What We Have

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, go ahead and open it up with me to Hebrews chapter 4.

Last week we spent our time looking at verses 1 through 13, and if you remember we talked a lot about the REST that God’s promised His people, rright?

We talked about Israel in the wilderness. They had seen God work. They heard His voice. They experienced His provision. And yet, when God called them to trust Him, they hardened their hearts and they refused to believe. And if you remember, the writer of Hebrews, he takes that history and he puts it right in front of us as a warning.

But listen this morning, as we come to verses 14 through 16, he wants us to see something else. Instead of giving us another warning, he gives us something to hold onto. In fact, I think sometimes we can become so familiar with the things we have in Christ that we stop being amazed by those things.

Think about how easy it is to take things for granted.

You can have something good for so long that you don't even think about how good it is anymore.

You wake up every morning and you've got a roof over your head, you've got food in your refrigerator, you've got people you love around you—and because it's there every single day, you forget just how much of a gift those things really are.

And I think we can do the same thing spiritually. We can sing about the gospel every Sunday. We can hear about Jesus every week. We can talk about grace and mercy and forgiveness. We can read our Bibles. We can pray. We can come to church. And if we're not careful, the things that ought to leave us standing in awe of God, they can become so familiar that they barely move us anymore.

We know we have Christ. But do we really stop and think about what we have in Christ? Because listen, what we have in Christ is incredible. We have a Savior who didn't just tell us how to get to God—He actually came to us. We have a Savior who lived the perfect life we could never live. We have a Savior who died the death our sin deserved. We have a Savior who rose again and conquered the grave.

And pay attention to what Hebrews tells this morning: “We have a great high priest…”

He says “we have.”

That's what I want us to think about this morning. We have a great High Priest. We have someone who represents us before God. We have someone who knows our weaknesses. We have someone who’s been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin. And because of Him, we don't have to stand at a distance from God. We can draw near.

Not because we're good enough or because we've cleaned ourselves up. Not because we've performed well enough. We get to draw near because Jesus, He’s opened the way.

And so this morning, I want us to slow down for a few minutes and really consider something that, if we're honest, we can so easily take for granted…I want us to consider what we have in Christ.

Because sometimes we spend so much time thinking about what we don't have. What we wish we had. What we wish God would give us. What we think would make our lives better. And meanwhile, we've been given something infinitely greater than anything this world could offer. We've been given Christ.

And so I've titled our message this morning: “What We Have.”

And listen, as we walk through these three verses together, I want us to see three things about what we have in Christ.

First, I want us to see who He is.

Second, what He knows.

And then third, what He gives.

And listen, my hope this morning isn't just that we would understand these verses better. I want us to leave here more amazed at what we have in Jesus Christ. Because church, if we really understood what we have in Him, I don't think we'd ever be able to treat the gospel like an ordinary thing.

Amen?

…

And so if you're there with me in Hebrews chapter 4, let's stand together as we read God's Word this morning. It says this, starting in verse 14:

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

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.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Again, our three points this morning as we walk through these verses together…Point number 1, Who He Is…Number 2, What He Knows…and then finally, Number 3, What He Gives.

The main idea of our message: because of what we have in Christ, we can hold fast to our faith and confidently draw near to God in our time of need.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s look at this first thing together.

I. Who He Is (v. 14)

Point number 1…I want us to see who this writer says Jesus is.

Look at verse 14 with me again.

“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.”

Now, there’s a lot packed into this one verse. But I want you to notice how the writer starts.

“Since then we have…”

He says, “We have.”

Remember what I mentioned during in the introduction. We know we have Christ…but do we really stop and think about what we have in Christ?

Which is why the first thing the writer wants us to think about is this: We have a great High Priest.

Now, that might not mean a whole lot to us at first. Most of us aren't walking around thinking about priests. We don't have priests in this room. Although Justin Howell was called our priest on Facebook, many months ago. That’s a different story for a different time.

