I'm going to take some, a little time
just to share some meditation that comes from
the reading that we've already listened to this
morning.
And as a preface to my comments let
me just say that during the war, the
Great War, the Salvation Army in Australia had
a number of chaplains serving with the forces.
And it so happened that one of these
Salvation Army officers was a real man's man
and he was always near the the front
line where the action was.
And in one of the battles in which
he was involved he heard a young voice
calling out, Is there a priest?
Is there a priest?
And he could detect by the agony and
the tone of voice that here was was
a young person whose life was ebbing away.
And so after William Mackenzie inched his way
towards where he heard the sound.
And when he got there the young boy
who was dying with severe wounds said to
him, Padre, do you know a Roman Catholic
prayer?
Here's a young Catholic boy dying and he's
talking to a Salvation Army chaplain and he
says, Padre, do you know a Roman Catholic
prayer?
And the Salvation Army officer said, Yes I
do lad.
Say it after me.
God be merciful to me a sinner.
The word priest of course, sometimes we we
don't get the fullness of meaning that there
is in it when we restrict its identity
more in terms of a Christian denomination rather
than going to the word of God and
saying what does it mean according to the
scripture?
Because right back here in the Old Testament
in Psalm 110 and then in Zechariah you
get two references to Christ as the priest.
And then when you move into the Hebrews,
the writer of the Hebrews, his whole theme
is the priesthood of Jesus Christ and what
he is doing and continues to do in
heaven for every one of us.
Hallelujah.
And so this morning I'm going to take
as my text Hebrews 4.14, seeing then
that we have a great high priest that
is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our profession.
We've gone through the life of Christ and
if you go back to the first chapter
of the book of Hebrews and in verse
three you'll find that as this part of
scripture is very similar in some respects to
the book of Genesis.
It starts with God and if you look
at the opening words of chapter one, God
who at sundry times and in divers manners.
Then in verse two the writer says God
has given us Jesus Christ and one translation
says who is an exact imprint of the
Father.
God has given to you and to me
this supreme revelation of himself in Jesus Christ.
And then in verse three it says he
now is seated at the right hand of
majesty on high.
The risen, the ascended Christ now seated at
the right hand of God.
I never read this segment of scripture but
I remember how that in John 14 Philip
says to Jesus show us the Father.
There's an agony in his cry show us
the Father and it suffices us and Jesus
said have I been so long with you
that you haven't got hold of the message
he that hath seen me hath seen the
Father.
And so in this magnificent book of Hebrews
suddenly we get Jesus.
We see him by the Father's side and
right throughout these magnificent chapters we're introduced to
him again and again as the great priest,
the great high priest.
And we'll discover in our study this morning
what it is that contributes or what is
it that identifies that greatness.
And this morning because time is against us
I only have two points instead of three.
Our high priest is a great high priest
and our high priest is a gracious high
priest.
Great and gracious.
You know when you look at the life
of Jesus you'll soon realize how he answers
the needs that you and I have.
Because mankind, mankind needs a prophet who shall
declare to him the word of God as
the standard for his life.
And man not only needs a prophet man
needs a priest who can mediate on his
behalf and reconcile him to God.
And man not only needs a priest he
needs a king who will rule as sovereign
ruler of his life according to the will
of God.
And Jesus does all that.
He is my prophet priest and king who
did for me salvation bring.
Hallelujah.
Well now let's move into our study this
morning for these moments and I just want
to suggest to you what is it that
constitutes our Lord's greatness when he's referred to
in the by the writer of the Hebrews
as our great high priest.
Aaron in the old testament was a high
priest but never did he deserve to be
called great.
And I'm going to just give to you
some seed thoughts that you might follow through
with your own leisure.
But I think this morning that first of
all I've got to say that the greatness
of Jesus Christ is that he is both
God and man.
And this is declared forth by his name.
Did you see in that verse Hebrews 4
14 seeing that we have a great high
priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus.
The name that was given to him at
his birth and we talked about that on
last Sunday night.
You shall call his name Jesus for he
shall save his people from his sins his
humanity and his ministry.
