"Jesus is able to Sympathize with Us."

For many believers we are well aware that Christ has risen and is seated with God the Father in Heaven. We know this to be true and yet forget that the Lord is less approachable and less compassionate than when he was here on earth. We forget that Christ is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.

In my own life there have been times where I have felt let down, tremendously discouraged and even abandoned. There have been times where I feel alone, but as I pick up the Word of God I know that I am never alone, that my God is with me and He directs my path and lead me besides the still waters and he restores my soul. Even as I feel that I have walked through a very dark valley, I am not going to fear evil because my God will comfort me and someday I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Today, I want to take some time and look at the very nature of Christ. I want you to see today the very heart of the Lord. I want you to see his strength, his deepest affections and longings.

One of the first things I want to draw your attention to this morning is right from the beginning of verse 14 we see this word since. In some versions like the NIV it actually says therefore, since. What this does is tie us back to the argument in Hebrews chapter 2. Let’s take a look at these verses.

Hebrews 2:17–18 ESV

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The truths that we see here in chapter 2 help us to see that Jesus was made like his brothers and sisters (that would be you and I) in every respect so that he could become our merciful high priest in His service to God the Father. And also that he might make a propitiation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:14 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.

1. Hold Fast to your Confession of Christ!

In verse 14 we see 3 Characteristics about Christ.

-First of all, He is our “Great” High Priest.

We now look at what this “priestly ministry” of Jesus was all about. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is not only a high priest but “The Great High Priest.” So what do you know about the high priest? In the Old Testament we learn about priests but also about the High Priest. Here is a little background. The High Priests offered a yearly sacrifice on “Yom Kippur” literally, the day of atonement. There they would enter the Holy of Holies, the place where the Jewish temple was and where the presence of God dwelt. God’s glory rested upon the top of the ark of the covenant between the two images of the cherubim. The Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the temple by a thick veil and could be entered only one time a year by the most high priest.

(Old Testament scholar Ray Dillard describes the intense process leading up to this moment. Check this out!!! A week beforehand, the high priest was put into seclusion and taken away from his home and into a place where he was completely alone. Why? So he wouldn’t accidentally touch or eat anything unclean. Clean food was brought to him, and he would wash his body and prepare his heart. The night before the Day of Atonement he didn’t go to bed; he would stay up all night praying and reading God’s Word to purify his soul. Then on Yom Kippur he bathed head to toe and dressed in pure, unstained white linen. Then he went into the Holy of Holies and offered an animal sacrifice to God to atone, or pay the penalty for, his own sins. After that he came out and bathed completely again, and new white linen was put on him, and he went in again, this time sacrificing for the sins of the priests. But that is not all. He would come out a third time, and he bathed again from head to toe and they dressed him in brand new pure linen, and he went into the Holy of Holies and atoned for the sins of all the people. This was done in public. The temple was crowded, and those in attendance watched closely. There was a thin screen, and he bathed behind it. The people were present: They saw him bathe, dress, go in, come back out. He was their representative before God, and they were there cheering him on. They were very concerned to make sure that everything was done properly and with purity, because he represented them before God.

Centuries later Yeshua showed up. This was Jesus’ name in Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew. Jesus staged his own Day of Atonement. One week beforehand, Jesus began to prepare. And the night before, he didn’t go to sleep. In fact, what happened to Jesus our Great High Priest was the exact opposite of what happened to the Old Testament High Priests. Instead of the people cheering Jesus on, nearly everyone he loved betrayed, abandoned, or denied him. And when Jesus stood before God the Father instead of receiving words of encouragement, the Father forsook him. Instead of being clothed in rich garments, he was stripped of the only garment he had, Jesus was beaten, he was killed naked, and he was covered in human spit. But he did this for mankind.)

Jesus has redefined the office of High Priest because even though he was tempted just like you and I are, he never sinned and has passed through the heavens and is in the very throne room of God and Christ is our mediator.

-The Second thing here that we know about Jesus is the fact that He is in Heaven. Just as in the Old Testament, the first High Priest Aaron went through the veil into the earthly Most Holy Place, Jesus after his death and resurrection has entered into the very presence of God in heaven itself. Jesus was able to enter God’s presence as our High Priest only because he was the eternal Son of God who was also fully human and gave himself up for our sins

-Finally, Jesus is the Son of God. Christ is fully human but also fully divine which means that He is the Son of God.

