LESSON 2, VERSE 4:
So typical of Hebrews, the Epistle of
Hebrews, is today's Verse. "For it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins."
This first statement in our new Text, Verse 4
of Hebrews chapter 10, links the Old Testament to the New!
The expression "not possible" translates "adunatos."
The prefix "a" is called an "alpha privative." It negates the
meaning of a word, the word to which it is attached. Then, "dunatos,"
is the noun for "power, might, strength." Blended, the term
means "without power!" It just can't happen!
The noun Paul wrote for "blood" is spelled "haima."
It's always rendered "blood," 99 times in fact, in the New
Testament. From it we get words like "hematology."
"Bulls and goats," in Greek "tauros" and "tragos,"
are used here to typify the set of "clean" animals allowed in
the Old Testament for sacrifice. "Sheep" are perhaps the most
often used species.
Then the verb, "take away," is "aphaireo." A
conjunction of "apo" and "airo," it means "to life something up"
and take it "away." Far away!
As an example, here's part of Leviticus
16:27, showing us what bulls' blood could do.
"And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin
offering, whose blood was brought in
to make atonement
in the holy place."
Such animals' blood could "atone" or "cover"
("kaphar") sin, but not "take it away," not at all!
The noun "sins," spelled "hamartia," is
derived from a verb that means "to miss out on one's portion of
something!" This picture of sin is devastating! Sin costs! It
will rob a person of fellowship with Jesus! Of Heaven! Of
eternal life! Of everything eternal that's good and holy! Such
sins, if unrepented, will cause one to "miss" God's very best
for his or her life!
Simply stated, animals' blood is not as good
as Jesus' Blood, no where near!
The blood shed during the dispensation of
Law, little bleating lambs' blood, could temporarily "cover"
sin. God then voluntarily would not "see" the horrible stuff!
But when Jesus came, at the Incarnation, that
first "Christmas," He came to solve the animals' blood problem
once for all! He came to shed His Own blood on an old rugged
Cross!
Then, thereafter, "atonement" would no longer
be the operative word for redemption!
Jesus' Blood, incorruptible Blood, sinless
Blood, would "take away" sin!
"Covered" sin is ... well, is still there!
Just hidden!
"Washed away" sin is ... well, gone!
Revelation 1:6 says it well:
"Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, and
the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins
in his own blood ..." Yes!
Using our word "catharsis," 1st John 1:7
thunders: "The
blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all
sin."
What bulls and goats could not do ...
That has now been done!
"It is finished!"
That's why Jesus came!
The Baby in the manger is the Christ
on the Cross!
And here's why: "The
Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Luke 19:10
"Much more then, being
now justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."
Romans 3:25, Jesus!
"In Whom we have
redemption through His
blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace." Ephesians 1:7, Jesus again!
"For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
how much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:13-14
Yes, "how much more?"
Christmas, the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation,
had to occur! It was a divine necessity ... if we were to ever
be eternally saved!
After all, Bethlehem was a prelude to
Golgotha!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 5:
With some liberty, but certainly Holy Spirit inspired liberty,
the Epistle of Hebrews, chapter 10, both quotes and interprets
Psalm 40.
For example, Paul writes:
"Wherefore when he cometh into the world,
he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body
hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in
the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O
God." Hebrews 10:5-7
David wrote: "Sacrifice
and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened:
burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then
said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is
written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law
is within my heart." Psalm 40:6-8
This is Jesus talking!
David "heard" Him a thousand years before He
was born, virgin-born!
Paul, even without being an eye-witness,
still relying on the Holy Spirit of Truth, "reports" Jesus'
words verbatim, words spoken a good thirty years earlier!
Prophecy ... and history!
With Jesus, it's all the same anyway!
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to
day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8, He never changes!
Look at that Hebrews 10 clause,
"When He cometh into the world."
That's the Incarnation! When God took upon Himself human flesh!
The Virgin Birth! That's what the annunciation was all about,
Gabriel and Mary! Those angelic explanations to Joseph, too!
Here's something strange too, wonderfully
strange! The verb "cometh," in Greek "eiserchomai," meaning "to
come into, to share, to have a part, to live among," is framed
in the present tense!
