Lesson Eight: A new and better covenant (Hebrews 8)

 “Listen up: this is better” -- A study on the Bible book of Hebrews

A 13-week series given in 2020

By Bob Mendelsohn

Jews for Jesus, Sydney

Given 18 September 2020

bob@jewsforjesus.org.au

To watch this 'live',  click on this link: https://youtu.be/o4mrYajIu8U 

 

Lesson Eight: A new and better covenant

Shalom to each of you here on the Zoom call and those who will watch this class lecture on YouTube later. I hope you will feel welcome and when this section ends in about 20 minutes, that you will be a participant in the rest of the questions and discussion time. This letter to messianic Jews was written before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70.  Today we study chapter 8, and if you haven’t yet read it, please, those of you on YouTube, pause the playback, read the chapter, and then press play again to re-join us. Thanks.

Welcome back.

Today we will look at another controversial issue in the messianic world, especially today among many Jewish believers about the role of the Mosaic covenant. Surprisingly a large number of Gentile believers are keen to practice what they call “Judaism” or “Messianic Judaism” so we will discuss this both in the lecture part of the class today and certainly in the discussion section when this concludes. I’m also guessing that next week’s D-Groups will unpack this even moreso. If you aren’t already a member of one of our Discipleship Groups, you are seriously missing out, and I urge you to join one sooner rather than later.

Tonight begins Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the 7^th month of the Jewish and biblical calendar.  Most of you would know this day also as the Jewish New Year, and therefore you want to understand the differences. The Jewish Civil Year begins tonight, which is the anniversary of the Creation of the World 5,781 years ago. The religious year begins in March/ April with Nisan (Exodus 12.1-2).

Now that we have that calendar conundrum out of the way, let’s dig into this old vs new argument by the author in Hebrews 8. The author quotes two Older Testament citations to build the case that our Great High Priest, Yeshua, is the mediator of a better covenant. In fact the word ‘mediator’ is always associated with the new covenant (8:6; 9:15; 12:24; cf 7:22).   

Let’s unpack this chapter and see the argumentation to prove that the covenant we embrace is altogether better.

1.  The priest himself is better

The author continues to pound this message which has been unveiled since the mention of Aaron. Yeshua is from the order of Melchizedek, and he’s the Great High Priest. He sympathizes with us, he lives to intercede for us, and we can go to him for grace to help in time of need. Here, we read he has taken his seat (.1), is a minister in the Sanctuary (Temple) and in the tabernacle that is true (heaven).

Let’s take those one by one. 

a.   Taking his seat

Priests don’t sit in either the Temple or previously in the Tabernacle. Not until they were done, but they were never done since the system required them to come back to work the next day. When we read that Yeshua’s priesthood is perpetual, it’s about the result of his sacrifice, not the activity of ongoing sacrifice. We’ll see that point in the weeks to come more and more.

 

Taking his seat means his work is complete. When Yeshua said, “it is finished” from the cross, he’s saying the offering is satisfactory. As we enter tonight into the 10 holiest days in the calendar, and many Jewish people around the world will wonder if their prayers and offering will be acceptable, a heavenly ‘nod’ would be most welcome. By offering Yeshua a chair, the Father says ‘yes’ to him. 

 

2.  The place is better (.2-7)

a.   He is a minister in the Sanctuary 

This would have immediately made the reader to think of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and that our Great High Priest would be working there on his roster rotation with his own family designation. But that’s not what the author is intending. Link this Sanctuary (hagios) with the next phrase (The true Tabernacle) and you have it. The High Priest of our confession has ascended into the heavenlies and his priesthood has not only allowed him to be seated here (as if any of the priests did that) but to be enthroned in heaven. Remember the quote from Psalm 110, “Sit here at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (110.1)

This also hearkens the reader to Daniel 7, the great vision of the prophet

“I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames… 

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away: and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. (7.9, 13-14)

 

This prophecy of the Son of Man approaching the Father is wondrously fulfilled in Yeshua, the better priest in the better place.

The first quote we read today is from Exodus 25. There we see a hint of something other than the Tabernacle.

b.  The pattern was the Tabernacle (Ex. 25.40) It’s a copy of something in heaven (.2-5)

Moses was instructed on Sinai with detailed instructions for the tent and he hired Bezalel and Oholiab to complete the construction. They did just that. Perfectly. But the author here introduced a term which many in modern days love to use and it’s the term ‘type’ or ‘shadow.’ It’s similar to our word ‘metaphor’ or even better to say ‘stencil’ or ‘template.’ The word in verse 5 for ‘pattern’ is the Greek word ‘tupos’ which transliterates to ‘type.’ 

