Book of Hebrews - Ch. 2, Vs 17-Ch. 3, Vs. 19 (12/02/2001)

The Man Jesus as Merciful and Faithful High Priest

Hebrews 2 17. What do you remember from chapter 1, Joy? That's what I said. What was the main thrust of the chapter? Alright, that's it. It's presenting the man Jesus. The second chapter is what so far, Greg?

Alright, let's let's come to the 17th verse of the second chapter. Wherefore, in all things that behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful, faithful, high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Why was he not made like angels, David? Alright, angels don't die, do not die. It was man that had sinned. Greg, why was he made like man and not angels? That's right. For in that he himself hath, past tense, suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

Now, Russell, was Jesus ever tempted? Alright, that's from whose viewpoint? Alright, from man's viewpoint, he was tempted. Satan did try to tempt Jesus, but Jesus himself was never tempted. How can we say, Greg, that he was tempted?

Alright, when we're tempted by Satan, it means we have opportunity to sin. Did he ever have the opportunity to sin? The opportunity was the testing, but the desire to do wrong was sin. Did he have the desire to do wrong, David?

And a sinful desire is itself a sin. A sinful desire is itself a sin. What was the purpose of testing, of the testing of Jesus, Roger? So he was tempted to show that he could sin, but he didn't sin. The reason that he could not is he did not have the active sin nature.

Now, active sin nature. David, you'll have to explain that. Now, if it's his nature to sin, why didn't Jesus? Alright, Russell, let's take, let's go back to Adam when he was first made. Did he have the sin nature?

Did he have the potential to sin? Alright, he had the potential, but his sin nature had not become active. It becomes active when you act upon it. If Jesus had sinned, it would prove that he was not God.

Is that right, Greg? He was not God in the flesh, that he was not who he said he was, if he had sinned. Moving right along to the third chapter, there's so much that I think I'm leaving out. I just find myself going back over and over, but we'll move on at least today.

Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all adversities and to exercise our gift. Russell, is that a true statement? Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all adversities and to exercise our gift.

He's saying yes. Alright, verse 1. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Jesus Christ. Now he's called an apostle. Roger, what is an apostle?

Alright, but you're leaving out one stage. What is a disciple, Greg? Alright, what is an apostle? Alright, he not only has been taught, but he has been given a commission to go out. Look with open eyes always, believing with expectancy of yet undiscovered depths and powers which may communicate to us.

No one sees the beauty of the countryside who hurries through on the superhighways. We're on the little roads, the back roads, and I hope we can stay on them. The only way an unseen person can have real influence on our life is for us to direct all of our thoughts to him.

Jesus Greater Than Moses and the Covenant House of God

Two, who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all of his house. Now he's going to use Moses as an example here because the Jew generally had too high a regard for Moses.

Our apostle here enters upon a comparison between Jesus, by apostle I mean Paul, between Jesus and Moses. As Moses was faithful, so was Jesus in declaring the will, the whole will of God. Who did he declare it to?

Who did Jesus declare God's will to? God's elect. Why is there a church building today? Why do we have churches? Why did they have the temple? Why do we have churches today? But the real basic reason for having a church, let's go to the temple, for having a temple was what?

That's true. But Roger, why build the temple? You're operating under a handicap, I know, because you haven't seen the temple. But all of the temple focused on what, David? Presence of God. How was the presence of God conveyed to us?

Yes, there. He had a house built so he could dwell with the people. Not for the people to dwell with him, but for him to dwell with the people, a covenant people. Now why is the church here? That's right, so he can dwell with us.

It is a covenant church. We are a covenant people. If we're not, we might as well go home. We are a covenant people under God, and he is here. He's everywhere, more than he was in the temple. All right, the reason for the temple, for the church, is a covenant, a place where he can meet with us.

Did Moses do anything according to the instructions and appointment of God, Greg? Yes. So was Jesus faithful to him that appointed him, doing all that in and for the church which God had commanded him, and nothing else.

Moses did nothing else. Christ did nothing else. That the worship of God in his household, in his family, the church is, for the substance of it, no less perfect and completely ordered and ordained by our Lord Jesus the Christ, now under the gospel, than it was of Moses under the law.

Do you see that? But Christ Jesus is far greater than Moses. Now the manner of celebrating the Passover in every minute circumstance was written down by Moses. How it must be killed, how it was eaten, and Jesus has given it to us for a memorial.

Not the actual killing, not the actual offering of the sacrifice, because he offered himself the sacrifice. The gospel which teaches us a more spiritual way of serving God. That was a physical way. This is a spiritual way.

It's not so peculiar in the circumstantial worship as it was in the law particular, and yet Jesus was faithful to him that appointed him as Moses was faithful in his house. In God's house, Moses was faithful.