Obviously, a past event is being described, a
two-thousand-years-ago past event!
But the Lord wants us to realize that, in a
sense, through the Holy Spirit and His Power, Jesus is still
coming into this world!
He came into that Revival Service last night!
He came into my car driving home too!
He has come into this room before sunrise
today, helping me think and type and teach!
Praise God, the Incarnation as an on-going
event!
Of course part of it will never be repeated.
The Virgin Mary will never again be overshadowed by the Holy
Spirit, not in the same sense she was that first Christmas! Not
another trip to Bethlehem! No more magi or shepherds! No flight
to Egypt either! That's all history!
Praise God, no Cross ever again, as well!
Enjoy that part of the Verse today.
Spiritually "chew" on it.
Meditate and ponder, from every possible
angle, its meaning.
"When He cometh into the world."
No wonder the angels sang!
No wonder the Star moved!
No wonder the Bible predicted it!
No wonder the same Bible detailed it, step by
step!
He has come!
Glory to His Name!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, VERSES 5 AND 6:
A "Christmas" Text?
In the Book of Hebrews?
Quoting the Psalms?
Yes!
Jesus is talking. In fact, to the Father He
speaks. "Wherefore when He cometh into the
world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a
body hast Thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin Thou hast had no pleasure." Hebrews 10:5-6
When the One Who came into the world, again
that's Jesus, talks to Someone Who had prepared Him a body,
that's God the Father, we have a classic example of
inter-Trinitarian communion!
The Son fellowshipping with the Father,
before the Incarnation too!
Before the Virgin Birth!
A thousand years before!
Notice that God the Father was not primarily
"interested" in "sacrifice and offering," Old Testament style of
course. "He (Jesus) saith, Sacrifice and
offering Thou (Father) wouldest not ...."
That verb "wouldest" translates "thelo," a
verb meaning "to desire" over a dozen times in Scripture. That's
in addition to its normal meaning, "to will."
That's right. "Sacrifice," from "thusia,"
whose verb means "to slay, to slaughter, to immolate," and
"offering," in Greek "prosphora," that which is "brought to"
Almighty God both depict the various acts of worship described
in Leviticus chapters 1-7.
Back to Verse 4 a second, just to get a
clearer understanding of Paul's message here:
"For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."
Compared to Jesus' Sacrifice on Calvary ...
lambs and doves and goats and bullocks simply fall far short!
Moses' whole sacrificial system, the entire
Law of the Offerings, was just a temporary thing, only meant to
"cover" sin, to make "atonement" ... until Jesus could come and
shed His Blood and perfectly wash away our iniquity and
rebellion! Jesus did what Moses could not do!
But, wait a minute!
How did God do such a thing?
How did He get His Son to earth?
To die for sinners!
Our Text tells us.
"Sacrifice and offering
Thou wouldest not, but a
body hast thou prepared Me." Hebrews 10:5
God made a special "body" for His Son!
A human body nonetheless!
The verb "hast prepared" is quite Christmasy!
It is spelled "katartizo," and is found
thirteen times in the New Testament. Basically it means "made
perfect!" Made complete! Made right!
It's an aorist verb, of course. Jesus was
only born one time, born of a virgin! That miracle will not
happen again. Completed action.
The noun "body," that's "soma" to Paul, means
just what it says. A literal body, flesh and bone and blood." A
real Baby! But still, God come to earth! The
"how-else-can-I-say-it" God/Man!
That body has been planned, pre-planned
really, for a thousand years, no doubt even longer, before
Jesus' birth was actually accomplished. Jesus had to come right
on time! "When the fulness
of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman."
Paul in Galatians 4:4.
Daniel chapter nine miraculously pinpointed
Jesus' time of Birth also, and His time of Death!
Surely Jesus' body had received as much
attention, His physical arrival on earth, as did His Death! And
Peter tells us about that timeline! "The
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot: Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of
the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."
Amen to 1st Peter 1:19-20
And just in case we've missed it, the overall
message of today's Text, Hebrews 10:6 reiterates.
