Tim Forand

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Sunday Morning Service

Jeremy Richards

Copalis Community Church

20 September 2026

Bible References

• Hebrews 5:1-4

Audio MP3 PDF

I would just like to say, in looking at the Book of Hebrews, that I would say as a whole in the Christian church in the United States that priestly ministry of Jesus Christ is vastly underrated, preached, explored, understood. And so I really pray that no matter what or how you feel about the teaching, I pray it builds in you a desire to understand that ministry of Jesus Christ as our High priest, it is extraordinarily important. Without it, you are left in a relationship with God that cannot be reconciled. You do not possess the physical, emotional, spiritual attributes to deal with God on a one, on one basis. It is necessary to have an intermediary between you and God the Father.

If you didn't, you would be judged according to your works. That's it. The thoughts of your minds and heart would become apparent to that great judge of the whole earth who has viewed you from your inception until this moment. Without doubt, that is not how you want to be judged. You may think you're a good person, but I don't think you would think it for very long.

We need an intermediary on our behalf to take our guilt, our case, to the righteous God, the Judge of the whole earth. So I pray that no matter how you feel today, that your mind is focused to understand Jesus as your high priest. It is necessary. Just because an individual may not confess Jesus as high priest doesn't mean you don't try to have one of your own. Right?

Jesus is superior to all attempts at priesthood that we may offer. So we're going to be in chapter five. And so we're going to look at qualifications for priesthood. There are qualifications in which a priest has to meet in order to be considered for priesthood. If they don't meet these qualifications, they are not considered fit for service.

If you remember that the northern and southern kingdom of the land of Israel split, split after Rehoboam, Solomon's son Rehoboam, lost control. It was prophesied that because of Solomon's unfaithfulness that 10 tribes would be ripped away. And not in his reign, but in the reign of his son. And that happened in the 10 northern tribes became the nation of Israel. The southern two tribes, which included Benjamin, which was surrounded by Judah, became the kingdom of Judah.

And the descendants of David ruled over the nation of Judah until they were taken captive by Babylon. Right? They had the temple, they had the priestly service and such. Jeroboam, who became responsible for taking the 10 tribes, the northern 10 tribes, he immediately saw the problem. Hey, if these 10 tribes have to go to the speech spiritual center of Israel in Jerusalem.

Their hearts are going to be remain attached to Judah, right? Because Jerusalem, where the temple was, where the ark was, the spiritual center of Israel was in the nation of Judah. And so Jeroboam was concerned, hey, look, if they have to travel there at least once a year, eventually their alliances are going to return to Judah. And he came up with solution. What we need to do is make a spiritual center in the Northern kingdom so that these 10 tribes don't have to travel to Jerusalem and they will be content spiritually.

So he said, I'm going to make two gods. I'm going to put one in Samaria and the other in Dan. And he said, it's too far for you to travel to Jerusalem. These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt, these molded images. And then he began to make priests from every class of people.

These were, if you remember, the only individual who were instructed to be able to be priests were of the tribe of Levi, from the house of Aaron. So Aaron and his sons were consecrated to be priests. But in this new religion in the Northern kingdom, it didn't matter what class of people you were. Anyone who set their heart on being a priest could become a priest. Kind of like in America, we're told, you know, if you really want to become president, you can.

Right? I'm not absolutely sure that's true, but maybe it is, right? And so these people from every class of people became priests, but they did not meet the qualifications for priesthood. Right. They only wanted to be priests.

We see that throughout history in different churches, the individuals were basically put up the priesthood for sale. If you had financial ability or intellectual ability, you could become priest. But it was based more on your financial situation or your education rather than these qualifications. So we're going to priest put out a list in chapter five, a list of qualifications. And then obviously we're going to see how Jesus Christ meets these qualifications for priesthood.

But in looking at these qualifications, I also want to examine our personal ability to be priests, because we are called to as followers of Christ to be a witness of his priesthood. In a similar way, everyone understands that in Grays harbor county there is only one sheriff, right. That when you get pulled over on the road, you're not getting pulled over by the sheriff, that he sits behind a desk and signs papers and such. Right. You're getting pulled over by a deputy, an under sheriff.

Right. One who takes his authority from the sheriff. And so in a similar way, Jesus is high priest, but we have been called as priests, a kingdom of kings and priests to serve him in his ministry. So let's start in chapter five, chapter five, verse one. It says, for every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. Because of this he was required as for the people, so also for himself to offer sacrifices for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So here we see four different things that are qualifications for priesthood. That without an individual meeting these qualifications, their priesthood priesthood is disqualified.

Jesus is the high priest before God. He is the recognized intermediary between God and man. But this does not mean that there are not others who attempt to be a high priest.