Not only was heaven better for the Great High priest, Yeshua, it’s our final destination and thus it’s better for us. 

3.  The covenant is better (.8-.13)

a.   Without fault!

                                                      i.     Based on God’s design

Back in Exodus God showed Moses directly what his plan and purpose was for the Tabernacle. We will look at it in more detail next week as chapter 9 and a bit of 10 requires its layout to be in our minds. Of note here is that God’s design is flawless, but the author clearly shows that there was a flaw, and it’s the Jewish people and our execution of his covenant.

                                                    ii.     Not based on human whim or failure (.7-8)

 

What makes the first covenant a failure was the people who signed up for the completion and satisfaction of the stipulations. We are sinful and fail again and again. No amount of self-will or self-assurance would get us and our covenant keeping across the line. 

Verse 9, we fail. We did not continue in it. 

 

b.  Promises

I don’t know about you, but my wife and I are watching the US election enterprises with great enthusiasm. In 46 days, votes will be fully cast and dozens of governor, senator and house races will be ending, finally, and the presidential election will conclude as well. Over these next seven weeks more promises will be made and commitments assured.  And those promises are as believable to be fulfilled as Jack and the Beanstalk, Lucy not pulling the football away from Charlie Brown, or a 15% gain in your superannuation next year. 

(for more on promises at all: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/contemporary-psychoanalysis-in-action/201406/why-we-cant-keep-our-promises )

But in our chapter here we read of better promises from heaven. They were made to Jeremiah the prophet. (Born 650 BCE) He recorded them in our 2^nd quote today, chapter 31, beginning in verse 31. 

1.  God’s performance, not ours: The agent of the promise (.7-9)

2.  The change will work: The scene of the promise (.10) [our heart]

3.  The forgiveness of our sins: Not a covering (.11-12) [Yom Kippur AND BEYOND!]

4.  The extent of God’s blessings: Jerusalem and beyond (.13)

 

 

Verse 13: “He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” What is this ‘whatever’ referencing? I believe it’s the Holy Temple. And as such, all the regulations and institutions of that come into view. But this is not related to all things Jewish. Not at all, let me explain. 

Obsolescence and growing old… those are not words you want to hear on Erev Rosh Hashanah. I ask you to buckle your seatbelt as I show you how this can be taken wrongly. Let me quote my friend Alex Jacob in his book “The Case for Enlargement Theology” (page 36) as he cites the horrible conclusions some in the historic church made by reading or shall we say mis-reading Hebrews 8.13. These are all rulings from the medieval period of church governments.

“Firstly, Christians may not enter a synagogue. Secondly, Christians may not eat Passover with Jews. Thirdly, Jews may not appear in public during the celebrations of Holy Week. Fourthly, no member of the clergy who is free to marry must ever marry a Jew. Fifthly, any Jew, prior to being baptized, must denounce the whole of his or her Jewish identity and heritage by making the following statement:

I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms, unleavened breads and sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews, and all other feasts of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspersions, purifications, sanctifications and fasts, and new moons, and Sabbaths, and superstitions and hymns and chants and observances and synagogues and the food and drink of the Hebrews. In one word, I renounce absolutely everything Jewish, every law, rite and custom, and above all, I renounce Antichrist, whom all the Jews await in the figure and form of Christ, and I join myself to the true Christ and God.”

How’d you like that? Taking a volatile anti-Jewish view about the Old Covenant is not even close to the author’s intent. The highlight of this portion of Bible is to glorify Yeshua, not to denigrate the words of the Lord to the Jewish people and any customs we hold. Sure, by comparison, the glory of Messiah is awesome and fulfilling, but there is no need to dismiss or deride the car that got us to the station.

Lane: “The argument that by designating the covenant “new” God declared the covenant concluded at Sinai to be unserviceable and outmoded (πεπαλαίωκεν, “obsolete, antiquated”) carries the corollary that God himself has cancelled its validity. He intends to make no further use of the old covenant and the forms through which it operated to achieve his redemptive purpose for his people (cf de Vuyst, “Oud en nieuw Verbond,” 254–55; Seesemann, TDNT 5:720). Consequently, the old arrangement is on the point of disappearing. The principle that a new act of God makes the old obsolete (cf 7:11–12) reflects an eschatological outlook that perceives the Mosaic and Levitical institutions as fulfilled and superseded by Christ.”

