I invite you to turn this morning in the Scriptures as we are continuing our study in the book of Hebrews, and today we come to Hebrews chapter 4, taking a little bit larger of a section, chapter 4, verse 14 to 510 today of Hebrews chapter 4. Found on page 1189 in your Bibles that are in front of you, we're going to read at verse 14 this is the word of the lord 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 for we do not have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin. 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. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this, he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself but only when called by God just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my son, today I have begotten you. As he says also in another place, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his reverence although he was a son he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek and there ends the reading of God's word we're going to be spending a significant amount of time on Melchizedek coming up, so I won't be addressing that point today as so many people are curious about Melchizedek. Well, we have been looking carefully at what the author of Hebrews is particularly doing in his writing to these first century Christians in Rome by drawing in these past weeks a huge comparison with Israel and their rebellion in the wilderness really expositing Psalm 95 and the intention of Psalm 95 as we have spent a lot of time with and that Israel did not enter their rest was been one of the great themes that he has been developing and working with and the great reason for that the root reason for that is that they did not have faith they did not mix what they we're hearing with with faith but we know the author's goal is that people would not fall according to the same pattern of unbelief that's what he said in verse 12 in this chapter and such an important calling that he's giving and helping us to understand our placement in in history and that we would learn from this great example. So how do you help people to enter their rest? We've looked at what rest is. We've looked at verse 3 that today if you do not harden your hearts, we who believe already enter that rest. That was a type. Canaan was a type of Christ. And Jesus is our Canaan. Jesus is our rest as we've been studying. Well, I think you have to appreciate a little bit of what keeps people away from it that's really what he's he's he's addressing here and helping with here to have people think and ask the question are any of those reasons legitimate obviously the author is after faith but what keeps people from faith why do people not come and enter this wonderful rest what holds people back that's that's an important question in the mind of the author here and i think you have that all explained today i'm not sure we come to a more comforting passage in in the new testament that is so pastoral and remember these are sermons this was a pastoral address to people really struggling and you'll get next time talking about it's time to move on to maturity for some people have just been too much on milk for way too long a pastoral address that's thick isn't it there's a lot said here a lot of important um dense teachings here that are so important to understand but as we look at uh this particular section this morning he's pressing us to faith he's pushing us to faith notice what he says seeing then that we have a great high priest that's, notice, passed through the heavens, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. He's concerned, as he has been throughout this book. We have a confession. We have a credo. We have a belief and a confession that we hold on to. We're a confessing people. It's one of the great themes in the book of Hebrews, and that confession drives us. What we believe about Jesus drives us. They have wanted to go back to the Old Covenant. They've wanted to go back to the type and shadows as an answer in all their hardship. But based on this confession of what we believe, that's what makes us followers of Jesus. Believing that confession. Trusting what we believe. Holding fast to what we believe. And as he's worked with that little word in this book, having confidence in what we believe. Notice he's calling us to that. Well, what we've seen so far in the book of Hebrews is these first century Christians were not doing that. It's kind of a marvel to the author. Do you realize you're doing what Israel did as they got up to the border of the land? There's been three sort of hearts that have been exposed in this book so far. You remember as we've looked at it, there were in chapter 2 those who were just drifting. They were drifting away from Jesus. Like the boat without an anchor as we looked at. And that's probably one of the biggest challenges in the church today. Especially in our age. It's just drifting. Drifters. And people who are just generally apathetic. Unconcerned about any of this. Unconcerned that God's word, as we looked at last time, cuts two ways. It either brings rest or wrath. And the author is concerned that people would wake up, as Paul says in Romans, as we read, how he said earlier, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Then we've been studying these last weeks, the hard-hearted, those who harden their hearts. They're hard to the word of God. So those who have not entered the rest, And he said, since there remains for some to enter the rest, he's concerned that there are people in the community who have not entered the rest yet. They're hard-hearted like Israel. But I think today we can add a third category to the danger of not holding fast to our confession. And that's the doubtful. The doubtful. He's been working with this word confidence. He wants us to have confidence. the whole new testament pushes us to perseverance and understanding it what does the author do for us well he does one of the most wonderful things i think in the new testament to help those who are struggling with doubt and even helping those who are drifting and those who are hard-hearted he's he's capturing today for us in this section the whole of the incarnation he's he captures this imagery of jesus coming down and then going up passing back up through the heavens, Acts 1 