Sermons by Murray Lean (Page 18)

Many of us find Hebrews 7 a hard chapter of the Bible to understand. In the terms of Hebrews 5:14, it’s “solid food”! But a little effort is richly rewarded. In this message Pastor Murray works through the passage explaining who Melchizedek is and how God uses him as a model for a whole new way of “drawing near” to Him. No longer do we come to God through a complex system of priests and sacrifices. We come through the one perfect high priest who has offered Himself as the “once for all” sacrifice for sins – Jesus Christ. In every way Jesus is better! He guarantees to “save completely” those who trust in Him. Are you looking for a Saviour? Why not look to Jesus today?

A 5 year old taking a baby’s bottle to school suggests that there is something wrong! Under normal circumstances we expect babies to keep growing and maturing year by year. So it is meant to be with a Christian’s spiritual progress. In the first big challenge from today’s passage the question is asked: Are you growing ? In particular, are you growing in your understanding and living out of God’s word? Because every Christian should be! The second big challenge is to unbelievers, especially to the person who may think he or she is a Christian, yet their life clearly does not reflect this. This is to “fall away” from Christ and face God’s permanent rejection. Is it time to “examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5)?

Today’s passage begins: “Since we have a great high priest …. Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”. For many of us the idea of priests and their role is not particularly familiar. But in the Old Testament priests had a vital role, standing between God and the people, offering sacrifices for their sins, and keeping them connected to God. Do we needs priests to serve us in this way today? Well, no! And the reason why is explained in today’s passage. Jesus himself has become our “great high priest” who suffered and died for us, and can therefore sympathise with us and represent us directly before God. We don’t need an earthly priest but we do need Jesus. Are you “holding firmly” to Him today?

The Christian life is a journey that begins with an “exodus” (salvation) and leads to an “entry” (heaven), and so much can happen in between. Today’s passage sounds a sober warning of the dangers every believer faces on this journey. Just as the Israelites grumbled against God and turned away from Him in the desert on the way to the Promised Land, we can also start to doubt God when things don’t go our way in life. Before long our hearts become hardened towards Him, and rebellion and disobedience soon follow. But this doesn’t have to be the case if we heed the advice we find in this great passage!

Have you ever had a crisis of faith? For whatever reason, you’ve found yourself questioning your beliefs. The words of songs like “Jesus is all I need” somehow don’t ring true. The writer of Hebrews had people like this in mind when he wrote these words, particularly those who felt like giving up and turning back to their old Jewish ways. But Jesus really IS better …. so keep your keep fixing your thoughts on Jesus …. keep holding fast to Him. Through all the struggles of life Jesus is the faithful, dependable One. Don’t let go of Him. Keep persevering in your faith. He won’t let you down.

Very few Christians suddenly decide to abandon their faith. A far greater danger is a gradual drifting away from Christ as life gets busy, distracted, hard, complicated ….. (you fill in the space!). But how does this happen? And what can we do to prevent it? In today’s message we see how the writer to the Hebrews suggests two key ways to stop this drift. Firstly, to realise just how great Jesus is. Nobody, not even angels, come close. Secondly, to appreciate just how wonderful is the salvation Jesus offers. Jesus really is the anchor for the Christian life, to keep us safe and strong in the storms of life. So how’s your relationship with Christ today?

In a world where there are so many conflicting voices crying out for our attention, there is one voice more than any other that we need to be listening to – God’s voice. The book of Hebrews begins with a clear message ….. God has spoken to us. In times past He spoke through the prophets, and we have this message recorded for us in the Old Testament. But then God did the unthinkable. He spoke to the human race through the person of His own divine Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus – His life, His words, His death and resurrection etc – God has spoken most fully and finally. We don’t need a new word from God today. But we do need Jesus. Are you listening to Him?