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Luccas Rodor: Welcome, friends.
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Thank you so much for
being with us today for
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our Sabbath School Study Hour.
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Today we have a very deep study.
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In my opinion, this is one
of the most important lessons
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of this quarter's
lesson because it's so central.
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It has to do with
everything that we read about
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and learn about in
the book of Hebrews.
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Jesus is at the very
core of it, and that's why
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this week's lesson title is,
"Jesus, the Faithful Priest."
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And so, today is
going to be about that.
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But before that, I would
like to thank you for being here
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with us, for investing
your time, for spending time
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in studying your lesson.
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Thank you so much for those here
today in our local congregation
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that are going to be
spending this time with us,
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learning more about
Jesus as our high priest,
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studying the
Sabbath School lesson.
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The lesson of Hebrews is deeply
important and our understanding
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of Jesus is greatly enhanced by
studying this very special book.
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So I encourage you to not
only study or have studied,
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I hope you studied
this week's lesson,
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but study the
whole quarter's lesson.
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It will be very
beneficial to you.
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Before we get to it,
I would like to ask you
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to take advantage of
our special offer today.
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It's called,
"Blood Behind the Veil."
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And it ties very well into
today's Sabbath School lesson.
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So, "Blood Behind the Veil,"
if you'd like a copy of this,
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you can call
866-788-3966 or 866-Study-More.
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That's if you're on
continental North America
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and you'll get it mailed out.
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And you can ask for
the Offer number 130.
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Again, if you're on continental
North America and you would like
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a digital download of this free
offer, then you can text "SH154"
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to the number "40544"
and we'd be more than happy
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to send it to you.
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If you're outside of
North America and you would
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still like to study this or
to read this beautiful lesson,
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then you could go
to study.aftv.org/SH154
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and you could download
a digital copy of this.
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Don't forget to take advantage.
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It is a beautiful sermon.
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Before we do begin, I'd
like to invite you to say
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a word of prayer so let's pray.
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Dear Lord God, thank
You so much for Your love.
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Thank You for Your
power and thank You for being
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the intercessory before
us or between us and God.
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Thank You, Lord,
because we only need Jesus.
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Jesus is
everything that we need.
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Jesus is the High Priest
that fulfills everything,
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all of our needs,
all of our desires,
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all of the things
that we would need
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in any other intermediary,
any other--intermediary.
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I thank You because
Jesus fulfills that.
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Please bless us now as we
study this lesson, bless those
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that are watching at home,
those who are here tonight,
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those that will be
watching from the future.
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Please be with them also, Lord,
I ask in Jesus's name, amen.
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Friends, I learned a lot.
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I was richly
benefited or I benefited richly
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from the study of
this week's lesson.
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The reason for that
is because without Jesus
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there is no everything else.
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There is no
understanding everything else.
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Understanding Jesus in all
His regards unlocks the keys
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of the Bible, the
keys of Scripture.
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And so we learn so
much from seeing Jesus
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from different perspectives.
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Jesus really is the catalyst by
which we understand Scripture,
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we understand life,
we understand existence.
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Once we understand Jesus,
we understand everything else.
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That's why the memory
verse of this week's lesson is
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so important, so vital.
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The memory verse comes from
Hebrews 7, verse 26, that says:
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"For such a High Priest was
fitting for us, who is holy,
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harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and has become
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higher than the heavens."
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Now, before we actually get
into Jesus as our high priest,
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I would like to give
a little bit of context.
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Now, we've been studying
the lesson so far and we've been
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learning about what
the message of Hebrews is.
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I do hope that you have
been reading this lesson,
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"The Message of Hebrews."
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And this quarter has been so
deep, but for you to understand
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everything, it's
important to understand
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what the book of Hebrews is.
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It's really not a book.
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The book of Hebrews is a sermon.
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It's a word of exhortation.
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That's what
chapter 13, verse 22 says:
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that this is a
word of exhortation.
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Now, this sermon was preached to
motivate the 1st century church
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that was living
during the difficult times
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of the 1st century.
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It was a sermon preached
to motivate, to encourage,
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to provide comfort and relief
to that 1st century church
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that was going through
the depths of persecution.
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They suffered so many things.
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Most of them had been Christians
for a very long time already.
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They remembered the preaching
of the apostles, the miracles.
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They remembered the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
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And during those first
years, they suffered insults,
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they suffered persecutions,
they suffered the confiscation
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of their property.
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They had been banned
from their communities,
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banned from the synagogues,
and over time they grew tired.
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They grew
discouraged, they grew dreary.
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Over time, they ran the risks of
becoming victims of pessimism.
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Now, the profile
of these Christians,
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it's not all that different than
our profile, than our story.
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To the modern Christians
today, to us living today,
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in the world that we are in, in
the situations that we are in,
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we can relate to these
1st century Christians,
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because we
oftentimes grow discouraged.
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We oftentimes grow
frustrated, pessimistic,
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about the results of our
acceptance of Jesus Christ.
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And the problem with this
is that this discouragement,
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this
dismotivation, it oftentimes
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becomes negligence in our faith.
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We become so discouraged
that then we become negligent
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in our
relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Have you ever felt that?
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That because you've
become so tired, so discouraged,
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so unmotivated, you
then just become negligent
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with your relationship,
in reading the Bible,
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in going to church, in relating
with your fellow believers.
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And the problem with negligence
or the negligence of faith
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is that it leads to
disbelief, to chronic disbelief.
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It then becomes the
hardening of your heart.
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Everything that has to do with
God, with religion, with church,
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it becomes difficult
to accept and you begin
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to resent these things.
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And then you easily fall into
systematic and chronic doubt,
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and finally, the public
renouncement of your faith
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in Jesus Christ.
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That's why if you give in to
frustration, to unmotivation,
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to disbelief, it leads
down this dangerous path.
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And that's why this sermon,
this word of exhortation,
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the book of Hebrews to
the 1st century church,
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makes so much sense to us today
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who so many times, see
ourselves become tired,
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discouraged, unmotivated,
in our Christian walk.
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One thing that I
really want you to understand
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is that the book of
Hebrews has a central theme.
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It has a central point.
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The argument is
that Jesus is better.
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That is the most important
thing for you to understand
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in the book of Hebrews.
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That's what you have to
understand, that Jesus is better
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than anything that
you have ever known,
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anything that you could know.
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To those 1st century Jews,
those 1st century people living
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at that time, going
through what they were going,
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they needed to understand
that Jesus was better.
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He covered any cost.
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He was a better revelation than
the one given to their fathers.
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His name was
better than any patriarch.
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He was a better leader, is
a better leader, than Moses.
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He is a better
first priest than Aaron.
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He brought a better priesthood
than the Levitical priesthood.
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He established a better
covenant, a better bond.
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The gospel is
better than the law.
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Calvary is
better than the Sinai.
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His blood is better than
the blood of bulls and goats
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and sheeps--sheep and lambs.
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In Him we await a better
land than the Israelite dream
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of Canaan.
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He is better.
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He--or He offers a new Jerusalem
which is way better than
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the old Yerushalayim,
the old city of peace.
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In short,
friends, Jesus is better.
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Better than
everything, better than anything
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that they and us
could ever imagine.
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He is better than everything
we could ever leave behind.
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No matter the
cost, Jesus covers it.
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That is the
message of this book.
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And that's what you cannot miss.
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That's what you can't
leave out of your understanding
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of Hebrews.
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This week's lesson is an
emphasis on this reality.
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You see, friends, the shroud of
sin has separated us from God.
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It's torn us from God.
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The human heart became,
because of sin, polluted.
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Polluted by pride, by
selfishness, by jealousy,
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by malice and
countless other immoralities.
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In a way--in a way, sin has
made humans regress to the point
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of pre-creation.
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Humans have become
void and formless again.
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Just as the world was formless
and void before, humans because
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of sin became formless and
void, in a state of confusion
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and darkness.
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The human race
found itself, as a whole,
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in a state of
rebellion, alienated from God.
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Scripture simply states of
the fact that humanity lost
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its dominion and life:
the shade of sin covers
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our small little planet.
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And that's the reality
that we find ourselves in.
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And we are facing an enemy
that we cannot, by ourselves,
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overcome.
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That's the reality of the Bible.
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Sadly, the phenomenon
of Stockholm Syndrome--
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have you ever
heard of that phenomenon?
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That is our reality.
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That is the
reality of this planet,
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a planet that has fallen
in love with its kidnapper.
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Sinners need a
divine recreation,
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and that is precisely
what Jesus did and still does.
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The plan of redemption
answers the question that arose
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with the great rebellion and
it also provides a deliverance
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for us, a restoration
for the human family.
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Look what 2
Corinthians 5:17 says.
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It says: "Therefore if anyone
is in Christ, he is," what?
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"A new creation."
00:11:14.64\00:11:16.74
Because we needed a new
creation because sin placed us
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in a state of
formlessness and void.
00:11:19.87\00:11:24.81
So we needed a new
creation, a recreation.
00:11:24.85\00:11:27.38
We have become a new creation.
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Old things have passed away.
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Behold, all
things have become new.
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So what this means is that,
rather than sitting idly by,
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than just ignoring
everything that had happened,
00:11:36.99\00:11:39.63
God came into play
to help fallen humanity.
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God didn't just sit idly by.
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He rolled up His sleeves and He
got right into the mess with us.
00:11:45.80\00:11:49.44
Now, the typology of
the sanctuary illustrates
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how this plan has been executed
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throughout
Christ's atoning priesthood.
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That's what the whole
thing of the sanctuary,
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the whole doctrine, the
whole story that we talk a lot
00:11:59.18\00:12:01.58
about the sanctuary, it
really has to do with this,
00:12:01.62\00:12:04.35
with what Jesus has
done and what He's doing.
00:12:04.39\00:12:06.89
Throughout the Bible, we
see God's effort in this.
00:12:06.92\00:12:09.79
But nowhere else, nowhere
else, is it made more clear than
00:12:09.82\00:12:13.86
in the life and in
the ministry of Jesus.
00:12:13.90\00:12:18.13
And so that's why our
study today focuses precisely
00:12:18.17\00:12:20.94
on Hebrews chapter
5 through chapter 7.
00:12:20.97\00:12:24.21
That zero in on this truth.
00:12:24.24\00:12:27.21
They emphasize the significance
of His priesthood in our favor.
