Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
October 19, 2025

      • Psalm 110:1–7NASB95

      • 2 Corinthians 9:6–7NASB95

  • Scripture Reading: Psalm 110:1-7
    Kids Time:
    What if a religious Jew challenged you about being a Christian. If they said, “How can you have your sins atoned for if you don’t have a priesthood?” Your religion is illegitimate because you have no one to mediate between you and God.” “God Himself only allowed us Jews who are sons of Aaron to be priest so even if you did have priests, they would be unqualified.” How would you respond? The author of Hebrews answers this objection for us who follow Christ and are in the age of grace.

    I. Aaronic High Priests

    A. Appointed By God

    Hebrews 5:1 NASB95
    1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
    Aaron and his sons
    Exodus 28:1 NASB95
    1 “Then bring near to yourself Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
    Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and even Saul tried to be priests without God’s approval
    Those who appoint themselves as High priests are rebelling against God. The pope is called the “pontifex maximus” — the greatest high priest. That would place a sinful man in a position that is greater than even Jesus.

    B. Must be Human

    Hebrews 5:1 NASB95
    1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;
    Hebrews 5:2 NASB95
    2 he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;
    Angels can’t be priest. Animals can’t either. Why? They can’t deal gently or with mildness because they don’t know what it is like to be human. When a Jew would go to the temple, he would want a priest who could understand his weaknesses and offer the sacrifices with compassion.
    Homer Kent —
    The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary 1. The Priesthood of Aaron (5:1–4)

    the idea of moderating one’s feelings. The point stressed seems to be that of mental and emotional balance, neither coldly distant nor uncontrollably excited. Neither extreme would be helpful in a priest.

    a fellow human as a priest would have the natural capacity and the moral capacity to pity the worshipping sinner and balance that with a desire for righteousness.
    Ignorant and Misguided -
    Numbers 15:28 NASB95
    28 ‘The priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven.
    There is no sacrifice for the deliberate, unrepentant sin against the law only for unintentional sins.
    John McArthur — “what were the sins of ignorance? Well, let me say that it meant more than simply a lack of knowledge. It was not just a lack of knowledge. That was included, but the sins of ignorance also involved those in which a man was swept away in a moment of impulse.
    They also involved those in which a man was swept away by anger or passion. Or in which a man was mastered by some overwhelming temptation. Any and all of those sins for which a man repented and was sorrowful were the sins of ignorance. You say then what are the sins of presumption? Is there anything left? Indeed there is. The sins of presumption were the cold, calculating deliberate sins for which a man was not sorry. They were open-eyed, defiant and disobedient to God. And the priest existed to open the way back to God only for the sinner who repented. The sins of ignorance. Any sin could become a sin of ignorance if a man repented and turned his heart to God.
    It was that cold, stubborn, repeated defiance of God that was the sin of presumption. And it's no different today. For any man and any woman, whoever they may be, who comes to God and repents of his sin, there is forgiveness. But for that one who defiantly rebels against God, who by his own will disobeys and continues to disobey there is no more sacrifice for sins.”
    This is actually comforting to me when understood properly. Some people wonder, am I really saved? Has God really forgiven me? How can He since I sin so often? I am so sad that I keep sinning, I must be presumptuous and unrepentant or else I wouldn’t keep doing the same things over again. They conclude God cannot forgive me because I have gone too far. But it is just this type of sadness over sin that proves they are truly saved. If you are sensitive to sin, and worried about your salvation, you are sinning in ignorance and weakness and there is a High Priest who has offered a sacrifice for you.
    On the other hand if you sin and say, “I don’t care, I’m not going to try to change because I don’t want to change. God is obligated to forgive me because He is a sucker and I have outsmarted Him.” That is presumptuous sin and there is no sacrifice for that.

    C. Must Offer Sacrifices

    Hebrews 5:1 NASB95
    1 in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

    Overview of Old Testament Sacrifices

    The Old Testament outlines several types of sacrifices that were integral to the worship practices of ancient Israel. These sacrifices served various purposes, including atonement for sin, expressions of gratitude, and communal meals with God.

    Main Types of Sacrifices

    Burnt Offering
    An animal (bull, sheep, goat, or bird) was completely burned on the altar.Atonement for sin and expression of devotion to God.
    Grain Offering
    Offered as baked goods or grains, often with a drink offering.Expression of gratitude and recognition of God's provision.
    Peace Offering
    Included various animals and was often shared in a communal meal.Thanksgiving and fellowship with God, symbolizing peace and gratitude.
    Sin Offering
    An animal was sacrificed to atone for unintentional sins.Cleansing from sin and restoration of the relationship with God.
    Trespass Offering
    A specific ram was offered for unintentional sins against others.Atonement for wrongs done to others, requiring restitution.

    D. Must Offer for Himself

    Hebrews 5:3 NASB95
    3 and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.

    II. The Great High Priest

    A. Jesus Was Appointed By God

    Hebrews 5:4 NASB95
    4 And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.

    B. Jesus Was Human

    Hebrews 5:5 NASB95
    5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”;
    Jesus was greater because He is the Son
    Begotten — refers to the resurrection.
    Acts 13:33–34 NASB95
    33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today i have begotten You.’ 34 “As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

    C. Jesus Offered Himself

    Hebrews 9:14 NASB95
    14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
    He didn’t have to offer a sin sacrifice for Himself because He was perfect and He was the sacrifice!
    He is our burnt offering — Our atonement for sin. He is the only acceptable expression of devotion to God
    He is our Grain Offering. He Expresses gratitude and recognition of God's provision.
    He is our Peace Offering. He is the basis of our fellowship with God, He gives us peace and gratitude.
    He is our Sin Offering. He Cleanses us from sin and restores our relationship with God.
    He is our Trespass Offering. He is our Atonement for wrongs done to others, providing restitution so we can be at peace with our fellow man.

    D. Jesus Had a Higher Priesthood

    Hebrews 5:6 NASB95
    6 just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
    Genesis 14:18 NASB95
    18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
    Name meaning — King of Righteousness
    Office — King of Salem (peace) (Jerusalem)
    He was king and priest in Salem.
    Jesus was not a priest like Aaron. Jesus was king and priest like Melchizedek.
    Aaron was never a king.
    Jesus fulfilled all the qualifications for a high priest and surpassed them. He surpasses the priesthood of Aaron because His is a priest cut from a different cloth. He is a priest like Melchizedek.
    Is Christianity superior to Judaism? Yes

      • Hebrews 5:1NASB95

      • Exodus 28:1NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:1NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:2NASB95

      • Numbers 15:28NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:1NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:3NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:4NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:5NASB95

      • Acts 13:33–34NASB95

      • Hebrews 9:14NASB95

      • Hebrews 5:6NASB95

      • Genesis 14:18NASB95

  • Amazing Grace
Lamoille Valley Grace Brethren Church
pastorethan@lvgbc.net
8028883339
http://www.lvgbc.net
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