if you turn to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter five, and as you're turning to that portion of scripture, I want to remind us all of something that we all should know, and that is Yeshua, Yesus, Jesus, is the promised Messiah that is spoken about throughout the pages of the Old Testament. Messiah being a Hebrew word that is derived from a word that means anointed. So if you remember Psalm 2, as you're reading through that second Psalm, you read in the opening verses about the nations and the peoples and the kings of the earth and the rulers. And then we're told in the second verse that they take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. And the word that is used there for anointed in Psalm 2 verse 2 is the Hebrew word mashiach. And mashiach is the Hebrew word for Messiah. So when I read the statement there in Psalm 2 verse 2, that the kings of the earth and the rulers they counsel against the Lord and against his mashiach. against the anointed. If I were reading this text in the Greek translation of it, it would say that the kings of the earth and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and against his Christ and uses the word Christos because Christos means the same thing that Mashiach means. So when I think of the word Messiah in Hebrew, or I think of the word Christ in Greek, they both mean exactly the same thing. they mean the anointed one. And we know from the Old Testament that prophets and priests and kings were all anointed with oil when they were inducted into their office and began to function in their specific roles. So theologians have always made the observation that the Messiah, the Christ, Since Messiah Christ means anointed, the Messiah must hold all of these offices, the office of prophet, the office of priest, and the office of king. a fact that is reflected in many of our Christian confessions and catechisms. For example, if I'm reading the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647, I read this comment. It pleased God in his eternal purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only begotten son, to be the mediator between God and man, the prophet, priest, and king. Or if I'm reading question number 23 of the Shorter Catechism that asks, what offices does Christ execute as our Redeemer? The answer to question 23 is Christ as our Redeemer executes the offices of a prophet, of a priest and of a king. Or if I'm reading the Heidelberg Catechism, and I'm reading question 31, why is he called Christ that is anointed? The answer is because he's ordained of God the Father and anointed with the Holy Ghost to be our chief prophet, our only high priest, and our eternal king. So consequently, it's been well understood that on the basis of scripture, the Messiah, the Christ, would occupy these three offices, the office of prophet, the office of priest, and the office of king. However, he would not occupy these offices simultaneously, but sequentially. So let's think about it this way. During our Lord's first coming, when he came to the earth, he held the office of prophet. A prophet being a representative of God to men. A prophet being someone who receives revelation from God and proclaims that revelation to men. That is what Jesus did when Jesus came to the earth. He functioned in the office of prophet. Moreover, we know that he will hold the office of king, but that will not happen until he returns to the earth at the time of his second coming when he establishes his kingdom. That's when he will enter into the office and function as king. But with his ascension back into heaven, his function as a prophet changed. as he entered for the first time into the office of high priest. A high priest being a representative of men before God. So now, presently, in heaven, our Lord is in the office of high priest. He was a prophet when he was on the earth. He will be a king when he returns to the earth. But now in real present time, he is ministering in the office of high priest, which is what the writer of Hebrews explains and describes over and over again in this document that encompasses these 13 chapters. Now with that understanding of our Lord, as prophet in the past, as king in the future. We now are thinking about him in the office of high priest. I want to draw our attention to the opening verses of Hebrews chapter five, where the writer is describing the credentials or the qualifications that had to be met by a Jewish high priest if he were to function in that office under the old covenant, which of course was the Mosaic law. But before I launch into Hebrews chapter 5, let me remind us of something else that I also think is extremely important for us to understand. We know that from the creation of Adam to the time of the exodus of Israel when they were emancipated from the bondage of Egypt, that the male head of the family served as the priest of the family. It was his responsibility to offer sacrifices unto God for the family. But after the exodus, God set apart the firstborn males of each family for priestly service. And we read about it in Exodus chapter 13. But when Israel made that golden calf and began to worship that golden calf, as we read about it in Exodus chapter 32, and on the basis of what the tribe of Levi does, we recognize that God selected the tribe of Levi to take the place of the firstborn males. And furthermore, the tribe of Levi was given to Aaron and his sons to help and to assist him and them. Now listen to the various statements in the Old Testament. Listen to Exodus chapter 28, when God says this, about Aaron. Take a vow, he says to Moses, unto the Aaron, thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest's office, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar, Aaron's sons. Now that's what I read in Exodus chapter 28 and verse 1. Now listen again to Numbers chapter 3. What William read, listen to this statement in verse