The Plowman

A Priest Forever [ 34:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (55)

Hebrews #16: an exposition of Hebrews 7:1-10. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 3, 2014.

Intro:
He came from nowhere.  He suddenly, un-expectantly burst on the scene of the biblical story.  Just as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished.  His entire story takes only 3 verses in the first book of the Bible.  Yet he casts a great shadow that stretches into the pages of the New Testament.  His name was Melchhizedek.  He was the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God.  In Genesis 14 a coalition of kings rebelled against Chedorlaomer, king of Elam after being subjected to him for 12 years.  Among the rebels were the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.  The rebellion was squelched and the kingdoms of Sodom and Gomorrah were plundered.  Abraham’s nephew Lot was taken, along with his family in the plunder.  When word reached Abraham he mounted a daring rescue mission.  Abraham took 318 men from his own household and pursued the enemy as far as Dan and in a daring nigh-time raid took back all the possessions including Lot and his family.  On his way home he is confronted by this shadowy figure.  We read about it in Genesis 14.

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)  19 And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!

That’s it.  That is the entire biblical story of Melchizedek.  That took place around 2000 B.C. And for the next 1000 years there is no mention at all of Melchizedek.  Then in the 10th century B.C., under the inspiration of the Spirit, David wrote, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”  With that statement God declared He was going to do something new.  There was coming one who, like Melchizedek would be a priest/king appointed directly by God.  In fact God guaranteed it would happen, “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind.”

As the biblical writer is trying to encourage and strengthen that struggling band of believers in Rome, he wonders what he can say that would give them courage in the face of rejection and governmental persecution?  Back in chapter 5 he sought to inspire hope by pointing to Christ our sympathetic, delivering, uniquely qualified High Priest.  Now he is going to expand upon that concept.  Our text this morning is found in Hebrews chapter 7 beginning with verse 1.

Text: Hebrews 7:1-10

The basic idea of religion is gaining access to God.
A means of making God approachable.
Gaining access to His presence.

The problem with law is that man can’t keep it.
The problem with the priesthood is that no man is adequate.

The need is for a new and different kind of priesthood.  A new an effective sacrifice.  This is the backdrop of our text this morning.

From this text we discover…

Thesis: Jesus Christ, as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, reigns as a superior priest guaranteeing our acceptance before God.

There are 2 reasons given for His superiority in our text.

1. His superior qualifications.  (7:1-3)
   Note the qualifications of our great high priest.
   • He is both a priest and a king – 7:1
   • This priestly king has no genealogy – 7:3
   • This priestly king is eternal – 7:3
2. His superior authority.  (7:4-10)
   The writer presents 2 pieces of evidence.
   • Abraham paid him a tithe – 7:4-6a, 8-10
   • Melchizedek blessed Abraham – 7:6b-7

Conclusion:
The point of all this is that these believers should not fear Rome they should fear God!  They should rest in the assurance that their priestly king, who is eternal will grant them piece no matter how great the threat.  Their great high priest and king is far greater than any other so called king.  Child of God take heart.  Rest in peace because you have an advocate who is more than qualified and has supreme authority over all things.

Our Confident Hope [ 37:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (86)

Hebrews #15: an exposition of Hebrews 6:13-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 20, 2014.

Intro:
Do you ever feel like giving up?  Do you ever just want to quit?  Trying to live out your faith consistently in a culture that is increasingly hostile is emotionally and spiritually draining.  Do you, at times, feel like throwing in the towel and walking away?  The loss of hope is devastating.  Without hope you won’t last five minutes.  Hope is that essential as a small, struggling band of Hebrew believers in Rome discovered.  They were 2nd generation believers.  They did not hear Jesus directly they heard the message from those who had heard him.  But the joy of new found faith soon faded as their families rejected them and the government of Rome persecuted them.  Many had already walked away.  Others were considering it when the writer of Hebrews took pen in hand to plead with them to remain faithful to their calling.  In seeking to encourage them he warned of superficial faith, he rebuked their immaturity and then insisted that he was certain of better things for them.  Now he desires to inspire their hope.  Our text this morning is found in Hebrews chapter 6 beginning with verse 13.

