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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

There’s a good little subject in the Bible that I want to run by you. I just want to kind of cool down and just talk to you. But tonight I want to talk to you about a verse in Hebrews chapter 10. So turn in your Bible to Hebrews chapter 10. After we trust Christ as our Savior, everybody knows that we still have a few little hang-ups and problems. We still do some things that are wrong and And you know, when you’re learning how to walk, you stumble, you fall.

And sometimes yes, we even sin willfully after we’ve been saved. Now I’ve covered this scripture before, but I’m gonna do a little bit different. I don’t think that it’s talking about, okay, I, if we sin willfully, I totally lie on purpose. I think it goes deeper, Ned. Well, I went back and I smoked a cigarette. As smoking is not gonna send you to hell and you might smoke when you get there, but it don’t send you there. And so I went back to smoking and therefore I send willfully.

And we think it may be something, some of those sins that we might commit afterwards, you know. And I was mean to somebody or unkind or I was unforgiving. And God’s getting all upset for something like that. So he says in verse 26, if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remain if no more sacrifice for sins. But a certain fearful looking for a judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversary.

Boy, that’s pretty strong. I mean, was it that bad? I mean, we don’t even do that to our kids. We’re not that hard on them. But maybe there’s more to it than what’s on the surface. But sometimes you’ve got to do a little digging and thinking. Remember this, there’s a verse in the Bible, somewhere that says, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. To everyone that they leave it. Where’s that found that? Romans chapter 10 verse 4, right.

It’s almost chapter 10 verse 4, it does say that Christ is the end of the law for righteous to everyone that believeth. So they had the law for about 1500 years and then Jesus Christ came. And so when he came, he was, we call it the prophet, the praise and the king. And so Moses says, is the prophet coming just kind of like me. And then here’s Jesus, he’s making a sacrifice and carrying blood into the Holy of Holies and all this.

And he’s like a high priest. And yet he wasn’t a priest after the order of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, he was after the order of Melchizedek, which according to Melchizedek, the Bible says in chapter 7 of Hebrews, he didn’t have a beginning or ending. There’s nothing recorded about his age or his birth, his parents, nothing. just that he likely lives forever. And so Jesus was a priest like that. Hebrews is, I believe, talking to Hebrews, Christian Hebrews, Jewish people, believers.

And you know they had been under the law for all these years. And so it was customary that when they sinned, and they did, and they had to come and then have to offer certain animals and the high priest that would kill them and so on. And sometimes that have the people put their hands on whatever they were going to sacrifice for them as they transfer sins to the animal, then the animal was killed. And I guess today if you had a little Bambian, it was, Dears was acceptable and you had to put your hand on a little Bambian, a little Bambian had to have his throat cut.

It might make you cry, especially with your pet. But there were sacrifices that they had to make. And so the priest, well he’d have to go into this veil that kind of kept everybody else out and there was a holy of holies in there where they had the Ark of the Covenant. And in the Ark of the Covenant, there was Rod, Aaron’s Rod that butted in the Ten Commandments and some manna that was supposed to be in there. So, and the chair of him and so forth in the ends, and they would sprinkle the blood upon the mercy seat and they would tie a rope around the guy so that, know if God didn’t accept that sacrifice, he died.

He could pull him out. But everybody was glad he went in and made a sacrifice for himself and for the sins of the people. They didn’t come out. Well, this whole story changes. See, the people have been doing this for, all these years. And so they were steeped in Judaism. Now Jesus has come. And Jesus was God in the flesh. He was the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. And so I want you to take your Bible and turn there to the book of Matthew in chapter 27.

Matthew, hold replacing Hebrews, but Matthew chapter 27. And I just want to run this by you because later on I’m going to refer to it and I want you to know where it is. In Matthew chapter 27, I want you to know that when Jesus cried with a loud voice in verse 50, He said, Yoda up is the ghost and then in verse 51 and behold the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.

The erptic quake and the rocks rent and graves were opened. Many bodies of the saints which slept arose came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the Holy City and appeared on the many. When there had been a awesome sight to see these people that have been buried and someone walked them to the streets of Jerusalem. But what I want you to see there in verse 51, the veil of the temple was rented too from the top to the bottom.

