- Hebrews 5:1-6 Step into his calling of JOY
- Every December, the world chases joy like it’s something you can manufacture with lights, music, and moments. But the harder people chase joy, the more exhausted and empty they feel when the season is over.
- Even Christians slip into believing joy comes from getting the season right instead of getting to the Savior. Joy isn’t something we create. Joy is Someone we receive.///
- Hebrews 5 shows us that joy doesn’t come from our effort or our systems.
- joy comes from the God-appointed calling of Jesus our perfect, eternal High Priest.
1. Joy Because Jesus Destroyed Man-Ran Religion
- For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins
- OT priests had strict qualifications: right lineage, physical wholeness, ritual purity
- yet every one of them grew old, grew weak, and had to be replaced
- For centuries Israel lived under a system that could never produce lasting joy.
- But it was still dependent on MAN. Descendant of aaron. Physically strong. Morally pure.
- Advent reminds us of that long season of waiting- waiting for the perfect High Priest who could do what no son of Aaron ever could.
- Col 2:17 says they were “a shadow of things to come” -never intended to be permanent.
- And Advent is the celebration that the shadow has passed because the Light Himself has come
- Jer 31:31–32 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
- It’s a wonderful joy that we are no longer under that system we are in the NEW covenant
- Heb 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
- Man-dependent worship can’t hold joy. Human priests were temporary and flawed.
- This is why Christmas is so powerful-man could not produce a perfect priest, so God sent one///
- Jesus didn’t volunteer Himself He was chosen and appointed by God. He’s better
- Every man-made priesthood collapses. Jesus alone is God-appointed.
- It used to be “find the perfect man” now its “worship the perfect Christ”
- The manger is God declaring: ‘Here is the Priest you’ve been waiting for’
- What does it mean to you?- Shift your confidence from people to Christ.
- Every man ran religion isn’t strong enough. No pastor is good enough, no church is perfect
- You can rest that just as the Aaronic priesthood, however flawed showed a future perfection in christ that The Church is a typology of Heaven, and in the same way, not perfect, is a foreshadowing of a perfect heaven. Love the local church, accept her imperfections
- If you’re drifting into frustration and anger with the church, stop and check your heart now before that drift becomes distance. Your pastor, any pastor isn’t perfect. No church is.
- Ephesians 2:20 Christ is the cornerstone; the foundation is not human.
- The means and the how of how we worship him isn’t as important as that we worship him
- How we do What we do as a NT church isn’t as important as the outcome of the NT Church
- Matthew 16:18 says The Church is Christ’s work, not man’s invention. And its important, but its not a new OT system where if we get it wrong the priest dies and the people get swallowed up
- We worship God through JESUS who offers gifts and sacrifices- we bring the sacrifice of praise
- Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
- Christ is the head of the Church not pastors or structures. He is the joy, not the ‘process’
- Hebrews 8:6 Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant, built on better promises.
- This should bring you Joy! You don’t have to attend the perfect church or have the perfect pastor to make heaven! Christ is your assurance, not the system in which you worship
- In the Old system of priests, arks, linens and lavers, exactness was a requirement
- Many people needlessly leave churches bc of the failures of people and systems
- In the NT it’s the HEART not the HANDS. Get your HEART right, not the PROCESS
- This brings freedom joy bc we worship in spirit and truth not process and procedure.
2. Joy Because Jesus Doesn’t Demand Merriness He Understands Pain
- Our scripture says that those in the Aaronic priesthood v2 can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.
- If an earthly man understood our weakness, how much more a perfect savior?
- This is the heart of Christmas. Joy didn’t come wrapped in glitter. Joy came wrapped in flesh into a broken world, not a perfect one.
- Isa 53:3 says this about our Savior: He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
- The same Savior who cried in Gethsemane first cried in a manger. Advent tells us God entered our grief before He ever lifted us out of it
- The purpose of the Aaronic priesthood was to bring people to God, and Jesus fulfills that and brings us to God as well. As a mediator between God and Us, Jesus has compassion on us
- He has compassion on our inabilities, insecurities, inactivity, and pains. He, as they say “gets us”
- We’re here in Hebrews Today and connecting with Advent Joy. As I was praying and reflecting on this passage, I was reading it in light of our sin nature (we kinda covered that last week). But here’s the right now 2025 connection- Even in message about Joy, he understands not having it
- Ps 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
- It can feel isolating when others seem joyful and you’re struggling during Christmas or anytime
- Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
- Times you feel- Psa 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave.
- And I want to tell you, its ok that sometimes you go through a season where there isn’t joy.
- Sometimes you aren’t feeling all the Christmas cookie jingle cinnamon wonderful life joy
- And that’s actually biblical. Advent begins in longing, not celebration. Israel waited in sorrow before joy arrived- How do you receive this joy? Come to Jesus honestly in your pain.
- I want to tell you that its ok. Life isn’t always joy. And Jesus doesn’t say: “Fix your mood.” He says: “I understand your pain.” He is “acquainted with grief”. ///
- But don’t stay isolated in it -come to the One who understands your pain right now.
- he said- Matt 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- Joy Because Jesus doesn’t demand merriness- he understands pain and wants to comfort you
- Joy isn’t pretending everything is fine. Jesus carries compassion for the hurting, the overwhelmed, and the wandering and Christmas joy includes those who feel broken.
- Don’t waste this season faking a joy you can actually receive. Jesus is offering real joy right now ///
- Christmas can be annoying if you feel things aren’t great in your life. Starts to feel if you’re not making merry you’re bad or wrong. I’m telling you that you’re not wrong.