00:12:27.24\00:12:31.21
Sunday's lesson--Sunday
begins the week here with--
00:12:31.25\00:12:35.42
it already starts at,
you know, 60 miles an hour.
00:12:35.45\00:12:38.62
The title is "A Priest
on Behalf of Human Beings."
00:12:38.65\00:12:40.92
It comes from--basically, this
day covers Hebrews chapter 5,
00:12:40.96\00:12:44.16
verse 1 through verse 10.
00:12:44.19\00:12:46.06
Have you ever
wondered what a priest was?
00:12:46.09\00:12:49.86
What was a priest?
00:12:49.90\00:12:51.23
What was the
central purpose of a priest?
00:12:51.27\00:12:53.97
Well, the Bible answers that.
00:12:54.00\00:12:55.64
A priest was a mediator
between God and the people.
00:12:55.67\00:12:59.31
All throughout the
year, when someone sinned,
00:12:59.34\00:13:01.24
when people sinned, they
would bring a little sacrifice,
00:13:01.28\00:13:03.91
a little lamb.
00:13:03.95\00:13:05.25
They would bring it to
the temple, and that sacrifice
00:13:05.28\00:13:06.98
would represent
something very specific,
00:13:07.02\00:13:09.58
and something very specific
was done to that sacrifice.
00:13:09.62\00:13:12.99
And it was all
intermediated by the priest.
00:13:13.02\00:13:17.06
Priests were mediators
between God and between people.
00:13:17.09\00:13:21.30
Now when we break down Jesus's
ministry, both here on earth and
00:13:21.33\00:13:25.40
in heaven, there are some very
similar aspects between Jesus
00:13:25.43\00:13:29.27
and the Old Testament
priests, but there are also
00:13:29.30\00:13:31.84
some very different aspects.
00:13:31.87\00:13:33.68
There are some things
that Jesus did and still does
00:13:33.71\00:13:36.75
that the Old
Testament priests could not do.
00:13:36.78\00:13:40.48
They simply could not do.
00:13:40.52\00:13:42.35
Now, the reason why there
are some big similarities first,
00:13:42.38\00:13:45.42
the reason why there are
some very big similarities,
00:13:45.45\00:13:47.52
is because this entire concept
of priesthood was derived from
00:13:47.56\00:13:50.93
God wanting to be transparent
in His plan of redemption.
00:13:50.96\00:13:55.40
Everything that those Levitical
priests did were shadows,
00:13:55.43\00:13:58.90
were examples, of things that
the ultimate priest would do
00:13:58.93\00:14:01.77
on our behalf.
00:14:01.80\00:14:03.10
That's why when we see what
the Old Testament priests did,
00:14:03.14\00:14:05.01
we can see, well, they did this,
this is what Jesus is doing.
00:14:05.04\00:14:08.18
They did this, this
is what Jesus is doing.
00:14:08.21\00:14:10.21
They--there was this
ceremony, this ritual,
00:14:10.25\00:14:12.88
this is what this represents
in the heavenly sanctuary.
00:14:12.91\00:14:15.48
So that's why--where
you get so many similarities
00:14:15.52\00:14:18.15
between the Old
Testament priests.
00:14:18.19\00:14:20.09
There had to be similarities,
00:14:20.12\00:14:21.66
otherwise it just
wouldn't make sense.
00:14:21.69\00:14:24.63
But in reading the text
here in Hebrews 5:1 through 10,
00:14:24.66\00:14:29.56
we're not going to be able
to read the entire text today
00:14:29.60\00:14:32.23
for the lack of time, but I
do encourage you to read it.
00:14:32.27\00:14:34.97
But in reading the text
here, that defines the role of--
00:14:35.00\00:14:39.51
the roles of the priests, we see
that there were, by necessity,
00:14:39.54\00:14:43.71
things that Jesus did that
these priests could not do.
00:14:43.75\00:14:47.68
Some very big differences
in Christ's role that
00:14:47.72\00:14:50.22
all the other priests,
they couldn't measure up to.
00:14:50.25\00:14:53.79
They weren't even called to do.
00:14:53.82\00:14:55.89
For example, the Bible says
in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 1,
00:14:55.92\00:14:59.13
that Jesus was not
chosen from among men.
00:14:59.16\00:15:01.60
It says here, "For every
high priest taken from among men
00:15:01.63\00:15:04.20
is appointed for men in
things pertaining to God
00:15:04.23\00:15:07.84
that he may offer both
gifts and sacrifices for sins."
00:15:07.87\00:15:11.74
So, every high priest
was taken from among men.
00:15:11.77\00:15:15.34
But Jesus wasn't.
00:15:15.38\00:15:18.11
That's what this text is saying.
00:15:18.15\00:15:19.85
So it already starts off here
that Jesus, while He was a man,
00:15:19.88\00:15:23.18
He did become a man, He wasn't
chosen from the lineage of Levi,
00:15:23.22\00:15:27.96
of Aaron, to be our high priest.
00:15:27.99\00:15:31.19
The second thing that
was different and this comes
00:15:31.23\00:15:33.70
from Hebrews chapter 5, verse
3, it says: "Because of this,
00:15:33.73\00:15:37.17
He is required, as for the
people so also for Himself,
00:15:37.20\00:15:40.80
to offer sacrifices for sins."
00:15:40.84\00:15:42.70
So this is talking
about the old high priests,
00:15:42.74\00:15:44.54
the Old Testament high priests.
00:15:44.57\00:15:46.24
You'll remember that on the Day
of Atonement, if you read there,
00:15:46.27\00:15:48.41
Leviticus chapter 16 and a
little portion of chapter 23,
00:15:48.44\00:15:52.25
you'll remember
that the high priest,
00:15:52.28\00:15:54.18
he would enter
the holy of holies
00:15:54.22\00:15:55.68
and he would do the
whole ceremony there,
00:15:55.72\00:15:57.35
but before everything else, he
had to offer sacrifices for who?
00:15:57.39\00:16:01.22
For himself.
00:16:01.26\00:16:03.09
Why?
00:16:03.12\00:16:04.43
Because he was a
sinner, he committed sins.
00:16:04.46\00:16:06.19
He did bad things, wrong things.
00:16:06.23\00:16:07.86
And so he needed to
atone for his own sins
00:16:07.93\00:16:11.10
or ask atonement
for his own sins.
00:16:11.13\00:16:13.30
Not so with Jesus.
00:16:13.34\00:16:16.10
Jesus didn't need to
offer sacrifices for Himself
00:16:16.14\00:16:18.71
like every other high priest,
because Jesus had nothing
00:16:18.74\00:16:21.44
to offer sacrifices for.
00:16:21.48\00:16:24.75
He didn't sin.
00:16:24.78\00:16:26.55
If Jesus did have to
offer sacrifices for Himself,
00:16:26.58\00:16:29.82
well then, Jesus would Himself
be part of the whole problem
00:16:29.85\00:16:32.42
and He wouldn't
be able to save us.
00:16:32.45\00:16:34.29
And so that's where you
find here in Hebrews 5:3 because
00:16:34.32\00:16:36.76
of this you see a distinction
between the old priests,
00:16:36.79\00:16:40.20
the old high priests,
and Jesus that didn't have
00:16:40.23\00:16:42.53
to offer sacrifices for Himself.
00:16:42.56\00:16:45.47
The third difference is
that Jesus learned obedience
00:16:45.50\00:16:49.04
through what He suffered.
00:16:49.07\00:16:50.54
Look at what Hebrews 5:8 says.
00:16:50.57\00:16:52.64
It says: "Though He was a
Son, yet He learned obedience
00:16:52.67\00:16:56.14
by the things
which He suffered."
00:16:56.18\00:16:58.31
So some people might look at
this text right here and say,
00:16:58.35\00:17:00.45
"Well, did Jesus have to
learn how to be obedient?
00:17:00.48\00:17:03.42
That doesn't make sense.
00:17:03.45\00:17:05.82
Why would Jesus need
to learn how to obey?
00:17:05.85\00:17:07.66
Does that mean that before
Jesus learned how to obey,
00:17:07.69\00:17:09.92
He was disobedient?"
00:17:09.96\00:17:12.36
So this might be a kind
of a confusing verse, but no,
00:17:12.39\00:17:16.83
Jesus wasn't--Jesus
wasn't learning obedience
00:17:16.87\00:17:19.87
because He was
before disobedient.
00:17:19.90\00:17:22.17
You have to think that He's God.
00:17:22.20\00:17:24.91
Jesus is--was and is God.
00:17:24.94\00:17:29.48
Did Jesus ever
have to obey before?
00:17:29.51\00:17:33.08
Do you think that Jesus,
in the times of eternity past,
00:17:33.11\00:17:35.12
He ever had to obey anyone?
00:17:35.15\00:17:37.75
He was God.
00:17:37.79\00:17:39.22
Jesus was used to
people obeying Him.
00:17:39.25\00:17:41.66
So, at this point, we're
seeing that Jesus, He learned--
00:17:41.69\00:17:44.43
it was something new to Him.
00:17:44.46\00:17:45.86
The lesson here
on Sunday, it says:
00:17:45.89\00:17:47.96
"Obedience was new to Jesus.
00:17:48.00\00:17:49.86
Not because He was disobedient,
but because He was God."
00:17:49.90\00:17:53.40
And as Sovereign
over the universe,
00:17:53.44\00:17:55.24
Jesus did not obey anyone;
instead, everyone obeyed Him.
00:17:55.27\00:18:00.04
And so, that is another very
big difference between Jesus
00:18:00.08\00:18:02.68
and the other high priests.
00:18:02.71\00:18:04.75
A fourth difference is
that even Jesus's suffering
00:18:04.78\00:18:08.72
in regard to sin was
different than our suffering,
00:18:08.75\00:18:12.52
than the suffering
of the high priests.
00:18:12.55\00:18:14.62
Jesus did not suffer to be
perfected by His suffering.
00:18:14.66\00:18:18.93
Jesus did not suffer to
be tested or to be refined
00:18:18.96\00:18:21.93
by His suffering.
00:18:21.96\00:18:23.97
His suffering
didn't make Him stronger
00:18:24.00\00:18:25.80
or more resilient to sin.
00:18:25.83\00:18:27.70
Jesus was always strong.
00:18:27.74\00:18:29.50
Jesus was always
resilient to sin.
00:18:29.54\00:18:31.27
You see that in the
desert of temptation.
