Overcoming Apostasy: Our Great High Priest, Hebrews 7-9

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Overcoming Apostasy: Our Great High Priest

Hebrews 7-9

Introduction: If you have followed these lessons, you would know by now that the preacher of the Hebrew letter has five strong warning sections concerning falling away. That he gives these to longtime Christians and not new Christians, should stand as a strong message and need for all of us. We are never so strong that we can think ourselves impervious to developing an evil heart of unbelief. 

However, we also need to keep these warnings in context. The warnings are not given independently of a context of the danger of missing out on the wonderful things God has promised. I would suggest that one of our greatest challenges is to truly appreciate what God has done for us through Christ. But the challenge of appreciation primarily comes from the fact that we have lacked the knowledge of what he has done to motivate us to not slip back. We have been exploring that through Hebrews, and in this lesson we will add another amazing addition of what God has done to urge us to complete our journey.

Why doesn’t this text hold that much interest to us? The timelessness of scripture and therefore the importance of taking all scripture seriously should challenge us to ask why we struggle getting excited about this text?

We must remember that this letter is written to Jews who were quite knowledgeable about the details of the tabernacle and the tabernacle worship. And yet, the writer spends a great amount of inspiration paper to describe tabernacle worship before pointing us to Christ. Why? Even more important, we know the preacher is writing to urge these long time Christians to endure their trials and not fall away. What does this discussion of the tabernacle worship have to do with that?