What Lane says is so important. It’s that the redemption is no longer available through the rites of the Temple. Full stop. There is no comment about reading Jewish literature, watching Seinfeld, hearing shofar sounds or about eating kosher foods. That’s not the point of the author. The misread, however, has caused great horror coming on my Jewish people. 

Dear friends, the point today is to help you see that our Great High Priest loves us and wants to bring us into relationship with the Almighty. He alone can do it; He alone HAS done it. He established a new covenant, not like the one with Moses at Sinai. This one is better, because it didn’t depend on us to fulfil it. He has done it for us. Our job is to receive his love and grace.

If you’ve never received Yeshua as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to do so now. Right where you are. Receive him who gave his life for you. Say a prayer of thanks. Say a prayer like “I need you, Lord Yeshua” … he loves to give to you of his life. 

If you want to write me with a question, I’m happy to try to answer. Just write me at the address on the screen, it’s bob@jewsforjesus.org.auand I’ll give it a go.

Until next week, when we will meet again to share about chapter 9 and more about our better High Priest who dominates and allows us entry into the Better Tabernacle, that is, heaven itself. Until then, l’shana tovah um’tookah and

 Shabbat shalom.

 

 

Actual text:

Heb. 8:1   Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that thishigh priest also have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; ⁵ who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “SEE,” He says, “THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.” ⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. ⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 

⁸ For finding fault with them, He says, 

       “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; ⁹ NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. ¹⁰ “FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. ¹¹ “AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, ‘KNOW THE LORD,’ FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. ¹² FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE.” 

¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

 

Bibliography

 

Jacob, Alex, The case for Enlargement Theology, Glory to Glory, Walden, UK, 2010.

Ladd, George E., A Theology of the New Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1974. (Pages 571 – 587)

Lane, William L, Word Biblical Commentary Series, Hebrews.

Vine, W.E., An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,Revell, Old Tappan, NJ, 1966.

Weirsbe, Warren. Be Confident. David C. Cook Publishing, Colorado Springs,1982.

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D-Groups for this week

1)           Tuesday 11 am Sydney time. Led by James Howse

2)           Monday 10 am Sydney time, led by Rebekah Bronn

3)           Thursday 7 pm, Sydney time, led by James White

(Contact our office for zoom details)

 

If you’d like to host a D-Group either online or in person, please contact bob@jewsforjesus.org.au for further details.

Priests and Melchizedek

A sermon given at Epping Baptist Church
Epping NSW
24 January 2016

Thank you for that reading from Psalm 110. Here at Epping Baptist you are looking at the pslams during the month of January, and I thought Psalm 110 would be a fitting one for me to teach. And Hebrews chapter 7 is almost mandated to adjoin this psalm.

(The audio of this sermon is here )
Shalom to each of you today as we unpack this psalm and learn a bit about one of my favorite biblical characters, Melchizedek, and sort out why the biblical writers chose to make mention of him and use his person as a pointer to the Jewish messiah Yeshua. And today we will also consider the mission to the Jewish people here in Sydney and worldwide as I share a bit about Jews for Jesus also.

Introduction: Who is this guy?
The psalm begins with unusual vocabulary. “The Lord said to my Lord” It doesn’t sound very Jewish, because we Jews have one God, and not more than one. Here we read One Lord said to another Lord, and that sounds like two, but David sounds confused. So confusing in fact, that Yeshua Himself used this text to answer those Pharisees who were giving him stick about his claims.

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Messiah, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.”

(This is still taught nowadays. I grew up an Orthodox Jew in Kansas City In the middle of the US, and learned Messiah would be “Mashiach Ben David”) He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, until I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”’? “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ How is He His Son?” No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question. (Matt. 22.41-46)

Our role: The role of the priests
For others it’s not so clear. So let’s try to clear things up. Before we unpack the psalm, I want to remind you if you are a believer in Yeshua as Messiah that He calls us to be a royal priesthood, according to the apostle Peter. (”But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people God’s own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2.9). Peter would certainly have known all about this priestly ministry, as Yeshua actually ordained him to such a status as is recorded in Matthew chapter 16. “Yeshua said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My congregation; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16.17-19)

By using the odd phrase “Blessed are you” (which is how Jewish prayers often begin) and Peter’s full Hebrew name (demonstrating this is an official ceremony), Yeshua ordains Peter to Gospel ministry, and that means one thing to those men that day. Peter is becoming a Cohen, a priest. Wow, who can do that anyway? Who can make someone who is not a priest to be a priest? It was genetics that made a priest.

