Hebrews 7:11-28, Jesus is Greater Than Aaron

Hebrews 7:11-28

Jesus is Greater Than Aaron

How do you describe God? Which three adjectives or pictures of Him come to mind first? Love? Holy? Merciful? Powerful?  Yes.  All of these and more, but we need to always hold in our minds that “our God is a consuming fire.” Deut 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29 both attest to this description of Him.  We are invited to approach this God boldly in Christ, but we dare not do so on our own.  For left on our own, we will be consumed before we get within a million miles of His holiness.  Our bold approach can only be done “in Christ.”  It is this crucial aspect of Christ’s ministry that will be in focus here in these passages. The video of the teaching is below, and my notes follow.

1. Start with the key verse: Hebrews 7:25
1. Look at the passage and answer these questions:
1. How are we saved (on our part and on God’s)?
2. From what are we saved?
3. How is our salvation maintained?
2. Therefore, this is the result of what goes before.  We’ll get there.
3. He is able to save.
1. His very name, “God saves.”
2. There is none too sinful for Jesus’ power in salvation. Isa 59:1
4. ESV “Forever” not good. KJV “to the uttermost” is much better. παντελής pantelēs
1. Compound word: Pan, “all” and Teleos, “end, outcome, end result”
2. God can save through it all and guarantee the outcome, that those whom He has saved will be saved.
5. Those who draw near, προσερχομένους Present, middle, participle.
1. Middle voice is almost always reflexive.
2. “Those who are drawing themselves near”
3. This acknowledges the importance of our real choice to receive Christ.
6. Through Him
1. It is only when we draw ourselves near to God through Jesus that we are saved.  
2. If we try to draw ourselves near to God on our own basis or on the merits of some other intermediary, we will be consumed.
7. Since he always lives πάντοτε pantote lit “every when” there is never a time when Jesus is not doing this.
8. To make intercession ἐντυγχάνω entygchanō “to plead, to petition, to confer on behalf of”
1. We may “draw ourselves” near, but it is only safe to do so through Christ.
2. It is the active, ongoing forever ministry of Jesus to plead with the Father on our behalf.
3. Our salvation is secure because Jesus is continuously doing His job of intercession.
9. Piper: The “asbestos conduit” to the consuming fire.  
10. It is impossible to overstate the importance of Jesus’ ongoing ministry on behalf of his body.  If it were not for his continuing ministry, we would surely fall.
1. Deut 32:35
2. 2Tim 1:12
11. It is critical that we have the best ongoing ministry of intercession possible.  For only a perfect ministry can guarantee our ability to approach a perfect God.
2. Outline verses, 11-12
1. A perfect high priest is needed if we are to survive drawing near to the Father.  
1. Levitical is insufficient, hence the veil
2. The levitical system is characterised with distance, not intimacy
2. Under levitical priesthood, the law?
1. The decalogue first given Ex20. Priesthood Ex32
2. The people did not have the law, though until Ex34
3. Tied to the law in any case.  
4. Administered by the levitical priest
3. Another. Heteros, not allos.  
4. Change in priesthood, change in law
1. New high priest issued in a new judicial dispensation Num 35:25-28
2. The change of the system of High priest changes the system as well  
1. What guided the dispensation under Melchizedek at the time of Abraham? Grace and faith
2. Jas 2:23, Gen 15:26
3. After the priesthood of Melchizedek is instigated and Levi is done away with, the system of grace and faith returns.
5. The declaration of God in psalm 110 declared the levitical system and the law insufficient.
6. Why have the law then? Gal 3.  We needed a schoolmaster
3. Vs 13-17
1. Jesus, from Judah, which cannot produce priests (Ex32), Saul and Uzziah
2. Levi, the tribe of priests, is not to produce kings, which is the role of Judah (gen 49:10)
3. The tribal system passed tribal identity through patrilineal inheritance and national identity through the mother.  It is impossible to belong to both tribes.
4. The declaration that Messiah will be a king and a priest in psa 110:4 makes it impossible that their priesthood and kingship are both naturally inherited.
5. One or both must be supernaturally declared apart from heredity. Ps110:4 does this for the priesthood.
6. Arises is in the middle voice, reflexive. The priest arises himself.  Yet God declares it.  God must also be the priest. Isa 59
4. Vs 18-19 Making perfect, drawing near.
1. The Old Law makes nothing perfect
1. Every year, they still need to day of atonement
2. Every day, they need the daily sacrifices.
3. Every dead priest is replaced by younger ones.  
4. It never terminates.
2. Jesus died once for all
1. 1 Pe 3:18;
2. Rom 6:10
3. Heb 9:28
4. There is no need for a further sacrifice.
3. The old law was about separation.  In the new covenant, we dare to draw near.
5. Vs 20-22 the Oath and Guarantee
1. Significant in this sermon, God swears by Himself and will not change His mind.  Jesus’ priesthood will never end.
2. The Levitical priesthood did not enjoy such a guarantee.  
3. In fact, they could only serve for a few years, and their ministry ended in 70 AD.
4. Jesus as a “surety” of our covenant.  
1. First occurrence in scripture: Gen 43:8.  Judah pledges his own life as a guarantee for Benjamin’s safety.
2. A picture of Jesus.  He has pledged himself as a guarantee of our safety in drawing near.
6. Vs 23-24 Many priests vs. one.
1. Because the task could not be completed, many hands were needed and a constant flow of new ones are constantly being added to replace the ones aging out and dying.
2. Only ever one High Priest of Melchizedek, Jesus.
7. Vs 26-27 Sinful vs Holy
1. Levitical priests needed to sacrifice for their own sins. (Lev 16
2. Jesus did not