 We're looking at what has been referred to as a better hope. Let's begin reading together here in Hebrews chapter 7 at verse 11 I read to verse 19 and we'll get into our study Hebrews chapter 7 Beginning at verse 11 reading to verse 19 the writer writes Therefore perfection were through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law What further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Malchizedek and Not be called according to the order of Aaron For the priesthood being changed of necessity. There is also a change of the law for he of whom these things are spoken Belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar for it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood and It is yet far more evident if in the likeness of Malchizedek There arises another priest who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment But according to the power of an endless life For he testifies you are a priest forever according to the order of Malchizedek For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness For the law made nothing perfect on the other hand there is the bringing in of a better hope Through which we draw near to God Now as we begin the writer of Hebrews has been Revealing to his readers that the priesthood that they had received from Aaron is actually Insufficient God had established the Levitical system, but it wasn't intended to be perfect and it wasn't intended to be permanent It was intended to point to that which is permanent And so what he's been speaking about is the priesthood that is permanent and the priesthood that is permanent is not from Aaron But rather is that which is Jesus's priesthood now He had been making it clear as we've been going through chapter 7 that Jesus has a superior priesthood because his priesthood actually predated the Levitical priesthood by 600 years That is because he's after another order. He belongs to an order that is different than the priesthood of Aaron He belongs to the priesthood according to Malchizedek and his priesthood was presented as one that has no recorded conclusion Now as we're looking at this I realize that this is foreign subject matter to most of us and you know It's a little difficult I'm sure for some of us who especially if we're new in our faith to really grab hold of and what I'm gonna try to do In this study is confuse you even more. I'm certain I'll be very successful at it But I actually as we look at this as I'm even reading it I'm realizing that for some who are new in the Lord these things may not matter much to you And you may be looking at things that can actually apply to you This really does apply to you, but it applies in a very deep spiritual dimension We're looking here at the priesthood of Jesus Christ who is our high priest and The Jewish readers and remember this is the book to the Hebrews You know the Jewish readers had a reason to cling to their traditions and their rituals Jesus Christ has come in order to fulfill all the prophetic implications of the the priesthood that God had ordained for Israel to to serve under and The Jews as a reading this are saying why should I turn away from the temple ritual and all of the laws that I have been Holding fast to all of my life. Why should I do that? What's to benefit me? What's the gain that I'm gonna receive from doing so and so here in chapter 7 the writers been saying well It's of great benefit to you because you need to understand something one is you're holding fast to something that was temporary The priesthood was not intended by God to remain and to be permanent that priesthood that you were Worshipping God under the Levitical priesthood Is something that was intended to be replaced and to you need to remember that Malchizedek predated Aaron by 600 years And when Abraham who is the father of the Jewish nation? Encountered him as it was recorded in Genesis 14 Abraham actually gave offerings tithes to this great man who was a priest and So you already have precedents in your religious history all the way back to the father of the Jews To give honor to a different priest a different priesthood. That's the point that we're looking at here So the Jewish people are saying why should I follow after Jesus Christ? When I already have a priesthood when I have the high priest and I have all of the rights and Ordinances that have been delivered to me to the law of Moses the answer is because Jesus's priesthood is superior Even as Malchizedek's predated Aaron's Jesus is superseding Aaron's also because his is intended to be permanent That's what you find here in chapter 7 and it's going to go on further next time we're together But that's the point that he's making Jesus is a priest, but he's after the order of Malchizedek Now under the Old Testament law if you were to be studying through the Old Testament And you would come to the book of Numbers in chapter 8 verses 23 through 25 You would see that the priests in the Aaronic priesthood actually had a time limit They reached the age of 50 and they would retire So were I to have been a Cohen were I to have been a priest under the Aaronic priesthood I'd have been retired for six years by now and somebody here says oh I wish we were under that system now if if I were 50 years old in that system I would already be a retired priest in Numbers chapter 8 verses 23 through 25 the Lord said to Moses This applies to the Levites Men 25 years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting But at the age of 50 they must retire from their regular service and work no longer And so as he's been saying the Jews paid ties to priests who would retire from ministry and ultimately die But Jesus is the one true priest who is eternal of whom Malchizedek is only a picture and he's greater because he actually is still living He's not a priest that eventually retires and dies He's his is the only priesthood that brings men to God and does so permanently and that's the point He's making here because notice in verse 11 how he says therefore if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood For under it the people receive the law what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Malchizedek and Not be called according to the order of Aaron the law Was not something that was going to be able to bring people to a full relationship with God and the priests who were Ministry under the law couldn't do that They couldn't bring them to a to a permanent relationship with God because offerings were made Consistently and regularly and every time the offering was made it was a reminder of their sinfulness And so the law was was a school master Preparing people for the one who could bring them permanently to God So the Levitical priest had failed to give men an adequate relationship to God because it didn't completely secure access to him Securing access to God is actually the goal of Christianity It's through Jesus Christ that you have a secure and permanent Relationship with God the law couldn't produce that for me only Jesus Christ could that's why in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 12 Paul said in Jesus we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him See the law gave people God's requirements for a relationship with him But duty human frailty it never could be obeyed completely just think about it for a moment How many times have you ever wanted to do that which was right desired to do the right kind of thing? But found yourself to be inadequate incapable of doing so I wonder if anybody in here has ever gotten to the point where you began to cry out like the apostle Paul did when he said Oh, Richard man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death I wonder if I have anybody in this room who's ever gotten to the point of frustration in your life where you have finally said God I can't do this by myself. I need your help. That's how I got saved When I finally got to that point in my life where I said I can't do this I can't provide for myself, and I don't know anybody else who can I don't have peace, and I don't have joy I don't have love. I don't have any of those things that I desire and I frankly don't know how I'm gonna find those things Well, that's what Jesus Christ provides for us in the memorial services in the in the constant Reminding of ourselves in the Jewish legal system where I would bring an offering to God There was a constant reminder that I was falling short Constantly every time I brought an offering and every time I I would make that offering to the Lord There is a reminder that I am failing in my relationship with God But Jesus Christ on the other hand makes an offering of himself one time for all time and through his blood I am cleansed and now I have relationship with God through faith in him And so the whole purpose of Christianity is To bring me and bring us to a permanent relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ I couldn't keep the law completely and therefore the sacrifices had to be made on a daily basis But Jesus is the one who makes that one time for all time sacrifice So the priests in the Old Testament picture could only only demonstrate reconciliation They can only present it as a picture through the offering of sacrifices to God and sacrifices were inadequate because they couldn't bring Permanent access so they needed to know something the Jewish readers needed to know you can come to God You can have a relationship with God you need to know that it's not something that's hidden from you It's not something that has veiled any longer They needed to be reminded and they needed to know and they still do that you can have a relationship with God And that has been made possible through Jesus Christ No longer do you have to go through the various rituals and all of that you can finally just know him we have Contemporary things in our religious systems that are very reminiscent of the way that the Jews would would see salvation I Was raised in a religious system That never gave to me any sense that I could actually know God on a permanent basis I had to go through various rituals in order for me to have a sense of cleansing in Order that I might be made presentable to God and in my religious system I basically had to have that as a renewed thing on a weekly basis I was raised as many in this fellowship as a Roman Catholic and for me. There was never presented I never received in my Catechism training all the way to confirmation. I never received any sense that I could actually truly know God I I knew that there were possibilities of that and I was aware of Jesus Christ being sent But I was never trained properly or perhaps. I just didn't understand what was being taught at that time but I I knew that that that God and I were not going to be very close because my sin made a separation and so we had a Thing that we would do in some of you understanding and did this yourself We had our confessional system We're on a Saturday you would go to confession and you'd go into that little that little booth there and and I discovered a number of things about that booth I discovered that when you kneel down a light goes off so people know somebody's in there and The way I found that out is because I would kept kneeling off and on off and on I get up and go down and somebody Finally opened the door and said what are you doing and they point out the light every time you stand up the light goes off And then when you kneel down it goes back on and you're confused in the people out here We want to come and pray and and my thought was well if they're getting mad and they have another sin That's just one more to confess when you get in here, so don't make a big deal about it You ought to repent before you even come in here But I was only like seven years old You know and I was just fascinated with that and when you would kneel down and you'd look in you'd look into that little screen there and then you'd see the profile of the priest and in my in my Church, you know there was one priest that I really never wanted to have You know and I would be so afraid that father McCue would be there because he was the mean priest And and I'd see his profile and go no it's father McCue You know and then you would say bless me father for I have sinned It has been such and so time since my last confession and you'd