The Power Of An Indestructible Life

Hebrews 7:13-19 - For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.


Revelation 5:5 - And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Psalm 110:4 - The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Galatians 3:21 - Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

Hebrews 10:1,19-22 - For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near…Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 3:5-6 - Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Colossians 1:3-8 - We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

Application:

· Jesus has triumphed
· Christ is king-priest in the order of Melchizedek
· The law reveals sin which alienates me from God and shows that I need salvation
· The sacrifice prescribed by the law prefigured Christ’s ultimate sacrifice
· Failure to persevere reveals that a person is actually not a child of God, whereas perseverance is the hallmark of His children
· Because Christ our high priest has experienced human temptation, He stands ready to give immediate and sympathetic help when we are tempted
· To draw near to God, I need to show allegiance to Him, faith without hesitation, freedom from guilt and inner cleansing
· I have a hope stored up for me in heaven

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Life

Amos 2:10,12-3:2 - I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites… “But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. “Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain. The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life. The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life. Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the LORD. Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the LORD has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: “You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Ecclesiastes 9:11 - I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

Application:

· Do I show utter disdain for God's faithful servants? Am I calloused and insensitive to God's working among His servants?
· Success is uncertain--I do not ultimately control events!!!
· Do God's great blessings to me in the past add to my guilt? Does God recall them to indict me?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Take Hold Of The Life

1 Timothy 6:12,19-21 - Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses…In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.

Conclusions:

• Timothy had possessed eternal life since he had first been saved, but Paul urges him to claim its benefits in greater fullness
• When you made your good confession is probably a reference to Timothy’s confession of faith at his baptism during Paul’s first missionary journey

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Take Hold Of The Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:12-16 - Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

John 18:36 - Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Conclusions:

• Timothy had possessed eternal life since he had first been saved, but Paul urges him to claim its benefits in greater fullness
• When you made your good confession is probably a reference to Timothy’s confession of faith at his baptism during Paul’s first missionary journey
• God alone saves, but Christians can be God’s instruments to bring about the salvation of others
• Salvation is both an event and a process
• We are saved at the time of conversion but are still being saved in the sense of being made more conformed to Christ’s image
• Jesus agrees that He has a kingdom, but asserts that it is not the kind of kingdom that has soldiers to fight for it
• Jesus’ kingdom was not built, nor is it maintained, by military might

Application:

• Are you fighting the good fight of the faith?
• Are you God's instrument to bring about the salvation of others?
• Are you in Jesus' kingdom?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Heirs With You Of The Gracious Gift Of Life

1 Peter 3:1-2,7-8 - Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives…Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Ephesians 5:25-27 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Romans 15:5-6 - May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:10,15 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves…Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

1 Peter 2:11,13-14,21 - Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul…Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right…To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Philippians 2:1-2,6-7 - If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose…Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

1 Corinthians 12:26 - If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 - Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

Colossians 3:12 - Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Conclusions:

• Submit, love, show no partiality, be united, encourage, honor, be compassionate, be kind, be humble, be gentle, be patient

Application:

• Do you treat your spouse with love or respect?
• Do you glorify Gof the Father with your heart and mouth?
• Do you honor others above yourself?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Life

1 John 5:12 - He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John 3:14-16, 36 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

Conclusions:

• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• God so loved the world is the great truth that motivated God’s plan of salvation
• The world is all people on earth—or perhaps all creation
• Although believers are also called sons of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique sense
• Eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later
• God’s wrath is a strong expression, meaning that God is actively opposed to everything evil
• A sinner cannot expect God’s wrath to eventually fade away
• God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent

Application:

• Do you believe in Him?
• Are you called a son of God?
• Do you see eternal life as a present possession?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Has GIven Us Eternal Life

1 John 5:7-11 - For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

John 3:14-15, 33, 36 - Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life…The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful…Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John 1:4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Conclusions:

• When anyone accepts Christ’s testimony, he accepts the truth that Jesus came from heaven and that God was acting in Him for the world’s salvation
• He thereby certifies that God is truthful
• Life is one of the great concepts of John’s Gospel
• Life is found 36 times in John, while no other New Testament book uses it more than 17 times
• Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is the life
• John’s Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in John’s Gospel
• Eternal life is an infinitely high quality of life in living fellowship with God—both now and forever
• Eternal life is a present possession, not something the believer will only obtain later
• God’s wrath is a strong expression, meaning that God is actively opposed to everything evil
• A sinner cannot expect God’s wrath to eventually fade away
• God’s opposition to evil is both total and permanent

Application:

• Do you accept Christ's testimony?
• Do you see Christ as the light of the world?
• Do you have eternal life?
• Do you see eternal life as a present possession?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Word Of Life

1 John 1:1-3 - That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-2,4 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Timothy 3:16 - Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Conclusions:

• Fellowship is the spiritual union of the believer with Christ—as described in the figures of the vine and branches and the body and the head—as well as communion with the Father and with fellow believers
• The Word was distinct from the Father
• Jesus was God in the fullest sense
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• Jesus not only is life but conveys life to the believer so that death will never triumph over Him
• Jesus is the way to God
• Jesus is not one way among many, but the way
• In the early church, Christianity was sometimes called the Way
• The Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to drive out demons and perform miracles
• Most importantly, the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and thereby vindicated Him, showing that He was indeed the Son of God
• Christ was seen by angels at His resurrection and ascension

Application:

• Are you in spiritual union with Christ?
• Is God's Word meaningful to you?
• Is Christ your hope?
• Does Jesus convey life to you?
• Do you see Jesus as the only way?
• Does Jesus Christ produce piety in you?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible