58 Hebrews 7: Preaching/Teaching

Time to Eat Meat: The Priesthood of Jesus

Our Great Priest

Man is created to know God, to walk with God.

High Priest is not a common word we usually use.

But what is a priest.

My dad grew up catholic and a common practice is confession where you go to the priest and you confess your sins to God. The priest is the go between to connect you to God. You confess your sins to to the priest so that you can be connected to God. Now I am sure a committed catholic takes confession seriously and shows up a lot while other catholics may go once a year.

The idea of a priest has been a part of God’s plan from the beginning. Early on in the Bible God set up priests so his people could be connected to them. Early on in the bible the Old testament you a priest would make a sacrifice on your behalf and generally kill and animal that would pay for your sins so that you could be connected to God.

The high priest was the top dog of the priests. The big day of the year, the day of atonement, the high priest would make this sacrifice on this day with the best animal.

But the bible teaches us that Jesus is the great high priest that we are all in need of.

GOSPEL-The love of God and how I experienced it. I could have a relationship with God. I deserved death and wrath and God wanted to give me life. And I could only get that life through Jesus. My dad had a priest but I could have direct access to God because of what Jesus did.

If you turn to Jesus and receive his gift we have some great promises:

Our Sins are forgiven.

We are going to heaven

But the reality of Jesus as our high priest should have implications for our lives right now. We have direct access to God anytime, anywhere because of what Jesus has done.

If we do not grasp the importance of Jesus as our high priest their are some serious dangers:

Maybe it reveals we truly do not understand the gospel.

We could stay baby christians. In this book we have seen that a baby Christian is one who is still eating baby food when God expects that person to be able to feed themselves the word of God.

We could settle for just a little bit of God when God wants to give us all of him.

Today I want to ask you are you embracing jesus as high priest right now?

Are you clinging to him?

Or are you just going to him when it is convenient?

Then as I was preparing this talk I was at a volleyball game and one of the dad’s who also has a daughter on the team is catholic. So we began talking about this topic of high priest. Interesting conversation at a volleyball game. And in this conversation he told me that he does not really go to the priest anymore because he has lost faith in the Catholic religion. My dad told me that he has not been to the priest in 45 years.

Then I had this thought: “Wouldn’t it be sad if God is wanting me to come to him regularly and instead of embracing him like that I just stopped coming. And in 45 years i am still alive if I someone was asking me about Jesus, I said I have not been to him in 45 years.

I want to look at three reasons why we need to embrace him as high priest right now. Not our past, or in the future but right now.

We need to regularly embrace Jesus as high priest:

1. Because it is God’s plan (1-10).

Jesus as our our connection to God was always God’s plan.

John 14:6

There has always been priests in the Bible because the great message of the bible that God wants to be connected to us and have a relationship with us has always been his plan.

But man has always struggled with sin which has kept us from him because God is holy.

Priests would make atonement for our sins so that we could be connected to God.

The author wants us to see that Jesus and Melchizedek were from similar, greater priesthoods.

This was not plan B.

Who is Melchizedek?

Hebrews 7:1–3 NASB95

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

Walk through this verse!

We need to understand the Jews knew their Bible well. They knew Melchizedek and this would have been easy to follow.

The main point about the author wants us to see about Melchizedek is that Jesus

Now we are going to see 4 Evidences why this priesthood is greater.

Abraham gave him tithes

Hebrews 7:4–5 NASB95

Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

The next evidence about the greatness of the Melchizedek’s priesthood is:

2. Abraham gave him tithes

Hebrews 7:6–7 NASB95

But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

The next evidence about the greatness of the Melchizedek’s priesthood is:

3. Melchizedek has an eternal priesthood.

Hebrews 7:8 NASB95

In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

The next evidence about the greatness of the Melchizedek’s priesthood is:

4. Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham.

Hebrews 7:9–10 NASB95

And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

The one who received tithes paid them to Melchizedek before it was even started.

Application:

In this book these Christians are in danger of not maturing in their faith. Not finishing strong with God, not waling with him for a lifetime. Now the author wants to give them some meat so that they will be all that God wants them to be.

We need to regularly embrace Jesus as high priest:

2. Because our brokenness has to be dealt with (11-20).

The old system was a temporary fix to our ultimate problem. The Old system was always meant to point us to Jesus.

These Hebrew believers had the ultimate solution in Jesus.

How do we deal with the problem of sin?

The New Bible Commentary 7:1–28 The Eternal High Priesthood of Christ

In simple terms, Christ’s sacrifice deals with the problem of sin in a way that the Levitical priesthood and the law of Moses could not.

Hebrews & James 1. The Failure of the Levitical Priesthood (v. 11)

The Levitical system provided a means for imperfect people to approach God, but it could not provide them victory over their sin. At best, it could only expose the sin (Heb. 10:3).

The Priesthood and the Law were insufficient!

Hebrews 7:11–14 NASB95

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

The Law could not help us live holy it was alway designed to bring us to God

In the same way the priesthood was insufficient.

There had to be a change to it.

Hebrews 7:15–20 NASB95

And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath

There was an entire new priesthood.

We need to regularly embrace Jesus as high priest:

3. because he satisfies forever (20-28).

Hebrews 7:20–21 NASB95

And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever’ ”);

The only thing that brings satisfaction forever is God. So many times we try and to fill the place where God wants to dwell with other things. It could be even good things but the reality is whether it is family, or career, we settle for things that satisfy temporarily.

We put these things in there instead making our relationship God the center piece of our life. But the reason he can be the centerpiece is because he is the forever priesthood.

There are even some moral people with moral religions, but if it does not lead to Jesus you miss out on the one who can satisfy you forever.

Hebrews 7:22–23 NASB95

so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing,

We see how Jesus is greater than these other priests:

Jesus never dies.

And these Hebrews who were tempted to go back to their priests were about to miss out on the one true God who can satisfy their souls forever.

Now most in here are not tempted to go back to their priest, but some may be tempted to go back to their old religion instead of embracing the relationship that is found in Jesus.

We may not go to another priests as our number one: but we will go to our phone and our social media as our number one.

This week I was talking to my sister and we were just talking about our personalities and I have always been one who has wanted the approval of others. This is a big weakness of mine. But as a christ follower why in the world should I care more about what another human being thinks about me than what God thinks about me.

Isn’t it beautiful that when I am struggling I have direct access to God and I can go right to him anytime, anywhere and anyplace.

Uncle Chuck-??

Hebrews 7:24 NASB95

but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.

We see how Jesus is greater than these other priests:

Forever

Permanent

Hebrews 7:25 NASB95

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

He finishes what he starts.

Hebrews 7:26 NASB95

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;

Attributes of Jesus:

Holy-Illustration-compared to God all our works are like filthy rages.

Hebrews 7:27–28 NASB95

who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

Application:

The thought that I don’t live at the feet of Jesus terrifies right now.

Head

Heart

Hand