The Greater High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

INTRODUCTION

Read Hebrews 4:12-13

Hebrews 4:12–13 ESV

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Note: There is no where we can go to escape our Lord. We are all laid exposed and naked before our Lord and His word is able to pierce through every fiber of our being.

Hebrews 4:14 ESV

14 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.

Jesus has now passed through the heavenly places and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. (1:13; 4:14)

Note: Jesus is not simply a priest, or the priest, or even the high priest,"HE IS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST”.

verse 14 leads to a foreshadowing or preview technique of the author. He is creating a sense of anticipation and fulfillment. So, yes Jesus is the heavenly crowned with glory and honor Messiah. But he is at the same time the pioneer of our faith who shares the full range of suffering, and while he identifies with suffering humanity, he is even then still the divine Son, the complete reflection of God’s glory.

Note: in our text today one of the categories for understanding who Jesus is and what he came to do is the category of “High Priest.”

verse 14 “Jesus, the Son of God, is Alive and with God this tells us three crucial things about Jesus as High Priest.

1)Jesus is alive 2)he is with God and above the heavens; and 3)he is the Son of God.

1) Unlike all other high priests who ever lived and died, Jesus lived and died and then came back to life in the resurrection never to die again. This is why the whole OT system of the priesthood is over. Jesus is the final priest between man and God because he will never die. He has the priesthood of indestructible life.

2) Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father and is our chief advocate, or our defense attorney before the throne of God.

3) He is the son of the living God, not just another prophet, or another priest, or another martyr, He is God’s one and only Son.

It was the task of the priest of Israel to carry out the task of atonement. Once a year on Yam Kimporum, the day of atonement. Only one man in all of Israel the High priest would go into the Sanctas Sancturum the inner Holy of Holies the place that no one else could step foot. He would place the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat, a propitiation for the sins of the people.

Two events took place,

1) The blood of the lamb placed on the mercy seat of God.

2) Then he would place blood on the scape goat that would then be led outside the city away from the camp of the people.

This was done to satisfy what God requires.

Hebrews 4:15–16 ESV

15 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. 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.

We Want our Superheroes to Identify with Us

Since 1939, Stan Lee created or co-created some of the world’s most popular superheroes. His super-human imagination gave birth to Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, and Ant-Man, just to name a few.

Of course, the world has no shortage of storytellers, but Lee was something of a mutant in the field. The Avengers series alone has generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales at the box office since 2008. So, what set his stories apart from the rest? Lee was able to tap into deeply rooted human instincts.

He explains his secret in a 1984 interview with ET: The whole formula … was to say: Let’s assume that somebody really could walk on walls like Spider-Man, or turn green and become a monster like The Hulk. That’s a given; we’ll accept that. But, accepting that, what would that person be like in the real world if he really existed? Wouldn’t he still have to worry about making a living? Or having acne and dandruff? Or his girlfriend jilting him? What are the real problems people would have? I think that’s what made the books popular. We all know we need a superhero to rescue us from our enemies and from calamities. But we simultaneously want this hero to be someone with whom we can identify. There are two instincts woven into our fallen nature: the knowledge that we need someone to save us and the deep desire for another to understand our struggles. Lee was also well-known for his cameo appearances inside the stories he had written. Each film since X-Men in 2000 has featured a brief incarnation of the author.

We all want, need, or desire someone who understands us, who gets us. Most people try to fulfill this longing through relationships, marriage, career, money, popularity, drugs, alcohol, drugs etc.

We now have a high priest who we can boldly approach His throne of Grace.

SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US TO APPROACH BOLDLY APPROACH THE THRONE OF GOD’S GRACE.

It means that.......

1. Great grace is a greater than our sin’s grace.

Acts 4:33 ESV

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

A. Webster Dictionary defines grace as, “the unmerited love and favor of God toward men.”

NOTE: So, when we say things like, I feel so unworthy of any grace or mercy that God would throw our way, that is a true statement and position before the High Priest.

What does it look like to have a Great grace that is greater than our sin’s.

