In the Old Testament, a priest was necessary to gain access to God.

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1 We Have a Great High Priest! Hebrews 4:14-16 These verses are some of the most familiar that we find in the book of Hebrews. Within them, the writer of Hebrews reveals to us that in light of who Jesus is as our Great High Priest, we can come into the presence of God through Him. In the Old Testament, a priest was necessary to gain access to God. By serving as our perfect Mediator, we can now come into the presence of God on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The message turns from a negative warning against ignoring God s truth to the positive message of what will happen in our lives when we heed God s Word. Our salvation has not only saved us from spiritual death our salvation brings us spiritual life. Two crystal clear objectives emerge from the text: 1. Let us hold fast our confession (4:14-15) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, ascended to the right hand of God, who is none other than Jesus the Son of God, the Bible instructs us to hold fast our confession. Hold Fast to use strength and seize onto something The writer of Hebrews is saying, If you want to get through hard times, hold on to and confess Jesus as your great High Priest. Don t give up; don t quit; don t buckle under pressure. Hold on! Keep in mind that these Hebrew believers were being tempted to cave into the pressure they were under to give up their faith in Christ. It was not a matter of giving up their salvation, for salvation is eternal. They were being tempted to give up their public profession or confession of faith in Christ. They were being tempted to serve Jesus incognito under disguise.

2 What does the Bible say about Incognito Christianity? There is no such thing! Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. God s people have always been the subject of scorn and ridicule. Because of this, we are often tempted to retreat into seclusion. We don t want our cover to be blown. Jesus said that He would deny before His Father those who deny Him before men. The answer is unashamed and unafraid witness set on fire by a love for Christ that is supplied through walking in the Spirit. Bishop Westcott The writer everywhere insists on the duty of the public confession of the faith. The crisis claimed not simply private conviction but a clear declaration of belief openly in the face of men. Private conviction never won a lost man to faith in Christ; public declaration of the gospel is what it takes. To encourage them to hold fast the confession, he reminds them of several truths about Jesus our High Priest: He is aware of our weakness For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses Jesus is not some distantly removed figure or idea that cannot understand our hurts, our limitations, or our weaknesses. He Himself is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He knows what it is to hurt. He knows what the struggles of our lives feel like. We have a faithful High Priest in heaven who sympathizes with us! Sympathize touched with the feeling of; capable of unparalleled understanding When we hurt, we want someone who can identify with us, someone who can feel our pain and help us in our hurt. Our heart longs for the sympathy of a real Friend.

3 The hymn writer expressed this truth when he wrote: There s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! No, not one! None else could heal all our soul s diseases, No, not one! No, not one! Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done; There s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! No, not one! He is able to minister to us but was in all points tempted as we are Jesus was tempted in every single area in which you and I are tempted. In the wilderness, He was tempted by Satan in the area of His flesh, the area of His mind, and in the area of His Spirit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. He is aiding those who come to Him by faith yet without sin. Jesus aids those who come to Him by faith because He is our victorious High Priest who has secured the victory on our behalf. 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. He comes to our rescue when we call upon Him. In light of this truth, the writer of Hebrews calls us to faithfulness and steadfastness with regard to holding fast to our confession. Andrew Murray God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life fully yielded to Him. Holding fast to our confession requires surrender and being yielded. 2. Let us come boldly before the throne of grace (4:16) I should be quick to point out that the writer of Hebrews is using plural language here Let us He doesn t say let me, but rather speaks for the body of believers as a whole.

4 When each of us are living in covenant community, it becomes much easier to hold fast our confession, and we are reminded through each other s example to come before the throne of grace. It is impossible to live a faithful Christian life divorced from the church, from the body of believers living in covenant fellowship with each other. The local church ought to be where it s at! Our hearts should be troubled over the fact that more of us are not here and can miss our time together so flippantly and casually. Could it be that church has been reduced down to something we DO rather than being who we ARE? The church in the book of Acts was a contagious fellowship that attracted those on the outside. Chuck Swindoll Our world has lost its way. So it s no surprise that when the church takes its cues from the world, the church begins to go astray as well. But must we resort to gimmicks for people to come to church Must we dumb down historic Christianity into shallow entertainment in order to pamper consumers? May it never be! I am convinced that the church doesn t need marketing devices, worldly strategies, live entertainment, or a corporate mentality to be contagious. Not of the glory of God is the goal. Not if the growth of God s people is in view. Rather, the church needs biblical truth taught correctly and clearly and lived out in authenticity. It becomes extremely easy in the church to take our eyes off of the essentials. We can take our cues of how to do church from the culture around us or even our own opinions. What Hebrews tells us here are the essentials. Let us hold fast the confession of our faith, and let us come boldly before the throne of grace. These are the priorities of a people that is passionate to know God and make Him known. We are to come boldly before the throne of grace because it is the place: Where mercy is given that we may obtain mercy Mercy tender compassion; depth of love and acceptance

5 It describes the actions of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 as the Samaritan man went out of his way to heap up tender compassion on a complete stranger in need. We should be blown away by the notion that we can come into the presence of God and receive God s mercy. Where grace is found and find grace to help God s throne is a throne of grace for the believer. For the unbeliever, it is a throne of judgment. For His children, it is a throne of grace. The church ought to constantly go before the throne of grace so that she can become a place of grace. Can this be said of our fellowship? Where need is met in time of need. I can go before the throne of grace and find sufficient mercy and grace to help me in my time of need. All of this is contingent upon the truth that Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest to grants us unrestrained access into God s presence.