 Okay, wonderful. So now we can get started. Could one of us lead in prayer? Vibhikiran? Yes ma'am. Yeah, go ahead. We'll pray. Father God, we come before you, drone one second. And we want to just say thank you, Father God, for the new week, Father God, you've given us, Father God. Thank you. Thank you, Father God, for your presence, Father God. Thank you, Father God, for your help. And give you wisdom and knowledge, Father God, that we can understand the subject, Father God. Reveal more your presence and your words, Father God. And clear understanding, Father God, give everything, Father God. Thank you, Father God. Upcoming time, just a meeting to your hands. Just take care of every side. Thank you. Almighty teacher's name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Kiran. Thank you. So in the last few sessions, we were talking about how the writer to the Hebrews really wanted the believers to be mature. But because of the discouragement that they were going through and, you know, the, maybe they did not hold on, hold fast to the faith in the midst of the challenges and the persecutions, you'll find that they were somewhat slack and sluggish. So though he wanted to explain deep things to them, he couldn't. So we began with the truth that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God. Then we saw how he put on humanity. He shared in the things of the earth so that he could become a very sympathetic high priest towards us. And through him we have boldness to approach the throne of grace. All of these things we were looking at and then the writer started talking about Melchizedek and then over there he digressed. And he said, look, I can't talk to you about all these things because you are not yet mature enough to understand. And then we saw how he placed a warning before the people and said that even those who have experienced God in a powerful way, if they fall away. So we talked about falling away in Hebrews chapter 6 that it is very difficult, impossible for such people to be revived once again to their faith. So that's where we were, Hebrews 6. So see, there's a very big difference. I want to clarify that falling in the life of a believer was sometimes, though we sincerely move in the path of righteousness, there can be moments where because of ignorance or because of a lack of strength, we fail. Now just because we fail or we have sinned, it doesn't mean that immediately God is going to reject us. So that has to be very clear. We're not talking about just falling because the scriptures say that though a righteous man may fall, seven times he will still rise again. But this is about falling away. By falling away, what we're saying is somebody who has sinned against God and we see how the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us. As in John chapter 16, we have that revelation that the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and keep telling us about the things that we need to correct about ourselves. If we yield to the voice of God, then it's like, you know what we said, a righteous man may fall seven times but he will rise again. Proverbs 24 and verse 16, but if one does not yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit or doesn't repent, if one continues in sin and becomes what we have seen earlier, hardness of heart due to disobedience and unbelief, the way we were told that this kind of a heart condition will keep us out of the promises of God. So that is one thing, but if we continually move in this direction, we are going to be unfruitful for the kingdom of God and there is a grave danger of us falling away from God. So there's a big difference, you know, the normal regular Christian, we could say that, yeah, they may fall, but once you repent, you come back to God, it doesn't mean that God is going to reject us. But falling away means a person who willfully rejects God. God doesn't reject them, but they have chosen a lifestyle and a heart condition, heart attitude through which they are rejecting God. So this is the understanding that we got. Now, we had come to a portion in Hebrews chapter 6, this is verse 13, where there is still an encouragement to the believers that God's promises are sure, God's promises are true. So that's what the writer wants to tell them, why are you getting discouraged? Yes, there are things happening around you, but you can be sure that God does not lie. So from verse 13, what he says here is, yeah, I have it. So that's for when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself saying, surely, blessing, I will bless you and multiplying, I will multiply you. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. So here God made a promise. So our focus is the promise of God. When we are going through a challenging time, our mind can be distracted by the difficulties. But it is good for us to concentrate or focus on what God has said. Even though everything may look dark, God has spoken and said, for I know the plans that I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. So fix your eyes on the promise of God, because similarly, God made a promise to Abraham and said, surely, blessing, I will bless you, multiplying, I will multiply you. But what is the speciality in the life of Abraham? You see that he patiently endured. So when it comes to receiving the promises of God, we need some patience, because we are from a generation where we want everything to happen fast. Even to reach a certain place these days, bus is not good enough. Even your private vehicle is not good enough. We are looking at building metros because, okay, make it faster, make it faster. Just one example, but you understand this is the kind of attitude that we carry. But when it comes to receiving God's promises, you can't help it. Sometimes it takes a while and that is why we need to endure patiently. So when we think of Abraham, always remember, how is it that this man received such