And then the writer of the Hebrews says
he's not only Jesus he is also the
son of God and there's his deity.
And so in this marvelous togetherness in this
phrase we see Jesus as man and Jesus
as God and it aligns itself or should
I say doctrine number four that we share
in the salvation army aligns itself with this
truth that he was truly and properly man
and truly and properly God.
And it's this magnificent combining of being a
man and being God that equips Jesus as
the risen and ascended Lord and as our
great high priest to be able to bring
people to God and to bring to people
the resources of God that enables us to
know victory.
His greatness his greatness is identified in his
name Jesus the son of God.
I read a report from an officer in
Indonesia at a Salvation Army leper hospital.
Recently we're in India and we saw some
work along similar lines that the Salvation Army
has for lepers in that country.
And this officer in her report said that
how on a Sunday evening they were not
able to go out to the meeting because
some of the patients were too sick and
so they had a meeting in the hospital
ward.
And the man who was very disappointed that
he wasn't well enough to go to the
meeting on Sunday night he got up and
gave his testimony but before he sang he
said I want to just give thanks to
God tonight that I was born a leper.
Because he said if I had never been
born a leper I would never have been
brought to this hospital where I heard the
name of Jesus and Jesus changed my life.
And then he sang take the name of
Jesus with you child of sorrow child of
woe it will joy and comfort give you.
Says the colonel who wrote the report he
had a lovely voice he'd been a prisoner
and when he was released from prison eventually
he found his way to that Salvation Army
hospital and she said he became a wonderful
trophy of grace.
One week later they stood by an open
grave and there they laid to rest his
emaciated mortal remains and as they placed his
body to rest they again sang take the
name of Jesus with you.
He is our great high priest because his
name brings that declaration and gives us that
focus he is Jesus the son of God
but he is also our great high priest
as it says here not only by his
person but also by his position he has
gone into the heavens the writer says.
We are not handicapped as they were in
biblical times that we have to go to
a priest and we've got to wait for
somebody to represent us to God in our
needs and the sacrifices are offered.
No the writer Hebrew says he is our
great high priest because he's gone into the
heavens into the presence of God and no
longer do we have to be handicapped by
making an earthly pilgrimage to a priest because
we have our great high priest in heaven.
How tender and merciful not only is he
great because of his position in heaven but
also there's another truth that emerges from this
message this morning.
He is a great high priest because he
is enthroned in heaven at the right hand
of God and look at it there verse
16.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne
of grace.
We're invited to come there.
There's no hesitation it's like Dr. Arthur the
other night in preaching on the woman with
the issue of blood and just putting a
hand out sort of tentatively wondering whether and
yet feeling that that was all the faith
she could muster just to touch his garment.
The writer the Hebrew says we have a
great high priest in heaven who is enthroned
and you and I are asked and invited
to come boldly into his presence.
No wonder John 1 John 5 14 says
and this is the confidence that we have
in him.
This is the confidence we can ask anything
according to his will and he heareth us.
But if you look at this throne of
what it is here it says the times
that you and I should always remember our
access to the throne is in time of
need.
I need thee oh I need thee every
hour I need thee.
And so as you look at it there
it says you can come in your moment
of need and why would the writer speak
in those terms because when Paul wrote to
the church at Philippi he said my God
is able to supply all your need.
How?
According to his riches in Christ Jesus our
great high priest in glory.
Isn't it wonderful on this Sunday morning you
and I can come into his presence and
we can come boldly because this is the
confidence we can have in him.
And when we come to the throne what
does God in Christ make available to us?
Mercy and grace.
Verse 16 it's called a throne of grace.
God's riches at Christ's expense grace.
But not only is it called a throne
of grace it's called a place where we
might obtain mercy.
And the beautiful thing is that mercy is
a dispensation a gift of God that you
and I never deserved.
Some of you are old enough to remember
that very often of a Sunday night a
decade or so ago we'd sing the song
there's mercy still for thee for a trembling
soul he'll make thee whole.
There's mercy still.
Mercy God giving to me what I did
not deserve.
