As we continue in our series in Hebrews, our text today is going to be an answer to the repeated warnings that we saw in the last two chapters.  By way of introduction, Lets recap the last two chapters worth of warnings we’ve received in Hebrews:

 

3:6  Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

 

3:12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

 

3:19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

 

4:1Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened

 

4:6 therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,

 

11Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 

 

So we are seeing this warning against unbelief, disobedience, and sin that can keep us from the promise of salvation.  Today we land on the absolute solution to this problem, which is the high priesthood of Jesus Christ.

 

14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Jesus is the means by which we hold fast our confession of faith.

 

Mpt: We need Jesus as our high priest to help us from unbelief and disobedience.  

Jesus as high priest is the answer to holding fast to our hope and obtaining the promise of rest.

 

“Jesus, our great high priest”

 

Hebrews 4:14-16

Why do We need Jesus in the role of high priest? 

(explain high priest) Hebrews 5:1 1For 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.(intercessor that appeases God’s judgement for sin by way of sacrifice)

-put simply, we desperately need Jesus in the role of high priest because we absolutely have need of his grace mercy and help because of our weakness when it comes to temptation and sin!

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;

    who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart   and test the mind,[b] to give every man according to his ways,  according to the fruit of his deeds.”

18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

11And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

What makes Jesus a great high priest?

14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

 

Hebrews 5:1-8
1For 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.

 2He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

 3Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.

 4And *no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

5So 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”;

6as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

7In the days of his flesh, Jesusa 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. 

  • Jesus is a great high priest because of His humility!
  • Imagine, being God, creating the heavens and the earth, all things made for you and by you and you are humble…
    • Lets praise Him for His humilty!
    • Oh that we would be humble people like Jesus, our great high priest!

8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

  • Jesus is a great High priest because of His obedience!
  • Without His obedience, there would be no priesthood, there would be no salvation, there would be no hope!  But we have in Jesus a high priest that has presented himself as a sacrifice able to atone and cover for the sins of all those who obey Him!!!!
    • Hallelujah hand up emoji!!!
    • What a God we serve!

 

Lets make an appointment to visit the throne of grace

 

14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

15For 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.

 16Let 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.

Preaching Notes from Hebrews 5:1-8

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.