Untitled Sermon (5)

Jesus is the Permanent Priest

Hebrews 7:23–25 ESV

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Leviticus 10 (ESV)

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.

And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

Leviticus 16 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Role of Priests

The priestly role was associated with the tabernacle and temple. It emphasized sacrifice, site maintenance, and education.

Priests were the primary religious leadership in the ancient Near East. Their duties varied according to the region and religion.

All priests are defined primarily by their intercessory role. Priests acted as representatives of the divine to the people, and representatives of people to the divine.

Priests of Yahweh performed sacrifices, maintained the holy sites and implements, and provided counsel and instruction.

Priests were also responsible for the place of intercession—the altar, tabernacle or temple.

Their instructional role accorded with their intercessory role: they provided the instructions for holy living that would satisfy Yahweh’s holy expectations of the people (Nelson, Raising Up a Faithful Priest, 36).

7:23

Limited vs. Permanent position of the priest.

7:24

Verse 24 is straightforward in its meaning, asserting Jesus has a permanent, perpetual, unchanging priesthood because he “lives forever.”

7:25

In v. 25 the author draws a conclusion from the preceding two verses concerning Jesus’ ability to save totally, completely, and forever those who approach God through the priestly ministry of the Son.

The salvation to which the author refers indicates salvation from sin and salvation resulting in a right relationship with God.

A crucial question surrounds the meaning of eis to panteles, which is rendered as “completely.”

Three possibilities exist:

(1) degree, in the sense of to “the utmost degree,” “completely”;

(2) temporally, in the sense of “forever”; or

(3) both degree and time: “completely and forever.”671 The third option best captures the meaning.

One of the main functions of the high priest was to intercede on behalf of the people, especially on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).

This was symbolically expressed in the garments worn by the high priest. The ephod had two onyx stones attached to the shoulder piece, one on each side. Upon each stone were engraved the names of six of the twelve tribes of Israel (Exod 28:9–10). In addition, there were twelve stones on the breastplate the high priest wore, each containing the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This notion of Jesus’ intercessory ministry is closely paralleled in Rom 8:34.

The infinitive “to intercede” should not be restricted in meaning only to intercessory prayer, since the verb means “to meet or transact with one person in reference to another.” The word indicates “every act by which the Son, in dependence on the Father, in the Father’s name, and with the perfect concurrence of the Father, takes His own with Him into the Father’s presence, in order that whatever He Himself enjoys in the communications of His Father’s love may become theirs also.”6731

1 Allen, D. L. (2010). Hebrews (pp. 428–429). B & H Publishing Group.

The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement (Lev 16) was a more complex ceremony

involving special priestly garments,

five sacrificial animals (one bull, two goats, and two rams),

incense, and the purification of the holy place.

After the bull had been killed to atone for the sins of the priest, lots were cast over the two goats.

One of the goats was killed and its blood used to purify the holy place;

the people’s sins would be confessed over the other—the scapegoat—which was then released into the wilderness to carry away that sin.

The two rams were then presented as a guilt offering for the priest and the people, and the fat of the bull and the slain goat was burned on the altar to conclude the ceremony.

The elaborate nature and blood sacrifice of these ceremonies attest the gravity with which the Old Testament views sin. The people’s participation in the ceremonies speaks to the dynamic, covenantal relationship between God and Israel.1

1 Brockway, D. (2016). Atonement. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, L. Wentz, E. Ritzema, & W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press.

The sacrificial nature of the atonement is perhaps most clearly explained in the book of Hebrews. For the writer of Hebrews, the crucified Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, which permanently deals with sin and thus ends the sacrificial system (Heb. 10:11–12).

The writer asserts that the blood of animals was never sufficient to take away human sin but merely pointed to the coming sacrifice of Messiah (Heb. 10:4).11 

Hebrews 10:4 (ESV)

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Moore, R. D. (2003). Atonement. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 142). Holman Bible Publishers.

Questions

How does knowing Jesus serves as our High Priest today change the way you worship Him?

How does knowing Jesus saves completely and eternally change the way you interact with God?

Key Doctrine

As our great High Priest, Jesus accomplishes the work of reconciling us to God. He is the One whose perfect righteousness is presented to the Father for our justification. He is the One who intercedes for us before the Father (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24) and prays for us to remain faithful (Luke 22:31-32; John 17).

Jesus is the Perfect Priest

(Hebrews 7:26-28)

Hebrews 7:26–28 (ESV)

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

The Perfect Priest

Holy

Innocent

Unstained

Separated from sinners

Exalted above the heavens

Has been made perfect forever

Questions

Knowing Jesus is the only perfect Priest, how does that help us explain to others that Jesus is the only way to salvation?

