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Announcer (00:00:00): It's time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. After this episode, go to ChristianQuestions.com to check out other episodes, Bible study resources videos, download the CQ app and more. Today's topic is, "How Do We Positively Provoke Others Without Offending Them?" Coming up in this episode, people seem to like provoking others. This is nothing new. Back in the times of the apostles, Christianity had issues with negative provoking based on the mixing of both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. How did they learn to get past that and what can we learn from them? Here's Rick Suraci.

Rick (00:00:40): Welcome, everyone. Jonathan is away this week. So let's get started with our theme scripture. Hebrews 10:24: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works." We all know someone who's been in some kind of altercation that well, didn't end well. When we go back and look at the events, we always want to know who started it. What we're looking for is who initially provoked the other party to cause the chain of events that led to someone on some level being hurt. The point is, provoking one another is not usually looked at as a good thing. And as we think of things like sibling rivalries or having someone push your buttons, however, with an appropriate approach, provoking others can be a powerful tool as it can stimulate them to positive action and conflict resolution. So how do we do that?

Rick (00:01:35): How do we provoke others toward everything good and avoid provoking them toward anything bad? Today we're going to be going on a journey through a specific process of communication into the book of Hebrews. We're not going to deeply study the book of Hebrews, but we're going to very, very clearly pay attention to the communication process in the book of Hebrews having to do with "provoke one another to love and good works." So let's start with the word for provoke. The actual word means "incitement to good or dispute in anger." This word is only used twice in the entire New Testament. Once it's used in a positive sense, and once it's used in a negative sense. The positive sense is "provoke me." Hebrews 10:24, our theme scripture, "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works" - to press towards, to incite, to stimulate toward love and good works.

Rick (00:02:33): The other use is a "No, just don't provoke me" kind of use. This is Acts 15:39. And that verse says, "And the contention (that's the word) was so sharp between them (Paul and Barnabas) that they departed asunder from one another, so Barnabas took Mark and sailed onto Cyprus." So what you have is this contention, this provocation was so strong between Paul and Barnabas that they actually parted ways. So you can see that word has a very positive way of being looked at or a very negative way of being looked at. How do we positively provoke others without offending them? We're going to examine the art of provocation through the actions of the Apostle Paul in the book of Hebrews. Now, we believe that the Apostle Paul was the author to the book of Hebrews. I know that several others have different opinions. We're going with the Apostle Paul, okay?

Rick (00:03:27): The Hebrew Christians who lived right at the time, right after the gospel began, they were a very unique group. They were called up to a spiritual calling out of God's chosen people of Israel. Now, remember, Israel had been separated from all other people and had lived under God's Law. They lived a separate kind of life. They were very unique throughout all of history. So they're living under God's Law. This made it challenging to give up that Law and follow Christ because it's generations and generations of following the Law. Many of the Hebrew Christians tended to want to take the Law with them into their Christianity. Paul saw the need for them to put the Law aside. Because he was the apostle to the Gentiles, he knew that his influence might not be that readily accepted because they are very much Jewish in their thinking and he's the apostle to those who have no background in the Law whatsoever.

Rick (00:04:27): So what's the solution? How do you communicate when you don't think you'll be readily accepted? The solution for the apostle was to write a detailed treatise to the Hebrew Christians detailing God's plan through Jesus and the role that the Law played in leading up to Christ. So that's why we look at the book of Hebrews and say, we really believe the Apostle Paul wrote it to communicate with his Hebrew brothers and sisters who were also Christians to show them Christ in a fuller way. The primary question we're going to ask as we walk through this examination of the Apostle Paul and Hebrews; throughout the book of Hebrews, how did the Apostle Paul continuously provoke his Jewish Christian brethren to love and good works when those he was writing to may not have been entirely open to hearing his perspective? Now we're going to look at ten chapters of Hebrews.

Rick (00:05:22): We're going to look at ten chapters very, very briefly to find the pattern of communication. And the first point of the pattern of communication begins before we even begin. And that is how do we provoke without being provocative? The first point is, humility must be first. In the case of the book of Hebrews, the Apostle Paul did not use his name. Why? He didn't because, we believe, the message was far more important than the messenger. These Hebrew Christians were precious brethren. They were being misguided by previous traditions and he was looking to show them the right way. So he put himself aside so the message could be clearly heard. That's a big lesson if we are in a situation where we want to be provocative toward love and good works to others with whom we have some common ground. With humility in place, we can positively provoke to love and good works. Without humility in place, folks, you know what happens? We provoke and people get mad and then we argue. And tell me you haven't been there before and tell me you haven't had a point where you wanted to make the point, because you know the point is right and they just need to hear the point. And here it is and you just better listen. We get stuck in that. The first lesson is, don't do that. Let's back up. So let's look at Hebrews 1. Paul immediately begins in Hebrews 1 with the common ground of prophecy. He introduces Jesus in the context of the Old Testament. This is brilliant. The Apostle quotes from Psalm 2:7-8. He alludes to Proverbs 8:22-30. He quotes from 2 Samuel 7:14, 1 Chronicles 22:10, 28:6, Psalms 89:26-27, and Psalm 97:7, all within the first six verses of Hebrews. All within the first six verses. So he's putting a very, very important groundwork in place as he spends his time quoting the Old Testament. Let's take a look at Hebrews.

