BORN TO BE A PRIEST (5 OF 5)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-17
This content is part of a series.
Born To Be A Priest (5 of 5)
Series: He Is Everything To Me
Jeff Strite
Hebrews 2:14-17
Philip Yancey, in his book ‘‘The Jesus I Never Knew’’ (Zondervan, 2002, p. 25) told of a Jesuit missionary - Matteo Ricci who went to China in 16th century. The missionary took along samples of religious art to illustrate the Christian story for people who had never heard it. He was pleased that the Chinese audiences were intrigued by the portraits of Mary holding Jesus. But when he showed them paintings of the crucifixion and tried to explain that the baby-Jesus grew up only to be executed, his audiences reacted with revulsion and horror. They much preferred the Virgin and they insisted on worshiping her rather than the crucified Christ.
It’s hard for some people to see beyond the manger and see what Jesus ultimately came to do. His birth is comforting, but His death on the cross can almost seem senseless... until you understand WHY He came to die.
Over the past 4 weeks we’ve focusing on Jesus having been born to be our Savior, our Sanctifier, our Mediator and our Redeemer. And all of those were tied into Christ’s death on the cross. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross, He couldn’t have been our Savior, Sanctifier, Mediator, or our Redeemer.
But this week’s text explains a little more about WHY Jesus died on the cross. This week, we’re going to focus on Jesus as our High Priest. Hebrews 2:17 says ‘‘(Jesus) had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful HIGH PRIEST in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
JESUS WAS BORN TO BE OUR HIGH PRIEST
In fact, this concept - of Jesus being our High Priest was so important that a HUGE part of Hebrews was dedicated to explaining why we should care whether Jesus came to be a High Priest or not. But before we get into that ... let’s start with a couple basic truths.
1st - You and I were created in the image of God. In Genesis we’re told ...
Series: He Is Everything To Me
Jeff Strite
Hebrews 2:14-17
Philip Yancey, in his book ‘‘The Jesus I Never Knew’’ (Zondervan, 2002, p. 25) told of a Jesuit missionary - Matteo Ricci who went to China in 16th century. The missionary took along samples of religious art to illustrate the Christian story for people who had never heard it. He was pleased that the Chinese audiences were intrigued by the portraits of Mary holding Jesus. But when he showed them paintings of the crucifixion and tried to explain that the baby-Jesus grew up only to be executed, his audiences reacted with revulsion and horror. They much preferred the Virgin and they insisted on worshiping her rather than the crucified Christ.
It’s hard for some people to see beyond the manger and see what Jesus ultimately came to do. His birth is comforting, but His death on the cross can almost seem senseless... until you understand WHY He came to die.
Over the past 4 weeks we’ve focusing on Jesus having been born to be our Savior, our Sanctifier, our Mediator and our Redeemer. And all of those were tied into Christ’s death on the cross. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross, He couldn’t have been our Savior, Sanctifier, Mediator, or our Redeemer.
But this week’s text explains a little more about WHY Jesus died on the cross. This week, we’re going to focus on Jesus as our High Priest. Hebrews 2:17 says ‘‘(Jesus) had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful HIGH PRIEST in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
JESUS WAS BORN TO BE OUR HIGH PRIEST
In fact, this concept - of Jesus being our High Priest was so important that a HUGE part of Hebrews was dedicated to explaining why we should care whether Jesus came to be a High Priest or not. But before we get into that ... let’s start with a couple basic truths.
1st - You and I were created in the image of God. In Genesis we’re told ...
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