Bibles and turn with me to the
book of Hebrews, chapter 5. Hebrews, chapter 5. Let's ask
the Lord's blessing on these services. Our Father, as we come before
you tonight, We come only in the name of our precious Savior.
And Lord, I know that even now He is, as our High Priest, interceding, pleading on our behalf His merit. We ask You, Lord, would You bless
the services tonight. These things are too high for
us, too wonderful. Help us. Teach us. Give us faith
to hear, to believe, to be comforted. For Christ's sake. Amen. I'd like to look at the first
verse of this fifth chapter tonight. One verse. The Apostle, under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God, says, For every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God,
that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. I have entitled this message
this evening, We Need a High Priest. The last few weeks we've been
looking at the rest that a believer enters into. Rest, first of all,
in this life. We rest in Him who is our Sabbath. God has a Sabbath and it is the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is our rest. Now, we enter into this rest,
we enter into Him in assurance of that eternal and glorious
rest. We in this life, we rest from
our attempt to reconcile ourselves back to God. That is where we
are resting. We are not trying to establish
a righteousness before God by our own works of self-righteousness. You know that we cannot do that. By the works of the law, by obedience
before God, our obedience, No man is going to be reconciled
to God. Now in this chapter, we're going
to believe, and Paul the Apostle, he's dealing, in this book of
Hebrews, he's dealing much with our high priest. And I'm going
to be honest with you. As I was going over my notes
today, the more I went over my notes, the more fearful. I suppose that's the right word. The more respectful I want to
become. I realize that I'm dealing with
something tonight that is so high and so wonderful. And I know it. By faith, I know
it. but oh, that I might know Him." The Spirit of God in this chapter,
beginning in the fifth chapter, is pleased to reveal the glory,
the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest. Now remember this, the High Priest, and there is
but one. There is one mediator between
God and man, and it is the man, Christ Jesus. He alone is our access to God. He said in John 14, verse 6,
I am the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man comes to the Father but
by Me. He is our only hope of acceptance
before God. And I'm telling you, there is
no other way. No other way. I don't care what
men say about the way that men are converted. I'm telling you
that the Lord Jesus Christ said, I am thee way. I know that there are false religionists
that set forth, that there are priests that act as mediators. That day as false religion sets
forth, Roman Catholicism sets forth, that there is a a vicar,
actually the one who stands on earth in the place of God Almighty
Himself. Well, though these false religionists
declare that they are God's mediators, there is but one. They are imposters. These lies do not negate the
truth that we need a great High Priest. All that is demanded for acceptance
with God, He alone provides. The Lord Jesus Christ is interceding
right now for all that the Father has given Him in electing grace. John 17 and 9, He said, I pray
not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for
they are Thine. He has got a specific people
that He is interceding for. And the reason that you are believing
tonight I mentioned this last week, the reason you believe
right now is because he's praying that your faith fail not. Don't
you ever forget that. Let me tell you how prone we
are to have confidence in ourselves. We're not even thankful, as we
ought to be, that we're here tonight believing him. I'm telling
you, without faith, without faith in him, without trusting him,
Without His intercession, it's impossible to please God. Now, this is convicting to me. Right now, thinking, how little
have I been thankful. He says, in all things give thanks. Now, if you're like me, have
we truly thanked Him today as we ought? We need a high priest. The Apostle Paul is speaking
to some converted Jews. They knew something then of the
Levitical priesthood. And he's going to set forth the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as He is the revelation of what
those Old Testament priests pictured. Now in that Levitical priesthood,
we've got to remember that they were types. They had attributes
that were associated with the priesthood that they could not
fulfill perfectly. They were pictures. They were
types of Christ. They had requirements. They would
go through the ritual. that God Almighty had ordained
for them, slaying the animals, taking that blood and applying
it to the altar, all of it pictured the Lord Jesus Christ. And what
they were actually doing could never take away sin. The blood
of bulls and goats, never. That Levitical priesthood declared
in type what Almighty God required, but there was only one that could
absolutely take away sin, the Lord himself. God's high priest must be God
himself and man too. We need a high priest. Every
high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things
pertaining to God. The high priest had to be a man. He had to be able to be one that
could associate with those that he represented. The high priest,
God's high priest, has to be able to touch both parties and
neither party be offended. Now, I tell you, we can enter
in in our minds and we can see how as God Almighty, here is
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son Himself. God Himself. But when I consider His humiliation
that He Himself made Himself of no reputation, took upon Himself
the form of sinful flesh, humbled Himself, made likened to His
brethren that He might be able to perfectly represent all of
His people. Every frailty that I have, He
had except He had no sin. But He knew just exactly. I was
looking over in the book of John, a little head, and I was reading where, when
Lazarus died, and the Lord came to the tomb of Lazarus. Martha,
when he told him to roll the stone away, she began to tell
him, well, by now, look, it's, he's been four days, you know,
he's starting to stink now. He's just, you know, and he groaned. That's what Scripture says, groaned.
