Jesus, the Perfect High Priest Hebrews 4:14-5:6 John Oakes, 3/24/2019

Introduction cont. Purpose: To give heart to Christians who have endured but are being tempted to waver in their faith. Warnings against “falling away.” Theme: The preeminence of Jesus Christ!!! His deity The greatness of his ministry The greatness of his sacrifice The greatness of his covenant

The Greatness of Jesus 1. Greater than the prophets. Hebrews 1:1-3 2. Greater than the angels. Hebrews 1:4-14 3. Greater than Moses. Hebrews 3:1-5 4. Jesus the Great High Priest. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 5. Jesus is greater than Abraham. 6:13-18, 7:4-5 6. Greater than the Levitical Priesthood. 7:1-28 7. A Better Covenant. Hebrews 8:1-13 8. A better Tabernacle Hebrews 9:1-11. 9. A perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 9:12-10:18.

Exhortations Exhortation #1 Pay careful attention 2:1-4 Exhortation #2 Make every effort. 3:7-4:13 Exhortation #3 Move on to maturity 5:11-6:12 Exortation #4 Draw near to God, do not shrink back. 10:19-39 Exhortation #5 Live by faith. 11:1-40

Jesus the Perfect High Priest What is a priest? A Pontifex Literally, a bridge-builder. A mediator. An advocate. A representative. One who give access. One who can speak the language of both the worshipper and the one worshipped. The bridge before Jesus: The Law The Priest and the Sacrificial System But they did not work, and that is the point of Hebrews 7-10:18

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement 1. Wash hands and feet in the laver 2. Change into perfectly white linen clothes 3. Lay hands on a bull paid for by the High Priest and sacrifice it 4. Sprinkle the blood in the Holy Place for sin of the High Priest 5. Fill a censer with incense and fill the MHP with the smoke. 6. Select two goats, kill one, as well as a bull for the sin of the people (the other goat is the scape goat) 7. Enter the Most Holy Place, first with the blood of the goat, then the blood of the bull, to sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat.

Two wonderful words… sympatheo Heb 4:15 Lit. touched with the same feeling metriopatheia Heb 5:2 (trans: deal gently) Empathy, Sympathetic feeling, Bear with people without becoming angry Completely unlike the Greek concept of God God cannot possibly feel anything or he is weak.

Jesus the Great High Priest Like a High priest: Can relate to us (Heb 4:15) Makes intercession before God for mercy, grace (Heb 4:16) Offer gifts (fragrant offerings) and sacrifices (sin, guilt offering) (Heb 5:1) Selected by God from men (Heb 5:1,4-5) Represents man to God (Heb 5:1) Greater than any High Priest Serves in the Heavenly Tabernacle, not the earthly one. (Heb 4:14) Tempted, yet was without sin. (Heb 4:15) Did not need to offer sacrifices for his own sin. (Heb 5:3) A priest forever (Heb 5:6) A priest from the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:6)

Hebrews 5:2 cont. “He deals gently with those who are ignorant and going astray.” This is accidental sin, not willful sin. There was no sacrifice for willful sin in the Law of Moses. Hebrews 10:26, Leviticus 4:13, Numbers 15:22-23,30-31 Willful sin is defiance, rebellion, willful (obviously) Unwillful sin is an act of impulse or thoughtlessness or ignorance.

Willful Sin

Hebrews 5:7-10 5:8 Jesus learned obedience through suffering. “learned” in the sense of experiencing. 5:9 once made perfect (teleios) = complete

Exhortation #3 Hebrews 5:11-4:8 Grow up! Move on to maturity. Mature in life and docrine (1 Timothy 4:16) Do not be nothros (slow-moving in mind, torpid, witlessly forgetful, dull of hearing) Are you on a diet of milk? Then you are an infant. Grow up both in the knowledge (v. 12) and the practice (v. 14) of holiness.

Hebrews 6:1-2 The Basics a. repentance b. faith c. baptism d. the Holy Spirit e. Resurrection f. Judgment

Hebrews 6:4-6 Who is he talking to? a. been enlightened (NT church “enlightened” = baptized) b. tasted the heavenly gift (salvation?) c. shared in the Holy Spirit d. tasted the goodness of the word e. tasted the coming age (saved) Yes, you can fall away! Conclusion: You had better move on toward maturity in Christ.

Hebrews 6:4-8 It is impossible… if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance. They are crucifying the Son of God all over again. Land that produces thorns… will be burned.

Q: What are “the things which accompany salvation Q: What are “the things which accompany salvation?” (Heb 6:9) Answer: work and love (Heb 6:9-12, 10:32-34) Be diligent to the end.

Hebrews 6:13-20 God’s Assurance God says, “I swear you will make it.” Two unchangeable things: God’s Word Himself

Great Assurance God says, “I swear you will make it if you hang on to the end.” Jesus, your anchor, is behind the veil with the Father