Jesus, the Great High Priest (Part 2 of 2)

The Scripture is full of titles and images to help us understand who Jesus is, what he does today on Truth for Life were looking at one of those titles of title that may seem foreign to our modern ears, but that undergirds the very foundation of our faith. Alister Beck explains why we should understand that Jesus is our great high priest were in the book of Hebrews in chapters 4 and five try and unpack the first 10 verses of chapter and then eventually will return to the application which is contained in versus 14 through 16.

First of all, then will you notice that in the first four verses the writer gives to as the qualities that are required in high priests are the qualities that where required in high priests number one.

Every high priest is selected from among men. That's the first thing where you get high priests from you get done from among their peers.

Secondly to represent them in matters related to God very clear phrases and what is the high please do what he represents people about what will in matters related to God.

Thirdly, and piggybacking on that truth and indeed expounding it somewhat what is it mean that he would not represent them in matters related to God, but actually to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Fourthly, he must be able to deal gently with the ignorant and the wondering physically and finally the fifth Mark is that this individual must be called by God. Verse four. No one takes this honor upon himself. He must be called by God, and I was again, simply put a sign up on site is his front door, declaring that he is the new high priest as of February 10. I am the high priest here in the first high priest of Israel occupied his office by divine appointment.

God said Aaron you're my man, you can read about it in Exodus 28.

You can read it in number 16. I don't have time to turn now.

This would've rung an immediate balun the minds of the initial readers. The reason being that the appointing of high priests had been corrupt for a long time. Actually, long before the arrival of Jesus. The appointing of high priests had gone south. And so when these individual read this, they would have sent themselves minding my know you don't go to biblical history.

For this you don't need to.

You can go simply to secular history interviewing secular history you will find that it is chronicled clearly with the fall of the Hasmonean house high priests were appointed from that point on successively by Herod the great, from 37 BC to four BC Herod the great point of the high priest. He had no right to do that to be appointed by God. The president is in a point high priest, the Queen doesn't point had police God appoints high priests. Archelaus stepped up and did the same thing from four BC to A.D. six. Following that all the Roman governors from 86 A.D. 41 they appointed all the high priest and then from 41 to 66 A.D. Haddad and his family said will take care of the high priests, other readers must attain this letter and said wait a minute. No one takes his honor upon himself.

He must be called by God. Just as Aaron was what we doing here what's been happening with these high priests. No wondering. The predicament that were so sure these folks understand what they're doing. I must assure that they are the right people to be doing what they're doing instead of them being selected from among men are being appointed from the top down instead of them representing is in matters related to God.

They appear to be representing Archelaus.

They appear to be representing the political establishment level and let me tell you something every time that you set aside the Bible and trying to put together the plan and pattern of leadership in the local church. It is possible to get involved in all kinds of chaos by the Bible makes it absolutely clear about how all these things are to happen. There is a direct correlation between what the Bible says and what were supposed to do. Everybody is understood that if we all understood it, then we would actually be doing what the Bible says, but since we continue not to do what the Bible says we presumably assume that it just says it because he wants to say what is was to do anything about, or that we can do whatever we choose, because that's only what the Bible says so in their day. They really look at this and they said it is God who is still point high priests. Therefore nobody else can set up any other system when John Calvin fastened on this in the midst of the Reformation. He applied it to his day with great clarity. Let me quote and hundreds of years later. I think it is a timely word for our own generation. Your sensible people. You can judge the rightness of my assertion says Calvin as it is the promise of God to govern the church so he reserves to himself alone the right to lay down the order and manner of its administration. Fair enough chase church he can decide how you do it in the church what's supposed to happen on this. I based the principal that the papal priesthood is experience one because it was fabricated in a human workshop God. Nowhere commands that a sacrifice should now be offered to him for the forgiveness of sins to a false. There is nowhere in the Bible that we are to offer to God a sacrifice for sins true. Okay then. Anyone who offers to God a sacrifice for sins. I don't understand the Bible or Susan to do differently right as logical viruses. Nobody needs to offer sacrifice percent okay he nowhere ordains that priests should be appointed for this purpose. Therefore, when the Pope installs his priests to make sacrifices. The Bible says that they are not to be considered lawful unless by some new and special law. They exalt themselves above Christ, who himself did not dare to take this honor on himself, but waited for the word of the five elements. This is just basic Protestant Christian teaching, but to propound it is to appear extreme in the whole history of Reformation Christianity is been absolutely clear. Why then does its straightforward statement appear so bizarre because by and large, the charge is so dreadfully on taught and the spirit of our age which is so prevailing really syncretistic and pluralistic has so much indoctrinated itself with the idea that tolerances on the throne and truth is its footstool, finds it and it's years when the situation is reversed as fruitless on the throne and tolerances its footstool. This has to mean something when in the Vatican when in the great basilica and seen there in Rome, the Pope does as he continues to do that is set apart all these men who are prostrate before he claims to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. When they prostrate themselves before him, and take to themselves the responsibility to return to humanity and to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Do you mean do what the Bible says they are supposed to do. No, then that makes it and if it is wrong it is and right, and if we need to know what is right. We need to know what is wrong.