Verse three, for this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath built of the house hath more honor than the house. Now he that builds a house, which is greater, the house or the man?

The man. He can go build another house. The house can't. The first comparison, the builder of the house is better than the house itself. Therefore, Jesus is better than Moses. Why? Alright, he built the house.

The reason for the conclusion is this, because the builder of the house is God, which cannot be attributed to Moses, and therefore Moses was not the builder, but a part of the house. But Jesus, as Lord and God, made the house.

For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God. I think that's easy for us to see. The house itself, the materials, everything was made by God. Even down to the building of the house was by God.

Jesus is indeed the builder and Lord of the Christian dispensation with his household of faith. But he has built it as the son under the appointment of the father. He built it as the son of God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after.

The whole ministry of Moses was a testimony. That's all it was. All of his going in and out and his worship and everything was a testimony for us to what would follow later, just a shadow of what was to come.

Christ as Son Over His Own House and the Warning Against Hardness of Heart

But Christ as a son over his own house, whose house are we if or better since we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Now I want to ask you a question. Was Christ the son of God or Jesus the son of God?

Roger? David? That's right. It tells us in the sixth verse, Hebrews 3 .6, but Christ as a son over his own house. Christ as the son of God. Jesus was the son of God. That's been proven from chapter one.

He is the son of God, the human. I understand more than I used to about the Trinity, but still it's mind-boggling. Isn't it amazing how many Christians have no desire to tell others about Jesus. Do you ever think about it?

There is nothing so hinders a Christian from knowing what Jesus would have him do as to know what he would have him do that he doesn't want to do. There's nothing hinders his work so much as that. Because now understand his will is going to be done.

That's set in concrete. But when it comes to us, we have a choice whether to do this or do that. And it seems like it's totally our choice. But I find myself so many times not wanting to do what he wants to do, wants me to do.

Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Now how do you go about hardening your heart?

Greg explain that statement. That's pretty good. Russell, how do you harden your heart? Roger, how do you harden your heart? When Paul came, did he spend much time preaching against idols? You were supposed to say no.

Hold your hand up in front of you like this. Roger you got your hand up? Okay. Now turn it around so you see the palm. When you walk in the light, you're not walking in darkness. When you turn to God, you've automatically turned away from idols and everything.

So if you preach against idol worship, you're not turning the hand around. Let's preach Jesus Christ the Lord. And you automatically turn, when you come to God, you automatically turn away from evil. So we don't have to preach all of the time about the evils.

When you turn the palm towards you, you automatically turn the back away from you. You do not have to teach against anything. You teach the truth and the backsides turn away. That's right. That's exactly right.

We have to teach the truth, the word only. Not spend all the time on the isms and everything. So many quote preachers call themselves preachers spend all the time on that because that tickles your ear.

And I'm not like that. So we'll sit here and listen to this. That's not right. When your father's tempted me, proved me and saw my works 40 years, talking about Jesus now or about Christ. Even while sinners look on the doings of God and are surrounded by the proofs of his power and goodness, they rebel and provoke him to anchor.

We're seeing a world of that today. Men sin when God is filling their houses with plenty. They continue to sin. Why doesn't God just wipe out the Al-Qaeda and all of that bunch? Why didn't he just make them all go away and drop them in a pit?

David, that's right. It is a time of testing. Men sin when God is filling their houses with plenty. Now, I can't say that their house is full of plenty. When he opens his hand daily to support their wants, when they behold the manifestations of his goodness on the sea and on the land and even in the midst of all of the blessing of redemption, they provoke him to wrath.

I'm afraid we do that also. Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation. Oh, by the way, in verse 9, when your father's tempted me, beloved, proved me and saw my works forty years. Now, is this Jesus?

Forty years? Who is it? I won't ask you to explain that, but the Son. He's always been the Son. The Son built this world. The Son was provoked by the people forty years. It is the Son that has done all of this.

Wherefore, I was grieved with that generation. How did he show it? That they do always err in their heart and they have not known my ways. A man who has lived in sin forty years, who during all of that time has rebelled against God and disobeyed all his appeals, who has lived for himself and not for his maker and has shown what his character is.

A longer time's not necessary. He's shown what he is. But does God allow people to live longer? Sure. How much longer? We don't know. So I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest. What was he talking about, David?

They came up to it and for several reasons they wouldn't go in. So they turned back and wandered forty years. If you see something, jump in. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in you, be any of you, an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

Now, take heed that there is none of that in us. Now, we can say there isn't, but I dare say there is in each heart. That there is need of great care and thoughtfulness of concentration and watchfulness lest any time of by any means there should be found in us an evil heart of unbelief.