five and six. The Lord's speaking to Moses saying, bring the tribe of Levi near, present them before Aaron the priest that they may serve unto him. And then again, verse nine. Thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons. They are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel. That's Numbers chapter three, verses five and six and verse nine. Listen to Numbers chapter eight, verse 19. have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel. So when you talk about the tribe of Levi, the tribe of Levi given to Aaron and his sons. And the tribe of Levi was divided into three parts. You have the sons of Gershon, you have the sons of Gohoth, and you have the sons of Merari that we read about in these books of Moses. But the priesthood, the actual priesthood, centered in Aaron and his sons. So a priest within Israel had to prove his genealogical descent to Aaron and the tribe of Levi. Otherwise, he forfeited the right to serve as priest. So when we talk about all priests, All priests came from the tribe of Levi. But not all Levites were priests. The only way you could be a priest is to be from the family of Aaron. So I think about the priest from Aaron and from the tribe of Levi, and then I think about the tribe of Levi given to the priest in order to assist and help them in terms of the tabernacle and later on in terms of the temple. So if one wanted to serve in the office of our priest, he had to come from Aaron, obviously he had to come from the tribe of Levi, but he had to come from Aaron. but he could come from Aaron and from the tribe of Levi and still not serve as priest. He may have a physical imperfection and that would prohibit him from serving in this office. It could be a deformity, it could be a disease, it could be a wound, it could be a scar, and that would prohibit him from serving. Mammonites, the renowned medieval rabbi, classified 140 types of blemishes that would permanently disqualify a priest from service and 22 types that would temporarily disqualify him from serving as priest. So he had to come from Aaron, had to come from the tribe of Levi, and he could not have any kind of physical blemish. Otherwise, he forfeited the right to be able to serve. Moreover, even though a common priest wasn't required to be married, Harpreist was. Harpreist had to be married. He was required to be married. He had to marry a woman who had not been previously married, and she had to be Jewish by birth. So it's very interesting when you think about the various things in terms of a Jewish priest. From Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, no physical blemishes. He was required to be married. He had to marry a Jew by birth. Very interesting when you read about all of that. And then when you talk about a priest and when a priest served, it began at age 30. and then he served until he was 50. Then it was reduced to 25, and then during the time of David, it was 20. So there was an age restriction as well in terms of the priest. But when I come here to Hebrews chapter five, Hebrews chapter five spells out the credentials or qualifications that a high priest had to meet. And what is emphasized by the writer is the humanity of the high priest. It is the common feature that binds all of the credentials together. He had to be human, understanding all of the problems that put our gods as humans. And this is spelled out in very clear language when I read Hebrews chapter five, verses one and following. So let's pick it up, Hebrews chapter five, notice the opening verse. For every high priest, no exception to this, for every high priest while being taken from men. So he had to be taken from men. An angel would not qualify. Even God in the essence of his deity alone would not qualify. He had to be a human being. Obviously he had to be from the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron and all of these other things. But what the writer is emphasizing is his humanity. So when I read it here in verse one, every high priest, while being taken from men, and then I read this, is appointed or ordained or authorized for men. So not only did he have to be a human, but he had to represent other humans and serve their interest. He is appointed for men as their substitute. There's no self-appointment here. He is appointed. He is ordained by God for men. And then I read this in verse one. Not only do I read of his humanity and the fact that he, in his humanity, represents other humans and their interests, but then I read this. every high priest while being taken from men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God. So his whole life revolved around spiritual matters. It began in the tabernacle, it later moved into the temple, his life revolved around the religious calendar, around the sacrificial system, everything had to do with ministry. So when I read this opening verse and what the writer is saying, the high priest had to be human, he had to be able to represent other humans as their substitute, thinking about their interest, and he represented other humans before God in priestly service. Now that is what we read in these opening verses. But then when you come into the very latter part of verse one, notice he says, not only to the things pertaining to God, but then he makes this statement, in order that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. So according to these verses, the high priest was someone who was taken from men. He was appointed to represent men before God. And as he expresses it in verse one, he's talking about things pertaining to God, and then he specifies what he's talking about when he says, in order that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. So when you talk about the gifts and sacrifices for sins, what is he talking about there? Now, obviously, this is a never-ending activity on the part of the priest in bringing these offerings from the Israelites to God. But what does it mean when he talks about gifts and sacrifices? Because he uses that three times in this letter. We have it here in this verse. We have it in chapter eight. It is found in verse three. Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. And then we have it in chapter nine, verse nine, that he is to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So when you read of gifts and sacrifices in order that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, what is the distinction between gifts and sacrifices? Now if you think about the offerings of Leviticus chapters 1 through 7 in the Levitical manual, you have burnt, meal, peace, sin, and trespass offerings. You have those offerings described in Leviticus chapters one through seven. If you think of the first three, the birth, the meal, and the peace offerings, those were considered sweet savor offerings because they were voluntarily given by an Israelite. But when you talk about the last two, the sin and the trespass offerings, those were non-sweet savor offerings because they were mandatory. They had to be given. So some would say the distinction here between gifts and sacrifices are between these sweet-savor offerings that were voluntary and non-sweet-savor offerings that were mandatory. Others would say, well, the gifts would be the non-bloody offerings like the grain and the drink offering, and the sacrifices would be the bloody offerings, the animals that were sacrificed. So you read it here, and obviously the priest is offering both gifts and sacrifices for sins. But then when you read verse two, he defines what he means when he talks about sins. And he speaks of those who are ignorant and those who are wandering away. So we're talking about actual violations of the Mosaic Law that could be intentional or unintentional. In this case, he's talking about unintentional sins. How do we know? Because when you read those phrases that are used in verse two, they're linked together, the ones who are being ignorant and wandering away. So these are sins committed in ignorance and as a result, they deviated from the Mosaic law. Now there is no way that we're gonna say that ignorance of the law is any kind of excuse for disobedience. But the Old Testament made a distinction between sins of ignorance and sins that were presumptuously done. And the sacrifices were only made for sins of ignorance. There were no sacrifices that could be offered for presumptuous sins. The Israelite had to throw himself on the grace and mercy of God. The sacrificial system was only designed for sins of ignorance and that is what is being talked about here. So I read this and I understand in terms of ministry that the high priest is offering these gifts and sacrifices for sins and the sins are those committed by those who are ignorant and they've strayed away from the Mosaic law. But notice what he says about the high priest in terms of these people. Look at verse two. Being able to deal gently with the ones who are being ignorant and are wandering away. The high priest had the ability to deal gently with these people. Now when you read that little word or however it's translated in your Bibles, this is the only time this verb is used in the New Testament. It is a very interesting verb because it's a verb that means you're affected in a moderate way. You're affected in a moderate way. So the person has to be able to exercise moderation when it comes to his emotions. Whether we're talking about anger, whether we're talking about grief, whatever it would be, he has to exercise moderation. So the high priest had to maintain a position of balance between extreme indifference on the one side and excessive emotions on the other. He had to be able to perform his task according to the prescribed laws, but he could not become cold or professional or condone the sins of the people. His heart had to reach out to them. He had to be able to deal gently with them. And the writer says he was able to do it and gives the reason why. Now notice it again as I read it. And notice what he says. For every high priest, while being taken from men, is appointed for men and things pertaining to God in order that he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins, being able to deal gently with the ones who are being ignorant and are wandering away. So the high priest had to be someone who had this kind of compassion, not unduly disturbed, by the errors and the faults and the sins and the ignorance of others, he had to bear them gently. And the text says he can do it because of this. Since also he himself, and this is a very interesting word, it means you're putting something around like you're wearing something. So he's beset, he's encompassed with weakness. He can do this since also he himself, is being beset with weakness. He's faced with limitation. He's faced with frailty. All of which come with human flesh. We're all subject to the same problems, same temptations, same sins. We're plagued with the same problems, sicknesses and diseases and death. That was our priest. He had the same problems that the people had. So he can deal gently with them because he understood, because he was one of them. And he wrestled with the same problems. So I read this in verses one and two, and then I come to verse three. And on account of this, he ought, and notice that he ought just as concerning the people, so also concerning himself, to offer concerning sins. So the high priest had to offer a sacrifice for his own personal sins. as well as the sins of the people. If you remember what we read concerning the high priest of the day of atonement, Leviticus 16, he had to wash his body. And then after he washed his body, he was to offer a boy for a sin offering, which was for himself and for the sins of his family before he could offer another sin offering in behalf of the people. And the writer of Hebrews makes that point