Christ Appointed As A Priest

Pastor Michael Woody | Hebrews 5:1–6

If you only understand who Christ is and all that He has done for you it will cause you to persevere until the end.

Why This Text?

1. Verse 5 is a quote from  Psalm 2:7
2. Verse 6 is a quote from  Psalm 110:4
3. Psalm 110 has several areas of great value in understanding the Godhead :
4. That psalm expresses an  oath , made by the Father, is vital for our author.

What does this Text Teach?

1. The humanity  of Christ
2. The messianic  nature of Christ
3. The work  of Christ
4. The superiority of Christ

The Humanity of Christ

The Source of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1a)

1. The high priest is taken from among men.
2. This speaks to one of the necessities of the Incarnation of Christ

The Messianic Nature of Christ

The Messianic Nature of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1b)

1. The high priest is appointed in behalf of men.
2. The word “appointed” is to be or become assigned a duty, responsibility, or obligation.

The Work of Christ

The Purpose of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1c)

1. The duties of the high priest are God-ward in order that he may offer  gifts  and  sacrifices  for sins
2. The high priest’s duties are the  presenting  of his people’s gifts and sin offerings to God.

The Compassion of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:2)

1. In order to fulfil these duties worthily, a high priest needs not only to pay attention to the precise execution of the liturgy, but also to have  inward  feelings  which are in keeping with his sacred work.
2. I believe two particular sins are in focus here; some commentators make these to be clarifying one another – limiting the  compassion  of Christ to the sins of ignorance.

The Inability of the Aaronic Priesthood (Hebrews 5:3)

It was obvious that the  Aaronic  priesthood wasn’t the answer.

The Calling of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:4)

1. The priest was chosen by God, they were chosen (a  passive  verb) versus actively taking the role.
2. The author of Hebrews is not disparaging  Aaron , he confesses to his calling by God and Aaron, though sinful, was faithful in his duties.

The Fulfillment of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:5-6)

1. These two quotes link something together that we might not typically link: the  Sonship  of Christ and His being our  High   Priest  are linked together. In what way?
2. These verses link together His  humanity  and His  deity . Psalm 110 links together the elements of kingship as well as His High Priestly ministry:
3. There is but one  Messiah  – one anointed as King, only one anointed as Priest.
4. These verses show us that the  Aaronic  priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of  Melchisedek .

What Does This Mean To Me?

1. This kingly ruler does not rule in harshness looking to crash down upon His subjects: instead, He is a compassionate High Priest who overcame sin and rose victorious in victory.
2. The following are things you should walk away with today
3. Jesus, the second Person of the Godhead, was  ordained  and  called  to be your High Priest.
4. He is a  compassionate  High Priest, he doesn’t struggle to forgive you, He died to take away your sins by His atoning work and He has imputed to you His righteousness.
5. He is a  better  priest than the Aaronic priesthood for He needs not make sacrifice for Himself before making sacrifice for you.
6. He is a better priest than the Aaronic priesthood because He is an  eternal  priest.