Scripture: Hebrews 13:5-8; Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews
6:17-20
Today is Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate the Lord’s glorious entry into
the city where He would shortly be condemned by the very people He had come to
save. Jesus knew what the Father’s plan
would soon require of Him, but while His humanity would want to avoid the world’s
condemnation (Luke22:39-44), His divinity could never deny the eternal plan that had been in place since before the beginning. He
knew that the fate of humanity hung in the balance, and that His submission to
both their hatred and their eternal need was the only chance they had.
We know all about change – it is a constant part of our lives! The old saying is certainly true, that “the
only thing that is certain in life is change!”
But when it comes to God, “change” is a foreign concept to Him. For God, He knows about both growth and
decay, but when it comes to the ultimate plan for His creation, that is the one
constant that we can always depend on.
We may change in so many ways, but God and His ways never will.
Read Hebrews 13:5-8
First, this passage begins, not with a condemnation of financial
benefits, but rather against other, more general worldly goods. It’s addressing our dependency on material
possessions, upon the world’s standards for success, and especially upon our
greed for more and more “stuff”. The
author of Hebrews is reminding us that we shouldn’t be so focused on how much more we
can get, but instead, on being “content” with all that the LORD has already
given us. The things of earth, those things we tend to trust, are just
as susceptible to change as we are! For within the blink of an eye, they will always let us down.
But God, He is never changing, and His word is just as reliable! Those words that we read in this book aren’t
new to the world– the LORD first gave them to Israel through the words we find in Deuteronomy 31:6, and He would remind the people of this
truth over and over again throughout scripture.
The word of God is absolute and eternal - it never changes, and it never
contradicts itself. The promise that the
LORD is with us always also includes His promise to never leave us dependent
on our own resources and abilities. The
power and strength of God will always be with us to support us, and nourish us,
and provide for our every need. And all
that this promise requires on our part is faith – a faith that trusts solely in
God, and believes that Jesus Christ is our only hope for eternal life.
The second point of this passage tells us that we are part of a greater
community, and that the faithful, not just recognized leaders of the church, but
rather all who live a true life in Christ, are to be trusted in the things they
say and teach and live. But how do we
know if they are actually following the ways that Christ exhibited? By seeing if their lives reflect the life
that the gospels proclaim!
And the example has been set before us – that by the life and teaching of
Jesus, He will sustain us through the most terrible storms that earth can bring. He is the certainty in our faith, He is the
eternal life that faith will lead us to, He is the one whose word will never
change, and His love for the sinners of earth will always be great and will never
diminish.
Read Psalm 102:25-27
This Psalm, whose author is unknown, proclaims the eternity of the LORD. First, He was before the beginning – He actually
laid the foundations for all of creation before the created order was
even begun. God had a purpose for all
that He would do through creation, and that purpose would be the basis for all
that He would bring to our lives. The
writer then proclaims that this wonderful order will not last – that even
though it is created by the eternal God, creation itself will not be eternal.
But that doesn’t mean that some day there will be nothing! Revelation 21:1- 5 tells us that
God will “make all things new”, and that
a new heaven and a new earth will come after the old ones have passed
away. God’s gift of creation will
change, and yet, God will not pass, and God will not become new, and God will
not change in any possible way!
But the best part is that we will be embraced by the new that comes from
God, as well as by the eternal God Himself, whose “years will never end”.
Read Hebrews 6:17-20
Have you ever thought about how God could possibly take an oath? In the movie “O God”, George Burns, who plays
God, is called to testify in a court of law.
Now anyone who has ever been called to testify knows that, before you
are seated in the court, you are asked “Do you swear to tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” George Burns, as God, was asked this same
question in the movie, and he replies “So help me, Me!”
In
the verse preceding this passage (:16), we read about the significance of an
oath – that it is made in the name of one who is greater than we are. So since God’s oath, as indicated in this
passage, could never have been made in the name of a greater Being, the LORD just wants us
to know that He is telling “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth”, as if He could ever do otherwise!
And the promise for those who are not direct members of the family of
Israel, is that all can receive the same blessing that Israel has been promised. But in order to receive it, we must “flee”
from the lies of earth before we can ever “take hold” of the hope that exists
in Christ Jesus. And why must we flee? It isn’t because of our fear of those
other ways, but out of the hope we know exists in the Christ.
And the reference to the High Priest Melchizedek is also important. This priest lived in the days of Abram, whom
he blessed after a victory in combat. (Genesis 14:17-20) He, Melchizedek, was a priest of Almighty God
before Israel ever existed, and we read that Jesus has assumed that same
position for the benefit of all. And now
we read that the Hope of God has entered the “sanctuary behind to curtain”. In the temple, this was the area where it was
believed that Jehovah God resided, and the only person who was allowed to enter
this area was the High Priest. Jesus, as
God, as well as the High Priest of earth, has absolute authority to go wherever and do whatever He deems necessary, for the express purpose of carrying out the will and plan
of God the Father.
The difference between Jesus and Melchizedek, though, is that Jesus is
the last and eternal High Priest of God, “a High Priest Forever”. The Three Persons of the Trinity are eternal
and unchanging. Who they are at the
beginning, and who they will be in the forever, is exactly and perfectly the
same. God is who He is, then, now, and
always. And that is a promise confirmed
in His oath to each and every one of us..
And on this Palm Sunday, even though it comes in a time of great
suffering and fear for both our nation and the world, the Hope of God continues
to be with all who will put their trust in the eternal God of Hope
– Jesus the Christ.
May He enter
triumphantly into the hearts and spirits of all who will “flee” the coming wrath,
and rejoice in the love and purpose of our Lord and Savior.
May He be glorified – always!
