Text: Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 5:1-10
Facebook live: The Story worth repeating – Christ the savior – Deliverance and salvation
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
As we continue with the Story worth repeating in our Lenten sermon series, we’ve learned that stories connected to the Gospel can be powerful or funny, historic or personal, written down for the many or shared one-on-one with the few. It can be a story written, read, spoken or sung.
Growing up a child of the 60’s gave me fond memories. Guitars, the Beatles, the Summer of Love, as well as the wisdom of Roger Miller.
“King of the road”, “Dang Me”, “Chug-a-lug” and “You can’t roller skate in a Buffalo heard” were all etched into my young and impressionable memory.
John Glenn’s first flight around the world, and the Apollo moon landing, took me to places I only dreamed about. I loved comedy and listened to the Smothers Brothers, Woody Allen, and Bill Cosby on long-playing Vinyl albums.
I was the oldest of four children and another thing I remember all too well was:
“Go to your room and think about what you did!”
That was how my dad would respond to me when my mom would let him know about something, I did wrong and needed correction.
My dad followed it up with, “And wait for me.”
That was usually not good news.
Obedience and suffering … needed for this son.
Obviously, my obedience had not been what it should have been and so the waiting began my suffering.
How would it end?
Waite for me.
Jesus’ obedience was different than mine. He didn’t miss the mark. Me on the other hand, pretty much every day.
My dad would come home from work and say to my mom if she had that look on her face,
“Well, Line them up and tell me who I need to hit!”
Now my dad wasn’t a mean man. In fact, he was a good man and I loved my dad, but I didn’t always obey my mom as I should. You see, my dad expected his children to obey and listen to my mom, so when we didn’t - there was a time of waiting and suffering.
The children of Israel saw God as unapproachable.
They needed a Mediator.
The priest was seen as the means to approach God, to come to him for forgiveness and to have their sins atoned for.
He was the mediator. The one between the sinner and the righteous judge.
They could come to him as they did in the wilderness to Moses - God’s prophet – who spoke to the people all that God directed him to say and who pleaded to God for them.
Also, Aaron, Moses’ brother, was called by God to be his priest and to make sacrifices for the sins of the people standing between God and man. The people brought their animal sacrifices to Aaron who presented their good and acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. One life for another.
Sins continued and so did the sacrifices. Each day … week … month … and year … Being reconciled and having their sin atoned for.
Jesus was sent by God the Father to bring forgiveness in a real and tangible way. Our sins needed to be reconciled, and Jesus – the word of God made flesh - came for that purpose. To stand in our place.
He came as the perfect prophet. Not as an imperfect man called to deliver God’s word but as the eternal word of God made flesh speaking directly to the people.
He came as the perfect priest. The one to mediate and to intercede for the people to the father with whom he is well acquainted and, in his person, he reflects the image of God as one who has seen the Father and is intimately connected - as we see the Father in him.
He came as the perfect sacrifice. Not as a continual sacrifice, daily brought to appease the wrath of God, but as the once and for all sacrifice for sin that is Holy and acceptable to the Father.
The Jews in Jesus day shunned the cure and returned to Moses and the Law for the comfort of their reconciliation.
They live in that reality still today.
Today, the people in our day want a new mediator.
They want a Jesus who sees sin, not defined by God’s word, but defined by the world.
One who gets us, is okay with us, who requires nothing from us.
They want to kill, where God has conceived and brought to life.
They want to unite and expand, where God has placed limits.
They want to change and redefine, what God has defined already.
They want to eliminate the mediator, and mediate for themselves.
If you’ve ever been in a court of law you might want to think twice before choosing to represent yourself. Even good Lawyers, it seems to me, hire a competent attorney to represent them!
When the Law is placed before us in our world, we have three choices.
Follow the Law
Break the Law or
Change the Law
There are consequences for each.
As we look to God’s word and his Law the choices remain the same. In court a good Lawyer might get us off for breaking the Law or a Government Legislature might change or amend a Law which then nullifies the offence, but not with God.
His Law requires one answer which is perfect obedience. Not that we follow the Law, but that we break the Law continually and the Law, written in stone and on our hearts, can’t be changed.
We need one to plead our case.
We need a mediator.
Jesus is the Perfect -Mediator! The God/man himself.
He is appointed by God as the only way to reconcile his wayward children in his broken creation.
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;
6 as he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
Not only the Prophet and Priest but also the perfect once for all sacrifice for sin that he might atone for the sins of the whole world once and for all.
Jesus is perfect for our salvation!
This prophet Jesus speaks God’s truth perfectly!
This Priest Jesus is perfectly acceptable and able to stand before God for man because,
This Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for sin to appease God’s wrath
because his perfect obedience to God’s perfect Law fulfills the Law perfectly!
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
In a sense the Father saying, in response to Jesus’ prayers:
Wait for me.
Salvation for all because of Jesus’ obedience.
This perfect Prophet, Priest and Sacrifice is also the Perfect King of Kings and Lord or Lords who by his just decree can give forgiveness and proclaim as the eternal judge the sentence of not Guilty on account of Christ’s merit to whom he wills.
Jesus is everything we need!
9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus is a priest superior to Aaron likened to that of Melchizedek whose name means king of righteousness, King of Salem, the [Shalom] of Salem [the prince of peace] being a type of Christ and high priest of God that predates the priesthood of Aaron and to whom Abraham pays a tithe.
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Do not look to earthly or false prophets to be your hope and salvation.
Do not stand before God in unrighteous arrogance as a priest with sinful demands.
Do not think your Gold, Silver or pleading an acceptable sacrifice.
Do not demand a King’s ransom from a King that gives himself to you for free.
Receive the word of God in humble reverence.
Receive Jesus who stands in God’s presence for you.
Receive his perfect sacrifice of Christ for your sin.
Receive the Kingdom of God given and shed for you.
Repentance and Forgiveness – the Gospel story worth repeating!
“Now, go to your room and wait for me!”
You know as a child in my room, I learned obedience and suffering.
My dad though showed me mercy, forgiveness and love as a loving Christian father. He would come in, at times after a very long time of waiting, and ask,
Did you think about what you did? Yes.
Are you going to do it again? No.
Okay. “You know I love you?” Yes dad.
Jesus showed perfect obedience, suffering and love for you and me and all – broken in sin – but now has raised you to the newness of life in his perfection. Forgiving your sin and giving you everlasting life!
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit
Amen
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