But if you were a Jewish Christian reading this letter, those words would've meant something very significant to you. Because the high priest was the man who stood between the people of God and God Himself.

He represented the people before God. And once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest, he would enter behind the veil and offer blood for the sins of the people.

You can read about that in Leviticus chapter 16.

But here's the problem. That high priest was a sinner as well. He needed atonement for his own sin. He had to offer sacrifices for himself before he could offer sacrifices for the people. And eventually, he died. And another priest would take his place. And then another after him. Generation after generation, priest after priest. And none of them could ultimately solve the problem of sin.

That's why Hebrews 10:4 says: “For it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Those sacrifices were pointing somewhere. Those priests were pointing somewhere. The whole Old Testament sacrificial system was pointing somewhere.

It was all pointing to Jesus.

And so when the writer says, “We have a great high priest,” he's saying something really important here.

We don't need another priest. We have the Priest.

We don't need another sacrifice. We have the perfect sacrifice.

We don't need another mediator to stand between us and God. We have Jesus Christ.

And notice the writer doesn't just call Him a high priest. He calls Him a great High Priest. There's a reason for that.

Jesus isn't just another priest in a long line of priests. He's greater than every priest who came before Him. Those priests entered an earthly tabernacle. Jesus, He’s sits in the Father’s presence at His right hand.

Those priests offered the blood of animals. Jesus offered Himself.

Those priests eventually died. Jesus lives forever.

Hebrews 7:24 says: “But he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.”

And that's good news for us. Because our salvation doesn't depend upon some priest who's gonna die. It doesn't depend on some human who might fail us. Or on another sinner trying to stand between us and God.

No, our High Priest is Jesus Christ.

…

And then notice what else verse 14 says.

“Who has passed through the heavens…”

Now, the writer’s talking about Jesus’ ascension here.

Jesus came into this world. He took on flesh. He lived the perfect life you and I could never live. He went to the cross. He died in the place of sinners. He rose again. And then He ascended into heaven.

And listen, He didn't ascend because His work wasn't finished and He needed to go somewhere else to finish it. He ascended because His work was finished.

Remember what Jesus said on the cross?…“It is finished.”

If you remember, Hebrews 1:3 told us that after making purification for sins, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

He sat down. You remember why?

Because the sacrifice was sufficient. The work was complete. There wasn't another sacrifice coming. There wasn't another payment needed to be made. Or another priest who needed to step in and finish what Jesus had started.

Jesus finished the work. And now He’s in the presence of God on behalf of His people.

Romans 8:34 says: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

And so, the point here…the writer’s making: Do you see what you have? You have a Savior who’s alive. You have a Savior who’s reigning. Who’s interceding for you. And listen, that's why this writer says: “Let us hold fast our confession.”

Do you see the connection?

Because we have this great High Priest, let us hold fast our confession.

In other words, because of who Jesus is, don't let go of Him.

Don't abandon the faith.

Don't go looking for something better.

Don't go back to your old life.

Don't go looking for another Savior.

Hold fast to Christ.

And this is important in the context of Hebrews. Remember who this letter was written to. These Christians were under a ton of pressure.

They were suffering.

They were being tempted to turn back.

They were being tempted to go back to what was familiar.

And the writer keeps saying: “Don't go back…Jesus is better.” He's already spent three chapters telling us that.

Jesus is greater than the angels.

He’s greater than Moses.

And now he's saying: “You have a great High Priest. So hold fast. Don't let go of Him.”

And guys, that's something we need to hear as well. Because it's so easy to hold onto Christ when everything else is going well.

It's easy to say, “Jesus is enough,” when the bills are paid.

It's easy to say, “I trust God,” when all your family’s healthy.

It's easy to say, “I'll follow Christ,” when following Christ isn't costing you anything.

But what happens when things get hard?

What happens when God doesn't answer your prayer the way you wanted Him to?

What happens when following Christ costs you something?