an incredible promise over his life? At 100 years old, he had a son. Wow, because he patiently endured. We must patiently endure. That is how he obtained the promise. And then again, letting the believers know about the surety of God's word. God's word, there are different ways in scripture that we are told that God's word is powerful. Hebrews 4-12, we saw it's living and powerful, like two-edged sword, that's something we saw. We also saw how heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will not pass away. So the characteristic of God's word is that it endures, it is strong. You can put your faith on it and you can depend on God's word. So again, here we are told that what kind of promise did God make to Abraham? To Abraham when he made an oath or a promise, what he did is, there was nobody to swear by. So usually they would swear by somebody who is greater than them. But in this case, it's like there is no one required to confirm the word. God himself is great enough and that word is confirmed. Then we are told that God's promise, that it stands. So here it says promise the immutability of his counsel, meaning what God has spoken. It's unchangeable. And then we are told that God confirmed it because when God says something, it's true. And he doesn't really need somebody greater to come and vouch for it and say that, what is being told is true because in this passage we also read that it is impossible for God to lie. And through all of this, we can have a strong consolation. Let me put it this way, when we are feeling low and we are finding it difficult to believe, did God really say, why is it taking so much time? No, I'm waiting for my ministry to get started or I'm waiting for a breakthrough in my personal life or I'm waiting for my finances to be blessed. And then we sometimes wonder in the waiting, there can be moments of doubt. But again and again, he's trying to say, look at Abraham, God gave him a promise, there was nobody greater to vouch for it. But God himself spoke, which was good enough. And also God's counsel is immutable and God cannot lie. So what God has spoken over us and our life situations is the truth. Excuse me. Even if it takes a while, let us hold on and we will see it come to pass. And in what manner does God encourage our hearts? Sometimes I said we may feel low. Look at the words here, it says that we may have strong consolation. When somebody is upset, what do we do? We console them. We say, don't worry, it's going to be okay. And in the same way, the word of God, it provides us with what kind of consolation? Not just, don't worry, it's going to be okay. But strong consolation, meaning we can be very confident that yes, God is there. He will work it out for me. I will walk in righteousness. And we are told that there is something known as refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. He is a redeemer by nature. And we see in the Old Testament that God instituted many redemptive acts. If you even look at the year of Jubilee, I think 25 years, if I'm not wrong, is when people would be set free, slaves would be set free. And in the same way, there was an opportunity for those who had sinned, who had committed crimes, if they repent for them to go and live in something known as the city of refuge. So there were these cities of refuge where those so-called unwanted people could also go, they could live a life and live with purpose. So you find that God always made opportunities for man to thrive. Even those who are seemingly rejected by the community around them. So once again, the writer is encouraging the listeners and saying that, come on, God is encouraging us and there is a refuge or a place of safety to lay hold of hope set before us. So God is giving us hope in our difficult situations and in our hopeless situations. So you see, in this same passage, what did he do? He gave a nice warning and he said, look, if you're going to go away from God, there is a danger of falling away. And later he said, but don't worry, we expect better things of you. So you find the heart of a pastor where it's not to crush the people or put them down, but to awaken them and say that I'm warning you, but let me encourage you. You will make it, don't worry. God is with you and you are capable of enduring through the hardship at keeping your faith. So the overall attitude is to build up the hearts of the people, not to crush them. Even though there is a very strong sort of like a jolt in between the passage here. So he's encouraging them and he's saying, look, God has given us refuge. There is a hope that we have in God. So hold on to these things. Ultimately, why did Jesus come? He came to give us hope. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said, look, we are the people of hope. Even if he talks about death in 1 Corinthians 15 and he says, even if we die, we have hope of resurrection. So we are a people who have immeasurable hope. So he's cheering them up and saying, come on, hold on to the hope. And about hope, he says, hope, the hope we have as an anchor of the soul. A beautiful, very beautiful line here. Hope is what? The anchor of the soul. So once again, if you look at a ship and a ship that is brought back to the harbor, usually they would anchor it to that place so that it doesn't wander away. And in the same way, in our souls, you know, we can go through all kinds of emotions. We can go through all kinds of thought processes. But in the midst of everything, if we carry hope, which says, I know that God is for me, I may be struggling right now, but God will bring me out. You know, God will make a way. God will open the door. God is my redeemer. God will give me the wisdom. So what's happening? Outside, you know, there's all this turmoil, but deep within, what is the anchor of the soul? Hope. So we must be careful never to live our lives without hope. As believers, we can hold on to that hope. And here, we