Our Great High Priest

INTRODUCTION

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We live in world that loves to rank “what” or “who” is the best or the greatest? We make lists like “The Best Restaurant” in town. What would be at the top of your list of the “best” place to eat in Scottsbluff? (Share) As proven by our impromptu survey this morning, it’s subjective and based on personal opinion or preference. Let’s try another one. “Who” is the best actor in Hollywood? Who is at the top of your list? (Share). Again, it’s subject to personal opinion.

A few weeks ago Pastor Jake preached a message from declaring that Jesus is the Greatest of All Time Emmanuel Eternal. In that message he gave examples of people who are given the label “GOAT” which stands for “Greatest of All Time.” GOAT’s are hotly debated in life. “Who is the greatest NBA player of All Time?” (Chamberlin, Jordan, or Lebron). “Who is the greatest composer of all time? (Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi) Country Music Singer? (George Strait, Reba McIntyre, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn?)– who cares!

We argue about the greatest of all time and sometimes we just make lists of the top ten greatest things (vacation destinations), greatest teams, or greatest people. A list we probably don’t think about often or at all is “Who are the greatest priests throughout history?” Have you spent anytime at all thinking about who is considered to be one the greatest priests in history? It’s probably subjective, depending on how we define greatness, is greatness related to the work they accomplished, their fame/popularity, or something else? Who would be on your list?

· Moses’ brother - Aaron

· Marin Luther

· Thomas Aquinas

· Pope John Paul II

· J.I. Packer

· John Stott

· Pope Francis

Arguably, they are all great priests. I doubt any of us have a list of the greatest priests in history. The whole idea of “priesthood” might be foreign to many of you, it’s familiar to anyone that grew up in a church where there were priests not pastors. I’m not sure what comes to your mind when you think of priests. It certainly reminds me of my childhood. I grew up attending a church with a priest. I remember their robes and going to see them for confession.

Need

The ministry of the priesthood is recorded in the pages of Scripture. The institution of the priesthood in the OT revealed the need for a priest to serve as a mediator between sinful humanity and a holy God—Today we return to our series in HEBREWS where we will discover that we have a great high priest, the greatest priest of all time, and consider the implications for our lives.

Preview

Take your Bible (I hope you do) and turn to Hebrews chapter 4. HEBREWS is drawing us to encounter and experience the greatness of Jesus. Remember the letter of Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish Christians who were being tempted to return to Judaism, they had come to faith in Jesus and were facing intense persecution which tempted return to a life of Judaism instead of a life of following Jesus. The book of Hebrews is an exhortation (a really long sermon), motivating them to persevere, because Jesus is greater than the Old Covenant. As we’ve walked through the first four chapters of the book we’ve discovered that Jesus is greater than the OT prophets, greater than the angels, and even greater than Moses. Today transition to another major section of Hebrews which declares that Jesus is greater than Aaron. The superiority of Jesus to Aaron is without a question one of the most teachings of the book of Hebrews. The penman spills a lot of ink unpacking that Jesus is greater than Aaron – it is the focus/emphasis from -Chapter 10 – over five chapters of the book of Hebrews is dedicated to proclaiming that Jesus is greater than Aaron. The penman will proclaim Jesus to be the Great high priest (par excellence) and then highlight the greatness of His priestly ministry. I pray the repeated emphasis on this great truth will sink deep into our souls and have a profound impact on our lives as well.

Well what’s the big deal? Why is it so important to prove that Jesus is far greater than Aaron? Aaron was the first of appointed high priest—and the entire foundation of Judaism under the Old Covenant rested on God’s institution of the priesthood—as the basis of Israel’s relationship with God. Now priests have recently fallen into bad light—the subject of many jokes and stereo types—and yet most of them are good men who are striving to serve the Lord faithfully in their calling. One might think the idea of priesthood is a part of man-made religion, the Bible actually speaks of God’s institution of the priesthood in the OT. Now the Bible reveals the clear functions of the OT priests:

Representation: The priest served as a mediator between man & GodProvision: The priest would make sacrificial provisions for the sins of the people Access: The priest had the privilege of going into the presence of God for the people

And as we progress through this next major section of the letter, we’ll see very clearly that God’s institution of the priesthood in the OT serves as yet another foreshadowing of a greater priesthood that would be fulfilled by Jesus! Therefore the message that Jesus is greater than Aaron was good news for them and remains good news for us. Today we’re going to discover that Jesus is Our Great High Priest—greater than Aaron—and then consider the right response in light of this great truth. Let’s dig in. Hebrew 4:14-5:10.

I) JESUS IS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST (4:14-5:10)

unashamedly declares that Jesus is our great high priest. The penman wanted to drive home that Jesus’ priesthood is superior to Aaron’s priesthood so they would not return to their old life under Judaism. Let’s consider that Jesus Position, Provision, and Perfection as our great high priest.

A) Jesus’ Position as Our Great High Priest (4:14-15)

We begin with “Jesus’ Position as our Great High Priest” – Jesus’ Position as Our Great High Priest (4:14-15). Jesus is far greater than Aaron because of His unprecedented Position. Jesus has a better “Position” to serve as our High Priest. We see two aspects of Jesus’ position as our High priest.

1) Exalted at the Right Hand of God – Heavenly Tabernacle (4:14)

First, Jesus is in a better position to serve as our great high priest. Jesus is the exalted Son of God—”since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God” (4:14)—Jesus is not merely a servant of God He is the exalted Son of God. During Jesus’ ascensions he literally “passed through the heavens” which reveals transcendence, He transcends time and space, and He is “exalted high above the heavens” (), and he entered into a heavenly sanctuary. Quite the contrast to Aaron who had the privilege to pass through the inner veil of the earthly tabernacle and into the presence of the holy of holies once a year on for and on behalf of the people as their priest. Jesus ascended “through the heavens” and was give the position of highest honor at the right hand of the Father. Jesus currently serves as mediator and intercessor before the Father in a way that Aaron never could during his priesthood. Jesus’ exaltation to serve as our great high priest will be emphasized in greater detail in the weeks to come (, , ). Aaron’s access to God as the high priest was limited to once a year—every year he was allowed to enter the inner sanctuary to make atonement for the sins of the people in the very presence of God—but Jesus made a sacrificial provision for sin once and for all through His death and now continually lives in the presence of God who mediates and intercedes as our great high priest. Jesus is in a better position to serve as our great high priest – He is the exalted Son of God positioned at the right hand of the Father.

2) His Ability to Offer Sympathy (4:15)

Secondly, Jesus is in a better position to offer sympathy as our great high priest—" For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Jesus is in a better position than Aaron to sympathize with sinful humanity. One of the essential aspects of a priest’s ministry was being able to sympathize with the weakness’ of frail humanity. If Jesus is serving as our great high priest from an exalted position one might question His ability to sympathize with our struggle.

Jesus is a high priest who can sympathize with sinful humanity because He became a man. Jesus was “make like His brothers” (). Jesus’ exaltation (“passing through the heavens”) was preceded by Jesus’ humiliation (leaving the heavens)—before Jesus ascended heaven He descended to earth—Jesus’ humanity enables Him to be our great high priest who can “sympathize with our weakness” because He was “tempted in every way and yet without sin.” We have in heaven a great high priest with an unequaled capacity to sympathize with us in our weakness—Jesus understands/knows how we feel in the face of human weakness (limitations and incapacity) because He experienced human weakness—Jesus was hungry, tired, lonely, and felt pain.

Jesus knew the frailty of human weakness and encountered human temptation—He was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet did not sin”—Jesus was tempted by Satan but remained sinless. Jesus experienced temptation like we do but was never guilty of committing sin. Jesus was “tempted in everything”—this doesn’t mean that He faced every possible temptation that a human could encounter in life—it means that He endured “the full force or measure” of temptations during His earthly ministry but never yielded to sin. (How can he have been tempted if God cannot be tempted?)

Hurricane/Tree C.S. Lewis - “A man who gives in to temptation after 5 minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later…(Jesus)was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means.”

Jesus did what we could never do—He bore the full force of temptation and did not sin—Jesus stood victorious under the full weight of human temptation, never yielded, and remained sinless. Jesus didn’t have to give into temptation to truly be able to sympathize with us, He just had to experience the same kinds of temptations we faced, and not give in to sin. Since Jesus experienced the full force of temptation and yet did not sin He is uniquely positioned to sympathize with our weakness as our great high priest.

The primary “temptation” at the forefront of the penman’s mind and most relevant to the Jewish Christians would be the “temptation” to turn back to Judaism due to their persecution & pain and to learn from Jesus’ example. Jesus’ exaltation (“passing through the heavens”) to the right hand of the Father and His ability to sympathize with our weakness uniquely positions Him to be our great high priest. Jesus is truly greater than Aaron because He is in a better position to serve as our great high priest.