What happens when you're suffering?

What happens when you're tired?

What happens when you don't understand what God’s doing?

That's when this verse becomes very real.

Hold fast your confession.

…

And pay attention to what we're called to hold onto.

We're not holding onto a religious system. We're holding onto Jesus.

We're not holding onto our own goodness. We're holding onto Jesus.

We're not holding onto our ability to perform. We're holding onto Jesus.

And listen, church, that's where our confidence comes from. Your confidence isn't in how strong your faith is. Your confidence, it comes from who your faith is in.

And if you're in Christ, you have something that can’t be taken away. You have a great High Priest.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “What is the great High Priest to me unless he’s mine?”

And that's really the question, right?

It's one thing to know that Jesus is a great High Priest. It's another thing altogether to be able to say: He's my High Priest.

Right? It's one thing to know Jesus died. It's another thing to say: He died for me.

It's one thing to know Jesus is in heaven. It's another thing to say: He's there representing me.

And church, that's what we have in Christ. We have a great High Priest.

…

And so let me just ask you this morning:

What are you holding onto?

When life gets hard, what do you grab for?

When you're afraid, where do you run?

When you've sinned, where do you go?

When you feel like you've failed God, what do you trust?

Because if your answer is yourself, at some point, you're gonna get tired. If it’s your performance, you're gonna get discouraged. If its your circumstances, you're gonna be tossed around.

But listen, if your answer is Christ, you have a foundation that’ll hold. Because your High Priest isn't dead.

He's alive.

He's reigning from heaven.

He's interceding for His people.

And He is enough.

So church, don't take this for granted. Don't become complacent with Jesus. Don’t forget the wonder of Jesus. We have a great High Priest. And because of who He is, the writer says: Hold fast.

Don't let go of Him.

Don't turn away from Christ.

Don't put your confidence in yourself.

Hold fast to your confession. Because you have a great High Priest. And that's who He is.

.…

But listen, the writer isn't finished. Because maybe you're sitting there thinking, “Okay, but does Jesus really understand what I'm going through?”

Does He understand my weakness?

Does He understand my temptation?

Does He really understand what it feels like to suffer?

And that's where the writer takes us next.

II. What He Knows (v. 15)

It's one thing to know who He is. But now he wants us to see what He knows. Which is our second point.

Look at verse 15 with me again.

“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.”

Now, I want you to notice how the writer starts this verse.

“For we do not have…”

And so now, he's telling us what we don't have.

We don't have a High Priest who’s distant from us. We don't have a High Priest who's completely disconnected from what we're going through. We don't have a Savior who looks down on our struggles and says, “I have no idea what that's like.”

No.

He says we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses.

That word “sympathize,” its super important for us. It doesn't mean Jesus simply knows that we're hurting. It means He’s able to enter into our experience with us. He knows what weakness feels like. He knows what suffering feels like. He knows what temptation feels like.

Why?

Because He became man. Jesus didn't remain distant from humanity. He took on flesh. He entered into our world. He experienced hunger and thirst and exhaustion. He experienced rejection. He experienced betrayal. Grief. Suffering. Temptation.

Just think about that.

The Son of God, He knows what it's like to be tired.

He knows what it's like to be hungry. What it's like to have people misunderstand you.

He knows what it's like to be betrayed by someone close to you.

He knows what it's like to weep at the grave of someone you love.

He knows what it's like to suffer.

And that's what makes Christianity so different. Our God isn't a God who stands far away from our suffering and tells us to figure it out. No, He entered into our suffering.

John 1:14 says: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Jesus Christ—the eternal Son of God—became flesh.

He came down.

He lived among us.

He walked our roads.

He experienced our weakness.

And He did all of that so that He could be our perfect Savior and our sympathetic High Priest.

…

Now with that, I wanna be careful here because there's something we need to understand. When the writer says Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses, he's not saying Jesus sympathizes with our sin. There's a huge difference. And the writer makes that very clear at the end of verse 15: “Yet without sin,” he says.

