A Better Access
Book of Hebrews Chapter 4
I believe that many Christians still have a hard time believing that with faith in the salvation work of Jesus Christ, we have then entered into the household of God, but it is very true!
Our bodies may still be in the place where the Lord has placed us, but the Lord Jesus has already prepared us a place in His Father's House!
The world must understand that the one thing that keeps them out of Heaven, is the true belief in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ brought about by the "promises" of God!
In Chapter Three we learned that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is "The Apostle" and "The High Priest" of Christianity!
Heb 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Sometimes even we Christians also fall into the trap of thinking that the name "Christ" is part of the name of Jesus, but that name Christ designates that it was Jesus, the same Jesus talked about by the Apostles, who is the Messiah who was promised in the Old Testament Scriptures, who is also the only begotten Son of God!
Knowing this then, we need to cling to our salvation with all the power we have and strive to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into doing the rest for us!
*****Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
**The designation of the name "Christ" means that it is the Lord Jesus who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of "The Anointed One".
The Anointed One, "the Lord Jesus", the true Messiah has made a way for us to enter into Heaven's Gates.
The Messiah, as the true High Priest, has entered into Heaven, not some earthly sanctuary!
The Messiah has offered His own blood for a complete cleansing of our soul.
The Messiah has born our sins once, but He will also appear a second time for our Redemption.
**The name "Jesus" emphasizes His humanity as a human high priest.
In so doing, He accomplished what all those Levitical high priests had failed to accomplish.
Our Lord Jesus the true Messiah, has entered into Heaven's Holy of Holies and remains forever our High Priest!
Our Lord Jesus Christ has guaranteed a better Covenant, and mediated a better Covenant, than the Old Covenant. (Old Testament)
Our Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the Old Testament "types" in securing our salvation!
**The term "Son" emphasizes His greater relationship with His Heavenly Father!
He is greater than the angels, because He is the only Heir, the true Creator, the only Sustainer, and the Exact representation of His Heavenly Father!
The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen because He is the "Radiance" of the Glory of God!
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as our High Priest, understands what we are talking about when we pray because, He has a personal knowledge of each of us!
The Lord Jesus is able to feel within Himself every pain that we feel, and He understands everything that bothers us. He is real!
He understands our suffering!
It is fair to say that the Lord Jesus Christ suffers when we suffer!
He is the "presence" of the All-knowing God!
*****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.
The Lord Jesus Christ is a priest according to the line of Melchizedek and not according to the priesthood of Aaron.
Melchizedek was a priest of the most-high God and also king of Salem.
Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek because He knew the truth.
This Melchizedek, is one of the "types" of Christ in the Old Testament and the Lord Jesus fulfilled all "typology" of the Messiah in the Old Testament!
Name any trial or pain.
Name any temptation.
Name any suffering.
Name any infirmity.
Name any human experience and the Lord Jesus Christ actually sympathizes and feels those things with us.
We should also understand that when we look around at our brothers and sisters in Christ, and see those who are suffering much more than we are, we may understand why He will not always respond to us, but this will also make us realize the Scripture in the Book of James.
Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Notice what it says, "is there any sick" and "if they pray for others who are sick" then the Lord will heal them and those others!
Simply said when we have problems, and we see others who have similar or even worse problems than we have, and we then pray for them, we also have a better chance of being healed ourselves.
It is called "showing love for one another".
When we pray for those who are sicker or in more pain than we are then, if we have enough faith the Lord may heal both, them, and us.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our representative before God the Father, and He will never show a weakness to His Father. He can also not be bought!
Faith is still the key to all our life with the Lord our Messiah and High Priest.
Faith is still the key to our relationship with our Savior!
Faith is still the key to the entrance into the gates of Heaven and eternal life!
The Lord Jesus came to this earth in the flesh and lived a sinless life and in doing so, He understands our every weakness!
The Lord Jesus Christ, in His flesh, is like us in all our ways except for one thing He lived a sinless life!