1. We Have Such a High Priest (8:1)
   1. I will repeat what I said in a previous lesson: the preacher introduced Jesus as a fitting and faithful high priest in 2:17, and here he is five chapters later still pressing his point on the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus and will continue to do so into chapter 10. From what we read in 5:10-11, it has been quite evident that the Hebrew Christians have not understood or appreciated why Jesus’ priesthood would help them with their lack of endurance and their drift toward apostasy. That is what we must understand. 
   2. Therefore, we must highlight the beginning words of 8:1, “The point in what we are saying…” The word “point” in Greek means “the primary point or main point.” Therefore, the “high priesthood of Jesus” is the main point of the preacher’s message. Therefore, we must pay more careful attention to this and not be sluggish in our hearing.
   3. Further, the words, “…in what we are saying…” are words that signal the beginning of a conclusion concerning what he has been saying about Jesus as our high priest. Therefore, to get the full picture we must consider what he had been saying as well as what he says following that is bringing his point to a conclusion. Obviously, that is a lot of text, which is beyond what we can accomplish in one sermon. However, what we can do is see a thread, a thematic purpose that runs through the whole which will give us great encouragement.
2. What Makes Jesus “Such” a Great High Priest?
   1. In order to appreciate the “Main Point” (8:1), let’s give a brief survey of chapters 7-10:10 while highlighting the preacher’s principle points. 
   2. Chapter 7: As you may be aware, the preacher gives a lengthy discussion on Melchizedek’s priesthood and it superiority over the the priesthood that came through the Levites and the Law of Moses. In a figurative sense, Melchizedek had an endless priesthood because there is no record of his beginning of life or end of life. Therefore, he foreshadowed Jesus as a high priest who permanently lives to mediate and intercede for the people. Note the critical sections highlighting the significance of this:
      1. 7:11 “If perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood…” Ah, now we are seeing the first reason for a new priesthood. We as imperfect, could not obtain perfection without a priest like Melchizedek.
      2. 7:18-19 Notice further: “The former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness.” Wow! Those are strong words. But note even further: “for the law made nothing perfect.” 
      3. 7:20-21 Another difference: “Those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath.” Jesus was made a priest with an oath. You might say, “So what?” Again, we must not miss the point of “perfection.” Imperfect priests result in an inability to make the worshipers perfect. When God chose a Son and swore with an oath to make him a priest forever, he did so because the perfection of a Son would enable the perfection of the worshipers.
      4. 7:23, 27-28 “The law appoints men in their weakness as high priests…” Consider further the imperfection of Levitical priests. Imagine one of us being the high priest under the Law. Imagine Caiphas or Annas going into the temple on the Day of Atonement! Wow, I feel really confident with that guy interceding for me! 
      5. 7:28 “…but the word of the oath…appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” Now we have a better sense of 8:1-2, “we have such a high priest…” 
   3. Chapter 8, therefore, moves beyond the perfection of our high priest to where our high priest ministers. 
      1. He is not in an earthly tent that is nothing more than a “copy” of the true heavenly tabernacle. He is not in a “holy place” that is nothing more than a representation of what is real. 
      2. Instead, he is now a minister and mediator of a new, more excellent covenant with better promises that does not carry with it the fault of the Old. When we see the words, “finding fault with them…”, we realize the preacher is again highlighting that the first covenant with its Levitical priests could not make perfect the worshipers. This new covenant promised, “I will remember the sins no more.” 
   4. Chapter 9:
      1. 1-10 The primary point of this detailed description of the tabernacle was the inaccessibility of God. 
         1. The priests went in “regularly” (daily) performing ritual duties. They were able to come close, but never into his presence. And the people were not allowed to even come that close.
         2. The high priest entered the most holy only once a year, and then he even had to first offer for his own sins before offering for the people. I just imagine the trembling as he went behind the curtain!
      2. Strong messages are given:
         1. The high priest was as flawed as the people. His intercession was as imperfect as his life.
         2. The blood he took for himself and the people was animal blood.
         3. The high priest could only enter God’s presence once a year. The yearly repetition indicated a cumulation of the people’s sins. The moment the priest came back out of that most holy place, the sins of the people again began to mount up. This was a constant message to every person: something is amiss. This whole system keeps announcing an imperfection and a ‘not yet’ plan that hasn’t been revealed.
      3. The preacher brings his strong applications:
         1. 9:9 This Levitical, repetitious system “cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” Therefore, verse 8, “the way into the holy places is not yet opened.” It can’t be opened until the worshipers are made perfect!
         2. 9:14 Again, the emphasis on the offering of Christ without blemish, which will “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” 
         3. 9:23 The “copies” of the heavenly needed to be purified with these “rites” or “rituals,” but the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these. 
         4. 9:28 His final words of the chapter are so beautiful. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sins, “but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” 
   5. 10:1-10 concluding points by the preacher, which will set us up to see the supreme message.
      1. 10:1 Again an emphasis that “the same sacrifices continually offered every year” can’t “make perfect those who draw near.” 
      2. 10:3-4 Instead, of making the worshiper perfect, these repeated sacrifices have the opposite effect. They remind them of their sins! 
      3. 10:5-8 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, instead of offering sacrifices and offerings, which God did not desire,” he said, a body you have prepared for me. Nothing else could make us perfect; nothing else would satisfy. Therefore, the Lamb of God came “to do your will” — do what God really desired — the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all! 
3. The End Goal of “We Have Such a High Priest”
   1. Throughout the preacher’s message, there is one phrase we have not directly considered. It is the phrase, drawing near. The preacher mentions it repeatedly. Let’s notice.
   2. 4:14-16 It is our great high priest who has passes through the heavens, that gives us the confidence to draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.
   3. 7:18-19 The weakness and uselessness of the Law, which made nothing perfect, kept us from drawing near. In fact, in Numbers, the Levites camped around the tabernacle to guard it lest anyone come near and die. The Lord directed the making of the tabernacle so that he could dwell in their midst. But then exclaims, NOT TO CLOSE! You are unholy. You are not perfect. You are unclean. If you come near you will die! 
   4. 7:25 He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him.
   5. 10:1 The Law…can never by the same sacrifices…make perfect those who draw near.
   6. 10:19-22 Since we have confidence to enter the holy places…and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near. [this was introduced in 4:14-16 and now repeated in 10:19-22]. That is the message! We can now draw near! All those details of weariness under the Law was to show how no amount of earthly worship symbols and effort by man could bring him near to God. Unholy, unholy, unholy! But now, because “a body you have prepared for me,” “Behold, I have come to do your will. He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” 
   7. Look at it. We are holy. We are made perfect. We have no more consciousness of sins. We do not have to stand outside and tremble. We can boldly draw near. “Come in” the Lord has said. “Please, come in and draw near.”

Conclusion: 10:36 “you have need of endurance.” Yes, I do. Yes, you do. What else could be a greater message to give us endurance!

Berry Kercheville