Priestly King and Propitiation

SERMON DATE:​ December 22, 2019

SERMON BY:​ Jason Palmer and Mike Little

INTRODUCTION: Over the last couple of months we have been studying the book of Hosea. We have been slowly walking, verse by verse, into the depths that the book has to offer, and what we have seen so far is that Israel has consistently rejected God and pursued other gods instead. Their problems stemmed from the fact that Israel had very poor leadership. The priests were bad, the kings were bad, the government leaders were bad and together they were leading the people away from God and down a path of perpetual sin. The consequence of it all was that the whole nation suffered, for sin was everywhere, and they were going to be punished for it by the Holy God that they forgot. So, it was due to the lack of Godly leadership that led to Israel’s demise. Ever since, Israel has been eagerly waiting for their Messiah, the Anointed One, the One Who would come and save the day. He would be their king. He would be their priest and for years they have waited. Even today, most of Israel still waits. For us as believers, we know that He has already come and that He will come again one day in the future. We know Him to be Jesus and it is because of Him that we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is us celebrating His first coming. And so, as we look at today’s scripture, we hope that you can see Jesus and that with Him:

1) We are provided with the Great Priestly King, the One Who surpasses all other priests and kings of history, including the ones in Hosea’s time.

2) We are provided with the propitiation for our sins. The One Who is fully capable of satisfying the full wrath of God on our behalf.

TEXT: Different Passages from Bible.

PRAYER:

EXPOSITION 1: CHRISTMAS BRINGS US THE GREAT PRIESTLY KING:​ Jason Palmer

The problems in poor leadership that we find in Hosea start further back in time. I mean way back in time. Hosea’s problems in leadership can be found all the way back in the garden of Eden. It was there in the garden where God placed man, Adam, and woman, Eve, for them to be His people and He to be their God. Together they were to worship God in His creation. It was here where we find Satan disguised as a serpent coming into a garden that was declared “good” and tempting Adam and Eve into mankind’s first sin. How did he do it? Well, first the serpent tempted Eve to sin through the twisting of God’s words. Then she went and convinced Adam to sin. So, together they both

1 sinned and transgressed God’s covenant. There is a lot that we can talk about here, but the two major points I want to draw out here are this. 1) Adam’s irresponsible leadership helped lead to the fall. For example, why did Adam let Eve listen to a creature when God gave mankind dominion over the animals, not the other way around? Also, after Eve was tempted by the serpent, why did Adam choose to listen to her and not obey the word’s of God spoken to him by God Himself? 2) With the fall of man, God in His gracious, loving manner promised an offspring that would save mankind and undo all that sin caused. God promised mankind a Savior and according to Genesis 3:15, this savior will crush the head of the Serpent in Genesis 3:15. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This Promised Savior, that God revealed to mankind, would save the day by being the second, better Adam and by being the better husband and the better spiritual leader that Adam was not. He would be the Spiritual leader who would faithfully lead His bride to safety. From Genesis 3, and throughout the rest of scripture, God would reveal to His prophets, and us, glimpses about the identity of this Savior. So, let’s take a look at some of the prophetic passages and see this Promised Savior throughout Scripture. Who He is and what He will do.

In Genesis 12:3,God told Abraham that through His blood line, God would bring about His Promised Savior and how this One would bless all peoples on earth. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3).

In Genesis 49:10, God told Moses that this Promised Savior would come through the tribe of Judah. "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his" (Genesis 49:10).

In I Samuel 7:12-16, God speaks through Nathan to David that this Promised Savior would come through his blood line, that is the line of David who comes from the tribe of Judah. Therefore, this Promised Savior would be a royal Savior. He will be a king Who is better than king David.

12 When​ your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 1​ 3 He​ shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ​14 I​ will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with

2 the stripes of the sons of men, 1​ 5 but​ my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 1​ 6 And​ your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

So far, from what we have just read, we can see how the Promised Savior of Genesis 3:15 is going to come from the tribe of Judah to be an eternal King, and bless all the nations. This would have been particularly important to the Israelites because after David, who had his own failures, Israel never had much luck in regards to having good kings lead them. Think about our time in Hosea so far. Again, how good have the kings been from Hosea’s perspective? Not good at all. Again, this has been a common problem for Israel, and so, they have been waiting and even today many are still waiting for the promised, eternal, righteous King Who has been foretold in the scriptures.

Now let’s go to Psalm 110, and see what else we can learn about this Promised Savior, Righteous King, from a Psalm that was actually written by one of Israel’s better kings, King David Himself.

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ​2 The​ Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3​ ​Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4​ ​The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” ​5 The​ Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. ​6 He​ will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. ​7 He​ will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

In Psalm 110, it is pretty apparent that David is writing about the coming Messiah, the Promised Savior. We know this by how many times that the New Testament writers referenced this Psalm. Jesus Himself interpreted it this way (Mt 22:42–45) and so too, the apostles (Ac 2:34; 1 Co 15:25; Heb 1:13). So for us today, there is really no other way to interpret this Psalm. As one commentator put it. “The Psalm celebrates the exaltation of Christ to the throne of an eternal and increasing kingdom, and a perpetual priesthood (Zec 6:13), involving the subjugation of His enemies and the multiplication of His subjects, and rendered infallibly certain by the word and oath of Almighty God.”1 Did you hear that, the Messiah, the Promised One, will not only be a King but He will also be a Priest, something that Zechariah 6:13 references as well. Israel is not awaiting for just any King, but

1 ​ Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997).​ ​Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 380). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research ​ Systems, Inc.

3 a Priestly King. This is no shocker for us because we learned all about how Jesus is the Great High Priest from the Book of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 7 we learned about Melchizedek whom David referenced here in this Psalm. Melchizedek is a mysterious priest found in Genesis 14. It is there that we read about him coming out to meet Abram. When we studied Hebrews 7, we learned that for One​​ , Melchizedek was not like any other king of his time. He didn’t come out to take and conquer, but he came out to bless. Melchizedek came out and met Abram and brought to him a gift of bread and wine, then followed that up by giving a blessing to Abram. ​Two​, Melchizedek was introduced as the Priest of the God most high. He was not of Abram’s descent, so he was not Jewish, and yet he was considered a priest of God. Melchizedek was a Canaanite who worshipped and served the One, True, God. Somehow in God’s providence, God chose Melchizedek to be a priest of Him! ​Three​, Michelzedek’s name literally means, the King of Righteousness. He was also the King of Salem, meaning King of Peace. Melchizedek was known as a king and priest. ​Four​, Melchizedek received a tithe from Abraham. The great Abraham, father of Judaism, the one whom the Jews revered, gave this Canaanite, priestly king, an offering. This would be a big deal for the Jews because the only ones that received tithes in Judaism would have been their priests, and those priests came from the tribe of Levi. No, non-jewish priests would be given a tithe from a Jewish man. So with Melchizedek, we see that there is another priesthood that precedes Aaron and the levites. This priesthood is older and greater than Judaism itself. So, in Hebrews 7, the author wants to show his Jewish readers that the priesthood of Melchizedek is a legitimate priesthood that is greater than the Levitical priesthood that the Jews believed in. Why is this so important? Because earlier, the author of Hebrews wrote about how Jesus is our great High Priest, and as we already know, Jesus is not of the tribe of Levi, He is from Judah. So how can Jesus fulfill the prophecies about coming from the tribe of Judah and at the same time still be called our High Priest? To show that Jesus can be both, the author of Hebrews shows his readers that there is this other priestly line that is even greater than the Levitical line, the one like Melchizedek, that Jesus came from. Five​​ , looking back at Hebrews 7:3. The author writes the following about Melchizedek, “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” Get this, there is no genealogy found for Melchizedek. He disappears as quickly as he appears, and this statement made by the author of Hebrews is quite interesting. Some people want to make the case that Melchizedek had no beginning nor end, and just like Jesus, he is eternal. In fact, some want to say that Melchizedek is the preincarnate Christ. Literally, Jesus in the Old Testament. Like one commentator wrote, “The silence of Scripture concerning Melchizedek’s parents and family line is stressed by the writer to ​amplify​ the concept of the uniqueness of his priesthood, and not as a proof of that uniqueness (cf. Horton, 159–60). It implies that Melchizedek’s priesthood was not established upon the external circumstances of birth and descent. It was based on the call of God and not on the hereditary process by which the Levitical priesthood was sustained (cf. 5:5–6; 7:14). Without a recorded priestly genealogy, Melchizedek could not have qualified for Levitical priesthood. Nevertheless, this man was the priest of God Most

