Join us for an enlightening episode where we explore the depths of Christ’s superiority in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Discover how the study of the Word can transform lives through inspiring testimonies from listeners in India. We delve into the unique ministry of home groups and their role in spreading the message to unreached languages, as discussed by Steve Schwetz and Greg Harris.
The foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God.
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Jesus Christ is our refuge. That’s what Dr. J. Vernon McGee shares with us as we continue our study of Christ’s superiority in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Welcome to Through the Bible. I’m Steve Schwetz, inviting you aboard the Bible bus. And as you get settled, Greg Harris and I have got a quick update on our mission of taking God’s whole word to the whole world.
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And as all of our listening family knows, we are media agnostic. We just have all different ways of spreading the Word of God, flinging the seed. And today we want to focus on just one of those, which is home groups.
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Yes, such a significant ministry. I’m excited about all the ministries through the Bible, but this one in particular. Here’s one, a testimony from Pinky in Rosh Hassan, India. And he listens in Bagri. And that’s only a language of about 2 million people, which is an interesting side note. It’s really too small to justify going on radio and spending all the money for that. But it’s a very good language to get into because not that many people speak it. And guess what? Nobody else is going into that language.
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And how about a church of 2 million people? When you look at it that way, even if a fourth of them joined it, you’d have half a million people. So, yeah, it’s a wonderful opportunity. And home groups are a great cost-effective and ministry-effective way to reach them.
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Yeah, here’s Pinky’s story. I withdrew from church and started to backslide. However, because of the word of God that we continually feed upon in our group, I am no longer afraid to witness my faith to others. God has used me to share about his love and glory even amidst a big crowd.
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Wow. And you might have noticed he called it a radio home group. And you and I had to go through our own learning curve on this. We would say to our partners, it’s not a radio, it’s a media player. But to the users, they call it a radio because they turn it on and hear a radio program.
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But in fact, it’s a digital player.
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Exactly. So it actually has all the benefits of a radio that you’re hearing a program with a welcome and a close like this one, but you can hear it anytime you want as many times.
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Yeah. Greg, why don’t you read this next one from Howry and Karnataka?
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Yes, he listens in the Tulu language that has about 1.8 million speakers, just like we talked about with Bagri. Not a big enough language to broadcast. It’s too expensive, but this is a great way to get God’s Word. And he says this, I thank God for the opportunity to study His Word. My family and I are delighted to listen to and meditate on God’s Word, and notice this, Steve, in our mother tongue. Yeah, that’s key. We’ll talk about that after we read this letter. Each verse explained has enriched our understanding and helped us approach our studies in a new light. The Bible has guided us to live a more righteous life for the Lord each day. The audio presentation is clear and excellent, enhancing our learning experience. We are growing steadily in our knowledge of God’s word. Heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in producing this invaluable message.
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Yeah, such an encouragement. And Greg, we’re almost out of time, but the significance of these small languages, these heart languages, I don’t think we really have an appreciation for them unless you are monolinguistic like me and you. If you speak multiple languages, the language that you learned in your youth, the first language that you developed is really your heart language. And getting into these small languages allows us to minister to people in their heart languages. Greg, why don’t you pray for us?
