Have you ever been in a situation where you needed someone to step in on your behalf? Maybe you found yourself in a legal mess and needed a lawyer who knew the system. Maybe you were traveling in a foreign country, struggling with the language, and needed a translator—just to order food. Or maybe it was something simpler—like finding yourself in a conversation where everyone else seemed to know what was going on, and you just stood there, lost … until a friend stepped in and helped you catch up.
We’ve all been there. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we need someone with access, knowledge, or authority that we don’t have.
Now, imagine needing access—not just to a courtroom or a foreign country—but to God Himself. Imagine standing outside the very presence of the Creator of the universe, knowing you don’t belong, knowing you can’t go in on your own. That was the reality for Israel.
Last week, we asked a question that cuts to the heart of our greatest need: How can sinful people dwell in the presence of a Holy God? And the reality is—we can’t. Sin doesn’t just make us imperfect; it separates us from Him completely. It breaks our relationship with God because He is holy, and we are not. So if we are ever to stand in His presence, something must be done about our sin.
That’s why God established the sacrificial system—to deal with that separation. But even with the sacrifices, even with all the rituals, the cleansings, the ceremonies, the people still couldn’t just walk into God’s presence.
The tabernacle—the place where God’s presence would dwell—was off-limits. The Most Holy Place, where God’s glory rested, was behind a thick curtain, a veil of separation. No one could enter. Except for one man—the high priest.
He was the mediator—the one chosen to stand before God on behalf of the people. But even he couldn’t just walk in. He had to go through an elaborate process of purification. In Leviticus 8, we see that he had to be consecrated—set apart. He had to offer sacrifices for his own sins before he could intercede for anyone else. And he could only enter beyond the veil once a year. One man, one day each year, entering God’s presence on behalf of an entire nation.
Think about that: millions of people dependent on the actions of one flawed, sinful man standing in God’s presence for just a few moments on a single day of the year.
And that brings us to a problem. The priests were just as unholy as the people. They could represent the people before God temporarily, but they could never bring the people into God’s presence permanently. Their sacrifices had to be repeated over and over because they could never truly take away sin. The entire system left a lingering question: "If even the high priest wasn’t truly qualified to bring people to God, who could?"
And that’s not just an Old Testament problem—that’s our problem, too. Because sin still separates us from God. And just like Israel, we can’t fix that separation on our own. We can’t just walk into the presence of God—not in our sin. We need a mediator. We need someone who is truly holy, truly sinless, truly able to bring us near.
And that’s why Jesus came.
In fact, 1 Timothy 2:5 makes it clear: "There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus" (NLT).
He didn’t just offer a sacrifice—He was the sacrifice.
He didn’t just serve as a priest—He is the eternal High Priest.
And because of who He is and what He has done, we don’t just have temporary access to God. If we are in Christ, we have permanent, eternal access to His presence.
That’s the core truth we need to hold on to today: Jesus, our perfect High Priest, secures our place in God’s presence forever.
God had given them the priesthood—a system designed to mediate between Himself and His people. But the very men chosen to represent them before God were flawed. They were meant to stand in the gap, but they carried the same weaknesses, the same struggles, and the same sin as everyone else.
And that’s where we need to begin today:
I. The Corruption of Earthly Priests (Lev. 8-10; Heb. 5:1-4)
Before we dive into this first point, let’s turn to God’s Word to set the foundation. First, we’ll read Leviticus 8:1-12, where God establishes the priesthood through Aaron and his sons. Then, we’ll read Hebrews 5:1-4, which helps us understand both their role and their limitations.
Let’s begin with Leviticus 8:1-12.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting, Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded to do.”
Then Moses had Aaron and his sons come near and washed them with water. He put the tunic on him and girded him with the sash, and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the artistic band of the ephod, with which he tied it to him. He then placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.
And then let's turn to Hebrew and follow along in chapter 5 beginning with verse 1.
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
From the very beginning, we see that the priesthood was instituted by God. It wasn’t something man came up with—it was God’s design. It was His way of providing a mediator between Himself and His people.
But there was a problem—the priests were just as sinful as the people they represented. No matter how holy they were set apart to be, they were still weak, still flawed, still in need of atonement themselves.
A. Weakness in Their Humanity
The priesthood began with a moment of great significance. Leviticus 8 describes how Aaron and his sons were consecrated—set apart for their holy work. They were washed with water—a symbolic cleansing. They were dressed in priestly garments—a visible sign of their role. They were anointed with oil—set apart for sacred service. Sacrifices were made, the altar was prepared—everything about this moment pointed to the seriousness and the significance of their calling.
But there was one glaring reality: being set apart didn’t make them sinless.
Look again at Hebrews 5 particularly the last part of verse 2 into verse 3: “... every high priest ... is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.”
Did you catch that? The high priest was “... beset with weakness.” Not just physical weakness, but spiritual weakness. Not just human frailty, but human sinfulness.
They stood before God on behalf of the people, yet they themselves needed atonement. And it didn’t take long for that weakness to be exposed in a devastating way.
Leviticus 10:1-3 records a sobering event: Aaron’s own sons, Nadab and Abihu, entered the Lord’s presence with strange fire—an unauthorized fire. We don’t know exactly what they did wrong, but we do know that they ignored God’s instructions and they approached God on their own terms, in an unworthy manner showing contempt and dishonor for God. And because of that, fire came from the Lord and consumed them.
This was a shocking moment. Two of Israel’s first priests—struck down in judgment. Why? Because even the priests couldn’t approach God however they pleased. Look at what Moses tells Aaron in Leviticus 10:3: "It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.’”
