Following Jesus. 1 (Luke 14 v27 )

When I was young I used to play with my friends  a game called follow the leader ,it was  a innocent children's game, but let me say this very lovingly, that following Jesus is not a game.Jesus did not promise wealth ,health ,and prosperity.. In Luke 14 v 26 ff our Saviour said something very startling.,'' If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters- yes even their own life, such a person cannot be my disciple''. These words would bring you to a full stop, Jesus said  I am to hate my loved ones ,good grief, I won't do that.Does not the word of God say that love is one of one of the greatest things we can do .We are called to love God and to love others, we are even  told to love our enemies Matthew 5 v 44,  so why are we being told to hate are nearest and dearest?. Many things that Jesus  teaches taught are not not to be taken  literally,for example, the bread and wine which we have at communion is not the literal body and blood of Christ, they are but symbols.So when Jesus spoke of hating,it was never meant to be taken literally,as one writer puts it ,'Eastern language is always as vivid as the human mind can make it. When Jesus tells us to hate our nearest and dearest,he does not mean literally'He means that we should love Him more that anyone and anything else.Our love for Jesus must take first place in our lives,as Jesus said to Peter,''Do you love Me  more than these?, well ,do we?.

Once for all ( Hebrews 9)

 When Christ offered himself as a sacrifice ,he was doing what no one else could,it was a act of total obedience, he came to do the will of God  in his life and death on the cross,this he did, .His life was sinless, his death was the final piece in the jigsaw,all this he did voluntary CP John 10 v 17 - 18. Next, it  was the total  remedy  for our salvation,his death and that alone saves,his work ,not ours saves,we do not add anything unto it,if we try to do this,we will never be saved.Next it was a once and for all sacrifice,this is very important, for there are millions of people who believe that Christ sacrifice needs to be repeated again and again,I speak of the Mass,practiced by the Roman Catholic Church. They define it in these words,'it is that self same sacrifice that was made on Calvary,yet without blood.'It is obvious that the Roman Catholic Church, have never accepted what God's word clearly teaches. I commend you to read Hebrews 9 v 23 - 28/10 . v28 reads,' Christ was sacrificed once to take away the  sins of many'. Chap 9 v25 in AV  reads,'Nor yet that He should offer Himself often', if he did offer himself often ,it would really be telling us that his sacrifice would only be akin to the animal sacrifice ,and of no value.His sacrifice  rules out purgatory, because only the blood of Christ can cleanse us from our sin.1 John 1 v 7.

                                                           'Jesus paid it all'

Thy will be done 5. ( Hebrews 10 v 5 -7 )

 Finally let us consider Christ Sacrifice, the book was written to Jewish believers,things have changed,they are struggling spiritually,even possible turning back to Judaism.So right throughout the book they are given severe warnings, CP 2 v 1-3/ 6 v 4 -12 /10 16ff. 12 v 14 -17.The temple worship,priesthood, animal sacrifice,were only shadows of the real thing that was to come through Christ. Let us consider the animal sacrifices,R Brown says this,'Those sacrifices were limited and local. Christ sacrifice was extensive and eternal'. The writer in 10 v 5-7 , declares.'Sacrifice and offering, you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said,''Here I am- it is written about me in the scroll- I have come to do your will, my God''. CP Psalm 40 v 6-8'. The animal sacrifice was continuous,and ineffective,and as FF Bruce writes , 'the  involuntary sacrifice of dumb animals did not satisfy God,it would take a person to willingly lay down his life, that person was Jesus,he declared in garden of Gethsemane,'Thy will be done'.So his sacrifice  was effective in dealing with sin and also very important, never to be repeated. We will continue this next time.

Only one.( 4 ) ( John 14 v 6 )

 As we said Hebrews it is all about Jesus, our relationship with God depends on Jesus,our salvation depends on Him totally,it is not Christ place plus, or Christ and another, no it is just Jesus .Raymond Brown writes the following,'Jesus is our  guarantor, our eternal priest,and our effective sacrifice'.As a sinner we come to Jesus for salvation, but as RB writes,'He now supports and sustains us through his intercessory  ministry. Day by day and hour by hour Christ prays for us'.The word of God is very clear on this and yet it is sad to say that there are those who put Mary, and the so called saints,as  mediators it is a tragedy. No church whatever  has the authority to introduce teaching contrary to Gods word. truth must be adhered to. More and more has been added to the person of Mary,her role and  power,the fact is she can hear no one,intercede for no one, and help no one.We do not need Mary,priests,or dead people in our relation with  God, we have Jesus, and he is more than enough.There is no one more loving and understanding than Him,no one. I leave two verse of a hymn by Michael Bruce with you.

