Born to Bring Us Near

Christmas Glories of the Great High Priest

Bethlehem Baptist Church | Minneapolis

Have you ever asked why God did not send his Son, Jesus Christ — to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, to die in the place of sinners, to provide eternal life — two thousand years earlier?

When sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, and all of us humans ever since have been born sinful (not just sinning, but sinful by nature) and are bent from birth against God, not loving God, not trusting God, not obeying God, and preferring other things over God, and when sin entered the world, corrupted the world, and God punished the whole world through the flood and started over with Noah, and when even then it didn’t go well and sin filled the world, confirming the hopeless condition of the human race — why didn’t God send Jesus then?

Why didn’t he do that instead of choosing Abraham and the people of Israel, and for two thousand years giving them prophets who provided Scripture, priests who provided sacrifices for sins, and kings who provided stable government and protection from enemies? All of these failed to produce a humble, worshipful, obedient people for God’s glory. Why, God? Why such a long, drawn-out history of failure?

Part of the answer is this: God intended for us today in this room, in this church, in this city to understand, trust, treasure, adore, and obey Jesus Christ his Son as a superior prophet over all the history of prophets, a superior priest over all the history of priests, and a superior king over all the history of kings. And we may quibble in our arrogance that he didn’t need two thousand years to illustrate for us the inadequacy of prophets and priests and kings. We may say he could have prepared for his Son another way.

But let us put our hands on our mouths and humble ourselves and not presume to teach God how best to introduce the eternal, divine Son of the living God to this world. Do we really know better than God how to do such a thing? He knows what he is doing. This is how he has done it. And the plan for these advent messages is to let God be God and teach us the glorious superiority of Jesus as a better prophet, a better priest, and a better king.

Priest Who Lives Forever

Our focus in this message is on Christ as the priest who lives forever and saves to the uttermost. That is based on Hebrews 7:24–25, which says,

He holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 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.

If you grasp the eternal permanence of Christ and his priesthood, then you will grasp the eternal permanence of your salvation. So, let’s do two things: first, let’s focus on the superiority of Christ’s priesthood, which leads to its permanence; and second, let’s focus on our benefits from this priesthood, which leads to our eternal salvation.

Before we do that, here’s one quick clarification of what a priest is. It’s in Hebrews 5:1: “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.” That’s the essential job description of a priest. He keeps open the way between man and God by offering sacrifices for sins.

Now, how is Christ a superior priest over the Old Testament priests?

Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood

I’ll point you to six superiorities, all here in Hebrews. Then we will look at the benefits, though they will be obvious as we go along.

1. Indestructible Life

Christ’s priesthood is superior because it was based not on the legal requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi (the tribe appointed as priests, according to Deuteronomy 18:1) but by the power of an indestructible life.

Hebrews 7:16 says, “[He] has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.” Jesus was born in the tribe of Judah, not in the tribe of Levi. Hebrews 7:14 says, “It is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.” In fact, Judah was the kingly line, the line of David. So, why did the writer to the Hebrews make the connection between Jesus and the priesthood?

He did so because he saw in Psalm 110 that David made the connection between the Messiah and a new kind of kingly priest. Remember Psalm 110 begins with these famous words, which Jesus applied to himself in the Gospels: “The Lord [Yahweh] says to my Lord [David’s Lord, the coming Messiah]: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1). So David calls the coming Messiah his Lord and says that he will one day sit like a king at God’s right hand.

Then in Psalm 110:4, David says, “The Lord [Yahweh] has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You [David’s Lord and coming Messiah king] are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’” So, David looked at the history of Israel and the conditions of his own day and saw that the effect of the priesthood did not come anything close to God’s ultimate purpose for his people: sacrifice after sacrifice, sin after sin, failure after failure, year in and year out, one generation of priest giving away to another.

And God inspired David to prophesy that there was coming a different kind of priest, a Messiah-priest, a king-priest. And David knew the Scriptures. He knew Genesis 14:17–19, which says,

After [Abram’s] return from the defeat of . . . the kings . . . Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) [He’s a king and a priest.] And he blessed [Abram] and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.”

And David saw in Melchizedek a pointer to this unheard-of reality — namely, a king who was also a priest, and a priest who was also a king. And the writer to the Hebrews saw this connection. Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 are the only two places in the Old Testament where Melchizedek is mentioned. And he sees that David has prophesied that the Christ will be “a priest forever after the order [not of Levi but] of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). The writer to the Hebrews knew that Jesus was risen from the dead never to die again, and he sees in Melchizedek a pointer to the indestructible life of Christ in the fact that Melchizedek appears mysteriously, with no mention of parents and no mention of death, as a king and a priest (Hebrews 7:1–3). And he uses David’s language over and over five times (Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:3, 17, 21): “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” — forever! An indestructible life.

That’s his first superiority. He holds his priesthood because of an indestructible life.

2. Divine Oath

Christ’s priesthood is superior because it was established with a divine oath.

Hebrews 7:20–21 says, “Those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one [Christ] was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever.”’” God took that oath for us. God does not become more honest by taking an oath, but we wake up and listen and find more assurance because of it. He is the only priest whom God swore in by his own oath.

3. Sinless Priest

Christ’s priesthood is superior because he did not have to make sacrifices for his own sins, since he had none.

