Hebrews 7:20-28 Jesus the Ultimate High Priest

Intro: In our current section of the book of Hebrews the writer has been discussing the Superiority of Christ Priesthood over the Levitical Priest

A)He Began this discussion in chapter 5 we noted Jesus being a H.P. after the order of Melch . We have talked at length several times about this

B) There were 4 Major problems w/ the Levitical Priesthood – 1^st was that the Priest themselves being men were sinners ( Judgment flawed )

1) 2^nd Ch.7:11 Thru their Ministry they couldn’t make anyone Perfect or complete/ Righteousness wasn’t possible ( Sins only covered )

C) 3^rd – They Priesthood was limited by Death – You get really attached to your priest – Your open you share – He gets old & dies

1) You have to start all over again w/ a New Guy

D) 4^th V.19 Thru the Levitical Priesthood & the Law or the Old Covenant. That was associated w/ it/ the Sinner couldn’t – be brought near to God

So those were the Problems w/ the Levitical Priesthood – the writer finishes up this 7^th Ch./ giving More Reasons for the Superiority of Christ

A)He gives 6 reasons in these final 9 verses – look at these tonight

B) 1^st v.20-22 Jesus Priesthood is superior due to the Divine Oath Rd.vs

1) There in v.21 The Writer is quoting from Psa.110 – Messianic Psalm we have looked at Before

C) Where the Father makes this Oath to His Son that – He would be a Priest after the order of Melch. – Both King & Priest.

Now the Levitical Priest became Priest because they were from the Tribe of Levi / and those who were appointed as H.P – family of Aaron

A)There was an Extended Ceremony to mark their calling & Ordination as Priest – But there was No OATH FROM GOD

B) Jesus w/ an Oath The Purpose of the Oath was given to us in Ch.6:17 ¹⁷Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

C) God Knowing the weakness of our Flesh / Faith – Comes down to man’s Level – takes an Oath – further Solidify His Word / Swears by His Name

1) So that we who have fled to Christ for Refuge – Would have strong encouragement that He is the REAL DEAL

D) That Jesus is the Fulfillment of God’s Promise of a New Covenant. & We who are in need of life / fulfillment / freedom from sin / Rightness w/ God

1) Will find our Rest & Hope in Him !!!!

So we are told in v.22 Ch.7 That Jesus has become the surety of this Better Covenant. – ( Begin discussing N.C. on Sunday)

A) A Covenant. Speaks of an Agreement between two parties. In the O.C. God said I will do this for you if You obey my Law

B) And the people responded All that the Lord has said we will do !!!

1) Problem was man didn’t hold up his end of the Bargain

C) So the Old Covenant. Was flawed – because man didn’t keep it

D) IN the N.C. God says I am going to do it all You just receive it & walk in it by Faith – experience the Blessings

1) God said His son would be the Surety of that Covenant.

The word “surety” means “one who guarantees that the terms of an agreement will be carried out.”

A) ( Gen. 43) Judah was willing to be the surety for Benjamin, to guarantee to their father that the boy would return home safely

“I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever”

C) Also before Joseph when the cup was found in Benj. Sack Dismayed by what happened,& grieved at what the loss of Benj. would do to his father,

1) Judah again offered to become a guarantee for his brother. After a lengthy explanation to Joseph of his concern, Judah said, “Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers

D)Judah made the second promise of surety so he could uphold the first. He was willing to go to any length to fulfill the pledge to his father that

1) Benjamin would return home safely.

Paul was willing to be surety for the runaway slave, Onesimus. Addressing the owner, Philemon, Paul writes of Onesimus, “But if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account; I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it” (Philem. 18-19).

A)Well Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant, thru which He has provided us with eternal life.

1) But He does more than mediate the covenant; He also guarantees it. He has become surety for it.

B)So that All of God’s promises in the New Covenant are guaranteed to us by Jesus Himself.

1) 2 Cor. 1:20 All the Promises of God are Yes Amen in Christ - As Long

as we are in Him & He is in us – Promises are Secure

C) He guarantees to pay all the debts that our sins have incurred, or ever will incur, against us

So first of all Jesus is Superior due to the Divine Oath that has Made Him the Surety of the New Covenant. / Priest forever …. Melch

A)2^nd He is Superior due to His Permanence v.23,24

Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. ²⁴But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.