And so, don't miss that.

Jesus knows what it's like to be tempted. But Jesus never sinned.

Jesus knows what it's like to suffer. But He never sinned. He didn’t suffer because He sinned.

Jesus knows what it's like to be rejected. But again, He never sinned.

He knows what it's like to be angry. He knows what it's like to be exhausted. He experienced everything that belongs to genuine human weakness, but He never once gave in to sin.

And that's incredibly important for us to acknowledge. Because sometimes we think, “If Jesus really understood what I'm going through, then He would understand why I sinned.”

No.

Jesus understands your temptation better than you do. But He never excuses your sin. He understands your weakness without approving your disobedience. He has compassion for you without compromising His holiness.

And church, that's exactly the kind of Savior we need. We don't need a Savior who's just like us in our sin. We need a Savior who's like us in His humanity, but unlike us in His holiness.

Because if Jesus were a sinner like us, He couldn't save us from our sin.

If He needed a Savior Himself, He couldn't be our Savior.

But Hebrews tells us: “Yet [He does these things - He understands us] without sin.”

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:22: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.”

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin…”

Hebrews 7:26 says Jesus is: “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners…”

That's our Savior. Perfectly holy. And yet perfectly compassionate. That's what makes His sympathy so beautiful.

Charles Spurgeon preached an entire sermon on this one verse called “The Tenderness of Jesus,” and he made this point: Christ isn’t just sympathetic toward our strength, or our courage, or our victories. He’s sympathetic toward our infirmities—our weakness, our trembling, our pain, our struggles.

And I think that's important because sometimes we feel like we have to come to Jesus once we've got ourselves together.

We think:

“Let me get this sin under control first.”

Or “Let me get my life cleaned up first.”

“Let me get my emotions under control.”

“Let me become a better Christian first.”

And then I'll come to Jesus.

But listen to me. You don't come to Jesus because you're strong. You come to Him because you're weak.

You don't come because you've got everything figured out. You come because you don't.

And the beautiful thing is this, Jesus already knows those things.

He knows your weakness.

He knows your struggle.

He knows your temptation.

He knows the things you're ashamed of.

He knows the battles nobody else knows you're fighting.

And yet, if you're in Christ, He doesn't turn away from you. He sympathizes with you.

Think about Peter for just a moment.

Peter told Jesus, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And then a few hours later, Peter denied Him three times.

Jesus knew Peter's weakness. Jesus knew exactly what Peter was gonna do. And yet Jesus didn't abandon Peter, right? He restored him.

Think about Thomas. Thomas struggled with doubt. He said he wouldn't believe unless he saw. And Jesus didn't throw him away. He came to him.

Think about the disciples in the boat. They were terrified in the storm. Jesus knew their fear.

Think about Mary and Martha at Lazarus' tomb. Jesus knew their grief. And what’s John 11:35 tell us?

“Jesus wept.”

Why?

Because He entered into the sorrow of His people.

He knows.

He understands.

And church, some of you need to hear that this morning. Because maybe you're walking through something right now and you feel completely alone.

Or maybe you're fighting a temptation that you don't want anyone else to know about.

Maybe you're exhausted.

You're grieving.

You're discouraged.

Maybe you're struggling with fear.

Maybe you're carrying guilt.

Maybe you're asking God, “How much longer?”

And listen to me: Jesus knows.

He isn't unaware of your weakness. He’s not surprised by your struggle. He isn't standing far away and saying, “Why can't you get your act together?”

He knows. And He sympathizes.

…

But again don't miss the balance here.

Jesus sympathizes with our weakness, but He never excuses our sin. He doesn't sympathize with sin—He came to save us from it. And that's why those three words at the end of verse 15 are such good news: “yet without sin.”

