1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.
3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.
4 And no one takes this honour for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you";
6 as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Warning Against Apostasy
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 6:
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
3 And this we will do if God permits.
4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things---things that belong to salvation.
10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.
11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Certainty of God's Promise
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you."
15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.
17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,
18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Things to think about…
1. Jesus Christ as God’s appointed High Priest in the ‘order of Melchizedek’, Heb 5:6 who was without father or mother and being the Son of God, not a son of God and as such is God and therefore the only One who can forgive sin. God alone forgives sin. This is why the deity of Christ is so central for the Christian. We have met people who believe Jesus was ‘a god’ who worship at a Jehovah’s Witness temple. When you meet them, suggest that they go to a church that believes the same as the writer to the Hebrews. God the Son alone forgives sin.
2. Christ as our example learned obedience through suffering, Heb 5:8. If this was true for Jesus, how much more so for us? Easier said than done, but essential, nonetheless.
3. The writer of Hebrews has no time for weak theology, Heb 5:1-14. A greater knowledge of God’s word allows us to “distinguish good from evil”, vs 14. I must confess that while I find the doctrines of grace a wonderful framework to have, they are what I would call the “basic principles of the oracles of God”, vs 12. Let’s make sure we move on from the basic principles and grow in our understanding of God’s Word and a sensitivity to His Spirit. This requires a loving accountability. Let’s make sure our theology translates into a greater love for God and each other.
4. Some of the elementary teaching includes understanding that salvation is by grace and not dead works, faith being necessary, modes of baptism (washing), the resurrection and eternal judgement, Heb 6:1,2. How is it that the modern church still wrestles with these elementary things today? Denominations have been established on how these things are understood, yet the writer to the Hebrews says they are part of ‘elementary doctrine’ within Christianity. Part of the issue is people recommitting to Christ over and over, or getting baptised again and again. This shows a lack of understanding of true repentance and conversion and is part of the writers point with the absurdity of Heb 6:6 “and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” This is a result of shallow preaching. Let’s promote a depth of fellowship, love and commitment to study the deeper things of the Lord in 2019. “And this we will do if God permits”, Heb 6:3.
5. The urgency and context within the understanding that the church moves away from elementary things is that there is a real possibility of ‘falling away’, Heb 6:6 if one doesn’t do so. The doctrine of the resurrection and eternal judgement must therefore always be taught because of their importance and centrality within Christianity, but this should not be the only teaching. Note that it is possible to share ‘in the Holy Spirit’ to fall away, Heb 6:4-6. Balaam and Saul shared ‘in the Holy Spirit’ and yet scripture clearly portrays them as enemies of the Lord. How can we tell the difference between the two? Ans:- Fruit! Consider Heb 6:7,8. Those who have a true faith in Christ promote truth, unity, love and grace.
6. The writer is confident that those he is writing to are those who have the things that ‘belong to salvation’, Heb 6:9 and the fruit of godly works and love, vs 10. The point is to have ‘full assurance of hope until the end’, vs 11. This is why godly accountability with an intentional focus to achieve spiritual growth should be a key attribute within any church that names the name of Christ. Prov 18:1 says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”
7. Abraham is given as an example of assurance for those who have been given a promise from the Lord. As heirs to this same promise we have a guarantee, Heb 6:17 and a hope, vs 18, an anchor for the soul, vs 19 and an example – Jesus, vs 20. This is why we can be bold and confident and also have this same assurance, knowing that it is impossible for God to lie, vs 18 with these two unchangeable things – 1. God’s oath to Himself and 2. His covenant with Abraham. But our guarantee is even more sure. Why? Because Jesus is the One who has a better covenant – a new covenant as the High Priest of ‘the order of Melchizedek’, vs 20. Our eternal salvation is secure and impossible to destroy! Hallelujah!.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Ric Benson group will start back on Wednesday night 6:30pm.
Pastor Jay has started the young adult’s life group starts back Sunday week.
Prayer Points
1. Pray about your involvement in a ministry, giving, hospitality in light of Sunday’s message.
2. Families of victims of the Bondi Junction massacre. Pray for healing, comfort and hope.
3. Anna has started a Playgroup and it was blessed, pray for more families to be reached.
4. Conflict in Israel and Ukraine.
5. Those who are considering baptism.
6. Church finances to cover all expenses.
7. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups and Mothers Day event.
8. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons in the church cafe. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
9. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
10. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise the Lord for ministry opportunities at Playgroup as it started back.
2. Pray for Richard as he recovers from his operation last week. Operation successful
3. Tad continues to gain strength at home. Good to see him at church yesterday. Continue to pray for Glenys as she now has a splint to gain full use in her left arm. Any encouragement you can give will be greatly appreciated.
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Playgroup 9:30-11am on Friday
2. Monday evening prayer with Mathys on the café 5:30-6pm
3. Life Groups start back Wednesday 6:30pm at church.
4. Kids@Church every Sunday.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 19. Do you have a soul as well as a body? A. Yes; I have a soul that can never die.