4 High, and Abraham recognized his dignity.”2 Also, by showing that Melchizedek had no genealogy symbolically shows that his priesthood is eternal. It has no real beginning or end like the Levitical priesthood. So again, Melchizedek’s priesthood is different from the levitical priesthood. “Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance from recorded history evoked the notion of eternity, which was only prefigured in Melchizedek but was realized in Christ. Consequently, Melchizedek ​foreshadows​ the priesthood of Christ at that point where it is most fundamentally different from the Levitical priesthood.”3 This is important for us to understand. Melchizedek was an old testament prototype, before Israel existed, before the levitical priesthood and law were developed, an example of Christ in his priesthood was seen in Melchizedek, and though this be true, it is important to realize that this man was not Christ Himself. Melchizedek was used for prophetic purposes, not salvific. This is how David understood Melchizedek when he wrote Psalm 110:4. David is looking forward to one who would come from his family, and be the GREAT PRIESTLY KING to lead His people. Back in Hosea’s time they would have been looking forward to this Promised Savior, this Priestly King. We all know Who this one is, Jesus, God in flesh. Jesus came to earth to be the greater second Adam, the great Savior, the greatest king, and the Great High Priest. He is exactly why we are here today and why we celebrate Christmas this week. The great Priestly King has arrived. Now Mike is going to share the two typical responses to Jesus’ coming and how His coming leads to our propitiation for sins.

EXPOSITION 2: CHRISTMAS LEADS TO OUR PROPITIATION- Mike Little

After Jesus was born there were 2 typical responses to Him. 1) hatred and persecution 2) worship and praise. The first response of hatred and persecution we see from Herod.

Let’s read about Herod’s encounter with the wise men.

Matthew 2:1–18 (ESV)

The Visit of the Wise Men

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2​ saying,​ “Where is he who has been born king​ of the Jews?​ For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3​ When​ Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ​4 and​ assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ was to be born. ​5 They​ told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

2 Lane, W. L. (1991). ​ ​Hebrews 1–8 (Vol. 47A, p. 166). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. ​ ​ 3 Lane, W. L. (1991). ​ ​Hebrews 1–8 (Vol. 47A, p. 166). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. ​ ​

5 6 ​ “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 ​ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8​ And​ he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9​ After​ listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 1​ 0 ​When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ​11 And​ going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. ​12 And​ being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 ​ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ​14 And​ he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ​15 and​ remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 ​ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ​17 Then​ was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 ​ “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Herod

The story of Herod the Great in the birth of Jesus is an important one. It not only reveals his ruthlessness and cruelty, it proves Jesus is the Son of God and fulfills prophecy. Herod was reaching the end of his reign. He is known for major construction achievements but he is also remembered for his extreme paranoia. Herod would do anything to protect his own interests. He viewed the

6 birth of Jesus as a threat to his own power. Herod was full of fear. He attempted to remove this threat by ordering the massacre of all the male children at Bethlehem under the age of two. He chose the age of two based on what the wisemen had told him. Jesus was probably one or one and a half years old at the time. It is believed that there were about 2 dozen male children in Bethlehem. Herod recognized the truth in the Old Testament prophesy of God’s plan to send His Son to the world but it was in his arrogance that he thought he could force his will over God’s will. He thought he could kill the Messiah and continue his life his way without God. Is this not what we want to do sometimes as well? Do we want to remove God from our lives so that we can do what is right in our own eyes? Do we set God aside for a little while so we can do what we think is in our best interest? No one has ever thwarted God’s plan, no man, no angel, not even Satan. We will never stop God’s plan. God thwarted Herod’s plan to save Jesus and to preserve our salvation.