B) Jesus’ Provision as Our Great High Priest (4:16)

Secondly, we are confronted with Jesus’ Provision as our Great High Priest.” Jesus’ Provision as our Great High Priest. Jesus is greater than Aaron because of His better provision.

The penman highlights Jesus’ provision as our great high priest to encourage the Jewish Christians—"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”—the penman reveals what Jesus can provide as our great high priest. Jesus and Jesus alone is the true source of “mercy” and “grace” that will help us in our time of need. Jesus is the great high priest in whom we may “receive mercy” – His expression of kindness and concern when we are in need. Jesus is also the One in whom we “find grace” – His expression of unmerited favor and strength in our time of need.

Jesus’ provision of “mercy” and “grace” as great high priest assured the Jewish Christians that they would “find help” in their “time of need.” Jesus’ provision of mercy and grace” will result in God’s “timely aid”—He provides what they need the most and the most opportune (right) time—the provision of mercy and grace is given help (assist) the Jewish Christians during their time of trial and great crisis. The grace and mercy provided by Jesus would give them assistance when they were enduring the pain and pressure of severe persecution. Jesus would provide “mercy” and “grace” to help them in a timely fashion in their time of great need.

Jesus’ is greater than Aaron because of His better provision as our great high priest—He is able to provide “mercy” and “grace” to help us in our time of need. The penman’s reminded the Jewish Christians of Jesus’ provision as our great high priest to encourage them to stay the course—they would be given mercy and grace to help them in their time of persecution—so they should persevere in Jesus.

C) Jesus’ Perfection as Our Great High Priest (5:1-10)

Jesus is greater than Aaron because of His “Position” as our great High Priest. Jesus is greater than Aaron because of His “Provision” as our Great High Priest. Finally, Jesus is greater than Aaron because of His “Perfection” as our Great High Priest. In we discover that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the requirements for the office of high priest.

1) The Requirements to serve as High Priest (5:1-4)

The penman will clearly demonstrate that Jesus perfectly fulfilled the requirements to be our high priest. In order to prove Jesus’ perfection, he first reviewed (outlined) the qualifications to serve as high priest. The institution of the priesthood is one of the foundational teachings of the OT and regulated God’s relationship with the people of Israel. You can read about the institution, requirements, and ministry of the priests in the OT. The priesthood is first introduced in the book of Exodus and then highlighted throughout the OT. God established that one of the twelve tribes of Israel would be appointed and consecrated to serve as priests. Aaron’s appointment, consecration, and ordination to serve as priest is found in . God instructed Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to serve as His appointed priests.

· - “And you, bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. [1]

The priests were given the responsibility to serve as a mediator between God and the people of Israel. The priests would offers animal sacrifices on behalf of the people in the Tabernacle to temporarily atone for sin. Once a year the high priest would enter the holy of holies—the place where God’s presence was manifested—and offer a sacrifice for himself and the sins of the nation to atone (pay) for their sin. If you read you discover they had a special qualifications, role, responsibilities, and wardrobe to serve as priests. With that as a very basic overview, I’ll leave you to do some study on your own to learn more about the OT priesthood, we turn our focus to the penman’s review of the basic requirements to serve as high priest. The penman highlights the basic requirements Aaron had to pass in order to serve as God’s priest before showing that Jesus perfectly fulfilled each one.

In we find the qualification for the office of priesthood as prescribed in the OT. Penman reminded his readers about something they knew very well, “The Requirements of Priesthood” as revealed in the OT, requirements that Aaron and the line of high priests had to meet in order to serve as high priest in their day. If you were looking for a job in the classified ads of the “Hebrew Star Herald” there were three “Requirements” you had to meet to be qualified to serve as a high priest for the people of Israel. The penman of Hebrews outlines the two basic “Requirements” (Qualifications) to serve as a high priest according to the OT Scriptures.

· Shared Humanity - Every high priest must be human to fulfill their priestly role and responsibility (5:1-3)

First, every high priest must be human to fulfill their priestly role and responsibilities. We find this “human” requirement clearly in the penman’s mind—“Every high priest is selected from among the people” (5:1)—the initial declaration is a reference to the high priest’s shared humanity with the people they will serve. Aaron’s shared humanity enabled him to fulfill his role and responsibilities as high priest. Aaron’s share humanity enabled him fulfill his role as high priest—Aaron was “appointed to represent the people in matters related to God (5:1)—the primary role of every high priest was being Israel’s human representative (mediator) in the presence of their God. Aaron’s human nature also allowed him to fulfill his responsibilities as priest—we see that every high priest has specific responsibilities in their role of representing the nation to God—"to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (5:1)—Aaron’s had the responsibility of presenting the people’s gifts and sin offerings to God. Aaron would represent the people before God by receiving the offerings given by the people. The high priests shared the work of the priests in presenting their offerings to God as acts of worship and atonement for sin but it was the high priest alone who offered an annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement () to confess and atone for the sins of the people. Finally, the high priest’s human nature enabled them to be compassionate and sympathetic to the people he represents before God—"He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people (5:2-3)—since the high priest shared in their humanity he was “able to deal gently” with the people he represented before God. Aaron’s shared humanity enabled him to exhibit a “gentle” attitude toward those who wandered off the path of right living due to their ignorance. Every high priest was able to deal with the people he represented before God gently, compassionately, and sympathetically, for he himself experienced the same weakness and was guilty of the same waywardness. The high priests shared in the humanity of the people they represented and were subject to the same weakness and temptation to sin.

Joshua () Aaron ()

Therefore the high priests presented offerings to God to atone for the sins of the people he represented as well as himself. The high priests were not excluded, they too needed atonement for sin, thus their gentle (compassionate & sympathetic) attitude toward and ministry to the people they represented was a requirement for being a high priest.

· Divine Appointment - Every high priest must be appointed by God (5:4)

The second primary requirement (qualification) for the office of high priest highlighted by the penman was “Divine Appointment.” We find this requirement clearly revealed by the penman—“And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was (5:4)—every high priest must be appointed by God. Anyone who served as a high priest was appointed to the position by God. We find the description of Aaron’s appointment as high priest repeated revealed in the OT (, , , , , and ). No one took the priestly office by their own intuitive—this position of great respect and assignment of status of representing the nation before God was the result of divine appointment—Aaron and his successors were appointed by God, consecrated, and anointed to serve in this position of high honor.

2) Jesus’ Resume - Jesus is perfectly qualified to be our High Priest (5:5-10)

Having laid out “The Requirements to Serve as High Priest (5:1-4) the penman proceeded to present Jesus’ Resume (5:5-10) to show that Jesus is perfectly qualified to be our great high priest. is clear and convincing proof that Jesus meets fulfills the two requirements of “Shared Humanity” and “Divine Appointment” but addressed them in reverse order.

· Divine Appointment: Jesus was appointed by God (5:5-6, 10)

Jesus’ Resume begins with His “Divine Appointment”—In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (5:5-6) “and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek” (5:10)—here we have undeniable OT evidence that Jesus was appointed by God to be our great high priest. Jesus did not exalt (appoint) Himself to the office of high priest, He didn’t attribute this glory, dignity, and honor to Himself, He did not glorify Himself by taking the office of high priest by His own initiative.

The penman took his readers back to the OT once again to prove that Jesus was in fact chosen by God. The penman loves to quote the OT (especially the Psalms) and presents two familiar Psalms (already quoted in the letter) to prove Jesus’ divine appointment to serve as our great high priest. The first quotation is taken from —"But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father” (5:5)—this statement from a Messianic psalm highlights Jesus’ divine sonship, as God’s son He is the promised Messiah (Anointed One) and Davidic King, so the penman links Jesus’ sonship with appointment as priest. The declaration of Jesus’ sonship as the king and Messiah was fulfilled by Jesus and declared in the book of Acts.

· – “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Since Jesus fulfilled the declaration of —He is God’s Son, Messiah, and King—His sonship reveals His appointment to serve as our great high priest. Jesus is the King and Messiah, exalted to the right hand of the Father, and where He serves as our great high priest.

The second quotation comes from —"And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (5:6)—in this Messianic psalm God declared Jesus to serve as a priest forever. assures us that Jesus (the Messiah) was acclaimed by God to be the Davidic Messiah who was appointed to serve as priest although in a different order than Aaron. Jesus was appointed to serve as priest eternally, a point emphasized again by the penman’s declaration “He was designated to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek” (5:10). We will learn more about Jesus’ priesthood in the order of Melchizedek in .

The main point now is clear—Jesus was appointed by God to serve as high priest—tjis both quotations from the Psalms reveal that Jesus meets the first requirement for priesthood. We move on to the second requirement—“Human Nature.”

