Come to Jesus | Hebrews 4:14-16

INTRODUCTION: Story of going to my parents bed. My parents told me I was not allowed to come down anymore to their bed at night. But I got sick later that night!

Hebrews 4:14 ESV

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.

Since then - Hebrews 4:12-13 “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

This is not good news. - You don’t need a Bible degree to figure that one out.

we have - Present tense.

great - It is one thing to be a high priest, then to be a great high priest is even higher. Higher than the pope in Catholicism.

high priest - The High priest represented the people back to God. He took the sins of the people and brought them to God.

passed through the heavens - after he died. He took his blood and paid the price.

The tabernacle was set up like heaven.

OT - This was all a foreshadowing of Jesus. He wanted them to recognize what Jesus was doing.

Show picture of tabernacle and explain that the tabernacle was a picture of heaven. It was a picture of what Jesus would one day do.

Jesus, the Son of God - That is our confession! This goes back to the start of chapter Hebrews 3:1 “1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,”

Let us hold fast our confession - confession: to say the same thing. He is saying, because Jesus did what he did, don’t leave Him. He did all this for you! so don’t leave.

Because of Jesus:

We can hold strong to our beliefs.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

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.

who is unable to sympathize - HAHA Sometimes people say things “Pastor you wouldn’t understand how hard it is to follow Jesus… I sin too!. Means he suffers with us.

ILLUSTRATION: a man recently told me about how he saved 70k on his sports car. My thougt: if I saved 70k on my car, they would have paid me 65k!

Sympathize - suffer. He suffers with us.

every respect has been tempted as we are - Whatever temptation you are facing. Jesus faced as well.

yet without sin - Most important part. He was weak so he understand us. Yet he was perfect so he could represent us.

Those two statement combined are super important when understanding Jesus: He understand our weakness, yet he did not sin.

Jesus became weak, so we can be strong.

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

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.

We can boldly approach the Father for help.

Let us then with confidence - confidence - In politics: one who could speak freely. In a family it means shamelessness. Openness or candor.

Hebrews 3:6 “6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

ILLUSTRATION - HAHA talking to open to your parents will get you in trouble.

draw near -

throne of grace - thrones are typically something of power. But here it is of grace. In the OT it was the Mercy seat.

mercy - not getting what we deserve.

grace - getting what we don’t deserve.

to help - to run to help.

They called the ark of the covenant the mercy seat.

Jesus has allowed us to always have what we need.

CONCLUSION: Calling my boys up to stage to show how we can always approach the Father.

This week Josh was sick. Every single night he knocked on my door crying. Every night I got up and went and laid down with him.

Jesus siad in Matthew 7:11 “11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”