- I want to title today Jesus: the New Kind of Priest - Priesthood may be a strange concept for some of us o We believe that Christ is our true high priest. He is the mediator between God and man. o Confessional (formal way of “confess your sins…”) o Nervous about priesthood o In their best expressions Catholic and Orthodox priests actually view their priesthood as humbling rather than exalting (vestments, communion) o Be careful not to be too critical! Other traditions have created unhealthy priesthoods without knowing it § Education § Personality (Anointing?) § Numbers (Business) Heb. 5:1Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. - Now, the author of Hebrews explains something here that would be very familiar to the Jewish audience: how priests are selected and what they do. A priest had two roles: o Pastoral Role: Gentle Correction and sympathizing with weaknesses (ordinary priests are sinful as well) o Ceremonial Role: Offering sacrifices (Not to twist God’s arm, but as a celebration of covenant and creation) - We see in earlier chapters, the author of Hebrews saying that Jesus goes to the very throne room of heaven for our sake - We see that in the Jewish tradition there were levels of heaven. According to the author, Jesus goes to very center, God’s dwelling place on our behalf - But the mystery is that Jesus doesn’t go just as a deity. Jesus goes as one who has been made flesh, one who understands what we are going through, a human himself. - That’s why the author, in talking about how a high priest is selected, says “he himself is subject to weakness.” - Did you know that Jesus was subject to weakness? - Jesus here plays both roles of a priest: ceremonial (he is the sacrifice) and pastoral (he sympathizes with our weakness). - But, Jesus belongs to a new order of priests, one that can be relied on forever. Jesus is familiar with our sufferings yet is without sin. Observation #1: Jesus is the ultimate high priest who is both our sacrifice and our pastor. 4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” 6And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 7During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. - We get this picture of Jesus as God’s Son - But, Jesus did not just come into this glory of being a high priest in some fancy way - It’s kinda like a son taking over his Father’s company. - Sometimes the son is just given the company with glitz, glamour, all that stuff - This is not the case with Jesus. - A son who has to learn to crunch numbers with the accountants, spend time with the mechanics, know the ins and outs of the assembly line. Through this process, he gets his own office. - I’m obviously not saying that Christ somehow earned his deity. What I am saying is that Christ is our high priest because he entered our world. - I want to contrast the priesthood of Christ with the leadership of one of the most ridiculous and endearing characters on television - The Office, Anyone? - Michael Scott is the regional manager of Dunder-Mifflin paper company in Scranton, PA. Because of his own insecurities, he tries so hard to be liked, but is completely self-focused. This makes him unable to be sensitive to or empathize with the issues of the people in the Office. - In this episode, Michael thinks that it is a good idea for the men of the office staff to meet and bond with the warehouse staff. Hilarity ensues - Video Clip - Christ’s priesthood is nothing like the leadership of Michael Scott. - For one thing, God is not someone who is far away and visits once every 3 mos. (we think this way sometimes, though). - It’s interesting when it says he was made complete and perfect. Not that he was sinful before, but that He needed to go through the pain and suffering that He went through in order to truly be our high priest. - The author here links a couple of Psalms together (Psalm 2.7) and (Psalm 110.4). - Not only is Jesus God’s Son, but also now priest ‘in the order of Melkezidek’. - Now, If we feel like we’ve had a good grasp on this passage up until now, we may have just given up! - Melkezidek? What the heck?! - He explains Melchizedek in chapter 7, but basically, he points back to a priest in Genesis who was not from the tribe of Levi (the priest’s tribe), he had no apparent claim to priesthood because of his ancestry, yet Abraham gave him his tithe. Hebrews says this is a forever-kind of priesthood, not based on lineage. - But, this current passage stresses that God appointed him. It’s not something that Jesus just dreamed up. - Why does this need clarification? Jesus is God, right? - Yes, but some people at this time may have been ticked with Jesus and the early Christians for trying to snatch the position that the temple had always held. - The author of Hebrews is strong in saying, this is God’s doing. It’s YHWH’s plan. - The author is stressing that Jesus was not arrogant in this. Verse 7 shows Jesus crying out in prayers and petitions. Jesus cries. He suffers. Mark 14:32They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” - What’s interesting here is that Christ prays for deliverance and his prayer is not answered. - As a matter of fact, God’s answer to deliverance for Jesus is “no.” Actually, it is Jesus who turns the prayer. “Thy will be