· Shared Humanity: Jesus participated in human feelings and weakness (5:7-10)

The OT requirements declared that every high priest had to share in the “Human Nature” of those they represented before God. Aaron fulfilled this requirement and the penman clearly reveals that Jesus fulfilled this requirement as well. We go back to Jesus’ Resume and we find that He indeed met this requirement of “Shared Humanity” which qualified Him to fulfill the role and responsibilities of a high priest—“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (5:7-10)— can you feel the reality of Jesus’ humanness? The penman reminded His readers of Jesus’ shared humanity which qualified Him for the office of priesthood.

Jesus’ incarnation made it possible for Him to share in our human nature. Jesus was truly God and truly man. The penman highlights the reality of Jesus’ humanity which enabled Him to participate in human feelings and weakness. We see this on full display in the penman’s description of Jesus’ suffering.

Jesus experienced and endure great temptation and trials, sorrow and suffering, pain and persecution during His earthly ministry. Just because Jesus was God did not mean He didn’t feel emotional and physical pain. We see Jesus’ humanity on full display in the penman’s description of Jesus’ life—"he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death (5:7)—during moments of great temptation and trial, Jesus cried out to God in prayer that was accompanied by intense emotion. In Jesus’ most desperate moments He literally “begged” and “pleaded” before God—and Jesus’ prayers and petitions included “loud” cries and tears—while Jesus was praying He was weeping and wailing as tears rolled down His face. Have you ever pictured Jesus like this in your life? We’ve been there, and Jesus has been there too, for He shares our “Human Nature.” Jesus cried out to the One who could save Him from death. The description of Jesus might remind us of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Turn to . Whatever notion of Jesus you have, whatever you’ve been taught about Jesus, whatever belief about Jesus you have, it must include this portrait of Jesus.

The penman reveals God’s response to Jesus’ prayers and petitions-- and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (5:7)—the Father heard Jesus’ prayers, petitions, weeping, and wailing because of His reverent submission. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, His death resulted in His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. Jesus didn’t try to escape suffering, pain, sorrow, and death. Jesus submitted to God’s will and was saved by God resurrecting Him from the dead. What an encouraging hope that would have been to the Jewish Christians being tempted to return to Judaism due to their pain and persecution.

Jesus’ participation in human suffering and weakness resulted in Jesus learning many things, and specifically obedience—"Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered (5:8)—we don’t often think of Jesus being able to “learn” anything because He was God in the flesh (omniscient). And yet we know Jesus laid aside His rights, status, and privileges as God (). Jesus grew in wisdom () and confessed He didn’t know the hour of the end of the age () Jesus learned obedience through His suffering—He learned what obeying God involved in practice—and through His sufferings He learned to submit (obey) to the Father’s will.

By Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will He was “made perfect” (5:9), a declaration already mentioned back in , but again this does not refer to Jesus’ moral perfection because He was sinless. The mention of Jesus having been “made perfect” refers to the completion of His earthly ministry, Jesus’ obedience to death marked that His work was finished, and as a result of His completed work Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (). Jesus’ obedience in suffering and death He cause (pioneer) of eternal salvation for everyone who obey Him. If addressed to mere professors of faith in Jesus, those who “obey” Him would refer to those who “heed” what God’ has spoken in Jesus and put their faith in Him, so they will enjoy the blessing of eternal life. And yet, for the Jews who had put their faith in Jesus but were being tempted to go back to Judaism, “obeying” Jesus was a call to “persevere” (keep believing) through the suffering of persecution for through Him they would be delivered from their enemies (persecutors) and enjoy their glorious inheritance in the Kingdom when Jesus returns.

The penman highlighted Jesus’ weakness and suffering to reveal without a doubt that Jesus “shared in our humanity” thus fulfilling the requirement to serve as a high priest. Jesus’ appointment by God and sharing in our humanity proves that He is perfectly qualified to serve as our great high priest.

II) THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO THIS AMAZING TRUTH

This morning God’s Word reveals that Jesus is our great High Priest. We’ve see that Jesus is greater than Aaron because of His Position, Provision, and Perfection—so now we must consider (grasp) The Right Response to Jesus our Great High Priest. It’s good know about Jesus’ Greatness as High Priest—to understand what makes Him superior to Aaron or any other human priest for that matter—but this truth calls us to take action. What is the right response to knowing the Jesus is our great high priest. How does this impact how we live? We find two clear exhortations the reveal the right response to Jesus being our great high priest.

A) Faithfully Persevere in Your Profession of Faith (4:14)

First, “Faithfully Persevere in Your Profession of Faith” Faithfully Persevere in Your Profession of Faith. We find this exhortation in —"since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess”—the Jewish Christians were taught the right response to Jesus who is their great high priest. The penman exhorted the Jewish Christians to persevere—hold firmly to the faith we profess”—“hold fast” (ESV)—cling to your confession of faith in Jesus. Actively hold on to your open allegiance to Jesus. Faithfully Persevere in your belief and allegiance to Jesus until the end. Don’t quit due to the suffering and pain of persecution.

