Jesus our Sympathetic Priest

Leviticus 16:2-6, 13-16

  1. and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy in front of the mercy seat that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.
  2. “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
  3. He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on.
  4. He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
  5. Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household.
    …
  6. He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat which is above the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die.
  7. Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the mercy seat, and in front of the mercy seat he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.
  8. “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.
  9. So he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities.

Version: based on NET Bible

Hebrews 10:1-4

  1. For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.
  2. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?
  3. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.
  4. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.

Two Roles of O.T. Priests:

  1. Animal sacrifices for sin
  2. Incense offered as a symbol of prayer

Hebrews 4:14-16

  1. Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
  2. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
  3. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.

Not confidence because:

Three points:

  1. Problem of Sin and Failure
  2. How Jesus helps us to pray
  3. His sympathy with our struggles

1. Sin and Failure

Leviticus 5:5-9

  1. when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things he must confess how he has sinned,
  2. and he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord for his sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on his behalf for his sin.
    …
  3. Then he must sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood must be squeezed out at the base of the altar—it is a sin offering.

1 John 2

  1. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
    But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,

Part 2: How Jesus helps us pray

  1. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.
  2. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
  1. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

Luke 22:31-32

  1. “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat,
  2. but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Review of three points:

  1. Problem of Sin and Failure
  2. How Jesus helps us to pray
  3. His sympathy with our struggles

3. His Sympathy

Pictures of God:

Hebrews 4:14-16

  1. Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
  2. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
  3. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.

Summary:

  1. He provides a place to go when we sin—a place of forgiveness
  2. He makes our prayers perfect and prays them on our behalf
  3. He is the most sympathetic person we could ever know

Updated on 2012-04-23 by Andrew Fountain