It does not mean that just because this is the only way by which man can successfully approach the throne of God, it does not mean that there are not other ways in which men try to approach the throne of God. It is true that this is the only successful method by which men may be reconciled to a holy God. But it does not mean that people, people aren't trying to be reconciled through other means. So here my hope is, is that as we look at these qualifications, we may recognize that there are imposters. Everyone knows in the Catholic Church there was at least one time in which there were two popes, right?

And each one thought they were the pope who was the real pope. And so they battled and fought in armies and this and that until one, I don't know if he was killed or what. And then there was only one pope after that, right? There is only one great high priest, but there are imposters. So let's look at these things, these qualifications for every high priest taken from among men is appointed in things pertaining to God that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin.

So here we see that a high priest is appointed for men that he has a responsibility in taking the spiritual needs of people and bringing them before God. Things pertaining to God. Excuse me, this guy got stuck in here.

If an individual cannot successfully bring the needs of the people before God, that individual should not be qualified as a high priest. I did some work for a guy up in Pacific beach and he was kind of like a quasi lawyer. He was not a lawyer, but he found a way in which he could successfully, from his opinion, navigate the legal complexities of Grays Harbor. He said he used to get pulled over for drunk driving and for smoking marijuana while he was driving. But he doesn't anymore.

He said, they learned to leave me alone. I basically made it. This is him saying, I made it so hard on them every time they pulled me over that now they don't pull me any over anymore. I don't have a license. I drive drunk.

I drive when I'm smoking marijuana and they leave me alone. And he's like, I am trying to get other people to follow my prescribed method. I want them to do the same thing. And I'm telling them, look, if you take the path that I am telling you, they will leave you alone. Also, he said would say freely, I'm not a lawyer.

But he was trying to get people to follow his advice to some degree. That may work in Grays Harbor County.

You could make it so painful on the sheriff. They're just like, okay, that's it. He's not even worth it. But just because Grays harbor county will give up does not mean the king of kings will give up. Does not mean that he will turn aside from justice.

This individual who is the high priest has to be capable of bringing the needs of people before God. If they cannot do that, they cannot be high priest. If you have a lawyer, but they can't represent you in court because of certain disqualifications, they should not be considered as a lawyer here. This individual who is high priest has to be able to successfully bring a case before God Almighty. In doing so, he has to be able to bring two things.

He has to be successfully be able to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. This individual has to be able to offer to God gifts and sacrifices. So if you remember that great book of the Bible that we call Leviticus, your favorite book, right, Everyone? Anyone remember it? Leviticus is one of the first books and it talks about, soon as you get into it.

What are you talking about? Sacrifices. You know, when you have a burnt offering, this is what you to do. You know, you take this animal, you put your hands on its head, you kill it, you put the blood on the side of the altar. You know, you take it, open it up, you take all the fat out, the fat that's attached to the kidney, the lobe that's on top of the liver, all the fat that's surrounding the intestines.

You wash the intestines with water, you burn all the fat on the altar, you take the rest of the animal and you burn it here. This food is this. The meat that's left is for this class of Priests. And everyone's like, this is wonderful. Can't wait to start in Leviticus again, right?

And then they talk about the sin offering and it goes through the same thing. This is where you kill it. This was happened to his blood. This is what you do with this fat. This is what you do with this flesh.

This is who gets the hide. This is who gets the meat. And then you get into the trespass offering and the wave offering and the sin offering, and you're like, oh, boy, where are we? Right, left is this. What does this have to do with anything?

But here we see that these high priests, the sons of Aaron, were called in a prescribed way to offer specific sacrifices for the purpose of identifying with an area of God's nature that had to be satisfied. We can only assume, even to our incredulity or our misunderstanding, that these things seem to be bizarre. Some of us have never even killed an animal. I remember the first time that I thought it would be a good idea to take a sheep or a goat and instead of shooting it in the head, cut its throat.

Oh, no, that's hard, not fun. I don't recommend it at all. We are so separated from death that we don't understand where meat comes from.

These individuals offered specific sacrifices in a prescribed manner for the purpose of reconciling an area of mankind with the holy God. It was necessary that the shadow, which is not the true, that it attempted to deal with these very real areas of God's justice, that he had areas that had to at least try to be satisfied. And the law had a shadow of it attempted to do it through these specific sacrifices. It was necessary to satisfy the judgment of God that these things should be attempted.

It could not do it. But that does not mean those areas of God's nature do not need to be satisfied. The high priest at least has to make an attempt to satisfy those areas of God's justice. Some high priests today don't even recognize that those areas of justice exist. They tell you that you could do almost anything to make God happy.