completing the work and then sitting down on our behalf I want you to listen to carefully the calls here in verse 16 because of this it gives a big conclusion to this therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we, he speaks to the whole community, may obtain mercy and find grace to help you in your time of need. What a wonderful passage, beloved. It's a remarkable thing when you have entered Jesus, who is your rest, anticipating the final eschatological rest that he's been developing here. He's saying, because you've already entered, it's the already not yet of Hebrews, because you've already entered, you have the privilege now to walk into the throne of grace. And not only that, he's giving a divine command to enter it. It's not that he's, I titled the message invitation, but that's actually pretty weak. Enter into the throne room. Come into the throne room. with, as it translates, bold frankness before God. Free speech. Well, hasn't that been a topic in our time? Where do you get to go and have true speech with the one to whom it matters and exercise it? Now, before we look at the benefit of coming, we have to be convinced that we can come. I think that's the issue here. We have to be convinced that we can come. And that's what the author is doing. He keeps running, helping us, and pushing us into the gracious arms of the Savior. How does the author go after this? Well, he wants to explain what Jesus' ministry is like to us. That's his goal. And he does it by examining the office of the high priest. Now, we move to this great theme in the book of Hebrews, And he makes a huge comparison as to why we can take this very seriously and why we can have this confidence that he's pushing us to in this book. Where does he go at this point in the book? He draws a comparison. In this way, it won't always be a similar comparison in the book of Hebrews. He's going to go after the big differences coming up. But at this point, he draws the similar comparison of something that the Old Testament priesthood taught us about ministry, about God's ministry, which is a huge theme in this book. And so he breaks into it in chapter 5, verse 1. I want you to notice this here. For every high priest, it's a powerful statement, every high priest chosen among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and the wayward since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this, he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. Here's the point that he's making. Consider carefully with me for a minute, dear first century Hebrew Christians and Hebrews. Consider carefully the priesthood that God put into place and what it always taught you. What did it teach you? What was the disposition of the high priest? Well, when the high priest saw a lot of ignorance in Israel and he saw a lot of people going astray in Israel, which happened frequently in Israel, that had an important message for us. Do we see anyone going astray today? Do we deal with that in the church? Do we deal with that with our children? Do we deal with that in our families? Do we deal with that in us? what was always true about the office of the high priest? Well, he had the same problems and he had the same struggles because all priests were sinners. God intended priests, now listen to this point, you're going to see where it goes in a second and how he shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of this. God always intended for priests to have great compassion on prodigals in the church. We don't always do that very well. But that was always the intention. And people who were sinning. Why? Well, because he was a sinner too. Of course, when you see someone in the grips of addiction, how do you look at them not a lot of people in Escondido on addiction you can just run down to any local corner and see it you know people who are gripped maybe you are you know the battle in your own life how powerful addiction is in all the forms that it comes drug addiction sexual addiction you just go right down the line when you know your own weakness what do you do when you see someone stuck in it you have compassion anyone who truly understands ministry knows that this is and should be the case why do we have ministry because people are constantly going astray that's why we have confession every Sunday it's so important that the church comes together to be renewed coming out of a polluted world isn't it and how powerful sin is and how it ensnares people and he says that see to it that none of you become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin sin is so deceitful and sin is so powerful and if we forget our own sin and frailty what happens? we get angry at people not realizing where we would be apart from the grace of god and ministries can become this it's happened frequently that people get yelled at in the pulpit many ministries become angry ways to deal with people's sins if you ever look at the old movies of the american west and the preachers out on the on the, you know, whatever. They have the cowboy hats on. I don't wear that. But those preachers would pound and yell at the people for their alcoholism. Woe to you! That ever win anyone? A true servant called by God knows that we're weak too. Sure, there's a standard for ministry. Don't hear me wrong. There's a standard for righteousness. There's a standard for the pastoral ministry, a standard for the priesthood. But pastors and priests and all those all are subject to the same weaknesses and the same limitations and the same sins. And because of that, we look at what you're going through with great compassion. If we're realistic about ourselves. We recognize our sins need to be forgiven. And when we see our failures and frailties in lives as pastors, which I'm convinced God chooses the most weak as pastors. We never talk like that, but I'm convinced of it. It should make us have great compassion on you. We need forgiveness. This is why God got angry at Moses. when he struck the rock because Moses didn't hallow the name of the Lord and he was furious at the people for their sins and that's what kept him out and God was sending a powerful lesson because we haven't taken this calling to ourselves is his point verse 3 God has called us to this God called priests to this I'm trying to tie it