In continuing our Advent series and looking at
the prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament
and seeing their fulfillment in the New, we come
today to the prophecies of Jesus as a priest,
a priest. Our text is first of all from Psalm
110, and then we're going to turn over to Hebrews
9, verses 11 through 28. Hear the word of the
Lord from Psalm 110. The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies
your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of
your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst
of your enemies. Your people shall be volunteers
in the day of your power. In the beauties of
holiness. From the womb of the morning you have
the dew of your youth. The Lord has sworn and
will not relent. You are a priest forever. according
to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at your
right hand. He shall execute kings in the day
of his wrath. He shall judge among the nations.
He shall fill the places with dead bodies. He
shall execute the heads of many countries. He
shall drink of the brook by the wayside. Therefore,
he shall lift up the head. Now turn over to the
book of Hebrews. Chapter 9, verse 11. But Christ
came as high priest of the good things to come.
With the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Not with the blood of bulls and calves, but with
his own blood, he entered the most holy place
once for all. Having obtained eternal redemption.
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes
of a heifer. Sprinkling the unclean sanctifies
for the purifying of the flesh. How much more
shall the blood of Christ. Who through the eternal
spirit offered himself without spot to God. Cleanse
your conscience from dead works. to serve the
living God. And for this reason, he is the mediator
of the new covenant by means of death for the
redemption of the transgressions under the first
covenant, that those who are called may receive
the promise of the internal inheritance. For
where there is a testament, there must also of
necessity be the death of the testator. For a
testament is in force after men are dead, since
it has no power at all while the testator lives.
Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated
without blood. For when Moses had spoken every
precept to all the people according to the law,
he took the blood of calves and goats. with water,
scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both
the book itself and all the people, saying, This
is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded
you. Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both
the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
And according to the law, almost all things are
purified with blood, and without shedding of
blood there is no remission. Therefore it was
necessary that the copies Of the things in the
heavens should be purified with these. But the
heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these. For Christ has not entered the holy
places made with hands. Which are copies of the
true. But into heaven itself. Now to appear in
the presence of God for us. Not that he should
offer himself often. As the high priest enters
the most holy place every year with blood of
another. He would then have had to suffer more
often since the foundation of the world. But
now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but
after this the judgment, so Christ was offered
once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly
wait for him, he will appear a second time apart
from sin. For salvation. Let's ask God's blessing
again. In this time. Father there is so much
richness. In this word and today. We can only
just scratch at a portion of it. We can only
just see a little bit. But Lord this is truly
amazing. And wondrous. That Jesus Christ came.
He was the new priest. The better priest. And
he offered a perfect sacrifice. That is his own.
Sinless life. We pray that today as we study
this understanding, we pray, Lord, that you would
open up our hearts and minds, that you would
give us words to hear, words that understand,
Lord. And I pray that you would ignite within
us a passion of service to you and of worship
for our high priest. We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen. As we look at some of the prophecies in
the Old Testament about this coming Messiah who
would be a priest, we understand that this would
be a kingly priest. He would build the temple
of the Lord, as Zechariah tells us in chapter
6, which we'll read in a moment, and he would
bring reconciliation between God and man. To
understand the significance of this, we first
need to know why priests were needed. Why did
God command that there would be priests? What
was their function? And how was their office
necessary in order to worship God rightly? A
priest is an appointed mediator who stands between
God and man. He is one who brings peace and reconciliation
between two who have been separated. and sinful
mankind. Brother Ty taught us this morning about
the holiness of God. And so we see him in his
holiness, but we understand that without God,
without Christ and his atonement, we are not
holy. In our natural state, we are not holy.
And so how can we be brought together? Isaiah
59 verse 2 says, but your iniquities have separated
you from your God and your sins have hidden his
face from you so that he will not hear. A priest,
a mediator is necessary. in order to do two things.
One, to represent humanity before God in offering
sacrifices for sin, in bringing prayers and intercession
and worship on behalf of the people, and to bear
their names in the needs of the people before
God, as Aaron did in Exodus chapter 28, where
he had the names of the tribes on his shoulders
and over his heart. But then a priest is also
to represent God to mankind by declaring God's
blessing, God's forgiveness, and God's will to
the people by teaching God's law and by consecrating
and sanctifying both people but also things as
we just read in Hebrews 9. In the Old Testament,
two priestly lines are spoken about. First is
the order of Melchizedek. which we just read
in Genesis 14. And then there's the order of
Aaron and his successors. Now, Aaron was of the
tribe of Levi. Aaron was appointed to be high
priest, and then high priests all descended from
his line. Levites also served in the temple in
the worship of God, and they were the only ones
who were to do that. They were set apart for
this. So there's the order of Aaron and of the
Levites and the order of Melchizedek. Now Melchizedek
is a mysterious and an enigmatic figure. He appeared
to Abram before the laws the first time we hear
of him in the Bible. He appears to Abram before
the full institution of tabernacle and temple
worship at Mount Sinai with Aaron and the Levites.
This man was both a king of Salem, that is a
king of peace, and he was a priest. Of the most
high God. And he comes to Abram. After Abram
rescued his nephew Lot. By defeating these four
kings. Who had fought against Sodom. And captured
Lot. And Abram goes and he fights. And he gets
Lot back. He frees him. And then Melchizedek
meets him. He brings bread and wine to Abram.
He blesses him in God's name. And he receives
tithes of Abraham. Now this line of Aaron and
the Levites came over 400 years later after this
event. And this line, the prophetic and the priestly
gifts are explained in much greater detail in
the books of Exodus and Leviticus and also Numbers.
And out of that priestly line, one was chosen
then to serve as high priest. And it is he alone
who once a year would go into the Holy of Holies,
where the Ark of the Covenant was in the tabernacle
and then in the temple, and he would make atonement
for the people of God. He alone could do this.
So why then, if all of this was set up, why was
an eternal priest both promised and longed for?
Well, it's because the law appointed priests
who were themselves sinful men, and thus they
had weakness. The high priests of the Levitical
line had to offer up sacrifices for their own
sins first, and only then could they make sacrifices
for the people. This is explained in Hebrews
7, verse 26 to 28. Therefore, the sacrifices
had to be done over and over and over and over
for years upon years and generations and generation
and generation. They continued. The sacrifices
had to be done. The blood of bulls and goats
could not take away sin. The offerings were animals.
They were sacrificed by sinful men who could
only be a type of mediator. And they were not
a perfect and a pure mediator. The high priest
alone could go into the Holy of Holies once a
year to make atonement at the mercy seat. And
if he entered improperly, he would be struck
dead. If he offered, if he entered it improperly
and he did not bring a right offering. This is
in Leviticus 16 verse 2. Now, we who are on this
side of the cross, believers in Jesus and seeing
the perfect sacrifice. We so often do not fully
comprehend what all went into the worship of
God. The sacrifices for sin that needed to occur
before Christ. The many animals that would be
brought for the slaughter. If you read and understand
the temple more, it actually was structured in
some ways like a slaughterhouse with places for
the blood to run down and the continual smell
of the offerings going up. And of course, when
it was a whole burnt offering, it was not necessarily...
a good smell to us you know because of the skin
and everything so anyway all of those things
it was it was hard work this is why a levite
who helped with the offerings had to be 30 years
old and he had to quit when he was 50 he had
20 years of service in the really hard work of
all of this slaughtering. Then there was the
various washings. There were the robes and the
ceremonies, the precise order. Now, all of these
were instituted by God, but they pointed to Christ
who was yet to come. The priests carried all
of this out. But in the midst of this, during
the time from Abraham to Jesus, from Genesis
to Revelation, there were prophecies about a
coming priest who would be different from all
of the rest. And now we'll take a quick look
at a few of these. The first Old Testament prophecy
is that the Lord Adonai, the Messiah, was not
of the Levitical line, but it was of the order
of Melchizedek. And this we read in Psalm 110.
This is a prophecy of Christ. It's prophesied
by David, a Psalm of David. And it was that the
Lord had sworn, and there's two lords in the
English language, okay? But one is the Lord Jehovah,
and the other is the Lord Adonai. So speaking
of God the Father and God the Son in two persons
of the Trinity. So the Lord said to my Lord,
sit at my right hand till I make your enemies
your footstool. And then he goes on and again
says, the Lord, that is the Lord Jehovah, the
God the Father has sworn he will not relent that
the Lord Adonai, that is Jesus, you are a priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Now, why Melchizedek and not Aaron? Why not of
the order of Aaron? Well, first of all, Aaron
was of a different line and there was all sorts
of things associated with him. And there was
a priest who died and then the next ones came
after and the next ones. But Melchizedek instead
is a priestly king. He did not come from a line
of priests and there were no priests who descended
from him. This description is given to us in
the book of Hebrews chapter 7. For this Melchizedek,
king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who
met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the
kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave
a tenth part of all, first being translated king
of righteousness and then also king of Salem.
meaning king of peace, without father, without
mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning
of days nor end of life, but made like the Son
of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider
how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. Now I do
not have time today to go into all of the understanding
about Melchizedek. As I mentioned, he's somewhat
mysterious. I think what Hebrews is talking about
here without mother or father is simply that
we don't have his ancestry and we don't have
record of his descendants. He stands as a priest
alone and his priesthood continues and would
be continued with Jesus Christ because he would
be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And
that's all I'm going to say about Melchizedek
in that specific way. But Jesus is prophesied
to be of his order. Why is this? Alfred Barnes
lists several reasons. One is that he who was
spoken of would be in the proper sense of priest.
That is, the one to come would be a priest. He
would have, number two, a perpetual or permanent
priesthood. It would be forever. Number three,
he would not be of the established line of priests
in the tribe of Levi, but his appointment would
be unusual and extraordinary. Number four, the
appointment would come directly from God. It
would not be derived from those who went before
him. As a priest, number five, he would resemble
Melchizedek, according to the record found in
the book of Genesis. Number six, this Melchizedek
was a priest of the Most High God, so also would
be the priest to come. Number seven, Melchizedek
combined in himself the functions of both a priest
and a king. So also these would be found in the
coming one. And finally, as Melchizedek had no
successors in office, neither would the coming
priest. So there's just a whole number of similarities
between Jesus and Melchizedek. Now this central
text in Psalm 110 is quoted repeatedly in the
book of Hebrews. Speaking about the better, the
non -Levitical priesthood of Jesus. Hebrews 5,
verses 6 and 10. Hebrews 6, verse 20. And Hebrews
7, verses 17 and 21. This is the one major prophecy
of the priesthood of Jesus that is in the Old
Testament. Psalm 110, verse 4. A later prophecy
was then also given by the prophet Zechariah.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the
man whose name is the branch. From his place
he shall branch out and he shall build the temple
of the Lord. Yes, he shall build the temple of
the Lord. He shall bear the glory and he shall
sit and rule on his throne. So he shall be a
priest on his throne and the council of peace
shall be between them both. This again points
to Jesus that he would be both a priestly king
and a kingly priest. In other words, the two
offices are very similar, just like it was with
Melchizedek. He was the king of peace and he
was also a priest of the most high God. So also
would this coming one, the one who would build
the temple of the Lord and rule and sit on his
throne. Then we have a prophecy in Isaiah chapter
53, verses 4 through 12. I'm not going to read
all of this, but in this, the prophet Isaiah
speaks of the suffering servant. He would be
bruised. He would be put to grief. His grave
would be made with the wicked. But in doing so,
he would then justify many. He would bear their
iniquities and sins and he would make intercession
for the transgressors. While Isaiah does not
use the word priest, he uses the terminology
and the description of priestly activity in Isaiah
53. And then lastly, in the Old Testament, the
prophet Daniel also spoke of the coming Messiah.
how that he would make an end of sins, he would
make reconciliation for iniquity, and he would
bring in everlasting righteousness. And in so
doing, he would be cut off. This is, again, priestly
language applied to the coming Messiah in Daniel
chapter 9, verse 24 through 27. These four are
prophecies of Jesus coming as priest. Well now,
let's look a little bit further. What are the
shortcomings of the former priesthood? Why was
a new priest needed? Hebrews 7 gives us several
explanations. And I'm going to move through these
fairly rapidly because of time. The priests,
number one, were sinners. They were in need of
atonement themselves, as I mentioned before.
Verse 27 and 28. Those high priests needed to
offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and
then for the people's. For the law appoints as
high priest men who have weakness. Hebrews 7,
27 and 28. Number two, the law made nothing perfect.
It had no ability to justify or to make righteous.
It was the standard of righteousness, but it
could not make one righteous. It is given as
a standard, a mirror to show us our sin and the
holiness of God. Hebrews 7, verse 18 and 19.
For on the one hand, there is an annulling of
the former commandment because of its weakness
and unprofitableness. For the law made nothing
perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing
in of a better hope through which we draw near
to God. To the contrast between the two priesthoods.
In the one, the annulling of the former commandment,
that is the law of sacrifices, what we call the
ceremonial law, it was weak, it was unprofitable
because it could not make anyone perfect. Number
three, the third shortcoming in Hebrews 7, the
priests died and their descendants followed on
after them. There were many of them because the
power of death was on them. Verse 23, also there
were many priests because they were prevented
by death from continuing. So it was a continual
change with new people coming on because of death.
And number four, they could only offer animals.
And they did so year after year, which could
never take away sin. They could cover, but they
could not take away sin. For the law, in chapter
10, one through four, Of Hebrews, for the law
having a shadow of the good things to come and
not the very image of these things can never
with these same sacrifices which they offer continually
year by year make those who approach perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered.
For the worshipers once purified would have had
no more consciousness of sin. But in those sacrifices
there is a reminder of sins. Every year, for
it is not possible that the blood of bulls and
of goats could take away sin. Number three, then,
how is Jesus a better high priest? And were these
prophecies fulfilled that were spoken of him?
Where shall we begin? There are many that we
could go, but I'm going to give you a few to
start. How is Jesus a better high priest, a better
priest? Well, first of all, Jesus offered himself
once for all. Once for all. Because he was a
perfect man. He was not descended from Adam.
He came to his life and he did not bear the sin
of Adam because he was born of a woman who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit. And so he was the
God man. He was perfect. He did not sin. And
therefore he was able to offer himself once.
Hebrews again, Hebrews 7, 26 and 27. For such
a high priest was fitting for us. Hear how Jesus
is superior. He is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and has become higher
than the heavens. Who does not need daily as
those high priests to offer up sacrifices, first
for his own sins and then for the people's. For
in this he did once for all when he offered up
himself. He was the perfect sacrifice. and thereby
he suffered once for all. This is how he's a
better priest. Number two, Jesus has not entered
into the holy of holies in the temple. He has
gone into heaven himself. For Christ has not
entered the holy places made with hands, which
are copies of the true, but into heaven itself.
He now appears in the presence of God for us.
Not that he should offer himself often as the
high priest entered the most holy place every
year with the blood of another, but he wants
at the end of the ages has appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself. Number three,
this priesthood now is unchangeable for Christ
does not appear from time to time to make intercession
for us, but he lives, he lives forever. And in
his living forever, he lives, he always lives,
the scripture says, to make intercession for
us. See, a priest would intercede before a holy
God on behalf of the people. Jesus lives and
he doesn't approach through the holy of holies
in the tabernacle or the temple. He appeals to
God the Father directly. He appears before him
and he continually intercedes for us, for his
people. Hebrews 7, again, verse 24 and 25. But
he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable
priesthood. Therefore, he is also able to save
to the uttermost those who come to God through
him, since he always lives to make intercession
for them. This is what brings peace and goodwill
to men. For Christ was born for this. Christ
came to the earth so that this would happen,
so that he would accomplish this. Like the second
verse of good Christian men rejoice puts a verse.
He says, good Christian men rejoice with heart
and soul and voice. Now you hear of endless bliss,
joy, joy. Jesus Christ was born for this. He
has opened heaven's door and man is blessed forevermore.
Christ was born for this. Christ was born for
this. This is our beloved Jesus Christ. Well,
I'm going to close with a few applications. What
does this mean for you as a Christian believer?
First of all, we need atonement. We can never
atone for Adam's sin that passed upon all and
we can certainly not atone for our own sins.
They stand against us. They condemn us and they
judge us because we are unholy and unrighteous
in ourselves. In our natural and fallen state,
there is no health in us, but Christ is our high
priest. He has gone into the holy of holies and
has made atonement. Through himself. The perfect
man who is God. Hebrews 9 verse 11. But Christ
came as high priest of the good things to come.
With the greater and more perfect tabernacle.
Not made with hands. That is not of this creation.
Not with the blood of goats and calves. But with
his own blood. He entered the most holy place
once for all. Having obtained eternal redemption.
This is because we need atonement. And so we
must understand it is not by our works that we're
saved. There is no way possible can we be saved
by our own good deeds. We are to do good deeds,
but they're a fruit of salvation and the atonement.
They are not the cause of it. We cannot. Save
ourselves. We need atonement. Number two, we
need Christ as priest. We need him as our intercessor.
We need one to stand before the Father and to
plead for us. Job said in Job 16 verse 21, Oh,
that one might plead for a man with God as a
man pleads for his neighbor. Jesus is that one
who pleads. He is the intercessory for who shall
bring a charge against God's elect. Romans 8
verse 33 and 34. It is God who justifies. Who
is he that condemns? It is Christ who died and
furthermore is also risen who is even at the
right hand of God who makes intercession for
us. Dear brother, dear sister, dear person in
Christ, Jesus is interceding for you. As you're
going through the difficult time, as you're faced
with besetting sins, as you fail once again,
Jesus is interceding for you. Get that deep in
your heart and thank God for it, that we have
one who intercedes. For us. But then also. Thirdly.
God has then. In an amazing way. He has entrusted
us. With the ministry. Of reconciliation. Second
Corinthians 5. Verse 17. Therefore if anyone
is in Christ. He is a new creation. Old things
have passed away. Behold, all things become new.
Now, all things are of God who has reconciled
us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given
us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that
God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself,
not imputing their trespasses to them and has
committed to us. That is to us human beings.
To us sinful creatures who have been made and
brought nigh before Christ. To us who have been
washed in the blood of Christ. For whom Christ
has suffered and died and made atonement. For
us, we now have been committed the word of reconciliation.
Paul continues. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. As though God. We're pleading through
us. We implore you in Christ's stead, in Christ's
behalf, be reconciled to God. For he made him
who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might
become the righteousness of God in him. We are
agents, brothers and sisters, of God. reconciliation.
We are to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation.
This is why we bring good news. This is why we
should shout the loudest at Christmas time that
Jesus Christ was born for this. We know the truth.
This is not just some sentimental value. No,
it is a glorious truth that Christ was born for
this and he brings reconciliation, and we speak
that reconciliation to others who are around
us. We are ministers of reconciliation. Now,
if you are not reconciled to God through Jesus
Christ, the second person of the Trinity, I urge
you to repent and believe, to be reconciled unto
God even now, to cry out for mercy, to run to
Christ, to trust in him and receive the forgiveness
of sins. But to all of you who believe, The word
is this. Go, go out and be agents of that reconciliation.
For God has committed to you these words of reconciliation.
Go then and be ambassadors for Christ. Let's
pray.