Hebrews 1-6

This is not an easy read today.  This part of the reading is about the Deity of Christ. Deity means Holy, Sacred, Divine.  Christ is above all.  Through false teaching or past wives tales and traditions have grown and very much worshipped.  The main argument of this letter is that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses (Mosaic Law).  He is greater than:

1. The Angels who the Law was given
2. Moses the Law giver to the people
3. The Levitical Priesthood, who the law was administered

Remember this book was written mainly at the time to Jewish converts that were struggling in their Faith.  First, the writer is going to recount in his own words some past scriptures from Psalms and Isaiah.  Angels are very much a part of our history as well as our future but what are they?  Angels are instruments that God uses for His purposes to reach us.  For example an angel can be a messenger  with a Word for us right here on earth (so watch what you say to the stranger next to you…you never know).  Angels are our protectors.  If God is Almighty,  then why do we need Angels to look after us, right?? They are the instruments that God uses to intervene.  Example, I knew a baby that was thrown from her car and not a scratch was on her and people said “an angel protected her”, well yes I believe that but really the Lord just used the angel to protect her…so let’s always look to the top.  We must stay focused on Christ.  Through Jewish history angels played a huge part in the giving of the law (Moses even had lunch with them) so Jews were exalting them wrongly.

Moses, if you know nothing about Jewish Culture know this, Moses is the religious leader of their faith, their Prophet, and the divine author of the first 5 books of the Bible called the Torah.  He was their Leader and Hero! He led them out of slavery and brought them to the cusp of the promise land. Well, technically he was just an instrument God used.

Priest.  Many of you joined us at the NT so let me do a quick recap. 

Jacob was renamed Israel by God.  Jacob/Israel had 12 sons forming the 12 tribes of Israel, one of the Tribes was from the son Levi.  So they are called the Levites and the book LEVIticus is about that very tribe and their role.  To make a long story short, the Levites were the line of the Priests and their Job was to take care of the Tabernacle (like a portable temple), the Ark of the Covenant (where God communed) and eventually the Temples (when one was standing, there were 3 total in history).  Anyway, Moses brother Aaron became the first HIGH PRIEST and then that got past generational. (Until the time of Christ when Romans took the role of appointing who they wanted as high priest.  Anyway, the role of the High Priest was to enter the Temple and make sacrifices for atonement of our sins.  Once a year (the day of Atonement) they would actually go beyond the veil and make a complete atonement for all our sins through a sacrifice.  WELLLLLLL, what is the Shadow here?  Jesus Christ became the ultimate high Priest making the Atonement for ALL.  That is when the veil tore allowing all of us to  be a priesthood (as we read yesterday in 1 Peter). Does that all make sense, as to why Jesus is the High Priest?

Last, the topic of falling away from the Lord, or the Christian Word: Apostasy.  At the end of Chapter 5 the author talks about being more mature in the Word and learning it for yourselves and not being fed by others.  But learning and the Bible and using it to discern wrong from right, in life and teachings from the world or in our church. Then in Chapter 6, (I had to research this a lot because it didn’t ring in my hear the way it is in my heart BUT what it is saying is that just because you have corporately worshipped and done some “Christian Stuff”, if you fall away from the Lord, then you were never really a Christian to begin with.  See the theme of this book is people who tried being a Christian and were thinking of going back to what they had before, wasn’t working for them.  (If there is no fruit….well then no vine) Anyway, I have rambled enough.

Tomorrow something fun…WHO IS MELCHIZEDEK??  It goes all the way back to Genesis 14.  Did Jesus make a Cameo appearance in Genesis.  I wonder how many times Jesus did this  throughout History and we don’t have a clue.