0:09

Shalom! Holy Scriptures

0:11

and Israel is a ministry

0:13

designed to share with the

0:16

Jewish people the good news

0:18

of the Lord Jesus Yeshua

0:20

the Messiah and to instruct

0:22

Christians on the Jewish roots

0:25

of their faith. And now,

0:27

teaching God's word from a

0:29

Hebrew messianic perspective, here is

0:32

Gideon Levitam. OK,

0:40

shalom everyone. Can we please turn

0:43

to the book of Hebrews again? This

0:45

is our next session in the study

0:47

of the book of Hebrews. Today

0:51

we are continuing in

0:53

the fourth chapter. Hebrews

0:55

chapter 4 and we

0:58

are studying in our

1:00

reading from verse 14

1:02

Hebrews 4 14 Hebrews

1:05

chapter 4 and we have

1:07

the next passage that deal

1:09

with the superiority of Yeshua

1:12

the Messiah He is already

1:14

we have learned superior than

1:16

the angels chapter 1 and

1:18

chapter 2 We

1:21

have learned also that he is superior

1:24

over Moses, chapter

1:26

3 till chapter 4

1:28

and verse 13. This

1:32

long portion from chapter 4

1:34

verse 14 to chapter 10

1:37

and verse 18 we see

1:39

the superiority of Yeshua the

1:41

Messiah but this time is

1:44

over Aaron the High Priest.

1:48

He's greater than Aaron. He's

1:51

superior than Aaron. And

1:53

in this long section, chapter

1:56

4, 14 to chapter 10, 18,

1:58

we can see that he

2:01

is superior in his

2:03

priesthood than Aaron, the

2:06

high priest of our people of old

2:08

Israel. In this

2:10

section, which we'll take a while to

2:12

cover, we can also

2:14

see that he received a greater

2:16

covenant. He has a

2:19

greater position than Aaron. You will

2:21

see that he is greater than

2:23

Aaron in many, many ways. And

2:26

in the midst of this section, you

2:28

will find out that there

2:30

are also additional warnings that

2:32

have been given by the

2:34

writer to the Hebrew believers

2:36

to continue on and a

2:39

warning that they need to

2:41

move forward in their spiritual

2:43

maturity, even though the

2:45

nation of Israel as a nation,

2:47

their own nation, their own people,

2:50

our own families have not yet

2:52

come to faith in a Messiah

2:54

Sheba of Yeshua. The

2:56

portion that I'm going to read

2:58

today in chapter 4 verse 14

3:00

to chapter 5 verse 10, I

3:02

might not cover that today, but

3:05

there we see that a Messiah

3:07

Sheba is greater than Aaron the

3:09

High Priest. It's like an introduction

3:11

to the rest of the chapters.

3:14

up to chapter 10 and

3:16

verse 18. So let me read the passage.

3:19

I begin from verse

3:21

14 of chapter 4. Seeing

3:24

then that we have

3:27

a great high priest that

3:29

is passed into the heavens, Yeshua

3:32

the Son of God, let

3:34

us hold fast our profession or

3:36

our confession. For we

3:39

have not the high priest which cannot

3:41

be touched with the feeling of our

3:43

infirmities. but was in

3:45

all points tempted like as

3:47

we are yet without sin.

3:50

Let us therefore come boldly

3:52

unto the throne of grace,

3:56

that we may obtain mercy and

3:58

find grace to help in time

4:00

of need. I'm

4:02

stopping here with the reading for today.

4:05

Hebrews 4 verse 14, this is

4:08

the passage that we have before

4:10

us. this moment. Now, let me

4:12

refresh your mind, beloved brothers and

4:14

sisters. We have covered the

4:17

portion, if you remember, in

4:19

the last meetings together, Hebrews

4:21

3 .7 to chapter 4

4:23

and verse 13. It was,

4:25

if you remember, the second

4:27

warnings that the writer gave

4:30

to these first -century Jewish

4:32

believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

4:34

And that was the warning,

4:37

not only do not neglect,

4:39

but this time don't doubt.

