Our Great High Priest

Hebrews 4:12-16 “

Most of the sermons preached here is about Jesus Christ, denying or renouncing our flesh and following Him. He is the Messiah, The I Am, The Son of the Living God.

When you read in Scripture what a Christ-like life looks like, it is very convicting! I imagine, if any of us is serious about Jesus, has possibly finished their day with their head held low, our spirit in the dump! I know that I have.

Walking by faith, living by faith as Scripture tells us, can be challenging at times.

I think of 1 Peter 2:21-23 “For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”

I hang my head a lot when attempting to follow that Example!

I think of Paul & Silas in Acts 16, after they were beaten and thrown in jail all for the Name of Jesus Christ, they began to pray and sing praises to God! That alone would be difficult, but it went even further, while they were praying and singing an earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the doors were opened and the shackles were loosed off of the prisoners. Sounds great doesn’t it, the jailer, seeing the doors opened and everyone’s shackles off, he went to kill himself. Paul said do yourself no harm, we are still here.

They stayed put for the sake of that one soul!

So many things I can mention, that challenges our faith, our walk with Christ!

Matthew 5:38-39 “Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Matthew 5:40 “And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.”

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.”

The fruits of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.”

Matthew 26:36-46.............Just wanted to note something from this powerful scene in the garden of Gethsemane.

As Jesus went to this garden to pray, He was in agony! He took some Peter, James, and John with Him. He told them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, He tells them to watch with Him!

Jesus then begins to pray, the most agonizing prayer that has ever been uttered from human lips!

Noteworthy, Jesus began by asking the Father to remove what was fixing to happen to Him! But, Jesus stated something that I believe is the very thing we struggle with, “not as I will, but God’s will!”

Out of all this, I wanted you to see and hear this from Jesus when He finds His disciples asleep, He tells them to watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.........

This is a possibility every moment of our lives, temptation has been setup just by the structure of society! We must watch (discern) and pray (because we are not capable on our own)!

We are not capable on our own and this is the truth that makes our walk of faith difficult..... “The Spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak”!

Jesus had no doubts about the power of the Spirit, He also knew about the frailty of man!

It has been the crux of humankind ever since the fall.

David fell into temptation, Peter did even after it was told that he was, so many others have gave into temptations!

I think of the parable of the soils, it might not make sense to you, but I thought about including this, to setup this message.

Matthew 13:20-22 “And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

Just the explanation of 2 of the soils and why the seed did not produce, Jesus uses a few things that causes the soils (hearts) to not let the seed (Word of God {Jesus}) grow in their hearts!

Tribulation or persecution because of Jesus causes the Jesus to not take root and it easily destroyed!

Cares of the world and the deception of riches choke the Word!

This is what I am trying to get at and what Jesus was warning the disciples of when He was in the Garden.

The cares of this world will choke out, our Example, which is Jesus Christ! I am not making light of the song, but the song “My Jesus”, it is easy for us to say that when not faced with persecution or on the other hand; faced with temptations of things we care about in this world or the prospect of riches are before us!

Do we say, I will get back with ya, Jesus!

How about when you are stabbed in the back or talked about or taken advantage of....Is He your Jesus then or does the need to justify yourself arise?

These things convict me!

Let’s now go to our main text, Hebrews 4:12-16..............

Verses 12-13 hit home in our walk of faith! The Word of God, if we look into God’s Word (Jesus), IT will speak right to the thoughts and intents of the heart!

Nothing can hide from God’s Word, it is alive and powerful (Jesus)

To Him that we have to do, to Him (Jesus) Who we have to give an account!

Nothing is hid, He knows our outward work and even our inward thoughts and intents! Nothing is hid! NAKED, just as Adam and Eve was ashamed of their nakedness, so am I!

What am I to do?????????

Verse 14-16 is where we go.....it is to our High Priest! Our Great High Priest!

He is great because He supersedes, the priesthood of Aaron, the priesthood of Jesus Christ is higher than any human priest and higher than any sacrifice!

Jesus passed through the heavens, just as the priest had to go through the 3 areas in the temple, Jesus, after living the perfect life and giving Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He passed through the 3 heavens that the Jews called. (1. Atmosphere 2. Space 3. God’s Abode)

Hold fast your profession! Trials, tribulation, cares of the world, will come, but hold fast your profession!

We talked a couple of weeks ago about our confidence, not to draw back.........The writer here is telling us to hold fast to what we have confessed about Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God!

Why???????

Because He has been right where we are at!!!!!!!!!! He has faced everything in a magnified, extreme way, more so than we ever will! But He knows!!!!

Our professed Great High Priest, understands our weaknesses and sympathizes with us, because He faced all the same temptations and was without sin!

It says something that there has been only one human to ever live faithfully, completely unto the Lord! It was Jesus! Under the same pressures and tests Jesus did not sin and He also was able at that point to know our struggle!

We have an advocate, a High Priest, that understands our weakness, the call for us now is to drop all the cares of the world and come boldly to the Throne of Grace, at this throne, the throne of God through Jesus Christ, we find mercy (love) and Grace that is dispensed to all believers for all issues of life!

What I am trying to say, is that in Jesus Christ we find the Son of God, Who emptied Himself and became flesh and faced every challenge of life for us, so that He could sympathize with us, so that He could give us an example, so that He could pay the penalty for our sins, so that He could be buried and risen from the grave to guarantee us everlasting life; when we come to the throne of Grace, we find there Jesus, who is our Example!

This is where we rest, Jesus did this and overcome this life, because He trusted in something Greater, matter of fact, He didn’t have to trust He knew!

This is how we battle those temptations, let us know (hold fast & come boldly)! Let us know!

We have a struggle, that is for sure, but let us know our Great High Priest, let us trust, no let us know that the Spiritual life is greater! Follow Jesus, to find this knowledge!