WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.919 Let me pray for us as we open these scriptures. 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:12.160 God, we thank you for this great book of Hebrews that we have been going through, for what it is telling us about the goodness of your grace to us known in Christ Jesus. 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:19.120 And I pray that this morning, would our understanding from our minds and into our hearts, would it be even greater? 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:25.519 Would we just expand in the knowledge of how good you are to us? 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:32.159 And would we deepen, would we deepen even more our identity in Jesus? 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:35.039 We pray this in his good name. 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:40.719 When I was in my early 20s, I had a very kind man who entered my life. 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:45.119 His name was Ronnie, and he was a Sunday school teacher at the Big Baptist church that I attended. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:46.560 I've talked about him before. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.640 I just graduated college. 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:53.280 I had working full-time and attending seminary full-time. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:56.560 Some of you have done stuff like that at a period of your life. 00:00:56.719 --> 00:00:57.759 College was way over. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.560 I mean, that was really clear with full-time work and full-time seminary. 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:04.159 College days were over. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.239 In that real world, it hit me like a dump truck. 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:12.159 It was not easy, but but Ronnie was there. 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.319 He was a farmer who went bankrupt. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:17.840 His company went bankrupt. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:21.200 His life, entire life, went bankrupt with that. 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:25.519 And so he was driving a tractor at the time that he was my Sunday school teacher during the day. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:26.640 He graded dirt. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:30.640 At night, he was in school to be a Christian counselor, which he is now. 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:33.599 And one day for me, I'd worked all day. 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.879 I drove 55 minutes home in horrible I-85 North traffic. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:40.079 I got home. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:41.760 I needed to study. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:45.040 There's no kind of open minute during those years. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.680 And I was just burned out. 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:49.120 I was burned out. 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:50.799 I was I was broken. 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.519 I didn't know kind of what to do or where to go. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:59.760 All I knew is like with the condition I was in, I was just falling apart. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.920 I think I was depressed, to tell you the truth. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:11.039 I think this was a stage of depression in my life, but I didn't have that language at that point in my life, or perhaps thought that it was okay for me to have that language for myself. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:12.879 So I didn't know where to go. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:15.120 So I called Ronnie. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:22.879 I can remember the street that I was on in Lartsville, Georgia, when I called, and I called him weeping. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:28.719 And when I called him, he was not disappointed in me. 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:32.800 And he did not shout advice to me. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.360 He never once judged me. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.319 Looking back on it, I can see what he did for me. 00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:46.800 He knew the pain I was feeling, see, because he had already experienced burnout and broken down and worn out. 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:52.639 So he listened to me and he asked some very caring questions, and then he listened some more. 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:55.599 And then he prayed for me. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:58.560 And then he told me that he was with me and for me. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:06.800 You see, he could sympathize with me because he had been in that valley. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:09.439 He knew what it felt like. 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:15.840 And in that way, he was, and this is the word for this morning, he was a priest to me. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:19.280 So now we're ready for Hebrews 5. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:21.039 One through four. 00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:30.639 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. 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:36.719 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:43.280 Because of this, he's obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins, just as he does for those of the people. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:48.639 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:54.319 So point number one is this we all have weakness, and we're all looking for help in our weakness. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:58.319 We all have weakness and we're all looking for help in our weakness. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:11.599 Now, you may look for help in your weakness in the world to feel righteous or feel self-justified by your work or another person or your achievement or your body or your status or your money, but we're all looking. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:13.520 Humanity is looking. 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:15.280 We're all looking for a high priest. 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.040 We're all looking for representation. 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:20.240 That's what the high priest does, he represents. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:24.160 I want to show you a few iconic images just as sort of gameplay this morning. 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:31.519 I want to show a few iconic images, and then you think about what this image represents. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:34.000 So here's the first image coming up. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:36.959 There's the first image man on the moon. 00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:38.959 And what does this represent? 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:40.319 Maybe somebody could say it out loud. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:41.839 What does this represent? 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:45.600 Anyone want to go for that in a group of 70 people? 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.040 American capability, right? 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:52.800 American pride. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:57.920 I know there's two of you think that it's a total farce, American farce. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.079 There's two of you that are thinking that right now. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:03.199 All right, the next image is this, the Berlin Wall. 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:03.839 Right? 