00:18:31.31\00:18:33.51
You see that Jesus
answering the devil.
00:18:33.54\00:18:36.41
He was resilient, quoting
Scripture, quoting His Father,
00:18:36.44\00:18:39.58
trusting in His Father.
00:18:39.61\00:18:41.38
And so, suffering
didn't really refine Jesus.
00:18:41.42\00:18:44.89
His suffering,
rather, revealed Him.
00:18:44.92\00:18:47.56
It revealed who He was.
00:18:47.59\00:18:48.92
It revealed the
plan of redemption.
00:18:48.96\00:18:50.59
It revealed the
character of God.
00:18:50.63\00:18:52.19
And that's why this was
so central to His mission.
00:18:52.23\00:18:55.23
In the book of Hebrews,
chapter 5, verse 7, we read that
00:18:55.26\00:18:58.07
"He," it's talking about Jesus,
"who, in the days of His flesh,
00:18:58.10\00:19:01.37
when He had offered up prayers
and supplications, with vehement
00:19:01.40\00:19:05.37
cries and tears to Him who
was able to save Him from death,
00:19:05.41\00:19:08.41
and was heard
because of His godly fear."
00:19:08.44\00:19:11.75
So, what is the
context of this text?
00:19:11.78\00:19:13.55
It can be very confusing, right?
00:19:13.58\00:19:15.45
Jesus is crying out.
00:19:15.48\00:19:16.79
He is suffering.
00:19:16.82\00:19:18.12
Why is Jesus--why is
this happening to Jesus?
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.06
Well, when Jesus goes through
this, He does it on our behalf
00:19:20.09\00:19:23.96
to demonstrate
just exactly who God is.
00:19:23.99\00:19:28.46
See, Jesus is the supreme
revelator of God's character.
00:19:28.50\00:19:33.87
Martin Luther, I
think I've said this here
00:19:33.90\00:19:35.74
before but Martin Luther,
the great Protestant reformer,
00:19:35.77\00:19:38.47
he once said that
humans put on masks to hide
00:19:38.51\00:19:41.74
themselves, right?
00:19:41.78\00:19:43.21
That's why we wear
masks, to--well, that's--
00:19:43.24\00:19:45.95
masks represent you trying to
hide something about yourself.
00:19:45.98\00:19:49.35
God did the contrary.
00:19:49.38\00:19:51.82
God put on a mask so that
we could understand Him better.
00:19:51.85\00:19:55.59
He limited His--Himself into
a mask so that we could better
00:19:55.62\00:19:59.23
understand who God is, and
that mask was Jesus Christ.
00:19:59.26\00:20:03.43
And so, everything that Jesus
goes through here serves as an
00:20:03.47\00:20:06.40
example to us and a revelation
to us, for us to understand God
00:20:06.43\00:20:12.54
a little bit better.
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.01
The lesson also says
that what Hebrews means here
00:20:14.04\00:20:17.31
in this verse is that
it was through sufferings
00:20:17.35\00:20:20.82
that the reality of
Jesus's brotherly love,
00:20:20.85\00:20:23.55
the authenticity
of His human nature,
00:20:23.59\00:20:25.89
and the depth of His
submission as representative
00:20:25.92\00:20:28.76
of humanity to the
will of the Father,
00:20:28.79\00:20:31.16
were truly
expressed and revealed.
00:20:31.19\00:20:34.03
He was perfected in the
sense that His sufferings
00:20:34.10\00:20:37.33
qualified Him to
be our High Priest.
00:20:37.37\00:20:40.07
It was His life of perfect
obedience and then His death
00:20:40.10\00:20:43.00
on the cross which constitute
the sacrificial offering
00:20:43.04\00:20:47.38
that Jesus presented
before the Father as our priest.
00:20:47.41\00:20:50.75
And so, Jesus's suffering, it
helps us understand God better.
00:20:50.78\00:20:55.08
It understands--it
helps us understand
00:20:55.12\00:20:56.79
the reality of sin better.
00:20:56.82\00:20:59.15
Friends, if there
are a few things that
00:20:59.19\00:21:00.82
we need to understand in our
walk with God is, first of all,
00:21:00.86\00:21:04.06
we need to understand sin.
00:21:04.09\00:21:06.09
What is sin?
00:21:06.13\00:21:07.73
That's a big one.
00:21:07.76\00:21:09.03
There's a whole area of theology
called hamartiology that is
00:21:09.06\00:21:12.47
dedicated to understanding
sin, the implications of sin,
00:21:12.50\00:21:16.77
what happens.
00:21:16.81\00:21:18.24
Another thing that we need
to understand always better is
00:21:18.27\00:21:20.91
God's relation to sin.
00:21:20.94\00:21:23.01
Why is sin such a
horrible thing to God?
00:21:23.04\00:21:26.28
And why is it so important
for us to get close to Jesus
00:21:26.31\00:21:29.18
so that we can divest ourselves
of that nature, of that reality?
00:21:29.22\00:21:35.99
But let's move on.
00:21:36.02\00:21:37.76
Monday's lesson, the title was,
00:21:37.79\00:21:40.36
"According to the
Order of Melchizedek."
00:21:40.40\00:21:42.63
So, Monday's lesson and
the subject that is covered
00:21:42.66\00:21:46.37
on Monday's lesson is and has
always been kind of a mystery,
00:21:46.40\00:21:49.97
not only to me but to
anyone that reads the Bible.
00:21:50.01\00:21:52.51
When we hear of this
mysterious figure, Melchizedek,
00:21:52.54\00:21:55.64
there are a lot
of questions, right?
00:21:55.68\00:21:57.38
Because the Bible
doesn't talk a lot about him.
00:21:57.41\00:21:59.68
It doesn't mention him or
talk about him all that much.
00:21:59.71\00:22:02.82
What we do have is found in
Genesis chapter 14, verse 19
00:22:02.85\00:22:05.89
and 20, and this is basically
everything that we have
00:22:05.92\00:22:07.96
in the Old
Testament about Melchizedek.
00:22:07.99\00:22:10.36
It says: "Then Melchizedek, king
of Salem," and Salem, later on,
00:22:10.39\00:22:14.63
become Jerusalem, right?
00:22:14.66\00:22:16.73
That's, after King
David conquered Jerusalem,
00:22:16.77\00:22:19.47
the city was renamed.
00:22:19.50\00:22:22.94
Before, it was
Jebbus, and before that,
00:22:22.97\00:22:27.11
it was called
Salem, and so Melchizedek
00:22:27.14\00:22:29.84
was the King of
Salem that later on
00:22:29.88\00:22:31.45
became Yerushalayim, Jerusalem.
00:22:31.48\00:22:34.65
And so it says, "Then
Melchizedek, the king of Salem,
00:22:34.68\00:22:36.75
brought out bread and wine; he
was the priest of God Most High.
00:22:36.79\00:22:41.06
And he blessed him and said:
00:22:41.09\00:22:42.49
'Blessed be
Abraham of God Most High,
00:22:42.52\00:22:44.76
possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
00:22:44.79\00:22:49.13
who has delivered your
enemies into your hand.'
00:22:49.16\00:22:51.60
And he gave him a tithe of all."
00:22:51.63\00:22:53.87
So, Abraham gave
Melchizedek a tithe of all.
00:22:53.90\00:22:58.27
Now, again, we
don't know much about him.
00:22:58.31\00:23:00.21
We don't know--we absolutely
don't know much about him.
00:23:00.24\00:23:02.71
The context of this verse
is after Abraham rescues Lot
00:23:02.74\00:23:08.42
from the hands of the enemies
that had conquered, you know,
00:23:08.45\00:23:12.55
Sodom where Lot lived, and it's
really--there's very interesting
00:23:12.59\00:23:16.52
detail here that Lot, you
know, we usually remember Lot
00:23:16.56\00:23:21.63
referring to his--in the
context of him being rescued
00:23:21.66\00:23:24.67
from Sodom and
Gomorrah, from--by God's hands.
00:23:24.70\00:23:28.47
But Lot was actually rescued
twice: once here by Abraham
00:23:28.50\00:23:33.51
and then another time by
those angels sent by God.
00:23:33.54\00:23:36.44
There's a lot to be
said about Lot's life.
00:23:36.48\00:23:38.28
But in any case, we don't
know much about Melchizedek.
00:23:38.31\00:23:41.62
Melchizedek was
both a priest and a king.
00:23:41.65\00:23:44.72
As he appears here in the
narrative, he was above Abraham
00:23:44.75\00:23:47.76
because Abraham returns
tithe to him, all right?
00:23:47.79\00:23:50.53
And again, it's a very
mysterious reference because
00:23:50.56\00:23:52.76
we don't know what's going
on, we don't know very well
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.66
the context of
what's going on here.
00:23:54.73\00:23:56.67
But the book of Hebrews
draws a connection, a bridge,
00:23:56.70\00:24:00.17
between Melchizedek and Jesus.
00:24:00.20\00:24:02.90
The reason for
this is because Jesus--
00:24:02.94\00:24:04.97
who could you compare Jesus to?
00:24:05.01\00:24:08.24
Which one of the priests
could you compare Jesus to?
00:24:08.28\00:24:11.21
None, because all of them were
part of the Levitical system,
00:24:11.25\00:24:15.48
the sacrificial system that for
millennia already at that point,
00:24:15.52\00:24:20.52
over a millennia, over
1500 years, had already been
00:24:20.56\00:24:25.26
so entrenched into the
Jewish tradition that something
00:24:25.29\00:24:30.43
different, some
different reference was needed,
00:24:30.47\00:24:33.44
to help people understand
that Jesus was so much more,
00:24:33.47\00:24:37.27
that Jesus
transcended everything
00:24:37.31\00:24:39.37
that they could imagine.
00:24:39.41\00:24:40.71
And so here, the
author of Hebrews, he draws
00:24:40.74\00:24:43.65
from this very mysterious
figure of the Old Testament,
00:24:43.68\00:24:46.92
Melchizedek, the
lineage of Levi, and this is
00:24:46.95\00:24:50.09
why Jesus wasn't part of that.
00:24:50.12\00:24:51.59
The lineage of Levi
was part of the system.
00:24:51.62\00:24:54.49
We just saw that they
also needed to offer sacrifices
00:24:54.52\00:24:57.03
for themselves.
00:24:57.06\00:24:58.69
So Jesus needed, in a
way, to be different from that.