Jesus is our great high priest—greater than Aaron in His Position, Provision, and Perfection—we must Faithfully Persevere in our Profession of Faith in Jesus. We aren’t suffering persecution like the first century Jewish Christians but like them we must persevere in our confession of faith. We experience our own pressures & pain, trials & temptations, heartbreak & hurt, sorrow & suffering that could tempt us to forsake our allegiance to Jesus.

Temptation: The pursuit of satisfaction & pleasure apart from God! Trials: Difficult circumstances (Unmet expectations of God) Pain: Physical & Emotional Persecution: Difficult people

Jesus is our great high priest, let’s Faithfully Persevere in Our Profession of Faith. Jesus knows what you’re going through, Jesus cares about what you’re going through, and Jesus has been through what you’re going through. Whatever suffering you are experiencing, keep faithfully persevering, and keep obeying (believing & following) Jesus to the end. One day you will be delivered and will enjoy your eternal inheritance in Him. Keep a firm grasp on your faith and allegiance to Jesus. Persevere. Hold Fast. Keep a firm grasp on your abiding faith and allegiance to Jesus. Keep clinging to your confidence everyday—you have a high priest who sympathizes with you—and you have a high priest in whom there is deliverance. Faithfully persevere in your Profession of Faith” in Jesus.

B) Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer (4:16)

Secondly, Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer. Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer—"Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (4:15-16)—Since Jesus is our great high priest we must “Boldly Draw Near to God in Prayer”. The exhortation given to the Jewish Christians in the first century applies to Christians in every generation.

Since Jesus is our great high priest, we can approach God’s throne of Grace with confidence. This is a privilege that the people of God under Aaron’s priesthood did not possess. This is completely opposite to the Old Covenant of Judaism which was always “Stand back,” “Keep your distance,” and “No Trespassing” unless you are a high priest but in the New Covenant we find the open invitation to “Draw Near,” “Come in,” “You’re Welcome” in the presence of God because of Jesus! Jesus’ exalted position at the right hand of the Father as our mediator means we can come into God’s presence with confidence. We can boldly enter the presence of God through Jesus. We can actively and continually come to God’s throne of grace through Jesus—this is a privilege that is always available to us.

The act of continually drawing near to God’s throne of Grace with confidence is accomplished through prayer—we have “freedom of access” and “freedom of speech” in God’s presence through Jesus—in each and every circumstance we face we have the opportunity and privilege to boldly draw near to God in prayer with absolute confidence.

When we “Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer” we receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need. This exhortation to the Jewish Christians was calling them to boldly draw near to God in prayer so they could receive Jesus’ provision of mercy and grace as they suffered the pain of intense persecution. We can boldly draw near to God in prayer to receive Jesus’ provision of mercy and grace to help us in our time of crisis and trial.

I’m not sure what you’re going through today. For some of you it’s the loss of a loved one (mom), a cancer diagnosis, a painful recovery from surgery, betrayal from a friend, the pain of a strained or fractured relationship, anxiety, worry, loneliness, or despair. Don’t try to endure in your own strength. Don’t let prayer become the last option on your list—“Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer” in each and every circumstance of life—and Jesus your great high priest will provide an all-sufficient supply of mercy and grace to help you in your time of need. Perhaps you’ve exhausted your efforts but have failed to pray, don’t wait any longer. You can “Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer right now, receiving mercy and grace from Jesus to help before you leave this moment.

CONCLUSION

Refresh – We love to make lists about the “best” and the “greatest”—the best/greatet meal, song, movie, president, and car—we don’t tend to make a list of the greatest priests in history? Many have made that list.

· Moses’ brother - Aaron

· Marin Luther

· Thomas Aquinas

· Pope John Paul II

· J.I. Packer

· John Stott

· Pope Francis

These men have been great priests but according to the truth of God’s Word, Jesus is the greatest—far greater than Aaron because of His Position, Provision, and Perfection—and the greatest of any great high priest that ever served God.

Renew

We need a priest—one to be our mediator between God—Jesus is our great high priest! All glory and praise to God! Since Jesus is our great high priest…

Restate

· Faithfully Persevere in Your Profession of Faith in Him!

· Boldly Draw Near to God through Prayer!

Pray

[1] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), .