Our Great High Priest’s Throne of Grace: Hebrews 4:14-16

Pray & Intro: When you love language and communication like I do, even just the words, phrases, structure, and argumentation can be so much fun… J

Our text today is central to the message of Hebrews, transitional in the flow his sermon, and transformational for our lives. (critical to our understanding of who God is, his plan and accomplishment through Jesus, and who we are, exposed in the light of who God is and what Christ did and continues to do…) à The central theme of Hebrews and the central theme of God’s story in the Bible and his purpose for creation. (Do you ever get to a point in a book where you realize, I get why this was written, I see what they’re going for? Or do you ever read a line in the midst of a poem or article and think, this line really powerfully and beautifully summarizes the whole thing? In my study this week, Heb 4:14-16 was like that for me, and I trust that it can be for you as well.)

Read Passage to Explain and Apply:

God knows that until we enter his final rest, we need help! – Of course you will not be saved without rightly perceiving the depth of your need. And you cannot  à This truth of drawing near to God for help is foundational to receiving new life by faith as well as for daily living the Christian faith. And it is the ministry of Christ (what he accomplished and his continued intercession) that forms the foundation of our faith.

1. Foundation – Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God
   1. We have a great high priest
      1. High priest – the role of high priest *, & Our desperate need of intercession for our sin*
      2. Great – great can be a pretty weak word in our language (I’ll grab the pizza on my way. Ok, great. Or he’s really a great player.) [Steph Curry] à With Jesus, we need to be able to communicate “way out of the ordinary by degree, outrageously remarkable in magnitude, totally unmatched in his impact.” – What makes his priesthood so great? (superior to angels, Moses & Joshua, now even Aaron’s priesthood; guarantor of a better hope & better covenant, better mediator of better promises, b/c he provided a better sacrifice; which means to us better assurance, promise of a better country, knowing that we will rise again to a better life…)
   2. Passed through the heavens (emphasizing his exaltation, following his incarnation and humiliation) – Hebrews confirms that he needed to go through this for us (not his need but ours), but he is now exalted at the right hand of God (thus passed through the heavens… or crossed over into – he is waiting for us in God’s promised kingdom, his promised country, his promised rest).
   3. Namely, Jesus, the Son of God – Jesus, his given name on earth; Son of God – his given name in eternal unity with the Father and the Spirit à JI Packer quote ***
   4. Is this stated foundation your foundation? Is it the hope you confess?
2. Exhortation – Let us hold fast our confession
   1. The common exhortation in Hebrews that corresponds to the exhortation to endure in believing, demonstrating genuine saving faith
      1. Hold fast – literally seize, arrest (aggressive word); so figuratively to hold securely, remaining firmly committed à If you let go of this hold, it’s lights out.
      2. Our confession (what we express that is true in our hearts – is that our trust, our belief is wholly in Christ to get us out and keep us from the destruction we’ve gotten ourselves into… Our confession is that Jesus accomplished what is needed for salvation and we accept him as our Lord (to gain restoration to God)
   2. Is Christ the only thing you cling to for life, the only one you ultimately trust? Or do you have misplaced trust and do you cling to things as if they have worth that they do not?

• Confirmation – What Christ went through confirms his perfect priesthood and confirms for us his sympathy for our struggle and his help in our need.
  1. Sympathetic high priest
     1. Understanding human frailty and weakness – hunger, thirst, pain; too loud, too hot, too cold; the obnoxiousness of the frailty of other humans
     2. And sympathy with temptation. In fact, none of us can even get remotely close to the level of temptation faced by Christ.
  2. Sinless high priest – Our great high priest sympathizes because of his true humanity (tempted as we are), yet he sinlessly perfected humanity to be a complete sacrifice, once for all time and all sin for all people who receive him by faith. (comes up 6 times – chs. 6,7,9,10)
  3. When tempted and persecuted, do you and will you run to and cling to your sympathetic Lord? Or will you prove yourself to be among the faithless and disobedient? Or do you cave to temptation, forgetting what your Savior suffered to pay for such sin? Will you be ruled by guilt and performance or by your king who offers to be your help?

