Jesus, Our High Priest

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we are at Hebrews chapter five, verses one through four. We're going to be talking about what the high priest has to be, what they're doing. So some qualifications for high priests and it's going to get into how Jesus is that high priest for us. Let's have some coffee.
We'll pray and get into God's word. Let's pray. Lord, what a blessing it is to get to come to your word. Thank you for the joy of your salvation and the hope we have in you. Lord, we pray that your Holy Spirit would please teach us this morning. We pray that you would please help us to understand your word and that it would penetrate deeply into our hearts that we might know and listen, follow and live in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Hebrews chapter five, beginning at verse one.
Here we go. where every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weaknesses. Because of this, he is required, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sin. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was." So we need to ask ourselves our three questions. A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do? A, what is this about?
So Who's the high priest? What is a high priest? Remember, this is what we just introduced yesterday, or last time we met, in Hebrews 4, that seeing then that we have a great high priest, Jesus, the Son of God. Well, what is a high priest? How does someone become a high priest? How is Jesus a high priest? All sorts of questions that the author of Hebrews is going to get at here.
So, first, every high priest is taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God. Did you catch it? A high priest must be from among men, is appointed for men in the things pertaining to God. From men, of men, to God, has to truly be one of the people, right?
First qualification. All right, so they are one of the people. Second is that the high priest is in a role not of lording over and being harsh, but notice it's a compassionate role. that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weaknesses. This sympathetic, compassionate man.
Now, I am interested. Hold on. Give me one second. This is going to be a little bit of a. This just came to my mind. I'm just honestly curious about this. I'm going to reach over here and grab my Greek New Testament. Give me one second. So if I go to the book of Hebrews in my Greek here. Okay, Peter. All right, Jude. Yeah, I'm trying to find Hebrews here. Sorry, this Greek New Testament puts the order differently. Here we go, Hebrews chapter five. And here's the question I have.
So in Hebrews chapter five, Okay, so Hebrews chapter 5 when it talks about this priesthood, it says that he can have compassion on those who are ignorant. My question was mithri opathin, with them suffering, with them passioning, he is able to the ignorant and to those who are being deceived or something like that.
Yeah, so he's So we get our word sympathy, but this would be with passion, right? Sympathy, right? Path is the kind of the root understanding here. And this is metriopathin, so able to suffer alongside or suffer next to something like that. That's what this high priest Jesus is like. This is what all high priests were to be, that they were to be those who have some sense of sympathy. It would come alongside and suffer along with the people. Oh, for what? Right. Well, because they could be ignorant and going astray.
Now this is different than a high priest who's making sacrifices and gifts or sins that would be willful or brazenly disobedient, right? But this is for common failings and not for open defiance. It's a difference between somebody saying, well, Jesus made sacrifice for me, so I'm going to sin all I want. No, that's not what this is talking about, right?
And you know what this is like when the common things that tangle us up and fail us That's what that high priest was offering gifts for those types of sins because of our weakness. But it's also he suffers as well because he's from them, amongst them, pertaining to God. And so a high priest has to be able to suffer with the people, understand their weaknesses because he himself is of their weaknesses.
But then last, the third qualification, this is a divine calling by God. It's not a self-appointed office. Because of this he is required as for the people also for himself to offer sacrifices for sin. And no man takes this honor on himself, verse four, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. This is not a self-appointed office, but a high priest has to be one who is of the people, sympathetic with the people, and is called by God himself. So three qualifications in general for the high priest.
That's kind of what this section is about. What's the best verse to summarize this? Well, I'm gonna have a hard time with this, but probably the purpose of that I would underline, so the last part of verse one, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices or sins, he can't himself have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray since he himself also is subject to weakness. That's what I would underline as the best verse that gets at this. Maybe you would do something else, that's fine.
Last see calling, what are we called to do? notice you're not called to put away your own sins by sacrificing gifts. You offer up your body now as a living sacrifice. You offer up the praise of sacrifice, right? The sacrifice of the lips of praise, but not in a way that is propitiatory, not in a way that's taking away of your sin, but it's the thank offering we give unto God because we look to Jesus, our high priest, who but compassion on us.
And so he suffered upon that cross and he died for us who believe in him. And so I encourage you to not sin brazenly, defiantly, and openly, but to look to Jesus Christ and to see one who is tempted in every way as we are yet without sin, chapter four, verse seven, that we rest in him. and that we know that our great high priest has entered into his rest and that he was called by God to this work.
He truly was one of us. And he's made the perfect sacrifice. And he is our high priest. So trust in him. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much that you have given us forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus. And it is in Jesus that we have hope. So thank you, Lord, for appointing Jesus as our high priest. Thank you for the joy of our salvation. Please let us live it out. Lord, let us hate sin and let us love you. In Jesus' name, amen. May the Lord bless you. May you go with the Lord in grace and peace. I'll see you next time. Bye.