She didn't believe him. And he knew what that felt like.
And here He was. He knew exactly the temptation,
the frailty that she had, He had. Here is our great High Priest
taken from among men. He was made like unto His brethren. And the High Priest, He was to
pray and to sacrifice and to intercede for the people and
to be able to bless them and perfectly satisfy God. to mediate between God and men. God Almighty required absolute
holiness. God Himself and perfect humanity. What man would be taken from
among men, born in Adam? What man could ever answer for
us? All had sinned. come short of
the glory of God. God is going to be approached
only in a priest. We need a priest. The Lord Jesus
Christ. He had to be absolute God Himself
to know the demand of God. What man born in Adam knows what
God demands? or ignorant, fallen creatures. Can you imagine trying to know
the mind of God? Do you know who knows the mind
of God? God. God. It had to be a man to be
able to fulfill the law. Man had disobeyed God. God's high priest, if there's
going to be a mediator, Between God and men, it's going to be
one who has obeyed in the very nature that rebelled against
God. All mankind rebelled against
God in Adam, and every one of them that came forth came forth
doing just exactly what Adam did. There has got to be one
in our nature that can approach God on his own merit, a man that
can approach God Almighty and in his own humanity has absolutely
obeyed God in every word and thought and deed. There's been
nothing about him that Almighty God was offended in. You think about
that. Oh, I need a representative.
I need one to answer for me. I need one that can obey God
for me. I need one that can take the
penalty of what I've done before God and suffer In my place, I've
got to have one that will obey for me, and I've got one that
will pay my penalty. I need a high priest. That high
priest would go in in the Levitical priesthood, and he would take
that animal. Here was the priest, and he would
offer that sacrifice on that altar. He would place that blood
on that animal. And that sweet smell and savor,
God accepted it. There is a picture of His Son. I need Him who is the priest
and the altar to sacrifice Himself. I need a sacrifice. I need a
priest. I need a substitute taken from
among men. And I need Him To live forever, because if I
am to live forever with Almighty God, I have to have one that
will eternally answer for me. He ever liveth to make intercession. Not like the old priesthood,
the Levitical priesthood, but because of death, they had a
succession and then a succession. I have to have one that's eternally
loved me, that made himself a surety for
me, a sponsor. I'll sponsor you. I looked that
word up, surety. That's why I said sponsor. I
need one that can pay for. You know, when you have a sponsor,
whatever debts you got, you know, you got Little League Baseball
or something. Who's your sponsor? Well, it's so-and-so over here.
He's got your caps. He's got your jerseys. He's got
your name and stuff. Sponsor. Who paid for all this
stuff? Sponsor did. He's the one, you know. And then
when the kids go and they play and they win the trophy, you
know who gets the trophy? Sponsor. Go into his office. There it is, you know. Little
League champions. surety sponsor. I need somebody
that will answer for me. There's one surety. There's one
great high priest. One in my nature. For as much
then, Hebrews 2.14, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
he also likewise took part of the same. If the high priest
is not one of us, Then we have no representative before God.
