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Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 4:14-5:4 - The True and Better High Priest - pt.1 · Mount Eaton Church

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  about today. So if you would please turn to Hebrews chapter four, verse 11. And the whole
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  purpose of the priest is clarified here. And it's interesting as we go through this, you'll
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  learn more and more about the complete work of salvation, like everything that Christ had to do
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  in order to not only satisfy God's righteous requirement, justify, sanctify, intercede,
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  advocate, all these things done in Christ. They all had to be done because if one was missing,
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  our eternity, our salvation is not possible. Like it's perfect in every way. Okay? So I'm
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  gonna pray and then we're gonna go through reading Hebrews 4, 11, and then we're gonna
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  keep reading and then we're gonna stop at chapter five, verse four. Father, I want to thank you so
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  much. You are holy, good, and righteous. All the details by which salvation must be done and
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  accomplished and then the application of that work in the life of the believer, an amazing picture,
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  and all the things that you, Christ, have accomplished, not only as the message, but the
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  messenger, not only as the messenger, but the prophet, not only as the prophet, but now the
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  high priest. And Lord, those are just scratching the surface of the reality of what you have done
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  and who you are. Thank you that you are the sacrifice. You are the head of the body. You
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  are all these things in the Lord. And Lord, we praise you and thank you for your faithfulness,
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  your goodness, to you be honor and glory forever. In Jesus' name, amen. Chapter four, verse 11,
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  let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sword of disobedience,
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  for the word of God is living and active sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the division
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  of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of a
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  heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him
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  to whom we must give an account. Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through
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  the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high
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  priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been
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  tempted as we are with yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of
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  grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest
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  chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts
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  and sacrifice for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is
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  beset with weakness. Because of this, he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins,
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  just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself,
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  but only when God called by God just as Aaron was. Now when we read this, we think,
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  does that mean Christ sins? He didn't. But I will show you that the requirement and the obligation
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  of the high priest is fulfilled in Christ because of what he is and what he has done for us and what
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  he's become for us. Okay? We'll clarify this and you'll see it clearly. He is the true and better
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  high priest. So principle number one, if Christ is our faithful high priest and our sacrifice,
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  should we shrink from being a faithful witness on his behalf? So if this is true,
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  then what is your obligation as a believer? To shrink away, to not be a faithful witness,
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  or to be a witness. Okay? Keeping the faith is more than doing all the right things as a Christian.
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  It's carefully and faithfully professing him who gave his life and rose again to give us life. So
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  if we have a faithful high priest who goes into the Holy of Holies on our behalf, intercedes on
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  our behalf, is faithful to commit to those things and do the things that are required,
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  then we should be quick to profess the reality of the holiness of our God and Savior. Now verse
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  14 says it this way, so then we have a great high priest who has passed through, so this word
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  passed through, it's not like he was in one place and he just traveled through heaven. That's kind
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  of what it sounds like when you read it, that this great high priest just kind of like passed
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  through the heavenlies. It's not really how it's supposed to be presented, though this word,
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  di-ercomi, is the word meaning passed through. Okay? But if we take this word and we break it
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  down into the two words that it is, di is the first word and ercomi is the second, and you guys
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  already know what ercomi is, I love ercomi words. It's ercomi, di-ercomi, pros-ercomi,
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  it's all these really cool ercomi words, I just like them. They sound cool. Anyway,
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  di-ercomi, the word di means to come, to come, and ercomi means to go from one place or to another
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  or to go through. So what's interesting about this word di-ercomi is that it's not just a
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  word, it means to come by the means of. In other words, he came through heaven, heaven sent him,
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  he came by the means of heaven. That's what this means. So when we say since we have a high priest
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  who has come by the means of the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast, cratio.
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  Cratio means to keep carefully and faithfully, not discard or let go. In other words, if our high
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  priest has come by the means of heaven, Jesus the son of God, then we should keep carefully and
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  faithfully, do not discard or let go of our confession. That makes a lot more sense now.
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  If these things are true, why are we so quick to abandon the one thing that matters?
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  The gospel. And there are a lot of types of gospels out there. And the gospel is simple.
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  That Christ died according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again on the third day according
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  to the scriptures. That's the gospel. But we are quick to walk away from our confession because
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  we don't want to deal with the issue of repentance or the issue of sin or the issue of being
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  lost because those words don't sound real good. So we abandon our confession and we forget
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  the responsibility and the cost that the high priest does on your behalf. And so if we are to
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  keep carefully and faithfully, not discard or let go of our confession, the word confession,
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  interesting enough, means homologia. Now homologia is a word profession or
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  the one whom we profess. What a good definition. Who do you profess?
