Hebrews: The Better Covenant – Part 3 – Lawson Perdue

Hebrews: The Better Covenant Part 3

On Hebrews: The Better Covenant Part 3, Lawson Perdue shares how Jesus is the perfect high priest. Be encouraged to keep believing Jesus as we uncover the significance of Jesus being the high priest.

Hebrews Part 3 Transcript

Praise the Lord friends. Thanks so much for tuning in today. I’m sharing from the book of Hebrews, it’s actually one of my favorite books. We’re gonna be sharing from chapter five and chapter six, we’re gonna be talking about how Jesus is a better priest. He made a complete sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice, he did the perfect work, and he’s the fulfillment of the perfect promise. So keep believing Jesus, open your heart and receive the good word of God. Praise the Lord. Well, I’ve been teaching on the book of Hebrews and I’ve gotta get with it. Praise the Lord. So Hebrews chapter, we’re gonna be in Hebrews chapter five and chapter six, and so let’s look at this in chapter five, beginning in verse one, he says, “for every high priest taken from men, or taken from men is ordained for men.” Jesus was a high priest, he became a man taken from men, “ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices.” How many of you know that Jesus made a perfect sacrifice? You cannot improve on the sacrifice that he made. He says in verse two, “who can have compassion on the ignorant?” How many of you are glad that Jesus can have compassion on ignorant people?

[Congregation] Amen.