Look at

Hebrews 4:13 ESV

13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

NOTE: It means that there is no one hidden from the view of God. He knows your’s and my sin’s so well. Everything has been laid bare and exposed at the foot of Jesus Christ. What was the first thing that Adam and Eve did after they sinned. They ran and tried to cover up what they had done. Why? because their sin had been exposed before a holy and righteous God.

Hebrews & James F. The Heavens (v. 14)

Christ was exalted through the heavens to appear in God’s presence. Earthly high priests entered the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle once a year to appear in God’s presence for the sins of the people and for their own sins (Heb. 9:7). Christ is constantly in the presence of the Father dealing only with our sins because he himself had no sin. With a helper like Jesus representing us in God’s presence, we stand a chance of holding firmly to the faith we profess.

A. Great Grace is a well timed help.

“Well timed” : because one on a universal “throne” has the power and authority to bring help in the perfect time - no flat tires!

DOCTRINE: God’s Help is always Well-Timed

For this to be true, God must be the one who sets the times and rules the seasons of our lives and all the times of the world that may affect us.

NOTE: God fixes all times By His own authority.

WHY DID GOD WAIT SO LONG TO SEND JESUS?

Have you ever asked why God planned such a long history with Israel before sending his Son into the world to die for our sins?

NOTE: For us to think that God has been trying to pull it off for centuries, but just couldn’t get it done, and so that’s why 2,000 years had past between Abraham in Genesis 12 and the coming of Christ in the book of Matthew.

That would be a huge mistake for two reasons.

1) The whole OT pictures God as ruling history, not frustrated by history.

For example Daniel says, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him.” And it is He who changes the times and the epochs of history; He removes kings and establishes kingdoms.” So Kings don’t rise and fall on their own. And times of history do not change on their own. God governs all of this.

King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn this the hard way. But after he was driven crazy by pride, he praised the one true God and said.

Daniel 4:34 ESV

34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

2) God had planned from the beginning of time for Jesus to come and die to offer us grace and forgiveness.

Even before there was a history for God to control He had planned for our forgiveness.

2 Timothy 1:9 ESV

9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

B. Great grace is a God planned forgiveness before time began.

John Piper / We need categories

Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) Draw near to the Throne of Grace with Confidence

We Needed Categories to Help Us Understand Jesus

One answer is that when the Son of God comes into the world there need to be some categories in place that make sense out of who he is and what he is coming to do. There needs to be a context for the Son of God which interprets why he is here and what he is doing. That is one of the reasons for the history of Israel and the record of the Old Testament. It gives us the context and the categories for understanding who Jesus is and why he came.

This is why the missions and evangelistic strategy called Firm Foundations is so significant. It takes a person or a tribe of people (as shown in the New Tribes Mission video Ee Tauw) through weeks or even months of exposure to the Old Testament stories in order to give a context for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Imagine going into a village that had never heard that God created the world, and that the world fell into sin, and that God gave a law for us to obey, and that there were priests and sacrifices and prophets and kings in the people of God. How would they ever make sense of Christ and why he came?

If you try to skip the Old Testament and interpret Jesus within your own context first without the Biblical-historical context and categories, you may make him a coach or a therapist or a good example or a guru or a mentor or a hero or a trailblazer. And there may be some truth in each of these. But they will not be as true and deep and authoritative and helpful as the categories that the Bible itself uses.

TRANSITION

Approaching the throne of grace is a Calm Assurance that we know our grace is a bought and paid for grace.

It means that....

2. Redeeming grace is a bought and paid for grace.

Hebrews 9:11–14 ESV

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Literally in a legal sense redemption is.....

Redemption generally refers to the rescue of an individual from a difficult obligation by means of a momentary payment. The Israelites were considered tenants of God’s land, with the right to produce. Therefore, transfer of property always reverted to the original tenants or his heirs on the day of jubilee (Lev. 25:8-23).

In Greek the root word means to “loose” and so to make free. The term is used of freeing from chains, slavery, or prison. In a theological sense the term indicates a freeing from the bondage of slavery, and sin, the ransom or price paid for freedom.

