Jesus Christ Our High Priest
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Introduction
Introduction
You arrive at the airport and learn that you get to choose which plane you want to fly on.
Both say they are heading to the same place.
One plane has been in service for awhile, you have travelled on it before.
You know how it works, it is comfortable, and most of the people you know are going to be traveling on it.
The second plane is new.
It has a lot of the same design features, but it hasn’t been tested.
The designer is the same, and the same rules make it fly.
Almost no one you know has ever been on it.
Which plane do you choose?
How many would pick plane #1?
How many would pick plane #2?
Oh wait, there’s one more thing i forgot to tell you about the planes.
The first plane will get you close to your destination, but not quite there.
The second plane is guaranteed to arrive on time.
Now which plane would you choose?
It seems obvious right?
But it’s only obvious if you have the right information.
The person telling you the choice you can make must provide the right information.
Without it, a correct choice cannot be made.
When we think about the early church and the gospel, this is the problem they faced.
The law was comfortable, familiar, and everyone they knew was practicing it.
Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ seemed new. It’s lack of a participation requirement makes it uncomfortable. It isn’t familiar.
But at the end of the day, the only question that matters is which system can make you right with God?!
Which system is going to get you to your destination?
Look at what the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 10:1-4.
Hebrews 10:1-4
Sacrifices cannot make us perfect. The blood of bulls and goats cannot remove sin!
The Aaronic priesthood, continued through the Levitical priests, was not sufficient to bring salvation.
A better priest is needed.
We need a plane that is going to get us to our destination.
This passage presents the superior nature of Jesus’ priesthood.
The priesthood of Jesus is better than the Aaronic priesthood for a host of reasons.
Today we will learn three reasons why Jesus is the greatest High Priest.
He is our High Priest.
The threefold superiority of His priesthood provides us with three benefits.
When we are done here this morning we will have accomplished two things.
1 - You will be convinced that Jesus is the greatest High Priest.
2 - You will be equipped to live boldly for Him.
Reason #1. Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has…
1. An Unchangeable Priesthood vv. 23-24
1. An Unchangeable Priesthood vv. 23-24
To understand the author’s argument we need to start in v. 20.
READ vv. 20-23
The key here is that Jesus was made a priest forever.
Because His priesthood never ends, it is better
All other high priests before Jesus had one thing in common. They all died.
Their death ended their priesthood.
Jesus didn’t have that problem.
READ v. 24
This is a contrast.
Jesus is different than any priest that has come before Him!
He continues forever.
Because the priesthood of Christ is never going to end, it will also never change.
Unchangeable – ἀπαράβατος (aparabatos) permanent; unchangeable. Not capable of being violated or infringed.
Unchangeable – ἀπαράβατος (aparabatos)
The priesthood of Christ is permanent.
This means that He will always be there.
What does this mean for us?
Stability.
Our High Priest never changes.
Because our High Priest never changes, we have stability.
Let me illustrate the importance of stability for you.
When I was probably 16 this couple where I grew up asked me to paint their house.
It was a two story house and they paid me by the hour, so it was a good deal!
Everything went great. I finished the bottom of the house and then the owner rented a scaffold so I could do the top part.
I painted a section, took the scaffold apart, moved it, and painted another section.
It was all fun and games until we came to the chimney.
I’m not sure who designed this house but the chimney extended a good 4 feet or so up above the peak of the roof.
On the day I arrived to pain the chimney the owner had rigged an extension to the scaffold.
He ran a 2x12 along the top platform of the scaffold butting up against the roof and then clamped it into place.
So here’s the roof. Here’s the scaffold. and I’m on this 2x12 dangling out over space.
I’m 16 years old. I’m like, “eh no problem” and climb right up there and start painting the chimney.
It went just fine right up until, being young and incredibly brilliant, I stood on the very edge of the board with one foot and leaned out to get that last section.
That’s when the scaffold shifted ever so slightly and the board slide about 2 inches.
My heart jumped into my throat! I’m sure I went white as a sheet, and my eyes went as big as dinner plates.
I learned right then and there how important stability is.
When there is no stability there exists an ever-present danger of falling.
If our high priest changed, maybe the rules would change too.
If our high priest changed, we could not be certain of our forgiveness!
But Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God doesn’t change.
Don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at two passages.
Malachi 3:6; James 1:17 (S).
Malachi 3:6; James 1:17
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
God is not going to change His mind about you and me.
Jesus Christ has an unchangeable priesthood and therefore we have stability.
Jesus never changes.