Some people are left, I hate to say this, not because I hate McDonald's, but they pay for someone's meal at McDonald's and they're left feeling for a week that they've done good.

But they're not addressing these very real areas of God's nature that Leviticus at least makes a legal attempt to satisfy. They exist. And a high priest cannot be a high priest unless they satisfy the area to be able to make these sacrifices and gifts for people. Now we have to believe that Jesus Christ successfully made these sacrifices and gifts where others have failed. But it has to be addressed, it cannot be overlooked.

Even those first, the first ministers, those high priests, the sons of Aaron, after they had put on the special underwear, after they had put on the linen garments, after they had all these fancy things on them, attempted to be high priest in a way that was outside their legal requirements. They stepped out of bounds, as it were. They were much more fit for offering those sacrifices and yet they took their sensors and did something that was unlawful. They tried to do the high priest thing in their own way.

Anyone remember who got sacrificed that day?

It wasn't the animals that got burnt. It was, but it was them that got burnt. You see, to approach this holy God successfully means you have to address these areas. They must be addressed. We cannot overlook them.

That there is a successful way to offer gifts, sacrifices. Without this ability, none can be high priest. What would you think of a lawyer who had a hundred percent rate of failure?

People shouldn't be knocking at their doors and paying them money. I have lost every single case. I have represented people unsuccessfully every time.

If they can't bring a successful resolution to the needs of spiritual man, they should be avoided. And yet people flock to these people paying them money. Have you ever successfully represented someone before the throne of God Almighty? No. They say, then why do we go to them?

Why do we listen to their advice? Why do we put effort into the things that they cannot do? Someone, in order to be high priest, they have to successfully be able to bring sacrifices and gifts to God Almighty.

Number two, he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray. Since he himself is also subject to weakness, this individual has to be able to have compassion. Individuals who are in distress, this individual, it cannot be someone who cannot identify with the needs of the people. All over we have people pretending to represent individuals who really have no care for people. Right.

I hate to. I hope no one's a lawyer here and it's not. My, my. Sandra Koch actually is a lawyer, but she's not here. But sometimes we have a view of lawyers that they really don't have much compassion on people.

That they're not interested for the needs of the people, but rather what the people can give them. Here we see that a high priest has to be able to have compassion on certain people. Therefore he has to express experience that which the people experience. There are some things here. In verse 2 it says he has to have compassion on certain people in order to be high priest.

He has to be able to have compassion on a certain type of people. Now I began wondering, is this the only kind of people he can have passion on? Are there only two types of people that a high priest can have compassion on? Is he not able to show compassion to other kinds of people? It may be that I feel that.

What's the saying? He is only able to show compassion on certain kinds of people.

Now, Christians in the Bible are described sometimes in good terms and sometimes not so good terms. I can't remember where it says, but he says, look, among you, not many high, not many mighty people are called, right? That those people who heard the words of Jesus gladly were a certain kind of people.

They said of the disciples, you know, look, none of the rulers have believed in Jesus. But it's these low people, these outcasts, the unlearned. They are the people that have believed in Jesus. In order for Jesus to be high priest, in order for there to be high priest, he has to have compassion. We're going to look at that.

Just a minute. But it says, since he himself is also subject to weakness, as I look about this, it says that he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray. I have looked at the parable of the two sons for a while. And there was of course, two sons, right? And they were told by their father, you know, go out into the fields and work.

He told them both. And the first one said, I go, sir. The second one said, I don't go, sir. I'm staying home, I'm watching cartoons or whichever, right? And then in the course of time, the one who said, I go, sir, changed his mind and said, no, I'm not going.

And the other one said, you know, this is wrong, I'm going. And he said, which of them do you think did the will of his Father in heaven? The one who said, I go or the one who said, I don't go? Isn't that strange? Do we have to say I don't go to do the will of the Father in heaven?

Is it is necessary that we become like the second Son rather than the first son? So many of us are so quick to say, I go, sir, and never go. But the end is it. Are the only people who go? What I'm trying to ask is, does ever a person who says, I go, sir, do they ever go?

Or is the only people who ever go the only ones who say, no, sir, I won't go. What's your thoughts?

I've been struggling with that for a while now. And I'm coming to the perspective that the only people who really come to the high priest are those who are ignorant in going astray. Those the people who say they can see never end up seeing. But the people who say I can't see, they are the ones who end up seeing. There is a place I believe in us as individuals that without recognizing who we are inside, never will do anything outside.

Unless we recognize I am ignorant and going astray, I will never do anything. That true spiritual light actually comes from the recognition of how rebellious I am in my nature.