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Father, thank you that we get the unspeakable privilege of bringing your word to people in their mother tongues. We pray you’ll help guide us and provide for us to keep doing that for more people around the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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We’re ready to dive into Hebrews 6 on Through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
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Now, friends, as we come to the seventh chapter here, we’ve come to actually the section that Paul, if he’s the writer, was very much concerned about these people here. As you know, as we went through this section, we saw that there were two danger signals put up right here together. There was the peril of being dull of hearing and the peril of departing. Actually, departing to the extent that they’d lose their reward. They wouldn’t go on with the Lord Jesus. And if you’ll notice that it’s all in relation to the Word of God from the very beginning. There was a danger of doubting. There was a danger of drifting. And as they began to drift, neglecting the Word of God, not listening now to the Son of God as He speaks, then they came to a place of doubting. And you can’t study the Word of God and stay in it and doubt. The important thing is the study of the Word increases our faith. And therefore, they took that second step of doubting. And then it wasn’t long until they reached the place of just being dull of hearing. They didn’t understand. And they were babes. And then there came the day when their lives were such that they could never live a life that would command the gospel of Jesus Christ, never be a real witness for him. And there’s a real danger in that, as we’ve seen. And so he speaks here in this seventh chapter now, as he’s come to the subject that he said, I’d like to serve you a nice porterhouse steak. and we’ll finish our salad, let us, let us. Now he says, I want to lead you into that truth. Now the question comes up as we get to chapter 7 today. Here’s a test for you. Here’s a barometer. Here’s a Geiger counter to put down on your life. What is this chapter, in fact, what is the rest of Hebrews going to mean to you? For now we’ve come to this subject today, and a subject that is really neglected in the church. Even in evangelistic churches, they talk a great deal about the death and resurrection of Christ. And that’s wonderful. But, my friend, we need to go on. To a living Christ who is at this moment in God’s right hand. Now, if he rose from the dead, he’s somewhere today. And he’s at God’s right hand. And he has a ministry there for us. Now, the reality of that ministry for you and me is really what tests our spiritual life. Now, he comes back to make the comparison and actually contrast of the priesthood of Melchizedek and also of Aaron. Now, will you notice with Melchizedek, it’s the person. And with Aaron, it is the work of the priest that the comparison is made. Now, in verse 1, and I’m reading now, For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Now, this is very important for us to see. And I want to note first the little word for. Now, that little word is cement. It holds what’s been said with what’s going to come for this Melchizedek. And it takes us back to the 20th verse. And actually, we need really to move back to verse 17. And that’s Hebrews 6. And I’m going over that now rapidly. I’m reading verse 17 of chapter 6. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. Now, when God does a thing like this, and he doesn’t need to take an oath, but he does, he makes it very clear that this is important. This is all important. And he’d have you and me know that it is all important. And he says here that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay halt upon the hope set before us. Now, we call attention here to these two immutable things. the death and resurrection of Christ, and then his ascension and intercession for us today. These are four great facts that give us an assurance, and it has given us a refuge that we can lay hold of. Now, the minute he mentions that, it calls to mind the reference back in, well, it’s in the book of Numbers, Deuteronomy, In fact, if you want the reference back in chapter 35 of Numbers and Deuteronomy 19 and the 20th and 21st chapters of Joshua, there were cities of refuge. And those cities of refuge are types of Christ. sheltering the sinner from death. And it’s a very marvelous thing that they did. You see, one could flee to one of these cities if he had accidentally killed someone. And maybe the one he killed has a hot-headed brother, and he’s going to get vengeance. Well, this party can flee to a city of refuge. Then he can be tried by his peers, his elders. And if he is declared free, Then he’s acquitted, and he can leave the protection of the city of refuge now. That is, after the death of the high priest, that was high priest when it happened, and a new high priest comes along. And boy, what a picture this is for us. This reveals that Christ is our refuge today. I have already been carried into court, into God’s courts. And may I say the trial was a trial that found me guilty. I was a sinner. And the penalty that was leveled against me was death. And by the way, it’s already been executed. Christ bore that for me, you see. He died. Now I’m free. As this man now can leave the city of refuge, I’m free. I’m delivered. I’m delivered from the penalty of sin. Never have to answer for it again. I’m free now to go out and serve him. And now I actually have a new high priest that I can go to. The resurrected Christ now. And I can go to him. You see what we’ve gotten into now? We’ve gotten into what’s known as tithes. And a great many people don’t like tithe. That’s the thing, you see, that’s the beefsteak. Babes like milk. They like these nice little sermonettes on the 23rd Psalm and about the Sermon on the Mount. And you must be a nice little boy and you must be good. And if you do all those things and you’re, you know, a sort of a decent citizen that doesn’t get in trouble or get too many traffic tickets, then you’re one that’s a candidate for salvation. In fact, God’s going to pat you on the back and you’re going to be like that little, was it little Tommy Tucker called for his supper? But somebody else has sat in the corner. Little Jack Horner, he sat in the corner at a zit and he was eating a piece of pie. He reached in his thumb, he pulled out a plum and he said, what a smart boy am I. We got our churches filled with little Jack Horners reaching into the pie, and they’re saying they’re a smart boy. My friend, may I say to you, that’s baby stuff. That’s a nice glass of milk for you. But how about trying a porterhouse steak now? And you need the protein, by the way. If you’re going to grow and grace and reach maturation now, and we’re going to deal with a type. This is a picture of my Savior. This is a picture book. And now this is something I’m to look upon. Somebody says, but is that scriptural? Will you listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, 11? He says, all these things happened unto them for examples. The word in the Greek is types, literally. It’s types. And they are written for our admonition upon whom the end or the consummation of the ages is come. Those things have been written, just certain things, and there were millions of things that could have been recorded in the past, but God did not record those things. He recorded these things because these are the things that can enable you to grow. and the knowledge of the Word of God. And therefore, this is a wonderful type. This is a wonderful picture. Now, he goes on to say in verse 19, “…which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. Whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Now, We have a high priest. He’s gone within the veil. And he sat down at the right hand of God. Now, the difference between Aaron and the Lord Jesus Christ is this. And I say this reverently. Poor old Aaron never did sit down. When he’s serving, there were no seats in the tabernacle. There was a mercy seat. But God was there. And old Aaron, he hurried in, hurried out. He didn’t spend time there. But you and I have got a superior high priest. He’s gone in. He sat down. He has a finished redemption. He’s presented his blood there. And today there’s a mercy seat. And he’s our intercessor there. Now we’re talking about beefsteaks, friend. We’re not talking about drinking a little milk now. Arguing about some little doctrine today. And about whether I do this or do that. We’re talking now about our great high priest. I’m reading again. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Now, there’s something else here. The critic today does not like dispensation. He says, my, he’s against that. The denomination that I was brought up in has made that a heresy today, this matter of dispensation. And many preachers won’t mention it. I mention it because the Bible even uses the term. And these are the different ages you see. Now, you need to look over this. Back in the Old Testament, You had Aaron as the high priest and you had a literal tabernacle down here. We today have a literal high priest and he’s not ministering in any building down here. He’s up yonder at God’s right hand and he’s there right now. What kind of faith do you have today, friends? Have you been growing in grace? Has Jesus Christ at God’s right hand become a reality to you today? We’re talking now about a steakhouse. I want to take you to dinner. And a great many people say, I eat dinner with you. All right, let’s have steak today. I know meat’s always very high, isn’t it? Very expensive. God furnishes this for us. And he says it’s without money and it’s without price. Now, we have here then this very wonderful picture of Melchizedek. Now, actually, we have a reference to him back under in the Old Testament. And it’s just one reference back there in the 14th chapter of the book of Genesis. And frankly, I would have forgotten about him, but the Spirit of God didn’t forget about him. And now we come to the 110th Psalm, and there’s a prophecy about him that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, he is the priest after the order of Melchizedek, and he’s coming. Now he’s come, and you and I are living in the day of his priesthood. So here in Hebrews, we have quite a few references to him. Someone, I think, has said there are ten references to him. Here are nine or ten verses. And, for instance, go back to chapter 5, just for a minute now, verses 5 and 6. So Christ… Also glorified not himself to be made a high priest, but he that spake unto him, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. He saith also in another place, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And then again in the 10th verse, he’s named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. And I come over to chapter 6 and verse 20, whether as a forerunner, Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And now we have this statement here in chapter 7. And he’s really going to talk about him now. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. Now, I really think that the very key of chapter 7, you’d have to go down in the chapter to verse 17. And there we’d read this, for he testifieth, or he witnesses, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, we’re going to look at Christ as a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Now, that means that we need to know all we can know about Melchizedek. We’ve talked about him before. Now, we see here several things about him. In the first three verses, Christ is a perpetual priest because he’s after Melchizedek. And then in verses 4 to 22, Christ is a perfect priest. And then you come down to verses 23 to 28, Christ in his person is perpetual, a perpetual and perfect priest. So that now we’re looking at the priesthood of Christ. And that’s the work of Christ I find greatly neglected today in the church. Now let’s go back to chapter 14 of Genesis. And I want to turn back to that chapter and look at it because we have a lot said here. Well, we have a lot said about a lot. If you want to play on words, you understand that Lot had moved down to Sodom. And then we have a record in Genesis 14. This is a remarkable chapter, by the way, in many ways. It records the first war. And here you have the kings of the east. They formed a confederacy and they came together against the kings of the west. That is, those that were around the Dead Sea. And those that came from the east, well, they won. And they were lugging off the people as slaves and the wealth of the city as booty. And word was brought to Abram that his nephew Lot was being carried away into captivity. And so Abraham did a rather unusual thing. He was able to arm about 318. That means he had quite a household. And that means with each man that he could arm must have been one woman and a child at least. That would mean that he had about a thousand that served and under him. So he takes these 318, and by surprise of fact, he was able to get a victory over the kings of the east. And all he was concerned about was just rescuing Lot. But in so doing, he was able to rescue the king of Sodom and all the Sodomites. That was nothing to brag about. and all the others. We’re told verse 17 now of Genesis 14, the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter, Shadorlai Amer, and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Sheva, which is the king’s dale. Now, this man Abraham, I would say, is in grave danger here because the king of Sodom and Gomorrah are going to really make him an offer. And that would more or less make him an ally with them. And Abraham was entirely separated from it. And then out of nowhere, we read, “…and Melchizedek, king of Salem.” Now, it’s been supposed that Salem was Jerusalem. And may I say to you that actually, I do not think that’s true at all. Because Salem here actually is not a place… But the word Salem means peace. And we get that in verse 2 of chapter 7 of Hebrews. To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all. first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Doesn’t say he’s king of Jerusalem. He’s king of peace. This is the man that could make peace in that day. Now, that’s the thing that is important about this man, Melchizedek. He’s king of Salem, and I’m sure he had a place somewhere, but it doesn’t mean Jerusalem. It could be any place. He’s king of peace. And there’s something else. He’s the priest of the Most High God. And he’s also king of righteousness, for that’s what Melchizedek means. Melech is a Hebrew word meaning king, and zedek means righteousness. Jeremiah speaks of Jehovah- our righteousness. And so here we have this king of peace, and he’s king of righteousness, and he’s the priest of the Most High God. We’re not going to be left in the dark about that very long, you see. And that’s very important to see. He’s the priest of the Most High God. And the very interesting thing is that he came out to meet this man Abraham, And the thing he did, he brought out bread and wine. And here are these two old worthies, these patriarchs, Melchizedek and Abraham, celebrating the Lord’s Supper. They are looking forward to the coming of Christ. Just 2,000 years before Christ came, and you and I meet today, and we partake of bread and wine, and we look back to the coming of Christ 2,000 years ago. So here are these two worthies, and they’re celebrating the Lord’s Supper. I don’t ask me to explain it. I can’t explain it. I just call your attention to it here. This is something that we stand in profound awe and wonder and worship here. This is where faith treads on a high place. Here’s where we’re having that steak dinner we were talking about. Oh, may God make these things real to our hearts. Now, until next time, and we’ll pursue this, may God richly bless you.
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Isn’t the book of Hebrews amazing? Call and request a pack of our Listen Bible Bus Passes about the size of a business card. Each one has a QR code that directs to the daily lesson and our website. They’re free when you call 1-800-65-BIBLE. Again, that’s 1-800-65-BIBLE. Now, our study of Hebrews continues, so catch the Bible Bus on our app, online at ttb.org, or on your favorite Christian radio station. I’m Steve Schwetz, and I’ll save you a seat.
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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.
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