crystal clear as you read through this letter. You have it here in chapter five and this verse, verse three, but you have it again. You have it over in chapter seven. And you read it in chapter seven, in verse 27, when he talks about the high priest offering up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's. That's in chapter 7, 27. And then he says it again in chapter nine, and he says it in verse seven, the high priest went alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the heirs of the people. So when you talk about the high priest, like the people, he was a sinner. And consequently, he had to offer the appropriate sacrifices for himself and for his family before he offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people. So I'll read this in terms of the writer. And the writer is saying this, that when you talk about a high priest, he had to be a man. He had to be able to represent other men. He had to be engaged in spiritual services. He had to offer the gifts and sacrifices for sins. And he could do it with gentleness concerning the people because he wrestled with the same problems. Now look at what he says. In verse three, and on account of this he ought just as concerted the people, so also concerted himself to offer concerting sins, and notice verse four, and no one takes for himself this honor, but the one being called by God just as also Aaron. So he gives the negative and he gives the positive. No one can assume this honor on his own. You can't aspire for this position. You cannot train for this position. You cannot seize this position. Self-appointment's impossible. The positive is you had to be called by God. God had to call you, and God's the one who called Aaron, and Aaron was the first high priest. So I think of the credentials that a high priest had to meet in order to serve within the office of high priest. He had to be from Aaron, certainly had to be from the tribe of Levi. He couldn't have any physical blemishes. I mean, there were all kinds of things that you think about. And then you think about what the writer is saying, and he's emphasizing humanity. He's got to be human, otherwise he can't really understand the other people, and he's representing them. So I think of these credentials that a high priest had to meet in order to serve in this capacity. But let's think of that in comparison to Jesus. Now look at verse five. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest, but the one who said to him, you are my son, today I begot you, just as also to different places says, you are a priest forever, according to the manner of Melchizedek. It goes to the Psalms, Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, in order to buttress his argument. Now the one thing that the writer will emphasize throughout this document is the fact of the humanity of Jesus. In order for Jesus to qualify as a high priest, he had to become a member of the human race, which the writer of Hebrews says actually happened. So the preexisted eternal son, became the incarnate earthly son. He became one of us. Hebrews 2.9 says, he was made a little Lord than the angels. Hebrews 2.14 says, he became a partaker of our flesh and blood. Hebrews 5.7 says, in the days of his flesh. In the days of his flesh. So the second person of the Godhead actually condescended and became one of us. And when I read through the book of Hebrews, I read Jesus, the son of God, I read Jesus Christ, I read our Lord Jesus. But you know what we normally read eight times? Just Jesus. Just his name, Jesus. And if you read just his name, Jesus, eight times in this letter, he only uses the name Yeshua. And if he uses the name Yeshua, Yesus, He's emphasizing the fact of his humanity. So when I read through this letter, the writer wants me to understand how priests had to be human, and for Jesus to qualify as high priest, he had to become a human, and he became one of us. So let's think of it this way. The preexistent eternal son's always been the son. The preexistent eternal son became the incarnate earthly son. And when he came here, he learned by experience all that obedience in this earthly life entails. We could say he set himself on a path of obedience and he never left that path. And all along the way he learned in the harshest reality of suffering, what was involved. And that is emphasized all through this letter. Now I want you to notice a statement that is found about Jesus in terms of this letter. Would you go back to chapter 2 and I want you to notice the statement in verse 10. For it became him for whom are all things and through them are all things and bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of the salvation perfect through sufferings. Perfect through sufferings. Now look at chapter five and look at the statement in verse eight and nine. Though he were a son, chapter five, verse eight, though he were a son, yet learned the obedience by the things which he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all of them who obey him. Look at chapter seven and look at verse 28. But the law makes men high priests, which have weakness. But the word of the youth, which was since the law, makes the son who is perfected, who is perfect, forevermore. Now Kenneth Weiss makes this little comment, and I think it's good. The omniscient God knew what obedience was, but he never experienced it until it became incarnate in human flesh. Before his incarnation, he owed obedience to no one. There was no one greater than he to whom he could have rendered obedience. But now in incarnation, God the Son became obedient to God the Father. He learned experientially what obedience was. So what does it mean to say that Jesus became perfect by way of obedience and by way of the things that he suffered? When you read that word perfect in the book of Hebrews, in all of its various forms, it's found 20 times. In all of its various forms, it's about 