Rick (00:07:38): Hebrews 1:1-6: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And he is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become as much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are my son, today I have begotten you? And again, I will be a Father to him, and he shall be a son to Me. And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, and let all the angels of God worship him."

Rick (00:08:24): So you see in these first six verses, there are all of these Old Testament references and they're all pointing to Jesus, and they're all very plain and they're all very specific. But the apostle is laying very, very calculated groundwork. He is trying to identify with, to communicate with, and to provoke in a loving way, those who don't see eye to eye, even though they're in the same camp, even though they're all Christians. In chapter 1, Paul continues to prophetically compare angels. Now, angels were the most powerful beings other than God Himself then known to the Jews. He compares angels to Jesus, who's the only son of God. This is what Hebrews 1 is focusing in on. It's giving this comparison. So you've got all kinds of quotes from all different parts of the Old Testament pointing to Jesus and he's using angels as a basis for comparison. This is important because the apostle is finding common ground. Let's go a little bit further in Hebrews 1.

Scripture Reading (00:09:36): Hebrews 1:13-14: "But to which of the angels has He ever said, sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?"

Rick (00:09:51): So the Apostle Paul here, now he's quoting again from one of the Psalms, he's quoting Psalm 110:1, and he's talking about the importance of understanding the role of Jesus. To which of the angels was it ever said, sit down at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? So he's showing a difference between Jesus and the angels, specifically through just the Old Testament. This is important because you have a problem. You can't agree because you have a traditional viewpoint that is so ingrained it feels like it's impossible to take it away. And that is having the Law be the centerpiece of everything. So the apostle, who had been a Pharisee, he understood the depth and the meaning and the power of the Law, come up with a way to communicate, a way to provoke to love and good works without provoking to anger.

Rick (00:10:47): This would've been a real hot button, if you will, for the Hebrew Christians. And the apostle is approaching it carefully, cautiously, and in a very calculated way, starting with the scriptures from the Old Testament. So provoking without being provocative. How do we do that? Well, what the apostle has done in the first chapter is, he firmly established a common base of credibility, a common base of credibility, and we are going to be saying that again and again and again as we lay out this lesson. This common base of credibility in this case, the credibility came from the indisputable authority of the Old Testament prophets and writings and the power of God's angels. He used the Old Testament prophets and writings and the power of God's angels to say, this is really about Jesus. He said it softly and carefully in this first chapter, giving a basis to build upon.

Rick (00:11:50): So as we look to try and be positively provocative in this way with a common base of credibility, we can positively provoke to love and good works. We have to decide to set that out first, based on humility. Without a common base of credibility, you know what happens? We just provoke. We just argue, because I'm right and you need to see what I see because if you don't see it, it's going to be damaging. Now the apostle could have thought of it that way, but he didn't. He put the credibility out and he put patience in place so that he could guide them to a higher way of thinking in a spiritually driven, mature fashion. We can already see that there is an art to positive provoking. So now let's commit to taking that art and making it a reality. So having personal humility and common base credibility in place, what should we work on next? Anytime we're attempting to build a common communication bridge with those we may have issues with, we need to be patient and careful. It's so easy to rush through this or that step, and in so doing, we put undue pressure on the process. I want to pause there for a second; undue pressure on the process. This is where our normal attempts to provoke to love and good works, when we have a disagreement, breaks down because we put too much pressure on the process. Too much pressure can easily result in negative provocation, which is exactly the opposite of our objective. And we're going to see how the Apostle Paul was able to completely avoid that negative provocation by his approach. In Hebrews 2, Paul continues to build a picture of Jesus by adding another level of credibility. Now he started with the Old Testament prophets and angels. He now adds eyewitnesses. We had the prophets and angels as a basis, and now he adds the testimony of Jewish Christians who saw, heard and followed Jesus in person. So he's going to build on what was already written in the Old Testament. Now I will tell you he's not done with the Old Testament yet by any stretch of the imagination, but he's just building another step, saying your brethren were there with the Lord. Let's take a quick look at Hebrews 2.

Scripture Reading (00:14:24): Hebrews 2:3-4: "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit."

Rick (00:14:41): So he's saying that these who were there, these who heard, these who were with Jesus were also given God's spirit, and they were able through God's spirit to perform these miracles. These were undeniable facts of the power of God's spirit that first was in Jesus and then in the followers who were all of Jewish descent at that point in time. This is powerful evidence of the difference in Jesus versus the Law. Powerful evidence. The apostle now continues. He's going to build on that by comparing the angel's destiny. Remember he started out talking about angels with Jesus' destiny. In Hebrews 2:5, he says, He did not subject it to angels, the world to come. So in other words, he didn't say the world to come is going to be in your hands. But he did say something different about Jesus, a little in few verses down in Hebrews 2.

