Title: The High Priest Who Compassioned Our Weaknesses
(Hebrews 4:14-16)
The words of verse 15 are very encouraging for us. “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all respects as we are, yet without sin.”
1. The high priest who tasted our weakness
Jesus said that he is the high priest who tasted our weakness. This means that when Jesus was in the form of a human being on this earth, He experienced all the weaknesses that we must suffer through His physical pain. Since you suffered hunger, you know the pain of hunger. Since you went through the difficulties of temptation, you know the difficulties when we are tempted. Therefore, he said not to worry about food, drink, or clothing, and said that the Father knows that you need all these things. And He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear, and with the temptation He will open the way for us to escape.
And that our Lord is a priest who always lives to intercede for us. Please see Hebrews 7:25. “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to make intercession for them.” When you say that you are completely saved, you mean that you do not lose anything. It means that He will not abandon all the people who will be saved through Him.
Not only that, but Jesus, our priest, said that he would be an advocate to God for all our sins. 1 John 2:1 says, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In this way, Jesus said that He stands before God, who is the Judge of all sins, and defends for us as our Advocate.
We are people who live by this Christ. To say that we live by means of Christ is truly a wonderful blessing. There are three meanings in this verse. One, it means that those who have already received the treatment of their sins through Jesus Christ. Next, it means that we have grown up with the righteousness of God through Christ. The other last thing is that we have grown up with a sure hope through Christ. In this way, those who have received Christ through Him can be completely saved.
2. Let's remember that we have such a high priest
The fact that we have such a high priest does not know how strong and reliable we are in our religious life. Please see verse 3:1. “Therefore, holy brethren, together with you in the heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our doctrine.” Deep thoughts on Christ give us hope, trust in God alone, and never give up in any trials.
When we contemplate Jesus, our High Priest, we can first have the sure faith of our Atonement. He is still praying for me, so he can completely save me in any case. The Bible tells us that we have such a high priest. Therefore, we must hold fast to the principle of faith. He said, “Let us hold fast to the way we believe.” We must hold fast that only Christ, our Lord, is the Savior of our lives. He alone has the grace of forgiveness, and only him has the eternal righteousness that is bestowed upon us.
Nothing in this world can give us atonement, no intention, no eternal life, no hope. Only Christ can give us all these things by grace. Therefore, according to verse 16, we must come boldly to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Because we are weak vessels, we are prone to sin. So what should we do if we have sinned? When we find our High Priest and ask Him, He has His atoning blood that He shed for us, and He intercedes for us to God the Father. He told us to come out not only for our sins, but also to receive grace to help us in time of need. Our high priest is not the only one who solves our sin problem. He is also the one who bestows the grace to help in time of need. We must always turn to Jesus, our High Priest, to receive such help from the Lord.
The throne of grace is the place where we kneel and pray to the Lord. It is a new and open position through the mountain road and directly to the throne of grace. The place where we kneel to the Lord to pray is no other place. It is called the throne of grace. How amazing is this? Our High Priest, our Jesus, leads us to the land of rest. Therefore, when we hear his voice, he warns us not to be hardened and obey like Israel, who heard the voice of Moses in the past and was rebellious.
Conclusion: Even if you commit a sin, do not lose heart even in the midst of trials and tribulations. If you go to our high priest, you can receive grace to help in time of need.