7 - Jesus, Our Great High Priest - Heb 4(14)-5(10)

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Jesus, Our Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Introduction

Up until this point in the book of Hebrews, we have encountered a series of warnings regarding drifting away from Christ. The warnings were and are still, to this day, real and intended by God to compel perseverance in the genuine believer by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. Those who heed the warnings “not to drift” are the ones who will “persevere to the end” and be saved. The warnings have been heavy, unsettling not only to us, but also to the author’s original audience, pressing them to “examine themselves to see if they are truly in the faith.” Such warnings, however, if not balanced out with the promises of the gospel, can lead to a despair and reluctance on the part of some Christians. They may struggle with guilt and extreme introspection, fearing constantly that God has forsaken them. If that is you, then this morning’s passage is especially pertinent for you. It offers hope and comfort to the hurting and despairing heart. My goal this morning is to encourage you with God’s Word to come to Christ with a bold and renewed confidence that He alone is the hope of eternal salvation. So, if you would turn in your Bibles with me to Hebrews 4… Hebrews 4:14-5:10 4:14

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 5:1

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5

So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6

as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

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In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Exposition

As I already mentioned, this morning’s passage offers hope and healing to those who despair over God’s acceptance of them in Christ. So, I want to walk through this passage in two distinct sections. First, I want us to consider the Benefits of Christ’s Priestly Work for Us from verses 4:14-4:16. Then, we will look at the Beauties of Christ’s Priestly Work for Us from verses 5:15:10… I.

The Benefits of Christ’s Priestly Work for Us (4:14-16)

Our passage begins with the words, “Since, then,” in verse 14, which signals to us that a conclusion is being drawn by the author. His conclusion is that we “should hold fast our confession.” What is our confession? Our confession is our commitment to Jesus. It is our refusal to drift away from Him. It is our holding fast to the public confession that Jesus is the Son of God. So, the question becomes: How can we “hold fast to our confession?” We can “hold fast to our confession,” because, according to verse 14, “we have a great high priest” who is before God in the heavens. Furthermore, this High Priest is intimately acquainted with all our weaknesses, yet, without sin. He knows our struggle, our pain, and our hurt. He knows what it is like to be tempted. And He knows what it is like to fight the temptation and not give in to the flesh. Yet, His victory over temptation does not cause Him to disregard us in our failure. Instead, it causes Him to sympathize with us. He is the type of priest who weeps us with when we weep, mourns with us when we mourn, and rejoices with us when we rejoice over righteousness. He is not distant or detached from our struggles. He knows us, and because He knows us, we must not fear coming to Him with our need for mercy and grace. For, according to verse 16, the throne that Jesus occupies is a throne of grace! What is this “throne of grace?” The late New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce, wrote, “This throne of grace is the throne of God, where Jesus, as his people’s high priest, sits exalted at the Father’s right hand.” As our great high priest, Jesus sits in the place of authority to offer us grace and mercy. As guilty criminals, we deserve God’s unmitigated wrath. Yet, in His great kindness, God through Christ offers us a pardon. But it is not only grace to forgive, but also grace to empower us in our weakness, as verse 16 ends, “grace for our time of need.” Because of who Jesus Christ is for us as our Great High Priest, we can approach God with boldness. In fact, we are encouraged to do so. As George Guthrie puts it, “Jesus’ compassionate disposition invites us to intimacy with God and makes that intimacy possible.” Because God demonstrates His mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, we can be certain that when we come to Him, holding fast to our confession, that God will be gracious and merciful to us. We don't approach a fed up, irritable, impatient father. We approach a Father who is full of grace and mercy. A Father who has appointed Jesus Christ, His One and Only Unique Son, to be our High Priest, that we might draw near to Him with boldness. We have bold and confident access to our Father that we might draw near for mercy and grace through Christ. These are benefits that we possess because of Christ’s priestly work for us…

T.S. – So, if the benefits of Christ’s priestly work are grace and mercy from our Father which allow us now to boldly draw near to Him, what are the beauties of Christ’s priestly work? In other words, what is about Christ as our Great High Priest that enables Him to make such benefits available to us? We find the answer to this question in verses 5:1-10… II.

The Beauties of Christ’s Priestly Work for Us (5:1-10)

It is helpful at this point to divided these ten verse into two sections. The first section, found in verses 1-4, details the work of the High Priest in the Old Testament. The second section, found in verses 5-10, considers the superiority of Christ’s work as High Priest to that of the High Priest in the Old Testament. So, let’s look at the first section, verse 1-4, which gives us more details about the High Priest in the Old Testament. The first detail that we learn about High Priests in the Old Testament is that they were selected, not self-appointed. The High Priest of the Old Testament was hereditary (Exo. 29:29-30, Lev. 16:23) with his service typically lasting for life (Num. 18:7, 25:11-13, Neh. 12:10-11). Furthermore, he alone was responsible for entering the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-25). The appointment was made by God and it was the for offering gifts and sacrifices for the sins of the people, which is the second detail that we encounter. The High Priest’s work is inextricably tied to providing an atonement for the people. In the case of the Old Testament, the High Priest offered sacrifices and gifts not only for the people, but also for himself. The High Priest was a sinner as well, and his offering was made once a year on the Day of Atonement. So, in summary, the High Priest was appointed by God to deal with the sins of the people on a yearly basis. In similarity to the Old Testament High Priest, Jesus was also appointed by God, as verses 5-6 state. Jesus likewise offered a sacrifice for the sins of God’s people, even though it was not for His own sin (See 4:15). Yet, even though Jesus was sinless, this did not mean that He did not suffer or learn through His suffering. The offerings and prayers that He made in the throes of His death were heard by His Father because of His obedience in His suffering. As the Son of God incarnate, Jesus learned through suffering, and once made perfectly suited for the task (“made perfect”) of the High Priest, He “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” And here we find one of the greatest contrast between Jesus’ priesthood and the priesthood of the Old Testament. Whereas the priests of the Old Testament made a yearly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, Jesus has made an offering, the offering of Himself, which results in eternal salvation for all who obey Him. Conclusion

Here is the great comfort and hope that the hurting and despairing heart must hear this morning: Christ’s salvation is eternal. The One who has offered us grace and mercy does so by offering us eternal redemption. There is no yearly renewal. The work of Christ is finished! The Father has heard him, and because the Father has heard Him, we can be sure that He hears us when we draw near to Him!