One of the tremendously wrong things about Christianity and Christian people now is we try to prove to ourselves and everyone else how good we are and we never go. Sir.

With a real recognition that the very best thing that you've ever done spiritually is compromised, is tainted, is laced, it has arsenic in its base. There has never been any action that you have ever done that was ever devoid of selfishness, greed and pride and ugliness that if one thing that you thought you could stand before God with he would reject automatically.

And yet we hold on to those things and never go. Sir. The very thing that makes us able is we're ignorant and going astray. It is qualifications for entering his kingdom. You must be be ignorant.

You must be devoid of your own wisdom. You have to become like a child or why in the world would you accept someone else? It's amazing how children will sometimes accept without real much thought the advice of other people. Sometimes the advice they accept is not good.

You and I also need to be aware that we are ignorant by nature and going astray. But this high priest it says, has to also be subject to the same weakness. Jesus came and walked. A high priest has to recognize who they are. Also.

If he couldn't recognize who he was in his flesh, he cannot see successfully bring the case of those who are devoid of wisdom in their flesh. He had to lay aside all reference to understanding of his divinity and take on the true nature of you and I. It says in just a few verses back he was tempted in every way that you are that we are without sin. In Isaiah I believe in chapter 42 there's a interesting scripture that talks about the Messiah and astonishing at least two places in the New Testament this chapter 42 is brought up concerning the Messiah. But there is a section in here where it goes from the servant being a capital S to a lower case S. And they thought it's.

Or at least the new King James Version does not identify that as Jesus Christ. I'm Going to look just. Chapter 42. In verse one it says, Behold my servant whom I uphold, my elect, one in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him.

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise his voice, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoking flax he will not quench. He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fall, nor be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastland shall wait in his law.

And then we just go through. But there is this picture of the Messiah and then we get to verse 18 and we get a description of this servant. But new King James at least makes the change to it being with a lowercase s. And I'm of the. I'm starting to feel that it should be a uppercase s. Here it says hear you deaf in verse 18 and look you blind, that you may see who is blind but my servant or deaf is my messenger whom I send, who is blind as he who is perfect and blind as the Lord's servant, seeing many things but do not observe, opening the ears, but he does not hear. Here I believe that Jesus Christ placed himself in a in a physical predicament, understood the human nature to such a degree that he could not rely upon it in any way.

He recognized it for what it actually is. If you and I could experience the truth of our inward nature, you would feel different about yourself. Today I believe Jesus experienced the utter hopelessness, degradation, humility, disgrace of being in a carnal body affected by the curse. He recognized his blindness, his deafness, and as a result had to cry out continually for that spiritual direction from his Father in heaven as a result as who he is, one ignorant and going astray, familiar with our weakness. He is able to present your utmost weakness before the God and Father.

He is able to have compassion on your most degraded moments because he's already been there. He already knows the hopelessness of the situations you are engaged in and has found a way out. The ugliness of our person is sometimes breaks through our glorified view of ourself. Everyone hear me, but Jesus knew it in its very core. We only see glimpses and pictures when we're upset, when we're tired, when we're lazy with this or that.

But he knew it all. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant. My personal belief is he can only have compassion on those who are ignorant. The wise of this world are cast out. Where is the Wise.

Where is the scholar? Where is the disputer? Where is the wise men of this age? God has made foolishness the things of this world. That the foolishness, foolish things of Christ may be wise.

And he says, surely the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of man. The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of this world. I don't think it was like real close. One more vote. Shucks, I could have been president.

They can't be measured on the same scale. He is so much wiser and now he is able to have compassion on you and I who go astray. Ignorant, foolish. I'm just going to say it straight. That's you and me, whether you recognize it or not.

Just some things. I shake my head and I just like. There's no excuse, Jeremy, you're stupid.

Why? But he can have compassion on a person like me and you because he understands it even better than we do. It is necessary for the high priest to understand this. He can only be high priest if he can have compassion. If he understands your nature.

It says in verse three, it says because of this he was required as for the people and also for himself to offer sacrifices for sins. It is necessary for. For a high priest to be able, first of all, if they want to offer sacrifices for the needs of another person, to be able to offer a sacrifice for their own needs. How many people are there with a broken marriage, messed up kids and everything in disaster, their finances a shamble, everything a mess. And they're still trying to give you advice.

They're trying to tell you what to do. Hey, listen, if I were in your shoes, I know exactly what I would do. Like, wait a minute. You can't even get your own life straight.

