Jesus the Priest

Anticipating the Savior Jesus the Priest - Hebrews 4:14-5:10 December 14, 2025 I've shared this before, but since it's the Christmas season, it is relevant to our sermon series. My dad grew up Catholic, and my mother a Baptist. When they married, they apparently decided not to "force" their beliefs on my brother and I, so we didn't grow up churched, one direction or another. The only resemblance of faith in our homes came about during Easter and Christmas - in the form of "what is this holiday all about?" Of course, we answered "Jesus," but we had no idea what that even meant. I suspect some of you have similar stories. I also suspect some of you may have heard the same "Christmas Story" year after year, which is why we at Thornydale Family Church attempt to mix things up every year and try to show you a different way of looking forward to Christmas. Last week, we opened this series that we're calling "Anticipating the Savior." In this series, we're exploring the three offices of the, then, anticipated Messiah, and how Jesus fulfilled and occupied each of these offices. Last week, we looked at Jesus the Prophet. This week, we look at Jesus the Priest. So, similar to how I approached this last week, I'm going to make a statement in the form of our main idea this morning, then we'll spend some time breaking down this topic and passage. Here's that statement: Jesus occupied and fulfilled the office of Priest. How do we know this? Glad you asked. Let's take a look at the book of Hebrews. I initially planned on looking only at Hebrews 4:14-16, but it makes more sense to look a bit further, so we'll read through Hebrews 5:10. Please follow along in your bibles, devices, or on the screen as we read Hebrews 4:14-5:10: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 14 SINCE THEN WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO HAS PASSED THROUGH THE HEAVENS, JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, LET US HOLD FAST OUR CONFESSION. 15 FOR WE DO NOT HAVE A HIGH PRIEST WHO IS UNABLE TO SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR WEAKNESSES, BUT ONE WHO IN EVERY RESPECT HAS BEEN TEMPTED AS WE ARE, YET WITHOUT SIN. 16 LET US THEN WITH CONFIDENCE DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, THAT WE MAY RECEIVE MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED. 5:1 FOR EVERY HIGH PRIEST CHOSEN FROM AMONG MEN IS APPOINTED TO ACT ON BEHALF OF MEN IN RELATION TO GOD, TO OFFER GIFTS AND SACRIFICES FOR SINS. 2 HE CAN DEAL GENTLY WITH THE IGNORANT AND WAYWARD, SINCE HE HIMSELF IS BESET WITH WEAKNESS. 3 BECAUSE OF THIS HE IS OBLIGATED TO OFFER SACRIFICE FOR HIS OWN SINS JUST AS HE DOES FOR THOSE OF THE PEOPLE. 4 AND NO ONE TAKES THIS HONOR FOR HIMSELF, BUT ONLY WHEN CALLED BY GOD, JUST AS AARON WAS. 5 SO ALSO CHRIST DID NOT EXALT HIMSELF TO BE MADE A HIGH PRIEST, BUT WAS APPOINTED BY HIM WHO SAID TO HIM, "YOU ARE MY SON TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"; 6 AS HE SAYS ALSO IN ANOTHER PLACE, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK." 7 IN THE DAYS OF HIS FLESH, JESUS OFFERED UP PRAYERS AND SUPPLICATIONS, WITH LOUD CRIES AND TEARS, TO HIM WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH, AND HE WAS HEARD BECAUSE OF HIS REVERENCE. 8 ALTHOUGH HE WAS A SON, HE LEARNED OBEDIENCE THROUGH WHAT HE SUFFERED. 9 AND BEING MADE PERFECT, HE BECAME THE SOURCE OF ETERNAL SALVATION TO ALL WHO OBEY HIM, 10 BEING DESIGNATED BY GOD A HIGH PRIEST AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. I think there are a couple of QUESTIONS TO ANSWER right away before we deep dive into this passage. * What is a priest? o First, priesthood is not limited to Christianity, as we see in the Scriptures. o Not only did Israel install priests, but we also see that the pagan religions did as well. o Today, we likely associate priests with the Roman Catholic Church. o So, the priest really, is a minister of any religion-true or false, good or evil-who is given authority to teach the sacred information and perform the sacred duties to preserve and bring that faith to others. o In addition to teaching duties, the priest serves as a representative between the people and God, and they act as mediators and intercessors between the people and God. o In the Bible, the priest had many roles, which often included sacrificial duties, maintaining holiness and ritual purity, conducting the various festivals and holy days, and carrying out various judicial functions. o The entire book of Leviticus, and 1 Chronicles 24 are two examples of where Scripture speaks in detail about their duties and responsibilities. o Second Kings 23 lists the five "types" of priests that were in ancient Israel. * These include the High Priests, the Levitical priests, and others o Finally, as we've seen already, the letter to the Hebrews speaks on this topic quite a bit in chapters 2, 4-5, and 7-10. o Another question that I think is critical is ... * Do we need a priest? o Short answer is yes, but we'll explore this a bit more as we get into the text momentarily. o So, let's get to it by answering the question: WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS PASSAGE: As you've already seen from our bulletin outline, there are a lot of points that follow. I'm simply getting through our text this morning, and we'll do it quickly. First, the beginning of our passage reveals ... * Jesus is the Great High Priest (4:14-15) o Couldn't be clearer than this, right? o One writer said it this way: As our Great High Priest, Jesus doesn't just fulfill the priestly role in the Jewish religious system, He actually supersedes it with a greater, eternal priesthood. o Jesus, in His first coming, re-wrote the Jewish understanding of the priesthood. o Jesus, as the High Priest can also relate to His people. o How does He relate? o In short. By being 100% human o Verse 15 is remarkable. The writer reveals that Jesus could sympathize with our weaknesses because He endured all the temptations as we have. o The difference? He did so without sin. o We saw - of course - a piece of Jesus being tempted in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, and maybe a bit during His arrest and trial, but we're not told a lot of specifics. o Think about those things that you've been tempted by in your lives ... this passage teaches us that Jesus can sympathize. o You think about the significance of Christmas ... Jesus came and lived as a man, so that He could die as a man. No other sacrifice would do. o So, when we pray, we know He understands. o Why? Because we've seen Him weep. o We've seen Him angry, and Hebrews tells us that He can sympathize with us. o This is one of the important reasons why God became Man. o Next, we see in verse 16 that: * The Great High Priest invites us to experience His grace. (4:16; 5:9) o Jesus came to us. o Every other false religion teaches that we need to "find God," while we believe (and know) that Jesus came to us. o And because of Jesus' sacrifice, as seen in verse 15, we know we can approach God. o This is one of the beauties of His life. o But also, one of the beauties of His death. o Recall when He died, the vail to the Most Holy Place was torn in two from top down. o This removed the barrier than mankind had with God. o And He is inviting us to be united with God, through Himself. o Next, * The Great High Priest is needed because man is fallible. (5:1-4, 8-9) o Recall the question I asked earlier: Do we need a priest? o Well, here's the answer. o Yes. Man needs a priest because man is fallible. Because man (as in mankind) is not perfect. o This is what the opening verses of chapter 5 are talking about. o The earthly High Priest had to offer a sacrifice on behalf of the people, but before that, he had to offer a sacrifice for himself. o Why? Because he was weak. He was a sinner, just like the people he represented, served, interceded for, and sacrificed on behalf of. But he couldn't approach God before he was cleansed himself. o Here's the reality, because of sin, he had to do this over and over. Hebrews 9:28 reminds us: SO CHRIST, HAVING BEEN OFFERED ONCE TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY, WILL APPEAR A SECOND TIME, NOT TO DEAL WITH SIN BUT TO SAVE THOSE WHO ARE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM. o Jesus sacrificed Himself. The Perfect Lamb of God. o Consider John the Baptist, when Jesus came to him to be baptized, He proclaimed this in John 1:29: THE NEXT DAY HE SAW JESUS COMING TOWARD HIM, AND SAID, "BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! o The blood of the Lamb cleanses us. Once for all. o So, fallible mankind needs an infallible High Priest to present him to the Father. o As such, unlike human priests who are sinners, Jesus is not. o In verse 9, we're told - effectively - that through Jesus' life-long obedience, He can provide eternal salvation. o As we saw moments ago, a fallible priest could not. o The fallible high priest was never going to be enough. o Next, verses 5-6 remind us that ... * The Great High Priest was appointed by God. (5:5-6) o This is significant, not just anyone could be the "priest" o This is seen through the example Aaron/Levitical Priesthood o And this is seen through Melchizedek - first introduced in Genesis 14 - who was identified as a priest of the Most High God. o The instructions, the duties ... everything we know about the priesthood - to include the appointment - was directed by God as a shadow of things to come, as we read in Hebrews 10:1 and following. o And not only did Jesus come to us, He came to offer salvation. o This is why we gather each week, singing praises, praying for one another, serve one another, and why we celebrate the coming of Jesus each Christmas season. o Sometimes we need those reminders. o Next, * The Great High Priest intercedes for us. (5:7, 10) o A primary role of the priest is representation and intercession o We see Jesus interceding for us in His High Priestly prayer in John 17, where Jesus prayed for His people to have security, joy, unity, and holiness. o Hebrews 7:25 affirms that Jesus intercedes for us o Romans 8:34 reveals the same o In answering the question What is the purpose of Jesus interceding for us in heaven? one writer wrote: Jesus is interceding for us while Satan (whose name means "accuser") is accusing us, pointing out our sins and frailties before God. o Jesus does what no one else can, save us from sin, and present us as clean before God. o He does this - in part - through intercession. o There's a reason that He can still intercede. o It is because He lives. o You see, the unique appointment of Jesus as the Great High Priest, is a permanent assignment. o The Levitical priesthood died along with the Old Covenant. o This is what the writer of Hebrews arrives to in Hebrews 8, where ultimately, he declares the following in verse 13: IN SPEAKING OF A NEW COVENANT, HE MAKES THE FIRST ONE OBSOLETE. AND WHAT IS BECOMING OBSOLETE AND GROWING OLD IS READY TO VANISH AWAY. o Because Christ lives, we can have eternal life. o So, one must wonder ... what are the: IMPLICATIONS FOR ME: I'll quickly leave you with three implications: * I must follow Jesus' model of the royal priesthood. o Jesus paved the way for us. He is the ultimate model of priesthood. And, guess what? o 1 Peter 2:9 tells us: BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION, THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE EXCELLENCIES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT. o This is to say, we are also to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us to saving faith. o One of the ways we must respond to the Great High Priest is to proclaim the Great High Priest. o And, as the model, how did Jesus do it? * With the truth * With the cure * With love o In addition to Jesus enabling us to be a royal priesthood, we have confidence in His saving work because ... * Jesus is the only priest I need. o Jesus is the only way. o We've seen already that Jesus came for a purpose. o To offer salvation. o Every prior attempt proved to be futile. o Because of this, no other religious attempt or word can bring the same result. o Only Jesus' sacrifice. o Place your faith in Jesus. o Finally, * I must seek the Father through the Great High Priest. o Jesus gives us access to the Father. o This is why Jesus' birth had to happen. o We would be eternally separated from God with Jesus. o Place your faith in Jesus. In our main idea, I made a very simple statement: Jesus occupied and fulfilled the office of Priest. While the statement is simple, the implications are not. While we think about the busyness of the season, let's instead pause, reflect, and rejoice in the coming of the Messiah, who makes it possible for reconciliation with the Creator God. Let's pray. 2