Text: Hebrews 6:13-20

There are times when doubts increase.

Doubts tend to increase when things you believe should never happen, happen.

• I trusted in Christ – yet I got sick.
• I believed the gospel, I try to live for Christ – yet I lost my job.
• My faith cost me a relationship.
• My faith put a strain on my marriage.
• This is not supposed to happen.
• I thought only “good” would come of my faith in Christ?

Doubts multiply when things you believe should happen, don’t happen!

• I thought all my troubles would vanish.
• I thought I would always feel the way I did when I was “saved.”
• I thought people at church would be really nice.

Doubts intensify when things you believe should happen now, happen later.

• Most of us are not very patient.

The biblical writer is wondering what he could say to these Hebrew believers that would inspire them?  What could he say that would give them hope?  Father Abraham!  That will cause them to sit up and take notice.  Abraham was the ultimate example of faith and hope.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, So shall your offspring be.  19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.  20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  22 That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness.  (Romans 4:18-22)

As we work our way through the text here in Hebrews 6 we are reminded that…

Thesis: Our confidence in the face of great adversity rest securely in the certainty of God’s word, His unquestioned character and the priestly work of the Lord Jesus.

There are three things I want to point out.

1. Our hope is anchored by the promise of God.  (6:13-16)
2. Our hope is secured by our God’s impeccable character.  (6:17-18)
3. Our hope is guaranteed by the work of Christ.  (6:19-20)

Confident of Better Things [ 30:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (75)

Hebrews #14: an expositition of Hebrews 6:9-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, July 13, 2014.

Intro:

What do you do when someone you love is in great danger?  What do you do when someone you love is headed for sure and certain disaster?  Do you simply try to reassure them of your love?  Do you seek to “affirm” them or do you stop them?  If your child is heading towards the electrical outlet with that piece of wire, is it time for a stern rebuke or an affirming, “Good boy?”  Affirmation in a time of danger is not love it is treachery.  The stern rebuke is the loving act.  That is the position of the writer of Hebrews in chapter 6.  He has sounded a dreadful warning.  Beginning in 5:11 and running down through 6:8 his words seem harsh.  But if you listen carefully you will hear them filled with love.  He is driven by genuine pastoral concern.  Their souls are at stake.  They are considering walking away from the faith.  They are contemplating abandoning the gospel.  To do so would not only be disastrous it would be damning.  These second generation believers are storm-tossed.  They have been rejected by their families and are being persecuted by the Roman government.  Their world has been rocked.  They desire relief and who could blame them?  Add to the pressure they are under their lack of spiritual maturity and you have the makings of a spiritual disaster.

In Matthew 13 Jesus teaches 5 “mystery parables.”  These are parables dealing with the nature and growth of the Kingdom of God.  The first, the parable of the sower, makes it clear that genuine believers produce fruit.  Those who have the life of God in them express that life in the way they live.  The second, the parable of the weeds, makes it clear that there will always be false professors mixed in with true believers.  Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 7:16-21 not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.”  We do not know the hearts of men thus a caution is given don’t recklessly seek to root out all false professors for you will destroy true believers in the process.  You leave it to the Lord at the time of the harvest.  This sets up the tension in which we live in the church.  We are to test the fruit.  We are to look for signs of life.  It is our duty, when there is no fruit, to lovingly confront our fellow believers for the sake of their soul.  At the same time, because we do not know the hearts of men, we are not to be the judge, jury and executioner!  We are to judge and we are to show restraint.  That is often a hard line to walk.  We err when we fail to do one or the other.

The writer of Hebrews states his warning with strong, startling language so as to awake the conscience of the false professor.  Now in 6:9-12 he seeks to reassure the struggling saint.