done.” - God is of high priest because He is able to sympathize with our darkest moments. - When was your darkest moment? Observation: #2: We have a high priest who understands our darkest moments. - When we think about the priesthood of Christ, we also are able to reflect on the fact that God also calls us priests Ex. 19:3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” - From the beginning of his relationship God has called his people to “put Him on display” to be a kingdom of priests…a whole nation of people who have a priestly role in the world. - Christ is the fulfillment of this. He is the one who puts God on display for the world. He brings this new priesthood. The church is the new priesthood. - He brings healing and reconciliation to a broken world - 1 Peter 2: 4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. - God called us to be a kingdom of priests - T.F. Torrance says of us that we are the “priests of creation” - The term “priesthood of all believers” has been really popular since the time of the Protestant Reformation - But, we must remember that we are in the priesthood of Christ, our high priest. - So, if we are priests in the priesthood of Christ, how does this change how we respond to those around us? - First of all, we sympathize with weaknesses. We show mercy to others, jumping inside their skin attempting to feel what they feel and experience what they experience. We meet people where they are. - We are not “so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” We show our humanity, our struggles our pain and meet people in theirs. - Second, we are a testament to something deeper, a mystery, a touching of heaven. We always point to something that is beyond ourselves. - My desire is that people would say about us, “That TLC community is intensely real. They are a people of mercy. They aren’t like some Christians that we have seen. They really live what it means to be human. They struggle. Their weak.” - On the other hand, I hope that people say, “That TLC community seems to be different. Whenever I am around them I feel like they are longing for something deeper. They live lives in view of God’s justice.” Observation #3: We are priests of creation, constantly pointing back to Christ. 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. - If you have ever been around a kid, you know that babies cannot eat solid food right when they emerge from the womb - They have to work on it. - In some countries, when a baby eats solid food for the first time, it is a religious ceremony. - I meet all kinds of people in this strange city - Many people that I meet are Christians. They are Christians with their heads in the clouds, dependent every day on what the latest self-help preacher tells them or whatever emotional experience they have from a church service. They choose their church based on these two factors. - The Other groups of Christians that I meet are people who are very aware of the culture around them. They read newspapers, stay informed, and are even very engaged in both high and low cultures. Many have adopted a more “private” Christianity. This could be because of the experiences they have had with group A. These folks often have a strong separation between their religious life and the rest of their life. The two don’t often meet. They are detached. - Both groups are often content with milk. They aren’t interested in reading into the depth of the life of Jesus, the story of God’s people, the Bible, or ask themselves how God’s story desires to transform the world. - As I read this passage, I empathize with the author of Hebrews. - The author is saying, “Wake up!” almost by insulting them. - He says that they are sluggish. - I’m frustrated by some forms of church today that seek to boil down everything to the lowest common denominator, not seeking to challenge people, only to entertain. It’s kinda like we are cutting up the chicken strips for a child when he’s 35 years old. - The author of Hebrews is saying, “Grow up.” - He says that by this time they should be teachers, but they still need a teacher! - “13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.” - Righteousness here is also translated justice. - “Righteousness” often conjures up the idea of “acting right”. It’s all about looking good and acting right, personal piety. - This is NOT what the author had in mind. - Justice probably isn’t that much better, but it does change our perspective. - When a community is eating solid food, it is no longer just myopic, me-focused. The community becomes fully engaged with God putting the world back together. - The author wants this community to see that they are part of something big. They must ask what this transformation looks like in their everyday situations - The point here is not behavior-modification. - The author is saying that there is such a thing as maturity. Look for it! - Are we willing to grow up, to ask the hard questions? Or, are we content with babyhood. Observation #4: Seek maturity by seeking His justice. 1. Can you allow Christ to enter your dark moments and transform you? 2. What does it mean for you to be a priest, to enter people’s worlds and point to something deeper? 3. How can you seek maturity and justice in your every day life?
