Post by arete on Sept 16, 2014 0:00:25 GMT
Introduction:
God had one Son without sin; but He has no son without temptation (Charles Spurgeon.) In case you are wondering, you are not that one Son. In this world and in human lives there remains the problem of sin. Even for born again believers, there remains a sin problem. This sin problem is answered by Jesus Christ’s office of the eternal high priest. The author of Hebrews can assume his readers are familiar with the office of high priest in the Temple. Now he wants them, and us, to know the true and superior high priest. For information’s sake: the high priest was charged with going into the holiest place in the Tabernacle/Temple and offering a blood sacrifice before God on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. He offered a special sacrifice for his own sins that was the equivalent of the sacrifice necessary for the entire nation. The high priest was the only person who could enter the holiest place and stand between God and man.
Context:
The author of the letter to the Hebrews began his writing with a strong theme of the supremacy of Christ. Christ is the unique Son of God and is superior: to the angels, to Moses and to the Mosaic covenant. Christ is the founder of salvation. Christ is the source of God’s rest. In the text this morning, the author is coming to a crescendo as he establishes the truth that Christ is the true and great high priest. He is the one who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the perfect mediator between God and man.
Body – Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – ESV
Jesus the Great High Priest
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.
5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;
6 as he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Sympathetic Savior 4:14-16
Since then… since Christ is everything the author has declared & since Christ has accomplished everything the author has described, we should know & understand some things about our great high priest.
Jesus Christ is our high priest who passed through the heavens (v. 14). The author here establishes that Jesus is superior to every high priest. Jesus is the high priest who is not far from heaven, but penetrates into the very presence of God. Jesus is in fact, the unique son of God. Jesus is not a mere man trying to stand between us and God. He is the Son going before the Father on our behalf. Because of this reality, there are two directives for our lives.
1. Let us hold fast our confession (v. 14b). There is a sense in that this will require effort on our part. We are obligated to know and believe certain things about the person of Jesus.
a. Our high priest is sympathetic (v. 15a). We are not dealing with a religious person who pretends to have no weakness and no struggle and who might make little of our temptation or sin either because he does not struggle with what we struggle, or he simply does not count sin as gravely evil and full of death. Jesus sees our sin for what it is and still has compassion for us.
b. Our high priest is both tempted and sinless (v. 15b). Even though Christ is compassionate, he never makes sin out to be less than what it is – evil ungodliness. Rather, Jesus in his flesh knew temptation as strong as any we have known. We understand temptation. Yet, Jesus did not sin – that we don’t understand. But we believe it because it is true.
2. Let us then draw near with confidence (v. 16a). In our limited understanding of the sheer sinfulness of our sin we can flinch from God because we know we are guilty. But in and through Christ, we have confidence.
a. Through Christ, we can approach the throne (v. 16b). Christ is on the right hand of God mediating for us. He is the one who represents us to the Father and while we are guilty of sin and deserving of death, Jesus advocates for us – his righteousness is applied to our account and God declares us righteous.
b. Through Christ, we receive mercy and grace in our neediness (v. 16c). Apart from Christ we deserve wrath. Each sin deserves punishment. But in our great neediness as we struggle with temptation and sin even after salvation, through Christ we have access to and receive from God grace and mercy. His grace gives us what we do not deserve – salvation and blessings. His mercy keeps us from getting what we do deserve – death and hell
Illustration:
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:14-17 ESV)
Application:
No one understands our neediness before God the way Christ does. Not even us. We have never seen our sin with his perfect eyes. If we ever saw our sin in its true state, the way God sees it, I shudder to think what despair we would feel knowing the absolute truth of the fate we richly deserve. Christ knows how needy we are to be delivered from the abhorrent stench of our sin. He not only sees the sinfulness of our sin, but rather than being moved to wrath, he is moved to compassion and pity.
Sacrifice Required 5:1-4
Previously, high priests were men acting on behalf of men (v. 1). This is the role of mediator. The high priest was the one who stood between God and man. He represented God’s will to the people and he offered sacrifices and praises to God from the people.
High priests were meant to be sympathetic due to shared weakness (v. 2). Ignorant and wayward encompass sins made without knowing it was a sin and those of willful rebellion. The high priest is himself wrapped with sin – just as we are. The high priest was called to be compassionate to sinners because he received grace and mercy from God as a fellow sinner…leading to…
High priests were sinners too and needing absolution from sin (v. 3). On the Day of Atonement, the high priest had to offer a special sacrifice for his own sins before offering for others. His personal sin was his immediate focus and need – a reason for him to remain humble as he served his fellow Jews.
