How Great A High Priest
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Introduction
Introduction
As we begin this morning, I want us to look at the last two verses that we looked at last week. -13 says:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Now when we read, “For the word of God is living and active . . .” we automatically think about the words we are reading, or the Scriptures. But tells us who the word of God really is. As we begin this morning I want you to turn with me to .
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1
Jesus the Messiah is the Word of God! So now let’s turn back to .
We saw that the Word of God is living—Jesus is living.
The Word of God is active.
The Word of God is sharper than any doubled-edged sword.
Nothing is hidden from God’s sight, and nothing is hidden from the Word of God.
Now because of this we have a great high priest! Look at and we’ll begin with verse 14.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Great High Priest
Great High Priest
First thing I want us to notice is that our high priest who has passed through into heaven, and that high priest is Jesus the Son of God.
This should encourage us to hold onto the faith that we profess.
Next, I want us to notice that our high priest understands and sympathizes with our weaknesses.
We know this because He was tempted in same way we are tempted. The difference is that He was without sin!
Because of Jesus we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. This confidence allows us to experience the mercy and grace of God when we need it most!
Key: This is a great promise. Jesus (the Word of God) makes it possible for us to approach the throne of God.
Question: Today do you rely on the high priest? Think about it, in the days of the Law you could not approach God on your own. You had to go through the priests. Now we can approach God through His Messiah, Jesus.
God’s High Priest
God’s High Priest
The Old Testament laid out the requirements for the High Priest. Not just anyone could serve as the High Priest. The author of Hebrews is going to show us how/why Jesus is our High Priest.
Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
And he says in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:1-
The requirements for a High Priest:
Selected from among the people—one of them.
He
Appointed to represent the people in matters pertaining to God.
Offered gifts and sacrifices for the people’s sins.
Dealt gently with the ignorance of the people because he himself has been subject to human weakness.
Identifies with the people as he offers sacrifices.
Does not appoint himself to the honor of this position.
Key: Jesus did not take this glory upon himself. It was God’s idea! (verse 5)
To back this idea up the author quotes two Old Testament passages.
First — “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”
And then from — “Your are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Now, the first thing we should ask is, “Who is Melchizedek?” Well, he was the King of Salem (Jerusalem—before it was settled by the Jews) who is mentioned in .
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Melchizedek was called, “the priest of God most High” (). He was the only figure that Abra(h)am sees as spiritually superior. We see this because he paid Melchizedek a tithe—a tenth of all he owned.
Some scholars suggest that Melchizedek is a theophany—or an appearance of the preincarnate Jesus. We’ll see that this seems to be confirmed in
(
Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
Jesus is not a Levite—but rather He is in this succession.
Now back to our list of Jesus’ qualifications to be our High Priest.
7. Offers prayers and petitions. Jesus plead with God with cries and tears to spare Him from the death on the cross.
8. Jesus was heard by the Father because of his submission to God.
9. Jesus “learned obedience”—perhaps a better way of saying this is he experienced obedience by His suffering.
Think about this for a minute. From the beginning of creation Jesus carried out the Father’s plan. Up until the garden of Gethsemane Jesus had always agreed with the Father. This was the first time He did not want to carry out the Father’s plan.
10. Through obedience Jesus became the perfect High Priest and the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.
Question: Are you obeying Him? Notice that “repentance” or a change of direction is part of following Jesus. says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
11. God gave Jesus the designation of High Priest in the order (succession) of Melchizedek.
So What
So What
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ—Jesus the Messiah—He is your High Priest. A mediator!
In we read:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
Since Jesus is our High Priest, He is our mediator. He earned the right to be our mediator or High Priest, because He paid the penalty for our sins himself! You see, the next verse says, “who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.”
As our High Priest, Jesus helps us know God the Father better—more and more.