Technology
We live in an age where technology has risen to new heights. New forms of media and communication dominate our society. The church must be willing to take the cue from Jesus, being incarnational to the culture. However, let’s keep it that way. If technology is overdone, it is not incarnational. It is simply trying too hard.
“Although technology is a wonderful ally for ministry,” Kimball says, “it has great potential for abuse and distraction as well. I have attended worship services in which I’ve actually become dizzy from all the flashy effects on the screen. This may be news to some, but people really are not impressed anymore with fancy PowerPoint special effects and videos.”[1]
It goes back to the question of why we use technology. Many churches use technology to draw new people, thinking that if something sparkles, it will draw people to their church. The challenge is if technology is not something that comes from within the church, it looks fake, put on. Does a church’s use of technology come from its creativity or it’s desire for productivity?
This is especially true in the mega-church culture of the 1990’s. Churches had borrowed a lot from the business world, thinking in terms of numbers, mission statements, and goals. Church became the “spiritual” Habits of Highly Effective People. In this culture, technology was primarily used to reach the market share and increase productivity (we will assume that productivity in the church means healthy lives, not making money). In this world, churches tended to look more like business meetings than church services. In this process, the church lost the creative culture. Which is too bad because the business culture in the United States is beginning to look more and more like the creative culture.
[1] Kimball, 151
A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”6It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.” 8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
- There is a lot going on here. Before we look forward, I want to clarify something. Last week, we looked at Psalm 95, a Psalm presumably written by David.
- There is a lot of talk here about God’s rest. It brings to mind the idea of Sabbath that we see in the OT
- The Sabbath law was one of the strictest, maybe even the strictest law in the OT. Once a week, the people of God were to take a day of rest, of doing nothing.
- Also, the earth was to take a rest, no using of resources for a year every seven years!
- In addition, every 70 years, there was a reordering of the economic life of the Israelites
- All of this was to correlate to Genesis 1 when God rested after 6 days of creativity (rest is apparently not a sign of weakness, since God did it)
- They were to release all slaves and everyone was to have equal social and economic status (a clean slate)
- Sabbath in my life
- When we read this chapter, we are actually looking at five rests:
o God’s rest at creation
o The children of Israel’s call to rest (the promised land)
§ God’s threatening that they will not enter into His rest. His “rest” was the promised land that awaited them, a reprieve from their hot, dirty, tiring wanderings.
o There is David (Psalm 95) whom the author is quoting
§ Psalm 95, expresses that when they finally reached their destination under Joshua, they could finally rest. They could live life in a land flowing with milk and honey. They didn’t have to wander any more.
§ So why would David talk about this rest? David lived years after the people entered the promised land. He must be referring to something that is to come.
o There is the author of Hebrews and his/her audience
o There is us- (What does it mean to rest in God?)
o Here is what is cool…verse 8 says, “8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
o This is one of 2 times that Joshua is used in the New Testament. Joshua is the same word as another Jewish name that we use. “Jesus.” Older translations translate this “Jesus had given them rest.” The author is aware of this parallel.
o Joshua has given them their first rest. Jesus will give them their final rest.
o Also, verse 10 says that they will rest from their work. This may find some parallel with Paul who says “it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not by works.”
o This rest is not something that we can work our way into. It is a rest that is a gift from God.
o The author is so afraid that his listeners will not enter God’s rest because they, like the Israelites are grumbling and complaining, turning to other things for satisfaction.
o Just like the author has always said, Christ is it, and rest is found in Him.
Observation #1: True rest is found in Christ.
11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
- The author uses the imagery of a sword. It’s almost scary. It’s very intense
- The word of God cuts quickly and deeply, like a very sharp sword that can cut straight through a persons body with ease
- Then, beyond that, the author says that there is nowhere to hide from this sword.