20 times the word is used in the book of Hebrews. And the apostle Paul uses it in a certain way. Paul uses it in terms of maturity. You're an infant and you're becoming an adult, but the writer of Hebrews never uses it that way. The writer of Hebrews doesn't think along those lines at all. If you think of the word perfect, it is a priestly term. It is a priestly term. The writers use it this way. And when you think about the way he's using it, he's thinking about the inauguration of Jesus into the office of high priest and exercising the responsibilities of that office. That's what he's talking about. So if I read the word perfect, in terms of Jesus. I'm not saying he's sinful and then becomes sinless. That has nothing to do with anything. It simply is meaning that he is now qualified to be the priest. He has all of the credentials to serve as priest. He's been inaugurated into that office and he's now exercising the responsibilities of it. So when you think of the word, think of being installed as high priest in heaven. That's what it's saying. And when he's there, he can understand, he can sympathize, he can, he hasn't ever forgotten all of the things that he encountered here in this life. So when I think about the word perfection, as it's used in the book of Hebrews, it has to do with qualification. It has to do with preparation. It has to do with installation of the priest into that office and then serving as a priest. That's the way it's used. So I think of the preexistent eternal son who became the incarnate earthly son, who now on the basis of everything that he experienced here is qualified to be raised to the position of exalted son, and now he's in the position of high priest. He understands what it's like to be tempted in ways that we cannot even comprehend. He understands what it's like to suffer. He knows what's involved in obedience. He understands all of it. So he had to become one of us. He had to experience temptations and sufferings in order to be able to deal gently with us. And he had to be able to offer a sacrifice, which he did. And the sacrifice was himself. He offered up himself, which the writer of Hebrews will say over and over again. Hebrews chapter seven, verse 27, when he offered up himself. Hebrews chapter nine, verse 26, he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So the preexistent eternal son who became the incarnate earthly son has now become the exalted star who has now entered into the office of our priest and can deal with us gently because of all the things that he experienced in this realm. Which the writer of Hebrews will emphasize. Now like what one writer says, he puts it like this. In this perfecting, Jesus was qualified or given credentials demonstrating his worthiness to act as our priest. He became the perfect high priest in the sense that he showed his sinlessness, a full obedience to God's will despite temptation. He became sympathetic through his identification with humanity in incarnation, temptation, and suffering. And he ultimately went to the cross and offered himself as the fully effective sacrifice for sin. Well, here's the way John Newton put it. In our nature, Christ fulfilled the law which we had broken. He sustained the penalty we had incurred. He vanquished the enemies we had to encounter. He trod the path which he's marked out for us. He's entered in our name into that heaven he has promised us, and he retains his sympathy with us in all of our sufferings and temptations, inasmuch as he himself has suffered while being tempted. And it's the reason why the writer of Hebrews will say in Hebrews chapter 3 verse 1, Wherefore, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our confession, Jesus. Consider him. Or in chapter four and verse 14, seeing that we have a great high priest that has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let's hold fast our confession. Or chapter eight and verse one, now the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who has sat on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, and there's no one like him. Our salvation is found in him. He had to become one of us, he did. He had to be able to sympathize, he can. He had to offer, he did. He did it all in order that we might be saved. And today, right now, he's in heaven as our great high priest. And the only way that we can reach his father through him. The writer of Hebrews says he's the mediator, says it three times, he's the mediator. No other way. It's only through him. I just read a sermon by John Newton that I very much appreciated where he talked about Jesus becoming one of us. And then he made three observations from it. First, his wonderful condescension that for us in our salvation he stooped so low, drew a veil over his eternal glories and appeared in the form of a slave to suffer and to die. Second, what a blessed and glorious hope is set before awakened sinners. And then third, how awful must be the case of those who shall be found in final rebellion against him and die in a state of impotence and unbelief. And then he writes, will kiss the sun, throw down your arms, fall prostrate at his footstool, lest its anger awake, and you perish without hope. For in a little time, the great David's wrath will be revealed, which will burn like a furnace, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Then will it appear that those and only those are blessed who put their trust in him. For those who trusted him shall never be ashamed, but when Christ, who is their life, shall appear, they also shall appear with him in glory. He's the one we think about this morning. He's the one that the writer of Hebrews exalts, and he's the one that we reflect upon, his person and his work, when we think of communion and what communion represents. So I want us to spend just a few moments in preparation of our own hearts and minds before we observe these elements of communion.