Take careful attention, this
is a blessed passage of Scripture. Hebrews 4.14, seeing then that
we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus,
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession or confession,
for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted
like as we without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. 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 sin, who can
have compassion on the ignorant, on them that are out of the way,
for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity, and by reason
hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself to offer
for sins. And no man takes this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ also glorified
not himself to be made an high priest, but he that said unto
him, Thou art my son, today have I begotten thee, as he said also
in another place, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
Now we're especially interested in coming to verse 5 and verse
6. Christ glorified not Himself
to be made a high priest, but was made one by God who said,
You are a priest forever. There's a lot of ignorance or
a lot of ignoring today in the churches the subject of Christ
as our great high priest. Now, there are two sides of the
road on which one might err concerning the high priesthood of the Lord
Jesus Christ, both of them missing the mark concerning the priesthood
and covering it up as it becomes so obscure that it is little
heard of or thought about in our day. Number one, there is
that era of those who still believe in and still use human priests,
mere mortal men, even making one of them the pope or the bishop
or the overseer or whatever. Then the second era is in the
opposite direction, and that puts most of the emphasis upon
the priesthood of the individual believer. And this is a truth
of the Scripture, but sometimes it is done to the overshadowing
of the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. a text like 1 Peter
2 and verse 5, and again in Hebrews 13 and verse 15. And yet it is to be noted that
according to our spiritual priesthood, we offer up spiritual sacrifices
unto God. Now concerning this text that
we've read this morning, beginning in Hebrews 4, And the subject
is the high priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the apostle
has already made in this epistle two very quick references to
this priesthood of our Lord earlier in this same epistle. For example,
in chapter 2 and verse 17, that His incarnation, that is, the
Lord, and his partaking of flesh and of blood, was that he might
be in all things a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining unto God, that he might make reconciliation for
the sins of the people." He mentions it again in a way in chapter
3 And verse 1, for he refers there to the Lord Jesus Christ
as the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Jesus Christ. Then chapter 4 and verse 14,
the Apostle settles in to a very lengthy discussion of the high
priesthood of our Lord. Not only lengthy, but also a
detailed discussion of the high priesthood of the Lord. And I'd
like to call your attention to one thing, that in chapter 5
of Hebrews, verse 11, down through about chapter 6 and verse 20,
it contains what John Brown called a cautionary digression. John Owen called it his designed
digression and called it a necessary digression where the apostle
digresses for a while in order that he might make a point then
returns again in chapter 7 for a wonderful discussion of the
high priesthood of our Lord. And let's notice how it is that
that digression comes about, why the apostle is led, why the
apostle thinks it's necessary to make this digression at this
particular time in the epistle. Twice in chapter 5, that would
be in verse 6, and again in verse 10, he had made reference to
this man Melchizedek and used a verse from Psalm 110 and verse 4 that said, You are
a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, this has
the strongest bearing. In fact, it is the apostles'
text here for this discussion of the priesthood of our Lord
Jesus Christ. That He was not to be a priest
after the order or after the arrangement or after the likeness
of Aaron and of his son, but he was to be a priest after the
order of Melchizedek. And to that end, he cites that
passage in Hebrews chapter, or rather in Psalm chapter 110 and
verse 4, and he does so several times here in this Hebrew epistle. And he tells the readers that
he has many things to say about this Melchizedek. There was much
blessed instruction that was to be gleaned from what is said
and what is pictured in Melchizedek. What especially is said in regard
unto the two priests, Melchizedek and then of Christ, because they
had much in common. Their priesthoods were in so
many ways alike and how they stood, one as type and the other
as anti-type, things that were very important and they also
were very relevant to him declaring the fullness of the priesthood
of Christ as the great high priest of the Christian religion. Paul,
you notice, defers those great and numerable and weighty things
concerning Melchizedek to chapter 7 and verse 1, where he comes
back again to say, for this Melchizedek. Now, the reason for the temporary
deferment concerning Melchizedek is given in chapter 5 and verse
11, the last part, down through verse 14. And that is, he said,
these things were hard to be uttered. I have many things to
say and hard to be uttered. I find agreement with a Puritan
exegete, John Owen, that it is not just the sheer number, not