00:24:58.73\00:25:01.73
And while they fulfilled
their role that was established
00:25:01.76\00:25:05.77
by God, they were
still part of the problem.
00:25:05.80\00:25:09.27
Jesus needed to be
outside of that, in a way.
00:25:09.30\00:25:12.94
He needed to be more than that.
00:25:12.97\00:25:15.18
An example is when Paul
tells us that Melchizedek,
00:25:15.21\00:25:18.01
and here we're understanding
there's a very big conversation,
00:25:18.05\00:25:23.72
who wrote the
book of Hebrews, right?
00:25:23.75\00:25:25.69
And a lot of people say
that it was someone else.
00:25:25.72\00:25:29.16
Ellen White, in a revelation,
she understood that it was Paul
00:25:29.19\00:25:34.76
and that's why Seventh-day
Adventists understand
00:25:34.83\00:25:36.93
and interpret the book
of Hebrews as being written
00:25:36.97\00:25:39.13
by the apostle Paul.
00:25:39.17\00:25:40.64
And so, right here, the apostle
Paul, he gives us an example of
00:25:40.67\00:25:44.34
Melchizedek, right, that he was
without--this is in Hebrews 7:3.
00:25:44.37\00:25:48.68
He was without father, mother,
genealogy, birth, and death.
00:25:48.71\00:25:52.28
Now, what was Melchizedek?
00:25:52.31\00:25:53.85
Some kind of alien?
00:25:53.88\00:25:55.48
Was he, you know,
mother, father, he didn't die,
00:25:55.52\00:25:58.62
he wasn't born.
00:25:58.65\00:25:59.95
So how do you
understand a text like this?
00:26:00.06\00:26:01.86
If you take it literally, well,
you're going to be stumped.
00:26:01.89\00:26:04.33
And that's, in that kind
of incorrect interpretation
00:26:04.36\00:26:07.36
of the Bible, a lot of
people end up believing
00:26:07.40\00:26:09.76
that Melchizedek
himself was Jesus.
00:26:09.80\00:26:12.97
But that doesn't make sense
within the scope of the gospel,
00:26:13.00\00:26:16.00
within the scope of the Bible.
00:26:16.04\00:26:17.84
So, does this mean that
Melchizedek was God Himself?
00:26:17.87\00:26:20.98
No, friends,
this is a comparison.
00:26:21.01\00:26:23.31
This is a parable.
00:26:23.35\00:26:25.58
You see, what the text is
trying to say is that Jesus
00:26:25.61\00:26:28.92
was untethered.
00:26:28.95\00:26:31.05
He wasn't held back in
the same way or by the same
00:26:31.09\00:26:34.19
Levitical priesthood system.
00:26:34.22\00:26:36.22
That's what this text is saying.
00:26:36.26\00:26:37.69
In the same way, where
Melchizedek, the Bible doesn't
00:26:37.73\00:26:40.06
give us anything about
him, Jesus in the same way,
00:26:40.10\00:26:44.03
Jesus was untethered.
00:26:44.07\00:26:45.93
The answer to this is perfectly
summed up by the lesson when
00:26:45.97\00:26:48.34
it says: "Instead, Hebrews
uses the silence of Scripture
00:26:48.37\00:26:53.58
regarding Melchizedek's birth,
death, and genealogy, to build
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.38
up a typology, a symbol,
for Jesus's priestly ministry."
00:26:57.41\00:27:01.65
And you'll find that
in Genesis chapter 14.
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.72
And it reveals that
Jesus Himself was eternal.
00:27:03.75\00:27:07.52
So, in short, Melchizedek
was a Canaanite king priest
00:27:07.56\00:27:10.19
who served as a type of Christ.
00:27:10.23\00:27:12.39
So I hope I made it clear.
00:27:12.43\00:27:14.46
Here, the Bible isn't
saying that Melchizedek
00:27:14.50\00:27:16.40
was Jesus in the Old Testament.
00:27:16.43\00:27:18.10
Jesus did not have a
pre-incarnation before
00:27:18.13\00:27:20.07
His incarnation, all right?
00:27:20.10\00:27:21.94
It--that's not how it works.
00:27:21.97\00:27:24.44
What the Bible is
saying, what it all points to,
00:27:24.47\00:27:27.08
is our initial point,
that the message of Hebrews
00:27:27.11\00:27:30.11
is that Jesus is better,
His priesthood was better
00:27:30.15\00:27:33.48
than the Levitical
one, His high priesthood
00:27:33.52\00:27:35.78
was more effective than Aaron's.
00:27:35.82\00:27:37.65
The focus here isn't on
Melchizedek or that Melchizedek
00:27:37.69\00:27:40.82
was a divine being himself.
00:27:40.86\00:27:44.13
The focus, the emphasis, is that
he appears as a symbol, a type,
00:27:44.16\00:27:48.63
representing the qualities
of Jesus as our mediator,
00:27:48.66\00:27:52.37
the qualities of
Jesus as our intercessor.
00:27:52.40\00:27:54.94
Different in that sense than
anything that had come before.
00:27:54.97\00:27:58.44
So, you're getting
the scope here, right?
00:27:58.47\00:28:00.61
Jesus is better.
00:28:00.64\00:28:02.94
In the context of
Hebrews, Jesus was different.
00:28:02.98\00:28:06.05
Now, I'm not saying
that Jesus wasn't Emmanuel.
00:28:06.08\00:28:08.22
Jesus was God with us.
00:28:08.25\00:28:10.42
But Jesus, to
be our high priest,
00:28:10.45\00:28:13.22
there had to be something that
transcended what came before.
00:28:13.25\00:28:18.56
And that kind of leads in, that
leads into our Tuesday's lesson
00:28:18.59\00:28:23.97
which, title is,
"An Effective Priest."
00:28:24.00\00:28:26.94
Now, would you say that
Jesus was an effective priest
00:28:26.97\00:28:29.67
or an ineffective priest?
00:28:29.70\00:28:31.37
That Jesus is an effective
or an ineffective priest?
00:28:31.41\00:28:34.68
So, the switch that the author
of Hebrews is doing his best
00:28:34.71\00:28:38.65
to drive home is that the only
way to actually get something
00:28:38.68\00:28:43.55
permanent out of the
old sacrificial system,
00:28:43.59\00:28:47.59
the old way of things
happening, is through Jesus.
00:28:47.62\00:28:50.63
The only way how that became
permanent, that became eternal,
00:28:50.66\00:28:55.70
was through eternity,
and only God is eternal.
00:28:55.73\00:29:00.04
So, the easy way to understand
this is by understanding
00:29:00.07\00:29:03.61
that how many times
in the Old Testament
00:29:03.64\00:29:05.87
do you find sacrifices going on?
00:29:05.91\00:29:07.51
The sacrifices of lambs and, you
know, bulls and--how many times?
00:29:07.54\00:29:11.45
Countless times.
00:29:11.48\00:29:12.88
It happens a
whole bunch of times.
00:29:12.91\00:29:14.22
Why does it keep
repeating itself?
00:29:14.25\00:29:15.88
Because it wasn't perfect.
00:29:15.92\00:29:17.55
It wasn't permanent.
00:29:17.59\00:29:20.19
Only through Jesus
does it become permanent.
00:29:20.22\00:29:23.26
That's why we don't have
to do these things today,
00:29:23.29\00:29:25.43
because Jesus is the ultimate
fulfillment of these rituals,
00:29:25.46\00:29:29.03
these symbols.
00:29:29.06\00:29:31.07
The only way is through Jesus.
00:29:31.10\00:29:32.47
There is no other way.
00:29:32.50\00:29:33.87
At that time, the religious
system of the Jews had--
00:29:33.90\00:29:36.24
of the Jews had
become so mechanical, again,
00:29:36.27\00:29:38.71
so entrenched
by their legalistic
00:29:38.74\00:29:41.18
self-righteous tradition,
that they have lost sight
00:29:41.21\00:29:44.25
of what these
rituals, what the ceremonies,
00:29:44.28\00:29:47.25
what the feasts
were representative of.
00:29:47.28\00:29:51.25
They couldn't see anymore
that they were illustrations,
00:29:51.29\00:29:54.26
they were symbols,
that all pointed towards
00:29:54.29\00:29:56.46
one concrete reality.
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.69
And what was the reality?
00:29:59.73\00:30:01.43
Jesus, all of it.
00:30:01.46\00:30:04.33
Everything converges on Jesus.
00:30:04.37\00:30:06.80
So that's why I said in the
beginning, if you remove Jesus
00:30:06.84\00:30:09.74
from the gospel story,
from the biblical narrative,
00:30:09.77\00:30:12.94
nothing makes sense.
00:30:12.97\00:30:14.74
All you have is
a historical book.
00:30:14.78\00:30:16.71
That's all that you have.
00:30:16.75\00:30:18.18
Jesus is the
catalyst of Scripture.
00:30:18.21\00:30:20.28
Everything makes sense in Him.
00:30:20.32\00:30:23.45
The main reason here
for Jesus being not only
00:30:23.49\00:30:26.52
the most effective priest, but
the only truly effective priest,
00:30:26.55\00:30:32.19
is because He was the
one absolutely perfect.
00:30:32.23\00:30:36.36
He was the only absolutely
perfect one from birth to death,
00:30:36.40\00:30:41.34
through and through.
00:30:41.37\00:30:42.67
Look at what Hebrews 7:11 says:
"Therefore, if perfection were
00:30:42.70\00:30:47.81
through the Levitical priesthood
(for under it the people
00:30:47.84\00:30:51.65
received the law), what further
need was there that another
00:30:51.68\00:30:55.35
priest should rise according
to the order of Melchizedek,
00:30:55.38\00:30:59.95
and not be called according
to the order of Aaron?"
00:31:00.06\00:31:03.66
So what is this text saying?
00:31:03.69\00:31:05.19
It's saying that if it were
possible for another high priest
00:31:07.36\00:31:12.00
to substitute Jesus, he would
come through the order of Aaron
00:31:12.03\00:31:15.37
and not through the
order of Melchizedek.
00:31:15.40\00:31:17.41
Another important thing to
note here in the same context is
00:31:17.44\00:31:20.04
the fact that Paul
speaks of a change of law,
00:31:20.08\00:31:23.11
so do laws change?
