(Hebrews) ch.5:7-6:15 — Zac Poonen

Jesus as the Tempted and Faithful High Priest

God has appointed Jesus to be our high priest, one who has been tempted, we are told in chapter 4 verse 15, in every point like as we are, yet without committing sin. And thereby he has been taken through his humanity just like we have to go through it and he has become a high priest equipped to meet our need.

We are told that in chapter 2 verse 17 as well, that he is a faithful high priest. Verse 18, who has suffered being tempted, we are told in chapter 4 verse 15, he is a high priest who has been tempted in all points like as we are.

And again in chapter 5 verse 6 and 7 we are told similar words, that he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, who in the days of his flesh had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him who was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.

Now all these passages refer to Jesus as a man who had emptied himself of his privileges and prerogatives as God when he came to earth, became one like unto us that he might be the captain of our salvation, that he might be our forerunner as we are told in chapter 6 verse 20, a high priest after the order of Melchizedek who is our forerunner, even Jesus.

Jesus' Prayers with Strong Crying and Tears

And we are told here too that when he came here to earth in the days of his flesh, he prayed with strong crying and tears. Now what was the necessity for him to pray with strong crying and tears? We are told in verse 7 that he prayed to him who was able to save him from death and we are told that he was heard, his prayers were heard and he was saved from death.

Now the only death that Jesus was saved from was spiritual death, not physical death for he went through physical death and he came out triumphant. What was the death that he feared to fall into? It was the death which is the wages of sin.

He who lives after the flesh shall die and that law applied to Jesus as much as to any other man for Jesus lived on earth as other men and he so feared God as we are told in this verse, he feared, he had a godly fear about him that gave him a dread of falling into sin and so as a man he cried out for help that God his father would keep him in temptation from falling.

We are told in the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus went to pray, he called three of his disciples and he told them in Matthew 26 verse 36 to 45. We are told that he called Peter, James and John and he told them to pray with him.

In verse 38 he said, my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me and he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed and there again he prayed with strong crying and tears.

We are told in Luke's gospel that those, that agony was so great that his sweat was like great drops of blood and he came back and found the disciples sleeping and he said to them in verse 41, watch and pray that he enter not into temptation, that spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Now Jesus was telling his disciples that because the flesh is weak they had to watch and pray otherwise they would fall in the hour of temptation and that law applied to him too for he was a man too like them, he had come as a man like them and he said that this law that applies to you, he implied applies to himself too, that he had to watch and pray and that is why he had to go and pray.

Three times we are told in the garden of Gethsemane he went and prayed. We do not know all the agony that went through Jesus' soul at that time but we know that because he watched and prayed he never sinned and that applied not only to that hour in the garden of Gethsemane but right through his life, we are told in Hebrews 5, 7, in the days of his flesh he prayed with strong crying and tears.

We read in Luke 6 in verse 12 that once he went into a mountain and prayed for the whole night. We read in Luke 5 verse 16 that he often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Now as God there was no necessity for him to pray but as a man come in our flesh there was a necessity for him to pray so that he would not fall and he prayed with strong crying and tears unto him who was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared because of his godly fear.

As a man he walked on earth like all other men should walk in the fear of God and thereby he has given us an example as to how we are to walk for we are told in 1 John chapter 2 in verse 6 that he who says he abides in him must walk even as Jesus walked and so Jesus has given us an example and that's why he's called our forerunner, Hebrews 6, 20, one who has gone ahead of us, run the same race and who looks back over his shoulder and says to us follow me walking the same road that I walk or running the same race that I run.

We're told in Hebrews 12 verse 1 and 2 let us run the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross. Jesus is our example as we run this race and he has given us an example as to how we are to face temptation.

Dependence on God in the Hour of Temptation

We're told in Hebrews 4, 15 he was tempted in all points like as we are but we so often fail and fall. He never fell. What was the difference? The difference was here that he so feared his father that he dreaded to commit sin that he prayed with strong crying and tears that he might not sin, that he might not enter into spiritual death in any area and thereby he was kept.

God alone could keep him. He and God alone can keep us. We cannot keep ourselves as human beings in the hour of temptation. It's God's power that can keep us and that power can come to us only as we pray.

If we do not pray we do not have that power to be kept in the moment of temptation and when Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are he too had to pray and he was kept because he feared God so much that he dreaded to commit sin and thereby we have an example for ourselves, dear friends.