We need a high priest. Every high priest taken from
among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God.
Now listen to this statement. I read this a while ago and I
went ahead and just took my highlighter and I highlighted it. I want
to remember this. Lord, help me to remember this
statement right here. He was designated or appointed
to be the one responsible to God in worship for His people. What Almighty God demanded of
me Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all of your heart and
all of your soul and all of your mind. I need a high priest. What Almighty God demands for
me before Him to be accepted before Him, that's what the high
priest did and does. The high priest represents God's
people before God. And Almighty God looks to the
high priest and accepts all that the high priest intercedes for
and prays for on his merit. Isn't that good news? All that God Almighty requires
of me for holiness. I'm not talking about the best
I can do. This is serious. What God Almighty
demands for holiness, perfect righteousness. This is what He
demands. He demands the righteousness
of God. Oh, I mean, you know, we can
sit here and debate about our little differences. Who's more
consistent than others? I'm talking about the holiness,
the righteousness of God Almighty. That's what's required for me
to be with Him. Be ye holy, for I am holy. I need a high priest. I need a substitute. I don't
want to talk about my faithfulness. Anytime I start thinking about
the consistency of myself, this is the most embarrassing place
to stand. I honestly think that's what
Job meant when he said, I love myself. Almighty God is not going to
be approached any way except in absolute holiness by His appointed
and accepted High Priest. God Almighty appointed Him, the
Lord Jesus Christ, the High Priest. Our sins separated us from God. That's what Isaiah 59, 2, your
iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins
have hid His faith from you, and He will not hear. Can you
imagine? What hope does a man have without
a priest? One that will answer for me. You know, when the high priest
back in the Old Testament approached God, He would come in, he had
a breastplate on and it had 12 stones on it and it had a connecting
sash that came up here and there was a stone and it hooked onto
this stone and it hooked on the back side and came around and
hooked on this stone. It was just two stones up here
with six names and six names of the tribe and 12 stones and
he wore that breastplate and he went in as the representative. of those twelve tribes of Israel,
a picture type. Now you think about this, that
right now, before God Almighty, there's a representative that
God is well pleased with. God Almighty has accepted the
man, Christ Jesus. God-man. And here he is interceding for
us, his elect, his people. And God accepts us, pleading
his own merit. And all that God has accepted
him on, his merit, has imputed to us. Robed in his righteousness. Accepted. Here is the prophet, he has revealed
God to us as our King. He rules and defends us. And
as our priest, his object is God Almighty on our behalf. The high priest, ordained, taken
from among men, ordained for men, in things pertaining to
God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins." Gifts and sacrifices. The high
priest is a peacemaker. That's what he does. He's a reconciler. He reconciled us back to God. We offended him. And He is the
one that reconciles us back to God Almighty and offers gifts. Now, look this up. It's gifts
of thanksgiving. Gifts of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving
for God's mercy, God's goodness, and also sacrifices for the putting
away of guilt. Turn with me to Leviticus 7.
I want to read something to you. Leviticus chapter 7, verse 11
to 13. That high priest, back in the
Old Testament, Leviticus 7, 11, would offer these gifts, sacrifices. This is the law of the sacrifice
of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. If
he offer it for a thanksgiving, And he shall offer with the sacrifice
of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil and unleavened
wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil of fine
flour fried, and besides the cakes he shall offer for his
offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and his peace offerings." Thanks. Thanks. You remember when the
ten lepers, there were ten lepers that came to the Lord Ask the
Lord to heal them. And the Lord healed them. After
they left, do you remember how many of them came back to thank
Him? One. He said, where's the other nine?
