God understands Us

Hebrews 4:14–16 “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. 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. 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.”

The book of Hebrews gives us an in depth understanding....

of our Lord Jesus Christ....

who can truly relate to us on every aspect...

that we may endure while on this earth...

let us be encouraged and not lose...

faith in Jesus because he has overcome...

the world and every issues we have faced...

this particular passage in Hebrews...

shines a light on who Jesus is...

for those who have gone through struggles...

or want to throw the towel in....

Jesus understands....

But we must understand who Jesus is...

in order to grasp the truth that Jesus...

understands us completely....

As we look closely at Hebrews 4:14....

which states that Jesus is our High Priest....

this means that he intercedes on our behalf...

before the throne of God....

Back in the Old Testament, the Israelites...

needed a high priest who would advocate...

on their behalf especially when it came to...

the redemption of their sins...

Leviticus 16:32–34 says, “And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Leviticus gives us a glimpse of the high....

priest’s role for God’s people in order for...

them to receive pardon and have an....

external relationship with God...

here’s some key points that we note...

first, the high priest are the ones...

who makes the connection between...

God and his people...

second, the priest had to seek atonement...

for themselves before making the...

atonement for the people....

third, the atonement was acceptable...

for a year for the people of God...

here is the difference between...

the Old Testament high priest...

and Jesus, the High priest,

and that is, Jesus, who gave...

himself to become sin...

chose to be our atonement...

once and for all....

he bridged the gap so that...

we can have access to God...

any time because of the indwelling...

of the holy Spirit...

furthermore, Jesus, has the capability...

to relate to us on a human aspect...

versus the Old Testament...

high priest, who were mere...

humans having to atone their...

own sins before atoning the sins...

of the people which, again, occurred...

once a year....

having a high priest was essential...

to the Israelites and having a high...

priest for us, is also essential...

because on our own, we cannot...

atone our sins and neither could...

the Israelites...

here’s another look at Jesus....

as our high priest found in...

Hebrews 7:22–26 “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”

once again, Jesus reveals to us...

that him being the high priest...

he has given us the access to abide...

with God at any time...

Therefore, we do not have to be...

cautious or timid when we approach...

God with our concerns and needs...

often times, we want someone who....

can relate to our difficulties and hardships...

how many of us go to someone we....

trust or can confide in about our....

hardships and they somehow...

know what we have gone through...

most likely they have gone through the...

same trials which then they give....

some comfort or advice to endure it better...

let’s turn the tables...

how many times have we...

want someone to relate...

or understand what we are going....

through because we feel like we....

cannot continue on in our current...

state we are in....

we come up with the “why...

is this happening to me”...

questions which gets us...

nowhere, rather, if we shift...

our perspective on our situations...

from “why is this happening to me”...

to “God you understand me”....

In truth, Jesus does understand us....

because as fully human, Jesus....

has revealed and is teaching us....

that he has gone through various....

trials that we have gone through....

remember what Hebrews 4:15 says, “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.”

this is clear evidence that Jesus...

has walked in our footsteps of ...

weaknesses, trials, and hardships...

through his experiences, Jesus wants...

us to know and learn to lean on him...

as the safe and secure rock who goes ...

before us and with us in every aspect...

of every trial, hardship, temptations....

you may wonder, did Jesus endure...

lost? temptations? poverty? sorrow?...

weariness? disappointment?...

rejection? ridicule? and loneliness?....

the answer is yes, he did....

in fact, we have evidence of this....

being true when we look at several...

versus in the Gospels like...

John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”

Jesus knew what it meant to...

loose a beloved friend....

Matthew 26:38 “Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.””

right when Jesus was to be betrayed...

he felt great sorrow for he knew...

what he needed to do but also...

he knew who was going to betray him...

Mark 1:13 “And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”

Jesus knows what it’s like to...

have been tempted and...

go through temptations....

Matthew 8:20 “And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.””

Jesus in some regards...

has dealt with poverty...

because no one gave him....

a place to stay...

John 4:6 “Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

Jesus knew what is felt...

to be weary physically...

Mark 15:19 “And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.”

when Jesus was taken by the...

Roman guards, they harshly...

ridiculed Jesus and mocked...

his divinity, power, and authority....

Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””

finally, on the cross, Jesus...

calls out to his Father, who turned....

his face away, which left Jesus...

in a state of loneliness..

these evidence of truth about...

Jesus, reveals to us that, we....

can endure our hardships without....

fear because Jesus has been where...

we are and he truly understands....

when we keep our gaze upon him...

and rely on his strength, then, we...

are able to see beyond our trials...

That is what Jesus is wanting us...

to grasp, that he is always there for...

us in every need we have....

Looking back once more...

at our verses...

Hebrews 4:14–16 “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. 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. 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.”

Knowing that Jesus has been...

where we are, now, he is...

asking us to come boldly before...

him, to seek and receive the grace...

and mercy that God is offering...

through Jesus, we have the...

ability to deepen our relationship...

with God and continuously learn...

and know that he understands us...

we can live each day with full...

confidence that God is with us...

and he is for us...

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

when we begin to place our needs....

within God’s hand, we are able to...

experience God’s understanding....

and then we are driven to extend...

God’s understanding to others so...

that they may know God fully and...

acknowledge that God understands them....

here’s the final encouragement....

I leave with you....

found in 1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”