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:06.879 I mean, the wall being up represented one thing, right? 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:09.040 Enslavement, bondage. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:17.920 And then the wall coming down, if you remember that and you're old enough, that represented the image of freedom and breakthrough. 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:20.240 Now, people can represent something, right? 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:22.959 Here's an image of a person, right? 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.920 Elvis Presley, he certainly represents something. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:28.480 Perhaps to you, you first saw it was drugs. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:29.680 Maybe. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.000 Perhaps he's still alive to you. 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:32.399 I don't know. 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.839 For a few of you, he's still alive and also Man on the Moon didn't happen, right? 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:37.439 All this kind of ties together. 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:39.680 But ultimately, rock and roll, right? 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:42.560 Elvis Presley represents rock and roll. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:50.000 Equally important in American history, this next person, Michael Scott from the office. 00:05:50.720 --> 00:05:55.839 And we know what he represents, at least to himself, what he wants to represent as the coffee mug, right? 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:57.680 World's best boss. 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:05.120 And a person can represent not just something, but a person can represent someone else. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:06.000 Right? 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.319 That's what the word to represent means. 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:14.319 It means to stand in the place of something or someone else, like a lawyer for a client. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:19.839 Or an older brother who shows up for the fight for the younger brother. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:32.000 Or in our text this morning, for us to understand the greatness of what God did for us in Christ Jesus is a high priest for a sinner. 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:38.079 Now, these people that this letter was written to at the time, they had no problem with understanding they were sinners. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:40.399 They embraced being rightly diagnosed. 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:45.279 It's actually quite helpful when you can just come to grips with what is actually true. 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:55.360 And then this high priest represented, of the text says, the people, and gave gifts and sacrifices to God to atone for the sins of the people. 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:57.759 That's what the high priest did in the temple. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:01.600 But at the time, this high priest had become very politicized. 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.959 It was a highly political position at the time leading up to Jesus. 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.920 The priesthood was greedy and self-serving at the time. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:11.839 And so these people they didn't have a high view of the high priest. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:22.319 And so the writer is trying to get them to understand how Jesus is their high priest, and at the same time, he's with this dilemma of getting the restoration inside of them of the idea of the high priest. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:27.439 So he goes searching for a good metaphor, an alignment. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:29.360 What is the high priest like? 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:31.600 And he finds this mysterious guy. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:36.399 He thinks about this mysterious guy in the Old Testament, Melchizedek. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:38.000 So verse 5. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:47.519 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. 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:53.439 As he says also in another place, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. 00:07:53.680 --> 00:08:05.519 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. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:21.040 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:26.160 Now Melchizedek, he's only mentioned, this mysterious guy, he's only mentioned a handful of times in the Bible. 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:28.160 The first time is in Genesis 14. 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:30.480 Abraham was on his way back from a battle. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:35.279 On the way back from the battle, Abraham runs into this guy named Melchizedek. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.240 And Melchizedek was the king of Salem. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.440 So we get no background about this guy there in Genesis 14. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:44.960 We don't really get any more information about him in the rest of the Bible. 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:52.320 But here in this place, again in Psalms, and then in Hebrews, is this reference to this Melchizedek, and Jesus is a priest like him. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:09:01.200 And it's almost like the lack of information about him draws us closer to the little bit of information we do have. 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:06.559 Because what we have is we have his name and we have the city that he's from. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:10.480 And Melchizedek means king of righteousness. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.039 And Salem means peace. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:18.480 So this king of righteousness is from a place of peace. 00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:27.279 So the writer of Hebrews he picks this obscure figure with his name from that city. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:32.399 And to say, Jesus is like that for you. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.000 Now he goes on and nails this down even more. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:37.759 We're going to see it in Hebrews 7 and 8. 00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:40.480 This is an entry into this idea of high priest. 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:47.840 Point number two is this Jesus is our righteousness ushering us toward peace. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:54.559 Jesus is your righteousness, which is what ushers you toward peace. 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:55.840 Isn't that good news? 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:02.559 You don't have to be your own righteousness, trying to usher yourself toward peace. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:10.399 That gospel process is that he, the high priest, Jesus, made the final sacrifice. 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:13.120 You don't have to keep making sacrifices for forgiveness. 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:14.240 It's given to you. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.320 And you also don't have to create or maintain your own righteousness. 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:24.879 Righteousness is a status given to you before, before it is a life that you live out in your behavior. 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:32.320 And that's the very thing, that gospel news, that good news, that grants us peace. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:35.360 The king of righteousness from the place of peace. 