The Promised Priest
The Promised (Part II)
THE PROMISED PRIEST
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.
How are you planning to celebrate Christmas this year? Do you have specific plans to celebrate it with your loved ones? What are the gifts that you are planning to give your loved ones? Since Christmas celebrations tend to be one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year, I firmly believe that some commonsense planning is necessary in order to make it more meaningful to us. If we only “go with the flow,” as many people do, chances are you will end up missing out on a more meaningful and joyful celebration of the season.
On the contrary, when the first Christmas took place on earth, it is quite evident that it was a result of some meticulous and wise planning on the part of God. How do we know this? Well, if you examine the more than three hundred Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ when He came, it is obvious that things did not happen randomly; everything happened according to God’s eternal plan. From the mother of Jesus, to the lineage, or the place of birth and others, if you take the time to examine these prophecies, you would be amazed to see that God was directly carrying out His over-all plan of saving the world. For me, what is even more amazing to see is that although His plan was absolutely costly because it involved giving up His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, God never wavered in executing His plan because of His great love for us.
This is what we intend to unfold in our sermon series this month, which we entitled, “The Promised.” In order to appreciate where we are going with this, it is important for us to understand that we are specifically highlighting Old Testament prophecies and we are presenting them as direct promises of God to His people in order for them to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Without a doubt, the highest benefit for us to see these fulfilled prophecies or promises is to see that God is someone who is worthy of our trust because He is always faithful in all His promises. And this is so critical for all of us. From our salvation to our daily sustenance, we need to look to God as the Promise keeper. Once we fail to see Him as such, then there is really no hope for any one of us.
Within our theme, last Sunday, Pastor Steve helped us see Jesus as “The Promised Savior.” This morning, my emphasis is to present Jesus being “The Promised Priest.” You see, during the Old Testament, beginning from Aaron and his sons, the nation of Israel became so familiar with the office of the priesthood as they sought to build a relationship with Jehovah God. These priests served as the “mediators” or the “human bridges” for them to connect with God. The Israelites were made to understand that because of their sins, they could not directly approach God. So, they were given the priests to represent them and offer animal sacrifices on their behalf in order that their sins will be forgiven. Fast forward to the New Testament, one of the most significant teachings that believers need to understand is that the Old Testament priesthood was a picture or a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews, which was written primarily to Jewish Christians, spent a great portion of the book explaining the superiority of Jesus as our High Priest. Allow me to show you how blessed we are in having Jesus as our High Priest today by emphasizing three specific areas:
I HIS SUFFICIENT SACRIFICE
Considering our main text in Hebrews 7, it is important to have a solid background on the Old Testament sacrificial system in order to appreciate the passage. We need to understand, first and foremost, the basic requirement in order to receive forgiveness of sins. This is clearly summed up in Hebrews 9:22 (ESV): 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Notice the last part of the verse, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” In other words, if a person in the Old Testament wanted to seek cleansing from sins, he or she must go to the Temple, bringing the appropriate animal and ask a priest to sacrifice the animal by pouring its blood on the altar. However, based on our main text, human priests have certain limitations:
Their priesthood is short-lived because they die (vv.22-24).
They are imperfect priests because they sin (vv. 26-27). They even have to offer sacrifices for themselves first before they can offer for others.
They have “to offer sacrifices daily” because the blood of animals was designed only as shadows for the Lamb of God, who will finally take away the sins of the world (vv. 27-28).
These three points were valid reasons why human priests cannot provide the permanent solution to man’s separation from God brought about by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). The bottom line of verse 27 going to verse 28 is very significant here, especially the phrase “once for all.” This phrase carries the idea that because Jesus Himself, who was perfect, became the ultimate sacrifice for the sin of the world, His sacrifice was sufficient. He only had to be offered once, and it was enough. This truth is reinforced by another passage in Hebrews:
Hebrews 9:11-12 (ESV) 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
The blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross was much superior compared to all the animal sacrifices the people offered back in the Old Testament. One sacrifice was more than enough to provide complete forgiveness of sins. Therefore, if anyone of us would like to receive such kind of forgiveness, let’s not forget that only Jesus can bestow it to us.
