Frankincense: Gift for the High Priest

The following sermon was preached at Redemption Baptist Church on Sunday, 18 December 2016. We encourage you to look up the Scriptures that are referenced. May the Lord speak to your heart as you study His Word. Frankincense: Gift for the High Priest Matthew 2:1-11 We are continuing in our series of messages about the gifts that the wise men presented to Jesus. As we saw last week, each of these gifts represents an important truth about the Person, character, and work of Jesus Christ. I believe that the wise men had at least some level of understanding of how these gifts portrayed Christ and His future work. However, regardless of how much they understood, God knew exactly what these gifts meant: and in His eyes, they were fitting gifts for His Son. As we saw last week, gold is a picture of Jesus Christ as our King and Priest. Gold, of course, speaks of Christ s royalty, since it is the metal that is used in kingly crowns. Gold also speaks of Christ s high priesthood, since the high priests in Old Testament times wore a crown of gold, with the inscription qodesh l Jehovah HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Jesus Christ is the believer s Holiness to the LORD. He is the one who stood in the place of sinners, and paid our sin debt, so that in exchange, we may have His perfect righteousness applied to our account, when we place our faith in Him. Now, this morning we are going to look at the second of the wise men s three gifts: frankincense. Why is frankincense important? Well, frankincense had a very important function in the Old Testament Temple. God Himself commanded that this substance be burned on a golden altar in the Holy Place of the Temple, day and night. Is it a coincidence, then, that the wise men presented this precious substance to Jesus Christ? I don t think so! Every part of the Temple ceremonies from the furniture, to the vessels, to the clothing, to the ceremonies spoke of the Person and work of Christ. Frankincense was no exception. Like everything else in the Temple, it had deep meaning. As we shall see this morning, frankincense is a picture of Christ as our High Priest; and it is also a picture of His sinless character. The title of my message this morning is Frankincense: Gift for the High Priest. Read Matthew 2:1-11 There are two truths that frankincense teaches us about our High Priest. First of all, frankincense pictures... I. Christ s sinless life, and His prayers for His people The Bible is full of symbols and pictures which point to the Person of Jesus Christ. Many of these symbols can be found from the book of Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation. One symbol that is found repeatedly throughout Scripture is that of the aroma of smoke. Perhaps you are wondering what spiritual symbolism the aroma of smoke could have. Well, the first mention of smoke is in Genesis 8. In this chapter, we are told about the events that happened right after the Flood. After disembarking from the Ark, Noah built an altar and

offered up animal sacrifices to God. Before the Flood, God had caused seven of each of the clean animals in other words, the ones that were acceptable as sacrifices to go into the Ark. God provided these extra clean animals specifically so that Noah might be able to offer them as sacrifices after the Flood was over. By making these sacrifices, Noah and his family were showing their thanks to God for sparing their lives. Now, the Scripture says something very interesting about God s reaction to this sacrifice. We are told that when the LORD smelled the sweet savour, He said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man s sake; for the imagination of man s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done (Genesis 8:21). Do you see the picture in this? The aroma of the sacrifice was a picture of Noah s prayers of thanksgiving. When God smelled the aroma (in other words, when He heard Noah s prayers), it was sweet-smelling to Him. In other words, Noah s prayers were acceptable to God. With that in mind, let s take a look at how frankincense fits into this theme of a sweetsmelling savour acceptable to God. Read Exodus 30:34-38 / 37:25-28 Read Leviticus 16:11-15 In the Exodus passage above, we see that God instructed the priests to make a special incense, which was composed of several different spices stacte, onycha, and galbanum. Then, they were to take this incense, along with frankincense, and offer both of them together on the altar of incense. Now, it is important to realise where the articles of furniture were positioned in the Temple. The altar of incense stood immediately in front of the veil (the large curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies). Immediately on the other side of that veil was a golden box called the Ark of the Covenant. This golden box had a likeness of a crown on the top, which went around the rim; and it had a mercy seat on the top of the lid. On either side of the mercy seat were the likenesses of two cherubim (angels), which spread their wings over the mercy seat. This golden box, with its mercy seat on top, was symbolic of the throne of God, and of the cherubim that hover around His throne day and night, and cry Holy, Holy, Holy! Now, as we saw in Leviticus, the priests were to keep the incense and the frankincense burning on the altar of incense all the time: and as it burned, the smoke would permeate the area right in front of the Ark. But remember...the curtain hung in between the Altar of Incense and the Ark of the Covenant. This means that the smoke would not make it into the Holy of Holies, where the Ark sat. But, on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the High Priest would put incense on the altar, pull back the veil, and go into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of bulls and goats on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. When he pulled back that veil, the smoke from the altar of incense would flood into the Holy of Holies, and would cover the mercy seat.

