JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST
Hebrews 4:14-5:10
BENIFITS OF JESUS AS HIGH PRIEST
V: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."
A. After God brought Israel Egypt
to make
sacrifices for their sins and to intercede on their behalf.
1. From the
Levite tribe, a whole line of priests were selected until Christ came
in the flesh
from heaven.
2. Christ established Himself as the first
and only High Priest of the Church with
His sacrificial
death on the cross.
B. Christ is the only
High Priest that died, was resurrected and is seated at the right
hand of the
Father.
1. Christ death on
the cross atoned for the sins of all people, past, present and future.
2. Christ death on
the cross is the final sacrifice for all time.
C. At our first belief in the death of Jesus, we
were baptized into His death and
resurrected
into the newness of eternal life with Him.
1. We must hold
fast to our faith in the sacrificial death of the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
2. The Devil shows
up to cast doubt on our faith and to destroy our joy in this
eternal hope.
V:15. " 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."
A. Jesus stepped down
out of heaven, took on human flesh to identify with all of our
weaknesses.
1. When we are
weak, He is our strength.
2. When we are
sad, He is our joy.
3. When we are
frustrated, He is our wisdom.
4. When we are
angry, He is our comforter.
5. When we are
lonely, He is our friend.
6. When we are in
need, He is our wealth.
B. As soon as Jesus
was baptized, He was led into the desert by the Spirit to be
tempted by the
Devil. Matt 4:1
1. Jesus responded
to every temptation of the Devil with Word of God.
2. There is no sin
in Jesus because the Word is His power.
3. We are
commanded to resist the Devil and he will flee.
4. We are
empowered by the Word of God to resist the Devil. James 4:7
V:16. " 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."
A. It is by the mercy
of God that we are forgiven and the
grace of God that we have
favor before man
and God.
1. Grace is the
Greek Word "charis", which means divine favor or divine influence
upon the
heart.
2. Mercy is the
Greek word "eleos" which means divine compassion.
B. With our faith in
our divine intercessor, Jesus Christ, we can come to the throne
of Grace with
confidence.
1. Jesus is
whatever we need Him to be.
2. If we summit
ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can ask what we
want and God will
answer our prayers.
TEMPORARY ROLE OF EARTHLY HIGH PRIESTS
Chapter 5:1-10
V:5:1. " 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."
A. The selection of
the high priest was initially from the tribe of the Levites.
B. The job of the
high priest:
1. Represent the nation of Israel
2. Offer gifts
before God.
3. Offer
sacrifices for the sins of Israel
C. Sacrifices had to
continually be offered, because Israel
V:2 "He is able
to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since
he himself is subject to
weakness."
A. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
1. The high priest
was a man of faith selected by God, but not without sin.
2. He was able to
deal compassionately with his neighbors because of his own
inability to
keep from sinning.
B. When we are ignorant
of the Word, we can't correctly distinguish between right
and wrong.
1. Powerful living
come from putting the Word into practice.
2. The more we
practice Christian principles the stronger we become.
V:3 "This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own
sins, as well as for the sins of
the people."
A. Since we are
sinners by nature, we must ask for forgives of our own sins before our
prayers for
others are effective.
1. We sin by
omission and by commission.
2. We sin in our
thoughts and actions.
3. Therefore, we
are always in need of the Father's forgiveness.
4. To stay in
fellowship with the Father, we must constantly be aware of our sins
and ask for
forgiveness.
B. Before the high
priest went before the Father in intercessory prayer, he had to be
cleansed of his
own sins.
1. If the priest
was not accepted before God in the Holy of Holiness, he faced
sudden death. Ex 28:33-35
2. Before we
intercede on behalf of others, we should confess our own sins.
SELECTION OF GOD'S SON AS THE FINAL HIGH PRIEST
V:4. " No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be
called by God, just as Aaron
was."
A. High priests,
before the advent of Christ were selected by God and not by man.
1. The position
of high priest was a position of honor.
2. God chose men
who were obedient to His Word to be high priests.
B. Jesus is now the
one and only high priest.
1. He made the
final sacrifice with His death on the cross.
2. The first high priest called by God was
Aaron, and the last high priest called by
God was His
Son.
3. The first high
priest was called from among men.
4. The last high
priest was called from heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
V:5. " 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."
A. Christ is the last
high priest.
1. Christ is the
high priest forever.
2. The high
priests chosen among men held their position until death. Nu 35:25
3. Jesus took on
His position of high priest forever, after His death on the cross.
B. Christ being equal
with God the Father, accepted the position of high priest
by submission to
the Father.
1. Jesus is
prophet, king and high priest.
2. As prophet, He
is the eternal Word and all wisdom.
3. As king, He reigns over heaven and earth.
4. As high
priest, He is the sacrifice for all sins.
V:6. " And he
says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of
Melchizedek."
A. Melchizedek was the king of Salem Jerusalem
1. His name means
king of righteousness.
2. Abraham paid
tithes to Melchizedek.
B. Melchizedek was
introduced without a father or mother.
1. Melchizedek had
no predecessor or successor.
2.There is no
record of Melchizedek's birth or death.
V:7. " During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he
offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could
save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
A. During Jesus life
on earth, He was the perfect prayer
warrior.
1. He interceded in prayer for all who came
to Him.
2. He often
separated Himself from the crowd and His disciple to pray.
B. Scripture records
the evidence of the effectiveness of His prayers.
1. He showed
compassion to all who came to Him for help.
2. The physical
ill and spiritually ill were healed by His power.
3. He emphasized
faith as the key to Him releasing His healing power.
C. He exercised His
power over death and declared Himself to be the resurrection and
the life.
1. All who
believe in Him are granted eternal life.
2. He is the
only one who can forgive the sins of man.
OBEDIENCE OF JESUS TO THE FATHER
V:8,9. "
Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once
made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ."
A. Jesus is the
perfect role model for love and honor to the Father.
1. He took on the
role of Son and humbly submitted Himself to the will of the
Father.
2. He sacrificed
His life according to the divine will of the Father.
B. Because He humbled
Himself even unto death, the Father lifted Him up with all
power over
heaven and earth.
1. The only way to
heaven is through Jesus Christ.
2. Everyone must
accept Him by faith as Lord and Savior to receive eternal life.
3. We become
children of the King through obedience to His commands.
V:10. " And was designated by God to be high priest in
the order of Melchizedek."
A. Jesus is the
High Priest forever.
1. He has no beginning or end.
2. He is Alpha
and Omega
B. He is the king
of righteousness.
1. At His
name, every knee shall bow.
2. He is the
righteous judge.
3. He is the
true and living Word.
4. He is the
eternal God.
LET US GIVE PRAISE AND WORSHIP TO OUR HIGH PRIEST
Rev. M. Mitchell,
Asst Pastor of GMBC
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