                                                 In every pang that rends the heart,

                                                 The man of sorrows has a part ;

                                                 He sympathises with our grief;

                                                 And to the sufferer sends relief.

                                                 With boldness, therefore, at the throne,

                                                 Let us make all our sorrows known;

                                                 And ask the aid of heavenly power,

                                                 To help us in the evil hour.

Priesthood (3)

Someone said if you love Jesus you love Hebrews, because it is all about Jesus,that He is divine,He is greater than angels, than prophets, and is by far a better intermediary , and it's that last one we want to consider,Jesus our great high priest.We have touched on the the old priesthood it was not meant to be permanent,,God would  replace the old with another priesthood, symbolised in the person of someone called Melchizedek,he is mention twice in the OT. Genesis 14 v 18/ Psalm 110 v4. David Pawson refers to him as a mysterious priest-king, he was a symbol of him who would come,and be a great high priest, Jesus.and it is in Hebrews that we are taught about Him. His priesthood is permanent  Heb 7 v17/21, He  also continues as Saviour 7 v 25. He intercedes for the saints of God 7 v25.He completely understands our weaknesses, temptations,for He himself was tempted ae we are (yet He did not sin),but He understands fully the human situation.4 v 15 -16. As Christians we are encourage to approach Gods throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need. 4 v16.We will continue this next time.

                                                          What a friend we have in Jesus,

                                                           All our sins and griefs to bear!

                                                           What a privilege to carry 

                                                           Everything to God in prayer!

                                                           O what peace we often forfeit!

                                                           O what needless pain we bear!

                                                           All because we do not carry

                                                           Everything to God in prayer.

                                                              Words Joseph  M. Scriven.

Priesthood (3)

Now before we consider the priesthood of Christ in the book of Hebrews ,we want to consider the question  is there any need for a particular priesthood?, like they have in the Roman Catholic Church,and in the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches. The answer is no, particular priesthood finished when the new covenant was established through Christ death ,His death caused sacrifice of  animals to cease. We will consider  sacrifice later. but that does mean that there is no priesthood, for the Bible teaches what is known as ,the priesthood of every believer. In 1 Peter 2 v  9 we read,'But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may  declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light'. This priesthood is not called  to offer animal sacrifices,but  sacrifices of praise to God, and acts of doing good, and helping those in need'. Hebrews 13 v 15. CP also Romans 12 v 1.If  we are a believers we are called to exercise our God given role as a priest of the living God?,  that means the whole of our lives ,should be a sacrifice to God.

                                                   Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,

                                                   In every part with praise,

                                                   That my whole being may proclaim

                                                   Thy being and Thy ways.   

                                                   Not for the lip of praise alone,

                                                   Nor e'en the praising heart,

                                                   I ask, but for a life made up

                                                   Of praise in every part;

                                                       Words Horatius Bonar.

                                                   

Who is greater? ( 2 ) (Hebrews 3.)

Although we are highlighting Jesus in the book of Hebrews ,I would like to remind you, that Christ is in all the scriptures.Now I am just highlighting certain aspect of  Christ in Hebrews,so we move on to chap 3 ,and in this chap Moses the law giver is mentioned. He was a very significant person and in no way should undermine his important,but the writer needs to make clear that Christ is greater than Moses.it is important because the Jewish Christians were in danger of  forsaking Christ .Moses was a servant, 3 v5, but it was temporary,for it was within the old covenant,but Christ is the eternal Son of God  3 v6 .Not many people mention this ,Moses sinned, Numbers 20 v 12, Jesus was sinless. Heb 4 v 15. One writer says this ,' to forsake the way of Christ for the way of Moses is to go from the greater to the lesser. It is to abandon the permanent ,in favour of the temporary'. Christ is and was unique, He pre existed in eternity as God the Son, no one can compare with Him, greater than Moses and all the prophets,greater that the apostles, beware of any who teach otherwise.