Scripture Reading (00:15:47): Hebrews 2:8-9: "You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But we do see him who is made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

Rick (00:16:08): You have the apostle very specifically saying that the world to come was not subjected to angels, but very clearly, and he quotes another Old Testament verse. He quotes Psalm 8:6 and Hebrews 2:8. He says, this was done to Jesus. It was a privilege given to him. And then it talks about him who that by the grace of God tasted death for every human being who ever lived. So it's very subtly giving the comparison. The angels were great, the angels were powerful. They were representatives of God Himself. And yet he's showing Jesus is a representative also, but in a different way, in a higher way. Subtly he's building that argument. Staying with chapter 2, Paul now explains that Jesus is higher and he continues to build his credibility by reminding the Hebrews that Jesus was Jewish. He was like you. He came from the same lineage you did, yet he had the responsibility to destroy evil and to become a high priest. This is now adding another dimension to the base of credibility that the apostle is working with. Back to Hebrews 2.

Scripture Reading (00:17:32): Hebrews 2:14,17: "Since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. He had to be made like his brethren in all things, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."

Rick (00:17:56): To make propitiation for the sins of the people, Jesus had to become like his brethren in all things. And that's what made him this merciful, faithful high priest. Jesus had his pre-human existence and he was born solely human. He was a human being. And the apostle saying he was just like you, and he gave his life that propitiation, that corresponding price, that sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the people. But it talks about him as a high priest. This would get the ears of his listeners because obviously the priesthood in the Law was a very, very, very important, specific thing. So we see that, you start with the angels and you look at the Old Testament scriptures and now he's bringing the priesthood into play. So now as we wrap up chapter 2, provoking without being provocative, what did the apostle do here that we can learn from?

Rick (00:19:02): Well, here's what he did. He built on the common base of credibility. How? By adding details that enhance that base while expanding the discussion. So he doesn't abandon the base, he doesn't say, I'll pacify them with a few scriptures just to warm 'em up. He uses those scriptures as a base and then he enhances that with a further scriptural basis. So in this case, the eyewitness accounts of those who follow Jesus became very important, because they became the carriers of the gospel through God's spirit. And they had miraculous, miraculous powers. Also, the apostle adds that all became subject to Jesus by virtue of his ransom sacrifice. So he's mentioned the high priest and he'll come back to that, but he's giving us a sense that these eyewitnesses helped to put the argument clearly in place. When we have a difficulty with those who perhaps have common ground as we do, but we're on in a disagreement, are we willing to be as patient as this, to slowly build on the things that those whom we disagree with can see along with us and not in agreement along with us? Or are we going to push the envelope and say, you know what, but you're wrong, so get over yourself. See, the apostle took this incredibly patient approach with the added details and the expanded discussion. You know what we can do? We can, like the Apostle Paul, provoke to love and good works. However, without more details, without the expansion, when we want to get right to the point, here's what we do. We just provoke. And everybody gets mad. And when everybody gets mad, nothing good comes from it. The apostle is teaching us a very specific lesson in how to communicate one with another, especially when you have a common basis, but you're in a different camp for one reason or another.

Rick (00:21:12): Let's move on to chapter 3. The apostle continues in chapter 3 by reinforcing his connection to the Hebrew Christians as his brothers in Christ. And this is huge. He reinforces connection to the Hebrew Christians as his brothers in Christ. And then he parallels Jesus and Moses in their faithfulness. So there's two very significant things happening here in chapter 3. Let's take a look at Hebrews 3:1-2. It says, Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling (just like me, I'm adding that), you are holy, you are set apart, you are partakers of the same calling I am. And then he says, "Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. He was faithful to Him who appointed him, as Moses also was in all his house." So now the apostle is calling upon Moses and his example to show the Hebrew Christians, we're talking on a very high level.

Rick (00:22:26): There are two individuals in in Jewish history that the Jewish people always looked back to with the greatest respect. It was Moses and Abraham, and we'll get to Abraham in a little bit. So Moses was faithful in all of his house. He's giving Moses that incredible respect that he absolutely deserved. So we've got those first couple of verses of chapter 3 that helped to establish this foundation. With the foundation now established, Paul begins to focus his argument by elevating Jesus over Moses. So he starts out by saying Moses was faithful in all of his house and you can just see the heads nodding, yes he was, yes he was. He was our example. He was our law-giver. Hebrews 3:3 says, "For he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses (talking about Jesus), he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house."