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure." Still Jesus talking
to His Father!
God did not "enjoy" those deaths, millions
and millions of innocent animals! They were just "pictures" or
"foreshadows" or "symbols" or "reminders" of the coming Lamb of
God, the Virgin-born Jesus, the true Saviour of the world!
The verb "to have pleasure" is "eudokeo,"
that which "seems good" to one! "Dokeo" here is the root word
for "doxa," the New Testament word for "glory!" Bulls and goats
cannot receive any glory for our redemption! Only Jesus deserves
such praise!
Implied, God's real "pleasure" will be
derived from the Plan of Salvation! Strange as it may sound,
from His Only Begotten Son's Vicarious Death on the old rugged
Cross!
Isaiah was right all the time!
"Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him."
Isaiah 53:10, inexplicable to us! Too wonderful to comprehend!
We simply must bow and adore and worship, in awe of such Love!
"For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life."
No wonder the devil hates Christmas so
much!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Also,
That noun "burnt offerings" is too good to
miss, in our last verse. Jesus to His Father:
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin thou hast had no pleasure." It's spelled, you
will be familiar, "holokautoma," our very word "holocaust!" In
Greek "holos" means "all, whole or completely." Then "kaio"
means "to burn, to set on fire, to consume with flames!"
Nothing compares to the Death of Jesus on the
Cross of Calvary! That blessed Event is the focal point of all
history! Listen to Paul, "But God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
Galatians 6:14
LESSON 5, VERSE 7:
How do we know that Psalm 40, or any other
so-called "Messianic" Psalm, is talking about Jesus?
Largely, because the New Testament applies it
to Jesus!
The New Testament interprets the Old
Testament.
Here's the Verse I have in mind.
"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of
the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O
my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." This is
Psalm 40:7-8.
Who is talking?
Just David, the Psalmist?
Or is He relating the words of Another?
Now listen to Paul in Hebrews 10:7.
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of
the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God."
But the Hebrews Text has this added light.
It's clearly taking about Jesus! He says so! The "I" of "Lo, I
come" is the same Person described as:
"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." That's
Jesus, Hebrews 10:12-13.
Irrefutably so!
Therefore, with confidence we may say that
Psalm 40 is "Messianic!" Jesus is its Subject!
This means that our Lord, at least a thousand
years before the Incarnation, before the Virgin Birth, before
that first "Christmas," knew and discussed with His Father the
planned Event!
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is
written of me,) to do thy will, O God."
He's telling us about it now!
The exclamation "Lo" is really a verb in
Greek. It means, "idou" does, "to look, to see," even at times
"to listen!"
Jesus does not want us to miss this!
The verb "come" translates "heko," that is,
"have come, have arrived, am present!" One lexicon actually
insinuates that this "coming" is "to seek intimacy" with one's
host!
Then comes the noun "volume," spelled "kephalis,"
which means "the head, the highest part, the extremity" of a
thing. Jesus is the Very Essence of Scripture! It's Head!
"Book," another noun, is "biblion." That's a
"scroll or a written document." The Bible, God's Word, is surely
the Source to which Christ is alluding.
The verb "is written" frames "grapho" as a
perfect passive verb. This writing, once completed, did not die!
It still impacts lives today, thousands of years later! It did
not compose itself, either! It was written by holy
men of God. Like Peter said: "For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
2nd Peter 1:21
Even the prepositional phrases here are
"loaded" with meaning. "Of Me," that's Jesus, the very Subject
of the Bible, translates "peri emou." The Bible is written
"concerning" Jesus! It is written "around" Jesus! He's the
Center of it all! Yes, that's what "peri" means, "concerning or
around or with reference to" Someone!
The verb, the aorist infinitive "to do" is "poieo,"
having "made or caused or performed or accomplished" a goal!
Jesus, again, a thousand years before the Fact, says that it's
so certain He will do God's Will, do it perfectly, that it's as
if He has already done so! An aorist verb suggests completed
action! Jesus failing in His Mission, be assured, was a virtual
impossibility!
Finally, "will," as in God's "will," is "thelema."
That's "what One wishes or desires." Or even "has determined" to
do!