I believe there’s a reason for that veil being rent torn from top to bottom because I believe the Lord did it and the Lord took that temple and ripped it. Now whether or not it was when he was on the cross or when he came back from the dead and there’s a an earthquake and because of the resurrection the sin had been paid, the veil was rent and we have access to the presence of God. Now there’s a good possibility.

Somewhere along the line that that veil was rent and they continued their temple sacrifices and the priests going in there. They had to either replace the veil or repair the veil. It was a repeal and replace. So somewhere along the line, they had to get the veil fixed. So I wondered whether or not these Christians now have trusted Christ as their Savior. Why were they still going and offering sacrifices when they don’t need to do that anymore? They just did that as they type until Christ came and he was the final sacrifice.

after Christ’s sacrifice, they didn’t need to make any more because he was the end of the law for righteousness, everyone they believe in. So he should have been the last sacrifice ever made. And because of that, here’s these Jewish Christians and somehow other, they are still either in the Judaism or they have come out of it and learned a lot and now they are, Well, going back into some of those very same thing. So I believe the Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews as a human author.

I don’t have any scripture reference for that. It’s just that that’s what I believe. And that’s not that important. It is in the scriptures and it’s inspired of God. But whenever you studied the book of Hebrews and to these Jewish believers, there was a danger of them going back into Judaism. And it says you have, you know, like come out of it, that you saw it, you understood, you were illuminated, your mind was clear, you saw it, and you endured some hardships because of that.

Now, why would you want to go back into that? And so Hebrews is showing us how much better grace is over law, how better Jesus is as a high priest over the priesthood of Aaron, that he’s so much better, that Jesus is better than the angels. He’s better sacrifice in all the blood of bulls and goats and whatever they offer. He’s better. And then what you have is the best. There isn’t anything better. Why go back to something that was not that good?

And so in Hebrews you find that he talks about that old covenant has to be done away with. And you know just a couple weeks ago I spoke about the different covenants and hearing the book of Hebrews, especially chapter 13, when he talks about Jesus Christ as the everlasting covenant. covenant that he made was forever. And this is only required one sacrifice and it would be his and nobody else have to ever make another sacrifice for sin. But there was people that were like ready to go back into Judaism, go back under the law, go back to the temple and offer some sacrifices and get him.

He says, you don’t have to do that because they established churches. You didn’t have to go to the synagogue anymore. Now when Paul went around preaching, he went to, first of all, all the synagogues and he would preach about what Christ had done. So in the book of Hebrews, just look there first of all in chapter one. Chapter one, referring to about Jesus Christ and who he is in verse three, we covered that this morning, that he had by himself purged our sins by his own blood.

Now if he’s already done it, then what do you need another sacrifice for? So he says in verse 4, being made so much better than angels. He’s better than everything. There’s nothing better than Christ. In other words, don’t you realize what you have? Now in the book of Galatians in chapter 3, he says, you have begun in the Spirit. Are you made perfect by the flesh? Why are you going back under the law? Christ has made you free. Why do you want to become enslaved again?

And the verse we showed this morning from Galatians chapter 5 verse 1 and about staying fast therefore in the liberty where with Christ has made us free and become not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Because see going back on the law is bondage. I got to do this. I got to. I got to. Grace is so much different. It’s, I want to, I want to, I want to. Now here in the book of Hebrews, he tells us what he has done and how much better he is.

And it says, some things will pass away. Just look for example there in verse 10. And thou, Lord, in the beginning, has laid the foundation of the earth. And the heavens are the work of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest. They are all waxed, old, as as doth the garment. And as a vexure, shall thou fold them up and they shall be changed, but thou art the same and die years shall not fail, because he’s a high priest that lives forever.

So not only did he do what he did, and it was the blood of the everlasting covenant that once you trust him as your Savior, you have everlasting life, all your sins are paid. You don’t need another sacrifice. Christ is not going to make another one. You don’t need to make another one. And so you get in the chapter 2 and he makes a statement there in verse 3, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? This salvation that has delivered us from the law and given us this freedom and now, Now do you want to go back to that which He has saved you from?

Remember you were under the curse of the law and Christ had to redeem us from the curse of the law. Why do you want to go back to that? And seeing that we have such hope in Christ because the law could not give you hope. It was based upon works and no man has ever kept the law. So he says, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Which at the first begin to be spoken of by the Lord, confirmed to him was by them that hurt him and so on.

And so he goes through here in the flesh and know that he tasted death for every man. see there in chapter two, look at verse nine, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels. Why? For the suffering of death. Crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Who did he die for? Every man. Jesus did this. And so he wants to make us something that the law could not do.

He wants to make us perfect in Christ. So, when you look there in verse 10, for it became Him for whom are all things and by Him we are all things and bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. you can’t get anybody better than someone that’s perfect. And Jesus is perfect. You can’t get any better than that. Those priests that used to do it, well, they had to offer a sacrifice for themselves because they were sinners and they died and their term limits were limited.

And by the time they were 50, they had to quit and they couldn’t start until they were 20. So they got to retire soon. And now he says, Jesus, he’s different. He’s better. He is a great high priest and we can come boldly to the throne of grace. See, before there’s always fear and entrembling. Even when God gave the law of Mount Sinai, fear and trembling. And so even when that person had to go into that holy of holies, they did it in fear and trembling.

And he says, you’re not, we don’t have to be afraid. Hold your place right here. Just look over there in chapter 12 of Hebrews. In chapter 12, there’s this word, look at verse 25. He says, see that ye refused not him that speaketh, for if they escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth. But now He had promised, saying, yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven.

And then down there in verse 28, He says, wherefore we receive in the kingdom which cannot be moved. Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence. For our God is a consuming fire. several places in the book of Hebrews it will talk about, yes, fire, but it’s not a the hell fire. I believe it’s the judgment of the Lord upon His people and God was kind of giving us some warning. So when you go through the book of Hebrews you’ll find there’s warnings in here about what God wants and what God does not want.

Now go there to chapter three of Hebrews where He says, We’re for holy brethren. So we know we’re talking to believers. We’re talking to Jewish believers, partakers of the heavenly calling consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, or confession, but our profession, Jesus Christ. He is a high priest. So it’s going to hit this from the high priest position. This is what Jesus Christ, we believe is doing now in the heavenlies. He is our priest and we can go to our high priest and we can talk to him and we can share things with him and come boldly to the throne of grace and we can ask of him because he was just like we were.

He was here in this world. He lived and he died. He suffered and he was tempted in all points yet did not sin. And so he’s somebody that, well, he was touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He got tired, He got weary, He got hungry, He was forsaken, He knows all of that. He was a human, like we’re human, but He didn’t have a sinful nature. But He heard justice much, He heard, He cares, He had compassion. And so He’s in heaven now, and He is our high priest.

But the thing is, oh see, every since he got there, since he does not die, He will always be because he can’t die. So we don’t have to have another sacrifice made. He’s not ever going to come back and make another payment for sin. That one payment that he made was sufficient forever. Now he talks about a house and those things that are mentioned here in chapter 3. But one of the biggest dangers is God’s people not understanding what they have in Christ.

We have a better high priest than any of the Jewish people ever had. God, all their history. We have so much more and we ought to be very blessed. Well, we are blessed. Now look there in Hebrews in chapter 4. In Hebrews chapter 4, look in verse 14. He says, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, so there’s no question about who we’re talking about. Then he says in verse 15, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So we can always, for the rest of our lives while we’re here, we can come boldly to the throne of grace and make our requests our petitions known unto the Lord. We can ask God for whatever we want. This is what the Lord says we can do. And we don’t have to be afraid. We don’t have to be scared and trembling and whether or not He’s going to accept our offer.

And I say we don’t have any to offer. We don’t have to do any of that. So He makes a statement here in chapter 5 and verse 1, for every high priest take it from among men, which was the tribe of Levi, which was the Aaron priesthood. He says, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God. In the word they were intercessors for the people. They made the sacrifices. They were supposed to be the ones who taught the children of Israel the law.

That was part of their responsibility. And he says here pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. That’s what he did. He made sacrifices for sins. Who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way for that He Himself also is compass with infirmity. And by reason here of He ought as for the people, so also for Himself to offer them, percent, He got to do it for Himself too.