High priests served only by the call of God. The office of high priest was meant to be a theocratic decree and not a democratic vote. The office was high and lofty, but required humility. God called his high priest and the high priest had to rely upon God for grace and mercy to fulfill such a high calling.
Illustration:
When, “The high priest [made] offerings for himself [on] the Day of Atonement [he presented] a bull ‘for his own sin offering’ (Lev 16:11). ‘O God, I have committed iniquity and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house and the children of Aaron, thy holy people. O God, forgive, I pray, the iniquities and transgressions and sins which I have committed and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house’ (M Yoma 4:2). Only then was he able to minister on behalf of the people. In the matter of sins and of sacrifices the priest [regarded] himself in exactly the same way he [regarded] the people. His case [was] identical with theirs.”
Application:
No sinful man fulfills the role of high priest in perfection because of this neediness. The case is being set for Christ as the Superior High Priest. While the Aaronic priesthood was called by God to perform the duties of Temple Worship, there are inferior qualities to make us long for the Superior High Priest. Would you want a temporary offering made to God by a fellow sinner or a perfect and permanent offering made by the sinless Son of God? I hope that question is rhetorical…
Sinless Perfection 5:5-10
Christ is now contrasted to the high priesthood of Aaron (vv. 5-6). Christ was appointed by God as were the Aaronic priests, but with a big difference. Christ is the very Son of God, God himself, and he is the high priest forever and always and not of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. More on that a bit later.
Christ dwelt among us in the flesh (v. 7a). This is a critical distinction in saving faith. Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us. He is both fully human and fully divine.
Christ was fully dependent upon the Father (v. 7b). Jesus relied completely on the Father for grace and power to fulfill his earthly ministry. Here, the scene is likely the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ prayed with tears for deliverance from the cross. God was able to save him from death and did deliver him from death’s domain to life again. He reverenced the Father even when it cost him dearly.
Christ learned obedience through suffering (v. 8). How? Christ was not ignorant of obedience and there was nothing in him to be corrected. Yet he learned obedience through suffering. The idea here is that “he learned obedience by actually obeying. There is a certain quality involved when one has performed a required action—a quality that is lacking when there is only a readiness to act. Innocence differs from virtue” (EXP.) Also, there is a stress on the fact that while a son might expect not to suffer – The Son suffered and we should not be surprised should we suffer too.
Christ became the source of salvation through his perfection (v. 9). How did Christ become anything, let alone become perfect or become the source of eternal life? The idea is not that he was imperfect and became perfect. Rather the idea is fulfillment. He fulfilled his calling to suffer and die for sin and fulfilled all that is necessary for salvation for those who obey him. The obedience is a proof of that salvation.
Christ fulfills the role of high priest for us perfectly and eternally (v. 10). What is the order of Melchizedek? It has no succession as Aaron’s order had. It is once & for all. The author of this letter will himself fill us in on the particulars beginning in chapter 7, by all means read ahead…please…read ahead
Illustration:
The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God. John Piper
Application:
No one satisfies our neediness before God, except Jesus Christ. (That means me, the elders, popes, parents, etc.) Jesus understands temptation and suffering and yet he never once failed the Father. Rather than become aloof to our need, he is moved in compassion and mercy. As the high priest, he sees our sin debt and pays it not temporarily, but pays it permanently with his own perfect blood. He then stands between us and the Father as our mediator – from now one, no man stands between us and God – the Son himself is our mediator. Because of Christ, we can come boldly before the throne of God. Because of Christ, our true home is in heaven. Because of Christ we receive mercy and grace and not justice and hell. In simpler words, Jesus Christ is the Superior High Priest.
So What? (Some application tells us what to do. Some tells us what to believe. Some tells us what to thank God for…)
Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear (Charles Spurgeon.) Sin is not an unfortunate slip or a regrettable act; it is a posture of defiance against a holy God (Max Lucado.)
Jesus Christ saw our greatest need and did something about it. If we ever laid eyes upon our sin and saw it the way God sees it, I believe we would die of despair. We would despair of ever being saved from such vileness. Yet, Jesus Does see our sin perfectly and just as perfectly sees our great need to be saved from it.
Jesus Christ is the source of salvation. He not only sees our need, but has accomplished in himself the satisfaction of God’s wrath upon it. In Christ, we can draw near the throne of grace confident in Christ and not in our flesh. The same Christ who has saved you from the penalty of sin is still saving you from the power of sin and will one day save you from the presence of sin.
