Brought Unto Perfection By Our Great High Priest
May 01, 2005
A command “to consider” our high priest
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Christ is presently our high priest
Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
He was raised up to be our high priest
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Ministering in heaven
Hebrews 8:1-2 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; 2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Learn from the Old Testament
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime (in the OT) were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
The priesthood in Old Testament was for the chosen people of God
Exodus 29:44-45 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. 45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
The children of Israel were in a covenant relationship with the Lord
Deuteronomy 7:6-8 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Israel was the church in the wilderness
Acts 7:38 This is he (Moses), that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
The inheritance was through the priesthood
Leviticus 20:24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you (by the priesthood) from other people.
The priest made one clean from sin
Leviticus 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
This priesthood was an example or shadow
Hebrews 8:4-5 For if He (Christ) were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who (Levitical priests) serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.
A change in the priesthood
Hebrews 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
Jesus “the Son of God” became our great high priest
Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
A great high priest over the house of God
Hebrews 10:21 And since we have a great priest over the house of God.
The house of God is the church
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
The Levitical priesthood made no one perfect
Hebrews 10:1 For the law (including the Levitical priesthood) 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.
To be made perfect is related to faith and the promise
Hebrews 11:39-40 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Made perfect by a better hope
Hebrews 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Perfection defined
Matthew 19:21,23,28-29 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration (“the thousand years,” Rev.20:4) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging [ruling] the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting age-lasting life.
To be perfect: the prize of Christ’s glorious resurrection
Philippians 3:11-14 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Preaching – warning – teaching
Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Perfection by our great high priest
Hebrews 7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
We have an advocate with the Father
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Justified by His blood
Romans 5:9 Much more then (beyond the death on the cross), being now justified by his blood (by our Advocate), we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Unclean shall not inherit the kingdom
Ephesians 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
The Wrath of God upon disobedience
Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Christ made perfect through sufferings
Hebrews 2:10 For it became Him (God the Father), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain (Jesus) of their salvation (into the world to come v.5) perfect through sufferings.
Our high priest is touched with our weaknesses
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
A merciful and faithful high priest
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Perfection by one offering
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering (Christ’s blood on the mercy seat) He (our high priest) hath perfected to the end those (that are being- present tense) sanctified (YLT).
Christ is “the propitiation” for “us” the elect Gentiles
1 John 2:2 And He is the propitiation (by His own blood offering) for our (elect Jews) sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (elect Gentiles).
The apostle John ministered to the circumcision
Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
1st John is written to Jewish disciples of Christ
1 John 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Gentiles did not hear from the beginning
Matthew 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
“The whole world” can be limited in scope
Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
An example of propitiation
Numbers 16:46-48 And Moses said unto Aaron (the high priest), Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation (for God’s people had sinned against the Lord), and make an atonement (propitiation) for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people [of God]. 48 And he (as high priest) stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Now being saved from wrath to come
1 Thessalonians 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead (to be our great high priest), even Jesus, which delivered continually delivering (present tense) us from the wrath to come.
Perfected by His blood to be kings and priests
Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness (1st coming), and the first begotten of the dead (now as high priest in heaven), and the prince [ruler] of the kings of the earth (2nd coming). Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
To reign on the earth
Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
For one thousand years
Revelation 20:4 “they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”