He’s no different than you are. He was just someone that God used and He had to make those sacrifices. But He was a sinner too. Jesus was not a sinner. Jesus didn’t have to make any sacrifices for himself. So he says, and no man take at this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. And that was Moses’ brother. But you see, in verse 5, so also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest, but he that said unto him, Thou art my son today, have I begun thee?

As he said, also in another place, Thou art my priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, Christ is better than the high praise because you see there’s like a no beginning, there’s no ending. It’s of an endless life and he’s showing the difference and this is why Jesus Christ is the one that we can go to and talk to and he’s so much better. So to these Jewish believers, why would you want to go back under the law, back into Judaism?

And so he goes through here and explains some of these things, but also to realize that if Jesus Christ did not pay for all of our sins, that when a person sins, how are they going to get them paid for? Do they have to go back to the temple, make another sacrifice for their sins because Christ didn’t pay for that one? Is that to crucify Christ over again and over again and over again? make a mockery out of what He did.

And this is what I believe He’s talking about in verse 6 of chapter 6. If they shall fall away to renew them again and to repentance, sin they crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh. It’s like He’s got to do it again and again and again. How can any of my sins that I commit down the road cost me my salvation if that sin’s already been paid. But if that sin wasn’t paid, well, what am I going to do about it?

Well, then if I could lose my salvation, then I could never get saved again because there’s no more repentance. There’s no more sacrifice to be made. So it becomes a mockery. And there were people I believe that were shaming the grace of God. And I’ll show you that in just a minute. And here he’s talking about, we have so much more, so much better because of Christ. And the promise of Abraham… God made Abraham there in the last part of chapter 6.

God swore an oath because he is God and he cannot lie and there’s no one higher than him. He can make a promise but then it would depend upon him. Well if he can’t lie and there’s no one higher than that, I think it would be pretty good that he’ll keep his word. And the Old Testament saints look forward to this payment that was going to be made, and we look back to the payment that’s been made, but we’re all saved by grace and always have been.

Now, when you look in chapter 7, he says in verse 11, if therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law, what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron. Because you see, they had to change all the time. Well, because they got old and they died. Because the law did not give life. The law only takes life. And so he goes down through here and he makes this statement and looked down in verse 16, who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but in your underlining this in your Bible.

after the power of an endless life. You see, Christ never dies. He’s alive. And that’s why he says forevermore. He died once for all the sin of all the world once. And since he did that, he doesn’t want his children going back to the temple, going back to the law, offering sacrifices and given it relevancy. Like it’s got some credence to it. No, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. So you don’t have to do that anymore.

And that’s why I died in verse 19. He makes the statement for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did. And that’s the payment that Christ made by a high priest that offered himself without spot, without blemish and he became that payment for our sins. In chapter 8 you’ll notice in verse 6, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of him and you other line these two are better covenant which was established upon better promises.

It was based upon God doing it, and the old covenant was based upon people doing it. It was based upon works and people. There’s nothing wrong with the law, but the weakness of the law was not the law, it was the people who could not keep the law in Romans in chapter 8. And so therefore in verse 7, for if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. And so there was a new covenant.

And this is mentioned there in the last part of chapter eight. And in chapter nine, it talks about this payment that Jesus Christ made that never has to be done again. So you look there in verse 11 of chapter nine, but Christ being come a high priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. That is to say, not of this building, neither about a blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, haven’t obtained what kind of redemption?

Eternal redemption. That means an eternal payment, a payment made once and for all, never has to be done again. Men reserved the last Saturday of the month for the Iron Sharpen’s Iron, Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast at Calvary Community Church. Join us at 730 for a home-cooked breakfast. Then, at 8am, the featured speaker of the month will present a one-hour classroom-style men’s Bible study in a relaxed atmosphere where questions and dialogue are welcomed. The scripture tells us that Iron Sharpens Iron, and this men’s Bible study is open to those of all levels, whether new believers or mature Christians.

The Iron Sharpens Iron men’s Bible study and breakfast don’t miss this monthly opportunity for fellowship and the study of God’s Word. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.