Hebrews 7:22-25 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Do You Love Jesus? This Is Faith’s Thermometer

Opening: I was reading an article on “The 3 Misconceptions That Many Muslims Have About Christianity” the other day. I love to read, and learn much by it. One of the largest problems in witnessing Christ to Muslims is that they believe the West is “Christian”. Muslims regard their faith – Islam – as both a religion and a state. If I had never been exposed to Christianity and was told “America is a Christian nation”, I’d have some serious problems with that. If you brand America as “Christian”, then you must believe that sexual immorality, shedding of blood, and celebration of drug and alcohol use are endorsed by Christ. That’s not true. Neither America nor the West are Christian. The bloody “Christian” Crusades endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church are not “Christian”.

Do you know what “Christian” is? It is to love Jesus. It is to obey His Commands, regardless as to what anyone thinks. That’s “Christian”. Anything else is fake.

Being “Religious” does not make you “Christian”. You can know all the songs in the Baptist hymnal by heart and be lost. Jesus’ greatest critics were the Pharisees, who were extremely religious. God turned the tables on the Pharisees when He knocked down the one called Saul of Tarsus (Acts 23:6 & Philippians 3:5) on the Damascus Road, converting him to Christianity. After Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle he often spoke against those who …

“had a form of godliness, but denied the power of God”
(2 Timothy 3:5).

Illustrate: Have you ever seen a Rubik’s Cube? I owned one years ago. The Rubik’s Cube has 43 quintillion (a quintillion has 18 zeros), 252 quadrillion, 3 trillion, 274 billion, 489 million, 856 thousand likely patterns that you have to overcome to unscramble it. I figured out how to unscramble a Rubik’s Cube in about 10 minutes. I peeled off the little paper colored squares, and re-pasted them where they were supposed to be.

In short, I cheated!

It is possible to solve the Rubik’s Cube without cheating. There are people smart enough who have figured out its patterns, and have written books on solving that Cube. The Rubik’s Cube was made by a man. I want you to imagine a Rubik’s Cube created not by man, but by God. That’s what the Law of God is. It is a Rubik’s Cube made by God. It cannot be resolved by human prowess or human intellect. The Rubik’s Cube of the Law was designed specifically to show us that we – that is ALL OF US – do not measure up to God’s standard. That Pharisee Saul who God remade into the Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 3:19-20 (ESV) whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law {that’s all of us}, so that every mouth may be stopped, {shut yo’ mouth!} and the whole world may be held accountable to God. {You’re not excluded} 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since

through the law comes knowledge of sin.

God gave the Law to a saved but hard headed Israel as they camped at the foot of Sinai. God gave the Law to make Israel understand that no one deserves God’s salvation. We must be saved by faith in God.

When God gave the Law to Moses on Israel, Israel had already been saved from Egypt. The Law was given to show God’s Israel that they must be saved by faith in Him. Many people today do what the Pharisees do. They watered down or twist the Law of God. You say, “But I’ve never done that”. Sure you have. Consider the Sixth Commandment, which simply states:

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.

How many murderers do we have in here? I don’t expect to see any hands raised – I hope. BUT have you ever treasured anger in your heart toward another human? Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV) You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Murder begins in the heart. The Pharisees held hatred in the hearts for Jesus. They

Matthew 12:14 …. held a council against {Jesus}, how they might destroy him.

Have you ever held a grudge against someone else? Do you cherish anger against another? In your secret place, have you imagined evil against an enemy? We all have. This is murder. Now consider the seventh commandment:

Exodus 20:14 (ESV) You shall not commit adultery.

Again, if I were to ask a show of hands as to who has committed the sexual sin of adultery, I don’t expect I would see any hands raised. The Pharisees prided themselves on not committing adultery. But have you ever held lust for a woman or man not your own in your heart? Jesus said:

Matthew 5:28 (ESV) I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Sexual sin begins in the heart, and is culminated in the flesh. Trans-sexuality, homosexuality, all heterosexual expression outside of Biblical marriage begins in the heart before manifested in the flesh.

