The Superiority Of Christ Priesthood Series

The Superiority of Christ Priesthood

Hebrews Chapter Eight

Introduction:

1. Hebrews chapter seven introduced the priesthood of Christ.

a. The Order of Christ Priesthood (1-16).

b. The eternality of Christ Priesthood (17-23).

c. The Intercessions of Christ Priesthood (24-28).

2. In this chapter Paul will continue to argue Christ priesthood.

a. A Better Priesthood (1-5).

b. A Better Covenant (6-9).

c. A Better Promise (10-13).

I. A Better Priesthood (1-5).

a. Priesthood of Christ (1).

i. Exalted Priest

ii. Exalted Position.

1. He “is set on the right hand” of God.

iii. Exalted Prince.

1. He is beside “the throne of the Majesty in the heavens”

b. Preeminence of Christ (2).

Christianity and Its Three Great Pillars

The Reverend Charles H. Spurgeon once said, "Christianity rests on three great pillars, the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Incarnation alone could not redeem sinful men. But apart from the Incarnation there could be no propitiatory sacrifice that would avail to put away sin. God became man in order to die. We cannot, therefore, make too much of the mystery of the union of the human and the divine in Him who was both Son of God and Son of Mary. In Him we have the Daysman for whom the patriarch Job longed, one who can lay His hand upon both God and man (Job_9:33) because He combines the natures of both in one glorious Person. Bethlehem, Calvary, and the empty tomb, all alike should stir our souls and draw our hearts out to God in wonder, love, and praise.

i. A Better Priest

ii. A Better Tabernacle

c. Profession of Christ (3-5).

Immanuel, God with Us

Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravians, was converted in an art gallery in Dusseldorf while contemplating a painting of Christ on the cross which had the inscription, "I did this for thee. What hast thou done for me?" This picture had been painted by an artist three hundred years before. When he had finished his first sketch of the face of the Redeemer, this artist called in his landlady’s little daughter and asked her who she thought it was. The girl looked at it and said, "It is a good man." The painter knew that he had failed. He destroyed the first sketch and, after praying for greater skill, finished a second. Again he called the little girl in and asked her to tell him whom she thought the face represented. This time the girl said that she thought it looked like a great sufferer. Again the painter knew that he had failed, and again he destroyed the sketch he had made. After meditation and prayer, he made a third sketch. When it was finished, he called the girl in a third time and asked her who it was. Looking at the portrait, the girl exclaimed, "It is the Lord!" That alone makes the coming of Christ meaningful to the world-not that a good man came, not that a wise teacher came, not that a great sufferer came, but that God came-Immanuel, God with us.

i. His Offerings.

ii. His Office.

iii. His Opulence.

II. A Better Covenant (6-9).

a. A New Priest (6).

i. Christ is superior.

A Difficult Question

A Jewish soldier had been attending services where he heard of the character and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. He went to his rabbi and said, "Rabbi, the Christians say that the ’Christ’ has already come, while we claim He is yet to come." "Yes," assented the rabbi. "Well," asked the young soldier, "when our Christ comes, what more than Jesus Christ can we expect?" What, indeed, since Jesus Christ was fully God?

b. A New Pledge (6).

i. A New Mediator.

Only One Mediator

When Alexander the Great visited Diogenes the cynic, he asked what he could do for Diogenes. The cynic answered that there was only one thing which Alexander could do for Diogenes, and that was to abstain from standing between him and the sun. There are many great and mighty people who like to stand between God and man, but they only obscure man’s vision of God. Only Jesus Christ, God incarnate, can bring God as the regenerating and transforming Spirit into our experience.

ii. A New Covenant.

c. A New Promise (6-9).

i. A New Law Is Enacted.

ii. A New Law Is Validated.

III. A Better Promise (10-13).

a. Promised Revelation (10a).

b. Promised Relationship (10b).

c. Promised Realization (11).

i. The new covenant people will have a better way of learning about Christ, and will therefore know him better.

d. Promised Reparation (12).

i. Jesus Made a once-for-all sacrifice.

ii. Our Sins are all forgiven.

Missed Opportunity

During the first three days of July, 1863, in the midst of America’s great Civil War, the armies of the North and South clashed decisively at Gettysburg. For the first three days of the battle, the fighting was inconclusive, but then the tide began to turn against General Lee and the Confederate forces. The northern troops under General G. G. Meade were winning. Lee began to retreat southward on the night of July 4, while storm clouds drenched the East Coast with rain. When Lee reached the Potomac, he found that the river was swollen with rain. He could not cross it. Behind him was the victorious Union army. Before him was the river. He was trapped.