Summer 2013

 Strive – zeal and exertion  The Word of God cuts through one’s most inner self  Judges the thoughts and intentions (attitudes) of the heart  God is all-knowing and sees everything  Nothing can or will be hidden  We must give an account  Either we will go on (6:1), or we will fall away (3:12)

 2:17—Jesus is faithful  He is our great high priest  He has “passed through the heavens”  Shows his exalted state  He is Jesus, the Son of God  His humanity and divinity are both affirmed  “Let us hold fast our confession”  They were wavering in their allegiance  That can happen to us today also

 Christ is a high priest who “sympathize with our weaknesses”  “fellow feelings with”  He has in every respect been tempted as we are  Yet, he never yielded to sin  2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5  “Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace”

 Confidence—boldness, courage  Through Christ we can come directly into the presence of God  An exhortation to persistent prayer  God’s throne is a throne of judgment (4:13)  God’s throne is a throne of grace  Mercy and help

 Four “let us-es” 1. “Let us fear” (4:1) 2. “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest” (4:11) 3. “Let us hold fast our confession” (4:14) 4. “Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” (4:16)

 As priest, Jesus is faithful and merciful  Israelite high priest had to meet certain criteria 1. He had to be “chosen from among men” (5:1) 2. He must be “called by God” (5:4)  Offered “gifts and sacrifices for sins”  He was “subject to weakness”  Thus, he “offers sacrifice for his own sins”  Just as he “does for those the people”  Hence, “he can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward”

 “Christ”  He did not hold on to his heavenly state (Phil. 2:6-8)  He came to earth, but did not campaign for the office of high priest  Psalm 2:7  Psalm 110:4  These passages affirm his sonship, his priesthood and his call from God  In Hebrews the connection of sonship/kingship/messiaship/priesthood is made  Hebrews also explains how Jesus could be high priest without being a descendant of Aaron

 5:7-10—”Hymn of the high priest”  In the “days of His flesh”  He had/has other days that are not “fleshly days”  He offered up “prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears”  His prayer in Gethsemane  Was His prayer answered?  Yes!

 Two-fold petition in His prayer  Physical deliverance  Humble submission to the will of God  Perfection through suffering (2:10)  Sonship didn’t spare Him from suffering  Learning and suffering  emathen – he learned  epathen – he suffered  “perfect through suffering”  Perfectly (completely) qualified

 Christ was the one designated by God as “a high priest after the the order of Melchizedek”  A new order of priesthood  Necessitates the ending of the old order, the Aaronic order

1. Christ supersedes all previous high priests, and He can deal gently with us.  He suffered. And through His suffering He was made perfect. 2. Not every prayer will be answered “Yes”. 3. God’s love is not always what one would expect. He loves us unconditionally. His love includes divine wisdom.

Summer 2013