Jesus, Our Priest

You should take your Bibles and turn to Hebrews chapter 5. In the three weeks that I have to preach this month, I want to talk about Jesus and His three offices. We'll talk about that in a minute. And on Palm Sunday, talk about Jesus as King. So we will talk about Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King in these three weeks. and Lord willing, help us to understand more of our Savior as we do that.

Would you join with me now and bow as we come before our Lord and ask His blessing. our God and our Father we have just sung that we are bowing before your throne and that we are helpless and weak people and yet you have taken the initiative and you reached down and you sent your Son and you sent the Lamb to rescue us. We find, Lord, that we still fight against the corruption of sin and that our duty and our works and our love for you are imperfect and yet we offer them to you now in Jesus. Would you please, in this next few minutes, minister the word of God to our hearts.

Lord make your word come alive to us that we might see the glory of Jesus that as we come to this table and commune with him we will know him better minister to us we pray by your spirit help us Lord not to just be orthodox in our theology but warm in our hearts towards Jesus help us now we ask in Jesus name amen if I were to ask you this question how many good solid theologically sound orthodox protestant churches have a priest what would your response be Many might recoil and say well none We're Protestants and part of our heritage that we do not have priests, for we are all priests before God. Okay, I'm okay with that answer. However, you also need to recognize that every Orthodox, Biblical, Evangelical, theologically sound protestant church does have a priest and his name is jesus nearly 300 years ago in the year 1689 our baptist forefathers came together to put into writing what they agreed that the bible taught this was the second time they had done this they had done it once some 40 years before in 1646 and produced what's called the first london confession of faith and then much later a couple decades later if you will they they gathered together and produced the second london confession of faith and they published it in a final form in 1689 in one of the chapters called christ the mediator in article one they wrote this to give effect to his eternal purpose god chose and ordained the lord jesus his only begotten son in accordance with the covenant into which they had entered, to be the mediator between God and man, also to be prophet, priest, king, head, and savior of his church, also to be heir of all things and judge of the world.

From all eternity God had given to his son those who were to be his progeny, and the son engaged in time, as distinct from eternity, to redeem, call, justify, sanctify, and glorify them. And so they wrote that God the Father and God the Son and their eternal counsel had determined that Jesus would be this for his people. And then at the very end of that chapter, in what's called Article 10, Christ's threefold offices are described for us.

I really love this part of the confession. If you look at my confession, This is underlined and highlighted and everything because it says so much about Jesus. It says this Christ threefold offices are necessary for us Because of our ignorance we stand in need of his prophetical office Because of our estrangement from God and the imperfection of our services at best we need his priestly office to reconcile us to God and to render us acceptable to him. because we have turned away from God and are utterly unable to return to him and also because we need to be rescued and rendered secure from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, sustain, deliver, and preserve us until we finally enter his heavenly kingdom.

To me, those are marvelous words. It talks about these three offices, the office of prophet and priest and king, and why we need each one of those offices that Jesus occupies. And if we're to understand and know and love our Savior as we ought to, then we must see him as prophet, priest, and king. if we're to understand ourselves we have to see jesus as prophet priest and king he's our prophet because of our ignorance he is our priest because we need to be reconciled to god and we need to be rendered acceptable to him even in the services that we offer him we need his kingly office because we have been rebels and we've turned away from him And we are not able to turn to him unless he conquers our hearts.

And then we need protection from our spiritual adversaries. And though so as king and conqueror, he helps us. So today I want to start not with the prophetic office. Today I want to start with the priestly office. This is the day of the Lord's table. And I thought it would be better to start here to talk about Jesus as our priest.

What was a priest of God anyway? What was a priest of God? You got your Bibles open to Hebrews chapter 5. I want you to follow as I read the first 10 verses of that chapter. Hebrews 5 verses 1 through 10 for every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is beset with weakness.

Because of this, he is obligated to offer a sacrifice for his own sins, just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. so also christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest but was appointed by him who said to him you are my son today i have begotten you as he says also in another place you are a priest forever after the order of melchizedek in the days of his flesh jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his reverence although he was a son he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Well, what is a priest of God?

Well, first of all, he was a man appointed to perform the function of mediation. That is, he was a man, as it says here, appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God. man because of sin did not have liberty of access to God he could not just go into the presence of God he could not do that his God is so holy that man in his sinfulness could not even dare to approach the very presence of God and in those days when they had the priest the very presence of God was manifested or revealed in first the tabernacle you remember the tabernacle was this tent and as you walked in there was a court and as you stepped into the tent there was the holy place and there was one more door covered by a thick veil into which the high priest would enter called the most holy place upon within which was this this box if you will with this golden cover with these two cherubim facing each other here was the very throne of god that then was transferred to the temple under the same design. And no one could go into that place.

No one could go into that place. Someone had to be appointed to draw near to God on behalf of the people. Men need someone to approach God on their behalf. We don't think this way because we have lost the sense of the holiness of God. We have lost the sense of the holiness of God. When you read in the Old Testament, for example, in Numbers and in Leviticus, and you read about that tabernacle and that tent, and the fact that God says, sacrifice must be made or my wrath will break out and wipe out all the people. yes I'm in the midst of you but I'm so holy you cannot come into my presence only one could come into the very presence of God and that was the high priest and he could only go on one day on Yom Kippur the day of atonement he alone could go into that most holy of places and he could only go after he'd offered a sacrifice first for his sin and then and then he could go into that holy place most holy place and offer the sacrifice of sin, the sprinkling of the blood on that very throne only then could he go in and sprinkle the blood that covered the sin of God's people.

Now this can be seen not only in the Old Testament but it's the universal testimony of all religions the fact that rarely you find a religion without a priestly cast Men's consciences condemn them. Even those without the word of God have consciences that condemn them. In fact, the Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans that every man, even those without the Bible, have the law of God written on their hearts.

They have a conscience that tells them what's right and what's wrong. And because of that universal condemnation, there's this sense that there must be someone who will approach the deity on our behalf. So he was a man appointed to perform the function of mediation. He was also appointed to perform the function of sacrifice. That is, he was a man appointed, as it says in the text, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin.

He was to reconcile God to men. That was accomplished as the priest offered God those gifts and sacrifices that atone for their sins. that was accomplished as the high priest would go first into the most holy place to make atonement for his sin and then the sin of the people. And when you would bring that lamb that you would bring on those other days as a sacrifice for the sins that you know you had committed you would lay your hand on that victim on that sheep on that lamb You would lay your hand on that lamb representing the transfer of your sin and your guilt to that victim. and then the priest would kill it, would make the payment, if you will.

And the priest was the one appointed to do that. You didn't do it, the priest did. He sacrificed that lamb on your behalf. And on that Day of Atonement, the high priest would sacrifice the goat for the whole nation. He was appointed to offer to God that service. And so by doing that duty that he was appointed to do, he would reconcile God to these people.

Once again, the holiness of God is so bright, is so magnificent, that he cannot look upon sin without wrath. There must be payment. So the high priest was appointed to do that. The priests were appointed to make those other sacrifices. the priest was appointed to perform the function of intercession. That is, he intercedes or prays for the people of God.

This is not merely like one man praying for another. This is more like one man praying for all the people, representing them before God, and asking him to accept the sacrifice that he had made for them. On the basis of the sacrifice and on the authority of his office, he could expect that God would answer yes to that prayer. And so the priest was a man appointed by God to mediate, sacrifice, and to intercede.

Now, note, God has appointed Jesus as that priest for you. Beginning in verse 5, So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by God, who said to him, You are my son, today I have begotten you, Psalm 2, as he says also in another place, you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. One of the Psalms, Psalm 110, I believe.

In the days of his flesh Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his reverence although he was his son he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek God has appointed Jesus as priest for you now there's one word in there that may cause a little bit of a question where it says that he learned obedience verse 9 and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation you may say I thought Jesus was already perfect how did he attain perfection wasn't he perfect already whenever you see that word perfect in the book of Hebrews realize this is a technical term it's a technical term that means fitted for the office fitted is actually it was a very precise term that meant fitted for the office of priest Okay, that's the definition of that word. It's not about moral perfection. It's about office perfection.

