Hebrews 5: ⁵ So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

⁶ As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

⁷ Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

⁸ Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

¹⁰ Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

When Christ left His Father’s side to come to this earth to suffer, to be tempted and to die so that He could be the high priest who offered the final sacrifice for sin–one of His greatest pains was the horror of the separation from the glorious, brilliant presence of the Father.  We sometimes take too lightly the sacrifice it took for Christ to become human.  He continuously went before the Father in prayer each morning (an example well set for us)–He cried out to the Father from the Garden of Gethsemane because in His humanity He suffered the agony that a human would suffer.  Though He had the power to call legends of angels at any time, He chose to in humble obedience endure the mockery, the beatings, and the cross to offer salvation to the very ones who rejected Him.  Christ had never been disobedient; yet, where it says he learned obedience it is referring to the fact that in His humanity His obedience was put to the truest test and in that He remained obedient.  Though He was always perfect, His Glory and perfection were magnified by His enduring such temptation without sin. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ6QaZcPphM&feature=related

^{Hebrews 4: 12} For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

¹³ Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

¹⁵ For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God who sees the very depth of our hearts, who knows us more intimately than anyone else.  God who knows every blemish, every evil thought, every proud-filled moment, every desire that is within us still provided us a great High Priest who endured every temptation that we would ever face, who bore all the guilt that we would ever feel, and paid the price for our sin so that He might forever intercede for us. Breath that in for a moment.  Because of all He did we may come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace.  Worthy is the Lamb to receive all our praise, to be treasured above all other treasures.

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Hebrews 3: ⁶ But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end…..¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God….¹⁸ And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Hebrews 4: 4 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. ² For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it…7 To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Within these verses, as is true of much of the book of Hebrews, there are many warnings. We are His IF  we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.  That word if is a very big word.  Does the writer mean that we could lose our salvation?  That cannot be the case as this same writer confirms in Hebrews 6: "⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,⁵ And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

⁶ If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."  In this verse, he is saying that if we could be lost again, there would be no hope of salvation–for Christ died once for all of our sins. Then what are the warnings he keeps sounding so loudly?  He has gone on to explain this with great examples and explanations as one reads through all of chapter 3 and 4.  He uses the examples from those walking in the wilderness (remember the book of Hebrews was written for the Jewish converts within the early Christian Church).  He goes on to sound his warning to all those who may have heard the word spoken, may have emotionally been excited and have thought this might be a "good idea" to join the followers of Christ; but never truly came to that moment in which they knew and believed that Christ was God made flesh who paid the penalty of their sins.  If they never came to accept Christ as their savior and merely acknowledged Him as a good man or prophet.  I, daresay, there are many within our churches who do not know Christ as their savior and merely are present members because they believe it makes them a better human by attending and joining a church.  For many who hear and even follow, there is no mixture with faith.  It is that faith that holds us confident and rejoicing of the hope of grace today and that future grace which will hold us firm until the end.  So as the writer of Hebrews so adequately said, "Today, if you hear His voice calling you, do not harden your hearts"  Today is the day of salvation, we do not know if tomorrow comes.  We do not know when that soft whispering voice calling us will silence from our hearts being so hardened we cannot hear.  Do you know Christ? Do you seek Christ?  Do you treasure Him above all earthly treasure?  Do you believe that He is the creator of the universe and that He is the rewarder of all who believe?   As He stands at the door of your heart, will you let Him in?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HUBTxA6FDM

Can you say that this song is true for you?

Hebrews 2 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

² For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

³ How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

⁴ God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?…

⁹ But we see Jesus… crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

¹⁰ For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Because Christ, "1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:" Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."  Can we ignore such a great salvation?  God spoke through many means throughout the old testament pointing the way to a Savior.  That Savior came to provide the only atonement that might once and for all conquer sin and death for all who would accept Christ’s atonement for their sin and by faith join Christ as His brother (purchased and adopted by His shed blood)  to share in His Glory.  He who was crowned with glory, honor, and righteousness came to this earth to suffer, endure temptation (though without sin) and die that as our chief High Priest and captain–there is no pain or suffering that we might face which he has not faced.  You might want to say that since He never sinned, He never suffered guilt; but He carried our guilt on the cross when God the Father turned His back upon Him because God could not look upon our sin laid upon Him.  You might want to say that Christ did not suffer during the temptations since He was God and incapable of sinning.  Not true.  Temptation and the torment of it continues until we give in and then the turmoil of the temptation goes away for a moment.  Christ, in His humanity felt the turmoil of temptation with no relief of the turmoil as He did not give in.  He who owns all things, created all things, filled with brightness of Glory; laid it all aside so that He might suffer and die so that we (so undeserving) might have an empathetic high priest who understands our every turmoil and so that we might be loosed from the chains of sin and death forever.  How could we ever escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URQrgeyeUD4

Hebrews 1: 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

² Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

God had in the old testament used prophets to speak to the people.  He had spoken directly to these prophets and also had directed spoken to some of the leaders.  But now and within the new testament He has spoken through the life of Christ-His Son.  Christ who is Himself God within the Triune Head of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This same Christ who formed the earth and when spoken to by the Father was reminded of His deity "⁸ But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

⁹ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

¹⁰ And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:" 

Christ displayed in His life upon this earth, in His Suffering on this earth, and in His death upon the cross to pay the penalty for man’s sin –He displayed the brightness of God’s Glory and the image of His person.  He was perfect Righteousness who pay the penalty for man’s sin so that whosoever will accept the Gift of Salvation might be saved.  Salvation, so simple; yet, for many so unreachable.  Christ finished the work and sat down on the right hand of God the Father.  Mankind so often remains so caught up in his own self-pride that he cannot accept the fact of his utter unworthiness before perfect righteousness and perfect Glory of God; so, he continues to try to prove to God his own worthiness rather than accept the gift. I have no righteousness but that which is imparted to me by the Son.  The more I know of Christ and His Glory the more unworthy I realize that I am; yet, in that same moment the overflowing love that He has given to me becomes my guide through life.  He has become my greatest treasure and my greatest love.  That fact draws me to seek Him and savor Him more as He continues to complete the work within me of transforming me into His image.  Do you know Him?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFlKG2HUeUc&feature=related