II HIS SECURED SALVATION
The second truth that we should also emphasize is found in verse 25 – “[H]e is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
The priesthood of Jesus Christ is also significant for us not only because He took care of our past sins; He is also helping us today, so that our salvation is totally secured.
What do we mean by “total security” in salvation? I believe that you will appreciate better this verse if I read to you from The Living Translation:
Hebrews 7:25 (TLB) 25 He is able to save completely all who come to God through him. Since he will live forever, he will always be there to remind God that he has paid for their sins with his blood.
I’m sure that if there is anything that gives us a lot of insecurity with regards to our salvation, it is our ongoing struggle with sin, right? We all know that even after we believe in Jesus Christ, sin has not been totally eradicated in our lives. In other words, we still commit sin. So, it is possible that every time we become conscious of our sins, Satan can be accusing us, saying, “How can you claim to be saved while you are still sinning?”
The answer is the priesthood of Jesus Christ in heaven. He is right in the presence of God standing as our lawyer. When the Devil is accusing us before God, condemning us for our sins, Christ is able to stand on our behalf and present the fact that all our sins have been paid by His blood already. This doctrine is directly supported by the teachings of John in 1 John 2:1 (ESV): 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Notice, John explicitly said that his intention in writing them is for them not to sin. But because he was writing humans who still have the sinful nature, he knew they would still sin. So, he added a beautiful reminder to all believers saying, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” The key phrase we should not miss is, “we have an advocate with the Father.” You see, the word “advocate” is literally like the function of a lawyer. Jesus Christ as our priest stands in our defense, so that He is able to secure our salvation continually.
I know there are people who might think that by teaching this doctrine, we are giving people a license to sin and live immoral lives. I don’t think so. You see, if you fully understand the grace that brought us salvation, it would lead you to do good works, not sinful works. The apostle Paul expounded it clearly in Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV):8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
When you read verses 8-9, the main point is that all of salvation is a gift from God by grace. It is Him who works for it and not us; so He alone deserves to be honored and glorified. But verse 10 answers the controversy. If you have been truly saved, then you have been prepared to do good works because you are His “workmanship.” This is a great word because it suggests that believers are God’s “masterpieces.” Likened to an artist, God looks at believers as His most beautiful work of art. As masterpieces, you are being displayed to bring honor to the One who made you. You accomplish this by doing good works. On the contrary, if you continue to bring Him disgrace because of your sinful lifestyle, this only proves that you have never been saved.
III HIS SYMPATHETIC SUPPLICATIONS
Lastly, from our main text, specifically, verse 24, it mentions the idea of our priest living and making intercession for us. I wanted to expand this thought because it helps us appreciate the present ministry of Jesus Christ in heaven.
You see, after His great sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ did not stop working on our behalf. He continues to support us by praying for us. This is explained clearly by Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV) 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I believe you will appreciate this verse better if you consider the background of the book of Hebrews. This was written at the time when the believers were being subjected to severe persecutions because of their faith. Many Bible scholars believe that the author hinted about their present persecutions when he wrote these words in Hebrews 11:36-38 (ESV): 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Imagine all these difficulties that they were going through because of their faith in Jesus. But the author of Hebrews reminds them that Jesus, as their High Priest, is able to sympathize with whatever they are going through because He also went through the same. That’s really comforting! You know, every time we are hurting or going through some tough times and we go to Him in prayer, He totally can relate to what we are going through. For this reason, verse 16 assures us that we will find grace and help in time of our need.
How many of us need some sympathetic ears this morning? Let’s not forget that Jesus is there for us. He is not only ready to listen, but He is able to help. This is not always true with people who may be capable of listening. Yes, they can listen, but they are not able to help. With Jesus, our assurance is that both are true.
As I close this sermon, I would like to challenge us to level up in our celebration of Christmas. One way we can have a more meaningful and joyful celebration is when we recognize that because Jesus came to us, we have gained a great High Priest who is committed to helping us. Let’s not lose sight of what He has done for us and what He continues to do on our behalf. May God lead us into a deeper appreciation of Christ this Christmas!