Jesus Christ satisfies the problem of sin. And let’s be clear, we all have a sin problem. Everyone does. But not everyone knows the answer to that problem. If you do, thank God for it. Rejoice in Christ. Tell everyone. If you don’t, God only has One Son without sin. It’s time you met him…
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
God had one Son without sin; but He has no son without temptation (Charles Spurgeon.) In case you are wondering, you are not that one Son. In this world and in human lives there remains the problem of sin. Even for born again believers, there remains a sin problem. This sin problem is answered by Jesus Christ’s office of the eternal high priest. The author of Hebrews can assume his readers are familiar with the office of high priest in the Temple. Now he wants them, and us, to know the true and superior high priest. For information’s sake: the high priest was charged with going into the holiest place in the Tabernacle/Temple and offering a blood sacrifice before God on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. He offered a special sacrifice for his own sins that was the equivalent of the sacrifice necessary for the entire nation. The high priest was the only person who could enter the holiest place and stand between God and man.
Context:
The author of the letter to the Hebrews began his writing with a strong theme of the supremacy of Christ. Christ is the unique Son of God and is superior: to the angels, to Moses and to the Mosaic covenant. Christ is the founder of salvation. Christ is the source of God’s rest. In the text this morning, the author is coming to a crescendo as he establishes the truth that Christ is the true and great high priest. He is the one who offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the perfect mediator between God and man.
Body – Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – ESV
Jesus the Great High Priest
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.
5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;
6 as he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Sympathetic Savior 4:14-16
Since then… since Christ is everything the author has declared & since Christ has accomplished everything the author has described, we should know & understand some things about our great high priest.
Jesus Christ is our high priest who passed through the heavens (v. 14). The author here establishes that Jesus is superior to every high priest. Jesus is the high priest who is not far from heaven, but penetrates into the very presence of God. Jesus is in fact, the unique son of God. Jesus is not a mere man trying to stand between us and God. He is the Son going before the Father on our behalf. Because of this reality, there are two directives for our lives.
1. Let us hold fast our confession (v. 14b). There is a sense in that this will require effort on our part. We are obligated to know and believe certain things about the person of Jesus.
a. Our high priest is sympathetic (v. 15a). We are not dealing with a religious person who pretends to have no weakness and no struggle and who might make little of our temptation or sin either because he does not struggle with what we struggle, or he simply does not count sin as gravely evil and full of death. Jesus sees our sin for what it is and still has compassion for us.
b. Our high priest is both tempted and sinless (v. 15b). Even though Christ is compassionate, he never makes sin out to be less than what it is – evil ungodliness. Rather, Jesus in his flesh knew temptation as strong as any we have known. We understand temptation. Yet, Jesus did not sin – that we don’t understand. But we believe it because it is true.
2. Let us then draw near with confidence (v. 16a). In our limited understanding of the sheer sinfulness of our sin we can flinch from God because we know we are guilty. But in and through Christ, we have confidence.
a. Through Christ, we can approach the throne (v. 16b). Christ is on the right hand of God mediating for us. He is the one who represents us to the Father and while we are guilty of sin and deserving of death, Jesus advocates for us – his righteousness is applied to our account and God declares us righteous.
b. Through Christ, we receive mercy and grace in our neediness (v. 16c). Apart from Christ we deserve wrath. Each sin deserves punishment. But in our great neediness as we struggle with temptation and sin even after salvation, through Christ we have access to and receive from God grace and mercy. His grace gives us what we do not deserve – salvation and blessings. His mercy keeps us from getting what we do deserve – death and hell
Illustration:
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:14-17 ESV)
Application:
No one understands our neediness before God the way Christ does. Not even us. We have never seen our sin with his perfect eyes. If we ever saw our sin in its true state, the way God sees it, I shudder to think what despair we would feel knowing the absolute truth of the fate we richly deserve. Christ knows how needy we are to be delivered from the abhorrent stench of our sin. He not only sees the sinfulness of our sin, but rather than being moved to wrath, he is moved to compassion and pity.
Sacrifice Required 5:1-4
Previously, high priests were men acting on behalf of men (v. 1). This is the role of mediator. The high priest was the one who stood between God and man. He represented God’s will to the people and he offered sacrifices and praises to God from the people.
High priests were meant to be sympathetic due to shared weakness (v. 2). Ignorant and wayward encompass sins made without knowing it was a sin and those of willful rebellion. The high priest is himself wrapped with sin – just as we are. The high priest was called to be compassionate to sinners because he received grace and mercy from God as a fellow sinner…leading to…
High priests were sinners too and needing absolution from sin (v. 3). On the Day of Atonement, the high priest had to offer a special sacrifice for his own sins before offering for others. His personal sin was his immediate focus and need – a reason for him to remain humble as he served his fellow Jews.
High priests served only by the call of God. The office of high priest was meant to be a theocratic decree and not a democratic vote. The office was high and lofty, but required humility. God called his high priest and the high priest had to rely upon God for grace and mercy to fulfill such a high calling.