go through the whole nine yards and and he'd say and you Know what have you done and I lied three times, you know I had a bad thought four times You know I you were supposed to enumerate our sins and some of you know what I'm talking about and you've got all of this and Yeah, and any sin that you forget before you go in is is is going to be you know exonerated It's okay because you forgot so I would do my very best to forget as much as I could before I walked in there And I'm telling you then he says you know go out and do ten rosaries or whatever I mean, you know, I normally got you know maximum punishment And then I'd go out and I'd do my my penance and my prayers my father our fathers and acts of contrition and Hail Mary's and all the rest and then I'd get up and then I was in a state of grace for 24 hours And so the next day I could go to mass and I could stand up and I could climb in line And I could walk forward and receive the body and blood of Christ And but then the cycle starts again right after after service come Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday I'm back to be in a little rascal and come Saturday I've got to go back in there and face father mckew and and and some of you know what I'm trying to say There was never a sense of forgiveness There was always a fresh start today and then I have to start again next week Then I have to start again next week, but there's never a sense of permanent relationship with God Why because rituals will never bring you to a sense of a permanent relationship with God because in the ritual is the Remembrance every time you have to go back to confession It's another remembrance of your sinful condition and I have to die in a state of grace because if I don't die in a state of grace receiving the last rites and the whole nine yards then I have no sense of hope that I'm going to enter in in To heaven and therefore one of my great hopes is to marry a good praying Catholic wife who's going to pray my soul at a purgatory and That's the only hope that I really have free eternity is that somebody will hang around long enough after I die to get me out I can you know, do you does anybody know what I'm trying to say or is that is yeah? you know what I'm saying and There was no sense of a permanent relationship with God Because I didn't see the resurrected Christ When I would walk into my church St. Pius the 10th church in Santa Fe Springs when I would walk in I saw Jesus Christ portrayed as crucified on that cross and All that my mind would go would be to the death of Christ on a cross. I didn't see the empty tomb All I saw was a man dying. I didn't understand resurrection. I didn't understand that he's my high priest I didn't understand that I could have a great and and a permanent relationship with God through faith in him I didn't know that because ritual gets in the way of Relationship and that's true in this portion of scripture here as as the writer is saying to the Jews You're wondering why Jesus is so important and You're stumbled at the fact that he was not from the tribe of Levi He was not a Aaronic priest But from the tribe of Judah we'll see that in just a moment and you're wondering how he could possibly be a Priest seeing that he didn't come out of the law from the proper tribe Well, you need to understand that perfection never came through the Aaronic priesthood It never happened It was only a picture but never brought men to an adequate relationship with God and the answer is going to be the Perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ one time for all time look with me for just a moment to chapter 10 here in Hebrews And I'll show you that chapter 10 verse 10 Hebrews Where he says that he says in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 10 by that Will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all One time for all time when Jesus Christ died on that Christ on that cross It was one time for all time so sacrifices are inadequate because they do not bring permanent access to God and That is made possible only through Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life No man comes to the father But by me that's why we go through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the one who brings us to a relationship with God in Galatians chapter 2 verse 21 Paul said it this way He said I do not frustrate the grace of God if righteousness come by the law then Christ died in vain It doesn't come through the law It doesn't come through the rules and regulations and ordinances it comes through faith in him So they needed to know that they could have a direct access to God They needed to know that they could be totally secure in Jesus Christ without ritual without sacrifice They needed to remember what those sacrifices were you see in Colossians chapter 2 verses 16 and 17 Paul said do not let anyone judge you by what you either drink or with regard to a religious festival a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day These are a shadow of the things that were to come the reality However is found in Christ and again I see parallels to this and my my former religious faith and I'm not here today by the way to to Knock the Catholic Church But that's the only history I have and I use it by illustration and hopefully you'll understand that Because as I was growing up we had holy days of obligation There are days that you were obligated to go to church and if you didn't it was a mortal sin There were various things that that would keep me in bondage And I didn't understand that those kinds of things were inadequate and not necessary Jesus Christ fulfilled every requirement of the law Jesus Christ is the one who it made it possible for me to have a relationship with God We used to have when I was growing up. We didn't eat meat on Friday I mean it was a bad thing for you to do that you were supposed to eat something other than meat because food like like chicken and and beef and fish were broken into three different categories so you couldn't eat meat on Friday, but you could eat fish and and I didn't like fish You know and and I can't tell you how many times I forgot it was Friday