It's about to be fit for the office. Okay, he was perfected in the sense that he was fit to be a priest. He met the requirements to be a priest. We oftentimes look at people and say he's not fit for office. He doesn't have the qualifications for the office. This means that he was qualified.

So Jesus is qualified. And because he's qualified to be a priest, we have eternal life for all who look to him. He was appointed and placed in office like every other priest before him. So the first thing we need to see then is that God has appointed Jesus as priest for his people, as your priest. He has been appointed to that office. He has not taken it on his own, but God appointed him to that very thing.

God, in his holiness, knowing we needed a priest, appointed this one to be our priest. Well, how is Jesus your priest? Well, first of all, he performs the appointed function of mediation. He draws near to God on our behalf. He's the one who draws near to God on our behalf. You see that then in Hebrews chapter 10.

Turn over to Hebrews 10. verses 19 through 22 therefore brothers since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh And since we have a great priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Because of sin, we do not have liberty of access to God. They did not and we do not.

But now because Jesus has drawn near, we have complete freedom to approach God. Notice what he says, because Jesus, this priest, has gone through, has entered the holy places by his blood. What does he say? Let us then draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith. We have confidence to go into that holy place. We have confidence to approach God.

I think sometimes we don't understand the privilege that comes with that. God is so holy, he cannot stand our presence. Not because he's this petty God who says, oh, just please, I don't like you. It's because he has a moral revulsion, a righteous revulsion to all that is evil. And we are evil. And yet we are given access to this holy God.

We have complete freedom as he describes her with full assurance of faith. Let us draw near because of what Jesus has done. Complete freedom before the Holy One. Do you realize the fact that you've sung hymns to God today? it's only possible because of what Jesus did you're singing hymns with full assurance of faith knowing that God hears you Keaton read this a little earlier therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens Jesus the son of God let us hold firmly to the faith we profess let us then approach the throne of grace note the word with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need he has fulfilled the priesthood he has filled to the full the priesthood i love the the imagery that you find in chapter 10 a little bit earlier in this chapter verses 11 through 14 look at that carefully now watch what he says and every priest stands down daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sin.

Now, the writer of the Hebrews is writing when that temple is still standing in Jerusalem, and the sacrifices are still going on. And he says, okay, if you visit the temple, here's what you're going to see. Go to the temple and watch, and you will see that every priest who's serving there stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never ultimately take away sin.

They're consistently doing it. Day after day after day, you walk in, he's standing there, he offers, he turns, he takes the sacrifice of another one, they go through the ritual, he turns, he goes and gets another worshiper, and so it goes. So it goes. Continual movement. Continual offering. But, when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

Don't miss the imagery there. He's doing this on purpose. He sat down at the right hand of God waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet for by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. So here's the priest. Every day he stands and he takes the worshiper to the altar they go through the ritual he sacrifices they do what they do to the the sacrifice then he goes again to another worshiper and he he's constantly on the move but this priest when he offered his sacrifice sat down why there's no more to be had there's no more sacrifice to be done it's all done now he can sit down you see he doesn't have to go to the worshipers because all of his people have been covered by his sacrifice he sat down he has filled to the full all there's nothing more to be done there's nothing more to be done he's full he's filled to the full everything that a priest is intended to do he not only performs the function of mediation he performs the appointed function of sacrifice that is he's appointed to offer sacrifices for the sins of god's people once more what do we see here in hebrews chapter 10 what do we see we see this for one single sacrifice there no more sacrifice to be made None And we have been perfected for all those who are being sanctified I love that.

I love that. By the way, this is a different word than the other word used for the priest. We are perfected. We are set aside as holy. And we're being made holy. All by that sacrifice. he offered the perfect sacrifice, which is what?

Himself. He offered himself. He is not only the priest, he is the sacrifice. And as you look at chapter 9, just turn back a few pages, chapter 9, but when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living god it is perfect for by it he fully finished and suffered all things that god required for the salvation of his people he has fulfilled he has filled up to the full everything required of a priest and by that sacrifice listen he's cleansed our consciousness so now we can serve god what does he mean by that You have a conscience that accuses you and says, don't even think about serving God. You're worthless. But instead, I can say to my conscience, there is a sacrifice made for my sin.

I can serve God because he looks at me differently. He sees me as forgiven. He sees me as guiltless. I can. not just mediation not just sacrifice but he performs the appointed function of intercession he prays for he pleads the cause of God people chapter 7 Just turn back to Chapter 7 By the way, if you haven't got the hint yet, this is the book that talks about it all.

This priestly stuff, this is it. If this is all kind of new to you, I challenge you, I encourage you, I say to you, sit down this afternoon or sometime during your break and just read the book of Hebrews. lays all this out in such marvelous ways chapter 7 verses 23 through 25 the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office but he that is christ holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever he doesn't die no one has to take his place consequently he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them he makes intercession what confidence did the people of the old testament have that when the priests went in to pray for their forgiveness God would answer well they knew it because he was appointed to that task and because of the offered sacrifice but guess what he died someone else had to take his place not so with us we have greater confidence because our high priest has offered the perfect sacrifice and he stands before god and points to that sacrifice on our behalf forgive them he says and god freely does he has filled up all that the priesthood stands for no need for any more human priests. We have the final one.

Now I'm going to be careful here, but I believe I must speak the truth. Any religion that urges upon its people a cast of priests to intercede for them dishonors Christ. If a religion says, you must have a priest, a human priest, not the God-man priest, but a human priest to intercede for you or God will not accept your petitions. It dishonors Christ.

No matter what its profession it dishonors Christ To suppose that we still need priestly intervention of men is to assume is to say that Christ work is a failure that it does not accomplish much Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed. And that is not what the Bible says. Jesus has accomplished one sacrifice once for all for the people of God. no more human priests to intercede for us God hears us and accepts us because of what Jesus has done now Jesus goes one step further and here's another reason why we don't need a cast of priests Jesus goes one step further he not only mediates he not only sacrifice he not only intercedes but he has been appointed to the function of constituting his own people as priests.

1 Peter. Let's turn to 1 Peter. Very familiar passage. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verses 4 and 5. As you come to him, that's Christ, a living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ so what does Jesus do Jesus constitutes his people as priests we now offer our own sacrifices spiritual sacrifices to be sure but sacrifices nonetheless verse 9 but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light as priests we offer spiritual sacrifices and again in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13 here's what we are told through Jesus through Jesus therefore let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name, and do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

And so we offer sacrifices. They're not sacrifices that atone to Only Jesus' sacrifice does that. But they are the sacrifices of thanksgiving. They are thank offerings, if you will, if we want to use an Old Testament picture. They are thank offerings. And we offer these sacrifices to God.

When you do good things to your neighbor, that is a sacrifice to God. When you sing, whether it's here or by yourself, you know, you're singing in the car to a hymn that you like, and you're singing to God, he accepts it. He accepts the praise from your lips. He accepts them. Why? Because they come to him through Christ.

We are priests in the sense that we have liberty of access to God and we offer to him all that we are and all that we do through Jesus. So then Jesus is our priest as he mediates, sacrifices, intercedes, and constitutes. All those things are his as our priest. Now why do you need a priest? Here's what our confession says. Because of our estrangement from God, I love this phrase, and the imperfection of our services, at best, we need his priestly office to reconcile us to God and render us acceptable to him. we were sinners estranged from god and needing to be reconciled we were separated from god we needed reconciliation we could not have access to god except through another but now we have direct access to god we are at liberty to walk into the presence of god because jesus as he mediates sacrifice and intercedes brings us together okay brings us together so that we have liberty of access to God now.

I can freely go to God. You know, we are so used to that, that we forget the price that was paid. The only reason why you can pray, the only reason that God hears your prayers is because Jesus gave His life to open the way for you. I remember Jerry Marcellino preaching here many years ago Jerry one of the founding fathers of FIRE the Fellowship of Churches that we in but Jerry Jerry remember it is stuck in my mind he was preaching from the Psalms and he stood in this pulpit and he said it's not such a wonderful thing that God answers our prayers.

It's a marvelous thing that even hears our prayers. you don't have a right to talk to God unless you have a priest who's opened the way and he has and so we have liberty to enter with full assurance of faith to come before the throne of God with confidence how often do you say to yourself I can't pray right now I've done it again I have sinned I cannot pray how can I go into God's presence and he says in Hebrews chapter 4 approach the throne of grace with confidence please note throne of grace for his people a throne of grace it is as if Jesus is sitting on that throne leaning forward with his arms open to you and says come with confidence I know you've blown it again but this is the place where you find mercy. Don't try to find mercy by wallowing in your sin and showing God just how sorry you are and you're going to think about your sin and you're going to say, oh, I'm so terrible. He knows all that.

But what does the sacrifice do? It makes you acceptable to God. And it's not anything you do. It's not the depth of your sorrow that's going to make you right with God. It is the depth of the sacrifice of Jesus that does that And so when you are saying again, oh God, I've done it again, you go straight into His presence and you confess it, knowing that a sacrifice has been made that covers it.

That is the glory of the cross and the glory of our Savior. We are estranged from God. And notice, and the imperfection of our services at best, we not only need His priestly office to reconcile us, but to render us acceptable to him even as believers even as believers we fight against the corruption of sin i don't know about you but i was taught i was taught this god accepts god accepts what you do when you do it with pure motives It doesn matter whether anything happens but as long as your motives are pure right Folks, are our motives ever pure?

Our services, the imperfection of our services at their best, we're still imperfect. Listen, can I tell you something? You don't know what goes through the mind of a preacher when he's preaching. You don't know. And I want to say, I get up and preach with pure motives, and I pray, I pray, God, please use me. Don't let me get in the way.

Please use me. I want your people to be fed. Oh, God, use me to accomplish something with your people. And you step into the pulpit, and you're preaching, and suddenly the thought introduces, boy, I wonder if they caught that turn of the phrase. Wasn't that good? Now, if God was to accept our service by the measure of purity, folks, 33 years of preaching?

Would five be too much maybe with pure motives? I don't know. It's like John Bunyan. it's like John Bunyan who's you know in England in those old churches those pulpits are about as high as those lights right and so Bunyan's preaching and he's coming down the stairway after he's done preaching and as he comes down to the bottom of the stairs a woman says to him oh pastor Bunyan that was such a good sermon and he said I know Satan whispered that in my ear as I is coming down the stairs.

You see, it's not the purity of our motives that make anything we do acceptable to God. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that cleanses us so that even though we're fighting the corruption of sin and our motives are hardly ever pure, God accepts our service because of Jesus. And so when we come here on Sunday, right, He's going to accept our worship not because we're so good, but because Jesus has rendered it acceptable to him.

He renders us and he renders our works our prayers our praise acceptable to God And so you can sing a hymn with confidence because it is made acceptable by the sacrifice of Jesus. It is through Jesus that we offer sacrifices that are pleasing to God through Him. We do have a priest who serves this congregation. His name is Jesus. and He has offered the sacrifice that reconciles us to God and renders us acceptable in all that we do, acceptable in God's eyes.

We are here and we can worship because of what Jesus has done. And as we come to this table, I would encourage you to think that way, to think about that. I would encourage you to think and to remember and to recall and to rejoice in the fact that this priest, your priest, who's been appointed by God for you, for this congregation, has made everything that we do acceptable and has reconciled God to us that we might worship him with confidence and that we can come to this table with confidence.

Let's pray. Father, once more we are awed by the magnificence of the sacrifice of Jesus. We thank you that you appointed him our priest. We thank you that you have made him, given him the place that only he could occupy in filling to the full all that the priesthood intended. would you help us to look to him with confidence would you help us to rejoice with the freedom that we have in your presence oh god what a privilege it is to sing to you from hearts that rejoice because of what jesus has done what what joy we have that we are free to pray to you we are free to serve others and offer that to you because all that Jesus has done makes us and what we do acceptable thank you in Jesus name Amen