Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
Fourth in a series of 8 messages
READ: HEBREWS 4:1-16 TEXT: v14 HOLD FAST YOUR PROFESSION 4/8
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
That there was a difference between the Hebrew Christians (to whom this letter was sent) and the Jews cannot be denied
The fact that the Hebrew Christians had left the synagogue - sometimes
having been forcibly put out - indicates a major difference
Again…the fact a significant number of professing Hebrew
Christians were contemplating going back into Judaism indicates the
same thing
Surely no one could say: "Well, we're all fundamentally the same" Why come out or why go back if this were the case?
The differences were real and they centred around two major points:
[i] The acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Messiah
To this day, the Jews as a people reject His Messiahship
Some more violently than others…but all nevertheless
One day they will look upon Him whom they have pierced and mourn because of Him (Revelation 1:7) but that day has not yet come
[ii] They reject the 27 Books/NT which we believe were given by
inspiration/God and which constitute the last revelation given by God
Some of the more enlightened may accept some of the teachings of the NT
regarding morals etc., and even think highly of Jesus of Nazareth as a
great teacher etc., but they do not enter into the spirit of the NT,
nor accept its fundamental teaching i.e. (as said) that the Messiah (in
the person of Jesus Christ) has already come
So there are fundamental differences there
Enough to warrant separation from the synagogue
Paul's experience in Acts 19:8-9 being often repeated
Fundamentally different enough to warn that returning to unbelieving
Judaism was nothing less than an act of apostasy (6:4-6/10:26-31)
Text is wider than the circumstances in which it was first written
People who have professed faith sometimes renounce it and slip back into all kinds of doctrinal/practical error
Some return again to the Church of Rome - others into atheism etc.,
Others slip back into the world and make no further pretence of being a believer/Jesus Christ
Context especially does relate to the synagogue end/things, but this does not limit us any
Our text is not designed to accommodate the deserters, but to encourage the faithful to hold fast their profession/faith
The word "seeing" denotes that a reason(s) have been supplied
3 things to notice in our text:
1) OUR NT PROFESSION DOES NOT ABANDON ANYTHING REVEALED IN THE OT SCRIPTURES:
A/ This was a common slur cast against the NT Christians
They were "Johnny Come Lately's" with no historical foundation
Upstarts who could not rightly claim any connection to the OT Church
(A similar slur was cast against the 16th Century Reformers)
B/ But Paul sets out to show that the OT in itself is an incomplete part of the overall revelation/God and that it needs the NT
With all the knowledge of a great Pharisee, he goes over the various
component parts/Jewish faith and shows their temporary nature
They were never meant to be a permanent fixture
In this very chapter, the argument of v3-11 is that the various rests
spoken of in the NT were all being superseded and only find their
fulfilment in the life to come
C/ In our text, we find that the Jewish Christians did not lose their High Priest when they left Judaism
Cannot be denied that the Jewish High Priest may have sought to have
silenced the disciples (Acts 5) and have oversaw the eventual
martyrdom/Stephen (Acts7) and authorised Saul to persecute the Damascus
Christians (Acts 9) only to physically assault him (as a Christian) in
Acts 23 and pursued him relentlessly in future chapters
But we must query whether the High Priest really was the High Priest!
The inspired writer merely refers to him by his popular title
Certainly no endorsing of him or of his imagined position
He is among those whom the apostles prayed against in Acts 5
Even if the High Priest had been tolerant - He was still an usurper
He was out of a job the day the veil/temple rent in two (Mark 15:28)
Dressed in all his finery - he was only going through the motions
D/ But as NT Christians, we still have a High Priest (text)
We still need a High Priest to bring us to God
We still need an altar (13:10)
We still need to offer up sacrifices (13:6)
(Will explain this more fully in a few moments - but it is so)
As NT Christians - we are the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16)
All the OT types/shadows are carried over into the NT faith
They only find their ultimate meaning in the NT faith
The NT doesn't make much sense without the OT
This is why studying the OT is so important for us
Wouldn't it be so much easier to just study the NT -
Lazy man's answer: Yes. Serious Bible Student's answer: No.