Now, take the time and re-read today's verse.
"Plug in" the meanings you have just learned, amplifying what
the Holy Spirit just said!
I'll guarantee you this. You will be forever
impressed with our Saviour! The Only One Who could have ever
said this, and meant it, and lived it completely!
"Then said I, Lo, I
come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy
will, O God." Hebrews 10:7
Amen!
Christmas is already getting sweeter, all
because of Jesus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
By the way, just think what doing God's Will
entailed for Jesus! What it cost Him! How He never deviated a
centimeter from it! In fact, that how we got saved!
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to
save that which was lost." Luke 19:10
LESSON 6, VERSES 8 AND
9:
In a beautiful piece of Bible exposition,
Paul, and if not Paul certainly the Holy Ghost ordained writer
of Hebrews, explains how Jesus is much better than ... well,
anything!
Most of today's Text, by far, is repetition.
I mean it repeats what has already been said in this very
Paragraph! Much less the fact that a portion of Psalm 40 is
being quoted as well.
But at the end of today's two-verse couplet
comes the "interpretation."
Notice this please. The words in focus have
been capitalized for you.
"Above when he said,
Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering
for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein;
which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy
will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second."
Hebrews 10:8-9
The preposition "above" is "ano," a "higher"
place. Like an author still would today, Paul is "locating" his
material. Specifying a preceding statement, a bit earlier in his
document. "Higher on the Page," we would say. Higher on the
scroll, to Paul. Though likely in the very same column he was
then writing.
The pronoun "He" still refers to Jesus, the
Son of God and our Saviour. Yes, Jesus is talking in both the
Psalm 40 and the Hebrews 10 Texts, although in the former He had
not yet been born and in the latter He had already ascended back
to Heaven, after the Cross and Resurrection!
The direct quote,
"Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings
and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said
he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God," is the Holy
Spirit's translation of Psalm 40:6-8.
Then comes Paul's hermeneutical statement,
his exegesis, his interpretation of the whole Old Testament Law
as compared to the whole New Testament Age of Grace!
"He taketh away the first, that he may
establish the second." Hebrews 10:9b
God the Father is the Subject here.
God "laid aside" the Law, that He might
"instate" the marvelous dispensation of the Grace of God!
He did so by sending Jesus, thus the
Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the first Christmas in its truest
sense, to die on Calvary, making possible soul salvation,
forgiveness and redemption for sinners!
The verb "taketh away" is "anaireo,"
obviously related to "airo," meaning "to elevate, to raise up,
to bear away." Surprisingly, the verb here is in the present
tense! God is still "taking away" the Law! It just could not
save!
Here it is plainly written in God's Word:
"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:3-4
The modifier "first" is "protos," meaning
"first in time or place." First in succession or first in rank.
The Law came first!
Moses lived before the Virgin Birth occurred!
"For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
John 1:17
Our Verse again, just to keep it nearby.
"He taketh away the first, that He may
establish the second." Hebrews 10:9b
"May establish" is "histemi" as a subjunctive
aorist verb in the active voice. It means "to establish, to set
in place, to confirm, to cause to stand!"
God the Father has "ordained" Jesus and His
Blood, Grace personified, to be the means of sinners being
saved!
The "second," in Greek "deuteros," in which
see "duo," here means "the other of two." Think of our word
"duet," those two people who sang at Church yesterday.
Jesus is the established, the superior, the
better, the ONLY way to Heaven!
All the Law could do anyway was "point"
sinners to the Blood of the Lamb!
Here's Paul again, writing in Galatians
3:24-25. "Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no
longer under a schoolmaster."
Right!
Goodbye, Moses. Thank you for all you've
done!
Hello, Jesus!
Hebrews 3:3, talking about Jesus, "this Man!"
Read it carefully. "For
this man
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who
hath builded the house hath more honour than the house."
Thank the Lord!
"He taketh away the
first, that He may establish the second." Hebrews 10:9b
This too is the Message of Christmas!
It's all about Jesus!