Ephesians 2:5 ESV

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

NOTE: The person who is left in bondage and slavery to sin can only therefore be redeemed by the price being paid and in return that ransom being added to that persons account. Much like we redeem a coupon or a voucher at the store. What are we doing? We are giving someone a piece of paper that say’s they should give us something in return. We are redeeming the coupon for whatever it is that has been previously paid for.

A. We have redemption at the Cross of Christ

(Past redemption)

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters 2. Redemption and the Cross

Paul assumes the creation story which sees people as originally in right relationship to God. But the coming of sin made them slaves to sin (Rom 6:6) and liable to the sentence of death (Rom 6:23). One way of viewing what was done at the cross of Christ was to see it as the paying of a price (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23), specifically a ransom (1 Tim 2:6) that frees people from slavery or the death sentence (see Life and Death).

B. We have redemption in the everyday experiences of life.

(Present redemption)

When we have a high priest who sympathizes with our weakness. He has been in the muck of life’s struggles with us and knows what we are going through, there is nothing you can tell God that will surprise Him.

1 Timothy 2:6 ESV

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Therefore, redemption has altered our everyday life, our everyday way of thinking. The redeemed belong to God, no longer slaves to this world; they should not seek to have themselves enslaved again to human opinion.

This is how we approach the throne room of God’s grace with confidence. We even sometimes look at this as the redemption of our time here on this earth. Turning back the clock if you will.

Ephesians 5:16 ESV

16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

C. We have redemption in the future resurrection.

(Future redemption)

In this life believers do not experience the full measure of our redemption. We still live in these earthly shells that are decaying and passing away. Paul speaks of those who have received the Spirit as awaiting their “sonship, the redemption of their body.”

Romans 8:23 ESV

23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Note: would you rather trust your life with the one who has conquered the grave and gone through heaven to the throne of Grace or someone who lived and died but cannot bring true life.

Hebrews 5:5–7 ESV

5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

We approach the throne of Grace through our Prayer and Praise. When take it to the throne of grace all of the other problems of this world fade away in the light of His glory. We learn that His grace is sufficient, meaning it is enough.

IS JESUS ENOUGH FOR YOU TODAY?

it means that....

Abundant Grace is a sufficient Grace.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Note: There are many shortages of things in our world today, shortage of good Fathers or good Mothers, shortage of food supply, shortage of good marriages, shortage of trust and truth.

THERE IS NEVER A SHORTAGE OF ABUNDANT GRACE FROM GOD

A. Abundant Grace keeps us from losing heart.

2 Corinthians 4:15–16 ESV

15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

The confident assurance we have when we approach the throne of grace is contagious as that grace moves to more and more people it increases those who are bringing praise and glory to God so that people do not lose heart because Jesus is enough.

B. Abundant Grace causes a daily renewal.

The inward man is being renewed day by day. We daily have to be reminded that God’s grace is enough.

Note: The enemy is continually reminding us of our failure and that we are not good enough. The grace of God through Jesus Christ is reminding us daily that we are being made into the image of Christ, our identity is no longer in the past but in our future.

It means that.....

Comforting Grace is a perfected grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Note: The grace is perfected in our weakness.

1 Corinthians 15:8–10 ESV

8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Note: Paul understood that if it were not for the grace of God He would have no entrance into the Holy Place. Paul understood that Grace is being made perfect through His weaknesses.

A. Comforting Grace is God calling the weak.

Note: He doesn’t wait for you to get your act together, He doesn’t wait till you look the part of a Christian, He calls you out of darkness and into His glorious light.

*Paul referred to his thorn in the flesh as a messenger of Satan. Instead of removing it God assured him of sufficient grace and strength.

B. Comforting Grace has Savior who sympathizes with us in our weakness.

Immediately after Jesus was baptized by John, He went into the desert for forty days being tempted by the devil.

Why was this necessary? The Bible says He went to learn righteousness. Does that mean that Jesus didn’t know what righteousness was prior to His time in the wilderness? What redemptive value does it have for you two-thousand years later?

Have you ever seen the Judean wilderness, I have only seen it out of a bus window, all that lives out their are scorpion's, snakes, and things that want to kill you. Jesus willingly goes out there to go toe to toe with the devil. The prince of Hell threw everything he could at Jesus and at every point He passed with flying colors.