Grace is another dispensation of God that beautiful
blessing which is given to me in measurable
terms as I have need and given to
me in sufficient measures that enables me to
be more than conquerors through him who loves
you and loves me.
And I'm just going to suggest to you
this morning that this is another reason why
he is our great high priest.
And under this little subheadings these three that
we've had and there's one more to go
under the first thought this morning and it's
this.
He is our great high priest because his
priesthood is unique.
It's unique.
No one else could do what Jesus did.
No one else this very day can meet
our needs as we are promised according to
the riches in Christ Jesus in glory.
But if you look in chapter 6 of
Hebrews and in verse 20 we won't have
time to talk about Melchizedek but we could
have spent a little study there too because
he's an unknown number in respect we don't
know his parentage or his background and out
of the blue he comes one of God's
surprises.
But in verse 20 whither the forerunner is
for us entered even Jesus even Jesus made
a high priest forever forever.
And if you go through the book of
Hebrews you'll find that there are at least
six references to the fact that Jesus is
our high priest forever forever and ever amen
so let it be the uniqueness of Christ.
But also if you go into chapter 10
here's another little glimpse of his uniqueness in
chapter 10 verse 11 chapter 10 every priest
standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can never take away sins but
this man but this man after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down
on the right hand of God.
Do you know that in the tabernacle the
precincts of the temple there was seats were
never provided for the priests the priests had
to come in every day and they offered
their sacrifices but the priests never sat down.
But if you look at the the mention
of Jesus again and again in Hebrews you'll
find that when he went home to the
heavenly father what happened he sat down at
the right hand of God because he had
no more work to do it was mission
accomplished the victory had been won and because
of his uniqueness he could sit down at
the right hand of God and say to
the father what you wanted me to do
I have done victory is achieved oh I
want to tell you in this Sunday morning
what a great high priest we have in
Jesus Christ.
But I want to just move into point
two now we also not only have a
great high priest we have a gracious high
priest did you see tucked between verses 14
and 16 in Hebrews 4 we have a
high priest which cannot be touched with the
feelings of our infirmities but within all points
tempted like as we are.
If you go back to chapter 2 and
verse 18 it says for in that he
himself has suffered he knows he knows what
you're going through what I'm going through there's
not one of us here this morning outside
his providential care but he is a gracious
high priest and I'm going to put it
to you in these terms because today he
is in heaven as our intercessor.
Hebrews 7 25 spend a moment to look
at it wherefore he is able to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God
by him seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them.
The writers of the Hebrews had this picture
of the high priest whose ministry in heaven
was a ministry of intercession and it's an
understanding intercession.
You remember in John 2 the close of
the chapter it was said of Jesus, Jesus
knew what was in man and so he
appears for us before the father and you
remember towards the end of his earthly ministry
on one occasion Peter was just on the
edge of one of his erratic behavioral patterns
and Jesus said to him Peter Satan hath
desired to have you that he might stick
you as but I have prayed for you.
What did Jesus pray for him about?
That your faith fail not and when you've
got the victory he said then you'll go
and strengthen others.
Oh how wonderful to have a ministry that
once God has reached you and blessed you
you can then move out because you've known
the impact of his prayer and you can
bring blessing to others.
Two years ago we were at Old Orchard
and when we finished the Old Orchard camp
meetings there I noticed that we had a
couple of hours to spare and I said
to Mrs. Maxwell Commissioner Roy Calvert's not well
he's very very ill and no one from
London's been able to see him since he
became the TC so and it was just
that General Tilsby has just retired and we
were in that interim period before we had
a new General so I was able to
make some decisions and I didn't have to
send them higher but I still prayed about
them and I said to Mrs. Maxwell I
think we should just dash across to Canada
we can fit it in we can change
our plane go back one day later.
I went across and spent time with Roy
and Ruth Calvert Commissioner and Mrs. Calvert and
the Commissioner was in great pain his body
was wracked with pain and we prayed with
them blessed them we left just three or
four days later the Commissioner went to be
with the one who had been praying for
him.
