The Perfect Priest

The Perfect Priest (Hebrews 7:20-28) *All verses in NLT*

Series Titled: “Consider How Great” *Introduce myself… Pastor Matt in New Mexico…

– We are in Hebrews Ch.7, and the author is building on a concept, to show how great Jesus is in the course of history, and in the life of someone who believes in God/Yahweh. (For Jew and Gentile) 

– Hebrews 7:4, Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.

– The author is comparing the great high-priest and king (who the Jews knew very well), to Jesus. Except, Jesus is even greater! His priesthood lasts forever because he never died (He is Risen!)

– Consider how great he was, that Father Abraham honored him with a tithe of everything, now Jesus is even greater, so how shall we honor him? By giving our complete devotion in all things…

Hebrews 7:20-28, 20 This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,

“The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. 23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. 28 The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

1. Jesus is our Prefect Priest.

– The is the culmination of all of chapter 7. The author is using a system and a priest the Hebrews know and understand, and using that to explain how significant Jesus is now.

– Jesus was anointed High Priest by an oath from God himself. Aaron’s descendants didn’t have that.

– The priests of the old system under Moses always changed because they died. Jesus lives forever, constantly going to the Father on our behalf, not only once a year.

– The priest had to constantly make blood sacrifices for themselves and the people, but Jesus only had to do it once, because HE was the final sacrifice for all sin for eternity.

– Jesus’ priesthood is in the line of Melchizedek, who even Father Abraham honored as greater. 

– Everything they had built their faith and religious foundation on was now replaced by Jesus! 

Example: Movie: The Matrix, once you know you can’t unknow… their whole reality was changed forever, everything they thought they knew….

– The disciples and Paul used to meet in the synagogues (where the scriptures where read) to teach people how the Old Testament scriptures pointed to Jesus being the Messiah, the coming king… all the prophecies fulfilled… even Jesus used the scriptures…

– Luke 24:25-27, Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

– Luke 24:32, They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

– Reading the Bible is supremely important. Otherwise, you’ll never know you are trapped in the “spiritual Matrix”. 

– Jesus being the perfect priest should change how we see and approach him. You are in the presence of greatness! He is the most significant figure in all of human history.

2. Jesus is our salvation.   The gospel message! 

– Verse 25, “Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin.”

– Verse 27b, “But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.”

– Not just our perfect priest, but our advocate, our sacrifice for sin, our way of salvation, and the fulfillment of God’s promise…

– Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

– John 14:6, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 

– 1 John 2:2, He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

– Romans 3:23-25, For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 

– Eph 2:8-9, God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

– It’s a “free gift” for you, Jesus paid the price in blood. Can’t earn it, but you can honor it!

– Reflect on our own salvation? Do you honor it by how you live and think?

– If you aren’t saved yet, what are you waiting for?

– Accept, Believe, Confess… repent and turn from your old ways… live for him.

3. Our proper response to Jesus is full surrender and complete devotion. 

– Because Christ has given Himself completely for us and continues to intercede for us forever, the fitting response of the believer is complete devotion (full/complete surrender). 

– Our lives, priorities, and resources ultimately belong to the One who gave everything for us.

Complete devotion… What does this look like?

– There are two sides to this: the physical/action/tasks, and the spiritual/emotional/heart condition.

1. Physical, actions, tasks…

– Tithing, serving, attending church and events, worship, reading your bible…

– Some people find this stuff hard, logistically. You need a plan and priorities. (Example: Put church on your calendar and schedule around it. Don’t make it a “day of” decision. Tithing: Set it up like one of your bills. Pay it first. Have a budget, so you prioritize the right things…)

– You do this for your job, or you’ll get fired. You have it in you, apply it to the things of faith…

– Some people find actions/tasks easy, like checking a box, but their heart isn’t in it. They are going through the motions, and we would probably never notice… This is not good.

2. Emotional, spiritual, heart condition, willingness…

– You should have a desire for the things of God. You should be willing. Why would you not?!

– The emotional commitment is actually harder than the physical. You should be giving your heart over in worship. Meditating on the Word so it can change the way you think… connect!

– Example: Remember your first love, you did anything for them, late nights, changed plans, you wanted to be there all the time, it hurt not to be…

– Consider what the Lord has done. Foster a desire to make Him you first love again!

– Revelation 2:2-5, “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. 

– Matthew ch5, “You have heard it said…” Don’t murder, but don’t have anger… Don’t adultery, but don’t even have lust… It’s all about heart condition!

– 2 Cor. 9:7-9, You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

– Do you believe it?! What is holding you back?

– Fear holds us back:

– Afraid of getting emotionally hurt or rejected. Have trouble with trust. Anxieties… what if people don’t like me? What if I run out of money?

– Self-doubt is holding us back:

– Don’t feel good enough, nothing of value to offer, not worthy, need to get cleaned-up first…

– Lack of ownership or responsibility holds us back:

– Someone else will do it, you want the ability to back out later, owner vs renter mentality…

– Cognitive dissidence:

– You logically realize it is important, but mentality separate the faith you believe from the life you are living in this world… you BELIEVE one thing, but DO what the world does…

– Jesus is our great High Priest, our Savior, our Lord. Our proper response is believe, be saved, then live in complete devotion/full surrender. 

– He has called us and equipped us to do the work he has for us. We CAN, through Jesus!

– It’s a journey, start today. Take a step of faith. Stop saying, “I can’t”, and figure out what you need to change so that you can! 

– 2 Peter 1:3, By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

– James 1:22, But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 

– prayer –