We need to understand these things about Christ because as we come to know these attributes of Christ it helps us to hold fast to our confession. It helps us to remain steadfast. Lately I have seen to many Christians waver in their faith!!! A guy told me the other day, “How do we even know there is a God?” This man is living a life of fear and has began to doubt. I pointed him to John 20:31

John 20:31 ESV

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 14:1–4 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

In other words church because of what Christ has done for us we can continue to grow in our faith and live lives that profess faith in Christ.

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

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.

2. Remember that we have a sinless High Priest!

The first thing I want to address here is this word sympathize. John Ortlund in his book tells us that this word sympathize is not a detached pity. In fact, it carries the sense that Christ’s heart is drawn into our distress. His human nature engages our troubles comprehensively. His is a love that cannot be held back when he sees his people in pain.

So, why exactly do we need a high priest that can sympathize with us??? Well here in verse 15 we see the answer to that question. Jesus would not have been able to fully identify with us and fulfill his ministry if he had not also identified with our temptations and remained without sin.

But have you ever wondered what exactly is the difference between temptation and the actual sin??? Yes, many of us have thought this. If Christ was tempted in every way as we are and yet without sin than there is no way the actual temptation is a sin, otherwise we would not have a sinless Savior.

So, the normal understanding is that temptation is the enticement too wrongdoing that we face every day. Would could this look like?

-There can be the temptation to sin sexually.

-There could be the temptation to steal or cheat.

-There could be the temptation to lash out in anger.

In Matthew Chapter 4 we read about the temptations that Christ himself faced when Satan tried to get the Lord to give in and sin. I think it is important here to address the fact that Jesus was a normal man in regards to his flesh. We know from Scripture that Jesus just like you and me was thirsty, hungry, rejected, embarrassed, abandoned, misunderstood. However, Jesus never let his temptations cross the line over into sin. Jesus always resisted. The author of Hebrews here is calling us as believers to run to Christ the only high priest who can deliver us from temptation. Because of this wonderful example we can stand firm, and lean unto Christ as He helps us to fight the temptations of sinful ways.

Think back with me about the history that we read about with the Old Testament Priests. They could only offer sacrifices that would delay God’s judgment against sin. Their sacrifices could only buy some time. Eventually Jesus showed up and His sacrifice, his life and death and resurrection accomplished complete atonement for sin once and for all. It was complete. The only way this could be possible was for Christ to live a sinless life.

Hebrews 7:26–27 ESV

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

Hebrews 4:16 ESV

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.

3. Have Confidence to Approach Christ.

Sometimes in this life we don’t have confidence in others because they have let us down. Sometimes people don’t follow through and our confidence shall I say is lacking. Maybe we don’t have confidence in ourselves because we know that we don’t have a certain skill or training in something. But, when it comes to God things are different. Why? Because Jesus is our sinless High Priest, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. In fact, the author of Hebrews here calls Christians to approach the throne of Grace with confidence. We do this so that we can receive the help that we need to live in victory for the Lord. Clearly this life comes with hardships, persecution, and temptation. So, we need to be able to run to the Lord in Prayer and ask Him for his grace. This throne here mentioned in verse 16, is the throne of God. And for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, God’s throne is a throne of immeasurable grace. So, when we do run to the throne of grace and mercy we receive some really awesome benefits.

-First, even in our weaknesses, we can approach the throne of God with confidence because we know that God has fully and finally put away all of our sin in Christ. However for those who are not in Christ (those who do not know the Lord) God’s throne is a throne of terrible judgment. Don’t reject God’s gift = Jesus whom He gave to be the penalty for our sin. For those who reject Christ, the throne will be a throne of wrath.

For those of you who are believers today we can run to the throne of grace in our time of need. Grace is what we need to face every situation in this life, and to receive mercy we need to cover our sin. God’s grace provides us as believers the power to overcome temptation and to live our lives faithfully to Christ. God’s help through His grace and mercy are available to us 24hours a day. His help enables us to hold onto our faith despite opposition and persecution.

-Also, to find mercy in our time of need. Through God’s mercy the faithful are forgiven and freed from their sins. Some of you today have great needs. Everyday has been a struggle. 2021 has been a difficult year. Have you sought the Lord. Have you asked Christ to free you of your sin? Has there been a time where you have confessed you sin to the Lord and asked him for His mercy? Why not do that today.