Hebrews 7:27 says, “He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.” He had no sin. Hebrews 7:26 says he was “separated from sinners.” Hebrews 4:16 says he was “tempted as we are, yet without sin.” He was superior in that he never had to sacrifice for his own sins.

4. Perfect Sacrifice

Therefore, Christ’s priesthood is superior because he sacrificed not goats and calves but himself, the perfect sacrifice.

“Oh, how firm and steady and sure and happy should we be as Christ’s people. Our souls are anchored — in heaven!”

Hebrews 9:12 says, “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.” This was crucial for us because Hebrews 10:4 says, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Only a sinless, divine king-priest will do. That means all those hundreds of thousands of sacrifices were ineffectual in themselves and were only effective as they pointed forward to Jesus. Christ was our superior priest because he offered himself.

5. Permanent Sacrifice

Christ’s priesthood is superior because the sacrifice he made is once for all and is never to be repeated.

It ends all atoning sacrifices. Hebrews 10:11–12:

Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

This is what Jesus meant when he said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The sacrifice was perfect, complete, finished, and never to be repeated. It’s valid for you forever.

6. Permanent Priest

Christ’s priesthood is superior because he will never die and so continues in office permanently — forever.

Hebrews 7:23–25 says,

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 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.

These are glorious realities. He cannot be prevented by death from serving. He holds his priesthood permanently. He continues forever. He always makes intercession for us. A priest who never dies, a salvation that never fails — he was and is a superior priest.

So, Christ is a superior priest today over all priests because

  1. he has an indestructible life;
  2. he was installed with a divine oath;
  3. he was perfectly sinless;
  4. his perfect sacrifice, therefore, was himself;
  5. it was once for all at the cross, never to be repeated; and
  6. its saving, interceding effect is forever.

Benefits of Christ’s Priesthood

That brings us now to the second thing I want to do — namely, focus our attention on the benefits we receive from this priesthood, which leads to our eternal salvation. I’ll mention five.

1. Propitiation for Our Offenses

Because Jesus is a superior priest, he has propitiated our sins.

Hebrews 2:17 says,

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Propitiation is an important word because it names an important reality. And the reality is that the sacrifice of animals could not repair the injury that our sins have done to the worth, beauty, and greatness of God. God’s infinitely valuable name and honor have been defamed, belittled, and dishonored thousands of times in your life and mine by how little we have loved him.

Only one sacrifice can repair such an offense against infinite worth — namely, an infinite sacrifice, the sinless Son of God. Propitiation is the reality that when he died everything that was needed to repair the injury to God’s glory was accomplished. His wrath was propitiated once for all, his justice was satisfied, and a complete and final payment was made for all who would draw near to God through him.

Propitiation is finished. It’s perfect. It will never be repeated. Never again will there be wrath toward those who draw near to God through Jesus.

2. Forgiveness of Our Sin

Because Jesus is a superior priest, he puts away all the sins of his people.

Hebrews 9:25, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” This is not the same as propitiation. This is based on propitiation. First, Christ pays the penalty for our sins, satisfies God’s justice, and removes his wrath. Then, because all accounts are settled, Christ takes away the burden of our sins.

Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Micah 7:18–19 says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? . . . You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea.” Isaiah 38:17 says, “You have cast all my sins behind your back.” You really can enjoy a clear and unburdened conscience.

3. Permanence of Our Salvation

Because Jesus is a superior priest, he provides an eternal salvation.

Hebrews 5:9 says, “Being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” Obedience is how we respond when Christ says, “Trust me. Treasure me above others. Draw near to God through me.” What else would we want to do with such a superior priest but obey such pleasant commands? And by that trust, we have eternal salvation.

Or Hebrews 7:24–25 says it another way: “He holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 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.” Our salvation is eternal not only because the sacrifice was perfect and once for all but also because Jesus lives forever. What he does forever is represent to the Father, in his wounds, that all is well. The debts are paid. And this goes on forever. Jesus will never cease to be our perfect advocate before the Father. And the Father will thus never cease to be our friend, our Father.

4. Anchor of Our Souls

Because Jesus is a superior priest, he is a steadfast anchor of the soul.

Because God is propitiated, our sins are taken away from us, and our salvation is eternal, Jesus brings profound steadiness into our lives. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” It’s a strange and glorious picture. The anchor is not sunk to the bottom of the ocean. The anchor is up into heaven through the holy place into the Holy of Holies and hooked over the altar of the covenant, where the blood of Jesus has been shed. Your life cannot be sunk in the tumults of this world.

Oh, how firm and steady and sure and happy should we be as Christ’s people. Our souls are anchored — in heaven!

5. Help for Our Weaknesses

Because Jesus is a superior priest, he deals gently and sympathetically with us, and he opens the way to come to God and receive from him everything we need to honor him and love people.

Hebrews 4:15–16 says,

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The upshot of all these benefits — God’s wrath being propitiated, our sins being buried in the depths of the sea, having an eternal salvation, and having an anchor for the soul — is that today, this very day, Jesus is alive with all authority over the earth. He is our advocate, our intercessor. He is sympathetic and gentle. He has opened the way for you and me to approach God’s throne confidently as a throne of grace.

And from there we receive all the help we need in every situation, even in our suffering, so that even there we can rejoice. We can be like those crazy, wonderful Christians in chapter 10: “You had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34). They were anchored in heaven because of the work of their superior priest.

So, preach to yourself: “I have a priest who lives forever and saves to the uttermost.”