Great High Priest (Part 2 of 2)

The New Testament writers referred to Jesus in a variety of ways. Each one tells us something different about the offices were the virtues of Christ today on Truth for Life.

Alastair Beck mentions a rich and wonderful title for Jesus that appears in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 we come this evening to the title of Christ as great high priest. When we looked in the first evening at Christ as our prophet. We said that he comes as profit to deal with our ignorance of God.

The work of the profit is essentially that of representing God to man. Now as we consider him as priest. He comes as priest to deal with our alienation from God and the work of the priest is essentially the reverse work. Rather, it is the representative of the people to God and those who are the initial readers of this letter were well familiar with all of the aspects to which the writer dilutes. It is perhaps the most Old Testament of all of the New Testament writings, and indeed it helps us better perhaps than any other New Testament book to get a grasp of all that is contained for us in the unfolding story of redemption as it is provided throughout the Old Testament record.

I just have five observations so maybe that's 50's, but first of all to notice that this high priest is both merciful and faithful. Secondly, Christ is our great high priest has done all that is necessary in relation to God and theologians talk about both the active and passive obedience of Christ in his active obedience he has fulfilled all righteousness you remember in his baptism.

When John the Baptist says I think we have this the wrong way around. Shouldn't I be being baptized by you and Matthew records that Jesus on that occasion said let it be so. Now, for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness. Christ in his active obedience did everything that the law required he was without sin and in his passive obedience. He then bore the penalty that our lawbreaking deserves God demand that the law would be kicked Christ kept God demand that a penalty would be paid for the sins of the lawbreakers.

Christ paid that penalty and in doing so, he bore that which was due to us. Verse 26 of chapter 9. Nor did he.

That is, Jesus entered heaven to offer himself again and again the way the high priest enters the most holy place every year with blood that is not his own reference to the day of atonement it as we have it in in Leviticus 16 and out from there the writer since Christ would've had to suffer many times since the creation of the world but now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself and this is a recurring theme already for is in these talks. The great exchange he became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him a righteousness that God requires. If ever we are to stand before him, a righteousness which God achieves in the once for all sacrifice of his son, a righteousness which God declares in the proclaiming of the gospel and a righteousness which God bestows on all those who believe the gospel. Jesus has done everything that is necessary in relationship to God.

Thirdly, he has done everything that is necessary in relationship to sin. While you might say what you've already said that having you, I suppose, in part, I have because in doing everything that was necessary in relationship to God. He was providing this atoning sacrifice for sin but it is important for us to point it out because the writer pointed out and you will notice that there in the 12 C contrasts what is been going on with the day after day priestly function, performing religious duties again and again he offers the same sacrifices. If you ever take a taxi from a large airport at least I think it invariably throughout the world. You will if you ever are only going a short distance to your hotel. Let's say less than 2 miles you will feel absolutely horrible. If you have any sense of empathy and you are tall for the taxi driver. If you don't understand it at first you will understand, as he finally pulls away and as he pulls away, you will realize that he had come to the front of the line of and interminably long line of taxis that have been sitting there since the early hours of the morning hoping and desperately praying that whenever they are number comes up. The person who is getting on board in Heathrow wants to go to Aberdeen only to discover that his fair wants to go a mile and 1/2 up the road to the Travelodge and then the poor soul must make his way back to the end of that line, I I I must confess I always pay substantially more. Even as a Scotsman, I cannot bear the thought of that poor soul, going back to the end to the end of that thing. And that's the sort of process again and again and round and round. That's the picture here, not of the taxi driver but of the priestly function. They went in they performed the religious duties having come the number has come up there at the front of the line. It's their turn they do it and then immediately they going to take her place at the end of the line. They never sit because their work is never finished. Again and again. The process continues round and round they go.

If I was able to make atonement for sin. All of that would have dealt with it and we would be finished and donethe writer, but since it never could. Since it could picture what Christ was to perform but could not perform what Christ procure, it must be that this great high priest would make sacrifice for sin in the giving of himself and the wonder of what is happened there in that is just unquantifiable and a source of great encouragement to those of us who know ourselves to have sinful hearts and to reflect sometimes on our lives before Christ that were full of all kinds of badness and nonsense and disreputable stuff, and the devil who is the accuser of the brethren comes to us routinely and tries to say and sometimes in the strangest times and out of the blue and sometimes in charge when our minds wander and he says you know aren't you the one who did such and such aren't you the one who said such and such.