The only one who can really honestly do that is the Lord himself. And Yeshua is basically saying that of himself. Jesus is claiming to be God. Deity? What an awesome claim!

But wait a minute, Jesus isn’t even a priest himself, is he? Yeshua was born from his mother Mary (Miriam) who was from Judah. (His adopting father, Joseph, also was from Judah). According to the Scriptures, a priest had to be born in the line of Aaron, who was a Levite, Levi being the 3rd son of Jacob. Yeshua according to the genealogies was a great, great, great…. Grandson of Judah, the 4th son of Jacob. In other words, Yeshua comes from the wrong son of Jacob. To be a priest—descend from Levi. Yeshua? Descended from Levi’s brother Judah. So, no he’s disqualified, he cannot be a priest at all, much less to make someone else to be one like Peter. Therefore, something has to be done about that conflict. The writer of Hebrews will make a very clear and very important case for the priesthood of Yeshua, and I’ll explain that just now using our featured character of the day, Melchizedek.

Yeshua: The great High Priest of our confession
Melchizedek lived during the time of Abraham about 2000 BCE. And he is mentioned both in our Psalm today and in the book of Hebrews. Who is he? And why is he so important?

According to the story found in Genesis 14, he was a priest of another people, geographically in what we today call Jerusalem. When Abraham had been successful in battle in retrieving his nephew Lot from his captors, Abraham wanted to demonstrate thankfulness to God right away. He went to Melchizedek, both a priest and the King of Salem, who promised to stand with Abraham, Melchizedek brought out what we would title communion or kiddush, that is, bread and wine, and served some of the military leaders in Abraham’s entourage. He also said a priestly blessing over Abraham, which was powerful. The Bible makes it clear that the greater blesses the lesser.

What Abraham did was surprising. He gave money, a tithe to Melchizedek and thus gave honour to him. Let’s read from Hebrews 7 and unpack it as we go to learn why this is so important.

Verse 1: “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”

“Without father or mother” (v. 3): This doesn’t mean Melchizedek didn’t have parents, but rather that in the record of Scripture, he just pops onto the scene. He did have beginnings and he did die later, but the Bible doesn’t make mention of those events. What matters is that moment.

Verse 4: “Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. (All Jewish people pay to the Levites) But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.”

A key word in the book of Hebrews is ‘better’ and Yeshua is better than angels, better than Moshe, better than… And here in verse 7, we see Melchizedek is better than Abraham because of the blessing.

“In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. (It’s not a one-off annual donation; in this case, it’s a one-off eternal donation) And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.” (Abraham represents in his family the Levites because in his loins are the Levites. So when the Levites later receive tithes, they still are owing to the One who is from the greater order, who blessed Abraham.” Levites are less; Melchizedekians are greater.

In other words since Levi was “in Abraham”, and all the current priests were also there, then the priesthood of today (the Aaronides) is less than the priesthood of Yeshua (Melchizedek) because of the blessing and the tithing!

Verse 8: “Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? (In other words, if it were complete in Levi, we wouldn’t need anyone else) For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.”

Yeshua came from Judah and was as such disqualified from being our high priest in heaven, but cleverly the writer of Hebrews gets another order of priests to make this work.

Verse 17 quotes our psalm today: “For it is attested of Him, (the second ‘Lord” of verse 1), “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110.4)
That’s what the author of Hebrews is helping us understand. Genealogy is not what makes Jesus able to be a priest and to make Peter into a priest. God has a second order, actually a primary order, a greater order, a better order, and the psalm tells us that this priesthood is forever. (Ps 110.4) Forever is better than the limited annual work of the Levitical priests. They daily worked, they annually worked, but they never perpetually worked.

That’s why we speak in the Creeds about how he “sat down at the right hand of the Father.” After Yeshua completed His work, dying on the cross, rising from the dead, He ascended into heaven and “is seated.” Why seated? Psalm 110, “Sit at my right hand UNTIL I make your enemies your footstool.” Sit down, not because Yeshua was tired, but the enthronement was both a seat of judgment (see the rest of Psalm 110), and due to His completing the task of eternal salvation for all of humanity. It’s a picture of triumph. Priests had to stand each year on Yom Kippur, and each day they ministered with sacrifices for sin in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple. The offerings were never-ending: done, undone, done, undone—the system shouted “Incomplete” and is represented by the standing priests. But when Yeshua offered Himself, once for all (meaning for all people) it was also once for all (meaning for all time). Why all time? Because “it is finished.” It is done. COMPLETE! For the people of Moses’ day, for the people of Isaiah’s day, of Yeshua’s day, and of our day, too, Hallelujah! And because of His work being done, He can and did sit down. (Hebrews 10.11-13)

Verse 23: “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Yeshua, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Verse 26: “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.” (Hebrews chapter 7)

So what do we learn?