Yeah, he can have compassion on ignorant people, “and on them that are out of the way”, right? So how many of you know that God is good to all, his tender mercies are over all of his works, and even before you knew Jesus, he was good to you? He says, “for in that he himself is compassed with infirmity.” As a man, Jesus understands your temptation because he was tempted in all points, like we are, yet without sin. He says, “by reason hereof he ought as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sin.” Even though he was tempted, like we are, yet he never sinned, and because of that, he’s able to make an offering for our sin. He is the perfect offering and he says, “and no man takes this honor to himself, but he is called of God as was Aaron.” So you could not become a high priest or a priest, even in the Old Testament, without God making you a priest. If God didn’t make you a priest, right? If God didn’t make you high priest, you’re not priest at all, right? So I mean, God had to make you a priest. You couldn’t make yourself a priest. So he didn’t take this honor to himself, “even as like Aaron, who was called of God to be a priest.” So he goes on, now in the New Testament, the Bible says actually in First Peter chapter two, “that we are made unto God, a kingdom of priests.” And it says in Revelation 1:6, I believe it is, “that we are made unto God kings and priests” or a kingdom of priests. But you couldn’t be a king or a priest in the old covenant, if God didn’t make you a king or make you a priest. And so he says, “so Christ did not glorify himself to be made a high priest, but he that said unto him, you are my son, today have I begotten you.” So God made him priest, “and he said also in another place, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Now when you study Melchizedek or Melchizedek in the Old Testament, Melchizedek was the priest king of Jerusalem, or Salem, the city of peace. You can read about him in Genesis chapter 14. Now, as we read on down, he says, this is when he became our priest in verse seven, “who in the days of his flesh, when he offered up prayers and supplications was strong, crying and tears to him that was able to save him from death, he was heard that he feared, though he were a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.” In other words, Jesus became this priest, great high priest of the new covenant, when he died and rose again, and he wouldn’t have become this great high priest if hadn’t went to the cross, you remember he was in the garden of Gethsemane, in Matthew 26, you can read about it, and he said, “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will but your will be done.” So Jesus had to do that so we could be saved. He goes on and says this, “being made perfect or complete, he became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him, called of God, a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” So Jesus is our great high priest of this new covenant, and he made priests offer sacrifices, Jesus made the perfect sacrifice. It was so perfect that you can’t improve on what he’s done. But then he goes on and says this in verse 11, Hebrews 5:11, “of whom, Jesus, we have many things to say, and there are hard to be uttered, seeing you are dull of hearing.” Now, why were they dull of hearing? They were dull of hearing because they had come to the place where they thought they needed to go back to the law, and add something to Jesus, and not only did Jesus make the perfect sacrifice, Jesus did the perfect work, and you cannot improve on what Jesus has done. And so he goes on and says, “by the time that you should be teachers, you have need that one teach you again, the first principles of the mouth of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” In other words, you’re not mature, you haven’t grown up, because you’re going back to these elementary things. You’re going back to other things other than Jesus, which you cannot improve on what Jesus done. So he said, “Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, and Jesus did the perfect work”, and he goes on and says, “for everyone who uses milk” in verse 13, “is unskillful in the word of righteousness.” You see what happened when you believe on Jesus, you are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. God uses the example in Romans chapter four, of God giving Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, because Abraham was 99 years old, and Sarah was 90 years old, and it was absolute impossible for them to have a child, and yet God spoke a word to Abraham, and gave him a word and said, you know, “your name shall no longer be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made you”, and even though that was impossible in the natural, Abraham believe it, and God was using that as an example of righteousness, and he said it was completely impossible for you to be righteous without Jesus, but Jesus came and made you righteous, and when you put your faith in Jesus, you are made 100% righteous. You’re made completely righteous. You can’t get any more righteous than the righteousness of Jesus, and you receive that by faith. You receive the gift of righteousness. The Bible talks about this in Romans chapter 5:17, he says, “those who have received the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace, shall reign in life by one Jesus.” So you can’t get any more righteous than Jesus is righteous, and when you believe the on Jesus, you were given righteousness as a gift. So he’s saying Jesus made the perfect sacrifice as the great high priest, and he did the perfect work, and you can’t improve on the work that he’s done. So to go back to the law, to be justified, after you put your faith in Jesus, is crazy, “and by the time you ought to be teachers, you’ve become dull of hearing, and you need one that teach you the basic principles of the gospel again, everyone who uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, in that he’s a babe.” So he’s saying, it’s time for you to grow up, start taking personal responsibility for your actions, and your life is gonna get a whole lot better, start believing the gospel, start believing in what Jesus did for you, that he died, not only take your sin, but to take your sickness and take your poverty, take your anxiety, take every curse, start believing the gospel and start letting the gospel work because God is no respect of a persons, he’s just a respecter of faith, and you can get glad in the same pants that you got mad in. Whoa. Hallelujah. Amen, so he goes on says, “but strong meat belongs to those who are full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercise to discern both good and evil.” And we could read into that to discern both grace and law because if its focused on Jesus, it’s the grace of God, and that’s what brings freedom. But it’s focused on you and your performance, that what brings you into the curse, and so you can’t improve on Jesus. So what he said ultimately, is Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, and he did the perfect work, and you cannot improve on what he’s done. Now, if we’ll turn to Galatians chapter three, I wanna show you something in Galatians 3:1-5, look at what up Paul says in Galatians chapter three, he says, “oh, foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” You act like you’re under a spell. “That you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently sent forth and crucified among you.” I have a question for you. How did you get saved? How did you receive the Holy Spirit? By the works of the law, by your performance, or by the hearing of faith or by believing Jesus? How did you get saved today? Anybody in this place saved? How’d you get saved? You heard the gospel, you heard that Jesus came, and Jesus lives sinless and holy and perfect and pure, and Jesus died on the cross for your sin, and God raised him from the dead, and God made him Lord and you believed in Jesus. That’s how you got saved. He says, “are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” He said, “have you suffered so many things in vain, if it’s yet in vain? He who ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith.” If you know, in other words, he says everything from the beginning of your salvation to the end of your ministry is done by grace, through faith. Jesus made it available when he died and rose again, and you believed it so that you could receive it. He goes right on through, Galatians chapter three says, “you receive righteousness, justification, the blessing, the Holy Spirit, an inheritance.” You receive all this stuff because you are God’s kids, and you became God’s children when you believe on Jesus, amen. You don’t get it because you’re a good boy or a good girl, you get it because you’re God’s kids, and you’re in the family. Woo, glory to God, that’s good preaching Pastor Lawson. Amen, so he says you can’t improve on Jesus, and so that’s what he’s saying. Jesus is our great high priest, and he made the perfect sacrifice, and he did the perfect work. You cannot improve on what Jesus has already done.

[Announcer] Coming up next on “Grace for Today”.

Oh, the promise, see, God’s not in heaven saying, listen, I wanna bless Aaron, but I wanna curse Barbara, I wanna give Aaron increase, but I want Barbara to be poor, I wanna heal Ashley but I want Carly to be sick.

[Narrator] What’s the difference between the old and new covenants? Jesus, in this series, “Hebrews, the Better Covenant” you will learn about the grace of God that we receive by faith. Jesus did the work and secured the promises for us so we can live in a better covenant with him. You can get the book for $15, the CD or USB for $39, or the book and your choice of CD or USB for $49, with free shipping, call 719-418-4000, or visit lawsonperdue.com.

Then he goes in chapter six and says, “listen, what I want you to do is I want you to move into maturity.” Everybody say, move into maturity.

[Congregation] Move into maturity.

He says, “therefore, leaving the principles, or the elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto perfection or maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God.” Here’s how you got saved. You put your faith in Jesus and you turned around, right, from dead works. Now there’s two kinds of dead works, right? There’s the dead works of the world of sin, but there’s also the dead works of religion because you couldn’t save yourself, right? You had to believe on Jesus. I was a sinner and I needed savior, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, right? Roman 3:23, but now that you’ve been a Saint, since you received the abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness, you reign in life as kings, right? That’s what Romans 5:17 says, you don’t wanna keep living in sin. Roman chapter six, because you’re dead to it, you’re free from it, you have an authority over it and it’ll kill you. Hallelujah. So we believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” in Acts 1:8, “and you’ll be my witness’s, witness unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.” Right, you’re gonna be a witness to your neighbor, to the person across the street, to the person down the street. Amen.

