
He's saying,
if the law had been able
to make us perfect,
then why not just have
another priest in the order
of Aaron?
But because it couldn't,
verse 11 is making this point,
if perfection had been attainable,
they couldn't bring about perfection,
then a different type of priest
was necessary.
A different priest
that came from
a different line.
Jesus coming from,
verse 14,
the line of Judah
was not allowed to serve
as an Aaronic priest,
a Levitical priest,
but he was appointed by God,
not because he was
in a lineage of man,
but because God
appointed him
a priest.
And this idea of perfection,
we very quickly
think of it
in terms of maturity,
being grown up in.
Now, certainly,
if you were able
to keep the law perfectly,
you could attain
to such perfection.
But the meaning
is a bit broader than that,
and we get a clue of that
as we look further down
in the text,
the parenthetical
in verse 19,
where the writer of Hebrews says,
for the law made
nothing perfect.
Same Greek word.
And he ties it
into this idea
of being able
to draw near
to God.
So it's an ability
to have unfettered access
to God.
And the law
could not
accomplish this.
Now,
that does not exclude
the ability
of the God-worshippers
under the Old Covenant
to draw near to God,
but the author
is driving us toward
and speaking
of a better hope.
They had a
fettered access
to God.
We now,
in Christ,
because he is
the better hope,
have an
unfettered
access.
God dwelt
in a tabernacle,
in an inner place
called the Holy of Holies,
and then in a temple,
in an inner place
called the Holy of Holies.
This is where his
presence was.
It wasn't amongst
and in his people.
It was in a
place.
And they could
draw near
by visiting
the temple.
They had to remain
outside the Holy of Holies
through much
sacrifice,
through much
cleansing,
all of these
rites
and rituals
that were meant
to point to
a greater
sacrifice,
meant to point
to a greater
cleansing.
And I wish,
I wish that we
could just get
an injection
of understanding,
a feeling
of the weightiness
of that temple
worship.
We are so far
removed from that.
Our minds,
when we see
that there's a
better hope
in drawing near
to God,
go,
okay.
these people
would have
had much,
they would have
been consumed
with this idea
of being able
to draw near
to God.
And this was
tied in their
minds,
most often
and regularly
to the temple.
We can see this
all throughout
the Psalms.
C.S. Lewis
in his work
Reflections on the
Psalms
wrote this,
these poets
knew far less
reason than we
for loving God.
Yet they express
a longing for Him,
for His mere
presence,
which comes only
to the best
Christians or to
Christians in
their best moments.
They long
to live all
their days
in the temple
so that they
may constantly
see the fair
beauty of the
Lord.
Psalm 27
in verse 4.
Their longing
to go up to
Jerusalem and
appear before
the presence of
God is like
a physical
thirst.
Psalm 42.
From Jerusalem
His presence
flashes out
in perfect
beauty.
Psalm 50
verse 2.
Lacking
that encounter
with Him,
their souls
are parched
like a waterless
countryside.
Psalm 63
verse 2.
They crave
to be satisfied
with the pleasures
of His house.
Psalm 65
and verse 4.
Only there
can they be
at ease
like a bird
in a nest.
Psalm 84
and verse 3.
One day
of those
pleasures
is better
than a lifetime
spent
elsewhere.
Psalm 20.
So,
they seem
to comprehend
these inspired
psalmists.
The beauty
of being
in the presence
of God
and they
tied it
to this
place.
Beloved,
we don't
have a place.
We are
a people.
Praise God
that He
now indwells
us
and gathers
us together
for times
such as this.
The law
could not
atone
for sin,
grant
a clean
conscience,
or provide
unfettered
access
to God.
The author
of Hebrews
makes this
point throughout
the letter.
The law
could not
atone
for sin,
could not
pay the
price
that was
due
our sin.
The law
makes us
painfully aware
that the price
needs to be
paid.
That none
of us
have perfectly
kept
the law
of God.