only the sheer number of the things that he had to say about
Melchizedek that would overwhelm them, but it was the importance
and it was the weight of them as well. As for example, what
is given in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 3 has made many scratch
their head and wonder, and it also has caused them to go off
track concerning Melchizedek. But the thing that made these
things hard to be uttered or hard to be understood or interpreted
or explained unto them was not the depth of the subject in and
of itself, nor was it the fact that it was a cloudy or a murky
revelation that had been made in the Old Testament. Neither
did the fault lie with the instructor being an untrained novice in
the things of God. But Paul says here, that which
made the interpretation difficult was the mental listlessness of
those that he spoke to and of those that he wrote to, of the
people for whom these words are intended. that they were mentally
dull and mentally listless in these particular things. Dull
of hearing. They had had plenty of time that
they might learn, become skilled, and become the teachers of others,
and yet, They needed to be taught again the rudimentary principle,
the beginning oracles of God. They had need that someone catch
them like they were back in elementary school. They needed milk rather
than meat for they were not able to take the strong meat. And
so the purpose of this digression in chapter 5 and so forth down
into chapter 6 is that he might exhort them to diligence exert
their effort, as it were, in attending to the spiritual truths
of the things of God that were before them. He writes these
things that he might stir them up to a fuller understanding
of the priesthood of Christ, that they might be more discerning
of the Messianic Scripture in the Old Testament, how Christ
is there and brought forth, and that they might bear witness
unto him, that indeed is the great High Priest promised of
God of old." Now, with that out of the way, let's fall back to
chapter 4 and verse 14, which is an exhortation. It is an encouragement. And it is the ground of the previous
admonitions that the apostle has written unto them. And in verse 14, not only is
it the ground of the admonition, but it is a direct answer to
any Jewish complaint or any Jewish objection that Christianity is
deficient because it does not have a great high priest looking
out for the interests of the people. They might protest, where
is your high priest? You are Christian. You need an
access to God. You need an acceptable sacrifice. Where then is your great High
Priest? Their question might be after
the order. Who will placate God in your behalf? Who will make
an atonement? Who will enter in to the presence
of God? Who will sacrifice for your sin. Who is there that will entreat
God for you and in your behalf? Now, we have to understand at
this point in history the Jewish mindset. We have to understand
that to be able to understand Hebrews. To them, that is, to
the Jew and to the Jewish mindset and the system of worship, we
have to understand that the high priest Aaron was the first one
of them, that Aaron, the high priest, was the hub of their
system of worship and religion. He was the only one authorized
by God to make an atonement and to draw near to God. He was the
only one allowed to enter into the veil to stand there before
the mercy seat in the holy of holies and sprinkle that blood
between the overshadowing cherubim there at the mercy seat. This
was the hub of their religion. So the apostles' response is,
not only does Christianity have a great high priest, It has one
that is infinitely superior unto that of Aaron, who is of a different
order altogether. In verse 14, it is bursting with
truth and with information for us. A large summation is given
here in verse 14, if we look at that, about the Christian
high priest. Notice that the first one of
them is its affirmation, seeing we have a great high priest. This is a fact. Christianity
does have a great high priest. Now, the gist of verse 14 is
the first and the last half of the verse. It is an exhortation
based upon the fact, see what the apostle said, seeing, sense,
having a great high priest, let us hold fast our profession without
wavering." Now, the same thing could be said if the statements
were inverted. Let us hold fast our profession
or our confession, seeing that we do have a great high priest. Now, let's look at some of the
descriptions of our great high priests that are there in that
verse. First of all, notice that the
apostle uses the word great. We have a great high priest. Now the addition of great is
used here both to exalt his priesthood as well as to settle upon him
as being that one that God has appointed. John Owen called it,
I guess in the Latin, the pontificum magnum. The chief prince of priests
is our Lord Jesus Christ. He said that grace is added by
way of imminency, meaning exceedingly great, exceedingly great high
priest. John Brown wrote that the word
great is used to convey an added emphasis equivalent to distinguished
or illustrious. We have a distinguished and illustrious,
a great high priest. Now, of course, the Jews considered
Aaron, their great high priest, as a great one too. But the apostle
is saying that the Christian high priest has an excellency
beyond the priesthood of Aaron and his son who served at the
Jewish altar and in the tabernacle in the wilderness. In fact, I
found one commentator who put it this way, quote, infinitely transcends both as
to personal and official dignity all that ever bore that name."
