Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 5:5-14 March 20, 1994 Hebrews 5:5-14 Hebrews 5 Last week: Qualities of a high priest (in a way, we all are priests...) 1. Human-ness 2. Compassion 3. Sacrifice 4. Called by God In all these things, Jesus too qualifies as a high priest. He was fully human. He has compassion on our weaknesses He makes sacrifice for our sins He was called by God ...is picked up in the following verses... 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another [place], Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. :5 Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest Jesus didn't pick the privilege for Himself, but was simply being obedient to the Father. Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. :5 Thou are my Son ... quoting again from Psalm 2:7 It wasn't Jesus, but the Father who initiated Jesus' coming to earth and becoming a man. :5 today I have begotten thee begotten - how was Jesus the "only begotten" son? He was begotten not in the sense that God created Him somehow, somewhere in time, but that He took on flesh by being born "of the Father" in Mary. :6 a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec The Jew would want to know: How can Jesus be a priest? Priests are to be of the tribe of Levi, from the family of Aaron. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah! The Lord spoke through David: Ps 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Who was Melchisedek? We don't want to get too far into Melchisedek because we'll see him lots more in Hebrews 7He came out to meet Abraham after Abraham was returning from rescuing Lot from the eastern kings (Gen.14). Ge 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. For now, it's important to know that he was a king and a priest in "Salem", thought to be ancient Jerusalem. He appears to be the head of some sort of priesthood. 7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; :7 in the days of his flesh When he had His earthly ministry, being in human form. :7 he had offered up... This is the ministry of a priest. This is how, on earth, Jesus functioned in His priestly role. :7 prayers and supplications prayers - seems to lean toward the idea of expressing needs or wants to God supplications - seems to be the idea of holding out an olive branch to God, coming to God to make peace with Him. Jesus' entire ministry was enveloped in prayer Before He choose His twelve disciples: Lu 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. After a trying day of ministry, before His transfiguration: Lu 9:28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. Doing what He always did ... Lu 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. The highest point of prayers and supplications came in the Garden of Gethsemane. :7 with strong crying and tears Jesus' prayers were not just ordinary, dry, hit the ceiling and bounce off again kind of prayers. There was a fervency in His prayers. There was a fervency in His ministry. Lu 19:41-42 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. Lu 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Fervency in Ministry Mathew Henry: In the days of his flesh, Christ made himself subject to death: he hungered: he was a tempted, suffering, dying Jesus. Christ set an example, not only to pray, but to be fervent in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wetted with tears, do we offer up to God! With what kind of fervency do we live? I find I tend to spend more time crying about myself than I do crying for others. James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. :7 him that was able to save him from death referring to Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane: Mt 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt]. :7 was heard One proof that He was heard is in that when He was finished praying, an angel came and ministered to Him. Lu 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. Answers in Prayer: Note: Did Jesus get His request? He asked that the cup be taken from Him, that He not have to go to the cross if possible. That prayer was not answered with a "yes". He also asked that the Father's will be done. That prayer was answered with a "yes" Will we always get what we pray for? It depends on how we pray! 1John 5 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. :7 in that he feared NASB: "He was heard because of His piety" The Greek word here is not the usual one meaning "fear" (phobeo): 2124 eulabeia {yoo-lab'-i-ah} 1) caution, circumspection, discretion 1a) avoidance 1b) a reasonable shunning 2) reverence, veneration 2a) reverence toward God, godly fear, piety 3) fear anxiety, dread It is only used in the NT here and in: Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: It comes from a word which means: 1) taking hold well 1a) carefully and surely 1b) cautiously 2) reverencing God, pious, religious It's like the idea of picking up a hot cookie sheet out of the oven. You pick it up cautiously, knowing that if you don't use gloves you'll get burned, and you pick it up carefully, because you don't want to spill any cookies on the floor! This is what was happening in the Garden. Learn respect of the Creator Jesus is very respectful, very cautious, very reverent toward God. First He asks for His own wants, but then He is careful to add, "not my will, but thine..." Nothing like these Word of Faith preachers who think they can just demand things from God. Who say that it is a lack of faith to even pray, "not my will, but thine". 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; :8 though he were a Son PNT: He learned obedience. He claimed no special exemptions because he was the Son, but learned and taught obedience in the supremest test that the world ever saw. He learned obedience experimentally. (PNT 308) Jesus could have claimed special privileges as God's Son. But He didn't. He still went through obedience school, passing His course on sufferings. :8 learned he obedience by the things which he suffered There seems to be some kind of significant tie between submitting to suffering, and walking in obedience and purity with Jesus. It's not that we need to beat ourselves to produce holiness. There are people in the Philippines who beat themselves, even being crucified, hoping to produce holiness. (NIV) Colossians 2 20-23 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. But it is learning to take the pain and suffering that naturally come our way as we seek to follow Jesus. It's the suffering that comes when your buddies want you to go out and drink with them, and you say "no". 1Peter 4 1-5. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 3 For the time past of [our] life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with [them] to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of [you]: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Maturity through suffering Don't avoid the pain. My sons are learning obedience in the things they suffer. When they endure the suffering of going against their nature of little boys, and they do what is right, they are learning obedience. When they disobey, they learn obedience by the spanking they receive. Just today, Daniel hit another little boy in the nose after church. He wouldn't tell him he was sorry. He got a spanking. He told him he was sorry. When we submit to God's ways, we are learning to grow up! 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; :9 being made perfect It's not that there was some imperfection in Jesus, we already have been told that He was without sin: Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. But it's that His ministry was completed, made perfect through His act of suffering. His ministry as High Priest was completed in His suffering. Our lives become more complete as we learn to endure the suffering rather than bail out. James 1 2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. :9 author of eternal salvation author - 1) that which is the cause of anything He is the cause of our salvation, the source of it. If it weren't for His obedience in suffering, we would not have a source of salvation, there would be no "oasis" in the desert. Obedience brings fruitful ministry In a way, this is Jesus' ministry to us, giving us salvation. It comes because of His obedience. We too have a work, a ministry for the Lord. But it will not do anybody any good unless we learn to obey, even in suffering. 10. Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. 11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.