And it
is a good
law.
It is a
law that
ought to
be
commended
and
obeyed.
None
of us
have
kept
it.
Most
of us
have been
guilty
at every
point
of it.
And there's
a great
unfathomable
debt
that is
due
because we
are rebels
against the
most holy
God.
The law
serves us
in this
way.
It says
to us
you need
atonement.
There needs
to be
a penalty
paid
for your
rebellion.
But the
law
itself
could not
atone
for sin.
This
temple
practice,
this
Aaronic
priesthood
was all
about
making
atonement.
And it
was constant.
It was
always
ongoing.
Blood
flowed
constantly
off the
temple
mount.
Again
and again
and again.
There were
sacrifices
of all
kinds.
And there
were sacrifices
made for
the sins
that you
weren't even
aware that
you made.
It was
meant to
be a
system
built
to show
that there
was a
greater
sacrifice
necessary.
The author
of Hebrews
chapter 10
verse 4
says,
For it is
impossible
for the
blood of
bulls
and goats
to take
away sins.
And then
in verse 11
of chapter 10,
And every
priest stands
daily at
his service
offering
repeatedly
the same
sacrifices
which can
never
take away
sins.
being a
Levitical
priest
sounds
exhausting.
I feel like
at the end
of your
shift you
would just
be like,
What are
we doing?
We're going
to have to
pick it up
and do it
again tomorrow.
You would
have hoped
of all
people that
the Levitical
priests would
have been
in the
scripture and
been longing
for that
perfect
sacrifice
that would
take away
the sins
Of the
world.
So the
law could
not atone
for sin.
The law
also could
not grant
a clean
conscience.
We won't
spend much
time talking
about and
thinking about
conscience.
But we
have experienced
a guilty
conscience.
We have
experienced
doing something
that was
offensive to
God and
carrying the
weight of
that offense.
The law
heaps guilt
on the
conscience
to drive us
to Christ.
It cannot
clean.
The
conscience.
Hebrews
chapter 9
last half
of verse
9 says
gifts and
sacrifices are
offered that
cannot perfect
the conscience
of the
worshiper.
Also the
law could
not provide
unfettered
access to
God.
And that's
the point
being made
in verse
11.
Now if
perfection had
been attainable
through the
Levitical
priesthood for
under it
the people
received the
law.
If it
could have
what further
need would
there have
been for
another priest
to arise
after the
order of
Melchizedek?
The law
also cannot
give us
unfettered
access to
God.
However,
praise the
Lord that
this text
speaks
secondly to
the sufficiency
of the
Melchizedekian
priesthood
and the
new covenant.
The Aaronic
and the
old
meant to
point us
to,
to make
us aware
of our
need of
the other.
Verse 15
through the
end of the
text.
This becomes
even more
evident when
another priest
arises in
the likeness
of Melchizedek
who has
become a
priest not
on the
basis of
a legal
requirement
concerning
bodily
descent,
but by
the power
of an
indestructible
life.
For it is
witnessed of
him,
this is
Psalm 110
verse 4,
you are a
priest forever
after the
order of
Melchizedek.
For on the
one hand,
a former
commandment
is set
aside because
of its
weakness
and uselessness,
for the
law made
nothing
perfect.
But on
the other
hand,
a better
hope is
introduced
through
which we
draw near
to God.
So remember
last week,
we talked
a bit
about
this
Melchizedek.
He is a
rather obscure
character in
the Bible.
We read
about him
in Genesis
chapter 14.
You can
get much
of that
information
right here
in the
beginning
of Hebrews
chapter 7.
Abraham
goes out,
fights a
battle.
On his
return from
that battle,
he meets
with this
priest king
Melchizedek
and he
offers to
him a
tithe
of his
spoils of
war.
And this
priest king
blesses
Abraham.
And then he
disappears
from the
pages of
scripture
until in
Psalm 110
and verse
4.
There's this
inspired
revelation
of who
Christ would
be,
where he
says,
you are a
priest forever
after the
order of
Melchizedek.
And I
praise God
for our
inspired text,
for the
New Testament
that gives
us so much
explanation of
the Old
Testament,
that the
writer of
Hebrews
was shown
what all
of this
means for
us.
It's
incredible.
So remember
that Melchizedek
foreshadows
Christ's
offices,
the offices
of king
and of
priest.
Verse 2
chapter 7.
He is first
by translation
of his
name,
king of
Melchizedek,
king of
righteousness,
and then he
is also
king of
Salem.
That is
king of
peace.
He, being
Melchizedek,
foreshadowing
Christ, was
one who
could hold
both offices.
And the
Levitical priests
could not be
kings, and
kings most
certainly could
not be
Levitical
priests.
Much judgment
was brought
upon kings
who tried to
serve in
that role.
So they're
unique, and
they're appointed
uniquely.
Secondly,
Melchizedek
foreshadows
Christ's
qualifications.
He had
no genealogy,
that is no
genealogy by
which to
show himself
a Levitical
priest.
He was
from the
line of
Judah.
Verse 3,
he is
without father
or mother
or genealogy.
We have
no record
of this
in the
text about
Melchizedek,
and has
no beginning
or end.
Again,
interpreting
from silence,
we know
not anything
about
Melchizedek's
beginning
or end,
and this
is meant
to show
us
something
of
Christ.
Right?
But resembling
the Son
of God,
verse 3,
he continues
a priest
forever.
And in
our text
today,
this is
where the
author is
still going.
That's why
I'm reminding
you of
this.
Because in
verse 16
and 17,
he's making
that point
once again.
Right?
He didn't
become a
priest on
the basis
of a legal
requirement
from the
old covenant,
but by
the power
of an
indestructible
life.
Right?
Put to death
on the cross
but raised
again
three days
later.
He's a
priest
forever,
verse 17,
quoting Psalm
110,
verse 4.
A priest
forever
after the
order
of Melchizedek.
So
significant.
Which is the
third thing
that Melchizedek
foreshadows
for us
about Christ.
Christ's
superiority
over
Abraham,
over
Melchizedek,
over
all.
We see
that the
inferior
tithes
to the
superior
and secondly
the superior
blesses
the inferior
verses 4
through 7.
All of
this is
driving us
to understand
the superiority
of Jesus
Christ.
So
Jesus
Christ,
our
forever
perfect
priest,
atones
for sin,
he grants
a clean
conscience,
and he
provides
unfettered
access
to God.
Why would
you go
back to
the old
is what
the author
of Hebrews
is saying.
Why would
you do
that?
It was
insufficient.
But
Christ
is sufficient.
Jesus
Christ
atones
for sin.
Hebrews
chapter
10
verses
12
14
when
Christ
had
offered
for
all
time
a
single
sacrifice
for
sins.
He
sat
down
at
the
right
hand
of
God
waiting
from
that
time
until
his
enemy
should
be
made
a
footstool
for
his
feet.
For
by
a
single
offering
he
has
perfected
for
all
time
those
who
are
being
sanctified.
So
here
again
is
this
idea
of
perfection.
Having
the
ability
because
we
have
Christ's
righteousness
to
draw
near
to
God.
And
by
what?
What
atones
for
our
sin
in
order
to
bring
us
to
God?
The
sacrifice
of
Christ.
A
single
sacrifice.
Not
continued
sacrifice.
Not
all
day
never
ending
sacrifice.
But
a
single
sacrifice.
He
offered
himself
as
a
perfect
sacrifice
that
we
might
be
perfect
in
him.
And
the
last
half
of
verse
12
is
so
significant
because
the
temple
had
nowhere
to
sit
down.
There
was
no
sitting
furniture
for
the
Levitical
priests.
Why?
Because
they
didn't
have
time
to
sit
down.