4:42

Believe what God said. Don't

4:45

doubt, but believe what God said,

4:47

because when God said he's

4:49

going to fulfill his word, and

4:52

even if you are being influenced,

4:54

even if you are going under

4:56

tremendous amounts of pressure because you

4:59

believe in a Messiah, Don't

5:01

doubt the word of God. Believe

5:03

what the Lord is saying. Why? Because

5:06

he said, Today, if

5:08

you hear his word, do

5:10

not harden your heart as

5:12

in the provocation. Hear

5:15

those Hebrew believers receive the

5:17

information which their forefathers have

5:20

doubted. If you remember when

5:22

Israel was on the way

5:24

from Egypt to Canaan, their

5:26

fathers doubted the word

5:28

of God and because of

5:30

unbelief, the generations that did

5:33

not believe end up to

5:35

die in the desert and

5:37

not to enter into Canaan.

5:41

Now, their death in the desert

5:43

does not mean it's not a

5:45

picture of an eternal death, it's

5:47

a picture of the physical death,

5:50

and even, in a sense,

5:52

a lack of the enjoyment

5:54

of the things of the

5:56

Lord for the believer in

5:59

this present day. Remember

6:01

I said last time that

6:03

Canaan is not heaven for

6:05

us. In Canaan Israel

6:07

had many fights, many struggles, many

6:10

trials in the land of Canaan.

6:12

For us, Canaan is the

6:15

spiritual experience. as we

6:17

walk with the Lord and every time

6:19

we take possession of the peace of

6:21

land that belonged to us spiritual land

6:24

if you will spiritual blessings that God

6:26

had given to us we take it

6:28

and we enjoy what we have already

6:30

what God had promised to us but

6:33

we can enjoy it today while we

6:35

are still on the way to heaven

6:37

so he gave them warning he says

6:40

today if you hear his voice do

6:42

not harden your heart. And if you

6:44

remember, by the way, the last two

6:46

verses we read in Hebrews chapter 4

6:49

was these very piercing words in the

6:51

Bible, verses 12 and 13. The

6:54

word of God is quick and powerful and sharp

6:56

as two -edged sword, piercing even

6:58

to the dividing asunder of soul, spirit,

7:00

and of the joints and marrow, and

7:03

is a discerner of the thoughts and

7:05

the intent of the heart. Neither

7:08

is there any creature that

7:10

is not manifest in his

7:12

sight, but all things are

7:14

naked and open unto the

7:16

eyes of him with whom

7:18

we, the writer

7:20

and the readers, have

7:22

to do. So the last two

7:25

verses that we have read in

7:27

chapter 4 and verse 12 and

7:29

13, verses that he challenged, not

7:31

the unbelievers here in context, the

7:34

believers, those, the Hebrew

7:36

believers that belong to Yeshua, the

7:38

Messiah, he tell them, listen, God's

7:41

word is quick. God's word

7:43

is living, operative. God's word

7:45

is sharper, is powerful, and

7:47

is sharper than two -hand

7:49

soul, and it's able to

7:52

pierce, to divine asunder the

7:54

soul and the spirit, and

7:56

it's able to discern the

7:58

thoughts and the intents of

8:00

the hearts. What

8:02

he's really telling us is simply this. What

8:06

God says in his word

8:08

is not going to change.

8:11

the Word of God convicts

8:14

the believer. The Word

8:16

of God discerns where the believer

8:18

is standing, whether the believer

8:20

is seeking really to trust the Lord

8:22

and believe what God says. The

8:25

Messiah follower, the Christian, the follower

8:27

of Yeshua, at times,

8:29

because of unbelief, lacking the

8:32

enjoyment of spiritual growth and

8:34

the Word of God detected.

8:38

Do you know? that God's

8:40

word detect, and I'm sure

8:42

you have experienced that, detect

8:44

the spiritual state of every

8:46

child of God. That's

8:48

what it does. You know very well

8:51

when you are not right with the Lord. I know

8:53

it very well when I am not right with the

8:55

Lord. Somehow the scripture

8:57

convicting the conscience, the heart

8:59

of the believer, we know

9:01

that. And telling us,

9:03

Gideon, you are not right.

