Sermon Tone Analysis
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Would you turn in your Bible to Hebrews 4:14-16, and let’s ask the Lord’s blessing upon our time.
Let’s review a little bit.
Hebrews 1:1-3:6 give us a clear statement of Jesus’ surpassing glory and ministry.
Hebrews 3:7-4:13 contains a serious caution not to reject Christ, or
to simply come part-way, but to continue in faith.
Let’s be honest, no one likes challenges or rebukes, and the book of Hebrews has quite a few of them.
We’ve already come across phrases like
· “how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
(2:3)
· “do not harden your hearts” (3:8, 13, 15; 4:7)
· and “let us fear if any one of you seems to fall short” (4:1)
· and “there is no creature hidden from the Word’s sight, but all things are open and laid bare before Him” (4:13)
Those challenges and rebukes are so strong because the salvation given by Jesus Christ is so great:
· “by the grace of God Jesus tasted death for everyone” (2:9)
· and “through His death He rendered the devil powerless (2:14)
· and “He is a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (2:17)
· and “He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted” (2:18)
· and “We have become partakers of Christ if we continue in faith” (3:14)
In chapter 5 we will return to the subject of Christ’s high priestly work, the greatness of salvation in Christ, and yes, there are more warnings to come as well.
A Disclosure Statement
It’s important to understand that the Savior is not standing above us with a bat,
ready to clobber us if we get out of line, but wants us to take salvation seriously.
Eternity is on the line.
There are those who are clearly unbelievers, happily pagan and uninterested in Christ; they really aren’t mentioned in this letter.
And there are those whose devotion to Jesus is clear, their faith is consistent, and their lives reflect their conversion; they are encouraged to continue in faith.
And, there are those who, as Hebrews 4:1 put it, seem, or appear, to fall short.
Their faith wavers, and their lives don’t reflect conversion very well.
Some of them are genuine believers who are immature or struggling;
some of them are unbelievers who are deceived about their own spiritual state.
They are the main concern of the letter.
The Lord wants those who are saved but drifting to anchor well into Him, and those who are deceived about their own salvation to understand the Gospel, repent of their sins, and believe in Christ.
So, we’ve see a lot of challenge and rebuke, and a lot of encouraging statements.
Before moving on, the Lord gives us a wonderfully intimate application of what we’ve seen so far, full of encouragement, comfort, and practicality.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (NASB95):
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.
Hold Fast To Faith in Christ
This is where the Israelites in the wilderness failed.
They didn’t hold on to Yahweh
in faith.
Their faithlessness revealed itself in their disobedience, and the fact that
they feared other people more than their God.
We are to hold fast to our confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Why?
Because of Jesus’ superiority to any human priest or minister.
He is unlike the other high priests because of His title.
Only Jesus is called a “great high priest.”
The term “high priest” is already
magnified over other priestly offices.
Jesus’ high priesthood is magnified even more.
Only Jesus Christ is ever called a GREAT high priest.
He is unlike the other high priests because of His sanctuary.
Where did the other high priests offer their gifts?
First in the Tabernacle,
and then in the Temple in Jerusalem.
They offered their sacrifices
in man-made structures, on man-make altars and a man-made mercy seat.
But Hebrews 9:11 tells us that Jesus entered through the greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.
And Hebrews 9:24 tells us that Jesus did not enter a holy place made with hands,
a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, so that He now appears
in the presence of God for us.
He is unlike the other high priests because of His sympathy.
He is not a high priest who cannot sympathize,
but one who knows our weaknesses intimately.
Now, someone might be tempted to say, “Wait a second, since I’m a sinner,
only another sinner can really understand me.”
Do you know the story of Hannah in First Samuel 1?
Hannah was a barren woman who lived during the time of the judges.
Her husband, Elkanah, had another wife, Peninnah, and she had children,
so the problem wasn’t with Elkanah.
Infertility can be frustrating for a man,
but it’s often devastating to a woman, and Hannah grieved deeply.
She went
to the tabernacle to pray, and poured her heart out to the Lord, weeping bitterly.
The high priest, Eli, saw her there praying.
Her lips were moving, she wasn’t
making any sound, and she was weeping profusely.
What did he do?
He wrongly assumed she was drunk, and heartlessly rebuked her.
So while it might seem that another sinner can understand you better than Jesus,
it’s not true.
Our sin natures often make us cruel, judgmental, and critical.
But Jesus can sympathize with us in our weaknesses.
Certainly He can do this because He knows us intimately and perfectly, down to the very thoughts and intentions
of our hearts.
So, when He rebukes you, you can be sure that a rebuke was deserved.
But when He comforts you, you can be sure that He knows what you are facing.
He is able to do this because He was tempted in every way, as we are.
This doesn’t mean that He was tempted to create every possible sin, but that He was tempted in every area.
He wasn’t tempted to lie to His wife, because He wasn’t married,
but He was tempted to lie.
And don’t forget that temptation grows stronger the longer we resist it.
We can’t understand the kind of terrible pressure He faced when He was tempted, because we’ve never resisted temptation every single time, as He did.
That doesn’t make Him proud and arrogant, but tender and sympathetic.
Jesus knows what it is like for you to face temptation, because He has faced it Himself, and knows how strong and demanding it can be.
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