Yeshua is our Great High Priest, not because he came from Judah, but because He came from Melchizedek’s order. He is a forever priest. He is God’s Son, equal with God. He is perfect and needed no atonement for his own sins. He is the one who hears us and who cares for us. He lives to make intercession for us. He saves to the uttermost. Glory to His name! And what about you?

Priests have a job to do, to mediate between the people and God, and between God and the people. That’s why we celebrate that we have Yeshua now who is the only mediator between God and men. No man needs to do it for us any longer. No man can do this any longer.

And what about us today? It’s great to learn of Yeshua’s priesthood. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4.15-16)

I mean, ok, after learning about Jesus, and His priesthood, and that He is awesome and fulfils biblical requirements, ok, so what?

In the same way God ordained Peter, God calls you to be a priest. That means you represent God to others and others to God. We speak about God to others and we speak about others to God. So we evangelise and we pray.

And listen to this odd phrase in Romans chapter 15.
“I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15.15-16)

I say it’s odd because this is the only time in the Newer Testament that the word priest is used in verb form. And what we are as the Body of Messiah, here at Epping Baptist Church, and at all the other churches meeting just now, wherever the Gospel of Messiah is proclaimed, we are to function as a royal priesthood, if you will all of us together, reaching a lost world, bringing them to God and bringing God to them. We together are a witness and a holy one at that, of the Holy God. If you are not yet a believer, I urge you to hear these words, to consider Yeshua, our Great High Priest, who alone went into the Heavenly Tabernacle, made without hands, and secured our eternal forgiveness. Consider and receive Him as Saviour and Lord; He is our Messiah and the One who lives to intercede, and to cry out on our behalf. Hallelujah, what a Saviour! Then when you also join Him, and believe Yeshua died for your sins and rose from the dead for us all, then you can join us and make a clear proclamation to the world of God’s eternal message of hope and joy, of forgiveness and salvation.

That’s why I’m here today. To help you all see the priesthood of all believers, that is, that we all together, are a priesthood to the world, and to ask you to continue to pray for our work in Sydney, Australia and around the world. Quick story about a guy out west named Allen.

Story: Two days before Christmas I received an email from a confused Jewish man out in Perth. He didn’t string his sentences together the way I’m used to and I wondered if he were having a go at us. But he said he was Jewish and curious about God, so I wrote him back straightaway. He replied. I replied. It kept going and a phone call ensued. And on Christmas Eve, Allen prayed with me to accept Jesus as his Messiah and Lord. And his darkness is going away. God is saving him daily by His priestly ministry.

And we have loads more stories I want to tell you, from Budapest and Tel Aviv, from London and New York, to here in Sydney. This week into our shopfront in Bondi Junction came many Jewish people too.

I love that story. I have many others I want to tell you, but I’ll let the newsletter do that. Would you please fill out the white card you received on entry, tear the stub off, and begin to fill out the larger card. I won’t think it rude for you to write while I finish speaking. Please fill out the card completely, especially your email, so we can tell you stories quickly and you can pass them on via forward to many like this one. (For those online, just send an email will you please?) to admin@jewsforjesus.org.au will be happy to receive your contact information and anything you want to let us know about yourself.

If you are giving financially to Jews for Jesus today, please put the amount on the front of the card when you fill it out so we can receipt and thank you. I really appreciate that. (to donate, using PayPal, click on this link to donate Thanks.

Our book shop and ministry centre in Bondi Junction welcomes people all week, and every week for a decade unsaved Jewish people come in, like this week when Sebastian from Chile and Nick from Russia and Ariel from Israel all came in, to talk, to learn, to discuss.

I have a resource table up the back, and really want you to get some books on messianic prophecy like this one, or messianic music and many other items on the table.

By the way I also have a credit card machine, so you can use your card, a cheque, or cash to pay for things.
Pastor Andrew, thanks for letting me come today. Thanks to each of you here at Epping Baps who make this such a good place in a dark world. Remember, be His priests to the world that so needs to know Him. Keep doing what makes Yeshua happy and have a blessed Australia Day Tuesday.