This is not the first time that man has attempted to destroyed Israel’s future. Do you remember the story of Moses? As a child Moses escaped being killed by the Egyptians. His mother put him in a basket in the Nile River. As an adult he was exiled and he returned to Egypt to deliver God’s people. Some commentaries say that Jesus will play the role of the new Moses who will deliver his people. Christ will return from Egypt to deliver His people. At the time of Christ, we see the example of Herod as a ruthless leader. Leaders of Christ’s time were just as corrupt as the leaders we see in Hosea. Has that changed today? Do we still have leaders as corrupt as in Hosea’s time or in the time of Christ? Do we have godly leaders today? We could say yes to both of those questions. What happens when evil comes against God’s plan? We have one example in this story. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told them to flee to Egypt. Let’s read Matthew 2:14-16.

14 And​ he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ​15 ​and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “​Out of Egypt I called my son​.”

Why did the angel tell them to go to Egypt? Verse 15 says it was “to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet”. Who was the prophet? Let’s turn to Hosea 11:1. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and ​out of Egypt I called my son​.” Hosea was the prophet. Your Bible may have another reference to Numbers 24:8, ​8 God​ brings him out of Egypt. The scene was being set for those prophecies to be fulfilled by Jesus when he returned from Egypt. Joseph obeyed, he gathered [1] his family and left immediately for Egypt. They stayed in Egypt until Herod the Great died.​

In verse 2 it says, “Where is he who has been born ​king of the Jews?​ For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” At Jesus’ birth He is the “King of the Jews”. ~~~The next time we see this title is in Matthew chapter 27.

Matthew 27:27–31 (ESV)

7 27 ​ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. ​28 And​ they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and​ twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 3​ 0 ​And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ​31 And​ when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Jesus was stripped of His robe. The soldiers spit on Him. They beat Him. They humiliated Him publicly. They mocked Him as King.~~ The soldiers put a sign above His head on the cross, “King of the Jews”. Unknown to the soldiers they were proclaiming truth. Just as it was proclaimed at Jesus’ birth, it was proclaimed at the cross. When Jesus died on the cross the earth became dark, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, and Christ replaced the animal sacrifices. By the end of the day the soldiers said, “This man really was God’s son.” ~~What really happened on the cross? We answered this in our study of John’s epistles. Christ was the propitiation for our sins. Let’s read

Propitiation

1 John 4:10 (ESV) “​10 ​In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The last phrase is “and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. The word sent means the Son was sent for a purpose. The purpose is the propitiation for our sins. What is propitiation?

Propitiation is a sacrifice that bears the full wrath of God but it also changes the wrath of God into favor. Propitiation is not just taking our punishment for our sin but it is about giving us an unmerited, underserved reward through His grace. Jesus did more than die in our place. He gave us righteousness too. He gave us what we could never obtain on our own. We share in His righteous nature and we will spend eternity in heaven with Him. Jesus reigns as our High Priest under the new covenant.

This story is not over yet. Jesus is coming back. 1 Thessalonians 5:1–2 (ESV) 5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2​ For​ you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Last week Lee taught on Hosea 8. He told us about the watchmen and how they were always on watch for anyone who would attack the city. We are to always be looking for Jesus’ return like a thief in the night. We do not know when Jesus will return but we are always looking for Him. And we are actively waiting together by studying together, living life together, praying together, and

8 sharing Christ with others. This leads us to the second response to Christ. Until Christ returns, we will praise and worship Him.

Conclusion/Application:

We look forward to our Christmas Eve service where we will celebrate the birth of Jesus. We will read scripture, sing and pray together. Many of you know the story of Jesus’ birth. Where was Jesus born? He was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn. He was placed in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Men of very humble means and men of great wealth visited the baby Jesus, the King of the Jews. This is what the birth of Jesus was like. What does our Christmas’ look like today? We go all out don’t we? I am in no way saying you should not have nice meals and give gifts and have a wonderful time with family and friends. It is a time and a season that should be celebrated. I think it is wise to keep Christmas in proper perspective. Jesus’ birth was so simple and modest. I wonder if in part, the reason for this may have been to remove all distractions. Our relationship with Christ is simply our faith in Him and our worship to Him as the Messiah. Nothing else really matters. At Christmas we have both the Priest and the King. There could be no crucifixion and resurrection without the birth. There would be no need for the birth if we were not in need of propitiation of sins through Christ. As we celebrate this season let’s keep both in mind.

PRAYER

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