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HEBREWS – LESSON 3

I. Jesus: Our great high priest (4:14-6:20)

A. He is the Son of God who has passed through the heavens – Let us hold fast our confession (4:14-16).

1. As our high priest, He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.

2. He has been tempted in all points as we, but without sinning.

3. Let us then draw close to His throne of Grace to receive mercy and find grace in time of need.

B. He has been appointed by God as High Priest (5:1-6).

            1. The priest’s purpose:

a. Offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins- even for his own sins.

b. Bear gently with the ignorant and erring.

2. The priest does not take the honor of being priest on his own but is appointed by God to be High Priest.

a. Example of Aaron

3. Jesus appointed by God to be High Priest

            a. Fulling Psalm 2:7

            b. Jesus: the Son of God

            c. After the “order of Melchizedek”

C. He as Priest identifies with man’s sufferings in saving man from sin  (5:7-9).

1. In the flesh, He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him who could save Him from death – heard for His godly fear.

2. Though God’s Son, He learned obedience by the things he suffered.

3. Perfected, Jesus is the author or cause of salvation to all them who obey Him.

D. Summary of Jesus’ high priesthood: (5:10)

            1. Named of God

            2. After the order of Melchizedek.

E. Sober Admonition of sluggish hearers (5:11-6:8).

            1. Cannot speak to them of Jesus’s priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.

2. By the time hearers should have been teachers – they need someone teach them the first principles of the oracles of God.

3. Hearers are like babes, only able to drink milk, instead of  being spiritually mature and able to handle the solid food.

4. Full grown men have had their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

5. Exhortation to press on to perfection- move past the rudiments.

6. Warning to hearers who were once enlightened and partakers of the Holy Spirit’s revealed Word of salvation that they can fall away

a. No longer able for someone to bring you to repentance.

b. Like the land that receives rain but produces thorns and thistles – which will be burned in the end.

F. Positive Exhortation: “…we are persuaded of better things of you that accompany salvation” (6:10-12).

1. God does not forget the work done in the past which they still did to benefit the saints toward  the name of the Lord.

2. Encouraged to show the same diligence to the end.

3. Do not be sluggish but be imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

G. God’s promises are sure – especially so when interposed with an “oath”      (6:13-20).

1. Example of God’s promise to Abraham – having patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

a. Promise: “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee” (Genesis 22:16-17).

2. God, who cannot lie, has interposed with an oath His promise to His people today who are  heirs of His promise in Christ.

a. Two immutable things: God’s oath and God’s promise.

3. The Christian can therefore have strong encouragement who have fled for refuge and lay hold of the Hope set before us.

a. A hope that is an anchor for our soul.

b. A hope that is sure and steadfast.

c. A hope that we will enter through the veil into heaven.

d. A hope based upon Jesus: our forerunner – as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

QUESTIONS:

1. Who is the Christian’s High Priest?

2. What causes us to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence?

3. What are the “office hours” of our great High Priest?

4. What qualifications of the priest did Christ fulfill?

5. In what way did Jesus surpass the qualifications of the high priest?

6. In 5:6, what does the word “order” mean?

7. Jesus was a high priest after the order of whom?

8. In what  way could Christ’s and Melchizedek’s priesthood be “forever”?

9. In verse 7, are “prayers” and “supplications” used synonymously?

10. What is meant by “strong crying”?

11. When did such crying occur?

12. Was Christ fearful?           Discuss.

13. What is meant by “He learned obedience”?

 

14. Define the word “author” as revealed in verse 9:

15. Unto whom is Jesus the author of eternal salvation?

16. Who or what was hard for  the readers to understand?

17. Why were things so difficult to get across to the readers?

18. What distinguishes the spiritual babe from the fully grown man?

19. Is there a point in time when God expects maturity in babes?

20. How are  “baptisms” (plural) part of the first principles of Christ?

21. How was “laying on of hands” part of the first principles of Christ?

22. What was the author going to do if God permitted it?

23. Your friend views the apostates in verse 4-6 as those who were never “true believers.”  Is he/she right?      Explain:

24. Does it ever become impossible to renew one to repentance?    When?

25. How does the discussion of the land in verses 7-8 illustrate what has been stated in verses 4-6?

26. Had the writer crossed off his readers as hopeless?

27. While the readers were dull of hearing, in what way were they still active?

28. What two characteristics describe the one who will inherit the promises?

29. What promise did Abraham obtain?

30. What are the “two immutable things” ?

31. How does this fact help Christians today?

32. What does “hope” do for the Christian?

33. Who makes our hope secure?