Jesus as High Priest

Christology  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  29:02
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What are the benefits of having Jesus as our high priest? What are the differences in the priesthood under the Old Testament and the priesthood of Jesus?

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Who is the High Priest?

God established the priesthood and they were to be of the family of Aaron. Aaron would be the high priest who would enter the holy of holies part of the tabernacle to make an atonement sacrifice for the people of Israel.
Exodus 26:33–34 KJV 1900
And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
Exodus 26:33-34
Leviticus 16:2 KJV 1900
And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Leviticus 16:2
Leviticus 16:13–19 KJV 1900
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Leviticus 16:13-19
The high priest was the only one authorized to enter the holy of holies and spread blood upon the mercy seat. This was done once-a-year for the atonement of Israel’s sins.
Exodus 30:10 KJV 1900
And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the Lord.
Exodus 30:10
But, since God lost a perfect man, only a perfect man would be a fitting offering back to God. Animals could not repay the debt.
Hebrews 10:1-4
Hebrews 10:1–4 KJV 1900
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Jesus is Our High Priest

God gave the laws to Moses and the Israelites and later spoke through prophets. But now, God wishes us to listen to His Son Jesus.
John 1:1 KJV 1900
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
John 1:14 KJV 1900
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
Hebrews 1:1–2 KJV 1900
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Hebrews 1:1-2
With this new dispensation there is a change in the priesthood. Aaron and others who served as high priest are dead and gone. The priesthood would naturally change as different members of the priesthood would die and need to be replaced.
Numbers 20:25-26
Numbers 20:25–26 KJV 1900
Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
Jesus is the new High Priest.
Hebrews 9:11 KJV 1900
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Hebrews 9:11

The Difference in Jesus’s Priesthood

There are several differences we can notice between the priesthood of Jesus and the priesthood under the Mosaical law.
As mentioned before, the priesthood under the Mosaical law kept changing due to death. However, the priesthood of Jesus is unchanging.
Hebrews 7:23–25 KJV 1900
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:23-25
The salvation of God is complete because the sacrifice was perfect and the equitable offering of a perfect man back to God. The blood of bulls and goats only rolled the sin back for another year. Jesus saved “to the uttermost.”
Hebrews 7:25–27 KJV 1900
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:12–14 KJV 1900
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:12–17 KJV 1900
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 9:12-14
Hebrews 10:12-17
We are now the priests. In Old Testament times, priests had to be sons of Aaron or people from the tribe of Levi. Now, all Christians are priests.
1 Peter 2:5 KJV 1900
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5
1 Peter 2:9 KJV 1900
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1 Peter 2:9
Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.
Hebrews 8:6 KJV 1900
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Hebrews 8:6
Hebrews 8:10–12 KJV 1900
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Hebrews 8:10-12
Jesus is the High Priest of a heavenly tabernacle.
Hebrews 8:1–2 KJV 1900
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Hebrews 8:1-2
Hebrews 9:11 KJV 1900
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Hebrews 9:11
Hebrews 9:24 KJV 1900
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Hebrews 9:24

Conclusion

Hebrews 10:21–23 KJV 1900
And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Hebrews 10:21-23
With Jesus as our High Priest:
The perfect sacrifice was offered
We have a perfect mediator between God and man
Our sins can be forgiven because the perfect sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins
We can now approach God as a cleansed priest in the priesthood of Jesus
We can rest assured that He will always be there as our High Priest to intercede to God on our behalf.
Hebrews 7:23–25 KJV 1900
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:23-25
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