Rick (00:23:31): So now he is taking that honor that's given to Moses and saying, that is wonderful, that is good, that is powerful, and everybody's nodding, but let's look at Jesus, because he has more honor as though he was the one who built the house, than the one who is the house. And of course we know that Jesus had that pre-human existence. So he's putting him in his rightful place in relation to Moses. And for some that may have been a little bit uncomfortable, but because you have the basis of credibility, it can be hearable at this point. So Paul now labels his focus, that he's comparing the house of servants to the house of sons. So he takes that, he's shown that he's about to embark on the thought that Jesus has more honor than Moses does. Hebrews 3:5-6 expands it further.

Rick (00:24:25): It says, "Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant." And again, the heads nod. Yes he was, yes he was. He was our example. He was our law-giver. Verse 6: "But Christ was faithful as a son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence, firm until the end." And folks, I just want to mention that in a lot of these verses we're reading sort of a condensed version of these verses because we're covering a lot of scripture to examine the communication that the apostle is doing. So if you're following along, just realize that we're skipping over parts of scripture to make a point. So Moses was faithful in all of His house, but he was a servant. Christ is faithful as a son in His house. Who has more honor, the son or the servant?

Rick (00:25:17): And it says, we are His house if we hold firm onto the end. So now you've got this Hebrews 3, and there are some very powerful lessons that the apostle adds. Provoking without being provocative; here's what he's doing. The apostle is teaching us to reinforce and introduce; reinforce your brotherhood and your common credibility base. Then introduce with clarity your perspective to open others to a paradigm shift. Now that was a mouthful. Reinforce your brotherhood, holy brethren, to that high calling, reinforce that common credibility base. Moses, this is a new addition to the credibility base. And then say, and here's Jesus, the son of God, higher than the servant of God. This gives them the ability to make that paradigm shift, to shift in their minds what they see. And it helps them understand that they are called to something higher than Moses in a subtle way at this point.

Rick (00:26:19): So in this case, the apostle teaches that all Hebrew Christians are brothers in Christ and that Moses and Jesus were both faithful. However, Jesus and his followers, those very Hebrew Christians, the apostle and we, if we are following after and begotten by God's spirit, were to be elevated, by virtue of Jesus' sonship, over Moses and Israel as servants. There's a difference, a significant difference between the two. And the apostle gently lays it out. And you can't argue because these are Hebrew Christians. They knew that Jesus was crucified and he was the son of God. The house of sons versus the house of servants, that's what chapter 3 helps us to see. And again, it's that quiet, calm, humble building of an argument. In Hebrews chapter 4, the apostle admonishes his audience to learn from the mistakes of others based on the firmly established, guess what, common base of credibility. Learn from the mistakes of others. In Hebrews 4:11 it says, "Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest so that no one will fail." Through following the same example of disobedience, no one falls following that same example. The Jewish people fell constantly and the apostle reminded them of that in Hebrews 4. Paul cites the Christian advantage as he goes a little bit further in the chapter. He says, Jesus, our leader and high priest, has experienced humanity and is now passed into the heavens. He's saying Jesus understands us and walks us through our trials. Let's take a look at a few more verses in Hebrews 4.

Scripture Reading (00:28:10): Hebrews 4:14-16: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as are we, 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."

Rick (00:28:35): So you can see how the apostle is building the argument of the high priest. He mentioned it and now he's coming back to it again and again and we're going to see how he's going to expand that. But he says he was tempted in all points just like us because he was a man, but he was without sin. And therefore, because of that, we can approach the throne of grace boldly. Because of that. The Jewish Law didn't have providing for that. It didn't have the ability to give the people that. They had to fulfill the rituals of the law. So the apostle in Hebrews 4, we just touched a few verses in helping us to provoke without being provocative. He's basically saying, learn from your common base of credibility, once again, but he's adding, you can see how he's adding details, how to firmly adopt your newly clarified perspective.

Rick (00:29:32): In other words, your newly clarified perspective is belief in Jesus. He is your high priest, and through him you can approach God. That is a powerfully different approach. So in this case, the Old Testament account of Israel showed the Hebrew Christians what not to do, because they made so many mistakes, and Jesus showed them what to do in following him as sons. So with credibility-based lessons, we can provoke to love and good works with those lessons. But if we choose to put the lessons aside or stifle them or not finish them or not be thorough, all we're going to do is create a provocation, and that's going to create argument, and argument never ever solved anything. The apostle is teaching us to patiently identify with those whom we love, but we may be in disagreement with. Having clearly defined common base of thought and action as such a strong foundation, building on it takes time and patience.

Rick (00:30:52): How does Paul now positively provoke his Hebrew Christian brothers and sisters to move decisively beyond the Law and firmly towards Christ? He's been building this foundation. How does he now move them off of the foundation further? Well, the task that the apostle is working on is huge. And you know what? It's risky. Helping anyone walk away from what they have generationally believed in towards something new and different can easily backfire. Paul, having been a Pharisee, was aware of the depth of this challenge. He knew what it felt like to have such vital faith in the Law and its rituals and its sacrifices and so forth. He knew from personal experience, years of personal experience. And so what did he do here? He patiently, wisely, and scripturally met that challenge head on. He was very, very, very specific in terms of putting things in order so that it could be seen and understood very clearly where he was going and why he was going there.

Rick (00:32:08): Paul had just provoked the Hebrew Christians to grow beyond their previous thinking. That's what we've got in those first four chapters. He's saying, you've got to grow a little further. Here's what happens now. We've got the 5th chapter of Hebrews coming along and here's what he does at the beginning. He takes a breath. You know what he does? He re-establishes their common base of credibility. He never gets over doing that because he understands the power of reminding what we agree upon. It's a strong, strong perspective. Let's look at a couple of verses in Hebrews 5.

Scripture Reading (00:32:22): Hebrews 5:1,4: "For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men and things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was."

Rick (00:33:03): Hebrews 5:1,4. What we see in those verses is that the high priests, every high priest, was not self-chosen. It was like okay, I'll do it. It's not a voluntary thing. It was appointed on behalf of men, things pertaining to God. No one, he says, takes this honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. Called by God, even as Aaron was. So you go to the first high priest to establish the credibility. You see how he's just always adding to the base of credibility. Paul's verified that God chose the priesthood using Aaron as the example, and he now is going to reestablish Jesus in his central role. So you've got that establishment of the original priesthood, and now it's going to establish Jesus further in Hebrews 5, but with a little bit of a twist.

Scripture Reading (00:34:04): Hebrews 5:8-10: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the source of eternal salvation; being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek."

Rick (00:34:21): Being designated by God as a high priest. So just like Aaron, he's saying Jesus is designated by God. But he adds something; according to the order of Melchizedek. Now we're going to get further into Melchizedek in a few minutes, but the apostle has now added Aaron to the mix, saying how important the high priest is. And then he says Jesus also is a high priest after a different order than that of the Law. So now you've got, he took a breath, he went back to the priesthood, he went back to Aaron, and now he added a further development in using Jesus in a comparison. And now, a little bit later, a couple verses later, next verse actually in Hebrews 5, he's going to more strongly admonish the Hebrew Christians to grow up. Here he gets blunt. So he's been giving them base upon base upon base of Old Testament credibility. And now he's been showing them Jesus every single step of the way. And now he's pushing a very specific point. And we'll see why as we go further in Hebrews 5.

Scripture Reading (00:35:33): Hebrews 5:11-12: "Concerning him (Melchizedek) we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food."

Rick (00:35:54): And you know, that's not a necessarily easy thing to hear. You've come to need milk, not solid food. You should be teachers, but you're students, you've become dull of hearing. These are hard words. So he mentions Melchizedek, and he says in that context, you've got a lot to learn and you've got to grow up. So he's now getting a little bit firmer here, so we want to watch the process of being calm and building the credibility. And now he's added Melchizedek to the credibility and everybody knew who Melchizedek was, and we're going to explain that a little bit as we go. But now he's saying, pausing and saying grow up, grow up into this. So what can we learn from the apostle here, provoking without being provocative? Well, having previously proposed that paradigm shift, that change in the way you see something, reestablish your common base of credibility and firmly provoke towards growth.

Rick (00:36:51): In other words, I've told you, you need to see it differently. I'm giving you now a different priesthood to look at because you need to see the priesthood differently. I'm helping you to understand this is bigger than you know. Here in this case the apostle resets the Old Testament as a model through which Jesus was established as the obvious centerpiece of God's plan. Because now he's saying Jesus is after the order of Melchizedek and he's a high priest. The apostle urgently points toward their need to grow into mature Christians based on this truth. So now he's got this Melchizedek point in the middle of the mix and he's saying this is a truth that you need to see clearly and grow up into. So he's built this pattern, he's built this base, he's built this credibility, and when it comes time he says, you see how important it is? You see how you need to change?

Rick (00:37:52): You see how there's a need for growth? See, with this reestablished credibility and this firm direction continually adding, he added Aaron and Melchizedek here, we can provoke to love and good works if we do what the apostle did. But what do we normally do without reestablished credibility? Firm direction just creates an argument. Because if he had just said he's a priest after the order of Melchizedek, the old priesthood is nonsense, there would've been a reaction, and rightfully so. He allowed their belief to have a place and took that belief and showed them how to grow it into something bigger and better and more important to their Christian lives. Let's move on to Hebrews 6. The apostle strongly admonishes growth in Christ, stepping forward into spirituality. We'll start with Hebrews 6:1. He says, "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity."

Rick (00:38:55): Okay, we've got a basis. We don't need to stop with the basis, we need to press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. We understand repentance, we understand Jesus, we understand the ransom. Now we need to grow through that. So he's again pressing toward being more mature. And again, this is a difficult thing for the Hebrew Christians because they see their value through the Law, and he is showing them step by step, no, no, no, that's not where it is. It's through Jesus. You see how every step he's always come back to Jesus. He continues in Hebrews 6, he adds another sober reminder of what can happen should one turn away from the truth of the gospel. This is a very important point. It's a really serious one.

Scripture Reading (00:39:51): Hebrews 6:4,6: "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have been made partakers of the holy spirit and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucified to themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame."

Rick (00:40:08): So you have the apostle talking about the incredible importance of what God's spirit does for us, how it works in our lives, and the sober realization that if we were to abandon it, having it been given to us, having it been a part of our lives, having become part of that New Creation that would be that, it would be over. It's impossible to be renewed because you've taken the sacrifice of Jesus and you've walked away from it. Once for all time, Jesus sacrifice was given to all men once for all time. This is our once. And he's saying, make sure you understand how deeply serious true Christianity is. And you've got to admire the Apostle Paul for having the strength to be able to say this. In the midst of showing them the importance of Jesus, he reminds them, you're Christians, you're already Christians. You have this great power and great privilege within you. Make sure you hold onto it. He continues by encouraging the Hebrew Christians in light of this serious warning. So he doesn't just give the warning and just let them stew on it. He encourages them.

Scripture Reading (00:41:18): Hebrew 6:9-10: "But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints."

Rick (00:41:36): He's talking to them about their past and he's talking to them about the Christian things they've already done and he says, beloved, we're convinced of better things concerning you. I'm telling you this because it's a fact you need to know, but I'm not looking at you in this way. I'm showing you that I know your works. I know you as Christians and I know that you love God through Christ. So he's building them up in a very powerful way in this 6th chapter. Paul continues he goes back to their common base of credibility in the oath and in the word of God Himself. Back to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6:18 says, "So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope that is set before us."

Rick (00:42:29): So what the apostle is saying here is, there's two unchangeable things. I've shown you all of this basis, all of these things. I've shown you the Law and angels and prophets and scriptures and Moses and the priesthood and Aaron and Melchizedek. But there's two unchangeable things; the word of God and the promise of God. Those cannot ever be argued with. So he's saying that God put this in place. We have no business looking at it any other way. So when looking at provoking without being provocative, with a clearly presented picture that the apostle's laid out, he's telling us now to focus on the seriousness of needed growth. It is serious, while deeply encouraging the brotherhood in love and in compassion based on their own track record and on that common base of credibility. You encourage them, you build them up. In this case, the Apostle Paul pulls no punches as to the conditions of the narrow way. And he shows confidence in the Hebrew Christians' ability to rely on God's grace and overcome. With common credibility and a focus on moving forward, we can provoke to love and good works. It's very easy to do that if we stay on target. Without the common credibility, a focus on moving forward, it's just a cause to argue. Briefly, let's look at Hebrews 7. Paul again reestablishes their common base of credibility and shows how change must of necessity come. Hebrews 7.

Scripture Reading (00:44:00): Hebrews 7:1-2: "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 apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils."

Rick (00:44:14): There you have Melchizedek explained a little bit more in some very important detail. Abraham paid Melchizedek tithes, Abraham the father of faith. This is how important Melchizedek was. Psalm 110:4 talks about the priesthood of Melchizedek, and Paul is about to reveal what that means. So he's alluding to Psalm 110:4 in the next scripture, Hebrews 7:11: "Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not the order of Aaron?" In other words, the Aaronic priesthood, the priesthood that was part of the Law, couldn't get the job done for eternity. It got the job done temporarily. The Melchizedek priesthood was the eternal one. This is God's plan. Psalm 110:4 mentions that Jesus, the anointed, is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. It shows us. So the apostle again says the Old Testament says, look who's most important. It's Jesus. No matter how you cut it, Jesus is always most important. Paul continues and places Jesus firmly in the center of God's plan, this time by virtue of this everlasting priesthood of Melchizedek.

Scripture Reading (00:45:40): Hebrews 7:24-27: "But Jesus, on the other hand, because he continues forever, holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them... Who does not need daily... To offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this he did once for all."

Rick (00:46:03): Jesus didn't need to follow through on what the offerings of the priesthood were previously because he was perfect and his offering took care of the sins of all the people. The priesthood had to take care of their own sins as well as the sins of the people. This was permanent. And again, he says it's all about Jesus. And have you noticed that as he's building this credibility, it's always all about Jesus. No matter what he talks about in that common base of credibility, it's all about Jesus. So what can we learn, provoking without being provocative? Well, Paul has pointed to the deep issues of spiritual truth. And again, he reestablishes that common base of credibility with another detail with Melchizedek and Abraham. And he frames it in the context of the future. So Paul reconnects the Hebrew Christians with the Old Testament priesthoods (plural), Melchizedek and the priesthood of the Law, and introduces Jesus as fulfillment of both of these. He is the priest now and forever. He's creating an argument that is indisputable when you see the power of Jesus' life. He's doing it patiently and using what they know and showing what they know to have a meaning that is beyond what they thought. With common credibility and focus on a deep need to change, we can provoke to love and good works. Without common credibility, focusing on a deep need to change creates havoc. It creates argument. Let's make sure we see it the way the apostle is showing us to see it. A base of common credibility cannot be understated. If we only remember one thing from Paul's approach, this would be it. Paul has been building the argument for Jesus with steady momentum. What's the conclusion? What's the conclusion he's driving towards? Paul has gone through the comparisons of the Old Testament Law with Jesus many times and in many ways, and each time he's become more and more firm. You can see that firmness just growing as he goes. He will continue this pattern and then he will conclude with the most important things, which are mutual Christian love and faithfulness to our calling. So the firmness grows and the base continues to expand. And now we go on to Hebrews 8. And I've just got to say, just time out for a minute. We're in the eighth chapter of Hebrews and this is this podcast. Did you ever think we could get to eight chapters in one podcast? This surprises even me, just saying. Hebrews 8. Paul is blunt, basically saying, okay, the old, it's out, the new, it's in, and the new is built around guess who? Jesus. Not around the Law. Hebrews 8:5-6 starts out saying, "The high priests serve a copy and shadow of heavenly things."

Rick (00:49:14): They serve a copy and shadow of heavenly things, verse 6. "But Now he (Jesus) 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." So now he's looking at the Law Covenant that they knew, and he said it was a copy and shadow of heavenly things, and that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant. When you go further, this was a point that they couldn't argue. The Law was not able to bring them to perfection. It couldn't, it was not possible, and they all knew it. This was a point that they ought to to agree with, to say, yeah, you know, here we are, and we're still not able to do it through the Law. Hebrews 8:13: "When he said, A new covenant, he has made the first obsolete (Some powerful words). But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing older is ready to disappear."

Rick (00:50:15): So now the apostle's argument gets deeper and stronger and he's saying, all the things I've told you about the Law Covenant, it's obsolete. Why? Because that which is new is here to replace it. So Hebrews 8, we look at that and when we see it through the eyes of provoking without being provocative, here's what we get. Guess what's first? Based on your common base of credibility; what is that now? The Law Covenant. Restate the higher spiritual truths with even greater conviction. Yes, the Law Covenant served a tremendous purpose and now it's become obsolete. In this case, Paul clearly states that the old covenant, the Law Covenant and the old priesthood will undoubtedly end being replaced with Jesus as the clear mediator of the New Covenant. That's what he mediates. It's new, it's different. These are Christians, they're Hebrew Christians who want to take the Law with them.

Rick (00:51:14): And now they're faced with the facts that the Law is obsolete. The apostle has shown them through all of these chapters and all of this reasoning with a common base of credibility. And again, it's such an important thing. With a common base of credibility, strong conviction for change can provoke to love and good works. Without a common base of credibility, our strong convictions just make people walk away. It makes people's eyes roll and ears close. We don't want to do that with the brotherhood. We want to identify. We have to work patiently, calmly, quietly, wisely, and spiritually, and scripturally to be able to do just that. Let's look briefly at chapter 9. Hebrews 9, Paul reviews the Tabernacle to set up his next point of strong conviction. So now he brings the Tabernacle into the picture, the Tabernacle. It's not enough that he brought everything else. Now we've got the Tabernacle,

Scripture Reading (00:52:21): Hebrews 9:6-7: "The priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second only the high priest enters, once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance."

Rick (00:52:37): So we've got now the Tabernacle being brought up and this was another very sacred, very important, very, very significant part of their faith. So he's just said the Law's obsolete and now he brings the Tabernacle up, because you've got the sacredness of approaching God into the second, into the Holy. The high priest enters into the second Holy, I'm sorry, the Most Holy, the high priest enters only once a year, but he has to have blood with him because it is to cover him and the people from their sins. Paul's highlighting their most sacred and important rituals that connected them with God. Let's just stop here for just a quick moment. The apostle's gone through everything. He's talked about angels, he's talked about prophets, he talked about Moses, he talked about Abraham, he's talked about Melchizedek, he's talked about the priesthood, he's talked about the old covenant versus the new. He's put it all in place and now the Tabernacle is the centerpiece. He's leaving no stone unturned. And each time he goes back to what they know and understand, and he raises its meaning to focus on Jesus. He's highlighting these sacred things and then he goes further in Hebrews 9 and he gives them the full fulfillment of what the Tabernacle was all about. And I don't have to tell you because you know already. It was all about Jesus. Hebrews 9:12: "...and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, he (Jesus) entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." So the message is powerful. Jesus fulfilled the Tabernacle. He fulfilled what the angels were doing, what the prophets talked about. He fulfilled what Moses said, what Abraham said, the promises, the priesthood, all of it. He's the fulfillment of all of it. Eternal redemption through his blood. Paul doesn't stop there. He will now drive this point home as he shows the Old Testament sacrifices to picture Jesus. Back to Hebrews chapter 9.

Scripture Reading (00:54:53): Hebrews 9:24-26: "For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us...but now once at the consummation of the ages, he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

Rick (00:55:12): By the sacrifice of himself. He didn't go into some place, he went to heaven. It's the final step. It's showing unequivocally the power that the Law was there to do. It was there to bring us to Christ. He's showing the Hebrew Christians unequivocally how magnificent the role Jesus plays is. And how does he show them? Quietly, methodically by showing them things that they can all agree on and that they all understand, and building the reasoning. Provoking without being provocative in chapter 9; having again restated that higher spiritual truth with great conviction (and there's great conviction in the way the apostle's talking now), he explains it based on the common base of credibility. One more time; the common base of credibility. But each time we talk about it, it's a different part of the base of credibility. You see how patient he is in saying it's all about Jesus.

Rick (00:56:18): So in this case, Paul reviews the Tabernacle arrangement and powerfully explains its spiritual fulfillment in Jesus. Once again folks, with a common base of credibility, powerful teaching can provoke to love and good works, because you take it and you restate it in different ways to show the commonality that we have. But without that common base of credibility, our powerful teaching, all it does is provoke. All it does is make arguments. We can't go there. Hebrews 10, that's our final chapter for this episode. Paul lays out the shortfall of the Law, contrasted with the efficacy, with the value of Jesus' own sacrifice. Hebrews 10.

Scripture Reading (00:57:01): Hebrews 10:1, 4-6: "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come, can never by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make perfect those who draw near. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when he comes into the world, he says, sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for me; in whole burnt offerings for sin You have taken no pleasure."

Rick (00:57:28): So the apostle is very clearly delineating that the blood of bulls and goats was a temporary measure, but it could never take away sins. We know it was Jesus who took away sins. And again, he quotes another Old Testament scripture. He quotes Psalm 40:6. This is plain truth. This verse shows us that everything about the Old Testament, about the Law, about the promises, about the prophets, about the angels, about the priesthoods led to Jesus. Paul now continues to explain that because of the true cleansing power of Jesus' sacrifice, his followers are now priests in the Holy. This is powerful, this is big because now he's focusing on those Hebrew Christians as being priests in the Holy. They would understand the sacredness of this. As priests, he's saying we must positively provoke one another. And here's where we get to our theme scripture as we look at a few more verses in Hebrews 10.

Scripture Reading (00:58:32): Hebrews 10:19-21,24,25: "Therefore brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God...let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as it is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near."

Rick (00:59:01): Encourage one another. Why? Because we go into this holy place, which is by Jesus. And we are priests together. And by being priests together, that means you're about the exact same work and we can't be separated if we're priests together under Jesus. So let's encourage one another. He's got this powerful unifying message to conclude bringing them to Christ. One last set of verses. Paul again recalls the Hebrew Christians very strong and severely tested previous faithfulness. And this is a beautiful way to end this portion of Paul's teaching because he's gone through all of that common base of credibility and showing them all the things that they believed in. And now he talks about them and their example, their personal example of faithfulness. Listen to what he says about them.

Scripture Reading (00:59:58): Hebrews 10:32-36: "But remember the former days, when after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."

Rick (01:00:32): He talks about their history, their history as Christians, their history of being willing to endure great conflict and suffering, having sympathy with those who were taken prisoner, accepting joyfully the seizure of their property, knowing that they had an everlasting home in heaven. He's saying, don't throw away your confidence. You have such great works in Christ, such great sacrifices. Remember, Jesus is the center. Don't go back, go forward. He's shown them and he loves them. And this is the bottom-line motivation. His love for them brings him to this. One final point, provoking without being provocative. Having explained the higher spiritual truths, truths based on common credibility, okay, and I'm going to add a very comprehensive common credibility. He focuses in on the core issue in love, restating the value of those with whom he is discussing. He shows them unequivocally, I know your faithfulness.

Rick (01:01:40): I love your faithfulness. You inspire me. Let's walk together. Let's encourage one another. The apostle here is simple. It's simple. What he's saying is simple; Paul, he's clear. Only Jesus takes away sins and lifts us up higher. Let's therefore unify and encourage one another. You, these Hebrew Christians, are now in the Holy as priests and are certainly worthy brethren, just as the rest of the brethren are. You don't need the Law. You need Jesus. With that base of comprehensive common credibility, changing others' perspectives can provoke to love and good works. Without common, comprehensive, common credibility, changing others' perspectives just creates an argument. Folks, as we look at what the apostle has done here, let's take it for what it's worth. He has shown the Hebrew Christians what they had always believed in was incredibly valuable and was true and served incredible purpose, but it was temporary, because every single thing led to Jesus. And his point was, don't take that which has done its work already into that which needs to be done now. It's the work of Christ that needs to be done now. Stay focused on that. Be faithful to Jesus and let the Law teach you how to do that. Think about it. Folks, listen. We love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, "Is God an Angry God?" Talk to you next week.

Final Notes (01:03:23): Copyright @2023 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.