Dr Tom Hover
May 7, 2023
Hebrews 5:1–14 / 5:11– 6:1
PRIESTS, PRIESTHOOD, AND PREEMIES / ARE YOU GOING ON TO PERFECTION?
PRIESTS, PRIESTHOOD, AND PREEMIES
Hebrews 5:1–14
I. YESTERDAY’S PRIESTS Hebrews 5:1–4
A. The Selection of the Priest Hebrews 5:1, 5:4
1. The humanity in the selection. “Taken from among men .. for men” Hebrews 5:1
2. The honor in the selection. “This honour.”
3. The heavenliness of the selection. “No man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” Hebrews 5:4
4. The harmony in the selection. “Ordained for men” Hebrews 5:1
B. The Service of the Priest Hebrews 5:1
1. It involves the spiritual. “In things pertaining to God.”
2. It involves sin. “Sacrifices for sins.”
3. It involves sacrifices. “Gifts and sacrifices for sins.”
C. The Sympathy of the Priest Hebrews 5:2
D. The Sanctifying of the Priest Hebrews 5:2-3
II. CHRIST’S PRIESTHOOD Hebrews 5:5-10
Christ’s priesthood is examined here. He has a better priesthood than the Aaronic priesthood.
A. The Selection of Christ Hebrews 5:5
B. The Style of Christ Hebrews 5:6 and 5:10
“after the order of Melchisedec.” Twice this phrase is repeated in this section about Christ’s priesthood. This statement will be amplified in Hebrews 7. The priesthood of Melchisedec, to whom Abraham gave gifts and tithes (Genesis 14:18–20), is a wonderful type of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. We will look at the details of this type will be emphasized later in Hebrews 7.
C. The Suffering of Christ Hebrews 5:7-8
1. The suffering in Gethsemane. Hebrews 5:7-8, Luke 22:44
2. The suffering in general. “Though … Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” Hebrews 5:8
D. THE SALVATION IN CHRIST Hebrews 5:9
1. Salvation Brings Competence Toward God. Hebrews 5:9 “Being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation.”, I John 3:20–21
2. Salvation Brings Christ to Us and In Us. Hebrews 5:9 “He became the author of eternal salvation.” I Corinthians, 3:11, Acts 4:12
3. Salvation Brings a Character That Is Eternal. Hebrews 5:9 “Eternal salvation.” Salvation is not temporary.
4. Salvation Brings a Change That Is Lived Out. Hebrews 5:9 “Unto all them that obey Him.” The reference to obedience is not speaking of good deeds. “In the New Testament obedience is often used as a synonym for belief (as in ‘obeying the truth’ 1 Peter 1:22 and ‘they have not all obeyed the gospel’ Romans10:16
III. TODAY’S PREEMIES Hebrews 5:11-14
The Premature and Under Developed!
A. The Preemie’s Difficulties Hebrews 5:11
1. The subject in the difficulty. “Of whom.” The subject is about Christ the High Priest and His being prefigured by Melchisedec.
2. The size of difficulty. “Many things to say.”
3. The speaking in the difficulty. “Hard to be uttered.”
4. The source of the difficulty. “Seeing ye are dull of hearing.” The words “dull of hearing” mean slow, sluggish, stupid. The word “are” means “to become” (Wuest). The people became this way through hardening their hearts to the truth and through disinterest in the truth. “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).
B. The Preemie’s Diagnosis Hebrews 5:12
C. The Preemie’s Diet Hebrews 5:13-14
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. The diet for these folks who are “dull of hearing” needs to be that of milk and not meat, for they are spiritually such babes they cannot digest a message that in character is like meat. This accurately describes the average church today.
PM SERVICE
ARE YOU GOING ON TO PERFECTION?
Main Scripture: Hebrews 5:11–6:1 Text: Hebrews 6:1
Introduction: The word here, perfection, means “maturity”— “going on to maturity.” II Peter 3:18
I. THE “MUST” OF MATURITY Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 5:11-14
A. The Dullness Test Hebrews 5:11 B. The Dependency Test Hebrews 5:12
C. The Diet Test Hebrews 5:12-13, I Corinthians 3:1–3
D. The Discernment Test Hebrews 5:14 With Maturity always come discernment of what is Good and What is Evil! Isaiah 5:20
II. THE MARKS OF MATURITY Hebrews 6:1
“let us go on unto perfection;” Ephesians 4:11–13, Colossians 1:28 Jesus is the model for maturity! Notice the goal of the Apostle Paul’s ministry. Listen to it in: Colossians 1:28 Maturity is not a hundred-yard dash and it’s over; it is a lifetime marathon. Note The Stages of Growth: I John 2:12–13
A. The Childhood Stage I John 2:12 B. The Young Man Stage I John 2:14
C. The Father Stage I John 2:13, Hebrews 6:1
III. THE MEANS OF MATURITY
A. Life I Peter 2:2–3 B. Time I Timothy 3:6
C. Nourishment I Peter 2:2–3, Jeremiah 15:16 D. Exercise Hebrews 5:14
Conclusion: Ask yourself this Most Pertinent and Pressing Question:
Am I a growing Christian?