00:31:23.14\00:31:24.75
I mean, Hebrews 7:12 says: "For
the priesthood being changed,
00:31:24.78\00:31:27.82
of necessity there is
also a change of the law."
00:31:27.85\00:31:32.55
So, someone might
ask, "Well, do laws change?
00:31:32.59\00:31:35.76
Isn't God eternal?
00:31:35.79\00:31:37.76
And aren't God's laws a
reflection of His character?
00:31:37.79\00:31:41.63
How is it that
these laws are changing?"
00:31:41.66\00:31:45.47
Well, when it comes
to the ceremonial law,
00:31:45.50\00:31:49.24
and that's what we're
talking about right here:
00:31:49.27\00:31:51.17
the laws that guided the
ceremony, the rituals of Israel,
00:31:51.21\00:31:57.65
it doesn't change as
much as it's completed.
00:31:57.68\00:32:01.78
These laws, they don't really
change, they're just completed,
00:32:01.82\00:32:05.72
they're fulfilled.
00:32:05.75\00:32:07.06
What did Jesus say?
00:32:07.09\00:32:08.39
"I have not come to
abolish the law, but to," what?
00:32:08.42\00:32:11.56
"Fulfill it."
00:32:11.59\00:32:13.53
And so, these laws are more
fulfilled than done away with.
00:32:13.56\00:32:19.20
With the
phenomenon of Jesus Christ,
00:32:19.23\00:32:21.24
some things did end and
some things were commenced.
00:32:21.27\00:32:24.14
So what things ended?
00:32:24.17\00:32:25.64
Well, we see that the fete--
the feasts that were completed
00:32:25.67\00:32:28.14
in Jesus's life and
death-- birth, life, and death,
00:32:28.18\00:32:31.91
well, they ended.
00:32:31.95\00:32:33.25
That's why we don't celebrate
these feasts anymore is because
00:32:33.28\00:32:35.35
their meaning was
completed in Jesus Christ.
00:32:35.38\00:32:38.02
What about the
sacrificial system?
00:32:38.05\00:32:40.02
It was torn.
00:32:40.06\00:32:41.46
As soon as the veil was torn,
top to bottom, when Jesus died,
00:32:41.49\00:32:44.33
you'll have no
more sacrificial system
00:32:44.36\00:32:46.09
because Jesus completes it.
00:32:46.13\00:32:47.86
The fact is, friends,
that according to the old law,
00:32:47.93\00:32:50.73
only the Levites could
become priests and here,
00:32:50.77\00:32:53.57
we're answering the
question that kind of arose
00:32:53.60\00:32:56.40
with the verse
that we read before.
00:32:56.44\00:33:00.04
In the Old Testament, only
Levites could become priests,
00:33:00.08\00:33:03.18
but was Jesus
from the tribe of Levi?
00:33:03.21\00:33:06.25
No, he was from
the tribe of Judah.
00:33:06.28\00:33:09.05
And so, the law gives way
to another law, a more perfect,
00:33:09.08\00:33:12.82
more relevant, more
complete one where Jesus becomes
00:33:12.85\00:33:15.76
both sacrifice and high priest.
00:33:15.79\00:33:18.76
So, in the Old
Testament, you had the sacrifice
00:33:18.79\00:33:20.73
and you had the high priest.
00:33:20.76\00:33:22.26
In Jesus, you have the sacrifice
and the high priest converging.
00:33:22.30\00:33:27.37
Everything converges in Jesus.
00:33:27.40\00:33:29.97
Hebrews 7, verse 18 and 19 says:
"For on the one hand there is an
00:33:30.01\00:33:33.61
annual--there is an
annulling," sorry, "an annulling
00:33:33.64\00:33:36.91
of the former commandment
because of its weakness
00:33:36.95\00:33:39.11
and unprofitableness, for
the law made nothing perfect;
00:33:39.15\00:33:42.98
on the other hand, there is the
bringing in of a better hope,
00:33:43.02\00:33:46.96
through which we
draw near to God."
00:33:46.99\00:33:50.46
And the lesson
completes this idea by saying,
00:33:50.49\00:33:52.46
"Jesus's coming also implied a
change in the law of sacrifices.
00:33:52.49\00:33:56.83
Sinners were required to bring
different kinds of sacrifices
00:33:56.87\00:33:59.80
to obtain atonement.
00:33:59.83\00:34:01.40
But now that Jesus had come
and offered a perfect sacrifice,
00:34:01.44\00:34:05.74
the law of animal sacrifices
has been put aside as a result
00:34:05.77\00:34:09.28
of the new covenant
and the fuller revelation
00:34:09.31\00:34:12.68
of the plan of salvation."
00:34:12.71\00:34:14.38
And that's what we
mean by present truth.
00:34:14.42\00:34:17.15
In every period of time in
history, we've had our present
00:34:17.19\00:34:19.82
truth: what makes sense
for this moment, right now.
00:34:19.85\00:34:23.43
And the present
truth here, revealed here,
00:34:23.46\00:34:26.13
is that Jesus was better.
00:34:26.16\00:34:28.13
Better than the old
bulls and rams and feasts.
00:34:28.16\00:34:30.37
Everything--in
everything, Jesus was better.
00:34:30.40\00:34:35.07
And that segues
into Wednesday's lesson.
00:34:35.10\00:34:37.74
The title is,
"An Eternal Priest."
00:34:37.77\00:34:40.64
So this one kind of
completes Tuesday's lesson.
00:34:40.68\00:34:44.08
Not only is Jesus
the effective priest,
00:34:44.11\00:34:46.95
He is the only eternal priest.
00:34:46.98\00:34:48.88
And the implications of this are
very deep, are very profound.
00:34:48.92\00:34:52.02
It means that Jesus's ministry
on our behalf is eternal.
00:34:52.05\00:34:55.82
It reaps eternal results.
00:34:55.86\00:34:57.89
It will always be relevant.
00:34:57.93\00:35:00.06
And of course, that is why
only He could be such a priest.
00:35:00.10\00:35:03.60
Why could only Jesus
be our eternal priest?
00:35:03.63\00:35:07.40
Because only God is eternal.
00:35:07.44\00:35:09.60
Every other created being
is infinite, can be infinite.
00:35:09.64\00:35:13.98
The angels are
infinite, they will never die,
00:35:14.01\00:35:15.94
but they had a
point of beginning.
00:35:15.98\00:35:17.61
They are not sources of life.
00:35:17.65\00:35:19.41
God is the only source of life.
00:35:19.45\00:35:22.52
He is the only life-giver.
00:35:22.55\00:35:26.05
In that way, God
breathes life into His ministry
00:35:26.09\00:35:29.82
and what He does on our behalf.
00:35:29.86\00:35:31.83
It means that His ministry on
our behalf has eternal results.
00:35:31.86\00:35:37.57
And of course, that's why
only He could be that priest.
00:35:37.60\00:35:40.87
And so, speaking of Jesus in
this context, Hebrews informs us
00:35:40.90\00:35:44.04
in chapter 7, verse 16, that He
"has come not according to the
00:35:44.07\00:35:48.51
law of a fleshly commandment,
but according to the power
00:35:48.54\00:35:52.68
of an endless life."
00:35:52.71\00:35:54.68
So what authority--what granted
Jesus the ability to become
00:35:54.72\00:35:58.02
an eternal priest and
be our eternal priest?
00:35:58.05\00:36:00.19
Well, it's very simple:
the fact that He's eternal.
00:36:00.22\00:36:03.12
It's obvious.
00:36:03.16\00:36:04.46
Only He is eternal, only
He could be an eternal priest.
00:36:04.49\00:36:07.30
His endless life is the source
of our future endless life.
00:36:07.30\00:36:12.10
But friends, it goes
beyond the quantity of time.
00:36:12.13\00:36:14.77
It goes beyond
the temporal aspect.
00:36:14.80\00:36:16.74
The lesson completes
this idea by saying that
00:36:16.77\00:36:18.67
"the implications of
these facts are astounding.
00:36:18.71\00:36:21.08
It means that Jesus's
ministry will never be surpassed
00:36:21.11\00:36:25.15
or outclassed.
00:36:25.18\00:36:27.45
Jesus saves completely,
eternally, to the uttermost.
00:36:27.48\00:36:32.89
The salvation that Jesus
provides is total and final.
00:36:32.92\00:36:36.89
It reaches the innermost
aspects of human nature."
00:36:36.93\00:36:40.63
You know what's
interesting in the story?
00:36:40.66\00:36:42.50
You'll remember that
in Ecclesiastes chapter 3,
00:36:42.53\00:36:44.87
the preacher, right, the
teacher there in Ecclesiastes,
00:36:44.90\00:36:48.27
he says that God has placed
what in the hearts of men?
00:36:48.30\00:36:52.24
Eternity.
00:36:52.27\00:36:54.18
God has placed
eternity in the hearts of men.
00:36:54.21\00:36:57.21
He has written
eternity into the hearts of men.
00:36:57.25\00:37:00.32
But God is the
very embodiment of--
00:37:00.35\00:37:05.42
He is the very definition
of what eternity means.
00:37:05.45\00:37:08.79
So by saying that God has placed
eternity into the hearts of men,
00:37:08.82\00:37:12.09
what does that imply?
00:37:12.13\00:37:14.03
God has placed Himself
into the hearts of men.
00:37:14.10\00:37:18.27
Hebrews 10:12 completes
this idea because it says:
00:37:18.30\00:37:21.20
"For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house
00:37:21.24\00:37:23.64
of Israel after
those days, says the Lord:
00:37:23.67\00:37:26.21
I will put My
laws in their mind,
00:37:26.24\00:37:28.51
and write them on their hearts.
00:37:28.54\00:37:30.01
I will be their God and
they shall be My people."
00:37:30.05\00:37:32.61
You see, "I will write
My laws in their hearts."
00:37:32.65\00:37:36.32
He will put eternity,
Himself, in our hearts
00:37:36.35\00:37:39.49
and He will write
His laws in our hearts.
00:37:39.52\00:37:42.39
You cannot have true laws
without God in your heart,
00:37:42.42\00:37:46.49
and that's exactly, precisely,
what the Israelite nation
00:37:46.53\00:37:50.37
was doing in His day, and that's
why they failed miserably.
00:37:50.40\00:37:56.30
God put
eternity into our hearts.
00:37:56.34\00:37:58.74
The entire Bible is
interwoven into one grand mosaic
00:37:58.77\00:38:02.54
that portrays
Jesus in His plenitude.