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:38.639 Dane Ortland, in his book Gentle and Lowly, I quoted it last week. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.919 I'll probably keep quoting it because this book has a lot to do with the book of Hebrews. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:43.360 He writes a lot about Hebrews. 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:52.159 And when he's writing about Hebrews chapter 5, here's what he says: Hebrews is not just telling us that instead of scolding us, Jesus loves us. 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:55.360 It's telling us the kind of love he has. 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:01.360 Rather than dispensing grace to us from on high, he gets down with us. 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.240 He puts his arms around us. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:07.600 He deals with us in a way that is just what we need. 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.000 He deals gently with us. 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:20.320 When I was a senior in high school, I played basketball and I sprained my ankle really badly right before season started, preseason game about a month before. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:23.840 And so I blew it out, not going for a dunk. 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:24.480 That was not me. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:25.679 I think I could touch the backboard. 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:26.399 That was about it. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:27.279 It was pretty sad. 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:30.559 Got worse after the sprained ankle, but I was out. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:33.200 And my coach's name, his name was Coach Sweat. 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:35.519 I mean, his classic basketball coach name. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:39.919 And Coach Sweat was basketball in Larchville, Georgia. 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:43.679 He owned basketball in Larchville, Georgia for 20 years. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:44.960 He was the king. 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:49.200 If you had anything to do with basketball, he was the king of basketball. 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:58.720 And during those three weeks, while I was resting it and icing it, I was over on the sideline during practice, stretching, do little drills, you know, cuts here and there, during that whole process of three weeks. 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:03.200 I think maybe he checked in with me like every other day and just like, when are you gonna be ready? 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:03.919 Not yet. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:08.000 He moved on back to running his kingdom of basketball. 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:11.919 Yet there was another guy, Coach Cassell, the assistant coach. 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:14.159 Now, Coach Cassell, total different story. 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:19.360 Coach Cassell was with me every day during that practice. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:24.960 He was with me on the sideline, he was getting me ice, he was suggesting new stretches, new drills. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:26.080 He was with me. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:27.039 How was I doing? 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:27.919 How was it feeling? 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:29.600 What can we change? 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:32.960 He was patient, he was helpful. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:35.039 Classic setup, right? 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:40.000 Head coach, assistant coach, one with the power, one with the people. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:41.440 Here's the point. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:42.559 You picked up on it. 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:45.840 Jesus is our king and our priest. 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.840 Power and with us. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:56.240 It means he reigns supreme over our world and our lives, and yet he deals gently with us. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.440 That's point number three. 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:03.679 Jesus reigns supreme over all and deals gently with you. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.279 God perfectly knows us in our mess. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:11.679 He's even experienced mess even while he was sinless. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:14.480 And that is how he can sympathize with us. 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:25.759 The gospel implication for our lives this week for me, it hit me when I read this prayer I'm about to read by Scotty Smith on his blog Heavenword this week. 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:32.000 It's just the implication of Christ being in you, the Holy Spirit working in you, of having him as your high priest. 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:35.039 And here's the prayer. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:52.159 Since the gospel is true, and you'll be able to hear and pick up on all the application in your heart and life as I read it, since the gospel is true, we don't have to feign sufficiency and medicate foolishly or blame relentlessly. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.120 Thank you, God, for both your invitation and provision. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:01.759 With hearts open and palms up, we trust you for the rest. 00:14:02.000 --> 00:14:03.840 You alone can give. 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:07.200 Rest from fear, fatigue, and worry mulling. 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.320 Rest from taking on more than you've given us. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:13.440 Rest from the lies and accusations of the enemy. 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:16.480 Rest from the idolatry of capability. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:21.200 Rest from vain regrets, false guilt, and real shame. 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:24.480 Rest from the uncertainties of our future. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:29.120 Rest from, like Martha, choosing irritation over adoration. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:36.000 Rest from focusing more on what we don't get from people than what we do have in you. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:44.480 Jesus, you are our perfect righteousness and deepest at peace as our loving spouse and reigning King. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:50.320 You see, Jesus is your high priest, your king of righteousness. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.799 Gently with you, ushering you, walking with you toward peace. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:00.080 Let's pray together. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:21.279 God, thank you that you are our worthy King, creator of the world, holy and mighty, and at the same time you are our priest, compassionate and patient, able to sympathize because you have lived in this world and know the pressures. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.879 Forgive us for all the ways we don't trust in you. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:31.279 Forgive us for all the ways we act out in those ways of blaming and medicating and misbehaving. 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:43.039 God, would we come into a greater knowledge of you in both our minds and our hearts that we might be more enamored, more astonished, and that our lives might honor you in always in Jesus' name. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:43.759 Amen.