Listen, this is a sober warning for us as well. God is not distant, but He is holy. The world loves the idea that we can approach God however we want. But the Bible is clear—there is only one way to draw near, and that’s through Jesus. Do you remember what Jesus told His followers in John 14:6? Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."
Nadab and Abihu’s failure wasn’t an isolated event—it was a reminder that the priests themselves were not the solution. They were just as sinful, just as unworthy, just as in need of atonement as the people they served. And that’s why they were limited in their ministry.
B. Limited in Their Ministry
Even faithful priests had another problem—their work was never finished.
Leviticus 9:7-24 describes Aaron offering sacrifices for himself and the people. Fire from heaven came down and consumed the offering. The people fell on their faces in worship. It was a powerful moment. But what happened the next day? More sacrifices. And the day after that? More sacrifices. Their ministry could never remove sin—only temporarily cover it.
Do you remember Hebrews 10:1-4 from last week? "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come … can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near ..."
The priests were constantly standing, sacrificing, offering, interceding—because sin was never truly dealt with. The same is true today—no amount of religious effort on our part can take away our sin. Many people still try to earn their way into God’s presence—by being a good person, going to church, giving their tithes and offerings, serving in areas of ministry, trying to do all the right things. While all of these things are good and even necessary, we must recognize that they are not the source of our salvation … they are the result of our salvation.
The priesthood wasn’t the final answer—it was a temporary system. Every sacrifice, every offering, every priestly act was pointing forward. The entire system was designed to show our desperate need for something greater.
The people needed a greater priest. One who wouldn’t just stand before God for them—but one who would bring them into God’s presence forever. And that’s exactly who Jesus is. Jesus, our perfect High Priest, secures our place in God’s presence forever.
We’ve seen the problem of earthly priests—their corruption, their weakness, their limited ministry. But now, let’s lift our eyes to something greater. Let’s turn to the One who is everything they could never be: Jesus, our perfect High Priest.
We’ve seen the Corruption of Earthly Priests, now let's consider …
II. The Compassion of Our High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 7:23-28)
Jesus stands in complete contrast to every priest who came before Him and, I might add, every priest who has come after Him. He is everything they could never be. The perfect mediator between God and man–Jesus Christ.
That’s what sets Him apart. That’s what makes Him our great High Priest.
A. He Understands Our Struggles
Let’s read Hebrews 4:14-15 together: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
Jesus is not like earthly priests. They stood outside the veil in the temple, offering sacrifices day after day. But Jesus? He has passed through the heavens.
He is not just another human priest—He is divine.
He is not just standing before God—He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He is not offering the blood of bulls and goats—He offered Himself.
But here’s the beauty of it—even though He is fully God, He is also fully man. And because He is fully man, He understands us.
Hebrews 4:15 says He can “sympathize with our weaknesses.” That means …
He knows what it’s like to be tired.
He knows what it’s like to be hungry.
He knows what it’s like to feel grief, loss, betrayal, temptation.
Yet there is one key difference—He never sinned. Jesus fully entered into our struggles.
Hebrews 2:17 reinforces this: "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [satisfaction] for the sins of the people."
Think about that—in all things He had to be made like us.
He felt the full weight of temptation—but He never gave in.
He experienced suffering—but He never turned away from the Father.
He walked the same broken world we walk—but He remained holy.
Here’s Why This Matters to Us. This means that when you struggle, you’re not alone.
When you feel overwhelmed, Jesus understands.
When you feel the weight of temptation, Jesus has been there.
When you suffer, Jesus knows that pain firsthand.
And because He knows our struggles personally, He can represent us perfectly before the Father. This is the kind of High Priest we have—not one who is distant, but one who draws near. And because He understands our struggles, He is able to do something no earthly priest could ever do.
B. He Secures Our Access
Let’s turn to Hebrews 7:23-24: "The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently."
This is the great contrast between the priests of the Old Testament and Jesus.
The priests of Israel? They died. One after another, generation after generation. Their ministry was always temporary.
But Jesus? He continues forever. His priesthood never ends.
This means He will never be replaced. There will never be another high priest after Him.
And because of that, look at what verse 25 tells us: "Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
Jesus Is Able to Save Forever. Earthly priests could only offer temporary atonement. Jesus offers eternal redemption. Why? Because He always lives to intercede for us.
This is huge. Right now, Jesus is interceding for you.
He stands before the Father on your behalf.
He is your advocate, your mediator, your defender.
His intercession never stops—He always lives to represent you before God.
But unlike the earthly priests, Jesus' saving work is complete.
The priests had to offer sacrifices daily—but Jesus offered Himself once for all.
Their work was never finished—but Jesus declared, 'It is finished.'
They stood before God temporarily—but Jesus has secured our place in God’s presence forever.
Because His sacrifice was final, His intercession is eternal.
Let’s look at Hebrews 7:26-28: “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens; who has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this once for all time when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.”
The contrast could not be more clear.
Earthly priests? Weak, sinful, in need of atonement themselves.
Jesus? Holy, innocent, undefiled, exalted above the heavens.
And this is the most important difference—earthly priests had to keep offering sacrifices. Every morning, every evening, every year—another sacrifice, another offering, another shedding of blood. But Jesus? He did this once for all time. His sacrifice was final. His work was complete.
That means there is nothing more to be done!
If you are in Christ, your salvation is secure.
If you have trusted in Jesus, your sins are fully atoned for.
You don’t have to wonder if you’re forgiven—you are.
You don’t have to work to earn His approval—you already have it.
That’s why the veil was torn when Jesus died.
That’s why we are invited to draw near … because Jesus, our Perfect High Priest, has secured our access once and for all! This is why Hebrews 4:16 declares: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