Unquote. All that ever were called by
that name of priest, their excellency is exceeded by that of our great
High Priest. So we ask, who then is this Christian
High Priest that we speak of? Who is this priest of Christianity
that is to help us in our profession? Well, notice that in verse 14
he is identified in a two-fold way. He is Jesus. Jesus is our great high priest. the same Jesus of Nazareth who
was crucified upon a cross in Jerusalem and buried there in
a tomb. His name is Jesus. Of course, that name means Savior
on account of the work that is given unto Him to do. Matthew
1.21, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His
people from their sin. Our great High Priest is Jesus. But he is identified in a second
way. And we notice that our High Priest
is the Son of God. Our great High Priest is Jesus,
the Son of God. And we notice that the essence
of this Sonship that the Apostle has already stated way back in
chapter 1 in the second verse. God has spoken unto us in or
through His Son in these last days. Look what He said in chapter
1 and verse 3. This Son is the brightness of
God's glory. He is the express image of His
person and upholding all things by the Word of His power. And in chapter 1, verse 5 through
verse 14, having an excellence beyond that even of the angel,
giving the Son honors that were never bestowed upon any angel
whatsoever. These are in fact declarations
of the deity of our Savior. And what's more, His high priesthood
concerns both of His natures. He is true God He is true man. He is God and man in one person. The holy and blessed union of
Christ as God and as man. Now, another advantage of the
Christian high priest, of Christ as our priest, that He brings
to His office and to His work is also in verse 14. Not only
is He Jesus, not only is He the Son of God, but we notice that
He has passed into the heavens. This priest is passed through
the heaven into heaven itself in the very presence of God. Some of the soundest commentators
that I have read and studied understood this as His having
gone through or having passed through the heavens, that is,
it is an illusion here, an indirect reference to the fact that while
the Jewish high priest passed through the first and the second
veil into the Holy of Holies of the earthly tabernacle, into
a particular place where there was the pledge of God's blessed
presence, can we call it the typical or the symbolic presence
of God in that holy of holy. And I agree with John Brown. This was one of the most sacred
functions exercised by the Jewish high priest, unquote, when he
took the blood entered the first veil, then the second, and went
there and sprinkled that blood upon the mercy seat of gold."
So let our minds eye just for a minute. See that great high
priest of Israel on the Day of Atonement. He has put on his
garments, of beauty and of glory, designed for the priesthood. Then we see him at the altar
making the sacrifice. He slays that beast that is appointed
by God at the altar. Then he catches the blood in
a basin. Then he goes in the first veil,
by this time out of the sight of the people who wait outside. Then through the second veil
and approaches and stands there before the mercy seat, between
the two cherubims there made of gold. There he sprinkled the
blood and the burnt incense before Jehovah. Now, can we call this? I think we can. The crowning
act of the priest on the day of atonement. The sprinkling
of the blood on the mercy seat. His entering into what is called
the most holy place. with the blood of atonement,
the blood of an animal. Now his work or atonement would
have been incomplete without this crowning act of bringing
the blood and sprinkling it there upon the mercy seat. On the other
hand, our great High Priest, our Christian High Priest, has
not gone into the earthly edifices, but has passed through the heaven
has ascended into heaven, that he might sit down on the right
hand of God, being received up into glory." Acts 1, verse 9,
verse 10. Yea, he's ascended up far above
all heavens. Ephesians 4 and verse 10. Into heaven itself to appear
in the presence of God for us. Hebrews 9. And verse 24, by His
own blood, Hebrews said, He entered into the heavenly tabernacle. Now back in Hebrews chapter 4,
verse 15 and 16, in view of the Christian high priest, we have
such a high priest as will sympathize with us in our feelings of infirmity,
and because of that we are exhorted to approach the throne of grace
for help that we might find mercy in our time of need. Now, before
we get over into chapter 5, let's make an observation. And that
observation is this, that the section on the Christian high
priest closes in much the same way as it opened. Beginning in
chapter 4, verse 14, Seeing we have a great high priest, let
us hold fast our profession without wavering. It closes in chapter
10, verse 21 through 23, having a great high priest over the
house of God. Verse 22, let us hold fast, or
rather let us draw near. Verse 23, let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful
but promised." So the conclusion is, a great high priest is necessary
not only for our salvation but for living and persevering in
the Christian life. Without a great high priest,
a sinner would have no access to God whatsoever. It is only because we have a
great high priest who is the Son of God, who is passed through
the heaven that we might approach the throne of grace and find