- Jesus as a perfect eternal high priest gets it. Compassion on the ignorant and astray
- He knows what’s going on. Its ok. He’s there in your pain. Joy is eternal your circumstance isnt
- But here’s the encouragement for those who are seeking for Joy in Christmas and life
3. You can have Joy Because His Calling and His Reign Are Eternal
- The savior and priest who allows your pain provides eternal Joy in his rule and reign
- Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Jesus didn’t become a temporary priest; the Father declared Him the forever priest.
- His reign is eternal, unchanging, and unstoppable. Joy comes from His permanence.
- The scripture in Hebrews is the story of Christmas and our walk with Jesus
- 6 As He says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;
- When Israel was waiting for their eternal messiah and priest, and he arrived, there was joy
- Luke 2:10–11 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
- angels declared ‘great joy’ the wait was over, the true High Priest and King had finally arrived
- The promise was Luke 1:33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
- Advent isn’t nostalgia; it’s celebration that God kept His promise of an eternal King
- Every king in Israel had a limited time of their reign. It ended. And when it ended it was tumultuous depending on who was king and how they led. Creates anxiety- who will lead us?
- The arrival of the Christ Child is the arrival of Joy because His Reign as King/Priest is Eternal.
- plan for us and his future. He has come. He is here and he reigns forever more.
- Your joy must rest in a Savior who will never be replaced because everything else in your life eventually will. How do you walk in joy? Anchor your heart in His eternal reign ////
- “you are my son” “you are a priest FOREVER” Luke 1:32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
- Don’t bring that temporary fear into your relationship with an eternal God confront it now before it steals your joy- The same baby in the manger is the same priest in Hebrews
- He has always been the ruler of the world, He has always been the highest priest
- You can have joy because of the plans and the plan- the eternal priest offered eternal sacrifices that are sufficient and eternal to be able to forgive you, rule over you, comfort you and lead you
- The power of the sacrifice will always be more powerful than your sin and doubt- this should bring you joy. Say to yourself “I serve an eternal savior in which there is no shadow of shifting”
- Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Daniel 7:14 His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
- Every part of Christmas points our hearts back to this eternal joy if we’re willing to slow down long enough to notice.When you see the lights, remember Jesus is the Light of the world. The evergreen tree reminds us His reign never ends. The star points to the true Light who guides every seeker. Gifts reflect God’s greatest gift in Christ. Wrapping paper reminds us He was clothed in flesh. The nativity shows His humility. Angels recall the good news still worth proclaiming. Candles remind us He brings warmth and life. Candy canes point to the Good Shepherd. The wreath reflects His eternal nature. Bells announce His coming. Snow shows how He makes us white as snow. Feasts remind us He invites us to His table. Stockings point to how He fills our emptiness. Cards reflect God’s message of love. Music mirrors the praise He stirs. Family gatherings remind us He came to make us God’s family.
- Yes, we look towards the cross and our salvation, but we’re saved now. We are living under his righteous rule and reign now. He is our king and our redeemer now. The wait is over
- No longer under the power of sin and death. No longer subject to this world. Walking with him
- This should give us JOY in our lives. Joy eternal and unshakable.
4. Joy Because There Is No Weakness in Our Savior
- 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.
- We used to have a priest who needed sacrifices for himself now we have a Savior whose strength never runs out.
- Aaron was weak; Jesus is flawless. Joy comes from His strength, not ours. Jesus is not weak.
- Advent reminds us that the baby in the manger may have looked weak, but He carried a strength that would hold the whole world.
- Unlike human priests who sinned and failed, Jesus has no weakness, no sin, and no flaw. Joy comes from resting in a Savior who cannot collapse, cannot falter, and cannot fail.
- Joy because There is no weakness in our savior ( Jesus is not a superhero with one flaw)
- 5:2 says- since he himself is also subject to weakness. (specifically about Aaron)
- But JESUS is perfect, sinless, and the source of eternal salvation
- Last week we talked about him sympathizing with our weakness- he does understand us
- But He’s not an Aaron. Aaron had weakness, our savior has no weakness
- Aaron was weak but Christ in us the hope of glory helps us to overcome our weakness.
- If you’re living in weakness, don’t stay there-step into the strength Christ came to give you.///
- The incarnation is God stepping into our weakness so He could overcome it
- Our old priest was weak. Our new priest is not. now we have a high priest in which there is no weakness so in turn, we are able to overcome our weaknesses in HIM
- There’s a path of victory for those who have ‘put on christ’ we walk in the victory that Christ provides. How do you live joyfully? Rely on His strength, not yours
- Understand this- you and I are weak in and of ourselves. We can’t save our selves, motivate ourselves or lead our selves. Our joy is not in our strength our joy is in His.
- The Joy is found in HIM not us Heb 5:3 Earthly priests “must offer sacrifices for their own sins.”
- Jesus has no sin, no internal weakness, no flaw in His offering. We “put on Christ” and break overcome weakness in our own lives. This is the victory that overcomes the world.
- 2 Cor 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
- So as you’re walking through this season and this life, and you feel yourself beset with weakness, remind yourself- my savior is not weak. I am in my savior and my savior is in me.
- I am not weak because he is not weak. And if you’re weak today- not tomorrow, not next season His strength is available right now.
- Christmas announces that undefeatable strength has entered the world and entered your life.
- Joy isn’t something you wait to feel it’s Someone you need to come to. Don’t leave today carrying what Jesus came to take. Receive the Joy of Jesus today. ///
For more sermons please visit our SERMON PAGE
Please subscribe to our YOUTUBE PAGE