In a little note that Mrs. Calvert sent
she said you know in the last day
or two I just had to take Roy
to the hospital the pain was too great
and we were ushered into an emergency ward
and we heard all sorts of strange sounds
people were coming in with different emergencies and
she said it seemed as though we had
to wait an eternity before anyone could come
and attend to us but she said I
just stayed by Roy's side and prayed that
he might not be too disturbed and then
she said a man came in polishing the
floor and he saw me and she said
I could just hear his humming above the
noise of the polisher and he was humming
How Great Thou Art he came over and
said look I'm sorry I'll come back and
do this later and then went on his
way but then he returned a few moments
later and he said excuse me can I
just tell you that God is with you
can I just tell you that even death
is not defeat but it is victory because
our Lord already has won the victory for
us and then that man a polisher in
a hospital left the little emergency ward and
went on his way at that moment said
Mrs. Commissioner Calvert God came to me in
a new way I believe Jesus also was
interceding you see our great high priest is
in heaven as our intercessor but our great
high priest is also our benefactor in heaven
and the beautiful thing is that when you
look here at the scripture he not only
pleads for his people he not only presents
the petitions that we have he not only
secures our pardon but he also brings to
us special blessings and I want to just
give one or two of them very quickly
to you first of all when Jesus went
back to heaven that great high priest what
was the first thing that happened that was
the signal for the release of the Holy
Spirit Acts 2 33 Jesus when he returned
to heaven to be with the Father at
the right hand that was the moment that
signaled that the Holy Spirit we could be
on the flood side of Pentecost after that
moment and that's why you remember on the
first night that we started this series I
said you always remember the human spirit fails
unless the Holy Spirit fills what a beautiful
blessing has been made available to us because
our great high priest went back to be
with the Father and not only is that
one blessing but as I mentioned earlier Jesus
said I want to tell you through this
scripture that there is grace to help us
in our time of need I like what
Brangall said Brangall said I carry a mercy
seat in my heart do you do that
some moment when you feel that your Christian
life has had a little bit of a
quiver a wavering and you feel a little
uncertain as to some experience or you're anxious
about something that you've got to confront and
you say oh my god and you find
that place within your own soul and you
say thank God I too carry a mercy
seat within me let me just tell you
that when you look at grace if you
just go for we'll just take quick three
quick references from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9
please 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 2 Corinthians
8 and verse 9 I call this enriching
grace for you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich
yet for your sakes he became poor that
you that ye through his poverty might be
rich to my mind that's enriching grace and
if you go over now to chapter 9
of the same chapter 9 and verse 8
I call this enabling grace and God is
able to make all grace abound towards you
that you always having all sufficiency all in
all things may abound to every good work
and then thirdly let's go to 12 9
and I call this enduring grace my grace
is sufficient for and so I want to
suggest to you this morning our gracious high
priest is in heaven as our intercessor he's
in heaven as our benefactor and then also
if you go back to verse 14 and
have one little look at again chapter 4
of Hebrews the writer says let us hold
fast our profession it seems as though that
the Christians who would have received this correspondence
may have been under some pressure there may
have been someone from the established church in
quote who turned to them and chided them
and said but we have a priest and
you can go to our priest and we
have the sacrifices and you can go to
our sacrifices you can bring your sacrifices and
we have our solemn occasions and you can
be part of it but the writer of
the Hebrews says don't ever forget hold on
to your profession because we have a great
high priest great in terms that his name
communicates his greatness Jesus the son of God
great in terms of his position that he
is now in heaven great in terms that
he is now enthroned in heaven great in
terms that his priesthood is forever therefore our
gracious high priest is in heaven not only
to give to us the blessing of the
Holy Spirit but he's there as our intercessor
and he's there as our benefactor and he
gives to you and to me the grace
that you and I need in our times
of need who is he i want to
suggest to you this morning that if i
could just close this message by referring again
to just three lines that i used earlier
in this series Christ the way lead me
for without you there is no going Christ
the truth illumine me for without you there
is no knowing Christ the life live in
me for without you there is no growing
may you and i hold fast to that
profession or confession if you like of our
faith but in so doing remember that you
and i have a great and gracious high
priest who says to you and to me
come confidently to the throne of grace that
you might find mercy and help in your
time of need