mercy to help us in time of need. Time permitting, we'll say more
about that later. Now, let's put our attention
on chapter 5 and verse 1 through 4 for a few minutes. This is
a section, what Owens calls simply, a description of the offices
and the duties of a priest, unquote. Here's a summation of the work
of a high priest. Here is summed up the duty and
the work, most of it applicable to both Aaron and Christ, especially
In verse 1, where two things are, let's notice them. A, every
high priest is taken from among men. Now, the priest must be
a man. He must be from among men. He must be a partaker of flesh
and blood. He must have a likeness. He must
have a real kinship for and with those that he is to act in their
behalf as a priest. Secondly, such a high priest
be is ordained or appointed is set forth by God in behalf of
men in regarding things pertaining unto God." In regard to God. That's the second thing about
a high priest. Not only is he taken from among
men, but he is appointed to act for men in things with regard
unto God, especially, in the end of the verse, that he might
offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. The Puritan Thomas Goodwin
once wrote, this Office of High Priest, is an office erected
wholly for the showing of grace and of mercy. Had not God intended
to show mercy and saving grace, there never had been a need to
establish the office of a high priest. For example, If there
had not been a mercy seat in the Most Holy Place, what need
was there of a high priest? Because the office of high priest
was for nothing else than atonement, reconciliation for the people,
for sinners unto God. Now, another thought that I gleaned
from Goodwin, that the office of high priest is altogether
an office of grace from the effect of him offering gifts and sacrifices
for sin." Now, of course, the high priesthood of Aaron was
not only inferior, but it was typical of that of Christ. One described the high priesthood
of Christ as, quote, the pardon office set up and erected by
God in heaven and Christ appointed to be the master of it." Yes, indeed. Joseph held the
key to the storehouses in Egypt to open and give food unto the
people. Christ is the dispenser of the
grace of God. Not only is it dispensed through
Him, but it is dispensed by Him. Now, there is something important
said about the office of high priest in Hebrews chapter 5,
verse 4 and 5, and that is that none could become a high priest
except by divine appointment. That is, only God could give
one the office of high priest. Only by a call directly from
God could one become a high priest. It was not an office in which
one might intrude into on their own. It was not an office given
by the vote or the consent of the congregation. Nor was it
an office that one could say, you know, I feel called to become
the high priest of God. Nor was the high priest even
chosen by the representatives, the elders, the representatives
of the twelve tribes of Israel. Verse 4, chapter 5, is as clear
as can be. No man takes this honor unto
himself. By this and the honor in verse
4, the apostle means the high priesthood, the office. And this
office as high priest was both the highest and the most honorable
under the Mosaic economy and their system of worship. Now,
the high priest was to be a man. He was to possess certain qualification. However, one thing more was needed,
the divine call of God. And the apostle is very quick
to know. that Aaron, who first held the
office of the high priesthood, was called by God to serve in
this newly created office. For example, you have it in Exodus
chapter 28 and verse 1. God said to Moses, Take Aaron. and his sons from among the children
of Israel, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office."
That whole chapter, you'll see that. In Numbers 18 and verse
7, God said to Aaron personally, and I'm using the NASB, quote,
"...you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood,
for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and
you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood
as a bestowed service, but the outsider that comes near shall
be put to death." In fact, the next verse there says, Numbers
18 and 8, I have given you charge of mine keen offering of all
of the hallowed things of the children of Israel by reason
of the anointing. Thus the high priesthood in Israel
was begun in error. confined to the Levitical priesthood,
not passed around from tribe unto tribe, and it was hereditary. It passed down to the sons of
Aaron. The people could not say, you
know, it's time we had a high priest from another tribe, or
to represent the interests of another tribe. No. John Brown
observed, it was perhaps the highest honor that could be bestowed
upon a mortal. was chosen, called to be the
High Priest, called not by God, called not by the people or the
congregation, but by Jehovah Himself. Now, look at verse 5
in Hebrews chapter 5 as the Apostle applies these things to our Christian
High Priest. that as Aaron did not assume
the priesthood without a divine call. Aaron did not enter unless
and until God called him. And look at the fifth verse.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a priest. This is the same thing as if
to say, not without a divine call did our Lord enter into
the high priesthood. Now this supposition stands. Number one, Christ is our great
