Hebrews 5 Part 1 (Thomas and Joel)

Teaching 1.17.12

• Hebrews 4:14-16
  • “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
    • Jesus, the Son of God = high priest
    • Hebrews 5:1-4
      • “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.”
        • The idea of the priest comes from the idea of Jesus being the mediator between God and us
        • God is perfect so He cannot be in the presence of us
          • A priest has to be from one of the prides of Levi
          • People would go to the priest to talk about all the bad things they have done
          • Once in a while, the priest would take an animal, transfer the peoples’ sins into the animal, and then take it to a holy place to sacrifice it
          • This is why we need a priest
  • Requirements for being a priest:
    • Appointed on behalf of men
    • Offers sacrifice for sins
    • He can deal with the misguided because he is also weak
    • From the tribe of Levi

• Hebrews 5:5-6
  • “So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, ‘YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU’; just as He says also in another passage, ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.’”
    • Jesus is a priest but He never claimed to be a priest
    • Problems:
      • Jesus died, so other priests have to take his place
      • Does anyone know what tribe Jesus is from?
        • Judea… Not from the tribe of Levi
  • Genesis 14:17-20
    • “Then after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ He gave him a tenth of all.”
      • Melchizedek is the King of Salem
        • Never been mentioned before
        • Means the king of righteousness
        • He is considered a priest
          • Not a descendent of Levi
          • A totally different priesthood
          • He shows up and walks up to Abraham and blesses him
            • Then Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had
            • He ranked higher than Abraham
            • You can have a priest who is a king
              • Melchizedek à Abraham à Levi à Priests
              • Levi is the biblical priesthood
              • Melchizedek is different from the biblical priesthood
        • Jesus is not from the tribe of Levi so how is He a priest?
          • Psalms 110:1
            • “The LORD says to my lord:”
              • The first Lord is meant to be Yahweh
                • Yahweh: the one and only God
                • The second lord is a common word for god
                • Psalms 110:4
                  • “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind; ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’”
                    • This is the proof that Jesus can be a priest from Melchizedek
                    • Jesus is a king AND He is also a priest
        • Jesus was able to sacrifice Himself for us on the cross
          • He solved the problems of needing to go to a priest and needing to sacrifice animals
          • God has always had a plan that God was going to intentionally make Melchizedek a high priest
            • He started this plan up thousands of years ago…
            • Jesus is now the ONLY high priest
              • Hebrews 7:11
                • “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?”
                  • If the Levitical priests are so great then why did He create a Melchizedek priesthood?
                  • The Levitical priesthood was all about symbols
  • 1Timothy 2:5
    • “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,”
      • Jesus is the only mediator
  • Human priesthoods are done and over with
  • Jesus is the only priest you need
  • The religions that have a priests that you need to talk to, this turned into a bad relationship
    • Want power and money
• We are all, us believers, priests because of Jesus
  • 1 Peter 2:5
    • “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
  • 1 Peter 2:9
    • “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
  • Spiritual sacrifices: giving thanks, being grateful, serving, etc.
  • We can personally worship God and offer spiritual sacrifices
• No amount of being good gets you any closer to God
  • People tend to think that a lot of rituals will make you feel spiritual
    • Liturgy, formal worship, special holidays, incense, etc.
  • It is unnecessary and do not need it
  • These religions are all about the symbols
  • True spirituality is knowing God!
  • Hebrews 7:18-19
    • “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.”
      • We set aside the law because it was useless
  • All the symbols were supposed to do was to show us that we are sinners
  • But when Jesus came down to die for us, those traditions also died
  • We do have a high priest, Jesus Christ
    • So we can reconnect with God through Jesus
    • Being “good enough” does not make you closer to God
    • You need to have a personal relationship with God

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