Because when you're tempted, you don't need a Savior who’s fallen where you've fallen. You need a Savior who stood where you stand and didn't fall. You need a Savior who knows what temptation feels like, who knows what suffering feels like, who knows what weakness feels like—and yet remained perfectly holy.

And because He did, He’s able to help us when we’re tempted.

That's exactly what Hebrews 2:18 told us: “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he’s able to help those who are being tempted.”

You remember that?

Jesus suffered. He was tempted. And because of that, Jesus, He’s able to help us.

…

And so, let me just better apply this for us before we move on.

What are you going through right now that you think Jesus doesn't understand?

What weakness are you ashamed of?

What temptation are you fighting?

What suffering are you carrying?

What sin have you been trying to hide?

Listen, if you’re a believer—you don't have to hide from Christ because He already knows. And you don't have to clean yourself up before you come to Him.

He knows. And because He knows, you can come to Him.

That's where the writer’s taking us. Just look at the progression of the passage.

Verse 14:

We have a great High Priest.

Verse 15:

He knows our weaknesses.

And then verse 16 tells us what we should do because of that.

“If we have a great High Priest…”

“If He knows our weaknesses…”

“If He understands our temptations…”

“If He sympathizes with our struggles…”

Then what should we do?

The writer says: “Let us then with confidence draw near…”

That's the response.

Not to hide.

Not to run away.

Not to stay at a distance.

We should draw near.

And that's exactly what we're gonna see next.

III. What He Gives (v. 16)

Point number 3, We see what this perfect High Priest gives us.

Look at verse 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.”

Now, remember where we've been.

Verse 14: We have a great High Priest.

Verse 15: He knows our weaknesses.

And now verse 16: Because of who He is and because of what He knows, we can draw near.

…

I want you to notice three things specifically here.

First, He gives us access.

The writer says:

“Let us then with confidence draw near…”

That word “draw near,” it would’ve been incredibly significant to these Jewish Christians.

Under the Old Covenant, access to God's presence, it was restricted, right? The high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, but only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, and when he entered, he entered with blood. There was a barrier between sinful people and a holy God.

But when Jesus died, Matthew 27:51 tells us: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”

Why?

Because Jesus had opened the way.

Hebrews 10:19 says: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…”

And so pay attention to what this writer’s saying. We have access to God because of Jesus. And if we’re not careful, that's something we can become so familiar with that we forget how amazing that really is.

The God of heaven, He allows sinners to draw near to Him.

But notice how we're told to come: “With confidence.”

That doesn't mean arrogance. It doesn't mean we come before God believing we deserve to be there. It’s not confidence in ourselves.

Our confidence, its in Christ.

We're not coming because we've had a good week. Or because we've been faithful enough. We're coming because Jesus is our High Priest, and His sacrifice is sufficient.

That's why we can come confidently, boldly.

And when we come…when we draw near…what do we find?

Second, He gives us mercy.

The writer says: “That we may receive mercy…”

Why do we need mercy? Because we're sinners.

We've failed.

We've wandered.

We've disobeyed.

And yet, when we come to God through Christ, we don't receive the judgment our sins deserve. We receive mercy.

I mean just think about how important that is when you've failed God.

Sometimes we think, “I've messed up again. I need to get myself together before I come to God.”

No.

Your failure, it isn’t a reason to stay away from God. It's a reason to come to Him. Not because sin doesn't matter. It matters so much that Jesus had to die for it. But because the sacrifice Jesus offered was sufficient. You don't have to hide your sin from God. You don't have to pretend you're better than you are. You can confess it. You can come to Him. And when you do that you can receive mercy.

But listen, that's not all. The writer, he also says we can “find grace to help in time of need.” And this is where I think this verse, it becomes super practical for us. Because notice what he doesn't say.

He doesn't say Christians’ll never have a time of need. He actually assumes we will. There’s gonna be moments when you're weak. Moments when you're hurting. Moments when you're tempted. There’s gonna be moments when you don't know what to do.

And what’s he tell us to do when that happens?