If Jesus, if any high priest can't get their own lives in control, if they can't make a satisfactory sacrifice for themselves, why would you trust them to make a sacrifice for you? Jesus had to be able to, first of all, to deal with his own flesh. We say that he was heard his groaning, his cries were heard because the godly fear in the garden. He cried out to God with a great and mighty voice. And he was heard.

He was heard, he was accepted. And now because he was accepted, it makes him capable to offer sacrifices for the needs of another person. You may think that strange, but there are many people who have not been able to make a sacrifice for their own sins who are attempting to at least give a foundation, a model so that you could be saved. They couldn't save themselves and yet they want to tell you how to be saved. That is not a high priest worth following.

I know it's a little bit of an old thing to say, but every one of them is still in their graves. The righteous still go back to their resting places where their bones are, because they could not save themselves. But Jesus Christ, he was heard, yes, With a great cry he rolled that throne. He pushed our sins off as far as the east and from the west. But he rose from the dead victorious.

He proved that his sacrifice could save himself. He is not there. He also can save us. In verse four, no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. In order for there to be a high priest to whom we might successfully entrust our souls to, this individual has to be called by God.

It cannot be the individual who says, you know, look, I feel I would like to be high priest. Look here, I have this much money. I would like the job or the office of high priest. You might see a need or whichever and say, look, I can offer this thing.

It says, if even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other doctrine than what he has received, let him be accursed. Individual has to be called by God. It has to be a godly calling. And that godly calling must have a godly stamp on it. Without that godly stamp on the calling, you are entrusting your life to an uncertain future.

We look all over the world and we see individuals who are attempting to bring the burden of sinful man before a holy Father. But we need to be willing to look. Was this individual called by God in order to meet those qualifications? Jesus said over and over and over, it has been said. It has been said.

He recognized that the only reason you should trust my spiritual ministry as high priest is if I perfectly fulfill the Old Testament without that stamp, that high priest cannot be trusted. They are a foster. So many people I hate to use in religious circles today are distancing themselves from their founders. Mormonism is attempting to shift off of the foundation of Joseph Smith. Jehovah Witnesses are attempting to shift off of the foundation of I lost his name.

So, no, we're really not. He's really not our founder. Because we can look and we say, okay, Joseph Smith was a person. Does he meet the qualifications? We can look at the founder of Jehovah Witnesses.

Does he meet that qualification? We're like, no, he was a shuckster. He was a scamman. He was a get rich quick schemer. This is who he was.

We can say I know who he was. He doesn't meet the qualifications. He cannot be my high priest. Mormonism we can take. Sorry, the Muslim region.

We can look at Muhammad and look at him and say, okay, does he meet these qualifications? We can look at Jesus and say, does he meet these qualifications? He was born of a virgin. He was born in a specific location with certain ancestors. All these things were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

And as a result, we can trust him as a high priest.

Jesus Christ meets these qualifications. I'm going to finish. Not sure.

In first Peter.

Oh no, someone's yawning. I better pick it up just a little bit. For a little bit longer.

In chapter two, verse four, it says, coming to him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God. Precious, many people don't come to Jesus because Jesus is not accepted in this world. That's it. They would rather have the approval of men than anything. But Jesus will never be accepted by this world.

But he is chosen by God. And precious, you also, as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. Elect, Precious.

And he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe he is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word to which they were also appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Who once were not a people, but now are the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

We are being called to accept, honor and follow a high priest. We are being called to act in accordance to his ministry. We are deputies. We are sub priests under his authority, attempting to offer his ministry to the world.

My joy in moving forward is the recognization that the filthiness of my flesh is not an obstacle to that. It is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to experience the ministry of the High Priest. Where I go when I am so ugly is my high priest. When I go before the throne of my Father and recognize that the only reason I can stand there is because the blood of Jesus Christ, no other way, no other way, every other way would be rejected.

No other lawyer has certification to take sin before the throne, but he wants to take your and I's. That's his special ministry. He loves it, and he was willing to take on a flesh that he may offer it. So when you're the grossest, when you're the ugliest, when no one else will even sit next to you, they're like, jess, your feet stink.

I think he went to no, you are here.

Then Jesus is like, that's my man. Yeah. That's what I love. I love taking people who are stinky. That's my specialty.

I represent them before the throne every time. And I always win. Always win, Micaiah, Always win. But those who have other high priests, they don't get an audience. But Jesus always does.

And it's that throne of that scepter of mercy that results in grace that we get to enjoy as sinners saved by grace. Amen. Let's pray.

Oh, Father, we come to you. Lord, we are stinky people, though we don't smell it all the time. I don't understand how I think so much about myself. Forgive me, God. Lord, have mercy on us.

Make us your special treasure. The fragrance of Christ being displayed to a world. Lord, may we offer it faithfully. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.