You're here singing the songs you're here preaching these sermons argue the character that acted in such a bad and wrong way before and what he wants to do is to get is rummaging around in the dustbin of forgiven sin and the antidote to that is provided for us here that in Jesus as our great high priest. He has done all that is necessary in relationship to sin and hence the wonderful quote their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more because of who he is. He is able to do by his choice.

What we actually cannot do, namely deliberately forget we are those who can remember what we deliberately have tried to recall and who cannot forget what we have deliberately tried to set aside that's why we need a great high priest again this afternoon as we were talking about influences on our lives. A couple of the fellows said that Alec Madia had been an influence on their lives and all of us who have been the privilege wants to sit under his teaching of the Bible would concur with that for sure I was reflecting on the fact that in 1986 I had the privilege of being in Port Stewart and listening to him as he did a series on Hebrews and as I speak to you now.

His words come back to me and I remember when he got to this portion in the Bible. He said it is sort of wonderfully lilting Dublin cultured accent, which I want try and imitate.

There will be occasions when you will find yourself believe he said going back to Gordon saying God, you know, I'm just so pressed down by what happened in 1994 or whatever else it is, and God will say to you, please stop. I have no record of that total, have no record of that until because he puts our sins as far away as the East is from the last infinity great high priest. What a wonderful story for those whose lives are not only held in the fear of death by those whose lives are trapped within deep sense of guilt enter despite all of their attempts to find some kind of liberation stumble along through life in here we have the answer. Scotland produce all kinds of choruses in the postsecond world war era. I think everybody just started to sing the been singing through the water in the Singing and not all of them were great and some of them are embedded in my memory for good and not so good but I remember there was one that we were taught to sing and it went like this you ask me why I'm happy and I will tell you why, because my sins are gone and when I look at others who asked me where they are. I'll see my sins are gone there underneath the blood of the cross of Calvary as far away as darkness is from dawn in the sea of God's forgetfulness, that's good enough for me. I'll say my sins are in contemporary terms in one of Stewart tone and songs which begins with the line there is a whole he has a masterful lying in the middle of it when he writes in this way when life has plunged me in its deepest pit. I find the Savior. There, for he has entered into our humanity and into the depths of our predicament because he fulfills the purpose of great high priest. Fourthly, he has gone. All that is necessary in relationship to Satan. Verse 13 still in Hebrews 10 that he has unlike those other taxi drivers. He has completed the task and he has offered a sacrifice for sin once and for all.

Incidentally, that's all the furniture that you need in a church is not. You just need a table and approve it, approve it, on which you can have a Bible where God's word has been once and for all delivered to the saints, and a table on which you can celebrate communion where Christ's once and for all sacrifice for sins is remember he has made this once and for all sacrifice for sins, and as a result of God. He is simply waiting until his enemies are made his footstool until his enemies are made his footstool. There's no question that the devil is a defeated fall is the difference between is it DJ and vide as I read the history of the war in the declaration has been made, but it hasn't reached all the outlying outposts under various skirmishes still going on, but there's no question about victory that is already been declared or if you like them playing chess. You play with someone who's good. They look at you and they say is checkmate as Al-Anon is not checkmate.

I could move my you and are you and I move my night over there. I vision of a couple ponds around, and so on and then your friend will save you yes you can do anything you like.

It's checkmate you can make as many moves on the board as you choose, but you cannot alter the outcome know that is true in relationship to the evil one that Christ has a great high priest is done all that is necessary in relationship to Satan. So let us neither deny his evil influence nor become preoccupied with Bud Light is again look at the great spiritual battle in which we engage in light of the great high priest who'd of Jesus.

And incidentally, in accomplishing all of this Christ works in absolute cohesion and unity with the father. I want to pause for a moment and say that because I have watched from the other side of the pond and listened to the ongoing stories saga calling in question. The nature of Christ's vicarious substitutionary atonement, as if somehow or another Christ was an unwilling victim of the father or that Christ went to the cross in order to twist the arm of the father. You don't know what I'm talking about and that's okay you can just relax. But if you do then you will be aware of the helpfulness of these words by John Stott when we talk of the father's plan and the son sacrifice we should not of think of the father laying on the sun and ordeal he was unwilling to bear not of the sun extracting from the father is salvation he was unwilling to bestow.

It is true that the father gave the son. It is equally true that the son gave himself. We mustn't speak of God punishing Jesus or of Jesus persuading God the father. We must never make Christ the object of God's punishment or God. The object of Christ's persuasion for both the father and son are subjects not objects taking the initiative to gather to save sinners like quote from start is worth the price of this evening's CD. Fifthly, and finally, this Jesus who sat down because his work was complete, stood up again this Jesus who sat down because his work was finished is still at work. Hence the theologian speaking of the finished work of Christ is great high priest and the ongoing work of Christ is great high priest, and if you want your homework and you go home yet Roman you get Hebrews and you start in chapter 7 and in verse 23 and you read all the way through to the beginning of chapter 8 and after he has described what Christ is doing in his continuing office because Jesus lives forever.

He has a permanent priesthood right that he has a finished work in a permanent priesthood and then says the writer to the Hebrews. The point of what were saying is this is good when you come to some really, that is, especially in the Bible so good. I'm glad you're unexplained enough to just read chapter 7 I was having great difficulty. The point of overseeing is this. We do have such a high priest who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven and present tense serves in the sanctuary. The true tabernacle set up by the Lord and not by man. In other words he ever lives to make intercession for us. Behold them there. The risen lab are great and spotless righteousness. Behold him there as aware as he bears his hands before the father metaphorically in relationship to the sins of those whom he is redeemed and the father is aware looks to the sign says. And what about this Jesus does this mean is this is dreadful stuff is mentored to try and speak in these categorical terms but this is the way my mind works. The father says and what I what about the stuff and Jesus put his hands on like this in the father nods and says yes I said that's exactly is exactly right is not there being re-sacrificed is not there pleading, a work that is an ongoing work. He is there is the very embodiment is the very completion of the very fulfillment of that once and for all sacrifice that he has accomplished on behalf of sinners and in his ongoing ministry as great high priest, our names are graven on his hands and our names are written on his heart and I know that while in heaven he stands no one can bid me then stick because he stands as the one who had sat in completion now. I hope this is I help to you and what what their the implications to be well in terms of Hebrews 4, we should hold firmly to the faith we profess our right and then we should approach confidently the throne of grace.

Those those verbs in that progression I think is absolutely crucial. We will not be able to approach confidently unless we hold firmly so we hold firmly we approach confidently and we rest securely because Jesus is our great high priest you're listening to the weekend edition of Truth for Life message from Alastair Begg titled great high priest. Keep listening because were here.

A final teaching point from Alastair followed with prayer. But first, I will provide some context for the message you heard today. This is part of a series.

Alastair has done nine part series called to know Christ. If you missed any portion of the series. Feel free to download the entire collection. There is no cost for these nine audio files. You can also purchase these messages on CD at our cost without any markup@truthforlife.org/store search the title to know Christ as an alternative, you can listen through the truth for like mobile app, in fact, you can access the entire archival balusters teaching this way if you get to download the app from your app store. You'll find it when you search for truth for its entirely free to download and use here again is Alastair Begg.

The first question in the Heidelberg catechism. Is this what is your only comfort in life and death. The answer that I am not my own but belong body and soul in life and death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and he has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way that not I hair can fall from my head without the will of my father in heaven. In fact, all things must work together for my salvation because I belong to him. Christ by his Holy Spirit assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready. From now on to live for him. Father, thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, thank you that you came Holy Spirit on your teachers more about his lovely name for his sake for our good.

Amen. Today we celebrated Jesus as our great high priest next weekend will learn about his position as our divine king Bob Lapine hoping you can join us again as our study called to know Christ continues Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by truth for the Learning is for Living