So, what does this picture? This pictures the fact that God hears the prayers of His people as He sits upon His throne in heaven. Read Psalm 141:1-2 The prayers of God s people ascend to the throne of God; and He hears them. But that raises a question: Are our prayers always acceptable to God? Do we always pray in such a way that God can accept and answer our prayer? No, we don t. Oftentimes, Christians prayers are impure and unacceptable because there is unconfessed sin in our lives. Not only that, but many times we don t even take time to pray: so the smoke of our prayers are not going up to God at all. But there is someone who prays on Christians behalf all the time; and His prayers are always heard. That Man is Jesus Christ! Read John 11:41-42 Did you notice that word always? When Christ was on this earth, His prayers were always heard by the Father; and now that He is seated on His throne in heaven, His prayers are still always heard by the Father. As a Man, Jesus prays to His Father, as all men are required to do: but unlike our prayers, which are often impure and unacceptable, Jesus prayers are always acceptable to God! Why are Christians prayers not always acceptable to God? Because of our sin! David wrote in Psalm 66:18, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Even our prayers of praise to God are often not acceptable. Why? Because oftentimes, our praises are actually an attempt to flatter God, so that He will overlook the unconfessed sin in our lives, and bless us anyway. That hurts, doesn t it, brethren? Let s face it: our prayers often stink in God s nostrils. Jesus, on the other hand, is without sin; and His prayers on our behalf are always accepted before the throne of God the Father even when our own prayers are not acceptable. Remember what Jesus said to Peter just after He had informed him that he was about to deny Him three times? He said, But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren (Luke 22:32). This is what Jesus does for His people! He is our High Priest, who prays day and night for us. So, frankincense is a picture of two things. First, it is a picture of Christ s sinless, perfect life, which was offered up to God. Secondly, frankincense is a picture of Christ s prayers for us, which are always heard by the Father. Now, there is something else about the frankincense, which is very important to understand. Let s go back to Exodus 30, and read those last couple verses of the chapter again. (Read Exodus 30:37-38 again.) God made it very clear that nothing else could be substituted for the incense, or for the frankincense. It had to be made exactly the way God commanded it; and it had to be used for the purpose that God intended it to be used. To make any substitute or counterfeit of it, or to use it for any other purpose the purpose that God had ordained, was a sin worthy of death!