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  So do you profess God loves you? Or do you profess Christ crucified, buried, rose again on the third day?
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  Or do you profess John 3 16? Or do you profess that God put on flesh, became like one of us,
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  came in the likeness of sinful man, and he who knew no sin became sin for us so that we who are
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  sinful may become the righteousness of God. That's a totally different thing. Like in other words,
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  apart from Christ, I'm doomed. That's a totally different profession. And so we must profess
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  the one who is our faith, him. So since we have a great high priest who has come by the means of
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  heaven, Jesus Christ, the son of God, we should keep carefully and faithfully and not discard
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  or let go our confession that he is the savior and king of the world. That's the point. Now we
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  understand why that's important because the reality is if he is the advocate for us and our
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  intercessor, then we must also be quick to speak the reality of the holiness of our God. And so
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  second principle, we have a high priest who has experienced our weakness and has given us the way
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  to him. There is only one way. It's not an easy way. It's the only way. And if he's the only way,
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  he's the only way to him. There is a clear road and it's hard and it's narrow and it's not easy.
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  And he has set it for us. And he is our way to him. How do we know that? Because Galatians 2 20
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  tells us he's the way. Not only is he the way to eternity, he's also the way to Christian living.
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  For I have been crucified with Christ, yet I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
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  now live in this body, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
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  He is the only way, not only the only way to eternity, eternal life, he is the only way to
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  successful Christian living, powerful living, not denying the power, but living in it, victorious
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  And so Hebrews 4 15 clarifies some things for us. For we do not have a high priest who is unable
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  to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are,
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  yet without sin. Now you're probably asking, well, Pastor Joe, how come you haven't thrown a Greek
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  word in there? Because this is like a literal translation of the Bible. And it's like,
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  this is like a literal translation. So you can't get, it's very good. I don't want to,
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  there's nothing else for me to say. Christ, who is our priest, he is able to sympathize with us
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  because of our weaknesses, because he also was tempted in the same way we are, but yet he didn't
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  screw it up. He didn't sin, which is important, especially when you come down to the next verses,
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  because if he being a high priest was to go into the Holy of Holies and he was perfect,
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  let's say that, let's say this in the mind of this high priest who's not Jesus, thinks he's good.
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  He has no issues. He walks in, with a rope around his waist, and he goes down and says,
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  I'm not like those guys. Sounds familiar. Jesus said that, did he not? I'm not like them.
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  And he walks in and he's supposed to be interceding on your behalf, taking the blood of
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  the animal that was sacrificed to cover your sin. And he walks in with an attitude.
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  Or he just like, and then walks out. He doesn't make it out. Because you remember what he said
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  here in verse 13, and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the
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  eyes of him who must give an account. In other words, you're going to be judged because his
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  word judges you, the thoughts and intents, you're going to die. And so what happens to the priest?
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  He dies and they pull him out by a rope. They're going to be judged because he's
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  not a priest. I want you to understand something. Jesus goes in without a rope.
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  Now, it's a powerful thought. One who is truly an interceder for us, one who is our advocate.
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  He can go into the Holy of Holies and his blood is what was given for us as a sacrifice. And he
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  puts his own blood on the seat and then walks out in confidence that the work that was done is done.
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  And so next principle, this is the reason why we can approach the throne of grace with full confidence,
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  knowing he will do as he promised. If Christ has accomplished that type of high priest requirement,
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  obligation, why are we so timid to walk into the throne of grace as if we cannot ask according to
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  his will? Well, it says here in 1 John 5, 14 through 15, and this is the confidence that we have
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  toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears
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  us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. Now,
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  why is this important? Because the problem with our asking is we're asking not according to his
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  will. And you have a lot of churches, denominations that say, just ask whatever you want. I mean,
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  Jesse De Plantis is talking about he got his $25 million jet because he asked God for a $25 million
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  jet. Guess what? God didn't give him the $25 million jet. That wasn't from God,
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  because God's will is different. He's living his best life now,
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  because when it's all said and done, his best life is not going to be good at all.
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  Just saying. So verse 16 says this, says this, let us then with confidence,
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  parasea. Now this word confidence means freedom in speaking without ambiguity
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  and fearless confidence. So let us with freedom in speaking,
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  with freedom in speaking, without ambiguity and fearless confidence, draw near. Interesting word
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  here, proserecomia means draw near. That's exactly what it means. I like to say
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  erecomia, so I put it in my thing. I was like, you might as well, because it's my schtick.
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  It's my schtick, you know. So proserecomia, to draw near, draw near to what? The throne of grace
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  that we may receive mercy. Now this word receive, lumbano, means to receive what is given
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  or obtained. Now I want you to get this. When you're thinking about lumbano,
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  when did you receive mercy? When did you receive the inheritance that God has promised?