B) The Levitical priests had what might be called the ultimate disqualification for permanent ministry: death.

1) None of them could serve indefinitely. Each died and had to be succeeded in order for the priesthood to continue

C) As if to picture that the Levitical priesthood was not forever, God gave Israel a dramatic and significant demonstration, recorded in Numbers 20

1) When Aaron, the first high priest was about to die, God commanded Moses to bring Aaron & his son & successor, Eleazar, to Mount Hor,

D) They were to stand in view of all the people. God reminded Moses that He & Aaron would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

E) The human giver of the law & the first H.P. would both die before Israel entered the Promised Land.

1) And During that event that day on the Mt. Aaron’s high priestly garments were taken from him and placed on Eleazar.

F) This would later be repeated in the Book of Joshua when Eleazor would pass on the H.P. robes to His Son Phineas

1) Each time there after this occurred it stood as a Testimony that this was a dying Priesthood – their ministry was interrupted by Death .

But Christ Priesthood is v.24 an Unchangeable Priesthood – Because although He died He rose & Lives – Priestly Ministry continues forever

A)Unchanging – Same Yesterday today & forever

B) Jesus never has bad Mood –never has bad days - / never sick / never unavailable or busy – His ministry is Unchanging –

1) His grace doesn’t run out / His patience doesn’t run thin / His affection

for me doesn’t change

C) I find this so encouraging because My affection for Him can Change: Some days I am so in love w/ the Lord / He is all I can think about.

1) Other days my heart is distant / I am distracted / Frustrated

D) But His affections for you & me never Change / His Love never Changes His goal & Plan for our lives is Constant

1) Although we might have our times where we need to get reacquainted w/ Him – He never needs to get reacquainted w/ us

E)His ministry is the same – continuing Priest – Ministries v.16 after the Power of an Endless life

1)His continuing Priestly ministry is the Key to our Christian walks / He ministers not only in forgiving our sins / Providing Access to the Father

D) But IMPARTING POWER & STRENGTH to do the right thing / to walk in Victory .

So the Priestly ministry of Jesus is Superior 2ndly because of His Permanence

A) The 3^rd reason given in our text for the Superiority of Christ Priesthood is it’s PERFECTION: V.25 Able to save to the uttermost

B) Jesus did what the Levitical Priest couldn’t made a way for the Sinner to be made Righteous / not just covering / cleansing

1) He opened up the door for man to be brought near to God !!!!

C) We noted in our study on Sunday – that this verse reveals for us the Magnitude of His Salvation – Save to the uttermost –

1) Present Blessings : Forgiveness / Freedom/ Sonship / whole lot more

Also Future Benefits / Heaven / New Bodies / Forever w/ ….Lord

D) Noted this verse gives us the way to this Salvation – Thru Him

1) The SCOPE – all who will come

2) The Assurance – He lives to make intercession – Not His words but His Wounds

E) All Based upon His Ability – He is able to save to the uttermost

1) Our Salvation is totally & completely Christ centered His Work / Not a

Program we latch onto. Some higher ideal

Relate to this : Bruce Thielemann Christianity today

Quite frankly, I'm sick to death of ideals. I have so many ideals and I've been so frustrated by them, I really don't care for any more. What I'm looking for is a savior--not someone who will just tell me what I ought to be, but someone who will forgive me for what I am, and then with his very love will enable me to be more than I ever believed I could be. That’s exactly what Jesus does.

So the 3^rd thing we see of Christ Superiority is He is able to Bring Perfection – Save Completely not just a covering / Cleansing

A)The 4^th reason for His Superiority is His Person

B) All the Levitical priests were sinful, and they had to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could offer them for the people. Not so our H.P. v.26 ²⁶For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;

C) Fitting = it was necessary that He be such a person. Otherwise He, too, would have had to offer sacrifices for Himself first,

1) and He, too, would have had to repeat the sacrifices over and over & over.

