Hebrews – Part 5 Lawson and Aaron Perdue

  Praise the Lord friends, and welcome to the broadcast. Today I’m gonna be teaching with my son Aaron. We’re teaching on Hebrews, and we’re gonna be teaching from Hebrews seven, where the scripture says that Jesus is the surety of a better covenant. And Hebrews chapter eight where it says that we have a better covenant, established on better promises. Jesus guarantees the promises of the new covenant to us with his work. And all we need to do is have faith in God.

 

  Friends it’s great to have you with us today, and we’re continuing to teach on Hebrews. Today we are teaching on Hebrews chapter seven, where Jesus makes everything better. And this is literally talking about we have a better priesthood. And so I’m gonna let Aaron jump in the word, we’re in Hebrews chapter seven in verse 11.

 

  It says here, “therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, for under it, the people received the law, what for the need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed of necessity there is also a change of the law.” He’s saying if the Levitical, Levitical priesthood wasn’t broken, there’d be no need to fix it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But it was broken. Why was it broken? Why was it not a perfect system? Because it, it was people as priests.

 

  It was based on man’s performance too.

 

  And really, like, pretty much as soon as it was instituted, you know, Moses, anointed Aaron and his four sons to be priests, you know, two of Aaron’s sons screwed up right off the bat. It says they offered strange fire. They, they, they ended up dying.

 

  They daab in a be hue.

 

  Yeah, and you can see that there are problems. And if you, if you, you know, study the Old Testament, you can see that there are lots of problems with various priests throughout the Old Testament.

 

  Well, and there also were problems in performance.

 

  Because the old covenant was based on our performance, right?

 

  God said, if you do this, then I’ll do this. The problem was, the people couldn’t keep it, they couldn’t do it. Because spiritually they were dead.

 

  So we had to have a new priest, right? And we had to have a new spirit. And, so, the new covenant is not based on our performance, it’s based on the performance of Jesus.

 

  And it says, in Hebrews chapter eight, “I will bless you”, and I will, and so on and so forth,

 

  Mm hmm.

 

  and, you’re not gonna have to have anybody teach you. It’s not about our performance, it’s about the performance of Jesus.

 

  And that what, that’s what makes the new covenant a better covenant. We have a better covenant, established on better covenant, better promises. Jesus makes everything better. And here in Hebrews chapter seven, we have a better high priest, Jesus, since we had a change of the covenant, we had a change of the priest. That’s awesome. So here in verse 13, it says, “for he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.” So he’s talking about Jesus here, Jesus was from another tribe. He wasn’t from the tribe of Levi. He was born in the tribe of Judah.

 

  Which actually, you know, according to the law, did not have, you know, priestly,

 

  callings, priestly rights. So it says in verse 14, “for it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest.” So Melchizedek wasn’t from the, the tribe of, of Levi, he was actually before, Moses.

 

  He was before, before the 12 tribes. Verse 16 says, “who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.” Jesus is high priest, because he lives forever.

 

  That’s why he is a priest forever.

 

  After the order of Melchizedek, he lives forever. That’s another thing that’s great about this priesthood, where Jesus is the high priest, he, in the Old Testament if a high priest, the only way he would be removed is if he died.

 

  But there’s always a changeover of, of a, a priesthood because the priest would die and someone else would replace ’em, you know? So sometimes there’d be a good priest, sometimes a bad priest, some, but,

 

  It, it was a changing picture. But our priesthood not, right now, and for all eternity, actually never changes.

 

  The thing about the new covenant of believers, the new covenant that we are part of, it’s, it’s an eternal covenant.

 

  The new priest that we have, he’s an eternal priest.

 

  The, the sacrifice that he offered, it’s an eternal sacrifice.

 

  Amen, the blood. We are part of an eternal covenant. We have an eternal high priest. It’s an eternal covenant.

 

  You know, when, when Jesus comes again, it, it’s still gonna be the same covenant. It’s still gonna be based upon the blood of Jesus.

 

  You know, we’re raptured up into heaven. You know, when the church is raptured up, you know, it, it’s still, you’re raptured up because of the blood.

 

  It’s not because you’re perfect, it’s not because,

 

  Yeah, it, it’s all

 

  You know you are righteous

 

  about the blood of Jesus

 

  because of the blood, your spirit is perfect,

 

  but it’s not be because of what you’ve done, it’s because of who you believe.

 

  And believing Jesus changes everything.

 

  And right here, here He’s saying Jesus is the guarantee, of this new covenant.

 

  The old covenant was based on their performance. The new covenant is based on Jesus and his performance.

