The Living Word & The Perfect Priest: Seeing Jesus in Scripture & in Our Struggles
By Faith: The Book of Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 8 viewsBig Idea of the Message: The powerful Word shows us a powerful high priest. Application Point: How you see Scripture impacts how you understand Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
So far in Hebrews we have learned that Jesus is exalted above the angels, not as one of them, but as the eternal Son, through whom, by whom, and for whom all things were created. That He is the radiance of God’s glory and the imprint of His nature. We were warned not to drift from this truth, because neglecting such a great salvation leads to spiritual ruin.
We then saw that the exalted Christ willingly and temporarily became lower than the angels, entering into our humanity, experiencing suffering and death in order to bring many sons to glory. He was made like us in every way–yet without sin, not only to atone for sin but to become our merciful and faithful High Priest, one understands our weakness.
From there, the writer lifted our eyes to Jesus as greater than Moses, faithful over God’s house not as a servant but as a Son–builder, owner, and rightful ruler. We were exhorted not to harden our hearts as the wilderness generation did, who heard God’s voice but failed to believe and missed His rest.
Then we were invited to the astonishing reality that God’s rest still remains open, and that we must enter it by faith–not through performance or striving, but by trusting in Christ, who is the true fulfillment of both the Promised Land and the Sabbath. Jesus is the only source of lasting peace, soul rest, and eternal security.
Now, as the letter transitions, the writer draws our attention to the very place where Jesus is revealed and our hearts are exposed—the Word of God. And by “Word of God,” the writer does not mean a mystical experience or audible voice, but Scriptures themselves. The written Word is living and active because it is God-breathed (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16) and always accomplishes His purposes (Isaiah 55:11).
This Word doesn’t merely describe Christ—it penetrates our hearts, exposes our motives, and then drives us to Christ, our Great High Priest, who stands ready to meet us with mercy and help.
Let us now examine our passage already read in your hearing Hebrews 4:12-5:15. we’ll reflect on three major movements within the text: The Penetrating Power of Scripture, Possessing a Compassionate High Priest, The Perfect Priestly Appointment (Pray).
I. The Penetrating Power of Scripture (4:12-13)
I. The Penetrating Power of Scripture (4:12-13)
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
This is not just poetic language. Living means is never outdated, never irrelevant.
I once confronted a friend about a relationship that clearly contradicted Scripture Her response? “no one lives under those archaic notions of no sex before marriage anymore.” “Archaic?” I said. Scripture is not a fad or music genre that goes out of style. It does not expire with Cultural shifts.
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
89 Forever, O Yahweh, Your word stands firm in heaven.
160 The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments is everlasting.
Archaic? The Word of God is a living breathing thing. It does not go away or fade away by the passing of time or by the whimsical desires of people who want to live according to “their own truth”.
The word of God is also active. It accomplishes all that God intends every time it is read or heard.
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what pleases Me, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Every time you hear or read the Word of God it will either comfort or convict, transform or expose, soften or harden. What it will not do is do nothing. It cannot be idle and without effect
It is sharper than any two-edged sword. This means that the Word is more powerful and penetrating than the keenest instrument devised by man. It does not only slice, it cuts with precision. It pierces successfully dividing soul and spirit. In doing this, it is able to discriminate successfully between what is spiritual in man and what is merely “soulish” or natural. And does so even when these often-contradictory inner elements are interwoven as closely as joints and marrow.
The inner life of a Christian is often a strange mixture of motivations both genuinely spiritual and completely carnal. It takes a supernaturally discerning agent such as the Word of God to sort these out and to expose what is of the flesh.
The readers might think that they were contemplating certain steps out of purely spiritual motivations when, as God’s Word could show them, they were acting unfaithfully as did Israel of old.
29 “Is not My word like fire?” declares Yahweh, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?
But the writer then shifts from the Word to a Person:
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare…” (v. 13)
1 O Yahweh, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Yahweh, You know it all.
The Word reveals the heart—but it is God Himself who sees everything. You can’t hide from Him. You don’t need to. Because the next verses introduce a High Priest who doesn’t turn away from what He sees.
Application:
Are you resisting the exposing light of God’s Word?
Do you read Scripture to be inspired, or to be transformed?
Are you hiding from a God who already sees everything? “Resistance is futile” (The Borg)
The Word’s job is to expose us. But that exposure is meant to lead us to mercy.
The Word of God doesn’t just expose sin—it exposes us. It lays our hearts bare, revealing not only our actions but our intentions, motives, and deepest struggles. That’s a sobering reality. But here’s the comfort: God doesn’t leave us vulnerable and exposed without help. The same God whose Word cuts deeply is the One who has given us a High Priest who understands us completely. He doesn’t watch from a distance—He draws near in our weakness. As the Word reveals our need, Jesus, our compassionate High Priest, meets that need perfectly.
II. Possessing a Compassionate High Priest (vv. 14-16)
II. Possessing a Compassionate High Priest (vv. 14-16)
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us take hold of our confession.
He is not only a High Priest, but he is a Great High Priest. The earthly high priest entered an earthly tabernacle that men had built. He entered in the the Most Holy chamber of the tabernacle once a year to offer atonement for his sins and those of the people. The earthly priest passed through a veil into a man-made tent. Jesus passed through the heavens into the very presence of God, not as a visitor—but as the Son.”.
But even though he is now high and lifted up he still relates to us, according to verse 15,
“We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses…” (v. 15)
How? Because He was tempted in all things. So what does it mean to be tempted in every way? Before someone goes “far out, Jesus was tempted to smoke weed too?” No, Jesus was not a hippy in the 60’s. This passage does not mean that he was face with every individual temptation that every single person in the planet faces.
