Son the best high priest

Help with my bees!

Got bees. Joined a club. Even doing the work now of being a treasurer.

Bee trouble. [..] better help than I realised.

Catch up from last week - final encouragement:

Hebrews 4:14–16 (NIV)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest [..], Jesus the Son of God, [..] Let us then approach God’s throne [..] so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us [..]

So - do you? Approach God’s throne for mercy and grace?

Mercy because we sin - in what we don’t do as much as what we do wrong (in not loving our neighbours and God with our whole heart).

Grace because we can’t do those things on our own. Not even with a bit of help from your friends, or doctor, or counsellor (as good as those relationships are).

Why don’t I draw near to God?

Only you can answer.

Don’t think I need help?

THink something/someone else more helpful?

God will criticise me?

Need to be sorted out first?

An offer for other people, not me?

God not approachable?

A functional Deist (God disinterested in personal issues)?

[Don’t know how - didn’t know I could? - stick around afterwards and talk with me...]

Don’t realise how good Jesus is and what is available

Where we are at in the book and where we are going...

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This next little bit wil be starting to look at what we have in Jesus. He is better than you imagine.

Straight after this section is another warning section - just like last week about listening - but the next section is saying ‘don’t be thick in the head, lazy, babies. A warning to not be childish (childlike is ok - childish Peter Pan style is not good).

Remember this from two weeks ago. This si what we want with God.

We need a human representative

Zip back into Israel:

Hebrews 5:1 NIV

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

This is for Israel, mind you, not for us. Yes, we need a representative. But the priest system was fod them. Leviticus is a manual for them - not for us. I’ve said before: in the Anglican church, the title ‘priest’ which I have, is the word ‘presbyter’ - whcih means elder, not mediator. Confusing, but true. Leviticus is not a manual for us. It’s a picture of the system God set up for Israel to have a human representative.

What does it teach us?

We need a human representative with God. God for Israel had set up a system of priests. A bridge between him and the people. Because of his holiness and their sin. (Not because of their humanness - humanness is not incompatible with God, and sin is not ‘just being human’)

I want someone to represent me. Who understands me. Who is on my side. Who wants good for me.

Hebrews 5:2 NIV

He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.

The human priest in Israel was also weak - here we’re talking about sin and proneness to sin. So he didn’t get too angry or surprised by sin in other people. That’s helpful.

What does it teach us?

The human representative is most helpful if sympathetic to the struggle with sin and a broken world.

Hebrews 5:3 NIV

This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

Finally. The priest offered sacrifices. God set these up. They were all arrows to something else (we’ll see later in Hebrews that their role was to remind the people sin still existed, that the penalty was death - that God cared about holiness).

So: human representation, sympathy, sacrifice.

So the human priest walked in their sandals, represented them to God.

[But - here at this point I’m going to appeal to our base nature - this is historical so far, just a bit of things we learn about Israel and ourselves - but we’re most interested when there’s something in it for us - and there is - mercy, sympathy, help]

Jesus is better. And for us too.

He’s a human you can fully and finally trust (when every other human has and will let you down and is stuck themselves).

Jesus doesn’t only walk in your shoes - he can get you out of the pit because he got out too.

Hebrews 4:14 NIV

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Hebrews 4:15 NIV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Jesus has sympathy without sin

He lived with his human life beset with tiredness, hunger, etc.

And throughout his life he was tempted in every way - and resisted the temptations each time and was obedient to God. That’s not a simple carefree thing.

Hebrews 5:8 NIV

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered

Never before the incarnation did Jesus have to face temptation common to humanity.

Think about the cost to Jesus. The commitment of Jesus to doing this. The love Jesus has for us that he would take this on.

Jesus has lived experience not only of the pressure of temptation and the difficulty of human life - he also overcame it.

He isn’t in the pit with us comiserating about how bad life is for us -

and speaking of the pit

Jesus brings salvation

Hebrews 4:14 NIV

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Consider first where Jesus is. He’s not there to escape and get away from being human. But he takes his humanity right up to God’s throne, so we can take our humanity right up to God’s throne.

The human priests of Israel couldn’t do this. They too were stuck in the mud. Our friends and counsellors and doctors (and pastors) for all their help can’t do this either. We too are stuck in the mud.

Hebrews 5:7 NIV

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

Don’t rush too quickly over this.

Think of Gethsemane. Jesus - Son of God - as a sensible human, did not want to die or suffer.

But he prays. And he’s heard.

Was he really? Didn’t he die? Yes. And he was raised again.

This means two things at least:

we won’t escape suffering either and it isn’t proof God isn’t listening

[but also worth reflecting at this point on a misunderstanding - Jesus wasn’t separated from God the Father -

John 16:32 NIV

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

I said it means two things though

God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are committed 100% to your rescue. To the point of Jesus going through death.

This comes in Hebrews later - he offers his own life to deal with our sin. That’s the kind of priest he is and only he can be as an unblemished perfect human. Having lived a life of perfect obedience he qualifies to be both the offering and the priest making the offering to God of his death for us.

So - the two things:

We won’t escape suffering

God is 100% committed to your rescue

Hebrews 5:9 NIV

and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

Don’t be caught up in the ‘made perfect’. Think - once the job of being sacrifice was done -

The Melchizedek stuff we’ll consider next week - for here and now I want you to notice only one thing:

Hebrews 5:6 NIV

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

Forever. Jesus lives forever. He serves as priest forever. He’s done the actual sacrifice already.

Always sympathy. Always salvation. Always help. Always mercy.

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

So we’re back where we started.

[So many things are a challenge to keep going: danger, fear, brokenness (in and out), my sin]

What’s stopping you drawing near for mercy and help?

God - in Jesus’ name, because of what he’s done - forgive and help me.