Morning: We continued the series Jesus Our Great High Priest. The sermon was entitled, "The Nature of His Priesthood," and came from Hebrews 7:1-8:13. The main point of the passage is that we have a priest who has sat down an the right hand of the throne of Majesty in heavy. That is to say, Jesus has completed his work and upholds us before the Father. The sermon sought to answer three questions: What does it mean that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek? Why was another priesthood necessary? and How was Jesus' ministry different from the Levitical priesthood?
What does it mean that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek? It means that Melchizedek foreshadowed Christ and that we can draw parallels out of his life that help us to understand Jesus' priesthood. First, he was a king. More specifically, he was the king of righteousness and the king of peace (Salem). Likewise, Jesus is a king who reigns in righteousness and is referred to by Isaiah as the Prince of Peace. Second, the are both priests of the God Most High. Jesus is even called the Son of the Most High. Third, Melchizedek's story possesses no genealogy. He appears in Genesis 14, seemingly out of nowhere (chronologically), and blesses Abraham. The fact that there is no reference to his beginning or end, is used by the author of Hebrews to stress Jesus' own timelessness. Before he was the man Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, existed eternally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Forth, Jesus is greater than Abraham, as he states in John 8. As the author of Hebrews states the greater blesses the lesser.
Why was another priesthood necessary? Because the old one was flawed. It demanded a righteousness that it could not produce. Unlike the old one, the new priesthood came sealed with an oath that guaranteed success. The old order of priests died, and thus had to be replaced. Our resurrected Lord cannot die. The old order of priests sinned, and therefore had to offer sacrifices for their sins before they could offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Jesus had no sin--in fact, that author states that Jesus is , "one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above he heavens" (Heb. 7:26). Thus, he could offer one sacrifice once for all. Therefore, his work is finished.
How was Jesus' ministry different from the Levitical priesthood? It was superior. While it was still a ministry that offered gifts and sacrifices it offered them in a better place and was built on better promises. The sacrifice was offered in heaven on the original altar of God, not a copy like the earthly tabernacle and temple. Jesus was at the right hand, the place of honor. It was the right hand of the throne of Majesty, that is God's throne, and he was seated which indicates the completion of his task. The location of his service placed him above his earthy counterparts. Also, his ministry was founded on better promises. It was not man who found the Old Covenant to be useless, and thus, required God to come up with a new one. No, it was God who saw the flaw (man was unable to keep the covenant; there was no flaw in the covenant itself), and promised a new one. In the New Covenant, God would place the ability to keep the law within man, through his indwelling presence. The Lord expresses this truth by saying he will write his law on their hearts and minds. In the New Covenant sins are forgiven and remembered no more, because Christ, our great High Priest, has offered himself in payment for our sins and has cleansed us in the sight of God. Our crucified and resurrected Savior has secured our way to God.
Evening: We had a good time watching "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." This VeggieTales movie is a modern parable that reminds children and adults that God will enable us to do what he has called us to do; we need to only trust and obey.
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