The Greek expression here is katà pantà meaning, “according to likeness” or “in every respect like us” meaning he was tempted in all categories of human experience, not every specific situation. But without the falling into sin part.
All sin falls within one or all of these categories: Lust of the flesh (physical appetite), the lust of the eyes (greed or covetousness) and the pride of life (power or self-exaltation.
And he was tempted far more severely than we are. Not one of us has resisted temptation to the point of blood sweat…
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.
So if anyone knows the full weight of temptation, it’s Jesus. Most of us give in long before the pressure reaches its peak—but He endured it all.
Jesus offers genuine compassionate help, because He knows what you are going through in your effort to please God.
“Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…” (v. 16)
Not shame, not fear, but confident.
The Scripture is full of assertions concerning Jesus’ experiential qualifications as a human representative before God. It is seen this, one of the most fiercely loving love notes given to mankind from God:
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our peace fell upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed.
This is why the Apostle John could write with such confidence
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
The writer describes the Royal Throne as a throne of mercy. Not a place of condemnation.
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Application:
Do you feel like your failures disqualify you from approaching Jesus?
Do you approach Him more like a judge–or a helper?
Have you forgotten that the throne is a place of mercy , and not merit?
He does not roll His eyes at your weakness–He rolls up His sleeves to help.
III. The Perfect Priestly Appointment (5:1-10)
III. The Perfect Priestly Appointment (5:1-10)
I kind of got ahead of myself there because all this is extremely exciting. But now is actually where the writer explains what qualifies Jesus as our High Priest.
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,
He must represent the people – This is why Jesus had to become human
He must offer gifts and sacrifices for sin – Jesus offered Himself ( a more precious gift, a more costly sacrifice than all of the goats and all of the lambs of the entire world)
He must deal gently – Because he understands human weakness.
the other point of being the high priest was that the appointment to such an office was not a self-aggrandizement sort of thing:
4 And no one takes this honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.
Jesus didn’t take this honor upon Himself—He didn’t seize glory. Instead, He received the appointment from the Father, just as Aaron did
5 In this way also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”;
6 just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
this is a reference to Psalm 110:4. We have already expounded on the proper understanding of the word “begotten” as it refers to the eternal Son who is not made or created, please refer to week 1 of this series for that explanation. But I do need to say something about Melchizedek.
Melchizedek shows up mysteriously in Genesis 14:18-20. He has a very brief appearance. The way the introduction of this character completely interrupts the narrative thats happening in Genesis is purposeful because of what this character represents. He represents Jesus interrupting the narrative of humanity already in progress and alters it forever. In Genesis, this person is described as:
“king of Salem” (likely Jerusalem) though the Jerusalem that we know as the City of David, was not anything like that at the time.
“priest of God Most High”
He blesses Abraham and gives him bread and wine
Abraham gives him a tithe (way before the law)
The story of the Jews begins with Abraham and his seed. Yet Melchizedek has nothing to do with that line. This matters because Israel’s priesthood came from Aaron, the great-grandson of Levi. But Melchizedek predates that line entirely, showing that Jesus belongs to a superior, eternal priesthood.
The writer wants to show that the priesthood line of Jesus is superior because it does not come from Aaron but from Melchizedek, a character that is both priest and king, and without genealogy, meaning origin, therefore eternal.
This special line of priesthood makes Jesus perfect as opposed to the sinful and finite line of Aaron. But in addition of Jesus’ qualifications as priest.
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears…” (v. 7)
This is likely a reference to Gethsemane, where Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow and cried out to the Father. That prayer was heard—but the cup was not removed. His prayers and supplication as well as the acceptance of the sacrifice was answered. How do we know? Because he resurrected.
Then the author reiterates the two natures of Jesus by saying,
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered…” (v. 8)
This does not mean that Jesus was disobedient. Remember the hypostatic union from week 1. “Although a son” referring to his divinity and perfection “he learned obedience” referring to his humanity. As God, He was subject to no one, all things are subject to Him. But He had to experience being subjected, a human trait that requires training, obedience under the flesh was something that he had to experience, that is what is meant by learning, and subjection is suffering.
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to…death…God highly exalted Him…” (Phil. 2:8-9)
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.
Application:
Are you comforted by the fact that Jesus knows what suffering feels like?
Are you trying to save yourself—or trusting the One appointed to save you?
Have you responded to His obedience with your own trust and submission?
Will you rest in the obedience of the One appointed for you—or continue striving in your own strength
The One who was appointed by God is more than qualified to save you.
As we close, remember: the Word of God is not passive ink on a page—it is living, active, and personal. It pierces through every false layer, every excuse, and every defense we raise. It exposes, not to shame us, but to bring us to the One who understands us completely—Jesus, our Great High Priest.
He doesn’t stand far off, demanding we get ourselves together. No, He came near, clothed Himself in our weakness, endured our temptations, and suffered in our place. And now, He is not only exalted above the heavens—He is also available at the throne of grace.
So what do we do?
We don’t run from the Word that confronts us. We don’t hide from the Savior who sees us. We draw near. Not in fear—but in faith. Not in shame—but with confidence. Because Jesus knows, He cares, and He helps.
He is the living Word who cuts deep to heal deeply.
He is the Great High Priest who stands ready to help.
He is the appointed Savior whose obedience secures our eternal hope.
So today—hear His voice. Don’t harden your heart. Draw near. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