00:38:02.58\00:38:06.15
Another aspect of this,
another thing to consider here,
00:38:06.18\00:38:09.92
is that Jesus
becomes the catalyst to make
00:38:09.95\00:38:12.32
the covenant better.
00:38:12.35\00:38:13.72
You know, friends, I
get very-- how do I--
00:38:13.76\00:38:18.23
how would--disappointed?
00:38:18.26\00:38:20.30
Not disappointed, it just
annoys me when I see sometimes
00:38:20.33\00:38:24.37
people making this
huge differentiations
00:38:24.40\00:38:26.50
between the covenant.
00:38:26.53\00:38:29.04
You'll see, "Well,
you have the old covenant,
00:38:29.07\00:38:30.57
you'll have the new covenant.
00:38:30.61\00:38:31.91
You have this--"
00:38:31.94\00:38:33.24
Friends, the covenant has
always been about one thing.
00:38:33.27\00:38:35.71
The covenant has
always been about redemption,
00:38:35.74\00:38:38.01
about God saving us, be
that the covenant with Adam,
00:38:38.05\00:38:41.32
be that the Abrahamic covenant
or the covenant with Noah,
00:38:41.35\00:38:44.65
the covenant with
Isaac and Jacob or Israel.
00:38:44.69\00:38:46.96
The covenant has always
been one of salvation, always.
00:38:46.99\00:38:51.09
So--and then you can
say, "Well, all right, Pastor,
00:38:51.13\00:38:53.29
what does the New Testament,
this text that you just read,
00:38:53.33\00:38:55.93
why does it
say, 'new covenant'?"
00:38:55.96\00:38:58.53
Well, it's--in
the Greek language,
00:38:58.57\00:39:00.87
there are two words for new.
00:39:00.90\00:39:03.04
Two words for new.
00:39:03.07\00:39:05.97
One means new of
a-- of the same kind.
00:39:06.01\00:39:10.18
New of the same kind.
00:39:10.21\00:39:11.55
Think of a car, all right?
00:39:11.58\00:39:13.08
I have a, I don't
know, a Honda, all right?
00:39:13.11\00:39:15.85
We have a Honda Civic.
00:39:15.88\00:39:18.02
Now, let's say
that my Honda Civic
00:39:18.05\00:39:19.82
is a very old Honda
and I want a new one.
00:39:19.85\00:39:22.16
I want a new car, and I go
out and I buy a Honda Civic.
00:39:22.19\00:39:25.53
It's new, but
it's of the same kind.
00:39:25.56\00:39:29.63
Or you could buy a
completely different car.
00:39:29.66\00:39:31.43
You could buy an
Altima, a Nissan Altima.
00:39:31.47\00:39:34.60
It's new, of a different kind.
00:39:34.64\00:39:37.81
So when the Bible says,
"new covenant," is it talking
00:39:37.84\00:39:40.74
about new of the same kind
or new of a different kind?
00:39:40.78\00:39:44.75
It's talking about
new of the same kind.
00:39:44.78\00:39:46.41
It's a renewed covenant.
00:39:46.45\00:39:48.35
You see, the old covenants,
it's always God extending
00:39:48.38\00:39:50.85
His arm to reach
out to the human family.
00:39:50.89\00:39:54.06
The problem is that the
human family always slips.
00:39:54.09\00:39:58.06
You see that with
Abraham, you see that with Noah,
00:39:58.09\00:40:00.36
you see that with Adam,
you see that with Israel,
00:40:00.40\00:40:04.17
and the Israelite kings.
00:40:04.20\00:40:05.50
The human--the divine hand
that's reaching out is always
00:40:05.53\00:40:08.44
met by the feeble weak hands
of humans that end up slipping.
00:40:08.47\00:40:12.84
But when Jesus comes, the arm of
God reaches out and on the other
00:40:12.87\00:40:17.55
side, you have the arm of Jesus,
and Jesus's arms never slip.
00:40:17.58\00:40:23.85
Jesus doesn't let go.
00:40:23.89\00:40:25.62
He keeps the covenant, and
that's how we have--it's the
00:40:25.65\00:40:28.86
same covenant of redemption,
but this time, it's perfect.
00:40:28.89\00:40:33.43
It's a perfect bond.
00:40:33.46\00:40:35.03
And in that way, not only
does Jesus bridge the gap,
00:40:35.06\00:40:38.13
Jesus becomes the
bridge over the gap.
00:40:38.17\00:40:41.60
He Himself becomes the bridge.
00:40:41.64\00:40:46.17
The covenant has always
been a covenant of salvation,
00:40:46.21\00:40:48.31
but with the addition of Jesus's
blood, His atoning sacrifice,
00:40:48.34\00:40:52.65
and the cross, His ministry for
us in the heavenly sanctuary,
00:40:52.68\00:40:55.55
it has been renewed.
00:40:55.58\00:40:57.35
It's been made
better, perfect, complete.
00:40:57.39\00:41:00.46
It is still the same covenant of
redemption it always has been,
00:41:00.49\00:41:03.46
but now it's whole.
00:41:03.49\00:41:06.23
Now it's complete.
00:41:06.26\00:41:07.60
That's why
Hebrews 7:22 informs us:
00:41:07.66\00:41:09.66
"By so much more Jesus has
become a surety of a," what?
00:41:09.70\00:41:14.80
"Of a better covenant."
00:41:14.84\00:41:17.04
A better covenant.
00:41:17.07\00:41:19.27
Renewed, made whole.
00:41:19.31\00:41:23.98
The covenant in Him becomes
the everlasting covenant,
00:41:24.01\00:41:29.48
because only He is everlasting.
00:41:29.52\00:41:32.09
Do you understand it?
00:41:32.12\00:41:33.42
The everlasting covenant is
only everlasting because Jesus
00:41:33.46\00:41:37.26
is everlasting, and that is why
He is our everlasting priest.
00:41:37.29\00:41:43.63
In Jesus, it will never fail.
00:41:43.67\00:41:46.03
The covenant will never
fail because His ministration
00:41:46.07\00:41:48.77
on our behalf guarantees
a better, unending covenant.
00:41:48.80\00:41:53.07
The lesson sums it up perfectly
by saying that the Father
00:41:53.11\00:41:56.11
established Jesus as a guarantee
to us that He will not default
00:41:56.14\00:42:00.88
on His promises.
00:42:00.92\00:42:02.25
That that's how
certain we can be of salvation
00:42:02.28\00:42:05.32
that we have
been given in Jesus.
00:42:05.35\00:42:08.69
Finally, Thursday's lesson.
00:42:08.72\00:42:11.13
We're ending the week here.
00:42:11.16\00:42:13.50
At the foundation of this
whole perspective of Jesus
00:42:13.53\00:42:16.67
as the only effective,
the only eternal priest,
00:42:16.70\00:42:19.50
is the fact
that He was spotless.
00:42:19.53\00:42:22.04
He was sinless.
00:42:22.07\00:42:24.07
That's where our
memory verse comes in.
00:42:24.11\00:42:25.57
This is such a
beautiful memory verse.
00:42:25.61\00:42:27.31
Hebrews 7:26: "For such a
High Priest was fitting for us,
00:42:27.34\00:42:30.85
who is holy,
harmless, undefiled,
00:42:30.88\00:42:34.35
separate from
sinners, and has become higher
00:42:34.38\00:42:37.32
than the heavens."
00:42:37.35\00:42:38.92
So, this verse,
this very short verse,
00:42:38.95\00:42:40.59
it describes five
characteristics of Jesus
00:42:40.62\00:42:45.53
needed for Him to be
able to mediate for us
00:42:45.56\00:42:47.86
as the perfect high priest.
00:42:47.86\00:42:49.80
First of all, He was holy.
00:42:49.83\00:42:52.17
Jesus was holy.
00:42:52.20\00:42:53.50
His relationship with
God was uninterrupted.
00:42:53.54\00:42:56.07
It was never broken.
00:42:56.10\00:42:57.34
The only moment where you see
a break is in the Gethsemane.
00:42:57.37\00:43:00.84
Not even in the Gethsemane.
00:43:00.88\00:43:02.21
It's really on the
cross, "My God, My God,
00:43:02.24\00:43:03.55
why have You forsaken Me?"
00:43:03.58\00:43:04.88
Because there, and this
is where you see the reality
00:43:04.91\00:43:06.78
of 2 Corinthians chapter
5, verse 21, that says that
00:43:06.82\00:43:10.05
"He who had no sin became sin,
so that we who were sin could be
00:43:10.09\00:43:17.83
made the righteousness of God."
00:43:17.86\00:43:19.86
That's my favorite Bible verse.
00:43:19.89\00:43:21.90
"He who knew no sin became sin."
00:43:21.93\00:43:24.77
But in every other sense,
Jesus's relationship with God
00:43:24.80\00:43:28.00
was uninterrupted, never broken.
00:43:28.04\00:43:30.01
The arm that God had extended
to Adam, to Abraham, to Isaac,
00:43:30.04\00:43:33.24
to Jacob, to Israel,
that arm that had always met,
00:43:33.27\00:43:37.01
as I said before, the
human arm that slipped,
00:43:37.05\00:43:40.02
it now met the arm of Jesus.
00:43:40.05\00:43:44.12
He became our bridge.
00:43:44.15\00:43:45.82
And so, in that
way, Jesus was holy.
00:43:45.85\00:43:47.76
He was separate.
00:43:47.79\00:43:49.09
The word "holy"
literally means separated.
00:43:49.12\00:43:51.76
We are called to be a
holy nation, are we not?
00:43:51.79\00:43:53.60
What does that mean?
00:43:53.63\00:43:54.93
We're called to be separate.
00:43:54.93\00:43:57.27
Jesus was holy.
00:43:57.30\00:43:59.20
That's what it means: separated.
00:43:59.23\00:44:01.14
Second, He was undefiled.
00:44:01.17\00:44:02.94
That's what the verse is saying.
00:44:02.97\00:44:04.41
He was never
conquered by sin or evil.
00:44:04.44\00:44:06.81
Jesus was never
conquered by sin.
00:44:06.84\00:44:09.38
So this means that while Jesus
was affected by sin, wasn't He?
00:44:09.41\00:44:12.25
I mean, you see that Jesus on
every side was affected by sin,
00:44:12.28\00:44:15.25
but in that way He
was never infected by it,
00:44:15.28\00:44:17.22
He never caved to it.
