Jesus Our Great High Priest

Big Idea: Religion plays no part in coming to Jesus, but life change does.

Hebrews 7:14–18 NKJV

14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness,

My dad told me a story once when he was an alter boy in the catholic church he attended in Malta. The priest at the time was very political, which used to irritate the local perishiners. One day, my dad was playing around at the back of the pulpit behind a giant canvas painting of Jesus. As he was running, dad hit his head on the beam of timber that acted as a stand and support for the canvas painting, causing it to fall on the priest mid sermon. Dad remembers a loud cheer as the congregation celebrated the priest’s unfortunate predicament that he was in. It is fair to say that Dad got in big trouble for that event, as well as countless others.

Sadly, religion can be such a deterent for people who are searching for the truth. Religious people can be so arrogant and self righteous that they think they are better than anyone else, especially better than those who do not believe in Jesus. Church can leave such a sour taste in the mouths of those who visit it or even attend for some time. Because of this harsh form of religion painted under the umbrella of Christianity, people fail to see Christ and instead climpse at the woes of men.

Salvation means that God rescues dead sinners and turns them into living children. This does not happen because the dead sinner was obedient to the law of Moses. No man has any righteousness that can be presented to God as adequate for eternal life with Him. Jesus, however, lived a perfect life and died a sinners death. Jesus knew no sin; yet Jesus bore our sin when he died on the cross. When he rose from the dead he then gave His righteousness in exchange for our sin so that we could have eternal life. For Jesus to do this he had to be the right priest to offer the right sacrifice. He was not a priest after the order of Aaron, but rather in the order of Melchizedek.

Such a gift is not dependent on our good works. We can never earn God’s favour (grace), He freely gives it to us the moment we believe in Jesus Christ and surrender our life to follow him. Life under the law is weakness because no one can obey it all. Life under the law is also unprofitable because no one can save themselves from God’s wrath.

Jesus offers us eternal life in Him which is recieved when we believe by faith in who he is and what he has accomplished for us. Self righteous religion can only give you false security. It cannot and will not save you.

Believe in Jesus who gives eternal life to those who trust in Him. Surrender your life to follow after Jesus. Jesus says to follow him one must deny ourselves (our goals and dreams) and take up His cause which is reaching the world with the message of hope.