together to the current context to understand how this shows what's the problem in ministry well what has he just said come near to me come near to me what do we want to do with God stay away why well some in the first century were saying jesus is aloof jesus is apathetic jesus doesn't care about us look at all the suffering and hardship we're in you know it's it it doesn't it doesn't there's no power in this and there's got to be more power in the old but what's the real issue here well verse 13 there's no creature hidden from his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account it's been rightly said by one pastor that um there's a paralyzing fear that everyone has of god and we won't pray to him and run to him unless we're forced by the circumstances some people this is their entire approach to the church is this the reality is they try to stay as far away from God as they can and keep him at a distance it feels safe if we can keep God over there and I can be here and practice my religion without intrusion and I can be left alone. That seems like a better deal for me. You ever met anyone who keeps you at a distance? It's really hard to get close to them. They just won't let you in. They won't let you get close. The relationship is just not one you can break into. I've met all kinds of people like this in the course of ministry. You just, you can't get there. You cannot get there. That is exactly our problem with God. We see it even in an approach to worship. Why is this such a battle? It's, you know, we'll pay big bucks for the front seat at the concert. But when it comes to worship, I'm not talking about seating arrangements here, really. That's not my goal. Distance. Distance. Many of you think God is just unrelatable and distant and far from you and you think of him as somebody who's erratic and you never really quite know what he's going to do or how he quite feels about you. Is he against us? And a lot of people have related to him that way. They really don't know him yet. What did Adam and Eve do after the fall? The first thing they did was run as far away from God as they could. And all the shame that they bore in life, they wanted to take on trying to cover it themselves and bear it themselves. All the pain of that, all the sorrow of that, all the misery of that, and they tried to cover themselves with their own fig leaves. There was a dread of God, as this pastor says, on the conscience. That's how many Christians feel in their relationship with God, he says. You have a paralyzing fear in your life, and the solution is just to avoid Him, to get away from Him, And that is seen in your absence of desire to talk to him and to come to the throne of grace. Now, how do you combat that problem? This is what the author is doing here. You understand the comparison now. If the high priest had compassion on the people because he related to them and could have sympathy for them because he struggled with them. What conclusion does the author draw? That's the marvel of this comparison. He wants us to be blown away by the disposition of Jesus to us. Verse 5. So also, Jesus did not glorify himself to become high priest. This wasn't something that... We'll get there in just a second. Philippians 2 mindset. He didn't selfishly cling on to that great status and grab on to this selfishly. What kind of priest was he? When he took the office of high priest, think about this, and as we celebrate him as our eternal high priest, we'll look at, the whole disposition that the author wants to capture for us is that this one was completely humble. And when he came, he came submitting himself to a mission and that mission was to seek and to save that which is lost. And he wants you to marvel at that great truth in the incarnation, again, from Philippians 2, that he didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a slave, coming in the likeness of a man, and being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Hebrews grabs, has that in mind, and now he works with the inner disposition of Jesus. What was he like? Well, what do we see from Jesus as our high priest? He's walking around one day, and he looks out at the crowds, and he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd, Matthew 9. What has so gripped the author in thinking about Jesus as our true high priest is that in humbly submitting to the mission that he came on to fulfill the Father's will in that great covenant, the author wants to make clear that he was without sin in doing this, But the point of the comparison is this. If you've believed in him and you've entered him and you've entered that rest, he's not angry with you anymore. The wrath of God has been propitiated, satisfied. He's not up in heaven ranting and raving and off the handle and even trying to calm down the Father against you. It was the Father's great love that he gave his son for you. When you sin, running from him misunderstands him. He's like that Old Testament priest because he came here and now he'll say who he is, so you don't want to go back to that. He came here and he identified with you and he knows your struggles and he knows the weaknesses. He knows you go astray. He knows you're ignorant. And the author says, he knows your struggle by experience. Why? How could he say that? Because he came down here and he lived all these temptations himself for you. Notice verse 7, in the days of his flesh, he spent his time doing what? Praying. And those prayers were with, notice the language here, vehement, it's that old word, cries and tears. He had a weight on him that we would never have to face. He had to endure the wrath of God on the cross for your sins. He had to carry the burden of faithfully fulfilling the law the whole moment of his incarnation. Talk about overwhelming stress in his humanity. And Hebrews makes an overwhelming statement. Though He was the divine Son, yet in His humility, He learned obedience by the things He suffered. What He's saying is something very simple and profound. Jesus is not disconnected from you. He actually lived this. And experientially, in His own life, when He walked on this earth, He suffered and He prayed, and he learned obedience. It was the will. Again, no sin. That's the great news here. In the days of his humiliation, he lived for