[Congregation] Amen.

Amen, in your backyard, across the street, across the city, amen, across the state, across the nation, across the world, you’ll receive power. That’s what the Holy Spirit does, gives you power to become a witness for Jesus. The doctrine of baptisms. He goes on and says, “and the laying on of hands.” We believe in the laying on of hands, we believe on laying on hands, right? To receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They did that in Acts chapter 19:6, Paul laid his hands on the elders of Ephesus, and they spoke with tongues and prophesy. We believe in the laying on of hand, laying hands on the sick for healing. Those who believe Mark 16 says, “will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” We believe on the laying on of hands to send forth people into ministry, right? Through relationship, you have a strong relationship, you receive things, right? So we believe even on the laying on of hands. Then he goes on this, “and the resurrection of the dead.” What did they preach in the book of Acts? They preached Jesus and the resurrection. So we believe in the resurrection of the dead. And we believe in eternal judgment. We believe in heaven and we believe in hell, there’s a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, right? That’s what the Bible says, if you don’t believe that, you don’t believe in the Bible, I’m sorry, that’s what the Bible says.

[Congregation member] Amen.

Okay, you need to read the Bible and believe it. If you believe it, you’d act differently. Amen, that’s, hallelujah. He says, “and this we will do if God permits, for it is impossible for those”, listen to what he says in verse four, “who were once enlightened, they were convicted by the Holy Spirit, and they’ve tasted of the heavenly gift.” They were born again, they were saved. “They were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.” They were baptized in the Holy Spirit. “They’ve tasted of the good word of God.” They weren’t just baby believers, these people got some good stuff, “and they have tasted of the good word of God.” And not only that, “and the powers of the world to come.” They operated in the gifts of the Spirit. He says, “it’s impossible for those at this level, who are convicted by the Holy Spirit, born of the Holy Spirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, tasted of the good word of God, operating in the gifts of the Spirit.” So they had a very close, personal, intimate, relationship with Jesus. “If they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance, seeing they crucify”, look at the last part of verse six, “to themselves, the son of God a fresh, and put him to an open shame.” Now he’s not talking about just any believer, first of all, he’s talking about a very mature believer that has a very personal, close, intimate relationship with Jesus, filled with the Holy Ghost, operating the gifts of the Holy Ghost, receiving the good word of God, if that person rejects Jesus, it’s impossible for them to be saved. Now that’s not a very probable thing, but it is possible. Now you can’t take that and make a doctrine out of it unless you use it in context. So when we go to Hebrews chapter 10, turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10:26, it says this, “for if we sin willfully, after we received the knowledge of the truth, their remains no more sacrifice for sins.” Now, if I cussed as a believer, did I do that, if I took the name of the Lord in vain, did I do that willfully? Yes, if I cussed, I did it willfully, right? God didn’t make me cuss, Barbara didn’t make me cuss, Ashley didn’t make me cuss the cows didn’t even make me cuss, I cussed of my own volition. So if I read the scripture in verse 26, and I try to make a doctrine of verse 26, but I don’t read the context it in, I could say if Pastor Lawson cussed, he did it willfully and he’s going to hell, there’s no more sacrifice for sin, and if Pastor Lawson committed adultery, there’s no more sac, right? See some Pentecostal denominations, you could murder your wife and be okay, but don’t divorce her whatever you do because divorce is the unpardonable, sin, I’m talking, I’ve been a part of Pentecostal, I had a girl come talk to me, she said, “my daddy was born out of wedlock, and he was raised in a certain legalistic church, and that church has rejected him because he was born out of wedlock, not only has it rejected him, it has rejected me, and has rejected my children, three generations.” But I want to know you to know that you are accepted in the sight of God, that you are accepted in the beloved, that you’re accepted because of the work that Jesus did, and it’s not about how well you performed, or how well you did not perform. However, we still have to deal with thing called sin, right? And he goes on but see, you have to read verse 26 in the context of verse 29, and I’ll be honest with you, most preachers just ignore, they just read over those verses in Hebrews chapter six, and they read over these, and they don’t even wanna comment on ’em because they don’t want to be unpopular. But I’m gonna read to you verse 29, he says, “of how much sorer punishment suppose you shall he be thought worthy, who is trodden underfoot the son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, where with he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and done despite to the Spirit of grace.” He’s talking about the sin of rejecting Jesus. So this isn’t just any sin and this isn’t, we’re not talking about losing your first love, we’re talking about leaving, we’re talking about rejection, willful rejection of Jesus, and he says, “if you are convicted by the Holy Spirit, born of the Spirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God, operate in the gifts of the Spirit. If you have a very close, intimate relationship with Jesus, and if you reject Jesus in that condition, there remains no more sacrifice for sin.” Now, if you want Jesus at all, I don’t believe that you have committed the unpardonable sin. Okay, back to Hebrews chapter six, he says this, he says, “for the earth”, in verse seven, now our heart, if you read Mark chapter four, is like the earth, “the earth which drinks in the rain that comes upon it, and brings forth herbs meat, sufficient for whom it is dressed, receives blessing from God. But that which bears thorn and briers is rejected.” What kind of fruit is your heart bring out? “I near unto cursing, whose end is to be burned, but beloved, we are persuaded better things of you.” We have a better covenant, established on better promises, and what makes its better is Jesus, and we’re persuaded better things of you. He said, “that accompany salvation by their fruit you’ll know them, though we speak for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have shown toward his name, that you’ve ministered the saints and do minister, and we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end, but that you be not slothful or lazy, but followers of those who through faith and patience, inherit the promises.” He said, listen, don’t give up, don’t lose your confidence, don’t let go of your hope, don’t let go of your faith, keep believing Jesus, keep your confidence in Jesus, because Jesus, what? He made the perfect sacrifice and Jesus did the perfect work. Now he goes on and says this, and I’m gonna preach really fast, in verse 13. He says, “for when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, surely blessing, I will bless thee and multiplying, I will multiply thee, so after Abraham patiently endured, he obtained the promise for men rarely swear by the greater for an oath for confirmation is to them, an end of all strife, wherein God willing more abundantly.” Look at this, “to show the heirs of the promise, the unchangeability of his word, confirmed by an oath that by two impossible things, two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong confidence who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us.” What’s he saying? Hold on to the promise, because not only did Jesus make the perfect sacrifice, not only did Jesus do the perfect work, but Jesus gave us the perfect promise, and he has fulfilled that promise, all the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him amen. Second Corinthians 1:20 says, “to the glory of God by us.” So when God sent Jesus, he said, yes, and when you believe it you say, amen, and all the promises, see God’s not in heaven saying, listen, I wanna bless Aaron but I wanna curse Barbara, I wanna give Aaron increase but I want Barbara to be poor, I wanna heal Ashley but I want Carly to be sick, and you know, I want Herb, I wanna make him crazy, but I wanna give Judith a sound mind, he’s not like that. What God is saying in heaven, he’s like listen, I wanna forgive you and I wanna heal you, and I wanna give you peace and I wanna prosper you, and I wanna help you in every area, and if you’re gonna receive it, you just gotta believe it. So God in Jesus, all the promises of God, the promise of forgiveness and salvation, and healing and peace and blessing is in Jesus. When God sent Jesus, he said, yes, and when you believe it, you say, amen.

