CHRIST IN HEBREWS

Heb 7:25

Morning Meditation 2/6/17

Verse 25 says, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

In this mornings meditation I want to look at Christ in Hebrews. He is the Champion in this book and the One who excels all others. This is as it should be. The Jewish believers were having a problem of comparing Jesus to angels, their priesthood, and the great men of their past. The book is about setting that record straight. The Holy Spirit begins the book by telling us that God spoke many times, and in many places, and in many ways in the past by the angels, the fathers and the prophets. But with Christ it is different. Christ is not in the same category with others. He is a category of His own! God has spoken by (literally in) His Son. This speaks of His incarnation.. The angels are not God. Jesus is. None of the fathers were God. Jesus is. The Holy Spirit says, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). The Holy Spirit establishes in the very beginning of this book who Jesus is in relationship to God, what He came to do, what He has done, and what He is doing now. I want us to look now at several things that the book of Hebrews says of Him.

HE SAVES TO THE UTTERMOST

Our text says, “ . . . he is able also to save to the uttermost . . .” The words “he is able” translates “dunamai” and means, “to be able, to have power, to be capable of or to have strength to do something.” This is a present middle indicative verb. The present tense represents continuous action at the present time. The middle voice is where the subject participates in the result of the action, i.e., He gains a bride. Amen. Now based on this, the Holy Spirit is saying to the Hebrew Christians and to us that Christ is able, has the power, and is using it continually, and never ceases to save us at present, and will do it to the uttermost. The word “uttermost” translates “panteles” and means, “completely, perfectly, utterly.” This does not mean, “from the gutter-most to the uttermost.” That would be telling us how low He has to reach to save us. This is talking about completing our salvation at the rapture or resurrection.

This verse indicates that the power of salvation is in Him, i.e., the power to save and the power to keep. Nowhere does the Scriptures unite us with Him in the plan of salvation We are not saved by our works (Eph. 2:8-9). We are saved by Him, kept by Him, and will be raptured or resurrected by Him. Our present and future salvation is said to be by His power. Then something else that is said of Christ is that,

HE LIVES ETERNALLY

Hebrews 7:25 also says, “ . . . seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them . . .” The word “ever” translates “pantote” and means, “at all times, always, ever.” It is a present active participle. The Holy Spirit tells us Christ is alive right now making intercession for us. He does it continually all the time. The word “liveth” translates “zao” and means, “to live, to breathe, to be among the living (not lifeless, not dead), to enjoy real life.” The word “zao” is also a present active participle. Again the Holy Spirit is emphasizing the ETERNAL NOW of Jesus Christ. He is not getting older. He lives in eternity where time is not a factor at all. He deals with us in time and makes sure by His power and intercession that time for us will one day be obsolete and will die as HE BRINGS US INTO THE DIMENSION OF THE ETERNAL NOW. Someone hold my mules. Amen. What a Saviour! I would have turned me loose a long time ago. But thank God for His grace that is ever present to forgive, His power that is ever present to keep, and His life that ever intercedes to save to the uttermost. Then Christ,

OBTAINS OUR REDEMPTION

Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

This verse tells us the price He paid, i.e., his own blood.” It tells where He took the price, i.e., he entered into the holy place with it (the holy of holies in heaven). It tells us what the price He paid bought for us, i.e., obtained eternal redemption. This verse begins by telling us what He did not offer for our redemption, i.e., the blood of goats and calves. That could never take away sin. His own blood was the price He paid. The words “having obtained” translates “heurisko” and means, “to come upon, hit upon, to meet with, after searching, to find a thing sought.” It is an aorist middle participle. He came seeking our redemption (Luke 19:10). The aorist tense is a point of time divorced from time and perpetuated forever. This verb form is telling us He obtained our redemption of Himself (middle voice) at a point of time (the cross) and divorced that point of time from time so that it is perpetuated forever never to need repeating. Amen. What do you say? Glory to God, there are times when I want to leave the keyboard and dance around the ark like David. The word “eternal” translates “aionios” and means, “without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.” The word “redemption” translates “lutrosis” and is from a word that means, “to release on receipt of ransom.” I have been eternally released because He obtained my release by paying the price. Then we are told that,

JESUS SITS PERMANENTLY

Hebrews 10:12 says, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Jesus is the Lamb offered by God upon the brazen altar of the cross and He is the High Priest that offers Himself. The Holy Spirit says, “after he had offered one sacrifice for sins . . .” The words “after he had offered” translate one word “prosphero” and means, “ to bring to.” It is an aorist active participle. The aorist tense refers to a point of time setting up a sequence of events. He didn’t sit down until the once-for-all sacrifice for sins was made. The Old Testament priest never sat down as he ministered in the temple. There was no provision made for sitting. The blood of bulls and goats never took away sin therefore his work was never finished. They were just bloody pictures of the Lamb of God who would eventually come and make the one sacrifice necessary. Why did Jesus sit down? Because He was tired? No. But because there was nothing left to do. He had obtained eternal redemption for man if he will believe in Him as a personal Saviour. Then the book of Hebrews says,

HE SUCCORS EFFECTIVELY

Hebrews 2:18 says, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”

The words “hath suffered” translates, “pascho” and means, “to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo.” It is a perfect active indicative verb. The perfect tense represents action as completed in the past and remains completed in the present. It stands as a completed action now because it was completed in the past to affect the present. Jesus felt the strain and pain of trials. He knows the pain that causes us frustrations. He knows the things that make us impatient. He knows the things that make us want to give up. He was never frustrated. But He experience the same things that frustrate us. So He knows exactly what we are talking about when we pray. The reason is given for His ability to succor them that are tempted as “he himself hath suffered being tempted . . .” He is a High Priest who worked His way up through the ranks! Jesus experienced all the truths He teaches. He can succor us when we are tempted.

I have heard people say many times, “That person really helped me because he/she went through the same thing that I am going through.” You cannot come to Jesus with a thing that He is not qualified by experience to handle. He puts His arms around us and whispers in our ear, “I understand. Do this . . .”

This is some of what Jesus is in Hebrews.

May God bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White