February 15, 2007

Hebrews 7 20-28
# 24 Superior Priesthood

For several weeks you have faithfully come as we labored through the biblical arguments for the superiority of Jesus Christ.

We took several breaks to address the idea of this book and the whole NT actually and see what happens when light breaks into the darkness. It may have seemed we took a break from Hebrews, but think about it, what is the message of this book? God who spoke in past times through prophets sent his full and final message to us in the birth of his son. The creator sustainer upholder of the universe entered time and space and didn’t stay a tiny baby but grew up. He grew up to die, to die for you and for me in order that God’s righteous and correct judgments against us would be satisfied.

It isn’t about being good or bad…that figures in the change…It is about Jesus giving HIS life to give us life.

Now we are involved in a study in which the author under inspiration of the Holy Spirit is showing his readers then, as well as us, the SUPERIORITY of the Christ.

We saw in Chapter one that Jesus is God’s superior revelation, being his final one. We saw Jesus as superior to all creation as he is creator. We in ch. 2 saw that he is superior to Angels, they are servants and he is sovereign. In ch. 3 we saw That Jesus is superior to Moses the law giver in that Jesus is the builder of the spiritual builder of the house and Moses but a servant in the house.

Beginning in Chapter 5 we are seeing argument for the superior Priesthood of Jesus Christ. BUT there was a break in verses 11-20 where the writer exhorted them to grow up.

They needed to move on to spiritual maturity because it seems they didn’t understand about Melchisedek. WHY? They hadn’t read the Old Testament scriptures.

SIDE NOTE: Many of today’s Christians neglect the Older Testament as not relevant to them but that is not at all true. We find the foundation of our faith there. You cannot fully understand the wonder of the New without the basis if the Older one. Jesus did not come to DO AWAY WITH the law, but to fulfill it. It is in these scriptures that we find the basis of our great hope. We also are to know God’s standard of holiness and right. We are not under the law, but we are to obey God’s commands if we love him, said Jesus.

Then after that detour the author picks up the argument in 7:1-19 describing Melchisedek and then showing the prediction of the new priesthood. Today we will look at 3 more characteristics of this new priesthood that makes Christ superior.

Looking at our passage we can see it fall into three divisions:

20-22 Superior because of God’s promise. 23-25 Superior because of it’s permanence. And in verses 26-28 The new priesthood is superior because of the perfection of Jesus.

Read Hebrews 7:20-28 -

Superior because of God’s promise.

Remember we are examining Old Testament scriptures here. Psalm 110 proves our point that Jesus Christ , God in the flesh, is fully qualified to be a priest and that the New Priesthood is qualified for Him. The writer continues look at the text in even it’s smallest detail to show the characteristics of the New Priesthood.

Now he draws our attention to the fact that the appointment of Messiah as a perpetual high priest was confirmed by a divine oath. “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever.” God’s word, needs no oath to be sure as we saw in 6:13 He cannot lie, but the fact that he binds it with an oath makes it doubly sure.

v-21 The appointment of Aaronic priests rested on divine command. GOD said to Moses, “bring near Aaron your brother and his sons with him so they can minister to me in the priest’s office BUT there was no divine oath mentioned They were not appointed by divine oath. Psalm 110:4 says there is an oath where a new priest is introduced after Melchisedek’s order. This suggests to us the superior dignity of the Melchisedek priesthood.

And verse 22 Since it is Jesus who is acclaimed as Priest after the order of Melchisedek then it is Jesus whose superior dignity is confirmed.

This is emphasized by our author in that he arranged the construction of this long sentence v 20-22 so that the weight of it’s argument falls on the very last words. In the original it is JESUS and that is done for emphasis. And when he does this he introduces another aspect of the priesthood of Jesus which will be developed later on, that is Jesus role as Guarantor and mediator of a covenant which is as much superior to the Old one as Jesus priesthood is to the Aaronic.

This si the first time the term “testament” has appeared but it wll play a massive part in the following argument…but that’s later.

Now 2 more aspects of the Melchisedec Priesthood need to be mentioned.

Before we move on, let’s think about this a bit. How very much God must love us. From time immemorial he foreordained Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, to become our perfect high priest. And a thousand years before Jesus appeared in that stable in Bethlehem we have God’s OATH listed in the psalms promising that you and I would have not only a sacrifice, but someone to bear it.

“Love so divine, love so sublime, love that’s is deeper than any sea, oh how can it be?”

Well did David ask in Psalm 8 “what is man that thou art mindful of him?”

And yet eternal Holy God has sent Jesus to be our eternal friend. Our brother, can we do any less than give him our best? Trust our lives to him? Live in obedience to the scriptures regardless of what we feel. It is recognizing that this word of God is Revealed Propositional Truth.

Today we rewrite the truth of the word according to what makes things better for us. We then despise the high priest and his sacrifice.

An old chorus we used to sing: “After all He’s done for me; after all He’s done for me, how can I do less than give Him my best, and live for Him completely; after all He’s done for me!” This is the response of true love, and it will prevail over all.

We saw the priesthood of Christ is superior because of God’s promise now we will see it is superior because of it’s permanence.