Text: Hebrews 6:9-12

The key to this section is found in the opening phrase of verse 9.  “Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things…”

Though I have stated strongly the danger of turning from the Gospel I’m confident that you won’t!  The writer is confident because of the character of God and because of the what he has seen in the life of these believers.

As we work through these few verses we are going to see that…

Thesis: The mature believer’s hope is anchored by the character and comfort of God and fortified by focused and sustained striving after holiness.

3 things I want to point out along the way.

1. The mature believer rests securely in the character and comfort of God.  (6:9-10)
2. The mature believer remains focused to the very end.  (6:11)
3. The mature believer patterns his life after those faithful saints who have gone before.  (6:12)

The Demands of Maturity [ 42:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (103)

Hebrews #13: an exposition of Hebrews 6:1-8. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist church on Sunday morning, July 6, 2014.

Intro:

The story is told that the evangelist D.L. Moody was walking down the streets of Chicago when a man stumbled out of a neighborhood bar and bumped into Mr. Moody.  Moody was jarred and the man fell to the ground.  Moody stopped and reached down to help the man up.  When the man look up and saw it was Moody, he became very excited and shouted, “Mr. Moody I’m one of your converts!”  To which Moody replied, “Sir you must be for you are certainly not one of the Lord’s.”  One of the unintended consequences of our doctrine of eternal security is a swallow understanding of conversion.  Too often it is assumed that all that is needed is an intellectual acceptance of biblical truth and a confession of that acceptance.  Thus people confidently profess they are saved because at such and such time they walked an aisle or said a prayer.  Never mind nothing changed.  Never mind there was been no further interest in spiritual matters, growth in spiritual knowledge or holy living.  Such an understanding of salvation is a deception.  It is not salvation at all.  Biblical salvation is the result of the working of God’s spirit awakening the soul to an awareness of sin’s presence in the life of the sinner.  Once that sin is known there is an understanding that the presence of such sin condemns.  An awareness that the sinner deserves the wrath and judgment of God.  Then comes a revelation of God’s mercy in the provision of the Lord Jesus.  In response to the beauty and wonder of Christ the sinner throws himself on the mercy of God in Christ submitting to the Lordship of Jesus and pledging to follow or obey him.  With this conversion comes the presence of the Holy Spirit within the life of the believer and the Spirit begins the work of sanctification which will be an on-going work until that believer stands in the presence of God without spot or blemish.  With life comes growth.  If there is no growth there is no life.

“Well pastor thanks for the theological moment but what’s the point?  Why are you tell us this?” We are heading into turbulent waters.  The tide has been turning for sometime.  Our faith, once dominant, is now marginalized.  According to recent studies 1 out of 3 Americans said the first amendment goes to far in the freedom it promises.  Specifically its promise to protect freedom of religion.  A growing number want to limit our freedom of worship and put limits on what we can preach.  In the name of tolerance the culture is becoming increasingly intolerant of our beliefs.  What will sustain us in the storm that lies ahead is a solid, biblical understanding of conversion which is the foundation of spiritual growth and maturity.  Maturity, growing up in Christ, is the call of God for every believer.  Our text this morning is found in the 6th chapter of Hebrews.

Text: Hebrews 6:1-8

Verse 1 clearly indicates what follows is a continuation of what has just been stated in chapter 5.  There the writer rebuked the willful immaturity of the believers in Rome.  They had grown sluggish of ear.  No longer interested in spiritual matters or biblical truth.  As a result they had digressed in their faith.  No longer able to take solid food they were back to nursing on a bottle.  Now the writer calls on the church to “leave the elementary things and go on to maturity.”

As we work through the opening verse of chapter 6 we discover that…

Thesis: The call to mature faith demands a solid foundation and an understanding spirit.

There are three things I want to point out along the way.

1. The mature believer is thoroughly grounded in the truth.  (6:1-3)
2. The mature believer understands the devastating consequences of abandoning the gospel.      (6:4-6)
3. The mature believer accepts God’s sovereign judgment in response to the life lived.  (6:7-8)