But here’s the key. The Law is given by a Just and Holy God. If you break but ONE of its provisions, you have broken ALL because you have offended God. The Bible says:

James 2:10-11 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. {11} For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

The Law was “a yoke that the fathers could not bear” (Acts 15:10). That was the intent of the Law. The Law is an impossible Rubik’s Cube that I cannot solve …

but Jesus can!

Galatians 3:19-22 (ESV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Offspring {this is Jesus} should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary {This is Moses}. … 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything {and everyone} under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Illustrate: I cannot solve a Rubik’s Cube without cheating … unless I buy and read a book by one of the genius’ who have unlocked it. I cannot solve God’s Rubik’s Cube unless I buy the Book that the Son of God wrote, and lovingly believe in Him. Oh, how I love Jesus! Jesus is the Prophesied Savior, the One promised in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.

In Genesis, Jesus is the Seed of the Woman
In Exodus, Jesus is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, Jesus is our High Priest
In Numbers, Jesus is the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire leading, and the Rock feeding
In Deuteronomy, Jesus is the Prophet like unto Moses

Jesus is in every book of this Scripture. He is the Good Shepherd of the Psalms. Jesus is the Bridegroom of the Church in Song of Solomon. Jesus is the Glorious Lord of Ezekiel, and the Giver of the Holy Spirit in Joel. Oh, how I wish I could preach! Jesus is the Burden Bearer of Amos, and the Ruler from Bethlehem in Micah. Jesus is the One Mighty to Save in Zephaniah, and the Son of Righteousness in Malachi.

As we enter the Christmas Season we will see that Jesus was MADE and not CREATED. He is no mere mortal, but God become Perfect Man for us!

We Love Jesus Because HE WAS MADE For Us

I didn’t forget Hebrews. Go back to …

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Word Study: Three words are KEY to understanding this verse. The words “made”, “surety”, and “testament”. The word “made” is the Greek γίνομαι gínomai, {pronounced ghin’-om-ahee} which means to come from one state to another. The Devil used this word in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus, saying,

(Matthew 4:3) If You are the Son of God, command these stones be MADE bread

Satan wanted Jesus to command the stones to be turned from stone to bread. I cannot make stone into bread. I can ground stone. I can bake stone. I can put stone on your plate. But I can’t bring stone from a non-food item to a food item unless I am God. God can do anything! The Devil wanted Jesus to gínomai stone to bread. We see in Hebrews, Jesus was ginomai(-ed). He came from one state to another.

Jesus WAS God, but GINOMAI, was MADE Perfect Man!
His birth is unique.

God prophesied of the day that He would come to us. He said in …

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This is unprecedented. What “virgin shall conceive and bear a Son”? Only God can turn stone to bread. Only God can take eternal, and bring it into human flesh. The Child born shall be called “Immanuel” or “God with us”. This happened in Jesus. The Angel came to Joseph the husband of the little virgin named Mary and said:

Matthew 1:20-23 (ESV) Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us)

Jesus Christ is God become flesh. Jesus is MADE.

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety

Word Study: Jesus was made a “surety”. Oh, I love the King James, but sometimes that Old English confuses me. This is the Greek ἔγγυος éngyos, {pronounced eng’-goo-os}, which means “the SPONSOR, the REPRESENTATIVE of the Covenant”. We have had wonderful sponsors among men.

– Consider Abraham, the Father of Faith. What a wonderful representative he is. He followed God without question. God made a covenant with Abraham. But is Abraham perfect? No! Abraham lied twice, saying his wife was his sister in order to protect himself.

– Consider Moses, by whom God gave the Law. What a wonderful representative he is as he stands with the “rod of God”, parting the Red Sea. But look! Now in the wilderness he disobeys God, striking the rock rather than doing as God says, taking credit to himself.

– Consider David, the shepherd become King. He defeated Goliath! He loves the Lord with all his heart. But then he steals another man’s wife, and murders him.