[Congregation] Amen.

So that you can receive it. And so he said in Jesus, God made the perfect sacrifice, he did the perfect work and he gave you the perfect promise. This is not Lawson Perdue’s promise to you. This is not Jesse Duplantis’s promise to you. This is not Andrew Wommack’s promise to you. This is the promise of God Almighty and Jesus paid for it. So now you can just believe it so you can receive it. You cannot improve on what Jesus has done. He says this, “hope we have as an anchor to the soul.” So hold onto your faith, hold onto your faith. Keep your confidence in Jesus. He says, “as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, which enters into that within the veil”, which Jesus already accomplished, “where the forerunner is entered, even Jesus, who’s made a high priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec.” My king of righteousness, Jesus is my king of righteousness, and Jesus is my great high priest. He’s already finished the work, he’s already brought the blessing. So now he said, hold on to you, keep your faith in Jesus, don’t let go of Jesus, keep your confidence in Jesus, because he’s gonna finish what he started. Amen, I’m done.

[Announcer] You can get the book for $15, the CD or USB for $39, or the book and your choice of CD or USB for $49, with free shipping. Call 719-418-4000 or visit lawsonperdue.com.

Thanks so much friends for staying tuned. We’ve been talking about Jesus, and don’t give up on your faith. Be followers of those who through faith and patience, inherit the promises and if you need prayer today, we are here to receive your prayer, to receive your call, to agree with you and see the promises of God come to pass in your life. So if you need prayer, just give us a call, we would love to hear from you, blessings.

[Announcer] Thanks for watching “Grace for Today”. This broadcast is made possible by our faithful partners. If you would like to become a partner, need prayer, or have a question, please call us at, 719-418-4000, or go to lawsonperdue.com or write us at, PO Box 63733, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80962. See you next time on “Grace for Today”.