Sing with me
The Power Of The Cross (vv. 1-2)
Jesus is the greatest high priest because he has an unchangeable priesthood. This gives us stability.
Reason #2. Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has…
2. An Unending Intercession v. 25
2. An Unending Intercession v. 25
READ v. 25
This is why His unchangeable priesthood matters.
Because Jesus Christ is our only High Priest and will always be our High Priest, we are saved to the uttermost.
This is an awesome word.
Uttermost – παντελές (panteles) completely, wholly, to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent.
Uttermost – παντελές (panteles)
We are saved completely!
How?
Because he always lives to intercede for us!
Intercession – ἐντυγχάνω (entynchanō) appeal; intercede. To petition. To request formally and earnestly (as from someone higher in authority).
Intercession – ἐντυγχάνω (entynchanō)
This is what Christ does for the believer.
Jesus Christ stands before God the Father and appeals on our behalf.
I want to hit two points here.
1 - The necessity of the appeal.
2 - The efficacy of the appeal.
Why is the appeal of Christ needed and why is it effective.
1 - The necessity of the appeal.
Why does Christ need to appeal on our behalf before the Father?
First look at Romans 3:10-12 (S).
Romans 3:10-12
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
We are not righteous! We don’t seek God! We do not do good!
Now look at Romans 3:23 (S).
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Our unrighteousness has made us miss the mark of God’s glory.
Finally, we look at the first part of Romans 6:23 (S).
Romans 6:23a
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is why we need an intercessor. We need someone to make an appeal on our behalf.
Because If we get what we deserve, we die.
So what do we do.
Look again at our verse here. Hebrews 7:25.
Christ saves completely those who come to God through Him.
This is what we need to do!
This brings us to the second point.
2 - The efficacy of the appeal.
Why is the appeal of Christ effective? Why Does the Father listen to His appeal?
Because we come to God through Him!
Let’s finish Romans 6:23 (S).
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is a gift that has been given! The gift of eternal life to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ!
Romans 10:9 says … (S)
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are saved completely!
The Father accepts the appeal of Christ because He pleads on the basis of salvation by grace through faith!
The blood of Christ cleanses us from sin and we are forgiven!
What does this do for us? What benefit does it bring?
Confidence.
We are saved completely. We come boldly before the throne because our intercessor never ceases to intercede.
We have confidence!
Turn to Hebrews 10:19-22.
Hebrews 10:19-22
We have boldness and confidence to come into the very presence of God by the blood of Jesus Christ!
How? Because we have been purified!
Go back to Hebrews 4:14-16.
Hebrews 4:14-16
We can stand firm in confidence because of Jesus. We can come before the throne of grace with confidence because of Jesus. We can endure the trials of life because of Jesus!
Warren Wiersbe writes that
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Six: Mysterious Melchizedek (Hebrews 7)
Our Lord’s priesthood in heaven is “valid and unalterable.” Because it is, we can have confidence in the midst of this shaking, changing world.
We have confidence because of who we know.
Some of you have heard me tell the story of the pet bear my dad had when he was growing up.
The way I remember the story is that Grandpa Winkelman found two little bear cubs in the woods.
When he came back a few days later, one of them was dead. He knew that this meant the mother had been killed.
So he picked up the lone little bear cub, put it in his lunch box, and brought it home.
For three months Charlie lived with them until he broke into the neighbors house and the Sheriff was called.
Charlie ended up in a facility in Northern California and when I was probably 5 or 6 I got to meet Charlie.
When we went to meet him there were two fences around his area.
Mom and all of us kids had to wait behind both fences. Dad, however, was allowed to go into the inner fence.
He made his special call and Charlie trotted right over.
You see, dad knew Charlie, and Charlie knew him.
Dad was able to go closer with confidence because of who he knew.
We draw near to God with confidence because of who we know!
We come to God only through Jesus Christ!
When we do, we are saved completely.
Jesus intercedes for sinners.
Sing with me
The Power Of The Cross (vv. 3-4)
Jesus is the greatest high priest because he has an unchangeable priesthood. This gives us stability.
Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has an unending intercession. This gives us confidence.
Reason #3 . Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has…
3. An Unparalleled Achievement vv. 26-28
3. An Unparalleled Achievement vv. 26-28
These verses teach us that our High Priest has three unparalleled achievements
READ v. 26
Before we get into the achievements of Christ I want to deal with this word “fitting.”
The idea is that Jesus Christ is the perfectly appropriate High Priest for us.
This emphasizes the intentionality of God.