Can you see the spiritual picture in all this? Just as there was no substitute for frankincense, so there is no substitute for Christ s sinless nature! There can be no counterfeit of it. In other words, your own goodness cannot be offered to God and accepted. Those who have never repented of their sin and put their complete faith in Christ and His sacrifice like to flatter themselves that they are pretty good guys. But the Bible makes it clear that even our best attempts at righteousness are as filthy rags. It doesn t matter how sweet a disposition you may have, because your sweet disposition cannot cover or atone for your sins against God. Isaiah said, For we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6). Even your best attempts at righteousness are unacceptable to God. The seeming goodness or sweetness of your disposition means nothing to God, my friend! He sees into your heart, and He knows all the sin and iniquity that lies hidden there. If you be trying to offer to God your own good works in order to get to heaven, God will not accept it! (See Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5.) Perhaps you are saved, but you are thinking, Now, hold on, Pastor. I know I m saved not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done for me. But what about the Christian life that I m now living? Are you saying that nothing that I do can be accepted by God, even though I m saved? The answer to that question is: Yes! Nothing you do can be accepted! That s why we are to die to self and allow Christ to live His righteousness in us! (See Galatians 2:20.) Your prayers and sacrifices will be tainted with sin every time. But when you offer spiritual sacrifices to God that are truly spiritual the work of Christ in you it is accepted by God. When you pray in the Spirit, as Paul instructed us to do when you pray with your sins confessed, and you allow the Spirit to control you, and Christ to pray to the Father through you it is then that the Father accepts your prayers. Read Hebrews 13:15 Read 1 Peter 2:4-5 Peter says that every Christian is a priest; and he says that the offerings that Christians offer to God are acceptable to God by whom? By Jesus Christ, our High Priest! Because our High Priest has saved us because He has permanently removed that veil that once separated men from the throne of God, and has sprinkled His blood on the mercy seat, and has sat down on the throne of God we are now able to draw near to the Father and the Son in faith, and be saved. And because Christ now works His perfect righteousness in those who are saved (as long as they allow Him to have full control of their lives), the believer s works, and praises, and prayers are able to be accepted by the Father. A few moments ago, I asked whether you are trusting in your good works to get you to heaven. If you be trusting your own good works to save you, you cannot offer even one offering that is acceptable to God, because you do not belong to Him! You must let go of your own self-righteousness, and put your trust in Christ alone to save you. Only then will you be able to offer spiritual sacrifices to God that are acceptable and pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ. If you do know Christ as Saviour, I would ask you this: Are you allowing Christ to

work His righteousness in you, so that your prayers, praise, and service can be pleasing to Him? Frankincense. It is a picture of Christ s sinless life, and of His prayers on our behalf, which are always acceptable to God. Secondly, frankincense is a picture of... II. The testing of Christ s sinless life Read Leviticus 2:1-5 There were five kinds of sacrifices that the people of Israel offered to God in Old Testament times; and each one of these sacrifices was a picture of a different aspect of Jesus Christ and His work on our behalf. Four of these five offerings involved the killing of an animal, and the shedding of its blood. But the meat offering was not one of those offerings. Just to remove any confusion, I probably should point out that in this case, the word meat does not mean flesh, as it does in modern English: it simply means meal or food. This meal offering was an offering of cakes. What was the meal offering all about? It was an offering of thanksgiving to God. And, it was an offering that poor people could offer. If a person were too poor to afford to give an animal, he could give the fruit of the field, in the form of unleavened cakes. It was to be prepared with the exact ingredients that God prescribed, and in the exact way that God prescribed. Yet, this offering was far more than an offering of one s personal thanks and devotion to God; it was a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ. How do I know this? For several reasons. First of all, I know that this offering is a picture of Christ because the cake had to be unleavened. Throughout Scripture, leaven is a picture of sin; and the absence of leaven is a picture of sinlessness. Only Christ could fit this description, because He is the only sinless Man who ever walked this earth! Also, the flour was to be mixed throughout with oil; and throughout Scripture, oil is a picture of the Holy Spirit. Who is the only Man who always was filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Again, it is Jesus Christ. These cakes picture the fact that Christ is sinless, and that He is filled with all the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Now, with that in mind, we come to the next important ingredient: frankincense. In verses 1 and 2, we are told that frankincense was to cover the meal offering cake. Also, it had to be fried over the fire. Obviously, the frankincense that covered the cakes gave off a sweet smell when it was baked in the fire. So, what does all this mean? This offering is a picture of Jesus life, which was continually acceptable to God the Father. Just as the cakes were without leaven, and covered with oil, so Christ was without sin, and filled with the Spirit of God. Just as the meal-offering was baked with fire, so Jesus Christ, in His life, was tested with suffering. And just as this meal offering put forth a sweet savour because it was covered with frankincense, so Christ s sinless life, which was tested and proven by innumerable trials, was sweet-smelling and acceptable to the Father. Read Hebrews 2:10