Otherwise, we will be swept up in the confusion of our day as so many all well you just have to love everyone all you must be saying those things is very nice people.

You know my uncle you know my grandfather was a fight I understand but here the writer makes it absolutely clear that in the fulfillment of Christ's priesthood. That is the negation of every other priest and that's where we end our time this morning because having outlined the qualifications of the high priest in verses 1 to 4. He then goes on to show the validity of Christ's priesthood. So that's the second point. First of all, the job description about high priest and then secondly does Jesus fit the job description and what you find what you find. He starts when he finishes verse four theirs and diversifying says while we are talking about it. Jesus didn't take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. He was appointed by the father.

That's true. Remember in John chapter 8 Jesus says to the people around them.

If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing but my father is the one who glorifies me that's what bothered you so steamed you greater than our father Abram, absolutely.

I before Abram was I am. And they took up stones to stone him. Why, because he said himself, where God the father had placed as the great high priest, and then in these verses. Psalm two some hundred and 10 with which were becoming familiar. The writer quotes the themes of Christ's kingship and his priesthood here there is the coming together of this amazing wonder of the Old Testament prophecies. They knew that there was a king coming but at the same time. They knew that this there was to be a suffering Messiah. And so some of the people had assumed that there were two people coming one who would fulfill the role as a king, and one who would fulfill the role of a priest and a writer to the Hebrews says listen in the Lord Jesus Christ. You have both his kingly rule and his priestly function. After all, he says if you just me dishonest. You understand this mention of Melchizedek will come to it. In chapter 7 we can begin to do your homework by reading Genesis 14 and you'll find him there. But for now I want you to notice to straightforward facts. Number one.

The Old Testament priests offerings where the shadow and Christ's sacrifice was the reality the Old Testament priests had their day and they passed away, but Christ's priesthood abides forever. He ever lives to make intercession for us. The reason that this is so important is because we have no priesthood in our day seeing the priesthood of all believers.

Many people would be saying at this time. You know, I'm not so sure about these Christian meetings because there's nothing much goes on. I mean, there's nothing very dramatic there. There's no sights and sounds and smells. The rather dull compared to what we once knew we don't seem to have any priests or are anything very good writer says if you understood what it meant to have Jesus as your great high priest you'd never go hankering after all the sights and sounds and bells and smell so the people are going search of the bells and smells in the sights and the sounds are those who have never understood what it is for Jesus to be their great high priest.

For once you understand and there's no need to go look for somebody to offer sacrifices on your behalf.

I put it to that. If you are looking for someone to sacrifice on your behalf have never understood the sacrifice was Jesus is made of you and to me is given the wonderful privilege of introducing you to that truth I don't be unsettled by verse five. 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. What is this mean that he wasn't the son, and then on one day, he became the son absolutely not your local Bible study group may fold in on itself for the consideration of this question without help, but you simply interpret Scripture with Scripture. We know that the sun existed before the incarnation. Don't wait in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God. It was nothing made without him nothing that is been made. He is the creator.

So what is this mean what you must always understand that then in the light of what the Bible is made clear.

Namely, the eternal son ship of Jesus Christ. So the point is simply this, that when Jesus took his rightful place in heaven. God proclaimed him, declared him to be his son. When Paul introduces Romans he says this in Romans 14, who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the son of God, God said this is my son. How by his resurrection from the dead. There are number of occasions when in the New Testament God the father says this is my son you can think of at his baptism. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased in the transfiguration is my beloved son, listen to, and when you see how the apostles deal with the drama of his resurrection and his ascension you have this great declaration verses 1 to 4. The writer has shown what needs to happen for an individual to qualify for the priesthood. The man must have a sympathetic human nature and he must be divinely appointed nice as I want you to understand that Jesus to himself at a sympathetic nature. He is able to sympathize with her with us in our weaknesses, but now he says I want you to understand the humanity of the Lord Jesus verse seven.

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 scared because of his reverent submission during the days of Jesus life and Artie offered up prayers petition with loud cries and tears. Where does this take you to take you to the garden of Gethsemane does not sweat as it were great drops of blood and he said father if you're willing let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, know what I want done, but what you want takes us to the scene involve neuraminidase in a Jewish abattoir probably never been an abattoir. If you're sensible, but in the course of my very pilgrimage about occasion to be in these places in the sights and the sounds are unbelievable. Some of the most piercing and painful noises as the blood is let from these creatures so much so that one finds oneself recoiling from it all well and that Old Testament sacrificial system. There was a foreshadowing of the reality which was the con and therefore if we imagine ourselves on the Jerusalem thoroughfares and we see the crowd in the distance and we are drawn to it as others would be drawn to a crowd and we arrive and we see that it is a familiar scene of people hanging on across the Romans were about their business all over again and went about to turn away and we say oh it's just another crucifixion is just another execution and suddenly from the center cross we hear these piercing words into the darkness of a day that should be resplendent in the noonday sun and were living under the darkness and inexplicable darkness and then LOI analyze. Stop by Peggy Lee, who is this that shouts my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and why does he shout doesn't matter doesn't mean a thing this morning. Yes, it means all of our forgiveness means all of our whole means all of our is tied to the fight that bearing shame and scoffing rude in my place condemned, he stood and he sealed my pardon with his blood. So I say hallelujah Savior I don't need nobody to unring the bell for me. Thank God I don't need to stumble from week to week relying on the official work of some earthly man-made priestly system. Men and women today are held in the darkness of that they are going to hell. On the basis of that. Otherwise, the Reformation was a mythology it was a fiction. People died in game their blood for nothing to realize that the blood of the martyrs made possible the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ in these fair line so that we would be able to distinguish error from truth and so that we would be able to say I need no other sacrifice and I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. That's what the writers say he offered up with loud cries and tears, and he was hair because of his reverent submission is an interesting that he says he was hair. He wished for the cup to pass from him in the cup, never pastoring what his immunity was hair sources. I don't know that he was sorry for being here. Then the cup wouldn't of, he would've had to drink it. Now what is he say father if you're willing let this cup pass from me but nevertheless not my will but yours be done. That was the essence of his petition God I'm going to do your will.

I delight to do your will, and God the father had his client said that's right, my boy, you're going to do my will is a great encouragement in this because some of us have cups that we've asked God to remove from our lives and are not removed. Lord, if you're willing I'd like this to happen. I would like that to happen so long and it doesn't happen.

We say to ourselves. I don't anybody understands this. I don't anybody knows what it is like to live with this. I am best thorn in the flesh in 3󬝭0 times I've asked the Lord you take this away from me and I'll resend. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

And here I am the after day after day still in the same circumstance I have agonized over this and that. The next day. I'm not sure anyone understands listen. Jesus understands he lived. He wasn't exactly there and we have in him a great high priest listing Truth for Life and a message series called fix our eyes on Jesus, Alastair Baird will close with prayer in just a minute, so please keep listening.

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People are singing the same song the priesthood and wonder of Jesus. We join our voices with we say amen Bob Lapine hoping you'll join us Thursday as we continue learning about Jesus role as our high priest addressing some of the questions we didn't get a chance to tackle today to important follow-up. So be sure to listen next time the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by truthfully where the Learning is for Living