Hebrews 5:1-9

Hebrews 5:1-9 A. As Paul was setting forth the superiority of Jesus Christ over all things in heaven and earth, he had impressed upon the Hebrew Christians “...the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (HEB 3:1). 1. He is a great high priest Who intercedes in heaven, not on earth. HEB 4:14. 2. He is the Son of God, not a son of Aaron. HEB 4:14. 3. He was without sin (HEB 4:15), and having borne our sins in His body to the cross, He purged them away and remains now “...holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (HEB 7:26). 4. He excelled and excels the Levitical priests in every way. B. Paul notes five things about the Levitical priests in HEB 5:1-4. 1. They are taken from among men. EXO 28:1. 2. They represent men to God. a. Sin demands that we have a priest to represent us before God. ISA 59:2; JOB 9:29-33. b. The Levitical priests represented God’s chosen people, not all mankind. EXO 28:12, 29; LEV 16:34. 3. They are ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. 4. They can have compassion on those they represent. 5. They are especially called of God. a. No man had authority to take on the priesthood without God’s special appointment. NUM 18:1, 7. b. Attempts to seize this honor were harshly judged. NUM 16; 2CH 26:16-21. C. The Levitical priesthood was a shadow of Christ’s priesthood. HEB 8:4-5. 1. Christ was taken from among men. HEB 2:17. 2. Christ represents men to God. HEB 7:24; ROM 8:33-34. 3. Christ offered a gift and sacrifice to God for sin. HEB 8:3; 7:26-27; EPH 5:2, 25. 4. He can relate to the infirmities of the people. HEB 4:15. a. He is not compassed with infirmity as were the Levitical priests who sometimes yielded to temptation. b. Thus, Christ did not need to offer for His own sins as did Levi. c. Yet, He knows what it feels like to be tempted and so can have compassion on us. d. Being the God-Man, His compassion is perfect. 5. He did not take the honor of priesthood upon Himself; it was bestowed on Him by His Father. HEB 5:4-6; JOH 8:54. D. Paul notes the accomplishment of Christ in His earthly ministry, “...in the days of his flesh...” HEB 5:7-10. 1. This accomplishment transcends the accomplishments of Levitical priesthood. 2. Christ prayed with strong crying. c/w PSA 22:1-3. 3. Compare these prayers with strong crying and tears to Christ’s prayers in Gethsemane. MAT 26:36-38; MAR 15:32-35; LUK 22:44. a. Christ prayed to One Who was able to save Him from the death He faced. MAR 14:36; MAT 26:52-54. b. Though God did not spare Christ (ROM 8:32), He sent an angel to strengthen Him. LUK 22:43 c/w 2CO 12:8-9. 4. God saved Christ from His enemies in the resurrection. c/w PSA 22:19-24. 5. The fear of God is a vital part of being heard in prayer. PSA 145:18-19. 6. Christ learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:1-9 4-14-24 Page 1 of 2  a. Christ’s superior position as the only begotten Son of God did not exempt Him from suffering. b. Being human, Christ had to learn. LUK 2:52 c/w PSA 119:71. c. Christ obeyed God, submitted His will to God’s, by the things He suffered. JOH 6:38; MAT 26:39, 42, 52-54; LUK 24:46; PHIL 2:8. d. Christ herein gave an example of obedience regardless of feelings. 1PE 2:18-23; 4:1-2. 7. Christ was made perfect through these sufferings and therefore became the author of eternal salvation. v. 9 c/w HEB 2:10. a. His sufferings qualified Him to be the author of our salvation. b. Without these sufferings, there would have been no salvation for us. 1PE 3:18; JOH 12:24. 8. Christ is the author of eternal salvation. a. author: The person who originates or gives existence to anything. b. Sinners are saved through His grace. ACT 15:11. c. We are justified by His faith. GAL 2:16. d. We are justified by His blood. ROM 5:9. e. We are saved from wrath through Him. ROM 5:9. f. We are reconciled by His death. ROM 5:10. g. We are saved by His life. ROM 5:10. h. The dead hear His voice. JOH 5:25, 28. 9. Unlike the Levitical priests, Christ’s work has ETERNAL efficacy. HEB 5:10; 7:24-25; 9:12, 15; 10:14, 17. 10. The present tense verb “obey” indicates that obedience is the evidence rather than the condition that one has eternal salvation. c/w 1JO 2:29; 3:7. Hebrews 5:1-9 4-14-24 Page 2 of 2