9:07

You said the wrong thing. You have

9:09

done the wrong things. You

9:11

shouldn't have been in that place. You

9:13

shouldn't have done. It's convicting us. We

9:15

are not talking, of course, it can

9:18

convict the unbeliever, but here in this

9:20

text, in the context of this passage,

9:22

it's speaking to Hebrew believers in Yeshua

9:24

the Messiah or 1st century. And it's

9:26

speaking to you and I also. It

9:29

says the word of God is sharp,

9:32

is quick, is powerful,

9:34

is discerning everything, every

9:36

thoughts. and it

9:38

says in verse 13 neither

9:40

is there any creature that

9:42

is not manifest in his

9:44

side but all things are

9:46

naked and open unto the

9:48

eyes of him with whom

9:50

we have to do and

9:52

I want again to emphasize

9:54

notice it's not in whom

9:56

they have to do but

9:58

in whom we the

10:00

writer Jewish believer, the reader's Jewish

10:02

believers, and you and I who

10:04

believe in Yeshua the Messiah, in

10:06

with whom we have to do.

10:10

We're gonna have to deal with the

10:12

Lord. He's gonna deal with

10:14

us. And

10:16

he wants the affection of us to

10:18

be set upon him. And brothers and

10:20

sisters, this is so real. This

10:23

is not for those there or for

10:25

somebody else. This is for those believers.

10:28

who need to grow and

10:30

need to mature and need

10:32

to go in the right

10:34

way and he says listen

10:36

there is everything is naked

10:38

and open before the Lord

10:41

and we all need to

10:43

give account to the Lord

10:45

and sometimes we feel like

10:47

taking our faces and put

10:49

it on the ground and

10:51

cover it because God knows

10:53

our hearts and he knows

10:55

things that we will never

10:57

want to put it on

11:00

a big screen that nobody

11:02

will know yet God knows

11:04

everything about us and that's

11:06

why He challenges us and

11:08

that's why here He's saying

11:10

to them listen let us

11:12

labor therefore that we enter

11:14

into that rest spiritual progress

11:16

rest lest any man fall

11:18

after the same example of

11:21

unbelief and so now when

11:23

he has finished that section

11:25

The second warning, the warning

11:27

that he had given to

11:29

them, do no doubt, be

11:31

careful not to doubt God's

11:33

word. Chapter 3 verse 7

11:35

to chapter 4 and verse

11:37

13. Now he is passing

11:39

to continue now to show

11:42

them the next person that

11:44

Yeshua is greater than. This

11:46

person now is Eon, the

11:48

high priest of the people of Israel. And

11:51

so the text is a

11:53

long Text the deal

11:55

with Aaron and the greatness of Yeshua

11:58

over Aaron and this is all the

12:00

way from four to ten about six

12:02

seven chapters But we're gonna take as

12:05

a cut at a time a portion

12:07

at a time and by the way

12:09

in between all these chapters six or

12:12

seven chapters There are additional warnings that

12:14

he give to those Hebrew believers and

12:16

he give it to us as well

12:18

So now here's the section and that's

12:21

the precious You

12:23

see, in verses 14, 15,

12:25

and 16, he

12:28

shows us that Yeshua,

12:31

the Messiah, and the

12:33

Savior, the Redeemer, is

12:35

superior than Aaron,

12:38

even in the title, in

12:41

the position that he holds,

12:44

and the title that he

12:46

receives. You notice how it

12:49

started, by the way? In verse

12:51

14, there are three beautiful thoughts

12:53

that we have here. I'm

12:56

reading verse 14 once again, seeing

12:58

then that we have a great

13:00

high priest that is passed into

13:02

the heavens, Yeshua

13:04

the Son of God, let

13:07

us hold fast our confession.

13:11

Verse 14 in itself highlights

13:13

for us three wonderful things

13:15

here that we have about

13:17

the Lord. The first thing

13:19

that you notice here, he

13:22

is the one that is

13:24

called not only a high

13:26

priest, but a

13:29

great high priest.

13:31

you notice that?

13:34

Seeing then, the writer said to

13:36

the Hebrew believers, that

13:38

we have not only

13:41

a high priest, but

13:43

a great high priest.

13:46

Isn't it amazing? look at

13:49

the title you remember with

13:51

Aaron when if you will

13:54

read in the book of

13:56

Exodus chapter 28 you will

13:59

read how God gave Moses

14:01

Moshe instruction about placing Aaron

14:04

in his high priestly service

14:06

you notice that Aaron was

14:08

called a priest or high

14:11

priest Aaron was never called

14:13

a great high priest Here

14:17

we see the title of our

14:19

blessed Lord Yeshua the Messiah that

14:21

in his title, he's

14:23

great high priest. In other words,

14:25

there are many high priests. There

14:28

are many priests, but there

14:30

is only one that we

14:32

can call him a great

14:35

high priest. And why do

14:37

we need priests, beloved brothers and sisters? You know

14:39

why we need a priest? Even

14:42

today among our people in the land of Israel.

14:45

You will ask any Jewish person, you want

14:47

to reach God, you want to communicate with

14:49

the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How

14:52

do you communicate with him? Well, he

14:54

will tell you, I got to go to

14:56

the synagogue, go to the rabbi, go

14:58

to the spiritual leaders, and

15:01

I got to go through him

15:03

because he is the one that

15:05

is the mediator between me, the

15:07

Israeli, ordinary Jewish Hebrew Israeli individual

15:09

and the God of our fathers.

15:13

It is very natural for our

15:15

people Israel to feel like that.

15:17

Why? Simply because the Bible teaches

15:19

us this. When Israel came

15:21

out of Egypt, even before our

15:23

people of all have entered into the land

15:25

of Canaan, God have already given instruction to

15:27

the people of Israel. He

15:30

have given Moses the

15:32

responsibility to establish in

15:34

the midst of the

15:36

nation the priesthood. And

15:40

remember Aaron from

15:42

the tribe of Levi have

15:44

been chosen to be the

15:46

high priest. No

15:48

one will ever dare to approach God

15:50

without the high priest. No

15:53

one will ever dare to approach

15:55

the presence of God without the

15:57

mediator. They had

15:59

to come to God via the

16:01

high priest. The

16:04

high priest had his sons. Eron

16:06

had his sons. And they

16:08

had the Levites and the

16:11

priesthood service was there before

16:13

the nation of Israel. So

16:16

when an Hebrew -Israeli individual want to approach

16:18

the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in

16:20

the Tabernacle, even in the wilderness, he

16:22

had to go through the priests

16:24

and the priests through the high

16:27

priest ultimately to go into the

16:29

immediate presence of God. They couldn't

16:31

do it on their own. There

16:33

was a distance. that

16:36

was existed between the nation of Israel

16:38

and God thought they were near yet

16:40

there was a distance at the same

16:43

time the mediator had to be there

16:45

the high priest and the priest and

16:47

the function you want to offer a

16:50

sacrifice for sins you got

16:52

to take the lamb or

16:54

the ram or the goat

16:56

or any animal that will

16:58

be suitable animal you got

17:00

to bring it before the

17:03

priest and the priest will

17:05

do what he does with

17:07

the responsibility to minister to

17:09

that particular Israeli individual and

17:11

so he said listen for

17:13

seeing then that we have

17:15

a great high priest he

17:17

was saying to this first

17:20

century Jewish believers in a

17:22

Messiah. Now remember when he

17:24

said this to them just visualize in your

17:26

mind for a moment. You

17:29

and I today don't have priests

17:31

functioning in any temple here in

17:33

Toronto or Tel Aviv or New

17:35

York or Chicago or whatever city

17:37

this is where we don't have

17:39

this priest functioning today but when

17:41

he was writing to these Hebrews

17:43

they were seeing with their eyes.

17:47

The high priest functioning they

17:49

were seeing with their eyes

17:51

the priests functioning in the

17:53

temple They could see and

17:55

feel and touch and examine

17:57

and observe the order of

17:59

service among the people of

18:01

Israel But now they believe

18:03

in Jesus the Messiah and

18:05

they work outcast and they

18:07

felt it And they were

18:10

perhaps desiring to go to the temple and

18:12

they could do it any time they could

18:14

go to the temple and they can offer

18:16

the sacrifices and go to the prison. He

18:18

can be the mediator for them between them

18:20

and the God of our fathers. But

18:24

then when they believe in Yeshua, they

18:27

needed to learn the greater

18:29

information that God had given

18:31

unto them. That's

18:33

why the writers said to them,

18:35

we Again, I want

18:37

you to know that we, you

18:40

and I, we as

18:42

believers, we have not only

18:44

a priest like in the

18:47

temple, not only a high

18:49

priest like in the temple,

18:51

but we have a great

18:54

high priest. He

18:56

is superior than Aaron in

18:58

the title that he have.

19:01

We have a great high

19:03

Priest, this is the

19:06

greater title that Yeshua,

19:08

the Messiah, have received greater than

19:11

Aaron, greater than

19:13

Aaron's sons, greater than

19:16

Aaron's descendants. That's

19:19

what he is teaching those

19:21

first century Hebrew believers. Now

19:23

here's the second thing that

19:25

is very interesting here in

19:27

this verse. not only

19:29

that he is greater in his title,

19:31

that he is called great high priest,

19:34

but then we see that this

19:36

great high priest, it says in

19:38

the second half of verse 14,

19:41

that is passed

19:44

into or through

19:46

the heavens. Now

19:49

let's pause on this thought here for a

19:52

moment. Now what do you

19:54

think in your mind? Or what

19:56

do you think those Hebrew believers

19:58

thought in their mind when he

20:00

was telling them we have a

20:03

great high priest that he's passed

20:05

Through the heavens Do you know

20:07

what they were thinking immediately? The

20:10

word here by the way, I know

20:12

in the kingdom you said passed into

20:14

heavens But it's actually should be correctly

20:17

to be said passed Through the heavens

20:19

and I tell you why it is

20:21

so important to use the word through

20:23

rather than into because

20:26

when those Hebrew believers received

20:28

that letter, they

20:31

already at that time understood

20:33

that the High Priest once

20:35

a year need to pass

20:38

through various courts in order

20:40

to get to the Holy

20:43

of Holies. And

20:45

if you know, you know that there were

20:47

those five courts in the temple, the

20:50

courts of the Gentiles, the

20:53

courts of the women, the

20:56

court of the Israeli men,

20:58

the court of the priests and

21:01

the Levites, and the court of

21:03

the High Priest which is the

21:05

Holy of Holies. When

21:07

the High Priest had once a year to

21:10

offer a sacrifice for the nation of Israel

21:12

to represent the nation of Israel before God,

21:14

you know what he had to do? He

21:17

had to walk through the Gentile court. continuing

21:20

further in go pass by the

21:23

Israeli women's court and then through

21:25

the man court and then he

21:27

gonna pass through the holy place

21:30

where the priests could function and

21:32

finally to enter into Kodesh HaKodeshim

21:34

the holy of holies now when

21:37

we remember the day of atonement

21:39

we think about Aaron going to

21:41

the holy of holy Aaron had

21:44

to enter there only one day

21:46

in a year He

21:48

couldn't come there at any time. But

21:51

he passed through all these other

21:53

courts to get in. And

21:56

then here you see the writers.

21:58

Look, I know you see that.

22:00

I know what you're experiencing. You

22:02

Hebrew believers in the land of

22:04

Israel. I know what you're experiencing.

22:07

I know what you see with your eyes. I

22:10

know how dear it is to your

22:12

heart with your people, your nation, the

22:14

nation of Israel is practicing what God

22:16

have ordained. God had given this tabernacle

22:18

and the temple order. God had given

22:20

this. But now the

22:22

Messiah have come. Everything

22:25

that is a shadow and type of

22:27

Yeshua the Messiah when he had come,

22:30

he did not only go

22:32

to the Holy of Holies

22:34

in the temple in Jerusalem,

22:37

but he had passed through

22:39

the heavens. He

22:41

have entered into the immediate presence

22:44

of God. Yeshua

22:46

the Messiah when he finished the work

22:48

on the tree for us, he

22:51

not only that he finished

22:53

the work but God have

22:55

taken him and brought him

22:58

into his immediate presence to

23:00

sit down there and to

23:02

be that great high priest

23:05

to intercede on behalf of

23:07

the people of God. Hebrews

23:10

is saying to them, listen, the

23:13

Lord Yeshua the Messiah passed

23:15

through into the immediate presence

23:17

of God, passed through the

23:19

clouds of the heavenly realms

23:21

into the immediate presence of

23:23

God. He is

23:25

there appearing in the presence of

23:27

God for you. He is greater,

23:29

not only in the title that

23:32

he has, he is greater in

23:34

the place that he takes. It's

23:37

far superior than the holy of

23:39

holies in the temple in Jerusalem

23:41

He have entered into the immediate

23:43

presence of God you Hebrew believers

23:45

in Yeshua the Messiah he say

23:47

and I want you just to

23:49

see that you remember when the

23:51

Lord died on the cross on

23:53

the tree on the Roman cross

23:56

and You remember there where he

23:58

lifted up his eyes and lifted

24:00

up his voice to the father

24:02

and He said you made one

24:04

of the passages father forgive them

24:06

for they know not what they

24:08

do. Another point

24:10

of time when he was on

24:13

the cross, he says, Elohi, Elohi,

24:15

Lama Azavtani. My God,

24:17

my God, why has thou forsaken me?

24:20

But there was another point where he says, it

24:22

is finished. And

24:24

you remember that when he cried, it

24:27

is finished? The veil of

24:29

the temple had been rent, but it was

24:31

not rent from the bottom to the top,

24:33

but it was rent from the top to

24:35

the bottom. When he

24:37

finished the work on the tree, God,

24:40

as if it were, opened himself and

24:42

he ripped this veil, he opened it

24:44

from the top to the bottom, and

24:46

the entrance now was not only to

24:49

the temple now, it had been available

24:51

for the believer, but into the holy

24:53

of holies, into the immediate presence of

24:56

God. That's what happened with

24:58

Yeshua. The Messiah finished the

25:00

work on the cross on the tree,

25:03

and then they put him in a tomb. And

25:05

after three days, when

25:07

he was in the tomb, three days and

25:09

three nights, he rose from among the dead, and

25:12

then he was ushered later on after

25:15

forty days into the immediate presence of

25:17

God. And I wanted to see

25:19

that if you just turn with me to the

25:21

book of Luke chapter 24. And

25:23

you'll see, at the end of

25:25

this chapter, what we read, Luke

25:28

chapter 24, we read about Yeshua

25:30

the Messiah and his exit outside

25:32

of this world into the immediate

25:34

presence of God. Luke chapter 24,

25:36

we read there at the end

25:39

of the chapter, it says this.

25:42

And behold, verse 49,

25:45

I send the promise of

25:47

my Father upon you. but

25:50

tear ye here in the

25:52

city of Jerusalem until ye

25:54

be endowed with the power

25:56

from on high and he

25:58

let them out as far

26:00

as Bethany and he lifted

26:03

up his hands and he

26:05

blessed them and it came

26:07

to pass while he blessed

26:09

them listen to this he

26:11

was parted from them and

26:13

he was carried up into

26:16

heaven and

26:18

they worshiped him Beloved brothers

26:20

and sisters you see when

26:23

he finished the work on

26:25

the tree God have opened

26:28

the heavens and he took

26:30

Yeshua the Messiah into his

26:32

immediate presence of God passing

26:35

through the heavens through the

26:37

immediate heavens which

26:40

is the sky before us, through

26:42

the created heavens, such as the

26:44

sun, the moon, and the stars,

26:48

the second heavens, into the

26:50

immediate presence of God. The

26:53

third heaven, as we read about

26:55

this in 2 Corinthians 12, the

26:58

apostle Paul says about himself that

27:00

he was caught up into the

27:02

third heaven. You

27:21

have been listening to the

27:23

Holy Scriptures and Israel with

27:25

Gideon Levitam. Gideon teaches God's

27:27

word from a Hebrew messianic

27:29

perspective. For more information

27:32

about this ministry, write

27:34

to Holy Scriptures and

27:36

Israel, box 1411, Niagara

27:39

on the Lake Ontario,

27:41

L0S1J0, or visit

27:44

our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com.

27:47

You are also invited to Gideon's

27:49

weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at

27:51

11 a .m. and 7 p

27:54

.m. and Saturdays at 1 p

27:56

.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall,

27:58

28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto.

28:01

Holy Scriptures and Israel is made

28:03

possible by your prayers and financial

28:06

support. If you

28:08

would like to support

28:10

the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

28:12

God bless you. Shalom, shalom. support.