 

  And he is the guarantee, of a better covenant.

 

  He is the surety. It is not based on our performance, it’s based on the performance of Jesus. Let’s go on here in verse 17, it says, “for he testifies, you are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” Again, quoting Psalm one 10. So he’s an eternal high priest. For, on the one hand in verse 18, “there is annulling of the former commandment because of its weaknesses and unprofitableness.”

 

  Hallelujah.

 

  For the law made nothing perfect. That’s the problem with the law, is it can’t, it can’t make people perfect. You know, the law, you, you can live according to it, you can do exactly what it says, but it, it will not change you.

 

  I like what you said, Aaron, annulling. When somebody has a marriage annulled,

 

  it’s like it was never there. And so it’s not like the law doesn’t have power, the law has a power over man as long as he lives, right. The law has power over man, you know, Paul says, “the law was not made for a righteous man”, at first Timothy chapter one, but for unholy, for murders of mother’s murder. You know while you’re a sinner the law still will show you your sin. But when you come into Christ, you die to the law. You die. Galatians chapter two, verse 16 to verse 21, where, where Paul says, I’m crucified with Christ in verse 20, is actually talking about dying to the law. So he says, there is annulling, I love that, I’m, I just got that, of the commandment, going before because of the weakness and unprofitable, you’re not under the law.

 

  Praise God. We have the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We have a new law, and we’re living by the spirit. We’re to be led by the spirit, into the things of God, into a relationship with God, into the promises of God, into the, into the good things of God. He says, “for the law made nothing perfect”, in verse 19, “but the bringing in of a better”, here we see that word again, “better hope did by which we draw near to God”. We draw near to God because of the grace of Jesus. And like in Hebrews four, verse 16, it says, “come boldly to the throne of grace”, or verse 14, I think it’s verse 16, “that we might obtain help in a time of need”. We come boldly to the throne, God’s throne today, the throne of Jesus is a throne of grace.

 

  And we come by faith into grace,

 

  to receive the promises of God. He says, “by which we draw near to God in as much, this was not without an oath, he was made priests. For those priests in the Old Testament, made were not made with, those priests were made without an oath, but with this oath by him that said, the Lord swear that he will not repent. You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Amen, but Jesus, in verse 22, was made the guarantee, the surety of a better, we have a better covenant established on better promises. Hebrews eight, six. And what makes it better is Jesus.

 

  Praise God, he is the guarantee of the New Testament, of the better testament. The promise of the New Testament, the promises of the new covenant, are guaranteed to us because of Christ’s work. Again, it’s not our work, it’s his work. Praise God, go ahead, Aaron. In verse 23.

 

  It says here, “also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing.” So it says, there are many priests just because people die and they’d have

 

  to replace ’em. “But he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.” I love that, it doesn’t change.

 

  He’ll never change.

 

  He’ll never change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His power is the same yesterday, today and forever. His office, his authority, it’s the same yesterday, today and forever.

 

  He is, the king of kings, the Lord of lords. He’s the priest, the high, the great high priest of our confession.

 

  Amen, I like this, here. And that’s never gonna change.

 

  Unchangeable priesthood. If we go back to Hebrews chapter six, it says, “God said, surely blessing, I will bless you in multiplying I’ll multiply you.” He’s talking about what He spoke to Abraham, but what he, what he is actually saying is, we have the unchangeable word of an unchangeable God.

 

  And here we have an unchangeable priesthood. It’s guaranteed to us by Christ’s work. And so pray, God doesn’t change his word. He doesn’t wake up on the different side of the bed. You know, when God gives a word, his word goes out into eternity and produces fruit. It bears fruit forever. He never changes,.

 

  from his word.

 

  And I love,

 

  Praise God. I actually love, studying out the book of Leviticus where it talks about the, the, you know, really how the, how the priests were to live out the law, and when they were, when they were ordained, when they were, you know, separated, it’s really a picture of Jesus to come, but also this kingdom of priests that we’re now a part of. So, I just love reading it.

 

  You know, one thing that kind of struck me as I studied out Leviticus, is that the high priests would wear, like a crown on their head, a turban on their head, but there was a, a, a plane across it that, that read this, it said holiness to the Lord.

 

  And, and really when, when you accept Jesus, you, you are, you are separate. You aren’t, you are, you’re a peculiar people. You are a royal priesthood.

 

  You’re made holy.

