Piety

1. Date: 4/2/23

2. Sermon Title: Piety

3. Context: Hebrews 5:1-10

(Hebrews 5:1) For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

(Hebrews 5:2) he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;

(Hebrews 5:3) and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.

(Hebrews 5:4) And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

(Hebrews 5:5) So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU";

(Hebrews 5:6) just as He says also in another passage, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK."

(Hebrews 5:7) In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. (Hebrews 5:8) Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

(Hebrews 5:9) And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

(Hebrews 5:10) being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

4. Preaching Note

The book of Hebrews contains exhortations for Christians who believe in Jesus. When Jews who began to follow Jesus were trying to confine his teachings within Judaism without realizing the limits of the law, Paul and other Gentile apostles opposed them and exhorted them in the form of sermons, which is the Book of Hebrews.

At the time, the priests were the pastors and evangelists of today. They were chosen among the people to work for God. They held worship services and offered sacrifices and gifts for those who participated. They worked for God, but they were also weak as human beings. Therefore, they had to be merciful to ignorant people and offer sacrifices for their own weaknesses. As a preacher, I also work on matters related to God, but I am weak as a human being. Therefore, I always have to meet people with humble hearts and worship God for myself.

The priests' work is not self-determined but obtained through God's calling. That is why our denomination’s UMC emphasizes God's calling or "calling" as the most important thing. Priests cannot do their job without God's calling. Jesus was no exception. He did not exalt himself to become a high priest and savior. Jesus became the high priest through God's calling. God called Jesus his son, and he said, "You are my son; today I have become your father." He was also mentioned as the "eternal high priest according to the order of Melchizedek," which was determined before the Old Testament era when Jesus was not yet born.

Jesus, who received God's calling, was also weak. During the Lenten season when Jesus was in the flesh, he cried out to God with tears to save him from death. At that time, God saw Jesus' reverence and answered his plea. Reverence is a heart filled with respect and fear toward others. It is not fear captured by fear but fears with a reverent heart. Because Jesus did not exalt himself but lifted God up, God answered his plea. This is why priests must respect and obey God.

"Despite the suffering, Jesus obeyed God. By doing so, he completed the mission of restoring the relationship between God and humanity as the high priest. Having become a perfect high priest, he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who fear and obey God.

I hope that all people can fear God through faith. I also hope that all of us, including myself, can respect, fear, and become like Jesus."