Our Great High Priest Hebrews 4:14-16

-We endure as believers by clinging to Jesus, our great High Priest

There was a time without a bridge. I know that seems impossible today, but there was a time when we had a Wetumpka without a bridge. Our historical marker tells us: “In 1834, the Wetumpka Toll Bridge Co. built the first of four bridges spanning the Coosa River at this site. It was destroyed in a flood in 1844. A second toll bridge was completed the same year by John Godwin whose slave, Horace King, designed and supervised construction of this covered bridge. Emancipated in 1846, King built numerous bridges in the South and his services were much in demand by the CSA during the Civil War. After the war, he was elected to the state legislature twice by the citizens of Russell Co. Toll charges for the new bridge were 5 cents for pedestrians or $1 per month for unlimited passage. Passage to church was free. Since the wagon gate closed at 9PM, an extra charge of 25 cents was due the gatekeeper if he was called to open the gate. Three lighted lanterns hanging from the rafters were the last things seen of the bridge as it washed away in the flood of March 1886. A ferry operated while an iron bridge was built by the Southern Bridge Co. of Birmingham in 1887. By 1927, bridge deterioration led to a joint $177,440 state-county project resulting in the construction of the fourth bridge in 1931. Denmark native Edward Houk designed the graceful Bibb Graves Bridge, named for then-Governor Graves. The bridge became the picturesque centerpiece for the “City of Natural Beauty.”

Just imagine our city, without a bridge to the other side!

I. Hold On to Jesus v. 14

Earlier in the book of Hebrews, we have been introduced to the concept of Jesus as a High Priest.

Now, the concept is going to be fleshed out more fully.

First, we see that Jesus is great and high. His ministry capacity exceeds any other priest who has ever existed. In fact, we will find out that the whole of the priestly ministry in Israel is fulfilled in and through Jesus

Second, we see that Jesus is a priest

He stands between God and Man as a mediator

He makes a sacrifice for the sake of Man before God

He speaks for God to Men and invites them to believe and to be reconciled to God; He makes that way possible

This is just the beginning of the thing, as we will see later, but fundamentally Jesus is able to fulfill what the human priests only mimic and the prophets only predict

Third, we see that He has passed through the heavens

He came from Heaven to us in the Incarnation

He has returned to Heaven in the Ascension

He has perfect and immediate access to the Father.

Fourth, He is the Son of God

Every other priest that we have ever seen has a human origin and nature

Jesus, is the Son of God and though He was robed in flesh He was perfectly divine

In light of all of this, we must hold on to our confession of faith

What we are seeing here ought to be incredibly encouraging to us; we are not left alone in our call to endure

We have a priest who is in perfect communication with the throne of God and has His ear in every matter.

He is interceding for us and has restored us to the Father

We can hang onto Him, because He is hanging on to us!

Thomas Torrance likes to repeat a simple story of what he calls “the unconditional nature of grace.” He writes, “Our grasping of Christ by faith is itself enclosed within the mighty grasp of Christ.” Then he shares this story and quote:

I sometimes recall what happened when my daughter was learning to walk. I took her by the hand to help her, and I can still feel her fingers clutching my hand. She was not relying on her feeble grasp of my hand, but on my strong grasp of her hand.

Is that not how we are to understand the faith by which we lay hold of Christ as our Savior? It is thus that our grasp of faith, feeble though it is, is grasped and enfolded in the mighty grasp of Christ who identifies himself with us, and puts himself in our place.

II. Be Aware of Jesus v. 15

Next, we are invited to understand something particular about Jesus, our great High Priest

The author reminds us of His disposition towards us:

He is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses

This may seem like a small statement, but it’s staggering if you think about it

God Himself entered into human existence and was tested and tried in all of the ways that we are, tempted to sin, and sharing in our experience

The whole of what it means to be human was His, hungry and tired, angry and alone, hurting and humiliated.

There is no experience that we can go through that we can say to Him, “You don’t understand!”

Jesus shared in all of this with us, but with a significant distinction. He faced it without sin. He passed the test.

This could lead Jesus in one of two ways:

He could take a position of superiority over us and He could be ashamed of our weakness

Instead, He has sympathy for us in our weakness as we face the temptations that He did

This all matters immensely as we seek to “hold on” to Jesus. We can hold on, because He has sympathy for us in our weakness. He doesn’t despise us when our grip is weak and we fall short of the mark of obedience!

A man put up a sign in his yard that read: "Puppies for Sale." Among those who came to inquire was a young boy. "Please, Mister," he said, "I'd like to buy one of your puppies if they don't cost too much." "Well, son, they're $25." The boy looked crushed. "I've only got two dollars and five cents. Could I see them anyway?" "Of course. Maybe we can work something out," said the man. The lad's eyes danced at the sight of those five little balls of fur. "I heard that one has a bad leg," he said. "Yes, I'm afraid she'll be crippled for life." "Well, that's the puppy I want. Could I pay for her a little at a time?" The man responded, "But she'll always have a limp." Smiling bravely, the boy pulled up one pant leg, revealing a brace. "I don't walk good either." Then, looking at the puppy sympathetically, he continued, "I guess she'll need a lot of love and help. I sure did. It's not so easy being crippled." "Here, take her," said the man. "I know you'll give her a good home. And just forget the money."

III. Draw Near to Jesus v. 16

Finally, we get a follow up to the first two commands: We draw near to Jesus

This speaks to a relational closeness with Him

I think we have all felt the shame and fear that comes from disobedience and pushes us away from the Lord

When those moments come, it is critical that we run to Him, not from Him

We are able to draw near to Jesus with confidence

We can have a confidence in the middle of doubt and fear, that cuts through the fog of unbelief!

This confidence is not in ourselves, but is in Him

When we draw near to Him, we can trust that we will receive two things:

Mercy- this is His attitude towards us. He desires to show us mercy!

Grace- He will actively work to help us in our time of need.

When we draw near to God, He draws near to us! (James 4:8)

We will never find the mercy and grace of the Lord in temptation unless we draw near to Him

We will not draw near to Him if we do not understand who He is

We will not hold on if we do not stay near Him!

Matthew 11:28–30

[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)