In the moment of temptation if we fear God like Jesus did, if we fear God so much that we dread to commit sin in thought or word or deed or attitude or motive or in any area then we shall find that the power of God keeps us.

If we cry out to God for help, we looked at that passage in Hebrews 4 .16 where we are told to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may find grace to help us in time of need and we saw that the time of our need is the time when we are tempted so strongly that we fear lest we may fall and when we so fear God that we do not want to fall into any sin in any area of our life, we do not want spiritual death to touch us in any area then we shall cry out for God's help to keep us from falling, to keep us from sinning, to keep us from the smell of spiritual death and then we shall be kept and this is what Jesus himself did in the days of his flesh when he was here on earth as a man like us.

He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him who was able to save him from death and he was heard, his prayer was answered and he was kept and the reason is he feared and he is our example in this area.

Christ's Human Obedience and the Mystery of the Incarnation

We were looking at Hebrews 5 .7 last week and we saw concerning Jesus our forerunner who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him who was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.

Now one would think that because Jesus is the son of God when he came to earth as a man God the father would exempt him from many things that we have to go through and that his experience would be different from what ours is.

That is our natural human reasoning and it is to answer that question that we read in verse 8 although he was a son yet he had to learn obedience through the things which he suffered. Now as God Jesus does not have to learn anything.

He is complete, completely complete as God but we are told in Philippians 2 verses 5 -8 that when Jesus came to earth he emptied himself not of his person as God. He was God when he walked on this earth and so he could forgive the sins of people.

He received worship from people because he was God but nevertheless he emptied himself of privileges and rights that he had. He was God and he allowed himself to be tempted which is a thing that God can never happen to God.

He allowed himself to be tempted. We are told in Hebrews 12 .4 that he strove against sin because he emptied himself and came to earth as a man. This is a great mystery. We are told in 1 Timothy 3 .16 great is the mystery of godliness.

God was manifest in the flesh. We cannot fully understand it and certainly our finite minds and our human logic fail when it comes to understanding this great mystery of God becoming flesh like us and yet the word of God says it is true and so we have to bow to the teaching of God's word and not try to analyze it or reason it out with human logic.

We are told although he was a son he learnt obedience through the things which he suffered. Now the only way that Jesus could have learnt anything was as a man not as God and so this must be referring to his experience as a man and we are told that this is so very clearly in verse 7 in the days of his flesh when he came in flesh like ours he learnt obedience.

This does not mean that at any time he disobeyed. What it means is that God the father gave him opportunities to obey and he obeyed in those occasions. He denied his own human will and did the father's will.

This is what is meant in Hebrews 5 .8 when we are told he learnt obedience. Jesus himself said in John's gospel in chapter 5 and verse 30 the middle of that verse I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me and John 6 verse 38 he again said I came from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me and we are told in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 7 concerning Jesus lo I come to do thy will O God and so we find again in the garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26 lo I come to do your will not my will but thy will be done O God and this was characteristic of Jesus right through his life.

He did not do his own will but he did the father's will. He did not please himself we are told in Romans 15 and verse 3 but he always pleased the father we are told in John 8 verse 29 and this was the way that Jesus walked on earth.

He denied his own will consistently his own human will and he did the father's will and thereby he has become our forerunner. This is the way in which we are told to follow him. This is the meaning of taking up the cross and following Jesus.

Jesus said no to his own will and he said yes to his father's will and we are to follow Jesus in saying no to our own will and saying yes to the father's will. Thereby we can follow in his footsteps and because Jesus right through his life said no to his own human will and yes to the father's will continuously consistently perfectly and joyfully we are told in Hebrews 5 .8 he learned obedience that is active obedience by the things which he suffered.

Suffering in the Flesh and Doing the Father's Will

How did he suffer? He suffered when being tempted we are told in Hebrews 2 .18 he suffered being tempted and that suffering lay in the denial of his own will that he might do his father's will. We are told in 1 Peter 4 .1 for as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh arm yourselves likewise with the same mind that is with the same attitude of suffering in the flesh for we are told when we take that attitude and we suffer in the flesh we cease from sin and no longer live the rest of our life in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God and there we are shown in 1 Peter 4 .1 and 2 what it means to suffer in the flesh that means we no longer live to the lusts of men but to do the will of God.