00:44:17.25\00:44:18.72
I'm not saying that
Jesus wasn't tempted,
00:44:18.75\00:44:20.29
and I'm not saying that
Jesus couldn't have fallen.
00:44:20.32\00:44:24.36
But what we see, the
empirical truth in the Bible is
00:44:24.39\00:44:26.66
that Jesus never sinned.
00:44:26.70\00:44:28.83
And so He remained undefiled.
00:44:28.86\00:44:31.63
"Although He was tempted in all
points," as Hebrews 4:15 says,
00:44:31.67\00:44:36.97
which truly means, I
mean, when you think--
00:44:37.01\00:44:39.01
when you truly consider it,
He was tempted on all points.
00:44:39.04\00:44:41.11
Well, what does that mean?
00:44:41.14\00:44:42.48
Was Jesus tempted
with every single sin?
00:44:42.51\00:44:45.08
That's impossible.
00:44:45.11\00:44:46.85
Jesus wasn't tempted to watch
wrong things on the Internet
00:44:46.88\00:44:50.29
because there was no Internet.
00:44:50.32\00:44:51.72
Jesus was never tempted to
use drugs, at least, you know,
00:44:51.75\00:44:54.62
modern drugs.
00:44:54.66\00:44:55.96
Why?
00:44:55.99\00:44:57.29
Because they
had no modern drugs.
00:44:57.33\00:44:58.63
So you can't
say, "Jesus was a man;
00:44:58.66\00:44:59.96
He couldn't be
tempted as a woman is."
00:45:00.06\00:45:02.23
Jesus wasn't a
father; He can't be--
00:45:02.26\00:45:03.67
He couldn't be
tempted as parents were.
00:45:03.70\00:45:06.84
Jesus wasn't married; He could
be tempted as a married man is.
00:45:06.87\00:45:10.61
So when the Bible says that
He was tempted on all points,
00:45:10.64\00:45:12.67
what does that mean?
00:45:12.71\00:45:14.11
It means that He was tempted
at the foundation of sin,
00:45:14.14\00:45:17.28
rebellion against God.
00:45:17.31\00:45:20.55
When we say, you know, that
sin is transgression of the law,
00:45:20.58\00:45:23.52
what that means is sin
is rebellion against God
00:45:23.55\00:45:27.79
because God's law
reflects His character.
00:45:27.82\00:45:30.36
If I transgress His
character, am I not rebelling
00:45:30.39\00:45:32.76
against His character?
00:45:32.79\00:45:34.23
And so, in this
way, Jesus was tempted
00:45:34.30\00:45:36.43
at the foundation of
every sin, just like all of us.
00:45:36.46\00:45:41.94
But what this text
here is saying is that sin
00:45:41.97\00:45:44.11
never found echo, it
never found resonance.
00:45:44.14\00:45:48.54
What does the book of
John chapter 14, verse 30 say?
00:45:48.58\00:45:51.41
It said, and
this is Jesus saying:
00:45:51.45\00:45:52.95
"The ruler of
this world is coming."
00:45:52.98\00:45:54.58
He's speaking about Satan.
00:45:54.62\00:45:55.92
"The ruler of
this world is coming,
00:45:55.95\00:45:57.32
and he has nothing in Me."
00:45:57.35\00:45:59.82
There was no echo.
00:45:59.85\00:46:02.59
So we have
Jesus being undefiled.
00:46:02.62\00:46:05.73
Third, He was
separate from sinners.
00:46:05.76\00:46:08.00
Again, this is the--this is the
verse that I just read, okay?
00:46:08.03\00:46:11.33
This isn't me coming
up with this stuff, right?
00:46:11.37\00:46:13.17
So for such a High Priest
was fitting for us, who is holy,
00:46:13.20\00:46:16.34
harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners,
00:46:16.37\00:46:19.34
and has become
higher than the heavens."
00:46:19.37\00:46:21.21
So, He was
separate from sinners.
00:46:21.24\00:46:24.31
Now this doesn't mean that He
couldn't relate to us because,
00:46:24.35\00:46:27.08
after all, if Jesus
couldn't relate to us,
00:46:27.12\00:46:28.52
what kind of Savior would He be?
00:46:28.55\00:46:30.55
That's why the Bible
tells us that Jesus--
00:46:30.59\00:46:32.29
we don't have a High Priest in
heaven that cannot comprehend,
00:46:32.32\00:46:36.69
He can't feel what
we're going through.
00:46:36.73\00:46:39.09
Or course He can.
00:46:39.13\00:46:41.06
But what this verse indicates is
that while He was here with us,
00:46:41.10\00:46:45.30
while He was and still
is Emmanuel, God with us,
00:46:45.33\00:46:48.90
He never sinned.
00:46:48.94\00:46:50.24
He remained
unblemished, and in that way
00:46:50.27\00:46:51.64
He was separate from sinners.
00:46:51.67\00:46:53.74
That's what the text is saying.
00:46:53.78\00:46:55.64
Fourth, He was
exalted above the heavens.
00:46:55.68\00:46:58.55
Now, this text is echoed in
Colossians chapter 1, verse 15,
00:46:58.58\00:47:02.05
that says: "He is the
image of the invisible God,
00:47:02.08\00:47:04.39
the firstborn
over all of creation."
00:47:04.42\00:47:07.06
So, this verse is misused a lot,
with a very early heresy called
00:47:07.09\00:47:14.10
the Arian heresy.
00:47:14.13\00:47:15.43
Has nothing to do with Arianism
as we understand it today.
00:47:15.46\00:47:18.03
Has nothing to do with
races or anything like that.
00:47:18.07\00:47:20.20
The Arian--it came
from a guy called Arius,
00:47:20.24\00:47:22.47
and so he believed that Jesus
was the first created creature.
00:47:22.50\00:47:26.04
He was the first created being.
00:47:26.07\00:47:27.68
So in that way,
Jesus wouldn't be God;
00:47:27.71\00:47:29.64
He would just be
the first created being.
00:47:29.68\00:47:31.75
Now the Bible is
completely against that, right?
00:47:31.78\00:47:34.72
But the thing is
that they used this text.
00:47:34.75\00:47:37.45
Jesus was the
firstborn of creation.
00:47:37.49\00:47:40.46
There's a very different way--
there are many different ways
00:47:40.49\00:47:43.49
in which the way of thinking,
00:47:43.53\00:47:45.33
the biblical way of thinking,
is different than ours.
00:47:45.36\00:47:47.96
And so, when the Bible here is
saying that He was the firstborn
00:47:48.00\00:47:50.57
over all of creation, it's not
talking about--it's not speaking
00:47:50.60\00:47:54.27
quantitatively regarding
time, but qualitatively.
00:47:54.30\00:47:59.24
Qualitatively,
Jesus is the firstborn,
00:47:59.27\00:48:02.41
so let me explain
this a little bit better.
00:48:02.44\00:48:05.01
Was Jacob the firstborn?
00:48:05.05\00:48:08.38
No, but did Jacob
receive the firstborn blessing?
00:48:08.42\00:48:13.52
Yeah, that's what this means.
00:48:13.56\00:48:15.69
He was the more important
one, all right, when speaking
00:48:15.72\00:48:18.69
about the biblical promises.
00:48:18.73\00:48:20.30
So by saying that Jesus is the
firstborn over all of creation,
00:48:20.33\00:48:22.96
what we're truly saying is
that He is--He has preeminence,
00:48:23.00\00:48:27.20
He is over all of creation.
00:48:27.24\00:48:30.44
Jesus is better.
00:48:30.47\00:48:31.84
And so that's what
exalted above the heavens means:
00:48:31.87\00:48:34.41
Jesus is better.
00:48:34.44\00:48:37.58
He is above.
00:48:37.61\00:48:38.95
And thank God for that.
00:48:38.98\00:48:40.28
Praise God for that reality.
00:48:40.32\00:48:41.75
Because of His victory,
He was exalted and, friends,
00:48:41.78\00:48:44.59
because He lives
we can face tomorrow.
00:48:44.62\00:48:48.69
We don't have to
leave every morning our home
00:48:48.72\00:48:50.99
to conquer victory, because in
Him, we are already victorious.
00:48:51.03\00:48:56.87
We already have His
victory, His righteousness.
00:48:56.90\00:49:00.77
Finally, He was fully human.
00:49:00.80\00:49:03.84
That's what the text implies.
00:49:03.87\00:49:06.04
Since Jesus was fully human,
as we talked about before,
00:49:06.07\00:49:09.04
but also perfect, He
is in the perfect position
00:49:09.08\00:49:12.15
to be our high priest,
00:49:12.18\00:49:13.58
to mediate
between us and the Father.
00:49:13.62\00:49:15.98
Jesus is precisely
what He always needed to be,
00:49:16.02\00:49:18.62
for all, forever.
00:49:18.65\00:49:20.92
And as a human,
He's our example.
00:49:20.96\00:49:24.06
We know this.
00:49:24.09\00:49:26.09
Jesus is our example.
00:49:26.13\00:49:27.40
You see, friends, Jesus came
to this world with two missions:
00:49:27.46\00:49:31.17
two ultimate reasons for coming.
00:49:31.20\00:49:34.80
First, to be your
and my substitute.
00:49:34.84\00:49:40.41
That's what being
my high priest implies.
00:49:40.44\00:49:44.91
I needed someone to substitute
what was going to happen to me,
00:49:44.95\00:49:49.98
because sin--what is
the consequence of sin?
00:49:50.02\00:49:52.22
Death.
00:49:52.25\00:49:53.89
The wages of sin is death.
00:49:53.92\00:49:57.26
I needed a substitute.
00:49:57.29\00:49:59.19
And secondly, an example.
00:49:59.23\00:50:02.66
An example in how to live, how
to relate to God, how to love,
00:50:02.70\00:50:06.90
how to relate to those
around me, how to love others,
00:50:06.94\00:50:10.37
how to be kind, how to
be pure, how to be better.
00:50:10.41\00:50:13.58
Jesus is better than everything,
and with Him as my example,
00:50:13.61\00:50:17.15
I can do my best.
00:50:17.18\00:50:19.41
But here's the
thing: it's in that order.
00:50:19.45\00:50:22.22
First, Jesus is my substitute
and then He is my example.
00:50:22.25\00:50:26.59
There are some things that Jesus
did that I'm not called to do.
