This week's message (From Sunday 18th of May) is available as a PODCAST (in MP3 format)

The ‘Not so high’ Priest

Scripture:  Hebrews 4:11-16 

"Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. {12} For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. {13} And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. {14} Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. {15} For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. {16} Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

·  How many people here remembered to bring your one year old lamb to church tonight?

·  Did anyone bring a goat?

·  How about two pigeons?

·  A bag of grain?  A handful of incense? 

·  Did no-one bring something to sacrifice? 

·  Of course you didn’t because we don’t live under the Old Covenant – and we weren’t coming to the Temple. 

·  Church for us is all about worship, prayer, celebration, learning from the Word, fellowship and reinforcing the truths that we have come to know.

·  We live under a better system!  The “New Covenant”.

·  Made possible by the person and work of Christ.  

·  In order to fully understand the work Christ has done and the role He now holds you have to look back into the Old Testament.  In ancient Israel, priests acted as mediators between God and people. They ministered according to God's instruction and they offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people.

·  Once a year, the High Priest would enter the holiest part of the temple and offer a sacrifice for the sins of all the people, including all the priests.

·  This High Priest was chosen by God and set apart for the task.  The job was for life and the High Priest passed the role onto one of His sons. 

·  Under the Old Covenant every person had to make sacrifice for their own sins.  They presented themselves and their sacrifice to the Priest, who judged, prepared and presented the sacrifice to the Lord on their behalf.  The role of the High Priest was to oversee this process and to ensure that everything was done in right order.

·  The problem with the system was that the High Priest was not perfect and needed to atone for his own sins just as much as for the people.  So the system had to be repeated continually – always an offering for sin because of the limitation of the High Priest.

Jesus our High Priest

Hebrews 4:14

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. {15} For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

·  Great High Priest

·  Passed through the Heavens. 

·  He was in heaven…He came to earth…Dies on the Cross…placed in the Tomb…Descends into Hell…preaches to the captives…leads captivity captive…enters back into Heaven with a bowl full of His own blood which He presents as High Priest for the sins of all people.  And because He is without sin and because He never dies the effectiveness of the offering is complete and it never needs to be made again!  That is why He is called…

Hebrews 5:6 

"As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek";"

·  So we have a great, eternal and effective High Priest but there is a role for you and I to fill…

The “Not so High” Priest

1 Peter 2:5 

"you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 2:9 

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"

Revelation 1:5-6 

"…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, {6} and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

·  Although many religions use priests, Protestantism rejects the idea of a priesthood as a group that is spiritually distinct from lay people. They typically employ professional clergy who perform many of the same functions as priests such as teaching doctrine, administering communion, performing baptisms, marriages, etc. Protestants see professional clergy as servants acting on behalf of the local believers.

·  There is only one mediator between us and God the Father, and that is God the Son, Jesus Christ our  "high priest,"

·  We have been given direct access to God, through Christ and therefore the priesthood of all believers. Is a reality. 

·  God is equally accessible to all the faithful, and every Christian has equal potential to minister for God.

·  So you and I can be called “The Not So High Priest”!

·  As the “not so High Priest”, there are roles to fulfil.

Prepares the Sacrifice

Exodus 12:5 

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats."

Leviticus 3:2 

"'And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar."

·  The Sacrifice we offer must be worthy and the sacrifice needs to be dead.  The only things we have to offer as a priest is…us

Romans 12:1 

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

Galatians 2:20 

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

1 Corinthians 15:31 

"I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily."

Presents the Sacrifice

·  One of the major issues in the Temple was that the priests failed to fulfil the task at hand.  Sometimes through slackness but often through deceit.

·  They would steal what was offered and fail to give to God what was rightfully His.

1 Samuel 2:12-17 

"Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. {13} And the priests' custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. {14} Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. {15} Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw." {16} And if the man said to him, "They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires," he would then answer him, "No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force." {17} Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD."

·  We need to be priests who present all that is available

·  Nothing should be held back.

·  Nothing should be done by deceit.

Ministers the will and Judgements of the High Priest

·  The High Priest set the tone of the dealings in the Temple.   People came to the temple burdened with sin, shame and sickness…They left forgiven, unburdened and healed or pronounced clean.

·  We have the role of ministering the will and judgements of the High Priest. 

·  Once the sacrifice is prepared – Holy

·  Once the sacrifice is presented – Fully

·  What would the High Priest say to you?

·  What would He say to Brendan?  Andrea?  Joe?

·        “Receive forgiveness and light!”

·        “Live free of Condemnation and burden!”

·        “Share my hope with others”!

·        “Be diligent to enter your rest!”

{16} “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”

·  A good (not so high) priest will do as the High Priest says and minister what the High Priest Ministers.  To ourselves and then to others!

Builds and Maintains the Temple

·  The Priests were also builders.  Many roles required that the priests would maintain, repair and extend the Temple or Tabernacle.

·  The role for us is to recognise what the Temple of the Lord really is.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? {17} If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."

·  Physical Aspects…

·  Spiritual Aspects…

Ephesians 4:12 

"for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"

·  We are called to build one another up – individually and corporately.  Don’t just build you – build the person next to you.

·  Jesus said “I will build my Church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it”. 

·  If we had the same passion for the Church the Lord has placed us in …what could we achieve?

·          We have a great High Priest

·          But we are also Priests

·          We have work to do…

·          Prepare the Sacrifice

·          Present the Sacrifice

·          Minister the will and Judgements of the High Priest

·          Build and Maintains the Temple