To suffer in the flesh means to deny our own will so that we might do the will of the father and then we cease from sin. If that is our attitude we cannot sin. We sin when we do our own will. The root of all sin is doing our own will and the root of holiness is doing the father's will.

Adam sinned because he did his own will. We sin when we do our own will. Jesus never sinned because he never did his own will. He did the father's will and therefore he never sinned. And we are told in 1 Peter 4 .1 that as Jesus has suffered in the flesh denying his own pleasure and doing the will of the father we too are to have the same mind denying our own pleasure denying our own will denying that which pleases us continuously so that we might live to do the will of God verse 2 then we cease from sin.

For to sin is the opposite of doing the will of God. And so we are told in Hebrews 5 verse 8 he learnt obedience by the things which he suffered in the flesh he denied his own will. Therefore he obeyed the father continuously and thus his human experience was complete.

As a man he walked the way we have to walk and he overcame in a flesh like ours tempted in all points like as we are tempted to do his own will and to please himself he overcame and he did the will of the father.

And thus we are told in verse 9 being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him. As he himself obeyed verse 8 he has become the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him.

He obeyed the father and we are to obey him for he is the mediator between God and men. And we are told here that salvation comes eternal salvation to those who obey him. Now what is salvation mean. Salvation is not just being saved from hell.

Unfortunately so many believers think of being saved from hell but here he is talking about being saved from sin which is being saved from doing our own will. And Jesus has given us an example there as he denied himself and did the father's will as we deny ourselves and do the father's will we too can be saved.

Faith, Obedience, and Going on to Perfection

Zach Poonen. We turn now to Hebrews 5 verse 8 where we are told concerning the human experience of the Lord Jesus though he were a son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered and being made perfect that is complete he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.

And we saw last week that the salvation spoken of here is the salvation from sin and sin we saw was the doing of our own will. We are saved from sin from doing our own will when we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and obey like Jesus obeyed God and thus we find eternal salvation.

The angel came to Joseph we are told in Matthew chapter 1 and told him to call the son that Mary was going to have Jesus for he shall save his people from their sin. It is from sin that Jesus has come to save us from our sin from falling continuously into sin.

Jesus has come to save us from that not just from the judgment of God that is going to come upon mankind for their sin but also from our sins themselves from doing our own will from displeasing God Jesus has come to save us from that.

And so the salvation that Jesus brings us is a salvation that leads us to obedience. He is the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. Now this is not contradictory to the teaching of Paul in Romans where he says that salvation is by faith not at all.

For faith and obedience are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have one without the other as we sing in that hymn trust and obey. For there is no other way either to be happy in Jesus or to be saved.

Salvation is through faith that leads to obedience. This is what James makes clear in chapter 2 of his letter where he says that faith without works that is works of obedience is dead. That is an intellectual type of faith which he says even the devil has that doesn't save the devil and it won't save anybody else.

So the faith that the Bible speaks of is an active faith not a passive faith that one believes certain things in one's mind but an active faith that leads one to obedience. And what James is trying to emphasize in his letter is that if you have a faith which does not lead you to obedience then it's a spurious faith.

It's a counterfeit faith. It's not the real thing. This is the way that we can test whether our faith is genuine or not. The Bible speaks of the trial of our faith. And how is our faith tested. Just like Abraham's faith was tested when God asked him to offer up his only son and he offered up his only son and thereby he proved that his faith was genuine.

And so there is no contradiction when the New Testament speaks of salvation by faith and salvation by obedience. For they are exactly the same thing two sides of one door. Two sides of one door by which we enter in to be saved.

And so we are told Jesus has become the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. It is through obedience that we are saved as much as through faith. And here in this area of obedience Jesus himself has become the example for us.

For we are told in verse eight he himself in the days of his flesh obeyed. He obeyed God's word denied his own will never sinned and obeyed the father in everything. And thus he was made perfect. Now what the apostle is leading on to you find in chapter six verse one he says.

Let us also go on to perfection. We are also to be perfect. We are to go on to perfection and not remain as babes. This is what he comes to in verse twelve of chapter five twelve thirteen and fourteen he says you Hebrew Christians are still babies.

You shouldn't be babies. You should be going on to perfection. You should be following in the footsteps of Jesus who was made perfect. Chapter five verse nine. And let us also chapter six verse one go on to the same perfection that Jesus had.

How is this possible only as we make him our forerunner. Chapter six verse twenty he has gone ahead run the race ahead of us. And our forerunner means that we are to run behind him the same way that he ran we are to run.

