1. This morning we studied the statements found in Hebrews 6:4-6. 2. According to these verses, children of God who fall away from the Lord do 2 things to Him. a. They "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh." b. They "put him to an open shame." 3. As long as a person remains in this state, it is impossible to renew him to repentance. 4. Thankfully, such a person can repent and undergo a change, he can seek God's forgiveness, and he can be restored (Psalm 23:3 -- "He restoreth my soul"). 5. When we think about the Lord's crucifixion, we experience various emotions. a. From God's perspective, we appreciate the love He demonstrated when Jesus died (John 3:16). b. From the Lord's perspective, we are sad that He had to endure the physical abuse and the insults. c. From man's perspective, we may become angry when we think about the way the mob treated Jesus. 6. With this last thought in mind, let us remember that those who fall away crucify Jesus afresh and put Him to an open shame. 7. We would never want to crucify Jesus afresh, so it is imperative for us to serve Him faithfully. 8. The book of Hebrews supplies a tremendous amount of information that will help us remain true to the Lord so we can avoid crucifying Him afresh. 9. In our lesson we are touching on 4 points.
Discussion:
I. FIRST, JESUS IS GOD'S SPOKESMAN TODAY (Hebrews 1:1-2)
A. (vs.1) At one time God spoke through the prophets, but now He has spoken through His Son. B. (vs.4) God has spoken through angels on many occasions, but Jesus is much greater than the angels. C. (3:1-3) At one time God spoke through Moses, but Jesus is much greater than Moses. D. Since Jesus is God's spokesman we must listen to Him (2:1; 4:12-13).
II. SECOND, JESUS IS OUR HIGH PRIEST (Hebrews 3:1)
A. Under the Law of Moses, the high priest served as the main religious leader of the Israelites. B. When we compare Jesus to the Jewish high priests, we can see that Jesus is the greatest. 1. Notice His position (4:14). 2. He is compassionate (4:15a). 3. He is perfect (4:15b). 4. His priesthood is everlasting (5:6). C. Because Jesus is such a great High Priest, let us heed the admonition given in Hebrews 4:16.
III. THIRD, JESUS IS OUR SACRIFICE (Hebrews 7:26-27)
A. One of the main functions of the Jewish high priests was to offer sacrifices. 1. They offered animal sacrifices. 2. They offered sacrifices for their sins as well as the sins of the people. 3. They offered sacrifices continually (10:4). B. Jesus offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice once for all.
IV. FOURTH, JESUS HAS A BETTER COVENANT
A. His covenant is the New Testament (Hebrews 9:15). B. When Jesus died He took away the old covenant (10:9; Colossians 2:14). C. His covenant is far superior to the old (8:6-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Conclusion:
1. The main theme of Hebrews is "encouragement" -- it refers to itself as "the word of exhortation" (13:22). 2. In providing encouragement, Hebrews presents a great amount of information about Jesus. 3. We have pointed out from Hebrews that: a. Jesus is God's spokesman (greater than the prophets, angels, Moses) b. Jesus is our High Priest (great, compassionate, perfect, eternal) c. Jesus is our sacrifice (He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice once) d. Jesus has a better covenant (it offers the removal of sins). 4. Why was all of this information about Jesus presented in Hebrews? 5. It was designed to encourage us to remain faithful to Him. 6. When we fully appreciate this information about Jesus we will never crucify Him afresh, and we will never put Him to an open shame. 7. Let us conclude with the exhortation in 10:35-39.
