The Twelve: St. John

St. John

Meaning of the name: St. John had a Hebrew name Johanan, meaning “YHWH is gracious.” The name often appears in the list of priest before and after the Babylonian exile (Nehemiah 12:21-22 [cp. 12:10-11]). The Jews had a custom to keep the names within the family (cp. Luke 1:57-64). The fact of his potential priestly lineage will be important later.

Also, he and his brother James (Jacob) had a “title” sons of thunder. It can mean of their temperaments or ambitions (see later). It also can refer to the power of the voice, or a reverence for the LORD – for Psalm 29:3 describes Thunder as the voice of the LORD over waters. See also Exodus 19:19, 1 Samuel 7:10, and Revelation 11:19 – all of these places talk about thunder as a sign of God's presence.

Life story: He is a part of every major story with Jesus which made him one of the three pillars of the Church. Similarly to our lesson about St. Peter, we will pick just a handful stories that might paint a picture with large brush strokes.

Notes on the ministry of High Priest

 Notes on the High Priest                                                                             November 10, 2024

 

Three main parts of HP job description:

1. Redeeming power of HP death (Number 35:28)

2. Anointment of a king (1 King 1:38-46)

3. Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)

  

Let’s go in reversed order [chiastic structure :)]

SERMON: Preeminence of Christ over Old Testament High Priest

Preeminence of Christ over OT High Priest

Text: Hebrews 9:24-28

I. Intro. A reminder about the series on Hebrews. So far, we talked about

Angels,

Moses,

Sabbath rest…

Today we will talk about a ministry of High Priest   

 

II.a. High Priest “job description”

i. Anointing of a king (1 Kings 1:38-46)

ii. Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)

iii. Death of a high priest releases people from the cities of refuge (Num.35:28)

 

What is the Day of Atonement? 

 

II.b. Preeminence of Christ (Hebrews 9:26)    

He made a proper sacrifice

He brought His own blood

This is permanent – no need to repeat it!

 

III. Take out – Jesus did it on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24)

   When we receive new members as newly born children of the Church, we know that their sins are forgiven.

   When we come to God in prayer, we can be sure that He listens.

   We do not repeat the sacrifice ON the altar, we receive the benefit of His sacrifice AT the altar.

   Even dying we find comfort, knowing that His sacrifice established a firm stairway to heaven when He awaits for us.