That's why we are told in chapter five verse eight that Jesus obeyed. Chapter five verse nine we are also to obey like he obeyed we are to obey following in his footsteps. This is our calling. Then we shall also be made complete like Jesus was made complete.

Paul says in Philippians chapter three and verse twelve he says not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after to lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

He says I haven't yet laid hold of it but one thing I do I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. What is that high calling. That high calling is the calling of being made perfect.

And we are to press toward that mark of being made perfect in Christ. He doesn't come by sitting back waiting for God to do everything. It comes by forgetting the things that are behind forgetting how much we have accomplished forgetting our failures too and pressing toward the mark.

Jesus ran the race. And Paul is saying in Philippians three. I am running the race too behind Jesus as Jesus obeyed in everything and has become my example as a man. I also want to obey in everything.

We are told very clearly that the way that Jesus was made perfect was by obedience. He obeyed in every area denied his will and thus was made perfect. And if we are to go on to perfection if we are to run the race looking unto Jesus who endured the cross then we have to endure the cross too we have to deny our own will.

We have to give up every sin and not only every sin every weight a weight is those things which are legitimate but which are still a hindrance to the race. And we are to run this race looking unto Jesus our example our forerunner the author and the finisher of our faith who himself endured the cross and thus came to the right hand of the throne of God and who seeks to lead us the same way.

For he says where I am there shall my servant also be. And so if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus we can reach the right hand of the throne of God. But those footsteps are marked out for us in Hebrews 5 verse 7 8 and 9.

We are told that he feared God. In Hebrews 5 7 he feared he lived before the face of his father. He did not just live a holy life when men saw him he lived a holy life when no one was looking. He feared God so much that he dreaded to commit sin in any area.

And the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The first step to perfection is to fear God. If we fear God like Jesus did then we shall also be kept from falling into sin. If we fear like he feared and we are also told that he suffered.

Jesus suffered he denied his own will and we are to deny our own will. This is the way of perfection. And we are also told that Jesus obeyed and we are to obey the commands that Jesus has given us in his word.

Jesus told his disciples to go and teach all men to do all the things that he had commanded us. And we are to walk the way of obedience. The man who obeys who can say he loves Jesus. The one who obeys God's commands loves him.

And Jesus prayed with great longing to be kept from the smell of spiritual death. And ultimately it is God's power that keeps us. We cannot keep ourselves. But if we cry out to God he will keep us. And so if we fear God if we deny our own will and obey calling out to God for help and for grace then we shall walk in the footsteps of Jesus and be made perfect in that day when he comes back to receive us to himself.

We turn now to Hebrews 5 and verse 10. This is the concluding sentence of what begins in verse 7 where we are told of Jesus in the days of his flesh being made perfect verse 9 and thus becoming the captain of our salvation or the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.

And we are told therefore he is called of God and high priest after the order of Melchizedek. We were told earlier in verse 1 that every high priest is taken from among men and so Jesus too had to go through the experience of a human being in order to be our high priest.

This is the argument of this section. And having become our high priest tempted in all points like as we are suffering the same thing that we suffer made in all things like unto his brethren being our forerunner in every way overcoming sin living that perfect life and being made complete in his experience as a human being he is called of God to be our high priest.

And we are priests following in the footsteps of this our high priest. And we are told in verse 11 concerning him concerning Jesus as our high priest after the order of Melchizedek the apostle says we have many things to say but they are hard to be uttered seeing that you are dull of hearing what he means is that if I say these things to you concerning Jesus as our high priest you can't understand them fully because you are still a babe.

Now in what way were they babes. They had received the forgiveness of sins. They had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. They had taken water baptism and they had understood many things about the elementary teachings of the Christian faith.

We are told in chapter 6 verse 1 and 2 what those elementary teachings are. But they were still babes because they were without experience verse 13 in the word of righteousness. Now the word Melchizedek we are told in chapter 7 and verse 2 means king of righteousness.

And Jesus being our high priest after the order of Melchizedek is a high priest of righteousness. The Holy Spirit we are told in Joel 2 .25 in the margin is the teacher of righteousness. And the new covenant is a ministry of righteousness into which we are brought in.

Righteousness is the distinctive feature of the new covenant. We are told in Matthew 6 .33 we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In Romans 14 and verse 17 we are told that the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And so it is progress and experience in righteousness that makes us mature not the exercise of spiritual gifts not the baptism in the Holy Spirit not the anointing of the Spirit. None of these things.

But experience in righteousness makes us mature. We should never make a mistake in this. Some people think they are mature because they have more understanding of scripture that is merely a matter of intellectual ability.

Some people do not have as much intellectual ability as others but spiritual maturity comes through walking the way of righteousness and obedience. And in the measure in which we have walked in the way of obedience to Jesus command obedience to the word of God walked in righteousness in every area that we are conscious of.

In that measure we are mature now. Usually our understanding is way ahead of our experience. With almost every Christian it is true to say that they have more understanding than experience. They have more understanding of righteousness than experience of righteousness.

They walk in God's ways far less than they know about God's ways. And so they remain babes even though they may be very clever in the scriptures yet they are very poor in righteousness and so they are spiritually babes.

And so we are told that these people were babes. Everyone that uses milk is unskillful has no experience in the word of righteousness for he is a babe. And those who are babies have no experience in the word of righteousness and so they cannot understand the deeper truths the meat of the word of God.

They have to keep on drinking milk. And that is why he says in verse 11 we have many things concerning Jesus is our high priest after the order of Melchizedek to say to you. But you do not seem to get beyond the elementary things and so you are dull of hearing concerning these deeper things.

For he says in verse 12 the time has come when you should have been teachers but you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God and you have become those who need milk and not meat.

And so he says I cannot give you meat. You cannot give a two month old baby meat. It can't digest it it can't chew it. You have to wait till that baby grows up before it can eat meat. But what can that two month baby take and digest only milk.

And the great tragedy with so many believers is that even after many years of being believers they are still at the level of drinking milk and usually mother's milk meaning that which is free digested which is given through someone else.

They cannot feed themselves. They have to be continuously taught and taught and taught and taught. And they do not know how it is to receive God's word directly from God for themselves. One of the privileges of the new covenant we are told in Hebrews 8 .11 is they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the Lord for all shall know me personally from the least to the greatest.

This is our privilege. Not that we do not need Bible teachers but in addition to them we have the privilege under the new covenant of knowing God personally. But if we haven't come to that stage then we are still babies still needing to be taught the first principles of the oracles of God.

The Elementary Principles of the Christian Faith

What are those first principles. We are told something of those first principles in chapter 6 verse 1 and 2. Repentance faith baptism that is water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit laying on of hands for healing and for spiritual gifts resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

All these things are put together as the first principles. Repentance from dead works. The fact that we cannot save ourselves by our own works. Faith towards God salvation by faith the importance of being baptized after we are saved.

And then baptism in the Holy Spirit the endowment of power laying on of hands the receiving of the gifts of the Spirit laying on of hands for physical healing in the name of Jesus resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

All these things are just the elementary thing. And a person who's got thus far has only got as far as the milk. This is only the milk of the word of God. Then what is the meat. The meat is the word of righteousness chapter 5 verse 13 that which leads us into a godly life.

That which leads us into righteousness the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us by the power of the Holy Spirit as we are told in Romans 8 verse 2 3 and 4. That is meat to receive the word of righteousness that leads us into a godly life.

And so we are told in Hebrews 5 14. Strong meat belongs to them that are of full age or mature or perfect. Even those who by reason of habit and exercise have their senses exercised to discern between good and evil.

Those who come to a place of maturity where their conscience has become sensitive their will is surrendered. They've denied themselves. They've put the flesh to death. And they are living in by faith and dependence upon God.

They're capable of receiving more and more of the deeper truths of God's word. Now the interesting thing we see here is that it is God's will that we quickly come to this place of maturity. He says the time has is well past when you should have become teachers.

But you're still babes. Oh may God help us to go on to maturity. What are those first principles. We told something of those first principles in chapter 6 verse 1 and 2. Repentance faith baptism that is water.

Baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit laying on of hands for healing and for spiritual gifts resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. All these things are put together as the first principles. Repentance from dead works.

The fact that we cannot save ourselves by our own works. Faith towards God salvation by faith the importance of being baptized after we are saved. And then baptism in the Holy Spirit the endowment of power laying on of hands the receiving of the gifts of the spirit laying on of hands for physical healing in the name of Jesus resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

All these things are just the elementary thing. And a person who's got thus far has only got as far as the milk. This is only the milk of the word of God. Then what is the meat. The meat is the word of righteousness chapter 5 verse 13.