No matter where you look throughout our Bible you will find flawed men and women who loved God and were saved by faith. Look at the Priests, and the High Priest Aaron. It was Aaron who – when Moses went up into Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God – barely 40 days passed before Israel stood before him demanding another god. “Make us a god to lead us back to Egypt”, the people demanded. Did Aaron tell them “Get lost! I obey only God!” No he didn’t. He told them:

Exodus 32:2, 4 (NKJV) “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” … 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Every representative or sponsor among mankind – born of Adam – has one terrible flaw. We are all subject to sin. The éngyos or sponsor of the Abrahamic Covenant was a sinner. The éngyos or sponsor of the Davidic Covenant was a sinner. The éngyos or sponsors of the Law, Moses and Aaron, were sinners. Not so Christ. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of the New Covenant. We read:

Hebrews 7:26-27 For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; {27} Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up Himself.

The Levitical High Priest always had to atone for their sins before they could atone for others. The blood of an animal had to be shed. The blood of a specific – unmarked or unblemished animal – had to be killed, and its blood sprinkled on the altar and on the people. But this was only temporary.

No so Jesus. He was MADE – God become Man – so that He might represent us. Jesus Christ is described as:

holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens

God demands His people be HOLY. He has said:

1 Peter 1:16 … You shall be HOLY, for I AM HOLY

And yet, God alone is holy (Revelation 15:4). Where do we find perfect holiness? By hiding ourselves by faith in Jesus. We who are saved believe in, and surrender to Him. He is the Author and Finisher of a better Covenant, a New Covenant.

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Word Study: The third word is “testament”. Jesus came from one state to another (ginomai). Jesus was made Man from God to be our Perfect Sponsor (engyos). Why did God through all this trouble. To bring us into a better “testament” or diathēkē (Covenant). Jesus is the Author and Finisher of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was represented by very temporary Priests.We read:

Hebrews 7:23-24And they {the Old Covenant priests} truly were MANY priests, because they were not {allowed} to continue by reason of death: 24 But THIS Man, because He continueth {for}ever, hath an unchangeable Priesthood

The Old Covenant priests offered sacrifices for their sins, then for the sins of people. But Jesus Christ – God become Man – became Man from God to lay down His life for us. Dying on the Cross of Calvary, He gave His life for your sins and mine. Jesus is not only

John 1:29 The Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world (also John 1:36)

but He is the High Priest Who offered that Lamb. Jesus said:

John 10:18 No man taketh {My life} from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have POWER to lay it down, and I have POWER to take it again. …

Jesus died for our sins – but death could not conquer Him. The Scripture says “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He “hath an unchangeable priesthood”. Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cannot die as other High Priests, His intercession for His people cannot be interrupted. We are told:

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore {Jesus} is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

We Love Jesus Because He Saves To The Uttermost

There are times I betray my God – but there is never a time when my Jesus betrays me. Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost. If you are saved, the Bible says that Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God interceding for you. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:34 (ESV) Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Why is this important? Because Jesus has a Name above every Name. The Bible says:

1 Peter 3:22 (ESV) {Jesus} has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him.

Who is it that intercedes for the believer? It is GOD! Jesus is

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV) … the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Oh, how I love Jesus! Without Jesus in our lives …

Isaiah 64:6 … we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

But Jesus saves us. You may slip when following Jesus. Who has not slipped. But you will NOT rejoice in sin if you are a child of God by faith in Christ. Jesus Christ came to save us TO THE UTTERMOST. He not only saves us by COVERING our sins, but He saves us by FREEING us from our sins. Jesus told the Pharisees

John 8:34-36 (NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

The saved are not enslaved to their sins. They are bound to God by a New Covenant. God said of the New Covenant:

Jeremiah 31:33 … I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The saved do not rejoice in what God has said is sin. We love Jesus. We love our Heavenly Father. When we sin – and we do slip – we like children run back to the arms of Jesus, back to the arms of His Holy Spirit. We live, because he lives. We shine, because He shines. Do not be deceived. God did not save us in Christ so that we can do the works of the devil. Jesus did not save us to enable us to sin guiltlessly. Jesus Christ saves us to bring us into the Family of God. Jesus Christ saves us to “bring many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10).

Do you know Him? Do you know our Jesus? If not, believe that He loves you so. Believe that He came to save you. And believe that He – God became Man – that He might bring us to God, not to Satan. May God the Holy Spirit draw us deeply into His Word, for Christ’s glory. Amen and Amen.