In theology we make a distinctive between Jesus Active and Passive obedience, it is not only that He doesn’t sin. But, he performs positive acts of righteousness. His complete will is to do the will of the Father. Go to Gethsemane and you will see the full scope and weight of active and passive obedience. Jesus goes and wrestles with God and say’s “Father is there another way.”

Passive obedience, The Father say’s here’s the cup, I have filled it with the sin’s of the world, are you going to drink it or not. The Father did not come force it down Jesus throat, no, He willingly took the cup, “not my will but yours be done.” This is where the passive obedience becomes active. He takes the cup because He wants to drink the cup to the final drop of agony.

So that the one who is our High Priest and comes to deal with sin Know’s what it means to be tempted.

Note: In the past the High Priest had to make atonement for Himself. The difference in Jesus is that He did not need to atone for His own sin’s . His atonement was for the rest of the world who are sinners.

WOULD YOU RATHER GO TO THE ONE WHO KNOWS IN EVERY WAY WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH OR SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE AN IDEA BUT CANNOT FULLY UNDERSTAND?

Here is the lie that we are fed today, that when you become a Christian your desire to sin goes away. How is that working out for you? Remember we talked last week about the unrealistic expectations that are placed on Christians. We have a high priest who understands our weaknesses and our disposition towards sin.

TRANSITION: The boldness with which we approach the throne of Grace doesn’t end with this world, it has an eternal and everlasting component to it.

It means that.......

Everlasting Grace is a lasting grace

Ephesians 2:7 ESV

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Note: few things in this world are lasting. Time takes its toll on our possessions and treasures. God’s grace is everlasting. It is great, redeeming abundant, comforting, and enduring Grace.

Now we can step into the Holy of Holies, the place where no man other than the one High Priest dared to step foot. We can now stand in the presence of God without fear, “For there is no therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A. Everlasting Grace takes place in our Regeneration

Note: There is a damaging lie out there today that says, “God saved you, now what are you going to do for him?” This is a recipe for failure. If you come to the Christian life believing you can do anything for God in your own strength to somehow repay him on any level, you will fall back to the self-dependent spiritual death from which Jesus has now saved you.

The everlasting Grace of God that Ephesian’s 2 speaks of frees us from this lie by showing that the Christian life is completely fueled by God’s grace.

Regeneration takes place when the spiritually dead come alive in Christ. Dead people do not cooperate with grace. Without regeneration, there is no possibility of faith. You are still dead in your sins. Paul got this from Jesus, who told Nicodemus: “Unless a man is born again first, he cannot possibly see or enter the kingdom of God.

God has changed you, and is changing you. Most of us embrace with great comfort that God has changed us in the past, but we struggle with “I have a lot of changing left to do. I’m a work in progress. I haven’t yet arrived.”

Regeneration is the complete transformation that begins the continuing process of sanctification. Here is how the process unfolds.

1) You are a new Creation 2 Cor. 5:17

2) You have been Crucified Galatians 2:20

3) You have been raised Col. 3:1-3 “Since you have been raise with Christ set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

4)Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 6:19

5) You are light Ephesians 5:8 “For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are in the light, walk as children of the light.”

6) You have been set free from sin Romans 6:22 “But now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God.

CONCLUSION

Hebrews tells us that, in an act of enormous courage and defiance, Jesus "endured the cross, despising the shame" (Hebrews 12:2) and then adds, significantly, that he is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Incarnation, atonement, resurrection, and ascension--the going down and coming up of the Son of God--open the way not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also for the lifting of our shame. For these are ingredients in the accepting grace of God and in the invitation to union with God's Son.

Matt Chandler Pastor of The Village Church in Dallas,

The litmus test of whether or not you understand the gospel is what you do when you fail. Do you run from God and go try to clean yourself up a bit before you come back into the throne room, or do you approach the throne of grace with confidence? If you don't approach the throne of grace with confidence, you don't understand the gospel. You are most offensive to God when you come to him with all of your efforts, when you're still trying to earn what's freely given.