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A
PERFECT PRIEST FOR IMPERFECT PEOPLE Introduction:
In the last lesson, we saw that God’s best is experienced by
faith because it is founded upon a finished work. It is easy for us to
accept this concept for salvation. We understand that we are saved through
faith … not of works, lest any man should boast. Our difficulty
comes in accepting this principle for sanctification. We know ourselves
too well. We have felt the tug of sin that leads to failure. That is not
the way God meant us to experience the Christian life. As the writer
explains, we have a Great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens. Yet,
He is not isolated from us. We are invited to come boldly to His throne of
grace, expressly to obtain mercy and to find help when our
weak and powerless flesh is assaulted by the temptations of sin. The clear
implication is that we can rest in the priestly performance of Christ –
the one who was tempted like us, but remained without sin. As our Great
High Priest, when we rest in Him, His victory becomes our victory. To help
us understand this, the author describes the ministry of the priesthood,
showing that Christ exercises a legitimate and superior priesthood. I.
THE CHARACTER OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PRIESTHOOD (VV.1-4) A.
The Foundation Of
The Priesthood (vv.1, 4) ·
He was taken from among men Why?
Because a man can better understand the problems and needs of other men. ·
He was "ordained" for men. He was
appointed to represent men to God, to act in their behalf, in things
pertaining to God. God established human government to deal with the
conflicts that arise between men. The priesthood was given to deal with
the conflict that arose between God and man because of sin. ·
He offered gifts and sacrifices for sins. His
primary purpose was to deal with the problem that separates man from God:
sin. When
people brought their gifts and sacrifices to God, it was the
responsibility of the priest to see that all was done in accordance with
the Law so that the offerings would be accepted. ·
He had to be "called" by God (v.4) Under
the Mosaic Covenant, God appointed Aaron to be the High Priest,
instructing that this honor would then pass on to His descendents. The
point the author is making is that no one, not even Christ, could become a
priest without being specifically appointed by God. B.
The "Feeling"
Of The Priesthood (v.2) ·
Those who sin are described as being ignorant and errant. Sin is
an act of ignorance – a lack of understanding about the nature of sin,
the person of God, and the price men pay for their sin. Sin is also a
"going out of the way" – a departure from what is right and
reasonable, a turning aside from that which is smooth and straight to that
which is hard and perverse. ·
Aware of his own sin, the High Priest could have compassion
on those who sinned. The word
"compassion" means to deal gently, to reasonably bear with.
Because he shared the weakness of those whom he represented, the high
priest was to be understanding and sympathetic, not angry and judgmental. C.
The Flaw Of The
Priesthood (v.3) ·
Because sin was a part of the nature and experience of the
priest, he had to sacrifice for himself and those he represented. ·
The same thing that made him compassionate towards men
limited his ability to represent them before God. II.
THE CREDENTIALS OF CHRIST (VV.5-10) A.
The Foundation Of
His Priesthood (vv.5-6, 10) ·
Christ was taken from among men, having been
"begotten" of God. The
writer again points to the humanity of Jesus Christ. If we are to
appreciate what Christ can do for us, we must keep in mind that He first
became like us. ·
He was ordained for men, a priest forever "after
the order of Melchisedec." The
first priest mentioned in the Bible is Melchisedec. (Genesis 14:18-21) The
writer will return to Melchisedec later. For now, he is simply telling us
in what priestly order Christ serves. ·
He was called of God (vv.5, 10) God
chose Melchisedec to be priest long before Aaron was ever born. If there
were any doubt of Christ being qualified to act as priest because He was
not a descendent of Aaron, this argument would settle it. Note that GOD is
said to have called Christ. The authority for this claim is Psalm 110:4
(quoted in verse 6). B.
The Feeling Of His
Priesthood (vv.7-8) How can
a sinless person (not only untouched, but also untouchable by sin)
really sympathize with sinners? Can the Lord really understand what it’s
like to face the pressure in life? Is it reasonable for Him to expect us
who live under that form of pressure every day to rest in obedient faith
upon someone else for deliverance? The problem with this question is that
it assumes that Jesus Christ never knew that kind of pressure – and the
assumption is wrong. To make his point, the writer takes us to ·
The source of Christ’s pressure is revealed (v.7):
death, the penalty for accepting all the shameful filth of human depravity
as His own. As Christ faced that awful prospect, he was so tormented in
spirit that he offered up prayers with strong crying and tears. He
was oppressed with a sense of hopelessness, knowing the Father would
forsake him as our sin was placed on his body. No sinner on earth has ever
felt the stain and shame of sin as Jesus did. ·
When every fiber in his body cried out against it, in
obedient faith Christ accepted His Father’s will and trusted Him for
deliverance. That is
why He can have compassion on us – because He knows what it is like to
be in a position of utter helplessness, completely dependent upon someone
else for victory. C.
The Flawlessness
Of His Priesthood ·
Christ won at In the
weakness of His human flesh, Christ went to the throne of grace and found
the help he required in His time of need. Thus he walked the road to ·
By His obedient faith, Christ became the perfect High
Priest and author of eternal salvation. He was
compassionate, yet sinless; understanding, yet unblemished. He was the
author of eternal salvation, offering both present forgiveness and
eternal deliverance from sin. When we respond in obedient faith, looking
to God for the help we need to overcome the weakness of the flesh, all
that He is becomes ours. Conclusion:
The writer will elaborate on this point in chapter seven. However,
in the closing part of this chapter he digresses to address the spiritual
immaturity of these believers. He describes their condition as being dull
of hearing. It means that they were slow to learn, not with a
reference to ability, but to desire. Remember that the theme
of this section is entering God’s rest because of the finished work of
Christ. And the only thing that keeps us from that rest is unbelief – an
unwillingness to accept the facts of God’s Word. They had been presented
these truths on several occasions but had refused to accept them. The
writer compares them to toddlers who refuse to eat table food and want to
cling to nice, soft, easily digestible baby food. The
whole point, supported by the illustration of Christ’s
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