He says, “Draw near.” Because there's grace there. Grace to help. Grace for the temptation. Grace for the suffering. Grace for the burden. Grace for the moment you're in. Not necessarily grace to remove the circumstance, but grace to sustain you through it.

Paul experienced that in 2 Corinthians 12 when he pleaded with God to remove his thorn in the flesh. And God's answer, it wasn't, “I'll make the problem disappear.”

It was: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Sometimes God's grace changes our circumstances. Sometimes His grace changes us in the circumstances. But either way, His grace is sufficient. And that's the promise here.

When you come to the throne of grace, you don't come to a God who’s reluctant to help His people. You come through a High Priest who understands your weakness, and you find the mercy and grace you need.

…

And so listen, let me just ask this before we close.

Where do you go when you're in need? When you're overwhelmed, where do you turn? When you're tempted, where do you run? When you don't know what to do, who do you look to? Because if we're honest, our first instinct is so oftentimes to try and fix everything ourselves.

We worry. We scheme. We try to control the situation. We carry burdens God never asked us to carry alone. And then, after we've exhausted, we finally say, “I guess I should pray.”

Church, Hebrews says go first.

Draw near. Come to the throne of grace. You have access. You have mercy. You have grace to help.

Listen, that’s the great privilege of what we have in Christ. We don't have to face our weaknesses alone. We don't have to approach God wondering whether He'll receive us. We don't have to earn our way into His presence. Jesus, He already opened the way.

And so, when you're in need, don't run from God. Run to Him.

When you've failed, don't hide from Him. Come to Him.

When you're weak, don't pretend you're strong. Draw near.

Because you have a great High Priest…who knows you. Who understands you. And because of Him, you can come boldly to the throne of grace. He gives you access.

And when you come, you’re gonna find mercy, and grace, and help.

That's what you have in Christ.

Closing

Listen, as we close this morning, I wanna bring us back to where we started.

What do we have in Christ?

We have a great High Priest.

We have a Savior who knows us.

We have access to the throne of grace.

We have mercy. We have grace to help us in our time of need.

Church, don't take that for granted. Don't become so familiar with the gospel that you stop being amazed by it. Don't become so comfortable with Christ that you neglect Him. Guys, don't live like you've been left to figure this life out on your own.

You have Jesus. So draw near to Him. Hold fast to Him. Treasure Him. Run to Him.

Examine yourself this morning…are you still amazed by the gospel? Are you amazed at what He’s has given you? At what you have in Him?

Ask God to clean your heart. To reorient your mind. Plead with Him to give you the power to fix your eyes on Christ. To look pass the nonsense of this world.

…

But listen, if you're here this morning and you're not a believer, let me just tell you what you don't have. You don't have a High Priest who represents you before God. You don't have forgiveness for your sin. And listen, you don't have access to God on your own because you’re a sinner. And that's the bad news the Bible lays out for us.

The worse news is that because of your sin, you deserve the judgment of a holy God and there’s nothing you can do about that.

But here's the good news: Jesus Christ came for sinners like you and me. He lived the perfect life you could never live. He died the death your sin deserved. He rose again, and He’s still alive.

And the best news?

There’s still time to come to Him. You don't have to clean yourself up. You don't have to make yourself worthy. All you have to do is turn from your sin and trust in Jesus. Because the same Jesus who says to His people, “Draw near,” He’s the same Jesus who calls sinners to come to Him…to find rest in Him.

And so if you’re a believer, don't neglect what you have…

And if you're not in Christ, come to Him…turn to Him. Because there’s mercy. There’s grace. There’s help…And listen to me, all this, it’s all found in Christ Jesus.

Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

The praise team’s gonna come and play for us one more time…And listen, as they do that I want you to take a moment and just really consider what you’ve heard this morning.

We’re gonna have some pastors up front…I’ll be in the back if you need one of us. But listen, you take this time…be serious about what you’ve heard and then I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]