'The Appearances Of Our High Priest'



"The Appearances Of Our High Priest"

Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:11-12, 24-28

INTRO. In Old Testament times, according to Mosaic Law, once a year on the day of atonement, each Jewish family would bring a sacrifice unto the Tabernacle to the high priest. The high priest would enter the veil into the Holy of Holies (only the high priest could enter into this part of the Tabernacle and only on this day alone), and standing at the altar, which was called the "mercy seat", the high priest would offer the sacrifice to GOD as an offering of atonement for the sins of the people.

The problem was that this was only temporary, because this had to be done each year for the sins to be forgiven. Hebrews 1O:1-2a says, "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not cease to be offered?…" The high priest had to make sacrifice for his sins first, and then for those of the people.

But according to our text Hebrews 9:11-12, "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say; not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." I want to title the message today, "The Appearances of Our High Priest." According to what we just read, Christ, Our High Priest, entered into the holy place once, and by doing so, obtained an eternal redemption for us!

I want us to see today 3 special appearances of our high priest, found in Hebrews 9:24-28. Each one of these appearances obtained, or will obtain in the future something special for us, His people!

OUR HIGH PRIEST:

(1) Appeared On Earth To Put Away Sin

Text: Hebrews 9:11-12, 26

A. HE TOOK OUR PLACE. In Hebrews 9:26 we read, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world: hath the appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Notice the words “to put away" they are translated from a single Greek word which means "to do away with". As Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death..” He took our place to die the death that sin’s punishment requires. Hebrews 2:9 says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

B. HE FULFILLED GOD’S PLAN (Hebrews 2:14-18; 1 John 3:5). Christ, according to God’s plan, came to pay our sin debt and reconcile us unto God. Oliver B. Greene in his commentary on the epistles of John writes: “Words could never express what was accomplished in the death of the Lamb of God on the cross. Had Christ stopped one step short of Calvary His mission on this earth would have been a total failure. The Holy Spirit declares that the climax and nature of His ministry was that ‘HE APPEARED TO PUT AWAY SIN BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF (Heb. 9:26)…Many and varied are the ideas in the minds of men as to why He came into this world. Even the liberals and modernists say a lot of nice things about Him. They declare that He was a great teacher, an extraordinary man who set a wonderful example as the founder of a great religion; but He was much, much more than all these things combined: “He was manifested” for the primary purpose of dealing with the sin-question. Before there was a world, before there was man, before there was SIN the sovereign God knew exactly what would happen and He made provision for man to be saved from sin…The precious blood of Christ Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb foreordained before the Creation, is God’s divine eraser, and when applied to the unbeliever’s heart, the blood forever erases our sins and God forgets that we have sinned” (Oliver B. Greene. The Epistles of John. pp. 34, 118-119).

(2) Appeared In Heaven To Plead Our Cause

Text: Hebrews 9:24—“For Christ is not entered into the holy places

made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but

into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God

for us.”

A. HE IS OUR ADVOCATE (1 John 2:1-2). The word advocate is translated from the Greek word "Parakletos" which means “One who speaks in our defense.”

ILLUS: Roy Cohn, a successful lawyer, chief counsel of a U.S. Senate

committee and law teacher, in an article entitled "Is Justice for

Everyone?" concluded, "Although we may have the finest legal

system in the world, justice is not equal for all - though it

should be." Cohn says the most serious problem is the lack of

competent attorneys available to the poor in criminal cases. He

quoted Chief Justice Warren Burger, who concluded that more

than 50 percent of courtroom lawyers were lacking in

competence and qualification. Fortunately, that's not the case

with God's justice. It's impartial and equal for everybody.

What's more, we can rest assured, "We have an advocate with

the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1). He is

qualified to plead our case.--Jack Gulledge, Ideas and

Illustrations for Inspirational Talks, (Nashville: Broadman

Press, 1986), 5

B. HE IS OUR INTERCESSOR (Hebrews 7:24-25). Listen to the words of Hebrews 7:25—“Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that cometh unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM.” He intercedes for us daily. Albert Barnes said, “He constantly presents the merits of his death as a reason why we should be saved” (Albert Barnes’ Notes On The Bible). Christ died for us once but He intercedes for us perpetually!

ILLUS: Steve Winger from Lubbock, Texas, writes about his last college

test a final in a logic class known for its difficult exams: To

help us on our test, the professor told us we could bring as

much information to the exam as we could fit on a piece of

notebook paper. Most students crammed as many facts as

possible on their 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. But one

student walked into class, put a piece of notebook paper on the

floor, and had an advanced logic student stand on the paper.

The advanced logic student told him everything he needed to

know. He was the only student to receive an "A." The ultimate

final exam will come when we stand before God and he asks,

"Why should I let you in?" On our own we cannot pass that

exam. Our creative attempts to earn eternal life fall far short.

But we have Someone who will stand in for us. -- Leadership,

Vol. 15, no. 4.

(3) Will Appear The Second Time To Receive His Own

Text: Hebrews 9:28—“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of

many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear

the second time without sin unto salvation.”

A. HE WILL COME TO REVEAL OUR LONGED FOR HOME (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

B. HE WILL COME TO REVEAL OUR LIVING HOPE (Titus 2:11-14).

CLOSING: Our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, appeared for the HOPE of

mankind. Without Him, WE HAVE NO HOPE! Matthew 20:28

says, “…The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to

minister, and to give HIS LIFE a RANSOM for many.” WHAT A

GREAT HIGH PRIEST WE HAVE!!

Lost friend, Christ wants to be your high priest. Will you accept

His sacrifice for you today?

Christian friend, Our high priest ever lives to make intercession for

us. But I ask you, "Are you living for Him? Hebrews 10:19-23

exhorts us, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the

holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he

hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near

with a TRUE HEART in FULL ASSURANCE of faith, having our

hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed

with pure water. Let us HOLD FAST THE PROFESSION OF OUR

FAITH without wavering; For he is FAITHFUL that promised."

Christian, are you doing that? Are you living for the ONE WHO

EVER LIVES FOR YOU?

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