are told hope is the anchor of the soul. Don't lose it. Don't ever lose it. God will give you the stability you need in the faith. And what do we hope about? We hope about the promises of God because it's sure. We don't have to be afraid. What he said, he will do it. So we are told that hope is there. It has been given to us. It is sure and steadfast. And this is found in the presence of God. From where do we get our hope? From the presence of God. And also, we know that it is Jesus who through the sacrifice that he made, you know, that the veil was torn. And we got access into the holiest, holy of holies. So it is the work of Jesus in that sense who has provided us the access to God's presence and the hope which is in the presence of God. So whenever we come, I don't know how many of you have experienced this, but maybe we are very discouraged. But we spend time in God's word. We come away with a promise in our hearts. And we say, okay, no problem. You know, I have hope, God will work. Or, you know, you're going for a time of worship. Let's say you're singing and declaring and praising the Lord. You come away with a sense of hope because in the presence of God, there is hope. So the believer, don't be discouraged believer. Be encouraged. Hold on to the hope which we have through Jesus and in the presence of God. We are told that the forerunner has entered for us. You know, forerunner is somebody who goes ahead of us. Who is this forerunner? Even Jesus. Where did he enter? He entered the presence of God through his sacrifice. And what happened? Who generally enters the presence of God in the Old Covenant? Who had the access to the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies? High priest. Yeah, very good. So a high priest. So now that we are saying Jesus has entered the presence of God, who do you expect him to be? Easy answer. Okay, come on class. Somebody can say it. Okay, great. So Prince is saying high priest. That's the correct answer. So the Lord Jesus having entered the presence of God, like all the other high priest, we recognize. Oh, this is a high priest. And what kind of high priest? High priest forever. According to the order of Melchizedek. Now again, what the writer is really doing is this is a Jewish audience. And for the Jewish audience, they could accept the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. But because they were so caught up in their rituals, they may have thought that, you know, isn't it good for us to go back to our rituals to have a high priest who would make the sacrifices in the temple for us? You know, so for them to go back to their old ways was a possibility out of what? Out of discouragement. So they are being encouraged and they are being enlightened that what you have now is the real thing. Whatever practices were taking place under the Jewish traditions. As spoken of in the Old Testament, they are just a shadow. You have the real deal in your hands. So why do you want to go back to your old ways? Hold on. There is hope and Jesus is greater. Jesus is the one about whom all these things actually speak. So that's the intention of the writer here and he's helping them see as Jews. You know, they want clarity about the temple, about the temple worship, about the high priest, you know, all of those things about the covenant. They need to settle in their minds that what they have in Christ Jesus is greater than all the things that they were proud about earlier. So that is why he is letting them know that Jesus, he is the high priest. Directly in the presence of God and what kind of a high priest, you know, many different features of the high priest, high priest forever. And which order does he come from? He comes from the order of Melchizedek. Once again, he's going into that explanation of introducing why the Lord Jesus is so precious. So we will understand that no further ahead. So we will move on to chapter seven here of the book of Hebrews. Okay. Now, since he introduced the term or the name Melchizedek, he needs to explain it further. Now you would be amazed that this person Melchizedek is not mentioned very many times in the Word of God. In the book of Genesis, you come across an encounter which Abraham encounter or a meeting that Abraham had with Melchizedek. And that's the only place. And now again here, you know, you have this word about Melchizedek. And he says, for this Melchizedek, who is he? He is the king of Salem, priest of the Most High God. So the old covenant we saw that generally there would be kings. You don't see a king who is also a high priest. If you recall during the time of King Saul, he tried to offer up a sacrifice to God, but it was not accepted because he was anointed to be what? He was anointed to be king, not the priest. Okay. But the priestly ministry at that time was done by Samuel. Now priestly ministry are prophetic. You know, he was the one who went in as a prophet. In fact, he was anointed. But you don't see the combination of a king and a high priest. So what is unique about Melchizedek? He was the king, a place is mentioned, Salem and priest. Priest is again defined by the God whom they minister to. So Melchizedek is the priest of the Most High God or we know. He is trying to introduce Yahweh to them because they are familiar with the Most High God. Abraham meets Melchizedek after he went for a conquest. So he slaughtered kings and when he meets Melchizedek, he does something. And that is he blesses him with a tenth part of whatever he got. Okay. So we will look at it, you know, okay, I'll just tell you. So because of this, Abraham giving a tenth of what he had got from slaughtering the kings. We have this practice of the tithe. We tithe, isn't it? We tithe a tenth of our income to God. Abraham gave it to the priest. So technically he is giving it to God. So that's how it worked in the Old Testament. So it was given by Abraham as an honor. We are told Abraham