Jesus didn’t just happen to become our Savior. He is the perfect Savior. The perfect High Priest.
No other could do what Christ has done.
Achievement #1 - An Exalted Position
The author of Hebrews first reminds us of who Jesus Christ is.
Jesus is holy.
He is set apart, unique, the perfect vessel to accomplish the Father’s will!
He is morally pure.
The only sacrifice that can reconcile God and man! More on that in the next verse.
Jesus is harmless.
Many translations have innocent here. He was free from evil or guilt.
What did Pilate say over and over again? I find no fault in this man!
Jesus is undefiled.
He met all the ritually purification requirements of the law.
Jesus is separate from sinners.
While being the friend of tax collectors and sinners, it was known by all the Jesus did not participate in their sin.
Because Jesus is all of these things, because He is internally and externally absolutely perfect, He has been exalted.
When Stephen is being martyred in Acts 7 he sees Jesus at the right hand of God.
In Ephesians 1 Paul sates that God has seated Christ at His right hand.
In Hebrews 8:1 we are told that our High Priest is “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.”
Christ has an exalted position that no other has!
READ v. 27
Achievement #2 - A Perfect Offering
Jesus Christ has no need to offer sacrifices for his own sins, He has none!
He has no need to offer daily sacrifices at all!
Why not?
Because He offered up Himself as the perfect sacrifice once for all!
Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:12, 10:10 (S).
Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:12, 10:10
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Christ died for sin once.
Christ entered the Most Holy Place as our High Priest once placing His own blood on the mercy seat.
Through His sacrifice we are made righteous!
No other sacrifice is needed!
He offered Himself once for all.
READ v. 28
Achievement #3 - An Eternal Perfection
Every other high priest that has ever existed had weakness. They had sin.
Jesus Christ has no deficiency of character. None.
When it speaks of Him being perfected forever the idea is that His unchangeable, unending, unparalleled priesthood will never need replacing.
On the Cross, when Jesus said it is finished, He ment it.
There is nothing more to be done because He has done it all.
What does His exalted position, perfect offering, and eternal perfection mean for us?
Security.
Once forgiven, our sins are removed!
Christ will never fail us!
This is a climbing carabiner.
It opens here to allow your gear to clip into place, then you lock it by spinning this.
When you are climbing or rappelling, all your trust, all your security is in this one piece of metal.
Imagine placing security in a carabiner that was never locked.
I saw a video a while back where someone is hundreds of feet up and the carabiner wasn’t properly attached.
They get to the other side of this walkway and their friend clips it in.
They could have fallen. All it would have taken was a slight change.
If Christ was changeable like human priests, we could never have security.
Our security lies in the fact that God never changes!
We are safe in the grip of Christ and the Father.
We are eternally secure.
Look at John 10:27-30.
John 10:27-30
Jesus keeps us safe.
Sing with me
Wonderful Merciful Savior
Turn with me to 1Corinthians 11:23-32. This is a time for believers to remember the price that was paid. To be reminded of the penalty of sin. Taking part of communion does not save you. This is simply a way for us to be reminded of what Christ has done. If you know the Lord as savior this morning, please join us in bread and juice as we remember Jesus Christ. These are only symbols, they represent the body and blood of our Savior. Examination – verses 26-32
OBSERVANCE OF COMMUNION
OBSERVANCE OF COMMUNION
The Bread (His Body) vv. 23-24 #188 “At The Cross” (Chorus Only)
The Cup (His Blood) v. 25 #333 “His Way With Thee” (Chorus Only)
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus is the greatest high priest because he has an unchangeable priesthood.
Jesus will be our High Priest for eternity, therefore His priesthood is greater than anything that came before it.
Because Jesus never changes, His role as High Priest will never change.
This gives us stability.
The way of salvation is not going to change.
The rules will remain the same.
Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has an unending intercession.
We learn in Scripture that Satan is the great accuser of the brethren.
Every time he accuses the believer of misbehavior, Jesus is right there speaking on our behalf.
This gives us confidence.
The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin.
He appeals to the Father for us. We will never be condemned.
Jesus is the greatest High Priest because He has an unparalleled achievement.
Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand. His work is finished.
He offered Himself as spotless Lamb of God.
On the basis of His righteousness we are forgiven.
This gives us security.
All who place their faith in Christ receive His righteousness.
We are eternally secure.
With this stability, confidence, and security comes boldness.
All believers are saved eternally, forgiven completely, and transformed entirely.
Let’s go out there and live like it.
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us