Why would you rather live under God’s oath and promise than the law?

Key Thought

The Law was a good thing, but it appointed weak men to the priesthood. But God’s oath, His promise, appointed a Son to be a perfect sacrifice to make unholy people holy in the sight of God.

Jesus is the Purifying Priest

(Hebrews 9:11-14)

Hebrews 9:11–14 (ESV)

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)

he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 11 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Heb 9:11–14). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Jesus was our scapegoat and our sacrifice

The apostles and NT writers spoke of Jesus’ atonement as absorbing the wrath of God due to sinners.

They described Jesus’ death as a propitiation that turns aside the wrath of God (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 4:10).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that Jesus was counted as a sinner in order that sinners might be counted as righteous in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Jesus bore the curse of the law in order to bring the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant to the Gentiles (Gal. 3:10–14). Peter similarly spoke of Jesus bearing sins “in His body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24 HCSB).

The sin-bearing work of Christ at Golgotha cannot be understood, however, apart from His resurrection.

Peter preached to onlookers at Pentecost that Jesus’ resurrection is proof God did not abandon Him to the grave but has exalted Him as the triumphant Messiah to whom are due the covenant promises of the OT (Acts 4:22–36).

Although Jesus was considered “smitten of God” on the cross (Isa. 53:4), in the resurrection He is “established as the powerful Son of God” (Rom. 1:4 HCSB).

Having borne fully the penalty of death due for sin, Jesus is now raised from the dead as the righteous One in whom God is well pleased. Because Jesus has satisfied the penalty for sin, believers wait expectantly for the One who “rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:10 HCSB).1

1 Moore, R. D. (2003). Atonement. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 142). Holman Bible Publishers.

Just as the Israelites of the OT were to offer animals in the place of sinners, so Jesus’ death is described as being offered in the place of those who deserved the wrath of God.

Jesus spoke of His death as a shepherd laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11).

He describes His mission as offering Himself as a “ransom” for sinners (Mark 10:45).

The night before His betrayal Jesus told His disciples that the bread He broke before them represented “My body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19 HCSB).

After speaking of the universal condemnation deserved by sinners, Paul wrote of Jesus’ blood being set forth as a propitiation for sin so that God might remain just in His punishment of sin while justifying those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:2–26).

Paul anchors the assurance of God’s people that they will not face God’s wrath in the fact that God “did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all” (Rom. 8:31–34 HCSB).

The apostle spoke of the substitutionary nature of the atonement as being at the heart of his gospel proclamation (1 Cor. 15:3–4).

Jesus’ suffering the penalty for sin, Paul asserts, was “on our behalf” (2 Cor. 5:21).

He contends that Jesus’ bearing the cursasdfdddde of God was “for us” (Gal. 3:13). The apostle employs ransom language to speak of Jesus’ mediatorial work (1 Tim. 2:5–6). Similarly, Peter speaks of Jesus’ death for sins as being the righteous dying in the place of the unrighteous, thereby accomplishing reconciliation with God (1 Pet. 3:18).1

1 Moore, R. D. (2003). Atonement. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 143). Holman Bible Publishers.

Because Jesus died for the world, the church is not to identify itself in terms of racial, ethnic, or national boundaries (Eph. 2:11–22) but is to reflect in its internal relationships the peace of God in Christ.

The makeup and activity of the church should reflect the harmonious end result of the atonement—a vast multinational multitude of redeemed sinners praising the crucified and exalted Messiah (Rev. 5:1–14).

Similarly, mature believers are to be careful not to offend weaker believers “for whose sake Christ died” (1 Cor. 8:11). Instead, believers are to bear with one another, forgiving one another “just as God also forgave you in Christ” (Eph. 4:32 HCSB).11 Moore, R. D. (2003). Atonement. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 144). Holman Bible Publishers.

Questions

Knowing God desires a relationship with us and has planned everything, even the death of His Son, to save us, how should believers respond?

In what ways can you serve God more, knowing Jesus purifies our conscience so we can serve Him?

Key Thought

In the Old Testament, the levitical priests offered temporary sacrifices, but Jesus offers eternal redemption through His blood.

If the blood of animals can sanctify, infinitely more does Jesus’ blood sanctify, cleanse, and purify us that we may serve Him.

My Response

Because Jesus interceded on our behalf before the Father, we seek to intercede on behalf of others, pleading to God for their salvation as we tell them how they might be forgiven of their sins through Christ.

Head: What benefits of Jesus’ priesthood are most precious to you?

Heart: Reflect quietly on what sins you would like to confess to God right now.

Hands: Who has God put on your heart to intercede in prayer for today?