as I was eating that bologna sandwich I mean I and my a lot of times my mom would say oh we forgot it's Friday and she was making a steak for my dad I mean it just it was not adequate all it did is it brought you into bondage and those things don't make you closer to God They didn't have the impact or the effect that people wanted it to have and the rules and regulations Don't do that Jesus Christ is the substance these things are simply a shadow They are only pointing to him, but he's the reality so we asked the question in verse 11 What further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek? In other words if the Levites could bring people to God then why did God speak of another priesthood? God's word had spoken in Psalm 110 verse 4 of a priest that would not die Because in Psalm 110 4 it says the Lord is sworn will not relent You're a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek So believing Jews need assurance that they are forever secure through Jesus Christ In verse 12 he says the priesthood being changed of necessity. There is also a change of the law Now when he says the priesthood being changed that word changed speaks of x changed it speaks of transferring It speaks of putting one thing in place of another So God's choice of another kind of priesthood is what he's speaking of and he says and God has chosen to use The an issue or the image of Melchizedek to give you the permanent priesthood that is that his son has So Christianity is to clarify the religion of Judaism It not only clarifies it, but you might find this interesting But Christianity not only clarifies the religion of the Jew But it also replaces the former religion of the Jew with the Christian faith Now That's a heavy statement to make But Jewish believers needed to understand that faith in Christ replaced the religion of Judaism If the priesthood is new after Melchizedek, so is the believer's relationship to the law of moses And a change in relationship to the priesthood would also mean a change with the law Ritual requirements are now completely unnecessary and what it is is some are having a difficult time letting go When I met a young lady by the name of Marie She was coming to my Bible study She came for a couple of months and we began to date She did not come with me to church on Sunday mornings For the first several months of our dating relationship Marie did not come with me on Sunday morning. Marie would go to Catholic church with her mom And she would meet me at the church I would go to on Sunday nights And she did that for months Going on for several months into almost the first close to the first year of our dating relationship By the way, I never told her you shouldn't go here or anything like that. I never did I simply met her at the church that I was going to and I let the word of God do what God's word was going to do in her But Marie was raised in a very strong Catholic family I mean very strong her mom came into her room while she was asleep with holy water that she'd gotten at church And she would sprinkle Marie with holy water, you know, just because that's what mom does, you know And for her it was a very special thing and my mother-in-law's love for her daughter And her Catholicism was very strong And Marie carried that within her. I didn't say anything to her about that because I know the truth That she's free, but one day I was at her place and And I was I got her wallet And I started looking at the pictures that she had in her wallet And I wanted to see if she had any of me Which she didn't but anyway As I was looking at it. I said I thought I looked at her and we'd been going for several months And I said to her I thought that I thought you were my girl She looks at me and she goes of course. I'm your girlfriend I said no you've got You're and I You you've got a picture of another guy She goes like what I said you got a picture of another guy. She goes. What are you talking about? You've got a picture of joe She said joe I said, yeah She said, what are you talking about? I said you've got a picture of joe. You're dating somebody else She goes, let me see. What was the picture of st. Joseph? And so I said, what's this? She says, oh, you know, she didn't let go of things. She had a little brown Scapular that if she was wearing it at the time of death, she'd instantly go to heaven I mean, this is a gal. He used to have a statue of joseph on her dashboard Facing traffic, you know and when she you know and his hands were over his eyes, you know like You know and uh, I mean Yeah, I can't take this anymore. You know, he prayed to himself to get anyway, um He melted he looked like the hunchback of an odor dame, you know, but it was supposed to be st. Joseph I mean, there were a lot of things that she held on to and didn't release So the whole thing is is they need to know look at you can have a relationship with god You you can let go you don't have to hold on to these things You don't have to have those statues anymore in your house You don't have to carry the scapulas anymore You don't have to go to sleep with the rosary when you're afraid that somebody outside might bring it You don't have to have those anymore You can have a relationship with god and they needed to understand that So the point he's making is very simple. You have all that you need And this by the way, if if we could get this in our hearts would revolutionize our lives You have all that you need in jesus christ Now if we knew that our lives will really be transformed no serious If we absolutely said, you know, that's true. I have all that I need in him Well, if I knew that my life will be transformed. Listen to colossians chapter two verse 10 How paul said you have been given fullness in christ Who is the head over every power and authority? Listen to what paul said in second carinthians 5 21 He has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin That we might be made the righteousness of god in him Or second peter chapter one verse three His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness Through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness Or ephesians chapter one verse three Praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every Spiritual blessing in christ So we have been given fullness in christ. We have the righteousness of god in him We have everything we need for life in godliness and we have every spiritual blessing and all of this is in jesus christ And that's the point that the writer is making to his jewish readers You need to understand that you have everything in him and rituals and all the rest Is not satisfying and isn't going to take you where you want to go you need to understand that And so he says a priesthood being changed of necessity. There's a change of the law verse 13 for he of whom these things are spoken Belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar For it is evident that our lord arose from juda of which tribe moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood And so he says jesus is from the tribe of juda. He's not from the tribe of levi and his priesthood is permanent You know in revelation chapter 5 verse 5 the scripture says one of the elders said to me Do not weep behold the lion of the tribe of juda the root of david has prevailed to open the book and to loose The seven seals thereof the lion of the tribe of juda And so the lord jesus christ is from the tribe of juda and he says that's who he's speaking about in verse 15 And it is yet far more evident if in the likeness of malchizedek There arises another priest who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment But according to the power of an endless life For he testifies you are a priest forever according to the order of malchizedek For on the one hand there's an annuling of the former commandment because of its weakness and Unprofitableness for the law made nothing perfect on the other hand There's the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to god And so the point he's making is is there's another priesthood He speaks of in verse 15 it is far more evident if in the likeness Of malchizedek there arises another priest that word another in the gregas heteros It speaks of something of a different quality or kind So in jesus we don't have a priest like erin. We don't have a priest like one of the temple priests He's different because he's of a different order. He says in verse 16 Who has come not according to the law of a fleshly commandment When he speaks of a fleshly commandment that speaks of physical requirements his priesthood was not based on physical descent It's not dependent on external law But by the power inherent in his life He says in verse 17 he testifies you are a priest forever according to the order of malchizedek So jesus as priest lives on forever. He is life not just the means of obtaining it I think sometimes we need to understand that that in jesus christ is life. He is life And when christ who is our life appears is what paul says He is the whole meaning of life But he is the one who provides life because he is life itself You see in the priestly system. There was a necessary method of of succession But not with jesus christ. That's because jesus has the power of an endless life He never transfers his priesthood to anyone else The uh levitical priest begins to minister at the age of 25 but retires at 50 ultimately dies Not jesus christ. He has the power of an endless life. He continues always That's why 2 000 years after jesus died and rose again. We still look to him as our priest We still pray and and he makes intercession for us That's why I can lift up my prayers in the name of jesus christ knowing that he presents him to the father Because he's alive But he is the one who is alive and the scripture makes that very clear throughout the bible In john chapter 1 verses 1 through 4 it says in the beginning was the word the word was with god The word was god He was with god in the beginning through him all things were made without him Nothing was made that has been made and in him was life and that life was the light of men In john 526 as a father has life in himself So he has given to the son to have life in himself Or john 1125 when jesus said i'm the resurrection and the life he who believes in me though he were dead Yet shall he live or in first john 1 1 and 2 which says that which was from the beginning Which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which you have looked on and our hands have touched This we proclaim concerning the word of life the life appeared We have seen it and testified to it. We proclaim to you the eternal life Which was with the father and has appeared to us all through the new testament We see jesus christ is presented as the one who is life. He's not just alive He is our life and so because he is alive He he has an endless priesthood therefore i can speak to him now 2000 years later And i can say in the name of jesus lord i need this or help me with that and i know that he's there making intercession for me When he says in verse 18 On the one hand there is an annuling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness The law was made The law made nothing perfect on the other hand there's a bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to god Aaron is replaced by jesus God set aside the old imperfect for the new which is perfect And so the old system could reveal sin But it's powerless to remove it I didn't know that i was a liar Until i read the scripture that said Thou shalt not lie I didn't know that i was a thief Until i read the scripture which says thou shalt not steal And i began to be aware of all kinds of things that i saw as natural and normal That were in the lord's sight Actually sinful The law can reveal to me What god expects But the law cannot perfect me Because in the law is the reminder But it doesn't restore completely and permanently so god Knowing the weakness of human flesh Sent his son made in the likeness of flesh To go through everything that was necessary To perfectly obey In order that he could make it Possible for me to have a relationship with god. You see god has a standard of perfection I can't reach No matter how good I might think I am or perhaps how good you may think yourself to be Now a lot of people don't want to