blessed Melchizedek. Now who is this Melchizedek? A little more. We understood that he is from the Old Testament. He's a king. He's a priest. He received a tithe from Abraham. His name is translated King of Righteousness. And his name is also Salem translated King of Peace. So what kind of a king is he? He is the ruler of righteousness and peace. So something very special to have a king like that. And a little more about Melchizedek. He did not have father or mother. That implies that he was not of a human origin. Very interesting isn't it? So he has a heavenly origin. Because here on earth for us to be in the world as a human being, we are born through parents. But Melchizedek without father or without mother, which means he is a heavenly being. And then further without genealogy. So you can't track the human tree, ancestral tree for Melchizedek. Obviously he does not have that physical beginning or end. And he says, again, we are told having neither beginning of days nor end of life. But made like the Son of God remains a priest continually. So it's a very special person. This Melchizedek and the historians and theologians when they study about Melchizedek, they come to two conclusions. One is they say, okay, this is a heavenly being who is honorable. And many of them say that it could also, if not just a heavenly being, this could be what we call as, one of the ways in which Jesus was presented early on in the Old Testament. You have some presence of the person of the Godhead. And it could be Jesus himself that we are talking about in Melchizedek. So these are the conclusions that people come to. But one thing we understood that this priesthood that Melchizedek carried is very different. It's not like Aaron's priesthood at all. Okay, now we will come back to that a little later. Now let's continue talking about Melchizedek. So when Abraham gave, what did he give? What did Abraham give Melchizedek? This type? Yes, type. So a tenth of the income, that is a type. When Abraham did that, it was as if the sons of Levi, okay, sons of Levi are the priests, isn't it? Even Aaron, they, Aaron comes from the tribe of the Levites. So the sons of Levi who later on received the priesthood, it was as if they from the loins of Abraham tied to Melchizedek. Now, it simply goes to tell us that the priesthood of the Levites blessed Melchizedek and that the priesthood of Melchizedek is in that sense more honorable than the priesthood of Aaron. That is what he's trying to establish. So even Aaron and all the other priests who came after him through Abraham, because where were they? They were all still inside, they were to be born. So in the loins of Abraham means the generations of Abraham. Later on, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and then the sons of Jacob, Levi, then the priesthood of the Levites came about. But the Levites honored Melchizedek through the tithe which Abraham gave them. Now, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes but there he receives them of whom it is witness that he lives. So in this equation, you know Melchizedek being the greater, the lesser, which would be the Levites, they blessed the one who is greater. So even Levi, whichever way you want to pronounce, who receives tithes, so the priests are the ones who receive tithes, paid tithes through Abraham so to speak for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. So it's like saying, if you go back to Hebrews 1, there he talked a comparison about angels, isn't it? And he said that even the angels worship Jesus, so elevating, exalting Jesus and showing that the position of Jesus was much better than that of the angels. And similarly, now coming to the high priest, the position of the high priest and telling the people all the high priests whom you honor, they are from the line of the Levites. Imagine, even those high priests gave a tithe to Melchizedek, meaning they honored Melchizedek. So which is a better priesthood? The line of Melchizedek. So that is the point that he has established. And so he is continuing to say, look, if the levitical priesthood was perfect, then there would be no need for another priesthood in the order of Melchizedek. Everyone could have just been a descendant of Aaron and continue with the work of God. But God wanted to bring in something new. So God wanted to bring in a new priesthood. So from verse 13, we will just see that he introduced this earlier. For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no man has officiated at the altar. So this means Melchizedek, the line of Melchizedek. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah. Wow, what a contradiction. The priest should be from the line of the Levites. But Jesus is from the line of Judah. So it's very different of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood. And then he goes on to explain that though he was from the tribe of Judah, he has the priesthood from that of Melchizedek. He is another priest who has risen in this way, not according to the law of the fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. Because it was God who spoke and said, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. So God is the one in Psalm 110 and verse 4 who spoke to his son and gave him, appointed him and told him that you are a priest for me. Of course, now for the Jewish believers who are listening to this, they might have thought, but we are not able to reconcile this. Because Jesus, he never went to the temple, he never sacrificed things. He came from the tribe of Judah and all that. But the final authority is God. And God has appointed Jesus from the order of Melchizedek. And it's a better order obviously because even the Levitical priesthood from the loins of Abraham, they have honored the order of Melchizedek. So he's trying to say that we have a high priest who is so much greater than the priest that you honor among you. So be confident, be bold. He