Preparing for the Lord's Day
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s book The Hobbit, the following riddle is posed by Gollum to Bilbo,
A thing that all things devours;
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats mountain down.
What is the answer? Time, of course. Ovid put it a little more concisely when he wrote, “Time is the devourer of everything…”
We live in a world where time consumes and changes everything that we know. As such there is nothing of permanence, nothing that does not change. This truth hit home several years back when I was building a new deck on the back of my home. I debated whether to invest extra money in the composite wood planks called Trex. One of the upsides to Trex is that it lasts a long time. Therefore, I finally decided it was worth paying to have something that I would never have to replace. However, when I read the warranty, it said that the Trex decking would last twenty-seven years. Yes, that is a long time for a deck. But for whatever reason it struck me, that I would have to replace my permanent deck twice in my lifetime.
In our passage for this morning, the author to the Hebrews continues to explain the superior nature of Christ’s priesthood. Last week we saw that it was superior because of its perfection. This week we see that it is superior because of its permanence. While everything in this world is subject to change and decay, Christ and his priestly work will never come to an end. And each Christian is called to trust in the permanent nature of Christ’s work that we might have a stable and steadfast hope of eternal life in a world of constant change and decay. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon Hebrews 7:20-25, Psalm 102:25-28, Jeremiah 32:40, Malachi 3:6, Matthew 24:35, Hebrews 13:8, and The Westminster Shorter Catechism #4.
As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above.” the Acclamation of Praise “He Will Hold Me Fast” and the Hymn of Response “Arise, My Soul, Arise” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
Sermon Information
Text: Hebrews 7:20-25
Title: The Power of Permanence
Outline:
- Every Christian Must Trust in God’s Permanent Word (vv. 20-21)
- Every Christian Must Trust in Christ’s Permanent Life (vv. 22-24)
- Every Christian Must Trust in Christ’s Permanent Intercession (v.25)