admit their sinners A lot of people don't want to admit that they're as bad off as they really are I remember my mom was speaking to a woman on one occasion and sharing with her the gospel and and said to her Some things and the woman said you know, I'd like to become a christian And as my mom was sharing with her My mom said well if you want to pray with me to receive the lord Thinking that she had communicated adequately my mom began to pray and she said Okay repeat after me and let's pray and you receive the lord and the lady said okay and bowser had and my mom said God forgive me a sinner and immediately the woman opens her eyes and looked to my mom and said i'm not a sinner So some people don't really understand the gravity of a sinful life Don't even understand that they are sinners it amazes me, but it's true and it's more so now than ever before And so the law awakens in me the reality of the need for help By revealing to me that the things that I am Experiencing that caused me great pain sometimes are actually sinful things and god says well, of course you are you are Right now reaping the consequences of these decisions and behaviors Because what you have done is you've lived a life in separation to me And and you don't have life within you and so what you need is you need to repent and you need to turn to me So that I can wash you and as I wash you from your sin Then I can fill you with my spirit and enable you to have a new heart Take away that that stony heart and place within it a living and fresh heart so that I can now write on the tablets of that heart My my word and I can give to you the desire to do my will And bless your life. That's christianity And it's not ritual It's not making sure that I go to church at a certain time or do a certain ritual thing at a certain time It's having a relationship with god The old system revealed sin, but it couldn't remove it in romans chapter seven verse seven Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said do not covet So if it could not remove sin it had to be replaced and it had to be replaced by jesus christ The law gives no security because it cannot cleanse a man's conscience Jesus his priesthood brought men to christ and and and and and granted us access to god through him The old testament saints only saw salvation from a distance But jesus brought salvation to man And as he does that man now has a clear picture of what is required of him And therefore can turn to the lord and have a relationship with him I'll give you one last scripture in hebrus chapter 10 verse 19 to verse 22 How the writer said therefore brethren having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of jesus By anew and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh And and having a high priest over the house of god Let us draw near with a true heart In full assurance of faith Having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience Did you ever have you ever now as I look out I see some who are young Maybe you have yet to do this to any degree I look out and I see some who are older perhaps you've done this Have you ever just cried out to god in frustration saying oh god, I feel wretched. Oh god. I need help. Have you ever done that? Oh, I have You know I have even as a believer there have been times when god has been good enough to graciously reveal my own heart to me And as I see it, I don't find it very attractive And and I've cried out. Oh god, who's going to save me from this body of death? Oh lord, I need your help I need your help because I I can appear on the one hand on the outside I can appear to be a righteous person But lord, it's not the outer appearance that matters It's the inner person of the heart And unless you can take this this heart and and and break it and then heal it And and then use it then lord I just I just don't know if I'm gonna If I can do this. I'm just don't know if I'm gonna go on with this. I need real life in me And uh, I do that periodically there are times when the lord Seems to weigh more heavily on me than at others Where I I find myself, you know needing to just get away with him for a while And just to spend time with him and talk to him and share with him and open my heart to him Because I don't want to be somebody who has the outer appearance of religiosity when in reality Though my mouth says great swelling things my my heart is far from him I pray that god gives A real genuine sense of closeness to him relationship with him And that's what he desires from us and so we can have our hearts made new we we can have a true heart We can have full assurance of faith because our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience God's word cleanses us and then we draw near to him and we fall before him and we say to him god Thank you. Thank you for the life of jesus christ that has been imparted to me Thank you that he kept all of your righteous commandments that he has an ever-living priesthood that he Always lives to make intercession for me that I could have relationship with you Thank you that he is life and and he has granted to me to have life in him And because of that I can have a clean conscience. I'm not going to go out and exact a pound of flesh from myself I'm not going to try and make up for all the sins that I have committed I'm going to throw myself upon you and ask for mercy and forgiveness And I will receive it for your word is stated if I confess my sin that that you are faithful And just to forgive me of my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness and so lord I received from you that today and I thank you for it for you have washed me and you have cleansed me And and and it's through the water of the word of god that you have made that so and so that's the point that the writer is making to To his jewish readers don't go back to ritual Don't go back to something that didn't fulfill Understand that jesus christ is the one who fulfills all of the pictures that you find in the sacrificial system And it's through jesus christ that you have access to god in relationship with him So just draw near to him enjoy him and he will present you to the father