Mission City Church w/ Pastor Josh Hershey

“The Book of Hebrews” (Part 14)

Today we will finish our way through “the hall of faith” of Hebrews 11. In this section of Hebrews the author is basically “name dropping.” Dozens of stories are mentioned or alluded and we are shown there is much to glean from the lives of the faithful(l) who have gone before us. By faith strongholds come tumbling down (Heb 11:30), God’s salvation is “received” (Heb 11:31), the weak become strong and manifest miracles (Heb 11:32-35), and we are enabled to bear crosses and deny ourselves (Heb 11:35-40). Christ in us is enough to author and perfect our lives faithful(l)ness!

God truly desires for us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is for us, and loves us, and has has taken away our sins. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are all harmonizing in a victorious song to the finished work of Christ on the cross. Because Christ’s flesh was torn, we can enter into the Edenic pleasure that was lost. And through the torn body we see the loving heart of God, and can come boldly into His presence. At the same time, those who refuse the gift of this great love and salvation, those who scorn the spirit of grace and shrink back in unbelief, have only judgment and punishment as an alternative. There is no safety and life outside of the Good Shepherd. And as we continue to live this life we live understanding that this world is not our home. We are just pilgrims passing through. We walk by faith, not sight. Join us as we look at Hebrews 10-11.

The Father never took pleasure in the pools of blood made by the sacrifices of bulls and goats (Heb. 10:5). Rather, His pleasure was in what those sacrifices were a faint picture of—the offering of His Son’s body on the Cross. Christ on the Cross was THE Sacrifice to end all sacrifices (Heb. 10:9). It is at the cross where we are brought into a new and eternal covenant with God. It is at the cross where we are perfected and made holy (Heb. 10:10). The work of the cross is a finished work (Heb. 10:12) and that work has enabled us to walk in a CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with the Father rather than attempting to relate to Him through RELIGIOUS RITUAL. Join us as we continue looking at the book of Hebrews!

In chapter 9 of Hebrews we are shown some ways in which the Old Covenant shadowed the New Covenant and what we can learn about Christ through those shadows. We also are shown how the ONE SACRIFICE of the New Covenant—Christ on the Cross—is FAR GREATER than the millions of sacrifices under the Old Covenant. Seeing and being grasped by the sacrifice of Christ frees us to serve God in a more intimate way than Israelite priests ever could have. God truly desires to be part of our lives. And He has purposed to be part of our lives by sending His Son Jesus. What a joy to have Jesus!

In chapter 8 of Hebrews we get to explore the great prophecy about the NEW COVENANT in the book of Jeremiah. We are told that this covenant is better than the old one because it is based on BETTER PROMISES. We move from the “shadow lands” of the law to real deal in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ is all we need and in Him there is one blessing after another. JOIN US as we continue this journey through Hebrews!

Chapter 6 of Hebrews ended by saying that Jesus entered heaven as a “High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 6:20). Chapter 7 of Hebrews unpacks this powerful truth. JOIN US as we dig into who Christ as our Melchizedekian high priest! He is a KING of Righteousness and Peace and a PRIEST much greater than any Levitical priest under the Mosaic Law. Through His eternal priesthood the law has been changed and we have been recipients of SEVERAL benefits. One, we can now DRAW NEAR to him rather than be held back by the barriers of the Law. Two, He SAVES US TO THE UTTERMOST (Jesus is no “half way” savior). Three, He lives forever INTERCEDING FOR YOU. This priest rules from a throne of GRACE and gives REST to our souls!

Jesus has BETTER THINGS in store for those who are patiently trusting His promises (Heb. 6:9). He wants us to not just stick with the ABCs of the faith but move on in maturity (Heb. 6:1-3). To drink in His word (Heb. 6:7-8), continue in a labor of love toward our neighbor (Heb. 6:10), and have confidence in God’s immutable Word and Oath as a sure anchor for our souls in the storms of this life (Heb. 6:18). Christ has entered into heaven as our forerunner (Heb. 6:20). He is praying for us. And we can build our lives around the solid rock of His Word and Promises. Join us as we journey through Hebrews 6 and continue to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith…

Jesus is our representative before God. He is the One who offers the sacrifice for sin. He is compassionate and gentle on the ignorant and those going astray. He has been appointed by God as our high priest for all eternity. The suffering, anguish, and pain that he experienced was at a level of intensity that none of us will ever experience. That means we can go to him for anything. God wants us to grow up and dive deep into the truths of Jesus Christ. He wants us to hunger for the meat of Christ and be skilled in the word of righteousness. Feast with us this morning as we unveil our Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek today from Hebrews chapter five.

The past 3 weeks we have seen how JESUS IS GREATER than the angels and Moses (Heb. 1-3). Today we will learn how Jesus is greater than Joshua! Joshua was not able to lead the Israelites into God’s promised rest (Heb. 4:8). But God doesn’t slam the door on His promises (Heb. 4:6-7). He is ever faithful. The promise to enter into His rest and cease from our works just as He did from His is open to us today! (Heb. 4:10). When Jesus says He will give us rest when we come to Him, we can take that to the bank (Matt. 10:28). Jesus doesn’t lie. His promises are good. We are to make every effort to enter into the rest of our Lord (Heb. 4:11). For from that position we are happy, at peace, and fruitful. We are confident in the One who loves us and sits on a throne of grace! (Heb 4:16).