you. He was tested. He was tempted. He was tried. All the same temptations, all the same burdens you face. He spent hours in prayer crying. Ever think of him that way? Burdened in his soul over what he had to do. He looked at death and he looked at Lazarus and he wept. All that, author of Hebrews says, qualified him. Now think of the comparison. They had compassion because of their weakness. They were with sin. He's without sin. And yet, he has great compassion because he went under all of this for you and lived it for you. And then he passed back up in the heavens and he was seated. And the author grabs his favorite quote here in the book of Hebrews, Psalm 110, when he says, Today, you are my son. Today I've begotten you. You are a priest. He connects it. A priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. This is the divine son and this is your eternal priest. And what's the point? What has God been like to us? Well, how is he able to have compassion? He's explaining the greatest privilege you have today to come into the throne of grace for help. In other words, he's saying, stop running. come to me. It's time to stop. Stop doubting. Stop having a hard heart to me. Stop drifting. It's time to wake up out of sleep, he says to the drifting. If you're doubting, he says, it's time to come to me in faith. Some of us are still like Adam and Eve trying to sow our own fig leaves. Without Jesus, we have nothing. And he says in verse 15, why? Because we don't have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. It would be one thing if God just gave his law and a thundering voice from heaven and it was all judgment. He'd be right to do that. He'd be right to do that today. He'd be right to cast us all into hell. He could say, I'm angry with you. I'm done with you. You're like a stupid sheep. You keep doing the same stupid sins and you never stop. It's quite a different thing if he gave his eternal son to come down here and assume a human nature to live this for us, to bear these burdens, to experience the cries, to learn obedience, save us, and then pass back up in the heavens and say, it's open for you, come to me. If he went through all that, it's time to not be unbelieving, but believing. You see how important the invitation is to the throne of grace? He gave an incredible promise of help to mercy, accompanied with grace for whatever he is testing you with. That's what they haven't understood. They've looked at the tests all wrongly. whatever he's testing you with then he invites you to trust and to talk to him and to cast the burdens and this is the promise of this text he is actually going to help you you have direct privilege to come in prayer right to the throne of grace cast your burdens and he's giving a word of promise people couldn't do this in the old covenant by the way they were kept far you can what's in the world is wrong with these first century Christians oh they're looking at the world and they're looking at the state of things and they're suffering and they're facing hardships and they want to give up and they're denying their confession and that draws the important conclusion today you're either running away from the confession or you're embracing it in faith and why would you not run to a compassionate God like this who is able to give you mercy for all of your sins and grace in times of need but I know the struggle I understand the struggle he understands the struggle I've said this before if you've grown up in this all your life it's so easy to play the religion game and to come to church to do our deeds to be seen. But as Jesus said, people draw near to him with their mouths, but their hearts are far from him. And today he wants your heart. Come to me with boldness. Talk to me. Do you talk to him? He is able to help. He's able to give you mercy. He desires to give it. The greatest thing he wants is you to have confidence. Whoever says you can't have confidence in this life has not read the scriptures. And he wants you to enjoy it. And he wants you to live in that peace. And there's one little phrase I'll close with I don't want you to miss. When he was praying and he was crying and suffering because he had perfect godly fear he was heard there's an interesting statement there god heard him and the father heard him and answered him by raising him from the dead and seating him over all principalities and powers in a perfect and complete obedience that's been given for you having been perfected he's become notice this the author of eternal salvation who's the author who's the finisher he's going to say later he's the author and finisher he's the author he introduces now of eternal salvation to all who obey him that's saying all who come and believe and trust in him and he promises to hear you in all the trials and afflictions on our days on this earth do you believe that god is for you and that you have a merciful high priest in heaven who is constantly willing and able to help you. Don't lose heart in the struggle, beloved. That's what he would have said in the first century. Why are you losing heart in the struggle? Don't turn away from Jesus. Run to him. Come to him. He's sympathetic. He's gracious. He's compassionate with you. He knows every failure and frailty and weakness and stupidity and things that you do. And he's saying, come here. Talk to me about it. I'll forgive you and help you and wash you. He is a gracious and compassionate and merciful high priest and worthy, worthy to believe and to trust in this wilderness life. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for a gracious word to us today of help in a book that has challenged us to not be like unbelieving Israel, but believing. Thank you for calling us to prayer as we will consider again tonight the great privilege to talk to our Heavenly Father, to cast our burdens and know that you will bear and carry them and that we have this kind of sympathetic God who loves us this way. It's so good, it's hard. So hard, oh Lord, it seems too good to be true. And yet you call us to faith. You call us to believe. You call us to trust you. May we hear the voice of the good shepherd for we know that his sheep will hear that voice and follow him and come to him and talk to him. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.