Our High Priest

1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10 because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

Hebrews 7:1-15

Jesus is our Great High Priest. He entered the Holy Place by offering His own blood as a sacrifice for the propitiation of sins.  Three points about the Savior emanate from Hebrews 7….

**Jessus Has a Royal Priesthood (1)

**Jesus Has a Superior Priesthood (4-10)

Christ is Mediator for All

He is Worthy of Tithes

Our Priest Once for All

**Jesus Has a Unique Priesthood (11-15)

May we give thanks today for our Great High Priest.

Tony French

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The Shallow Heart

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:11-15

This post will briefly discuss the third type of soil Jesus described in Luke 8. The gospel sometimes falls on hearts crowded by worldly concerns, causing its message to be lost amid life’s distractions. Jesus clearly explains this in the passage.

Some seeds fell among thorns, which grew up alongside the good plants and choked them out. This represents hearts preoccupied with life’s worries, riches, and pleasures. The message takes root, but its growth is stunted by competing priorities.

In our modern world, this may be the most relatable scenario. We live in an age of unprecedented leisure time and choices. While not inherently bad, these can become idols that crowd out our spiritual growth. The “thorns” of career ambitions, entertainment, social media, and material pursuits can easily overshadow our commitment to spiritual matters.

Tony French

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Beware

1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallenaway, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

Hebrews 6:1-10

Heed the warnings of Scripture, Child of God. The warnings of the Bible are given for our good and they are meant to protect us. Let us consider these commands and cautions from the Holy Word of God……

**Go Forward With Christ (1)

**Go Forward Learning About Christ (2-3)

**Don’t Forsake The Truth (4-6)

**Realize That If We Fail to Go Forward, We Will Lose Rewards (7-8)

God bless you as you serve your King!

Tony French

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The Shallow Heart

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:11-15

When the gospel seed is sown it falls on different types of hearts. Today, let us take a brief overview of the shall heart. This condition is described in Luke 8:13

The Shallow Heart (Rocky Soil)

Other seeds fell on rocky ground with little soil. They sprang up quickly but withered just as fast due to lack of moisture and depth. This represents those who initially receive the message with joy but have no deep roots. When trials and temptations come, their faith falters and fades away.

We’ve all seen people who appear to embrace faith with great enthusiasm, only to drift away when life gets challenging. Their initial zeal isn’t enough to sustain them through difficult seasons. This reminds us of the importance of cultivating depth in our spiritual lives, not just surface-level excitement.

May we pray for those whose faith has faded. Our hope is for the glory of the gospel to shine through so that those with shallow hearts would be saved. Lord, grant our request.

Tony French

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Maturity

 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:9-14                  

Three important lessons emerge from the end of Hebrews 5. The writer of Hebrews directs Believers to grow in the faith and move into spiritual maturity. Let us all heed the words of the Bible. Those words are indeed wonderful words that give us spiritual life in a darkened world.

As Christians….

**We Should Be Quick To Learn (11-12)

**We Should Grow In Christ (13)

**We Should Be Mature (14)

Blessings upon you all!

Tony French

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The Hardened Heart

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:11-15

As the Word of God is distributed, it falls on the hearts of the hearers. Some will receive the “gospel seed” and many will not. Let’s delve deeper into this heart condition mentioned in Luke 8:4-5, 12

**The Hardened Heart (The Wayside)

Some seeds fell on the hardened path where people frequently walked. These seeds had no chance to take root and were quickly devoured by birds. This represents hearts that have become calloused and unreceptive to spiritual truths. The message bounces off, making no impact, and is swiftly snatched away by the enemy.

In our daily lives, we may encounter individuals who seem impervious to any spiritual discussion. Their hearts, like well-trodden paths, have been hardened by life’s experiences, skepticism, or indifference. Yet, we must remember that even the hardest ground can be tilled and softened over time.

Let us pray for God’s power to move over those who are experiencing a spiritual hardness of heart. May God’s power and grace overwhelm them and may they see their need for a Savior.

Tony French

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Our Great High Priest

1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can [a]have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing

Hebrews 5:1-11

Jesus Represents the Believer to the Father. We are told by the writer of Hebrews that Christ is our Great High Priest. He is our eternal Priest and Mediator before God. Consider these points about Jesus and His Priestly ministry today:

**Christ is Called God’s Son (5)

**Christ is Given An Everlasting Priesthood (6)

**Christ is a Priest After Melchizedek (6, 9-10)

**Christ Cried Out To God In The Garden (7-8)

Let us bring all of our cares and concerns to our great High Priest, Jesus Christ!

Tony French

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Sowing The Seed

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Luke 8:11-15

In the bustling fields of life, a profound truth lies hidden in the simple act of sowing seeds. This agricultural metaphor, found in Luke 8, offers us a powerful lens through which we can understand the spread of the Gospel message and its reception in human hearts.

The parable speaks of a planter who went out to sow his seed. During the process of sowing, the seeds landed on four distinct types of terrain: the wayside, rocky ground, among thorns, and fertile soil.  Each of these represents a different condition of the human heart when encountering the life-changing message of God’s love and salvation.

The heart conditions can be defined as the following:

**The Hardened Heart

**The Shallow Heart

**The Crowded Heart

**The Receptive Heart

We will examine each of these in the days ahead.

Tony French

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Rest

 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:12-16

What steps can we take to consistently experience Christ’s rest? What avenues exist for Christians that enable us to live in peace and contentment through the Savior? The final verses of Hebrews 4 give us three ways to live in peace and rest in Christ in this life.

**Be faithful in your study of the Word of God (12-13)

**Pray and seek the Lord Jesus, you High Priest who understands and knows you (14)

**Continue to serve Christ and approach His throne boldly for His mercy and help (14-16)

Have a great week!

Tony French

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Resurrection Hope

The resurrection of Jesus Christ brings hope. The promises of God’s Word rest on a steadfast assurance that results from Christ’s resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead, every word of His teaching was verified and His ability to keep his promises was proved. The resurrection was truly the singular event that changed everything.

Many souls are searching for hope in our day. People are searching for a sense of hope in human relationships, finances, technology, and even religion. And, every day these so-called sources of hope promise much and deliver little. That’s not to say that these things are evil or unnecessary. They simply are incapable of fulfilling the longing of the human heart. Only Jesus can satiate that longing for hope, peace, and joy that we so desperately need. 

Because Jesus is alive, we can trust His Word. Because Jesus is alive, we can believe his promises. Because Jesus is alive, we can know our ultimate destination. Because Jesus is alive, we know He will be with us no matter what may arrive at our doorstep. As we examine the risen Savior, we can see more and more clearly that the empty tomb changed everything!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, All Fear is gone.

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living just because He lives.”[1]


[1] Gaither, Bill., Because He Lives, Gaither Music Company, 1971

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