For the true Christian, everything is about
Jesus really! "That in all things
He might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:18
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, VERSE 10:
Jesus had just said to his Father, "Lo, I
come to do thy will, O God." These words, or others like
them, are recorded both in Psalm 40 and Hebrews 10. In fact,
David has Jesus saying to God the Father,
"I delight to do thy will, O my God."
That Will, God's Will, must center on Jesus'
whole earthly Ministry, especially His Death on Calvary.
That's why Jesus came!
Listen to Jesus "thinking out loud" in John
12:27. "Now is my soul troubled; and what
shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but
for this cause came I
unto this hour."
That prefect Will, which "peaked" at Calvary,
also, by necessity, included the Virgin Birth, and His
absolutely sinless life, the three-day burial and His literal
Resurrection too! Add to that the glorious Ascension to Heaven!
But to summarize God's Will, Jesus' life Goal
on earth ... read today's Verse! It's so clear!
"By the which Will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10
The noun "offering" is "prosphora," blending
"pros" in Greek (before Someone, face-to-face with them) and "phero"
(to carry, to bear, to bring) in such a way to yield a beautiful
word picture!
Jesus, by his Death, His Blood Shed for
sinners, can actually pick us up and carry us to God,
face-to-face with the Father!
Jesus' very "body" or "soma" must here be
understood literally. His actual "flesh and blood and bone"
corpus, that little Virgin-Born Boy grown up, was so maliciously
treated on the Cross!
His Body was beaten and bruised and broken,
for our sakes!
Note it was offered "once-for-all" too. The
root word is "hapax," one time only! There Jesus paid it all! A
second Calvary will never occur! It's completely
unnecessary!
But what did the Cross do for us?
Us Believers?
"By the which Will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all." Hebrews 10:10
It "sanctified" us!"
This term, at least here, is apparently a
very wide-ranging verb that incorporates both our salvation and
sanctification and, maybe, even our future glorification too!
"Hagaiazo" is formed as a perfect participle
too. We were, because of Calvary, "set apart, consecrated, made
holy," to God Himself!
And when that happened, at the very second
God saved us, a miracle occurred, the new birth!
A change so dramatic and transformative that
we shall never get over it, never be the same again!
Thank God that Jesus did His Will, the
Father's Will, here on earth! In fact, He's never done anything
but His Father's Will, ever!
God "willed" our salvation!
God "willed" our separation from sin!
God has "willed" that we spend eternity with
him in Glory!
But all this "willing" is only made possible
through Jesus' precious broken Body!
That's what Paul just said!
"By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all." Hebrews 10:10
Hear Jesus again ...
First, "Behold I come,"
that's Christmas, the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth!
Then, "We are
sanctified," that's Calvary and salvation and redemption
and all the blessings such things involve!
The Cradle and the Cross!
Absolutely inseparable!
That is, if sinners are going to get to
Heaven!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, VERSES 11-13:
The Virgin Birth.
That night in Bethlehem.
The manger.
The angels and shepherds and "no room in the
inn."
But that's just part of the Story.
God did become man, Perfect Man.
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John
1:14
But the Babe in Mary's arms grew to be the
Saviour of the world, the Christ of Calvary!
So much so that the writer of Hebrews, Paul I
believe, wrote: "And every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins: but
this man, after
He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be
made His footstool." Hebrews 10:11-13
These verses tell us four things about Jesus,
still the Jesus born in the City of David that night over two
thousand years ago!
Firstly, Jesus' Sacrifice is better than any
offering the Old Testament priests ever presented to God. Far
better! The Mosaic priests were required to shed blood, innocent
animals' blood, every day, many times a day! Almost non-stop!
And those offerings really could never "take away" sins! Here
the verb is "periaireo," that is, "to lift up that which is all
around you" and remove it ... far away!
Secondly, Jesus only died once! Yes, on the
Cross, He paid all our sin debt! Satisfied God's Righteousness!
He completely "took away" our sins, washed them away really!
Thirdly, still talking about Baby Jesus, just
grown up now, He was not only crucified and raised from the
dead, but ascended into Heaven! There right now He sits
and reigns and intercedes and governs!
Fourthly, the Christ Child, already a King,
waits! He is waiting, there at God's Right Hand! Waiting for the
moment of total victory, "till his enemies
be made his footstool."
How vast is the Christmas Story!
How amazing the ministry of the Baby of
Bethlehem!
Some day He will rule the world!
In fact, He's doing that this very second!
"Now," as an old news commentator loved to
say, "you've heard the rest of the story!"
The Christmas Story!
And Hebrews 10:4-15 tells it so well!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Without being too technical ...
Let me share a few definitions with you. This three-verse swath
is precious, loaded with significant words too!
Again, the King James Text: "And every
priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man,
after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down
on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made his footstool." Hebrews 10:11-13
The noun "priest" is "heireus," derived from the adjective "heiros,"
meaning "sacred, consecrated to God, holy." The verb "standeth"
is significant because that's exactly what those priests did,
never sitting when on duty! The verb is a form of "histemi." But
our great High Priest, Jesus, soon as he returned to Heaven, at
His Ascension, sat down! His work had been
completed! Salvation had been provided! "Ministering" is "leitourgeo,"
a blend of "laos" (the people) and "ergon" (working), someone
who serves the people, the public, but here, the saints of God!
"Offering" blends "pros" (before or face-to-face) and "phero"
(to carry, to bring, to tote), what Jesus did on the Cross! He
there was the Sacrifice, the Victim, yes. But He also was the
Priest offering that precious Blood too, His Own Blood!
"Oftentimes" is "pollakis," from "pollus," meaning "much, many,"
thus "frequently." "Same" is "autos," nearly "automatically!"
One after another, all day long! "Sacrifices" translates "thusia,"
that which is slain, usually violently! "Never" blends "oude"
(not, neither) and "pote" (formerly) and means "not even once!"
Then "take away," as mentioned in the Lesson above, is "periaireo,"
to "lift up" that which is all "around" a person! Our sins are
gone! These are all in verse 11!
Lots of words!
Our next verse, 12 to be exact. "This man" translates "autos,"
meaning "Himself," the Subject of our Paragraph, the Lord Jesus
Christ! He is the Only One Who could have provided salvation! He
exclusively is qualified! The modifier "one" is "mia" in Greek,
the "only one." And "sins" are "harmatia," things we've missed
out on, blessing from God, because of our rebellion and
disobedience! Literally, "hamartano," meaning "to miss the mark,
to be without a share." And "sat down" is "kathizo," as an
aorist (action completed) too. Yes, "to sit down," but
occasionally used in a legal sense, as in a "sitting" judge!
"Right Hand" is "dexios," Our word ambidextrous actually means
"both right hands!" And "God" of course is "theos."
Verse 13: "From henceforth" is spelled "loipos," what's
"remaining, the rest," or even "finally." The participle
"expecting" is good, "ekdechomai" means "to reach out and take
with one's hand!" Yes, some day God the Father will give the
nod, and Jesus will "go get it," the final victory! "Enemies,"
in Greek "echthros," are those who "hate or despise" you. "Be
made" translates "tithemi," that is "to set" in place. To be
"put" where you belong! Finally, "footstool" is "hupopodion,"
combining the preposition for "under" ("hupo") and the noun for
"feet" ("pous"). See our word "podium" here, a stand placed at
the "feet" of the people.
Words, they are important in any document, but especially in a
Text from the inspired Scriptures, straight from God!
LESSON 9, VERSES 14-15:
The Text began with Jesus saying to His Father,
"A Body Thou hast prepared Me. Lo, I come.
In the volume of the Book it is written of Me. Lo, I come to do
Thy Will, O God." This literally happened at the Virgin
Birth.
But the same Text ends with Jesus having
offered "one Sacrifice for sins for ever,"
being ascended to Heaven, sitting at the Right Hand of God the
Father, "expecting till His enemies be
made His footstool." This is why the Virgin Birth
occurred! This is the whole Truth! The entire Plan of Salvation!
What a range!
What a vast scope Jesus' Ministry has already
covered!
The Christ of Christmas ... the Crucified One
of Calvary!
The One fleeing to Egypt ... the One rising
to Heaven!