Thanksgiving. Psalm 50, verse 14 says, Offer
unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows to the Most High. Offer unto God thanksgiving. Now let me ask you something,
and let's just be honest about it. How many of us are thankful as
we ought? The Lord Jesus Christ, who has
eternally stood as our surety. Scripture sets forth that God,
before the foundation of the world, chose us in Him, His people. that the Lord Jesus Christ, who
eternally covenanted to answer before God Almighty, agreed in
that eternal covenant of grace to come into this world. And
I, as the representative and the federal head of God's elect,
would come into this world make himself of no reputation, and
walk before God Almighty, made under the law, answerable to
the law, as our representative, truly man, God Himself, and for
thirty-three years, approximately, answered as our representative. and established a righteousness
before God. And that righteousness imputed,
charged to the account of all of God's elect. They're going
to believe God. And the way that you know that
God's imputed to them, charged them, is that they believe Him. Went to the cross. Made sin for
them. Made sin. God Almighty would
not allow men to look upon it and cover this earth with darkness. Four hours of darkness. Didn't
allow them to see it. Here was God dealing with God.
And doing, as Brother Scott would say, something for himself before
he could do something for us. Had to satisfy himself. Satisfy
his law. Satisfy his justice. The Lord Jesus Christ, as our
substitute, died. Died. Truly died. Buried three
days. Third day, raised Himself. Came
out of that grave justified. God accepted Him. And we justified
in Him. How little do we thank Him. We hear those blessed truths
preached. I mean, you think about that. Offer unto God thanksgiving and
pay thy vows, pay thy promises. Let me just read Psalm 61 to
you. This is what we're commanded
to do. Be thankful. Listen to David in Psalm 61,
verse 8. I, so will I sing praise unto thy name forever, that I
may daily perform my vows, my promises. I will sing praise
unto thy name forever. Boy, do you know how easily that
rolls off of my tongue. Lord, I will thank you. I thank
you. I praise you. I exalt you. We're commanded to pay Him the
love that He's due. I shall love the Lord thy God. We're commanded to pay that. Commanded to pay the service. My sheep hear my voice. They
follow me. And I think, Lord, I need a high
priest. I need one. that will stand for
me. These offerings of thanksgiving
was to be given unto the Lord for the people because we don't
know how to be thankful. I don't know how to thank Him.
I can try. When I try to pray, as the songwriter
says, sin is mixed with all that I do. High Priest, not only did he
have to be thankful before God for the people, he had to be
thankful for the people. That was a picture of Christ.
Only our representative, only our substitute, only our great
High Priest knows how to be thankful. And then to sacrifice for sin.
God was going to have to deal with sin justly. Here He was. God's Lamb. Our sacrifice. I tell you this, when He laid
down His life, that was a high priestly act. I lay down my life
for the sheep. There He was. That Lamb back
in the Old Testament, that was a picture of Him He gave Himself
over to. Fulfilling God's purpose, God's
will. All those requirements for redemption,
all the requirements for satisfaction met in our High Priest, our sacrifice,
our altar, our Lamb. At Calvary, the Lord Jesus was
not only God's Lamb bearing the judgment of God, but He was also
the High Priest officiating at his own crucifixion. Oh, how
little we know about what was going on. And here we are tonight,
the recipients of the merit of our blessed high
priest. We must have a high priest. He
must be a man. He must be ordained for men in
things pertaining to God. He's got to answer all the requirements
for holiness. He must offer gifts and sacrifices
for sins. Let me ask you this, where but
in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there a high priest before
God? There's not. Only in Him, Christ Himself. Hebrews 3, verse 1 says, Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, Consider the
apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Oh,
that he would give me a heart tonight just to consider him,
to think upon him. I don't thank him as I ought,
and you don't either, but we do thank him. Thankful tonight
that we can be here. And as frail as this effort was,
I pray that God take His Word. I'm thankful it's not my ability
to preach. It's His Word. His Word is alive. It's quick, sharper than any
two-edged sword. Able. I pray that God be pleased
to bless His Word, call out His elect, comfort His sheep, establish
His people for His sake, for His honor, for our good. Amen. family.