23-25 Now if you can get this argument, if you can understand what the Spirit of God is proving here, then it Must motivate you to sell out to Jesus our permanent, everlasting high priest.

It has already been pointed out that’s the Lord’s eternity makes it possible for him to fulfill to the letter the words “Thou art a priest forever.”

But with the old priesthood it was not so. Aaron was appointed high priest and served his people through the wilderness wandering years But there came a day when Moses took Aaron and his son Eleazar up on Mount Hor and Moses stripped Aaron of his high priestly robes and put them on Eleazar. And Aaron died on that Mountain. And later after Canaan land was settled Eleazar died and was succeeded, according to Joshua 24:37 by his son Phineas.

And so it went generation after generation of high priests died and the office passed from one to another (Josephus said 83 from Aaron to 70 AD).

So our writer has good reason for what he says in verse 23. These men were appointed in numerous succession because they are prevented from continuing in office because of death.

BUT, now watch out here, But Jesus (this man) has a high priesthood that can be forever. Why? Because he is forever.

This priesthood is forever, it is not dissolvable, final. It is unchangeable. In this one flawless mediator we catch sight of priesthood in it’s highest ideal, for the unique endowments of Christ totally fulfill and validate the office.

The death of Aaron as high priest means that he is no longer available to those who counted on him for intervention to God. Even though a new one stepped in people might feel because of certain personal qualities (Saul Samuel Endor) he was more effective for them.

But with Christ it is not so. He never has to hand over the reigns of priesthood to someone else, someone less qualified to carry out the duties. With Christ, when we entrust our cause to him it is eternally secure/

Verse 27 Wherefore-because of that, he is able. King Darius asked Daniel when he came in to check on him after a night in the lions den, “Daniel, is your God able? Our answer and Daniel’s answer is a stirring, “Yes, He is able.”

Paul said to timothy (2 Tim 1:12) I am not ashamed because I know who I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed (my eternal soul) unto him, against that day.”

And here in Hebrews we see that because of his unending priesthood he is able to save to the uttermost, completely, totally not only in time but in eternity, and he can save all who come to God by him seeing that he is the eternal high priest who is always there interceding for souls to be brought to God and kept by God (Rom. 8:33)

In that section in 2 Timothy when Paul realized this, that Jesus was able, he said “I suffer because I preach, but I am not ashamed.”

My family in Jesus, when you really understand the eternal priesthood of Christ Jesus you will cast yourself on his mercy and serve him with your whole heart. Unashamed of him and unashamed because of your obedient lifestyle.

So the new priesthood is superior because of God’s promise, and it’s permanence. Lastly we see it si superior because of the perfection of Jesus Christ. (v 26-28)

The other arguments were good, but this one is the crowning one. Because Jesus , the new priest is better. This new priest poured out his heart to God in earnest prayer. Endured deep temptation and learned by suffering the hard way of obedience. Jesus who went to God for his disciples so their faith might not fail under testing. Jesus who offered up his life as a sin offering on our behalf.

This same Jesus is the unchanging high priest and helper of all who come to God through him. And he became one of us, fit our condition, he has the unique quality of having experienced the full force of temptation without once yielding to it. He is able without question and qualified to appear in God’s presence. He is the Holy One of God, free from all defilement.

v.26

Friends, we have as our high priest one who isn’t just the IDEA of purity but is the incarnate word of God who preserved his purity while treading the common ways of this world and sharing our human lot in life. Even though he came to this world in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom.8:3), lived among sinners, received sinners, ate with sinners, was known as the friend of sinners, yet he is set apart from sin. He is in a different class from sinful men and is now exalted above all heavens to share the throne of God.

V27

He is superior because being holy he never needed to make a sacrifice for his own sins, but instead offered up his pureness in place of our putridness. He alone could do this because He alone is pure. And note that he did this ONCE (expanded later) family, that once equals permanent forgiveness.

v.28

Under ancient law the high priest is “infirm” and has to offer for his sins and theirs, but God’s oath acclaimed a new perpetual priesthood which supercedes the old and this was fulfilled in Jesus.

Christ Jesus vindicated that title on the basis of a perfect sacrifice and took high priestly office and he alone id fully equipped to fulfill the ministry of intercessor at God’s right hand.

This is no priest “subject to human frailty” This is the one whom God addresses SON, whose high priesthood is absolutely effective and eternally suited to meet his people’s needs.

We have this high priest to deal with our sins, to make open the road to God for us, but we sometimes abuse that. We let sin slide, have we forgotten the horrible price paid “on that beautiful scandalous night?” He came to die because of sin, do take away our sin, and we allow it in our selves and our brothers we are tolerant of sin, evil, false teaching.

Tolerant even though the word of God teaches “let every one who names the name of God depart from iniquity (2 Tim. 2:19)”

Even though we are told to be like Christ, living among sinners but not living like them.

May God forgive us for tolerating what he does not, sin. For somehow thinking that we can use the devil’s tools for God’s work (only going along to win them). God forgive us… and he does.

Begin this year with a self exam. Is God first in your life or are you? His way or yours? Who do you trust?