 

  You are made holy. And, and really your life, your, your thoughts, your-

 

  “Jesus died and rose again to present it as holy, unblameable, and unreprovable before the side of the Father.” That’s Colossians one, verse 22. Verse 23 says, “if we continue,

 

  in the faith and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel”, and that’s what he’s talking about all through Hebrews, is, keep your faith in Jesus. Keep your faith in the grace of God. Don’t move away from the gospel. Don’t move away from the work that Jesus, our great high priest has done. Go ahead, Aaron, in verse 23 to 28.

 

  Verse 23, it says, also, “there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing”. Verse 24, “But he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priest”. Verse 25, “Therefore, he is also able to save to the uttermost, those who come to God

 

  Hallelujah.

 

  through him.” He, when Jesus saves you, he doesn’t partially save you, he doesn’t, some people aren’t saved, at the 50% level, at the 60% level, at the 99%. Jesus saves you to the utter most.

 

  In your spirit, you’re either 100% righteous, or you’re 100% a sinner.

 

  You’re either 100% a child of God, or you’re 100% lost.

 

  You’re either going to heaven if you die, or going to hell.

 

  And if you go to heaven, it’s because you believed on Jesus. And if you go to hell, it’s because you didn’t.

 

  And that’s, that’s the gospel.

 

  And so he says, he can “save them to the uttermost that come to God, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them”.

 

  Man, we have one praying for us, who makes intercession for us. You don’t need an army of people praying for you. Your salvation, it’s past,

 

  You need one.

 

  present, and future.

 

  It’s a con, like he, he’s always making

 

  Our spirit has been saved.

 

  intercession for us.

 

  Notice this too also, it says, “He can save them to the uttermost”.

 

  Man, salvation, when you study out, it is an inclusive word,

 

  and it includes forgiveness and healing and peace and provision and freedom. That’s all part of salvation. When you study the Greek word for save, sozo, salvation, soteria, or the Hebrew word, Yeshua, for salvation, it’s inclusive.

 

  And it is not just about having your sins forgiven.

 

  Praise God, you have peace, you have rights to divine healing and health. You have rights to, to, for, to all of these things, to, to, physical and financial prosperity,

 

  and to freedom. It’s all because of Jesus. And so, Jesus is there and you know, there’s only one thing that you need to do to get in the presence of God, call on the name of Jesus. Whoever calls on the name

 

  I love that is says

 

  Shall be saved.

 

  they’re saved to the uttermost. You know, when, when you’re saved, you’re saved to the uttermost, you know, forgiveness is part of salvation. You know, who did ever

 

  Jesus say, “you’re partially forgiven”.

 

  Your sins are partially, these sins are forgiven, but these ones aren’t.

 

  You’re not 99%, righteous and 1% sinner.

 

  Sinner.

 

  You’re not 75% righteous and 1% sinner. You’re not 30% righteous and 70% sinner.

 

  Your spirit is either 100% righteous, or you are 100% a sinner. You’re either 100% saved or 100% lost. And if you’re saved, it’s because you believed. Jesus, and you’re born again. You’re either born again, or you’re not born again.

 

  Now let’s read, Aaron read verse 26 to 28. Comment really quickly here.

 

  “For such a high priest was fitting for us who is wholly, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices for his own sins and then for the peoples, for this, he did once for all when he offered up himself, for the law appoints as high priests, men who have weaknesses but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the son who has been perfected forever”.

 

  Man, he’s perfect.

 

  Jesus is perfected forever. His one sacrifice of his own blood up on the cross was the perfect sacrifice. He doesn’t have to offer another sacrifice again.

 

  Did you know what? Jesus completed it. Jesus perfected it. Jesus finished it. And there’s nothing more that you can do to make it better. You just gotta believe Jesus. We’re gonna be back right after this, and we’ll be moving into Hebrews chapter eight, where we talk about a better covenant and better promises and what makes it better.

 

  Hi friends, I’m so glad that you’re watching today. I have my son Aaron with me, and we are teaching on the book of Hebrews. This is one of my favorite books of the Bible. And we have some great teaching available on our website, Charis Christian Center dot com. It’s free of charge, downloadable, Hebrews, the better covenant, Hebrews, Jesus makes everything better. And my book also, Hebrews the Better Covenant.

 

  When Paul prays, I like how he prays, because there’s never a sense of need, there’s never a sense of lack, there’s never a sense of, of defeat. There’s never a, there’s only a sense of this is who God is, this is who Christ is. So if you wanna know how to pray, in a New Testament way, take Paul’s prayers and pray them.

 

  Friends, I’m so glad you stayed with us, and we are right here in Hebrews chapter eight. And Aaron, I want you to just jump right into Hebrews chapter eight and go.

 

  Says, “now this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a high priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens.

 

  A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, it is necessary that this one also having something to offer.”

 

  I love that. You know, and he, he’s a minister of the true tabernacle. You know, the, the tabernacle, that Moses had built in the wilderness, the where the arc of the covenant was, there’s a holy of holies. It’s actually a picture of the true tabernacle. It’s a, it’s a, it’s a precursor of the true tabernacle.

 

  Yeah and if you go to Ephesians chapter two, at the end of the chapter, you find that the church is being built on the foundation of Jesus.

 

  And we are a habitation of God through the spirit. And Jesus is this foundation. And, you know, Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

 

  Jesus is the one who’s building the church. Jesus is the head of the church. He’s the head of the body. We are his body, the fullness of him, that carries out all things. And you know what, if, if we are not submitted to Jesus, if we’re not built on Jesus, we’re going nowhere.

 

  Man, we gotta have things that are established in Jesus, and we need to stay submitted to Jesus, and let the spirit of Christ flow through us.

 

  And the Holy Spirit have his way.

 

  So it says here in verse four, “for if we, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest since they’re our priests who offer the gifts according to the law, who serve the copy and the shadow of the heavenly things. As Moses was divinely instructed, when he was about to make the tabernacle. For, he said, see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the Mount, Mountain.”

 

  Yeah, this physical tabernacle,

 

  was, on the earth, was patterned after a tabernacle in heaven.

 

  And really, when you see this physical tabernacle, the first thing when you went in, to the outer court, there was an altar, and then there was a laver, and the altar was for sacrifices, and the shedding of blood. And that was for the sins of the flesh.

 

  And then the Bible says, we have our bodies washed with the pure water of the word. That was like that laver.

 

  But then you move past that and you went into the tabernacle, and first you went into the holy place.

 

  And in the holy place there were three things. There were the, there was a table of show bread,

 

  there was a lamp, and there also was an altar. And that really was talking about, the soul of man. The, the out outer court was like the body, the, the, the, the, inner court was like the, was like the soul, spirit, soul and bo,

 

  Mm hmm.

 

  you know, soul, with mind and will and motions.

 

  And we gotta put our mind on the altar. The candlesticks are like the emotions going up and down. And then, there was the will, you know, the table of showbread. And Jesus prayed this before he went into Gethsemane. Not my will, but your will be done.

 

  Do you know what? We need to submit our will to the will of God.

 

  But then, when you went into the most holy place, there was this arc of the covenant. In it was the covenant. God, you know, it represented the present of God, amongst, among his people, overshadowed by these cherubims. And you know, this most holy place, the priest, the high priest only went in there once a year, and when he went in, he took blood, for his sins and for the sins of the people. And, and you know, when he went in, he had to go through this veil, right? This veil was made of all these different skins and different things, it was about a foot thick. But when Jesus died on the cross, that veil was ripped in two, from the top to the bottom. God was showing, that now we could enter in, praise God to the presence of God. And now we can enter the pre, into the presence of God, because Jesus finished the work, because Jesus completed the deal. Praise God, it’s already been finished. It’s already been done. Praise God, and we go in and we receive now, the promises of God based on what Jesus has already done. We have a better covenant, established on better promises. And what makes it better is Jesus. Jesus already finished this deal, praise God.

 

  And we don’t, the high priest, you know, he would offer these, this blood, and it was like an I O U, we’ll talk about it more in next week’s broadcast, but this blood was like an I O U and there was a constant remembrance of sin. But Jesus blood paid it off.

 

  And there is no more remembrance of our sin. And God was saying two things. Number one, he was saying, I want to come live in the heart of man. And number two, he said, you can come into my presence 365 24/7, without guilt, without fear, without condemnation, because the price has already been paid. Let’s go in this, in verse seven Aaron, continue to read. Let’s get through.

 

  Yeah, it says, verse six, “but now he is obtained a more excellent ministry, in as much as he is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”

 

  Jesus made it better.

 

  You know, every covenant, there’s always a promise attached to every covenant.

 

  And we have a better covenant, and one thing that makes it’s, makes our new covenant better is that it has better promises. It’s because Jesus is fulfillment of those promises. Everything is better with Jesus. Hebrews seven says, we have a better priest. Hebrew eight says, we have a better covenant and better promises. Hebrews nine says, we have a better sacrifice. In Hebrews 10 says, we have a better life.

 

  Jesus makes everything better.

 

  Now, go on in verse seven.

 

  Says, “for if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would’ve been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them he says, behold the days are coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

 

  Glory to God.