Illustration:
When, “The high priest [made] offerings for himself [on] the Day of Atonement [he presented] a bull ‘for his own sin offering’ (Lev 16:11). ‘O God, I have committed iniquity and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house and the children of Aaron, thy holy people. O God, forgive, I pray, the iniquities and transgressions and sins which I have committed and transgressed and sinned before thee, I and my house’ (M Yoma 4:2). Only then was he able to minister on behalf of the people. In the matter of sins and of sacrifices the priest [regarded] himself in exactly the same way he [regarded] the people. His case [was] identical with theirs.”
Application:
No sinful man fulfills the role of high priest in perfection because of this neediness. The case is being set for Christ as the Superior High Priest. While the Aaronic priesthood was called by God to perform the duties of Temple Worship, there are inferior qualities to make us long for the Superior High Priest. Would you want a temporary offering made to God by a fellow sinner or a perfect and permanent offering made by the sinless Son of God? I hope that question is rhetorical…
Sinless Perfection 5:5-10
Christ is now contrasted to the high priesthood of Aaron (vv. 5-6). Christ was appointed by God as were the Aaronic priests, but with a big difference. Christ is the very Son of God, God himself, and he is the high priest forever and always and not of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. More on that a bit later.
Christ dwelt among us in the flesh (v. 7a). This is a critical distinction in saving faith. Christ took on flesh and dwelt among us. He is both fully human and fully divine.
Christ was fully dependent upon the Father (v. 7b). Jesus relied completely on the Father for grace and power to fulfill his earthly ministry. Here, the scene is likely the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ prayed with tears for deliverance from the cross. God was able to save him from death and did deliver him from death’s domain to life again. He reverenced the Father even when it cost him dearly.
Christ learned obedience through suffering (v. 8). How? Christ was not ignorant of obedience and there was nothing in him to be corrected. Yet he learned obedience through suffering. The idea here is that “he learned obedience by actually obeying. There is a certain quality involved when one has performed a required action—a quality that is lacking when there is only a readiness to act. Innocence differs from virtue” (EXP.) Also, there is a stress on the fact that while a son might expect not to suffer – The Son suffered and we should not be surprised should we suffer too.
Christ became the source of salvation through his perfection (v. 9). How did Christ become anything, let alone become perfect or become the source of eternal life? The idea is not that he was imperfect and became perfect. Rather the idea is fulfillment. He fulfilled his calling to suffer and die for sin and fulfilled all that is necessary for salvation for those who obey him. The obedience is a proof of that salvation.
Christ fulfills the role of high priest for us perfectly and eternally (v. 10). What is the order of Melchizedek? It has no succession as Aaron’s order had. It is once & for all. The author of this letter will himself fill us in on the particulars beginning in chapter 7, by all means read ahead…please…read ahead
Illustration:
The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God. John Piper
Application:
No one satisfies our neediness before God, except Jesus Christ. (That means me, the elders, popes, parents, etc.) Jesus understands temptation and suffering and yet he never once failed the Father. Rather than become aloof to our need, he is moved in compassion and mercy. As the high priest, he sees our sin debt and pays it not temporarily, but pays it permanently with his own perfect blood. He then stands between us and the Father as our mediator – from now one, no man stands between us and God – the Son himself is our mediator. Because of Christ, we can come boldly before the throne of God. Because of Christ, our true home is in heaven. Because of Christ we receive mercy and grace and not justice and hell. In simpler words, Jesus Christ is the Superior High Priest.
So What? (Some application tells us what to do. Some tells us what to believe. Some tells us what to thank God for…)
Sin to a believer is horrible, because it crucified the Saviour; he sees in every iniquity the nails and spear (Charles Spurgeon.) Sin is not an unfortunate slip or a regrettable act; it is a posture of defiance against a holy God (Max Lucado.)
Jesus Christ saw our greatest need and did something about it. If we ever laid eyes upon our sin and saw it the way God sees it, I believe we would die of despair. We would despair of ever being saved from such vileness. Yet, Jesus Does see our sin perfectly and just as perfectly sees our great need to be saved from it.
Jesus Christ is the source of salvation. He not only sees our need, but has accomplished in himself the satisfaction of God’s wrath upon it. In Christ, we can draw near the throne of grace confident in Christ and not in our flesh. The same Christ who has saved you from the penalty of sin is still saving you from the power of sin and will one day save you from the presence of sin.
Jesus Christ satisfies the problem of sin. And let’s be clear, we all have a sin problem. Everyone does. But not everyone knows the answer to that problem. If you do, thank God for it. Rejoice in Christ. Tell everyone. If you don’t, God only has One Son without sin. It’s time you met him…
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13