When
they
were
working
their
shift
they
were
busy
making
sacrifice
making
sacrifice
making
sacrifice
sins
piling
up
sacrifices
being
made.
It
was
never
enough
because
it
wasn't
meant
to
be.
It
was
meant
to
point
us
to
the
perfect
sacrifice
of
Christ.
So
the
last
half
of
verse
12
says
he
sat
down.
We
know
he
declared
it
is
finished
and
he
sat
down
at
the
right
hand
the
place
of
honor
of
God
the
Father.
One
sacrifice
for
all.
First
Peter
chapter
two
verse
twenty
four
says
the
same
he
himself
bore
our
sins
in
his
body
on
the
tree.
He
took
the
punishment
that
was
due
us.
He
took
it
on
himself.
God
couldn't
overlook
the
sin.
He
had
to
punish
the
sin.
He
punished
it
in
Christ
that
we
might
die
to
sin
and
live
to
righteousness
by
his
wounds
you
have
been
healed.
Jesus
Christ
and
Jesus
Christ
alone
atones
for
sin.
The
law
cannot
accomplish
this.
It
points
us
to
his
accomplishment.
Second
Jesus
Christ
grants
a
clean
conscience.
Having
had
our
sin
atoned
for
we
no
longer
have
to
bear
the
guilt
of
our
sin.
Hebrews
9
verse
14
how
much
more
would
the
blood
of
Christ
who
through
the
eternal
spirit
offered
himself
without
blemish
to
God
purify
our
conscience
!
from
dead
works
to
serve
the
living
God.
What a
glorious
thing
it is
that if
we are
in
Christ
the sins
that we
continue
to
commit
our
flesh
wields
its
ugly
head.
we
forget
who
we
are
in
Jesus
and
we
still
sin
that
sin
was
also
covered
by
the
blood
of
Christ.
Brother,
we don't
need to
do
penance.
We
merely
need
to
do
repentance.
And
repentance
when we
sin
is a
merely
going
that
was
sin.
Praise
God
for
the
cross
of
Christ.
Many
of us
who
take
sin
seriously
want
to
spend
a
period
of
time
mourning
our
sinfulness.
We
want
to
spend
much
time
beating
ourselves
up
over
what
we
have
done.
And
I've
been
asked
the
question,
how
long
should
I
mourn
!
my
sin?
My
answer
is only
as long
as it
takes
to get
you
back
to
the
cross
of
Christ.
Flee
to it
and flee
as fast
as you
can.
Mourn
the sin
on your
way
there,
but
when
you're
there,
recognize
that this
too
was covered
by the
blood of
Christ.
Have your
conscience
made clean.
Don't
bear the
guilt that's
not years
to bear
that Christ
died
for you.
Jesus Christ
grants
a clean
conscience.
The law
could not
do this.
I
imagine
going through
the ritual
practice of it,
living
living in
that day
and the
outskirts
of Jerusalem
and making
the trek
up the
mountain
and buying
the sacrifice
and taking
the sacrifice
to the
Levitical
priest
and him
going
through the
practice
of making
the sacrifice
and turning
around and
feeling the
exact same
way.
Feeling
nothing.
These people
would have
had a faith
that went
beyond the
sacrifice
itself.
Somehow
God is
pleased
as I'm
doing this.
Looking
to
the
ultimate
sacrifice.
Looking
to
the
hope
of a
clean
conscience.
Third,
Jesus Christ
provides
unfettered
access
to God.
There's
nothing
that
restrains
this
access.
You have
to remember
it is so
massively
significant
that when
Jesus died
the temple
curtain
which was
the curtain
that divided
the holy
place
from the
holy
of holies
was
dividing
where people
could go
to where
only one
person
could go
one day
a year
the presence
of God
and he
wasn't there
in Jesus'
day by the
way.
He had
left long
ago.
It was
just an
empty
space.
But there
was a
curtain
still there
and it
signified
something.
You're
unclean.
You can't
come in
here.
This
curtain
was as
thick as
a man's
hand.
My hand's
not very
thick.
It was
thick.
And it
was torn
from the
top
to the
bottom.
Christ
gives us
access
to the
place of
God.
God is
saying you
will no
longer
worship me
in this
way.
There's a
better hope
for you
to draw
near to
me.
Verse 19
for the
law made
nothing
perfect.
But on
the other
hand a
better hope
is
introduced
through
which
this is
Christ
that he's
talking
about.
We
draw
near
to
God.
Verse 25
consequently
he is
able to
save to
the utter
most
those
who
draw
near
to
God
through
him
since
he
always
lives.
Remember
this is
where we're
headed.
He
always
lives
to make
intercession
for them.
Beloved
if you're
in Christ
there's a
reality
that Jesus
right now
is speaking
to the
father on
your behalf.
God
in his
holiness
his
perfect
justice
has a
white
hot
wrath
that burns
against those
who are
rebels
against him.
And Jesus
sits at his
right hand
and says
but not
that one
he's
mine
not her
she's
mine.
Yes
they're
wretched.
Yes
they've
been
rebels
right
but they
believed
in me
right
I took
their
punishment
on the
cross
I've
given
them
my
righteousness
right
they are
in me
and I
am
in
them
they
belong
to
us
forever
God's
wrath
passes
on
it's
the
beautiful
picture
of the
Passover
as the
people
huddled
in their
houses
and the
angel of
death
passed
over
Egypt
because of
the sacrifice
of that
perfect
lamb
put on
the
doorpost
the
angel of
death
would
pass
over
their
houses
right
God's
judgment
moving
beyond
right
because
the
blood
of
Christ
protects
us
John
chapter
14
in
verse
6
Jesus
said
I
am
the
way
and
the
truth
and
the
life
and
no
one
comes
to
the
father
except
through
me
Christ
provides
this
unfettered
access
for us
to
God
he
is
a
better
hope
so
whatever
the
temptation
may
be
to
a
cultural
version
of
Christianity
thing
that
calls
itself
Christian
but
isn't
at
all
to
some
other
philosophy
of
the
West
to
some
other
religious
form
it
won't
be
Judaism
I
don't
think
maybe
Judaism
maybe
that
becomes
the
temptation
for
you
whatever
it
may
be
will
you
persevere
because
everything
else
is
insufficient
it
has
the
same
insufficiency
of the
Aaronic
priesthood
and the
old
covenant
to
save
your
soul
but
faith
by
grace
and
the
person
and
work
of
Jesus
Christ
will
save
you
forever
you
cannot
be
saved
by
your
works
you
must
be
saved
by
the
work
of
Christ
he
is
the
sufficient
Melchizedekian
priest
he
is
the
sacrifice
that
takes
away
our
sin
he
is
the
perfect
law
keeper
that
we
might
have
his
righteousness
and
this
is
the
new
covenant
the
beauty
of
walking
in
Christ
drawing
near
to
God
because
of
his
works
and
not
because
of
our
own
I
want
to
conclude
in
reading
another
text
from
Hebrews
this
is
chapter
10
verses
19
through
23
and
I
am
eager
to
preach
this
text
let
me
just
read
it
and
I'll
close
this
in
prayer
the
author
writes
therefore
brothers
since
we
have
confidence
to
enter
the
holy
places
by
the
blood
of
Jesus
by
the
new
and
living
way
that
he
opened
for
us
through
the
curtain
that
is
through
his
flesh
and
since
we
have
a
great
priest
over
the
house
of
God
let
us
draw
near
with
a
true
heart
in
full
assurance
of
faith
with
our
hearts
sprinkled
clean
from
an
evil
conscience
and
our
bodies
washed
with
pure
water
let
us
hold
fast
the
confession
of
our
hope
without
wavering
for
he
who
promised
is
faithful
join
me in
a
word
of
prayer