To cause our backsliding from Jesus and Christ. Jesus the Christ and the profession of our faith in him. We all like to say, yes, Lord, I love you. But do we? When it gets right down to the bottom, only you can answer that.

But exhort one another daily. What's that mean, David? You left out the important part. Every day. Every day while it's called today. Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Deceitfulness of sin.

How in the world, Greg, how can sin, when I can see everything here, how can sin be deceitful to me? The sin is very full of deceit. Exceedingly deceitful. Almost to the point that you don't see it or notice it.

But the deceit which is in sin and inseparable from it, tends greatly to the hardening of the sinner. There are three famous evils in sin. Number one, pollution. We think of pollution as something physical.

But your mind can become polluted. Corruption, by which it dishonors. Deceitfulness, by which it deludes us with a false expectation of what it's never able to perform. If you do this, you'll gain the world.

If you do this, you'll have a billion dollars. If you do this, if you do this, and it never proves that. Never. Not one time. For we are made for takers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

We are made for takers of Christ. What's that mean, David? Right? We are made for takers of Christ. It was nothing you did, Greg. Nothing you did, Russell, that could ever cause Him to want you. There's nothing.

It's hard for me to comprehend nothing. But there's nothing if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. What is our confidence, Greg? Yes. Steadfast unto the end. If a Christian could give a true reason for his sin, or why he sins, then it would not require forgiveness.

Do you agree? If a Christian could give a true reason for his sin, or why he sins, then it would not require forgiveness. It would have a right to exist if you could give a good reason for it. But now watch.

Also, if a Christian could give a good reason for his salvation, then it could be revoked. How important are we? I myself, how important am I? There's nothing in me. Now, I'm important in this church.

I'm important in the society. I'm important, but it all stops at the man level. If the Christian were just nothing. Yet, if I could give a good reason for my sin, but I can't. I've thought and thought and thought, and I can't.

Paulette said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation, that in the most general visible apostasy of the church, God evermore reserves a remnant to himself. By their faith and obedience, they provoked, although not all, God always has and ever will reserve a remnant of faithful and undefiled souls unto himself to maintain and keep up his own kingdom in the world and to have a return of special glory from them and by them so long as the world stands.

For some, when they had heard, did provoke, albeit not all that came out of Egypt did. That unbelief is the immediate root and cause of all provoking sins. Unbelief. If men believed the happiness of heaven, they would not neglect it.

If we really believed it, then we'd act like it. If they believed hell, really tormented forever, they would avoid it. Yes. Wouldn't we all? I think we all can say that. Not watering down what you said, because that comes from the heart.

That the oath of God is active against all unbelief and no unbeliever shall enter into the rest of God. He would not let those people go in. Why? Because they did not believe. Joy, it's in my, let me put it like this.

I cannot describe for you what's rest, only for me. That in him, I don't worry about anything. I'm not anxious about anything. Take it as it comes, good or bad. Now I'm saying good words, they're hard to go by.

But the older I get, the more I understand his rest. Now there's things break my heart that occur to loved ones, but really they can't disturb my rest. Yes. That the oath of God is active against all unbelief and no unbeliever shall enter into his rest.

But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? God never acts by any kind of whim. God never acts by any kind of whim. There's no whims with him.

Whenever he pours out his judgments, there are the most positive reasons to vindicate his conduct. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. It was no decree of God that prevented them.

It was no want of necessity, strength to enable them. It was through no deficiency of divine counsel to instruct them. All these they had in abundance, but they chose to sin and would not believe. Unbelief produced a disobedience, and disobedience produced hardness of heart and blindness of mind.

And all these drew down the judgments of God, and wrath came upon them to the uttermost. Now, I have today, in these forty-five minutes, told you exactly what I believe. And now I find that that which I believe is exactly what I taught you.

I believe every word of this, and the words we didn't draw out. Well, I feel like we're going to have to go over it again next week. Is there anything from anybody? Yes. No, I don't think you'll find, I don't think you'll find in the scripture anything that says this is an unforgivable sin, other than it's unbelief.

Yes. Well, it doesn't, you're talking about the masses. I don't think it ever tells us directly that these are, although in Hebrews 11, I think it is, it lists a great list of them. That entered in. But maybe they were the only ones, I don't know.

I can't, it would seem like that they could not, I know they couldn't as long as they believed like they did. I don't know that, yes, it does. Does that mean that all under twenty years of age are saved then?

Yes. Yes. Well, but there's a lot of things we are supposed to know, and little by little we're uncovering them. Russell? Well, let's stand, and Russell dismiss us please. Russell, you know I believe that if we would all that are here go catch the chicken that's coming and go home, they'd never know it.