Have you ever stopped to think that Jesus Christ had to be tested and tried before He could be offered as the Sacrifice for our sin? Remember, Jesus Christ is the second Adam. He was God s answer to the first Adam. Our father, Adam, started out sinless and perfect; but his sinless devotion to God was yet untested. When the test came, he failed; and his sin nature, along with the penalty of sin, which is death, was passed down to every single one of us! On the other hand, Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation, passed the test with flying colours. He passed the test every single time! Yet, His continual victory over temptation did not come without a price tag. The prophet Isaiah said that the Messiah would be a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. I m sure that Jesus smiled and laughed in His lifetime; but it must not have been often, because it is never recorded in Scripture that He laughed. His life was one of continual suffering. His heart was constantly burdened by the sin and misery of mankind; yet, mankind, whom He loved so much, rejected Him, mocked Him, and went about to kill Him. In addition to the rejection that He endured, Christ also suffered poverty, want, hunger, thirst, cold, and pain all the things that we suffer. On top of all that, Satan had the audacity to try to tempt Jesus to sin, when He was seemingly at His most vulnerable point. In Hebrews 4:15, Paul tells us, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are. But thank God, Jesus Christ passed the test! Truly, Jesus was tempted like as we are... yet without sin. Jesus lived a sinless life from the moment He was conceived to the time when He cried, It is finished! He cannot sin, because He is God. Now, that having been said, it is important to realise that Jesus sinless life, by itself, is not enough to atone for sin. Jesus Christ had to shed His precious blood to pay for our sins! That s why God commanded the children of Israel to offer not only the meal-offering (which had no blood), but also to offer four kinds of animal sacrifices (which required the shedding of blood). The blood of lambs, bulls, goats, and turtledoves had to be shed; and their bodies had to be completely burned with fire. This pictured Christ s death on the cross, where He suffered the fire of God s judgment for sin. Christ came to this earth to die for our sins. Yet, the life that Christ offered up on the cross for our sins had to be sinless...and tested. The importance of this cannot be overstated. A sinner cannot atone for another sinner! Only a sinless man can atone for sinners. Because Jesus Christ first lived a sinless life, absolutely perfect and acceptable to God, He was able to become the perfect, acceptable Sacrifice for our sins. As the second Adam the sinless Adam Christ was able to undo what Adam brought upon the human race. He was able to be the Head of a new humanity one that is freed from sin! In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul compared the destructive result of Adam s disobedience to the life-giving result of Jesus obedience. This is how he said it: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift (salvation) came upon all men unto justification of life. This is the true message of Christmas. It is not merely the message that Christ was born in a manger, but also that He lived a sinless life, acceptable to God, and was thus qualified to become the offering for our sin!

Jesus Christ came into this world as the King of Kings; and the wise men brought Him gold to signify this. He also came into the world as our sinless High Priest. However, His sinless nature had to be put to the test. It was put to the test; and He passed it. His life was a continual sweet-smelling savour to God right up to the moment of His death. His prayers to the Father are always heard, and acceptable to the Father. The wise men brought Jesus frankincense to signify this. What a beautiful picture! Christian, aren t you glad that Jesus is your High Priest? Conclusion: In conclusion, I would like to ask two extremely important questions. First of all, I would ask this: Do you know for sure that you are saved? If you have been trusting in your own goodness and righteousness to get you to heaven, then you are lost in your sin, and under God s curse. God cannot accept the offering of your attempted good works. It is like a meal offering with leaven. It is like an incense offering of counterfeit incense. It is corrupt, and unacceptable to God. You cannot atone for yourself by any amount of clean living. You must let go of your own righteousness, and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only Man who was (and is) without sin. He is the only one whose blood can pay for your sins. Won t you put your trust in Him today? In closing, I would also ask a question of you who are saved. My question is: Are you allowing Christ to work His perfect righteousness in you, so that your prayers and praises to God can be offerings that are truly acceptable to God by Jesus Christ? If not, I encourage you to allow Christ to have complete control of your life!