00:50:26.62\00:50:28.96
I'm not called to
die for anyone else,
00:50:28.99\00:50:31.13
not in the way that He did.
00:50:31.16\00:50:33.06
The Bible does say that
a good friend dies for--
00:50:33.09\00:50:35.26
lays down his life
for his brother, right?
00:50:35.30\00:50:37.60
But in--I'm not--I was
never called to be a Messiah,
00:50:37.63\00:50:40.87
to be anyone's Savior.
00:50:40.90\00:50:42.74
And so that's what
the Bible implies here.
00:50:42.77\00:50:45.11
And so, friends, because of all
of this, because we have Jesus
00:50:45.14\00:50:47.98
as our high priest,
our eternal, our effective,
00:50:48.01\00:50:51.01
our great high
priest, we can grow in Him,
00:50:51.05\00:50:54.65
we can reflect His love,
we can reflect His mercy,
00:50:54.68\00:50:57.62
we can extend to a
dying world the love,
00:50:57.65\00:51:00.62
the arm of God, that Jesus took
and that He became our bridge.
00:51:00.66\00:51:04.59
We can extend
that to a dying world,
00:51:04.63\00:51:07.86
and we can tell
them that we have hope
00:51:07.86\00:51:09.70
in the ultimate priest.
00:51:09.73\00:51:11.30
I want to end with a
text, a quote from the SDA Bible
00:51:11.33\00:51:16.14
Commentary written by, really,
it's the Letter Number 90.
00:51:16.17\00:51:19.84
It was written 1906 by
Ellen White, and it says:
00:51:19.87\00:51:22.31
"Christ is watching.
00:51:22.34\00:51:24.01
He knows all about
our burdens, our dangers,
00:51:24.05\00:51:27.08
and our difficulties;
and He fills His mouth
00:51:27.12\00:51:29.95
with arguments in our behalf.
00:51:29.98\00:51:31.85
He fits His intercessions
to the needs of each soul,
00:51:31.89\00:51:35.42
as He did in the case of Peter.
00:51:35.46\00:51:37.56
Our Advocate fills His
mouth with arguments to teach
00:51:37.59\00:51:40.76
His tried, tempted ones to brace
against Satan's temptations.
00:51:40.80\00:51:45.30
He interprets every movement of
the enemy and He orders events."
00:51:45.33\00:51:50.44
Friends, in Jesus we not only
have a judge, we not only have
00:51:50.47\00:51:55.14
an advocate, we not only have a
high priest, we have a brother.
00:51:55.18\00:52:00.28
We have family.
00:52:00.32\00:52:01.72
Heaven is invested in
us, in you, and in me.
00:52:01.75\00:52:07.66
And so my invitation
to you today is to accept
00:52:07.69\00:52:09.72
this high priest.
00:52:09.76\00:52:11.09
Allow Him to be the
only mediator that you need.
00:52:11.13\00:52:13.90
Allow Him to live in your life
and I am sure that your life
00:52:13.93\00:52:18.00
will then be full of hope.
00:52:18.03\00:52:19.70
Please bow your
head and pray with me.
00:52:19.73\00:52:21.27
Dear Lord, thank You
so much for Your love.
00:52:21.30\00:52:23.00
Thank You for
Your companionship.
00:52:23.04\00:52:24.71
Thank You for
being our high priest.
00:52:24.74\00:52:27.31
Allow us daily to consider this
reality and to put into our life
00:52:27.34\00:52:31.88
what this means, in a practical
way, and allow us to extend
00:52:31.91\00:52:35.42
to the world
around us the implications
00:52:35.45\00:52:37.59
of our eternal
effective high priest.
00:52:37.62\00:52:41.12
Bless all--please bless
all of those that are watching
00:52:41.16\00:52:43.29
from home, those
that were here today,
00:52:43.32\00:52:45.13
and those that will be
watching from the future.
00:52:45.16\00:52:47.76
Allow this message to
inspire and to instigate.
00:52:47.83\00:52:51.83
I ask these things
in Jesus's name, amen.
00:52:51.87\00:52:56.04
Friends, please don't
forget to take advantage
00:52:56.07\00:52:58.44
of our free offer:
"Blood Behind the Veil."
00:52:58.47\00:53:02.44
If you want it, you can call
866-788-3966 or you can ask--
00:53:02.48\00:53:07.62
and you can ask
for Offer Number 130.
00:53:07.65\00:53:11.85
You can text "SH154" to "40544."
00:53:11.89\00:53:18.13
Or, if you're outside of
North America, you can go
00:53:18.16\00:53:20.16
to study.aftv.org/SH154
00:53:20.20\00:53:23.70
and you can get
a digital download.
00:53:23.73\00:53:25.03
May God bless
you. Have a great week.
00:53:25.07\00:53:27.24
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's life-changing
00:53:30.17\00:53:32.31
free resource.
00:53:32.34\00:53:33.71
Not only can you receive
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00:53:33.74\00:53:35.94
you can download a digital
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To get your digital copy of
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the keyword on your screen to
40544 or visit the web address
00:53:43.15\00:53:47.86
shown on your screen
and be sure to select
00:53:47.89\00:53:50.33
the digital download
option on the request page.
00:53:50.36\00:53:52.96
It's now easier than ever
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00:53:52.99\00:53:56.13
with Amazing Facts
wherever and whenever you want,
00:53:56.16\00:53:59.70
and most important,
to share it with others.
00:53:59.73\00:54:02.24
announcer: "Amazing
Facts" Changed Lives.
00:54:06.54\00:54:09.78
¤¤¤
00:54:09.81\00:54:14.48
female: Well, my
conversion story is when
00:54:14.75\00:54:18.22
I was in the Philippines,
I just graduated as a nurse
00:54:18.25\00:54:23.19
and afterwards I did not
have any religion and one time
00:54:23.22\00:54:27.40
I found myself
inside a small church,
00:54:27.40\00:54:31.80
Catholic church, in
Manila, and before a big cross.
00:54:31.83\00:54:37.44
And I was kneeling before and
I could hear Jesus telling me
00:54:37.47\00:54:42.74
to enter the convent,
save myself and also my family.
00:54:42.78\00:54:47.92
And I said, "Lord, I would
like to follow You all the way."
00:54:47.95\00:54:50.79
At that point, I
seemed to be happy externally,
00:54:50.82\00:54:54.86
but because inside the
convent we don't read the Bible,
00:54:54.89\00:54:58.73
we don't study
about the Word of God.
00:54:58.76\00:55:01.26
We prayed the rosaries,
we also at the same time
00:55:01.30\00:55:05.07
studied the lives of the
saints and also our founders,
00:55:05.10\00:55:09.00
and the encyclicals of
the Pope and the Virgin Mary.
00:55:09.04\00:55:13.64
And so I do not know the
truth and I had this torture of
00:55:13.68\00:55:17.35
conscience, the guilty feelings
that cannot be resolved.
00:55:17.38\00:55:21.95
So I would confess to the priest
in the confessional box, saying,
00:55:21.98\00:55:25.35
"Father, forgive me.
00:55:25.39\00:55:28.02
Since my last
confession was last week.
00:55:28.06\00:55:30.76
Since then I have
committed the following sin
00:55:30.79\00:55:33.70
including the root cause:
why am I falling and falling
00:55:33.73\00:55:37.17
in that same sin
over and over again."
00:55:37.20\00:55:41.14
And still for 21 long
years, I struggle and I struggle
00:55:41.17\00:55:46.01
and I struggle.
00:55:46.04\00:55:48.18
I realized that I
was totally empty,
00:55:48.21\00:55:51.81
I was totally
helpless and hopeless,
00:55:51.85\00:55:54.75
and so
depressed, and so desperate
00:55:54.78\00:55:58.09
that I would like
already to end my life.
00:55:58.12\00:56:00.99
I was working for five
years as dean of the University
00:56:01.02\00:56:04.86
of San Agustin College
of Nursing in Iloilo City,
00:56:04.89\00:56:09.03
one of the islands
in the Philippines.
00:56:09.06\00:56:12.03
After five years I received
a commission from my parents
00:56:12.07\00:56:17.37
to help my sister who
is being a battered woman.
00:56:17.41\00:56:21.91
This is one of the reasons why
I came over to United States.
00:56:21.94\00:56:26.92
It is because my
sister needs my help.
00:56:26.95\00:56:30.89
As I was working in
the hospital in New York,
00:56:30.92\00:56:33.72
my boss-- he was
so gracious enough
00:56:33.76\00:56:36.32
to give me an invitation
to the Millennium Prophecy.
00:56:36.36\00:56:40.53
As I was listening to Pastor
Doug Batchelor's presentation,
00:56:40.56\00:56:44.93
my heart really was
beating so fast, and my mind,
00:56:44.97\00:56:49.50
I'm able to grasp the
truth, that this is the truth
00:56:49.54\00:56:54.98
that I've been
longing to hear all my life,
00:56:55.01\00:56:58.05
that I have been
seeking for so long.
00:56:58.08\00:57:01.58
My personal
relationship with Jesus,
00:57:01.62\00:57:04.42
I can see Jesus as
my personal Savior.
00:57:04.45\00:57:08.16
He is not only the
Savior of the whole world
00:57:08.19\00:57:11.06
but He is my personal Savior.
00:57:11.09\00:57:14.46
He was the one who delivered me
mightily from the depths of sin,
00:57:14.46\00:57:20.37
from the mighty clay.
00:57:20.40\00:57:22.24
Pastor Doug Batchelor
has been used by the Lord
00:57:22.27\00:57:25.61
in my conversion.
00:57:25.64\00:57:27.54
The Amazing
Facts, I owe to them.
00:57:27.58\00:57:30.75
The Lord really blessed
this ministry and I'm so proud
00:57:30.78\00:57:35.85
I was able to attend
this Millennium Prophecy.
00:57:35.88\00:57:39.49
My life has never been the same.
00:57:39.52\00:57:42.22
It has given me the
peace, the joy, that never--
00:57:42.26\00:57:47.66
I have never tasted in my life,
and now I am set free to be able
00:57:47.73\00:57:53.70
to work for Him
and to follow Him.
00:57:53.74\00:57:56.97
¤¤¤
00:57:57.01\00:58:07.08
¤¤¤
00:58:07.45\00:58:17.46
¤¤¤
00:58:17.49\00:58:27.47