As Christmas approaches, don't just sing
"Away in a Manger," add a verse of "When I Survey the Wondrous
Cross" as well. Then maybe a bit of "He Lives!" But certainly
close with "Some Golden Daybreak, Jesus Will Come."
Tell the whole Story!
Today's Verse, actually the end of our
selected Text, is Hebrews 10:14 with just a touch of Verse 15
added for emphasis.
Here Paul writes about Jesus:
"For by one offering He hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost
also is a witness to us ...." Hebrews 10:14-15a
That "one offering" of course is why Baby
Jesus came in the first place! The adjective "one" is "mia" in
Greek, "one and only!" It's a numeral really, "Offering Number
One!" Of all time!
The Cross is in view here!
Mount Calvary!
Golgotha!
The scene of the greatest Crime in all
history, wicked mankind slaying the Sinless Saviour, but also
the scene of the greatest devil-whipping too! For there Jesus
"spoiled principalities and powers, making
a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it."
Colossians 2:13-15
The verb "hath perfected" is spelled "teleioo,"
meaning "completed, fully furnished, fulfilled, finished with
nothing lacking!" This is, of course, a "perfect" verb, meaning
that it represents action that has culminated in the past, but
with powerful rippling effects, tsunami effects really, going on
still today! God is yet saving sinners! "Telioo" was often used
by the medical community, particularly when a doctor "set" a
broken bone! Jesus "fixed" the sin problem at Calvary, too! It
was also used when a fishermen had to "mend" his net! What a
gospel net Jesus furnished the Holy Spirit, with which to go
"fishing" all these centuries!
The adverbial phrase "for ever" is "dienekes,"
combining "dia" and "phero." The meaning: "to pick something up
and carry it to its destination through all conceivable
probabilities!" No matter what! No exceptions either!
Saved "for ever!"
"For by one offering He
hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof
the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us ...." Hebrews
10:14-15a
Who are the beneficiaries of these Blessings?
Who has been perfected, saved?
Delivered?
They that are "sanctified." And "hagaiazo"
means "to be set apart, separated, consecrated to God, to be
made holy!"
In other words, "born again!"
Regenerated!
Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus
Christ!
Saved by the Death of the One Who is
Virgin-Born!
"Hagiazo" is framed here as a participle, a
present participle! This state of being "saved" is continuous!
There will never be a second when I'm not "saved!" Saved ...
eternally!
I wanted us to study this whole Paragraph,
Hebrews 10:4-15, because it not only shows us Jesus' Birth, but
also "the rest of the Story" too!
And how do we know all this?
Here's how!
The last clause of our Text,
"Whereof the Holy Ghost is a Witness!"
The Spirit is called a "Ghost" in ancient literature because He
is a simply the Spirit of the Lord Jesus ... "come back to
earth" to help us live for God! The Third Person of the very
Godhead, indwelling us, walking beside us day by day.
The verb "is a witness"
translates "martureo," in which see our word "martyr." If a
person believed something so strongly, would testify to it so
firmly, that he was willing "to die" for it (as did the martyrs)
... his "witness" was absolutely incontrovertible!
I know that Baby Jesus, sinlessly grown up,
is now my Saviour, Crucified and Risen and Ascended and Coming
Again! I know so because the Holy Spirit told me! He
testified such to my soul! He too was willing to
die for it!
Praise the Lord!
I'll not look at this Christmas the same!
Not after Hebrews 10:4-15.
Tell the whole Story this year!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Oh yes, the Holy Spirit is a witness "to us!"
Hebrews 4:15 adds those words, "to us."
The lost world does not see it! The intelligentsia often do not
either. Nor most of the politicians. Sinners are "blinded" to
the glorious Light of the Gospel! But, thank God, one day I
"saw" it! I saw Him! I believed! Because the Holy Spirit bore
witness "to me!" Praise God forever if you're in that number! If
you are among the "whosoever!" That's what John 3:16 calls us!
"For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
This is literally the last invitation in the
Bible. Hear it well. "And the Spirit and
the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let
him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17
Is the Holy Spirit calling you right now?
Bearing witness "to you" this very moment? He just might be!