 

  Because they did not continue in my covenant, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people.”

 

  Now look at this, in verse nine, in the King James, it says, “they continue not in my covenant, and I regard them not, says the Lord.”

 

  He did not regard them because they did not perform well.

 

  But that is not the case in the new covenant. In the new covenant, Jesus did the performing.

 

  And what we gotta do is the believing. And so he says, “this is the covenant I make with them. I’ll put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts. I will be to them a God and they will be to me a people.” This is the fulfillment of many prophecies.

 

  Like in Jeremiah 31 and 33, he says, “they will not teach every man as neighbor and every man as brother saying, know the Lord, for all will know me.” This is the goal of the gospel,

 

  that people would know God, and serve God from their heart.

 

  Paul said in Philippians three 10, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection being made conformable to, to his death.”

 

  It’s, it’s not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that that comes from God. We are made righteous and we know God from our spirit. And and that’s the ultimate goal of the gospel. To know him.

 

  He says, “for I will be merciful”, look at this, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sin and their iniquity will I remember no more.” In verse nine, he talks about the old covenant. “They continued in, not in my covenant, and I regarded them not.”

 

  But in the new covenant, he says, “I’ll be merciful to your unrighteousness and your sin and iniquity, will I remember no more.”

 

  In that he says, a new covenant. He says, “He has made the first old now that which decays and wax old is ready to vanish away”.

 

  Praise God, so Jesus finished it. There’s no more work to be done. Man, we just need to rest in Jesus. We need to rest in the finished work.

 

  Praise God, grace has provided everything.

 

  You know, we’ve been talking a little bit about the blood and, you know, the Pentecostal people talk about the blood and us grace people, we talk about, you know, grace. But it’s really talking about the same thing. Because when we talk about the blood, we’re saying Jesus did it all. When we’re talking about grace, we’re talking about Jesus did it all. Mark Hankins is here preaching on the blood, and he said, “the blood plus nothing, the blood minus nothing, equals everything.” That’s Jesus plus nothing, Jesus plus nothing. You know.

 

  That’s a message of grace.

 

  That, that’s it. That’s the gospel. Jesus is the grace of God.

 

  I love too, here at the end of Hebrews eight, when he’s reading from Ezekiel talking about this new, new covenant that would be coming into place, it would change, there would be a heart change.

 

  You know, the old covenant, the law keeping cannot change your heart.

 

  You know, just giving people a, a set of rules and regulations, the system-

 

  That’s religion.

 

  It’s religion and it,

 

  It’s not about religion.

 

  it can’t, it doesn’t change people’s hearts.

 

  Amen. And that’s what God wants to do. God wants to change your heart.

 

  You know, if you, if you, you know, if you write a law that you can’t drive over a hundred miles per hour on this highway, you know, maybe people will do it, and abide by that law, but if, if someone just, has the need to speed, they’re gonna still have that desire to speed, even though if they’re being, you know, forced to behave right.

 

  The law actually created a desire to break it.

 

  Uh huh. And sometimes I see a loss, sometimes I hear, yeah, people say, you can’t do this, and I just want to go do it.

 

  Yeah.

 

  Just figure, why don’t you do this? And I just, well, I can do what I wanna do, you know?

 

  Yeah, just  It’s crazy, but anyway, thank God for Jesus and thank God that, you know, we have a better covenant today, established on better promises. And what made it better is Jesus.

 

  If you’ve never re, received Jesus, I invite you today, to pray and to say, Jesus, I ask you to save me, I ask you to forgive me, to cleanse me from all my sin. And I ask you to come and live in me, by your spirit, and I will live for you, as you give me the strength. If you wanna receive these free teachings they’re available on our website. Also, we’d love to have you at Charis Christian Center, either live streaming or on person this Sunday, blessings.

 

  In the Hebrews package, which includes Hebrews the Better Covenant, and Hebrews Jesus Changes Everything, you’ll learn how the new covenant is better than the old, simply because of Jesus. We’d like to bless you with a digital copy of each teaching, a $70 value, free of charge. You can also order the book, Hebrews the Better Covenant, for $9.99. Download your free teachings and purchase the book today, at Charis Christian Center dot com.

 

  Friends, I certainly hope that you’ve enjoyed the program today and it’s ministering to you to move into that which God has for you. And I wanna say a great big thank you to all of our partners for helping us share this gospel across the United States and across the world. It’s because of our partners, that we can take this message of grace and faith around the world. If you would like to join our partners and receive that blessing, give us a call today. Blessings.

 

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