High Priest. We have a great High Priest,
which is Jesus Christ. Then follows another supposition. Christ is a divinely called and
ordained High Priest. So, verse 4, Aaron was called,
and down in verse 10, Christ was called of God and high priest
forever. And look at the last half of
verse 10. After the order of Melchizedek. Verse 5, So also,
in like manner, even so, as Aaron did not seek the priesthood,
but had it by the call of God, so also Christ became a high
priest by a divine call from God. Now, the apostle will now
confirm this from the Old Testament scripture. In verse 5 and 6 of
Hebrews chapter 5, we need to see how the two halves of verse
5 are related. For at the first reading it may
not appear how this citation from Psalms 2 and verse 7 is
proof of the call of the Son to be the Christian high priest. For the verse quoted, which is
Psalm 2 and verse 7, is a confirmation of the eternal union and relation
of the Father and the Son. And the verse in Psalm 2 and
7 is also quoted in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 5. And quoted by
Paul in Acts chapter 13 and verse 33, Thou art my son, this day
have I begotten thee. So that the connection between
the two halves may be This, the one who honored the Son and who
conferred upon Him the priesthood is the same one who said, you
are my Son, this day have I begotten you. And it described the relationship
between the Father and the Son. As Gil wrote on Hebrews 1 and
verse 5, Christ is not the Son of God by creation, not by adoption
or by office, but by nature. He is the true, proper, Eternal,
natural Son of God is the way that Deal put it. This gives
us then a natural flow into verse 6 where God said in another place,
and this is Psalm 110 and verse 4, you are a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. Not only was Christ made a priest,
by a divine call, but he was put in the priesthood with an
irrevocable oath. Thou art a priest forever. This is stated in Psalms 110,
verse 4, Hebrews 7 and verse 21. The Lord swore and will not
repent. You are a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. His priesthood can have no end,
and none other can ever have his priesthood. He will never
give it up in behalf of another. It will never be revoked, and
it will not be forfeited by his death. for he is ever alive. Melchizedek is called in Genesis
14 and verse 18, the priest of the Most High God. Priest to the Most High God.
Hebrews 7 and 11 makes the clear distinction. Christ is a priest
after the order of Melchizedek. and not after the order of Aaron."
This word, order, so often here in Hebrew can refer to character
or arrangement or succession. The order of Aaron was, the high
priest died and another was put into the office. One succeeded
another. While Melchizedek, there is no
record of him taking his priesthood from another, nor did his priesthood
pass on to another. His was an intransmissible priesthood
in that he was the only one that held that particular office. So Christ, Hebrews 7 and verse
24, but this meaning Christ, Because he continues ever, has
an unchangeable priesthood. And I think the meaning is intransmissible. He has an intransmissible priesthood. The margin of the King James
has it, which passes not unto another. It passes not from him
unto another. Christ is the only Christian
high priest. And unlike Aaron, he will not
die. but having died, lived again,
and ever lived. Unlike Moses, who died, and another
took up the mantle. Unlike Samuel, who grew old and
infirm, our high priest abided in the full strength of the office,
and that forever and forever. Now, tis no disadvantage to the
Christian, tis no disadvantage to us at all, that the Christian
high priest is in heaven rather than in or up on the earth. Rather, it is better in every
way that our high priest is in heaven, as he appears there in
the presence of God for us, having entered in by his blood and making
intercession. That important aspect of the
priesthood, making intercession for us. Now, before closing,
we know two great truths that are summed up in Hebrews chapter
5. One of them is in verse 4 through
verse 6. The Son of God was called of
God to be the High Priest of Christianity, the Father appointed
and anointed. him to that office. And the second
thing that is here is in verse 7 through 9 that Jesus, the high
priest of Christianity, has fully executed the work of a high priest
in that he experienced suffering, he obeyed God even unto death,
being made perfect, raised and glorified, is become the author
of eternal salvation to those that believe or those that obey
Him. Having been called of God, After
the order of the Melchizedekian priesthood, he, let me say this,
this is important, he, like Aaron was of old, is the principal
manager of Christianity and of the Christian church and of Christians. He is at the right hand of God. By Him and Him only we have access
unto God. By Him alone are any saved. He is the one and only mediator
between God and men. I Timothy 2 and verse 5 says
that very clearly. So Christ is the principle manager
of Christianity. He administers its grace. He saves its people. He makes
intercession. He is our advocate. He is our
intercessor. He is our propitiation. He is
any and all that we need. We have such in Christ, our great
High Priest, of the Christian religion. Glory to His name! May He be honored in all these
things that we have said this morning.