just talked about hope, isn't it? Why should we not have hope if we have such a wonderful high priest and he's a high priest forever. So I'm at verse 18. Once again, he says that if the law of Moses was perfect, then there was no need for something new to be brought about. But oh God, on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God. But God understood that we need something better than the laws and the practices that the Jews followed. Because ultimately what were those practices? They were all talking about the coming Savior. So why are you sticking to those traditions when you have the real deal? Right before you. So that is the word that he brought to them. Now he goes on to talk more about the superiority of this high priest, the Lord Jesus whom we worship. Now it is told, I'm reading from verse 20. And inasmuch as he was not made priest without an oath, for they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him. So you have to understand that how did the priests through Aaron get their appointment? Just by descent. Meaning Aaron, if somebody was born in that generation and they fulfilled a certain criteria, they were made into a priest. So there was no qualifier. There was no election. There was no choosing. There was no appointment in that sense. But what is the difference when it comes to the Lord Jesus? He was made priest by the will of God. God was the one who decided, okay, I am going to make Jesus the high priest. So the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. So this is not by birth or descent, but by an oath like God has chosen and God has sworn that he wants to make Jesus the high priest. And this Jesus, he is the surety of a better covenant. Now if we go back to the covenants that were made earlier to God's people, now God promised them through the covenant, there are many things. You receive God's forgiveness. You receive God's blessings. You receive God's protection. So you receive many things through the covenant that God made. The way he blessed Abraham and said, I am going to bless you, make you a blessing through the nations. So already it sounds very good. The things that God has given his people and the way he led his people. So if you go back to all the covenants, you know that God is a good God and he wanted the blessing on the lives of his people. But think about this. The right of the Hebrews is reminding these Jewish believers. If you thought the covenant that God had with you is great, the Lord Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. So there is a covenant which is even greater. And in the case of a covenant, you know, you always needed, it would be made between two people. And as long as, you know, one of them is there, as long as one of them is able to keep the promise, it would stay. Now think about the Lord Jesus. He is a high priest forever and he is appointed by God. So his position comes with great authority and surety. And such is the one who is the initiator of the covenant. So you can imagine, just in that it seems like a better covenant to us, isn't it? Now, there are many more things as part of this better covenant that really bless the believer. And so there is so much of hope which is being provided in these verses for every believer. We are told that Jesus has become the surety of a better covenant, better blessings upon our lives. So why do we look at the earthly challenges and the earthly difficulties and we are ready to give up our faith? So don't do that. Try to understand how deep this revelation about Jesus is and how, you know, sure it is, I think it can shake it. So your confidence must come from that as a believer. Now in continuation, he talks about priests and verse 23 where he says there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing. So again, another additional feature that increases our hope and our confidence. He says all the other high priests died. But he or the Lord Jesus who is a high priest now, he continues forever and has an unchangeable priesthood. So under the priesthood of Aaron, you know, after that duration was over they would change. Okay, so the next person would come in and the next person would come in so on and so forth. But what is this about Jesus? Unchangeable priesthood and forever. And so the believer is being encouraged. Look, this kind of a priest, you can expect this priest to be there to save no matter what you are going through. So this scripture, Hebrews 725, it says therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. So this high priest is able to save us from, you know the oppression in the world. Every tactic of the devil in the world, all the problems which are created by sin, whatever that is, whatever extent that goes to, we have somebody who can save us. So the term there, save to the uttermost. So what are you experiencing? The hope which we have is incredible. This God is able to save us to the uttermost. Because of the nature of the priesthood, he's not going to change. You don't have to be afraid that somebody else will take Jesus' position. Then I have to tell them all over again, you know what I am going through. No, he's going to be there forever and you can depend on him. And also he adds this as a high priest. He lives to make intercession for them. So what is the kind of intercession that we expect from the Lord Jesus? We know that on the cross, when he died for us, that in itself was a form of intercession. And now with that victory, he stands in the presence of God. So that speaks for us. What Jesus has already done is a form of intercession. He's already done it. He stands as our advocate who has acquitted us already or because of whom we have now been set free and we have been delivered. So this is the kind of high priest whom we have. What we'll do is we'll take a small break, we'll come back and we will continue from verse 26. So let's go for a 10 minute break and we shall be back.