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  When was this accomplished in the timeline of God before the foundation of the world?
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  It's already yours according to his will. What? Whatever is done in his word, whatever he has
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  promised in his word, he will do. That's the point. So when we're thinking about what we may receive,
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  what we may receive to receive what was given is mercy. Think about that. Did God not apply mercy
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  to your life before the foundation of the world? Isn't Christ crucified before the foundation of
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  the world? Isn't Christ predestined us to be conformed into the image of his son before the
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  foundation of the world, the application of mercy, and the transformation of the life? Yes. All of
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  these things are accomplished in Christ before. And so it continues to and find, so we receive mercy
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  and find, to find, discover, see, learn, or understand. Grace to help in time of need. Now
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  this word time means timely or opportune. I like the word opportune. It sounds fun. And here is
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  my transliteration of Hebrews 4.16. You know sometimes I like to do that because I like to
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  say, it sounds pretty simple, but how can we describe this a little easier? And this is
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  my transliteration. Drawing near therefore without ambiguity and with fearless confidence to the
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  throne of grace that having received what is given, mercy and grace, we discover, learn,
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  and understand timely and opportune help in our struggle. In other words, you ever notice that
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  you know when life's going on and things are difficult and you think you're like at the end
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  and oh my gosh there's no way out and then the last very second something happens and you go
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  it was timely wasn't it? Wasn't it just like at the right opportune time that you needed to help
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  and God shows up with help? That's because he is our high priest. It's pretty amazing that God
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  knows that we can without ambiguity and with fearless confidence come before his throne
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  because he will do what he says he's going to do and he will do what he says he's going to do.
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  Come before his throne because he will do what he says he's going to do. Why? Because he has given
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  us mercy and grace and when we discover those truths, that reality of God, and learn and
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  understand at the right opportune time we receive our help in our struggle we learn a lot about God
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  that God does what he says and that God only does according to his will. Everything else
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  he doesn't have to do and he won't do. So next principle the responsibility of every high priest
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  is to offer the sacrifice to God on behalf of all mankind for the remission of sin. That is the
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  responsibility of the high priest. That was the responsibility of Jesus. Now I want you to get
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  this. Jesus the high priest offers himself as the sacrifice for our remission of sin
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  and we go that's not enough. How do we say it's not enough? Because I have to choose God.
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  How do we say it's not enough? Because I have to do good. How do we say it's not enough?
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  How do we say it's not enough? It's never enough when we pull Christ off of his position
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  as high priest and savior and we put ourself in as a high priest thinking that we can go in on our
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  own behalf and speak for ourself when we can't. And so for there is no distinction, Romans 3 22
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  through 26, for there is no distinction for we for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
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  God and are justified by his grace as a gift. Remember that thing that you were given before
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  the foundation of the world? That. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God
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  put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. So Jesus was put forward
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  as the sacrifice necessary for the covering and the removal of our sin
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  and his blood is what was used to accomplish that task which requires a high priest to come in
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  and sprinkle the seat of the judgment seat of God to cover your sin. Do you remember all that?
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  Yes, we're going to dig a little bit deeper. This was to show God's righteousness because in his
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  divine forbearance he had passed over former sins and it was to show his righteousness at the present
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  time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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  He's the one who determines you don't. Now that being said, now we understand Hebrews 5 1 a little
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  bit better for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation
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  to God. That is a high priest's high priest's responsibility. A high priest's responsibility
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  is to act on behalf of men in relation to God and God is the one who chooses those men. Now
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  it's one of the reasons why women can't be pastors because though Jesus is the high priest,
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  pastors also come before God on behalf of his people and act on behalf concerning their
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  relationship with him and it says this that they offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Now I don't
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  have to do that. It's Jesus. Now I want you to understand that Jesus offers gifts and sacrifices
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  for sins. What is Jesus gifts? Mercy, grace. What is the sacrifice? Himself. So Jesus is the chosen
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  is the chosen high priest. Has Jesus not been appointed by the father to act on behalf
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  concerning the relationship with God and men? He was. So Jesus Christ is the gift. He is the sacrifice
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  and he is the high priest who goes on our behalf interceding for you. And so next principle,
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  God Christ is our intercessor and advocate who can and fully on your on our behalf bring our
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  atoning sacrifice fulfill all the obligations of the high priest. So Jesus as a high priest
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  brings in the blood of the sacrifice himself and fulfills the full obligation of the high priest
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  for us. And here it is. Christ alone is our high priest. He, Jesus, or the priest, the high priest,
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  and this is really just to clarify how he is relatable to the high priest. That's important
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  because remember he did not sin but I want you to hear this. He, the high priest, can deal gently.