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
1Jn 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
1Jn 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
1Jn 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1Jn 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Salvation does not give us permission to live as we so choose, we must live as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as we are able!
We must not forget His command to repent!
When we repent and live in faith, we can go to the Lord Jesus at any time, and we should even when we have no needs!
*****Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
There is "Grace" at the throne of God, if we have chosen to be like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you hear me? Help is available to carry us through this life and there is enough "Grace" to carry us all the way to Heavens gates, where we will be welcomes by the Lord Himself.
1Co 1:3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Co 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ has met every qualification required by mankind, but He has also met every qualification required by His Heavenly Father, which is far more important!
*****Heb 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
Heb 5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
We need a High Priest because of "our sin"!
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only High Priest that can remove "our sin" by blotting out the record of that sin in Heaven's Books!
There are five qualifications for a man to be God's High Priest!
1) A High Priest had to be appointed by God to represent mankind before God.
This is the true purpose of each High Priest, to represent mankind before the Almighty God!
2) The High Priest was to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin.
He would lead the people to make gifts and offerings to the Lord, but only he could offer the sacrifice for their sins.
3) The High Priest must be able to deal with sin with compassion.
This is more important today because the gross sin in our world and love for one another has grown cold.
4) The High Priest had to first offer a sacrifice for his own sin.
Each High Priest is just as guilty of sin and short of the "Glory of God" as the people they represent!
5) Each High Priest was God appointed and not man appointed.
No human being can say to be Priest, Preacher, Pastor, or any such title, because only those called of God can fulfill the function of the priesthood.
Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
What do we not see a lot of today? That love for one another!
That word "ordained" means to be appointed, to be established, to be invested in the functions of the priesthood.
How did Jesus do this?
Mar 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
Mar 3:14 And "he ordained twelve", that they should be with him, and that "he might send them forth to preach",
The Lord first called them and then ordained them and then He sent them.
This cannot be done in any other order!
And those who were called had to first be saved!
They had to have a personal knowledge of the work of the Lord Jesus for our salvation!
Act 1:21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
It is God who ordains His ministers!
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
1Ti 2:7 Whereunto "I am ordained a preacher", and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
The purpose of ordination is to lead as many as will to the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation!
*****Heb 5:5 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.
Heb 5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek was the priest of the "Most High God" and the "King of Salem".
Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
Gen 14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Melchizedek was the King of Righteousness!
In typology, we see this Melchizedek is truly "a type" of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Abraham paid him tithes.
He blessed Abraham.
He is in type a Priest that lives forever.
His priesthood can neither be transmitted, nor interrupted by death, he had an unchangeable Priesthood.
The Jews teach that this Melchizedek was none other than Shem the son of Noah who could have lived this long.
The Bible says He was a prince of Canaan Land, but a worshipper of the Most-High God.(El Elyon)
The Bible also says the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is a Priest after to the order of Melchizedek, is the Anchor for our soul!
Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The priesthood of Melchizedek was not based upon his birth.
He was not in any priestly line. Levi had not been born yet.
The priesthood of Melchizedek was not based upon the performance of any written laws.
Moses not being born God had given to him no laws.
Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God because of his character and his righteousness!
It was spiritual rather than legal!
He was true to priesthood life, before God had given commands to do so!
Notice Melchizedek showed up at the end of the very first war recorded in the Bible, and He came in celebration to meet Abraham, God's man.
There is great typology in this happening.
The Lord Jesus Christ will show up before this world destroys itself!
With Putin of Russia threatening to fire off His nukes almost everyday.
This is what we see going on in our world today a world that could fall into a world destructive war at any moment.
In typology, this war with Abraham could be said to be the first conflict between the Church and the world.
No sooner had Melchizedek appeared than he then disappeared.
No priest preceded him, and no priest was his successor.
Abraham, the friend of God, the Father of the faithful, met the King of Righteousness and he bowed before him!
A short time later the king of Sodom came and he bowed before Abraham.
A type of all the world bowing before the Lord Jesus Christ
We know that in the end, all knees will bow before the Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen
