The Perfect Priest (Easter Sunday)

SCRIPTURE READING:

Congregational reading of His victory! this will allow me to build out the Hebrews passages.

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INTRO

This weekend we have been considering Jesus plan to take away the sins of the world. God prescribed a plan of sacrifices in the days of Moses, but those sacrifices were imperfect, and only an image of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. Will you please stand and read these verses with me?

Hebrews 10:4–14 (ESV)

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ” 8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

If you were Friday night, this next verse will sound familiar. After the sin offering had been made, Lev 4:31 says, And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

On the cross, just before he died, Jesus, being the perfect sacrificial lamb and the perfect high priest, responded to the thief next to him, “today you will be with me in paradise.” Then when Jesus said, “it is finished” he died. Jesus perfect sacrifice was complete. Atonement was perfectly made and three days later, the stone was rolled away, death could not defeat him, the grave could not keep him! He arose victorious, defeating death once and for all and since that day, Jesus has been acting as a perfect priest.

In the Old Testament, a priest had the important responsibility of walking alongside a sinner in the sacrifice process and to act as a mediator between that sinner and God. The priest’s job was to complete the sacrifice so God’s wrath on the sinner was transferred to the coming Christ. Once the sin sacrifice was complete, atonement had been made, the penalty paid, and the person was restored to a right relationship with God. Jesus arose to be the perfect high priest who causes his children to have a right relationship with God. This morning we are going to consider Christ, high and lifted up who is acting as our perfect priest.

Human priests have many faults, but Jesus has none. (Heb 7:23-24,27)

Most of this morning’s passages are located in the book of Hebrews. Please turn to Hebrews 7. Jesus didn’t just live, die, and be resurrected to do nothing. Because of the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus is serving today my, you, our perfect high priest. Hebrews 7:23-28 is our main text this morning which says...

Hebrews 7:23–28 (ESV) “23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.”

No human priest could ever do anything to appease God’s wrath. All human priests were faulty. If you look at our main text, you will quickly see that human priests had many faults, but Jesus does his job perfectly.

The first fault of human priests is found in verse 23.

Human priests were many, but Jesus was one. (Heb 7:23-24; 1:3)

Many of them served at the temple together because of the sheer number of sacrifices that were daily offered. Many priests existed from the time of Moses until Jesus’ death because they were not perfect. They had no power. They kept dying and needing to be replaced. Their term was limited by the length of their lives,

Then verse 24 declares the wonderful truth. Jesus holds His office permanently and He is the only priest needed to intercede for the sins of world. One perfect sacrifice instead of many. One priest instead of many. Jesus as priest only needed to complete the one perfect sacrifice and Heb 1:3 tells us that, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

You might recall from my message on Friday that, under the law, when an animal was sacrificed the priest was right there with the person who was confessing their sin before God. We also know that the priests, under the law, couldn’t rest. Their work was never done. Sin needed to be atoned for over and over!

But Jesus’ death and resurrection completed was the purification we needed.

Human priests had a second problem...

Human priests had to atone for their own sins, but Jesus had no sins (to atone for. (Heb 7:27; 5:2-3)

Broken people can not function as priests. You and I cannot atone for our sins because we are broken, stained, unacceptable. We rely on the unbroken one to atone for sins.

Hebrews 5:3 (ESV) 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.

Can you imagine waiting in line for hours for your turn to sacrifice your lamb after waiting for days or weeks to complete the purification process, to be finally viewed as holy before God again? Can you imagine anticipating, “when is it my turn? come on, I just can’t wait to have my relationship with God restored! Yes! there he goes! my turn!”

Then as you walk up to the priest, all excited to get this over with, the priest takes off his robe and says, “I’m sorry, but this aisle is closed.” I called that last man an unkind name when he killed the animal too slowly. I am unfit to sacrifice for you until I sacrifice for my own sin.

All that anticipation, all that wait to be forgiven and you would have had to wait even longer. “Come on, I just want to be right with God again!” Can you imagine that?!?!

Of course you can, you shop at Walmart too!

As our high priest, Jesus, is and has always been perfectly acceptable before God every moment of every day.

It is like walking to the checkout at Walmart and a cashier points to you and says “Come.” and she opens a checkout line, just for you, at that very moment. That is an idea of what our resurrected Jesus did for us!

Hebrews 7:26–28 ESV

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

When he died, Jesus died for his sins, for he was perfect, spotless, wholly pure. He was and is God. One sacrifice, HIS, was the last and final one needed. When he said, “It is finished” the sins of the world were forgiven through his single, perfect sacrifice.

Human priests had a third problem. For this, we need to turn to Hebrews 3.

Human priests stewarded as servants but Jesus stewarded as son. (Heb 3:1-2,5; Mt 25:14-30; Lk 20)

Please flip back a few chapters to Heb 3. This distinction between servants and son is important. We will read...

Hebrews 3:1,2,5 (ESV) “1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

God gave His law to Moses. Moses was a faithful servant, and one of the most faithful human priest servants to have ever lived. But God reminds us here a servant, no matter how faithful he might be, will never care for the the Father’s household better than a faithful son.

You don’t need to turn there, but Mt 25 contains a parable of a rich man who went on a journey who entrusted his money to three servants. One servant was unfaithful. He failed to steward the money as the master would have stewarded that money.

In Luke 20 a vineyard owner entrusted his vineyard to caretakers, but those caretakers did not give the owner the profits from his own vineyard, so the owner sent a servant who was not respected by the caretakers, so the owner sent a second servant who was shamefully treated. Then the owner sent a third servant who was physically harmed and returned empty, so the owner thought, “I’ll send my son. My son won’t fail me. Maybe my servants didn’t represent me the way my own son does.” But that didn’t make a difference to the caretakers. They murdered the owner’s son, who represents Jesus in that parable.

A servant will never inherit the master’s wealth, only the oldest son would receive an inheritance, so the oldest son would have very carefully treated the fathers things as if they were his own. That son would one day get abundant wealth. Caring for the father’s things was most important to the son. So, God reminds us that Christ is the perfect steward of God’s kingdom. Christ is perfectly faithful and perfectly reliable and the father, in Ephesians, placed the church, you, me, all Christians across all time, under the Son’s authority. He can be perfectly trusted by the father to care for the Father’s best interests and our best interests.

Jesus is the perfect high priest. He is remarkable!

Human priests could not enter certain places, but Jesus entered the holiest of all places (vv24-27).

v26 says Jesus is“separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” and Hebrews 6:19-20 puts it like this...

Hebrews 6:19–20 ESV

19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus went to the “inner place behind the curtain.” (Heb 6:19-20)

This is the holy of holies, the place only one priest at a time was ever allowed to go and when he did go in, he didn’t stay there. He went, did his job and came back out. Jesus went into the holy of holies and remained there. He maintained constant communication with God. There is no place an earthly priest was more effective than in the holy of holies.

Jesus didn’t just go into the “inner place behind the curtain.” He went somewhere no human priest can go.

Jesus went to God the Father’s side and is seated there. (Heb 1:3)

No human priest was that effective, because they could not get that close to God! Christ love you and me so much that he went into that inner place Christ serves in the inner place, that place we cannot yet go.

Then, Heb 1:3 says Jesus is seated next to God the father. Think about how close he is to God compared to how far away the priests were from God. Priests were very far away and even that far away, they couldn’t move any closer to God, then think about how close Christ is to God all the time. He has direct access to the father all the time because He is seated next to the Father and He stays there because He is God and therefore has no sin to ever remove him from that place. Jesus loves us so much that he, is right next to God and intercedes on our behalf all the time. Jesus’ role as the perfect High priest has mind blowing impact on our lives if just stop to think about it and dwell on some of these words from Hebrews.

Jesus’ victory over death makes no difference unless we respond in faith. We can’t just sit in the pew and do nothing. Jesus acted, and so must we.

I need to...

(auto transition= 1 second) Be lieve that Jesus is the Christ! (Acts 16:31)

Jesus was fully God, fully man. He came as promised. He lived among us. He died. He rose again. He loves you, he desires to forgive you and wash you clean and present you to the father as acceptable to God and will you give you the inheritance of eternal life as His son.

Knowing him is simple. Making sacrifices didn’t save people from the coming judgement, coming to church doesn’t save people, only faith will save us. All you must do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.. Have faith that He is who He said He is and have faith that he will perfectly remove the penalty of your sins.

If you believe, He will never you out. That initial step of faith is critical, but faith doesn’t just stop there. Believing isn’t just a one time thing, belief becomes a lifelong series of decisions. That initial faith should drive every other decision in life and we are going to be talking about this over the next many weeks in our “Practical Christianity” beginning next week.

Be comforted that Jesus identifies with me! (Php 2:6-8; Heb 5:1-10; Mt 27:46)

Belief in Christ gives us daily assurance that Jesus identifies with me. In Leviticus 6:24-26 a priest making a guilt offering was supposed to eat the meat from that sacrifice. Part of that was provision for the priests so they could work full-time at the temple. Part of that though, was that eating the meat was a reminder that the priest was human. The priest himself was beset with sin, weakness of humanity. That priest could identify with the guilt of the sinner and therefore be a reliable representative of that person before God. If you want, flip to...

Hebrews 5:1–10 (ESV)

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.

Jesus came to earth and chose to put on OUR WEAKNESS. If we read on in Heb 5:7...

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.

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus knew what it was like to be separated from God! He serves more compassionately than any priest ever did. He knows what being human is like. He knows how much our bodies crave sin and disobedience. He knows pain and hurt and heartbreak, so he did and continues doing something about it. Heb 5:9 says

9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him a priest after the order of Melchizadek.

Jesus identifies with me! Continued faith in moments of doubt, suffering, and weakness gives us great comfort.

I need to do one more thing...

Be excited that Jesus will allow me into the holiest place! (1 Cor 15:52)

In Leviticus chapters 1-7 a person could not enter the holiest of places. Even after some was cleansed of their sin, a person could only get so close to God. Jesus conquered sin and arose because one day, 1 Corinthians 15:52 (ESV) 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

The restrictions will be lifted. That line that we cannot cross now will be erased and we also will enter the holiest of all places, and we too will remain there for the rest of time and be separated from God no more. Be excited! Believe because Jesus offers hope like no other. He forgives like no other, He understands us like no other. My hope for you this week is that Jesus has changed your life and will continue to change your life.

Prayer Ideas: