Now the main point in what has been said 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 who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Hebrews 8:1-2
That's the main point? All of Hebrews and that's the main point? That's it...?
High priest
Sanctuary
Tabernacle
Throne
Blood sacrifices
Yea, I use those words every day in my conversations!
…yes, I said that very tongue-in-cheek. Isn’t it easy to see Christ priesthood as being somewhat peripheral? Sort of like Emergency lighting and Exit signs that you see in every building. They are there and we don’t really think about it unless the lights go out, THEN we’re grateful for them.
The author of Hebrews just told us the main point. Imagine him with his arms open wide, and with a face that shows that he’s told us the key to everything… and our response is: “…yea, and?”
So WHY do we see His priesthood as peripheral?
1. Our language is different
2. Our view of salvation is limited
3. Our sense of need is minimal
Our language is different, but those terms mentioned are a representation of what Christ does for us all the time. If you’ve grow up in church all your life you’ve heard the words and have a vague idea what they are referring to. Just try to explain that to someone you randomly meet on the street… Language or not, this is vital!
Our view of salvation is limited, but thankfully Christ sees the whole picture. He knows everything from before time into eternity. We just see this very very short time that we’re on earth and even then we tend to focus on our day to day occurrences.
Our sense of need is minimal. Here is one of our greatest mistakes! Many times we think that we’ve been saved and we’re all set. Now we just go through the sanctification process and go to heaven. Do you realize that if Christ stopped being our High Priest for one second, we would be condemned instantly?
Hebrews 7:24-25
"but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever (uttermost) those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. "
My sermon notes and commentary on this morning's service at North Hills Community Church.
Posted by tomglass at May 1, 2005 03:08 PM