D) He could only be the eternal and perfect High Priest if He were completely righteous and sinless

1) He was holy refers to his sinlessness / Perfect Character

E) The Old Testament priests were “set apart” for their ministry, so in that sense they were “holy.”

1) But they were not always holy in character. They were sinners like the

people to whom they ministered./ They were flawed / Not J.C.

“Harmless” means “blameless.” Holiness points toward God, harmlessness toward men.

A)Jesus was blameless before men No Jewish priest could claim this distinction.

B) Jesus lived for others. He went about always doing good to others

1) He was Blameless in his Character – No fault

C)Undefiled means “unstained.” free from any moral or spiritual blemish.

Think about it. For 33 years Jesus Christ was in the world, mingling continually with sinners and being tempted continually by Satan.

A)Yet He never contracted the least taint of sin, or defilement.

Q Just as the rays of the sun can shine into the foulest stagnant pond and not lose their radiance and purity, so Jesus lived his life in the sinful, defiled world without losing the least of His beauty and purity.

B)He moved through the world and remained untouched by any of its blemishes.

C)Also He was separate from sinners = He was of an utterly different class.

1) Obviously, He was not separated from sinners in the sense of never coming in contact with them or mingling with them.

D)His parents, his brothers and sisters, his friends, his disciples-all the people He encountered-were sinful.

1)When He was ministering on earth, He was a friend of Sinners but His contact with them did not defile His character or His conduct.

E)He was not isolated; But He was separated/ There was contact without contamination

Finally, He is exalted above the heavens. He is exalted because of all the other things just mentioned.

A)Because He is holy, innocent, undefiled, and separated from sinners, He is therefore exalted

B) So He is Superior because He is a Continuing Priest – Forever lives

1) A Capable Priest – Able to save Completely

2) A Consecrated Priest – Set apart completely Holy / Blameless holy, innocent, undefiled, and separated from sinners,

I read a story today about a College Professor – who was giving a final exam in his Logic class - To help them on the test, the professor told the students they could bring as much information to the exam as they could fit on a piece of notebook paper. So Most students crammed as many facts as possible on their 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper.

But one student walked into class, put a piece of notebook paper on the floor, and had an advanced logic student stand on the paper.

The advanced logic student told him everything he needed to know. He was the only student to receive an "A." Superior because of His person

5^th Reason we see here concerning His Superiority is His Sacrifice v.27

²⁷who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

A)O.T Priest had to offer up sacrifices – daily their sins & the Peoples

JESUS ONCE FOR ALL !!!

B) It was once & for all – FINAL / Once for All – covers everyone

Why did Jesus Christ not remain alive and eliminate, generation by generation, all the evils which harass humanity? Simply because He was the Great Physician, and in the finest tradition of medical science, He was unwilling to remain preoccupied with the symptoms when He could destroy the disease. Jesus Christ was unwilling to settle for anything less than elimination of the cause of all evil in history.

Richard C. Halverson

6^th Superior because of His Strength v.28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

A)All the priests of the Old Covenant, even the most dedicated and spiritual of them, were weak

B)But God established Jesus’ priesthood as eternally strong-just as it is eternally holy and eternally effective.

CC)When the O.T. high priest officiated, he wore an ephod, an elaborate vest on which were two onyx stones,

1) each Stone was inscribed with the names of six of the tribes of Israel.

C)Attached to the ephod by gold chains was a breastplate, on which were twelve more precious stones representing the twelve tribes.

D)Therefore whenever he went into the presence of God, he carried with him all the tribes of Israel.

1)The high priest symbolically bore the children of Israel to God on his heart (his affections) and on his shoulders (his strength).

E)This represented what the priesthood was to be: first, a heart for the people, and secondly, the strength to bring them to God.

Now Many of these priests no doubt had a heart for the people. But none of them was able to bring the people to God.

A)They could not even bring themselves to Him.

B) But Our High Priest has no such weakness. He carries our names on His heart and on His shoulders.

C) But He needs no ephod or breastplate as symbols, for He has true affection & true salvation. He perfectly loves us & He can perfectly save us.

1) He ALONE IS ABLE

D) He has Established a Glorious New Covenant. – Look at on Sunday