1. Exhortation – Draw near to the throne of grace with confidence.
   1. Confidently – This is the other side of a healthy fear of the power of God and his just retribution. (If you hold fast your confession… ) *Heb. 7:25 (Christ’s priesthood is permanent b/c he continues forever) “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
   2. Why call it the throne of grace? Why call the presence of God and intimacy in relationship to him the throne of grace? – It is the throne of justice, but to those who believe it is the throne of grace because Christ accomplished atonement and therefore those who believe are justified, declared righteous, before God – throne: authority and capacity to help!
   3. Draw near (how?) – listen to God, have his ear, and minister with and to his people
      1. Have God’s ear in prayer – What care or doubt or desperate plea can you cast on God that he can’t handle?
      2. (prayerfully) Listen to God’s voice in his word – How much does God desire that you should listen to him in order to know him and love him?
      3. (prayerfully) Minister to God’s people and be on mission with God’s people – Why does the Bible speak so much about ministry to one another? Why does God intend to place us into corporate bodies? Why has he designed for us to work together to make disciples? (If not for the fact that he intends it to be for our own good… our help)
   4. Let me ask you this simple truth: What helps you more in intimacy with God, drawing near to God that he may draw near to you: To be instructed and reminded of what you know or stimulated in how you ought to feel?
2. Motivation – To receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need
   1. (Steve Cole) – A summary of drawing near and receiving help:
      1. WHY DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE BECAUSE WE ARE WEAK AND WE HAVE THERE A SYMPATHETIC HIGH PRIEST.
      2. WHEN SHOULD WE DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE WHENEVER WE NEED HELP. (even when we think we don’t)
      3. HOW SHOULD WE DRAW NEAR? WE SHOULD DRAW NEAR TO THE THRONE OF GRACE DIRECTLY, WITH CONFIDENCE IN OUR HIGH PRIEST.
      4. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT WHEN WE DRAW NEAR? WE WILL RECEIVE MERCY AND FIND GRACE TO HELP IN OUR TIME OF NEED.
   2. Help in our need
      1. What is our greatest need? To know God. – Have you ever realized, my need is so great that there is no possible way for me to get out of this pit on my own? That’s exactly where you need to be to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
      2. When is our time of need? All the time. – A declaration of dependence à Keep enduring in faith, keep holding fast, keep drawing near, keep coming to Jesus! – But especially when persecuted and tempted…
   3. Receive mercy and find grace à mercy says, “You deserve punishment and I won’t give it to you.” And grace chimes in, “Instead, I’ll give you favor that you haven’t earned.” – Mercy = God’s tender compassion for the pain sin causes us; grace = undeserved favor to forgive sin
   4. Not that intimacy with God shouldn’t be enough motivation (gaining God!), but Jesus sympathizes with our human weakness, our constant need, even for practical help with the here and now. (we need him forever and for now) – Christian, when you are bemoaning your recurring temptation to sin, remember the grace of God to give you everything that you need for life and godliness. Pray immediately for his intervention to give you a new desire. Christian, when you are exhausted and bewildered by persecution, see it as a mercy from God to shape you through suffering to be like your Savior. à Jeff, when you fail miserably to practice what you now preach, preach this gospel to yourself.
   5. To be saved and to live a full and joyful Christian life, what do you really need more of? Self-confidence? Religion? No, you need more of God! à Our need is great, but Jesus is greater. Our pain is deep, but Christ’s love is deeper still. We perceive some things as enticingly good, but Jesus is better by far. Endure in faith. Hold fast your confession. Draw near to our great high priest who sits on his throne of grace.

I encourage you to meditate on and pray over this text a little every day this week.

 Our Great High Priest’s Throne of Grace – Hebrews 4:14-16

Take It Home: (for further discussion and reflection)

• Where else can you remember that the Bible speaks of our desperate need for an intermediary because of our sinfulness? Express that depth of need in your own words.
• Talk about the things and people that you put a lot of trust/confidence in. Are there ways that you need to reconfigure your trust to have your confidence & identity ONLY in Christ?
• Jesus’ sympathy with our weakness & temptation does NOT mean that he’s ok with us sinning. Why does Jesus pay the penalty for sin but still desire holiness in his people? Explain.
• How can we learn to draw near to God in our prayers, scripture reading, and fellowship with God’s people instead of being self-focused? Share too what helps you approach God with both reverent fear and grateful confidence.