Solid Food

Solid Food
Hebrews 5
Emmanuel Christian Church 6.22.25
INTRODUCTION: This morning, we are going to learn about the Aaronic
and Melchizedek priesthoods! Now, before you roll your eyes and get
ready for a half hour nap, you need to hear God’s caution against having a
bad attitude about this important lesson:
Hebrews 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain
because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to
be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of
God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who
lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching
about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
PROPOSITION: Wow! That was quite a rebuke! It seems as though the
thought of a lesson on “priesthoods” wasn’t any more popular in Paul’s
day either!
Setting that aside, let me ask you the question: Are you ready for
some “solid food”, a spiritual “steak dinner”? If you take the effort to
“chew” on the subject of these two priesthoods, God promises that two
things will happen- you will grow up in your faith, and in your ability to
discern between good and evil. So, let’s leave the high chair behind this
morning, and dig into the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods!
We started with the warning at the end of Hebrews chapter 5, let’s now go
back to the beginning of that chapter and consider…
The Priesthood of Aaron
Hebrews 5:1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is
appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and
sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant
and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is
why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the
people. 4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by
God, just as Aaron was.
How did the priesthood of Aaron begin?
- Abraham, father of Isaac; Isaac, father of Jacob, Jacob renamed by
God “Israel”.
- Jacob (a.k.a. “Israel”) had twelve sons. Levi was Israel’s third born son
to his wife Leah.
- 250 years later, God uses Moses from the tribe of Levi to lead the people
of Israel out of Egyptian slavery.
- At Mt. Sinai, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments and establishes
the Priesthood of Aaron, also known as the Levitical Priesthood, or the
Aaronic Priesthood.
- All Jewish priests were direct descendants of Aaron, Moses brother.
- The other members of the tribe of Levi (not direct descendants of
Aaron) were assigned by God to assist in the work of the Tabernacle,
later the Temple.
- Over time, the direct descendants of Aaron formed 24 courses of
priests, among whom the High Priest, or Chief Priest was selected. (1
Chronicles 24).
- The duties of the priests involved all the daily offerings and sacrifices of
worship, administration of ceremonial laws, and the maintenance of the
Table of Show Bread, The Altar of Incense and the Lampstand.
- It was the High Priest however, who had a very special function. On the
Day of Atonement,“Yom Kippur" (this year, sundown October 1st)…
Hebrews 9:7 “… the high priest entered the inner room (the Holy of
Holies) , and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he
offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
TRANSITION: So, what really happened when the High Priest entered the
Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement? Apparently not too much! If the
sacrifice he offered there ONLY covered sins committed in IGNORANCE, it
didn’t cover many sins (if any) at all!
So, I ask again, what really happened when the High Priest made
those annual offerings? Let’s allow God’s own Word to answer tat
question:
Hebrews 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are
coming — not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the
same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those
who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped
being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all,
and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices
are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is IMPOSSIBLE for the
blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Let’s get this straight: The Day of Atonement sacrifices were nothing more
than an advertisement of things to come. They only served to remind
people of their sin- not forgive them!
Listen to God speak on the subject through the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 1:11 “The multitude of your sacrifices — what are they to me?” says
the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat
of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs
and goats.
So, here’s the bottom line on the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood:
- It’s priests were mere men; themselves subject to sin and death.
- The sacrifices they had to offer, NEVER had the ability to take away
anyone’s sin.
- One thing its OBVIOUS, if humankind was to have ANY hope of getting
right with God, there needed to be another completely different
priesthood! Which brings us to…
The Priesthood of Melchizedek
Hebrews 5:5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of
becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I
have become your Father.” 6 And he says in another place, “You are a
priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
- One thing is certain- in matters relating to God, no one can declare
himself to be a priest!
- To such a position as that, they must be appointed by the highest
Authority- God Himself.
- As it was when God appointed Moses brother Aaron, so it was with
the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek- Jesus.
- God the Father, Himself, appointed God the Son to be the High Priest of
this new powerful priesthood.
- As evidence, Paul quotes God’s own Word in two different places:
Psalms 2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together
against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 3 “Let us break their
chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” 4 The One enthroned in
heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 Then he rebukes them in his
anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
Psalms 2:7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me,
“You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I
will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your
possession. 9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them
to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you
rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with
trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your
way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take
refuge in him.
Psalms 110:1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I
make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 2 The LORD will extend
your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. 4 The
LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest
forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge the nations,
heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7 He will
drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
Consider how DIFFERENT is our High Priest Jesus from that of the
Aaronic priesthood:
- Jesus is not only God’s perfect High Priest, He is God’s CHOSEN
King of ALL NATIONS!
- Jesus is our POWERFUL High Priest who is not weakened by personal
sin and the death that results!
- Jesus is the ultimate Judge of the wicked, as well as the source of all
blessing to those who take refuge in Him.
- Jesus IS the High Priest WE need!
- Jesus IS the High Priest Aaron and the Temple sacrifices could only
foreshadow!
APPLICATION: How fortunate we are to have Jesus as our High Priest!
Aaron’s priesthood only reminded the people of their sin. Jesus, as our
Great High Priest took our sins, nailed them to the cross, delivered us from
death and secured our place in His Father’s House! How blessed we are!
As we wrap up our brief glimpse into the priesthood of Jesus, we need to
hear Paul’s description of Jesus’ earthly ministry:
Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up
prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save
him from death…
Because Jesus suffered crushing anxiety, He understands when we are
driven to the point of despair.
“and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Because Jesus completely submitted Himself to God the Father, He
knows the challenge we face in dying to our own will.
“8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered”
Because Jesus willingly obeyed His Father in going to the Cross for our
sins, He knows our challenge when He called us to “take up our cross”
and follow Him.
“9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for
all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the
order of Melchizedek.”
Because Jesus, (our PERFECT, ETERNAL Great High Priest) is everything
that Aaron could NEVER be, we can have confidence before God the
Father in our status as adopted children, Jesus’ very own brothers and
sisters!
Paul celebrates this fact in his opening to his letter to the Ephesian
Christians:
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in
Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be
holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be
adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his
pleasure and will — 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and
understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will
according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put
into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all
things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.