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  This word deal gently means be affected moderately or one who is not unduly disturbed
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  but bears them gently. That's what this means. How can the priest or the high priest deal gently
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  with you? Because he says this that the that the high priest can deal gently with the ignorant
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  and wayward. Now I know some of you guys like I ain't ignorant. We all are unknowledgeable.
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  We all really don't know the fullness of everything do we? We're learning. Some know a little bit more
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  than others but we still don't know all that goes that goes into this situation. So the high priest
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  can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is beset with weakness.
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  How can Jesus, being God without sin, be the one who can deal gently with us as ignorant and wayward
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  people if he himself is beset with weakness? Would that make him God?
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  Is Jesus a sinner? No. As a matter of fact in Hebrews 415 what's it say?
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  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize, unable to be compassionate with our
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  weakness but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin. He is the one
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  as we are yet without sin. He can and absolutely does understand us.
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  He is a priest who deals gently with us. The benefit is he doesn't walk into the holy of holies
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  with a rope wrapped around his waist. He goes in fearlessly confident because he is God on our
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  behalf showing he can fulfill the obligation and requirement of the high priest for us.
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  And so verse 3, because he is obligated, afileo, this word means to owe or that which is due.
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  How is he obligated? Because this is the requirement in order to be justified in Christ.
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  There has to be a priest who can come into the holy of holies and offer the sacrifice
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  before God the requirement of the propitiation of your sin. That is how it works and Jesus is
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  that high priest. That's amazing. So he, the high priest, is obligated to offer sacrifice for his
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  own sins just as he does for those of the people. Now you're wondering, Jesus didn't sin, so how can
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  he offer sin, how can he offer a sacrifice for himself? Glad you asked because scripture always
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  interprets scripture. Context is always upon context and precept is always upon precept and
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  you can always trust God has the answer and here it is. Christ is without sin, Hebrews 415,
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  but the obligation of the high priest is still necessary on our behalf. 2 Corinthians 521 reads
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  this, you ready? 2 Corinthians 521, for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in
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  him we might become the righteousness of God. So guess what? Because of this he is obligated to
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  offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. Oh, what's interesting is
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  Christ being the perfect sacrifice without sin, put upon himself our sin and then goes in on our
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  behalf in his and saying my sacrifice is sufficient. That's what it means. Wow. What a complete work
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  of salvation in Christ and because of this very reason I want you to hear this, so through Christ
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  the sinless high priest, the obligation of the high priest to offer the sacrifice on our behalf
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  and is the one in every way experienced our weakness so that he is the advocate for us and
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  can deal gently with us before him who is holy and this is the point of the advocate. How can he
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  advocate and intercede if he doesn't understand? But he does in every way. What an amazing work
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  and so we're going to end here. Christ was called by the father to be our high priest
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  and so fulfilled the plan that was set before him. This was the plan, the plan of salvation
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  in every detail, every detail. When we think about a high priest we don't think about the requirement
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  and the obligation of the high priest. We just teach, oh it's just the high priest, he's our high
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  priest. He intercedes for us so much more. There's a requirement, an obligation that must be fulfilled
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  and so can you imagine, let me say it this way, can you imagine a high priest who comes in on your
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  behalf who has no understanding of your suffering? Then what's the point? And if he comes in,
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  and if he comes in and he understands our weakness and our struggles, will he not joyfully offer
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  the sacrifice on your behalf? And the scripture says he does. It's an amazing thing and so
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  Ephesians 1, 7 through 10 says this, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
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  our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and
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  insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth
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  in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, things in heaven and
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  things on earth. Wow. Every detail is covered. Every single box is checked. And when it's all
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  said and done, now you know why, Paul says in Romans 1, men are without excuse. There is no
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  excuse but hatred toward God, which he clarifies in Romans 1. Kind of neat how you see all these
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  letters and all these statements kind of just fit together. And so chapter 5 verse 4 says this,
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  Hebrews 5, 4, and no one takes this honor for himself but only when called to account by the
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  only when called by God just as Aaron was and just as Aaron was called by God to be the high priest
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  of the people, Jesus was called by the Father to be the high priest for us. This is not something
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  that you do because you it feels good. This is a calling and no one takes this honor for himself.
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  It's not something he can claim. It's given and it's a heavy responsibility and thank God
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  he is the high priest because this is too much for any man to carry. Father, I want to thank you so
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  much for your faithfulness and goodness. Thank you that you are the high priest, the faithful one,
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  the king of kings and lord of lords and that you intercede on our behalf. Thank you for the advocate
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  that you are for us. To you be honor and glory forever in Jesus name, amen.