Recently in our Celebration Class at our church in Athens, Georgia, we studied about Jesus as our High Priest. We reaffirmed our belief in that God the Father appointed His Son, Jesus Christ to be our High Priest. The writer of Psalm 2, tells us about this designation:
Psalm 2:7
"I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
'You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
NKJV
The Bible teaches us that Jesus identified with believers through suffering. In Psalm 110:4, we are told that Jesus' priesthood was not in the line of Aaron. Instead, Jesus is a High Priest “forever” in the royal order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6, 19).
Hebrews 5:6-11
6 As He also says in another place:
"You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek";
7 Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"
11 of Whom we have much to say, and hard to explain” (NKJV).
Melchizedek was a king and priest of Salem, whose name means “king is righteousness” (Genesis 14:17-20).
Gen 14:17-20
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him (Abram) at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
18 Abram and Melchizedek
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him and said:
"Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."
And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek) a tithe of all.
NKJV
We directed our attention to the time in the Garden prior to Jesus' arrest, when He prayed fervently to the Father, Who alone could deliver the Son from the upcoming ordeal. Because He submitted Himself in obedience to the Father, God answered His petition by raising Him from the dead.
The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus “learned obedience" and was “made perfect” (Hebrews 5:8-9) through suffering. He is not intimating that Jesus was ever disobedient or imperfect. Rather, because Jesus obeyed the Father's Will and died on the Cross, human experience entered a new dimension of fullness and completion.
It is because of Jesus' life of obedience, as well as His victory over sin and death was able to offset the first Adam's disobedience (Romans 5:19). Here is how that reads: “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19,
NKJV).
Then, the Apostle Paul makes a clear distinctioin between the first Adam and the last Adam (not the second Adam):
1 Corinthian 15:45
And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
NKJV
The word used in the Greek is Ho éschatos Adám--éschatos means last, the last of a kind or thing. This Greek word clearly informs us that Jesus is the last Adam, and we are not to look for another.
We are sure that the priesthood of the Jewish people was most impressive to the people of God. However, it paled in comparison to Jesus' eternal, heavenly priesthood. It is imperative that we should be faithful to the High Priest Who alone atoned for all sin, not in part but the whole. He felt temptations we feel, however, He did not sin, and can uniquely mediate for us with the Father.
Lavon Revells, our teacher or facilitator, found this video on the Internet of the dress or garments that ere worn by the High Priest. You may Click Here to see this video. It will help you to visualize what the high priest actually wore.
Melvine and I enjoy our Sunday school class, called Celebration. The Celebration Class is a cross generational gathering of various ages of adults that meets on Sunday mornings to celebrate Jesus and study God's Holy Word, the Bible. Lavon and Arlette Revells are the teachers or facilitators. There is never a dull moment and they know how to get class members involved in the discussion of the subject material. They utilize the latest in today's technology to bring us videos, teaching materials, etc. to make the class first class.
Jesus Christ the Great High Priest
Psalm 2:7
"I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
'You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
NKJV
The Bible teaches us that Jesus identified with believers through suffering. In Psalm 110:4, we are told that Jesus' priesthood was not in the line of Aaron. Instead, Jesus is a High Priest “forever” in the royal order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6, 19).
Hebrews 5:6-11
6 As He also says in another place:
"You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek";
7 Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,
8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"
11 of Whom we have much to say, and hard to explain” (NKJV).
Melchizedek was a king and priest of Salem, whose name means “king is righteousness” (Genesis 14:17-20).
Gen 14:17-20
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him (Abram) at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
18 Abram and Melchizedek
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
19 And he blessed him and said:
"Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand."
And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek) a tithe of all.
NKJV
We directed our attention to the time in the Garden prior to Jesus' arrest, when He prayed fervently to the Father, Who alone could deliver the Son from the upcoming ordeal. Because He submitted Himself in obedience to the Father, God answered His petition by raising Him from the dead.
The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus “learned obedience" and was “made perfect” (Hebrews 5:8-9) through suffering. He is not intimating that Jesus was ever disobedient or imperfect. Rather, because Jesus obeyed the Father's Will and died on the Cross, human experience entered a new dimension of fullness and completion.
It is because of Jesus' life of obedience, as well as His victory over sin and death was able to offset the first Adam's disobedience (Romans 5:19). Here is how that reads: “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19,
NKJV).
Then, the Apostle Paul makes a clear distinctioin between the first Adam and the last Adam (not the second Adam):
1 Corinthian 15:45
And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
NKJV
The word used in the Greek is Ho éschatos Adám--éschatos means last, the last of a kind or thing. This Greek word clearly informs us that Jesus is the last Adam, and we are not to look for another.
We are sure that the priesthood of the Jewish people was most impressive to the people of God. However, it paled in comparison to Jesus' eternal, heavenly priesthood. It is imperative that we should be faithful to the High Priest Who alone atoned for all sin, not in part but the whole. He felt temptations we feel, however, He did not sin, and can uniquely mediate for us with the Father.
Lavon Revells, our teacher or facilitator, found this video on the Internet of the dress or garments that ere worn by the High Priest. You may Click Here to see this video. It will help you to visualize what the high priest actually wore.
Melvine and I enjoy our Sunday school class, called Celebration. The Celebration Class is a cross generational gathering of various ages of adults that meets on Sunday mornings to celebrate Jesus and study God's Holy Word, the Bible. Lavon and Arlette Revells are the teachers or facilitators. There is never a dull moment and they know how to get class members involved in the discussion of the subject material. They utilize the latest in today's technology to bring us videos, teaching materials, etc. to make the class first class.
Jesus Christ the Great High Priest