Drawing Near to Our All-Sufficient High Priest
Jeremy Bell
Hebrews 4:14-5:10
March 3, 2024
Sermon Audio
Sermon Recap PDF
Main Point: Because Jesus is our great high priest, we can draw near to God and receive mercy and grace for all we need.
I. Our Superior High Priest (verse 14)
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God… (verse 14)”
- The vision of Christ as the great high priest who passed through the heavens signals the completeness of His atoning service.
- As our high priest, Jesus didn’t look around for a sacrificial lamb. He was the sacrificial lamb. He was the only truly perfect, sinless sacrifice. The Son of God became sin for us! He took our reproach upon Himself!
- We never want to lose the wonder of His sacrifice for us. It stirs our worship – it magnifies the worth of God. That’s why we’re a gospel-centered church–a church that exalts in the glory of God by rescuing for Himself a people through the sacrifice of His Son!
- May we never move on from that Good News, the gospel. That is what the writer here is reminding His readers
- He’s saying in essence, ‘You’re thinking about leaving Christ? Think of all that He’s done for you! As your High Priest, He sacrificed Himself for you. He atoned for your sins. And now, He has passed through the heavens and is seated at the right hand of God. He sat down because the work of atonement has been accomplished! The power of sin and death has been broken! The guilt of our conscience has been cleansed by Christ! Don’t turn your back on Jesus, He is your great high priest.’
II. Our Sympathetic High Priest (4:15-5:4)
- We have a high priest who ministers to us in an understanding way, because He Himself experienced the full range of temptation. He was tempted as we are, in every respect. And His temptations were real.
- Yes He was fully God and it is true that God cannot be tempted by evil, but He was also fully man. And in His humanity, He was fully tempted. He faced the fulness of temptation without ever giving in. He knows the full force of temptation
“Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down.” — CS Lewis
- As our sympathetic high priest, Jesus can come alongside of us, with informed sympathy, and understand the challenges that we face in our temptations.
- His sympathy towards our temptations is not wimpy, coddling sympathy. His sympathy is a strengthening sympathy. He sympathy helps us in the fight.
III. Our Submissive High Priest (5:4-8)
- Immediately we picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was crying out to His Father, the One who could save Him from death.
- Remember His prayer? “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).”
- You may recall, He was in such earnestness in prayer, His sweat became like drops of blood falling the ground. But notice His humble submission to God. He reverently submitted His heart to the will of His Father.
IV. Our All-Sufficient High Priest (5:9-10)
- Christ’s obedience was made perfect, or complete, through what He suffered and thus He became the source of eternal salvation.
- His obedience His Father’s will, His substitution in the place of sinners, His receiving the judgment of God against sin – all means that Jesus Christ alone is THE ONLY SOURCE OF SALVATION for all who believe. We are saved by Christ alone.
Questions for Discussion/Application:
- Consider taking time to read Hebrews 4:14-5:10 out loud. What initial insights or observations of the text do you have?
- Having read the passage and heard the sermon, explain what it means that Jesus is “our great high priest” ?
- Jeremy said, “We never want to lose the wonder of His sacrifice for us. It stirs our worship.” How frequently do you find yourself in awe and amazed at what Christ has done for you? How can we grow in cultivating fresh amazement at the truths of the gospel?
- On Sunday, Jeremy said: “we’re a gospel-centered church–a church that exalts in the glory of God by rescuing for Himself a people through the sacrifice of His Son! May we never move on from that Good News, the gospel.”
As a denomination and family of churches one of our shared values is the following:2. Gospel-Centered Doctrine & Preaching: We believe that the gospel—the good news of God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ—is the pinnacle of His redemptive acts (Ephesians 1:9–12), the center of the Bible’s story (Luke 24:44–47), and the essential message for our faith, life, and witness (1 Corinthians 15:3–11). We are committed to preaching the gospel, singing the gospel, praying the gospel, and building our churches upon the gospel (2 Timothy 4:2; Colossians 3:16; Matthew 16:18). Our ultimate hope in all that we do is not our plans and labors, but the perfect life, substitutionary death, victorious resurrection, and glorious ascension of Jesus Christ.
Why is it this shared value, this biblical value so critical to the life and health of (a) the individual Christian and (b) the local church ?
- Re-read the notes in the Recap under point #2 above — “Our Sympathetic High Priest.” How does it encourage you to know that you personally have a sympathetic high priest in Jesus? What are the implications of this truth for the believer. What should knowing that Jesus is like this, do for us as Christians? How should this truth inform how we respond to the trials and tribulations of life as well as the temptations to sin we face?
- What about this passage stirs your worship and praise to God?
- How can the truths of this passage about who Jesus is, motivate us in the area of evangelism? Note: The Bridge Course begins April 10. Who are you thinking of possibly inviting?
- Consider taking time to pray, that God would help us to rejoice and to rest in Jesus, our Great High Priest!