Shouldn't only keep either the interesting parts/OT: Narratives and the
Psalms/Proverbs etc., but even the Levitical Books because our NT faith
depends on their truths for our salvation
2) OUR NT PROFESSION GIVES US MUCH MORE THAN WHAT IS REVEALED IN THE OT SCRIPTURES
A/ Already said…we do not lose anything by embracing the NT faith
But we don't merely not lose…we gain what the Jews refused to gain
The Jews are stuck in the shadow lands of the OT - criminally so
OT was fine when that's all there was - OT saints were saved, but it
moves up a gear when the NT came along and rejecting it was sin
Warning of Hebrews 3:19 is failing to enter in because of unbelief
B/ In NT Christianity, we keep the High Priest first revealed/OT
But here's the big difference: Jesus is our Great High Priest (text)
We need a priest to bring us to God -Jesus Christ alone is that priest: John 14:6/1 Timothy 2:5
He is a Great High Priest (Phrase occurs only here: Unique to Christ)
OT High Priests were so limited: Mere human beings - Had to offer for
their own sins - some of them were very wicked indeed (especially in
the Gospels/Acts) - eventually died etc.,
But here is our Great High Priest - Jesus Christ
Yes, He was "the man Christ Jesus" but also the Son/God (text)
No sins of His own to offer up for - Holy, harmless etc., (7:26-27)
He lives in the power of an endless life for us (Hebrews 7:25)
Because He has entered into the Holiest/all…so too we have boldness to do likewise (10:19-20)
C/ Must (while on this subject) also mention about our altar/sacrifices
Perhaps only one brought up in strict Judaism can appreciate the
lure of the sacrifices to tug on the heartstrings of the Hebrew
Christians
Must've been hard for them to go from this to the sheer simplicity of
the NT meetings e.g. the sheer simplicity of the Lord's Table
But Paul argues that we have not lost out anything
We do have an altar (Hebrews 13:10) The Cross/Calvary was that altar -
a final altar because His sacrifice was an once for all one
(Hebrews 10:10-14)
Here's a thought/Jews: Where is your altar?
Your OT Law declares that it is the blood that atones (Leviticus 17:11)
and without blood shedding there is no remission (9:22)
As far as I know, no blood is being shed in Judaism today
Where does that leave your soul? Apart from lost?
Christians do not struggle with this great thought!
Christ is our Lamb of God - our Passover sacrificed for us and His blood keeps on cleansing us from all sin
Objection about our sacrifices: If Christ died once/for all (9:28) why
then does Paul mention our need of making sacrifices? (13:16)
Ans:- Our sacrifices are not literal (Christ has provided that) but
spiritual (1 Peter 2:5) Our praises are our sacrifices (Hebrews
13:15-16) We yield our bodies: God as reasonable sacrifices (Romans
12:1)
Those are the sacrifices with which God is well pleased
D/ Remember: even in the OT, God often refused the literal Jewish
sacrifices which were offered (Isaiah 1:11-15)
They were only a means to an end - give us an OT picture of Christ
In themselves they never did (and never could) put away sin (10:1-4)
3) WE HAVE EVERY SCRIPTURAL AND PRACTICAL REASON TO HOLD FAST OUR NT PROFESSION
A/ As said earlier…the lessons here are wider than the context
Think of this - whether converted Jew or converted Gentile - why should we let go of our profession/faith or for what?
Why should we go back to a dead, cold, formal religion?
Why should we surrender up our living hope in Jesus Christ?
He has entered for us into the Heavens
[i] As proof that His atonement really was completed
On the Cross, He was forsaken of the Father (Matthew 27:46)
But now the Father (via the empty tomb) is receiving Him back again
[ii] He enters into/Heavens to receive great glory (Philippians 2:9-11)
Already had an inherent glory as the Son/God (John 17:5) but now an
additional glory as the Perfect Mediator who finished the work
It is in this glory He will come and receive us to (John 17:22-24)
[iii] We are already seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians
2:6) While this is mystical…it is nonetheless real and it is
glorious
[iv] Entered into the Heavens to prepare a most glorious/happy place
for us (John 14:2) distinctly said to be reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4)
[v] It is from Heaven that He will come via the clouds in great glory
and the saints, dead and alive, will meet Him in the air and go to be
with Him for evermore
[vi] Presently in Heaven, He is praying for us as our Mediator and
Advocate with the Father, thus enabling us to overcome each/every
opposition from whatever quarter it may come
Paul sums up the position of Christians in Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Consider again:
For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)
What does it mean "our faith"?
Ans:- This faith is our profession
The strength of this faith that overcomes the world in victory is not the faith itself
(How weak our faith can often be) but the One in whom that faith is placed i.e. the Son/God entered into the Heavens
B/ These things being so, do not let go of your profession/faith:
Christ There is absolutely no reason why you should…no matter
what those circumstances might be. There is no lasting gain to be made.
Hold out when every last temptation passes before your eyes - press on
toward the mark and hope to the faith: always causes us to
triumph/Christ
THE END