- Hebrews is not a comfortable book, but the author is saying. Wake up! It is not easy, but you must believe and hold to faith in Christ
- But what does this whole business about the “Word of God” as a sword have to do with all of this?
- What is the Word of God?
- We often think of the “Word of God” as the Bible. But, the author of Hebrews didn’t have the whole Bible. And, definitely didn’t have written scripture.
- So, did the “Word of God” just mean the OT? Yes, partly. It definitely had a way of opening people up, of slicing through the heart of a person
- But, the author of Hebrews is concerned with something more. What has He/she been concerned about up until this point? JESUS.
- That makes sense with what John says about Jesus: In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God.
- So, the “Word of God” is the OT Testament and ultimately how they came true in the person of Jesus. Christ.
- So, what does God’s word do?
- God’s word seems to reveal, to pierce, to cut through the junk. It means that you can’t hide from God’s word. It reveals. The author of Hebrews is saying, “Don’t think that you can just ignore God’s word, pretend it’s not there, and enter God’s rest.”
- So, the author is saying, “yield to it now!” Experience God’s rest now! Find hope in Christ now.
- It is better to have a check up from the doctor and be a little uncomfortable and receive healing than wait until you’ve died and the doctor have to do an autopsy post-mortem.
- For many of us, maybe this means that we need to find confidence in a friend about an addiction that we are struggling with, something that is pulling us down.
- It’s uncomfortable at first. It feels sharp, difficult.
- But, God’s Word is alive. It has come to bring healing and wholeness in our lives.
Observation #2: Jesus cuts through the junk, revealing our hearts.
Jesus the Great High Priest
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- We see once again the theme of Jesus as high priest, standing in between us and God; he, in His humanity has come into our world to be our sacrifice. Therefore, Jesus represents humanity to God.
- Jesus is not standing with God in heaven looking down patronizingly. He is not saying, “I know that their stupid, but can’t you just forgive them.
- Know, He comes as ONE of us; one who knows humanity, who is human.
- Christ became flesh. We believe in God made human.
- Verse 14 says that He has gone right through the heavens. What does this mean? Why is heaven plural here?
- In the Jewish tradition, there were levels of heaven. Paul says that he is caught up in the “third heaven.” When Solomon built the Temple he said, “Heaven and the heavens cannot contain God.” Different authors say it different ways
- Whatever the case, the Jewish people believed in layers to heaven, God’s dwelling place being the innermost part.
- The point here is that Jesus goes through all the levels of heaven to the very heart. God came down to man and man now goes to the very heart of heaven, to God’s very dwelling place.
- So, we now can come boldly to the throne of grace, because of Christ. We are not reaching over an expanse, a gulf. Through Christ, we have access to God’s very dwelling place.
- This sounds arrogant, but it’s not. We humbly realize that Christ has done all the work. What is arrogant is when we think that we can do it on our own.
Observation #3: Christ, our great high priest, stands in our place at the very dwelling place of God.
- What is keeping you from entering God’s rest?
- Is arrogance holding you back from remembering who He is in your life?
- Do you still feel like you have to earn God’s listening ear?
SNCC,Hope everyone is having a great week so far! I wanted to remind you of a couple exciting things that are happening this week.First, we have been invited to participate in a discussion of the arts sponsored by The Emergent Tulsa Cohort. This is an open event to all artists or those interested in discussing it! This has been a big emphasis of SNCC since our beginning. So, whether you are a painter, singer, writer, dancer, poet, preacher, graphic artist, scrapbooker, craftsman, or anything else, you will want to be there! Tomorrow night, Agora big room, 8pm!Second, this Saturday, we will be celebrating our 3rd birthday as a community! Our first service was held on October 1st, 2005 and we have come a long way. Come celebrate Christ in our midst. We will be introducing some new things that our church is involved in including social justice projects, our role in the “advent conspiracy”, new leadership updates, and an update on the hymnal project.Have an awesome week. We’ll see you soon!Peace Be With You,Preston SharpeLead PastorSATURDAY NIGHT COMMUNITY CHURCH