Scripture and Our Great High Priest (Part C)

Word but you would never leave you or forsake me a look at make this okay maybe you all perfect and you don't have that kind of experience I should say.

If you haven't had those kind of experiences you're probably not serving but if you serving the Lord, you are going to get stripped you going to take hard hits you have to because that's why you have a sore sword means is a bogeyman out there. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Hebrews. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Now here's Pastor Rick with the conclusion of this study called Scripture and our great high priest. He's teaching in Hebrews chapter 4 today Christ died sinners and any sinner that would come and receive on his terms for salvation. That sinner is saved so when he says that I will remember their sin no more. He is speaking to those who want the Jews in Israel at the time the Jeremiah spoke those words who were engulfed in treachery and blasphemy and idolatry and violence they would not benefit from Jeremiah's words quite the opposite. Well, he continues, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account accountability. We must give account. Get it in your heads. This RIA. The mean of the war and unrighteous judge should be very bad if God were just sovereign is some parts of Christianity tend to exaggerate and not that you can exhaust exaggerate his sovereignty. But you can so focus on his sovereignty.

You have no love left you have a tyrant yes he is sovereign. We got that, but that's all he is.

I'm doomed. Thank God he is not thank God John the apostle says point-blank God is love. Do we think, as though God were blind to do.

We think as though he can't see what with thinking see it was inside my head. We think that only x-rays can see what's inside of us. But God can't. Well I have you have a genuine understanding or a right understanding of God. You know he's of course he can do anything, but are you mindful of this you conscious of it enough to live this way we talk as though God is not deaf, speech, do we treat others as though God is ignorant.

I didn't see what I just did you do we realize that unbelievers they are not aware God sees like we are aware. They think he doesn't hear. He doesn't keep a list every idle word of man is remembered by God. Mankind is absolutely vulnerable to God, therefore it is in man's best interest to be friends with God. So this is the part of the sermon that someone may say that was a believer may say yeah I need that I have someone who I'm God is letting me minister to. That's what I was looking for. Or maybe it's just the point that resonate you write that down for later would we all are aware of those things we are friends with Jesus. Verse 14 seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession now from this verse to the end of the next chapter is going to show that Christ is superior to the Levitical priesthood that's important to the Jews because so long as they esteem the Levitical priesthood and not see that Christ has made it obsolete you can say suspended it because parts of it will be revived in the millennial kingdom. But if they do not see the Christ has is over it all now.

Then they will cling to a defunct system and let that which is alive and beautiful die on the vine, you could say and so he says seeing then that we have a great high priest, a title bestowed on no other person in Scripture the great high priest is great is none greater. There is none that he could even come close. A priest is one who is to stand between God and me, that's what we are a royal priesthood, the Bible tells us we who believe we stand between the unbeliever in God on their behalf in that sense we don't stand in between, in the sense we can stop God from getting to them.

Quite the opposite.

We are part of the process of getting them to God and getting God to them we are the go-between we been entrusted with this office.

We have been deputized so you have an unbeliever knows nothing about Christ whatsoever. God sends us over there and he uses us as a mediator in that sense we share the gospel. We live the life before them. People get saved that way. It is a better system and so to confess Jesus as the great high priest would be the same as leaving Judaism and that is what he is trying to get them to do. Let's look back now, in Hebrews 4 verse one because he is the consequence of their denial of Christ.

He says let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it is something to worry about is not making it across the finish line with Christ because you swapped him out for something else. He says who has passed through the heavens that refers to his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.

In his seat at the right hand of the father, the high priest once a year of his realm. On the day of atonement going to the holy place and then leave after burning incense on the golden altar. He would go behind a veil that separated the holy place from the holier place in there and that holier place was the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat of God originally inside that Ark was the word of God.

The tablets that God had written from Moses in the wilderness.

There was a pot of manna that spoke of God's provision for man, not only for April his provision in the word for the spirit is provision for man in the flesh for the food the manna and then there was the rod of Aaron that but it was a stick, a walking stick long since dead but it bore right almonds instantly. That speaks of the sorry sorry the authority of God and the authority of men given by God to men over his people.

And on top of that chest with these articles were was this with the cherubim.

The Angels, but it was called the mercy seat of God that lived over the word over the provision over the authority is God's mercy and the writer here is telling them that we have a priest that doesn't go behind the veil on earth, but he is gone behind the veil in heaven. He is at the throne of God. He is sitting on a throne himself next to the father. So when he says he is passed through the heavens are great high priest is on the throne there for whenever we draw near to Jesus, we draw near to the Godhead. All of it. So… Imagine visualized not in that mystical sense of the word, but if you're in the throne room and there's a king on the throne and next to him as his son. And if you draw near to the sun and you speak to the sun well. The father is going to hear you. Also it's one and the same. You cannot separate the two.

So to draw near to Jesus Christ is to draw near to the father you are drawing near to the father and the son. And this is done through the spirit, the Holy Spirit, and that is the Godhead we call the Trinity, so we conclude that when we conclude our prayers we say in Jesus name because he is the one that is penetrated the veil in heaven. He is the one on the throne and through him we are accepted not take two verses from Hebrews Hebrews 8. Now this is the main point of the things we are saying we have such a high priest who was seated at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in the heavens than Hebrews 924. Christ is not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. That's what it says Hebrews 924 and so there we have the holy Scripture living and powerful making it clear how this process of access works to God for us is going to go on to say therefore because of this without shame with courage without impudence you can freely go and access the strong make the statements. Now I want to repeat them we get there in a minute but you could not go to Caesar's court and just sashay into his courtroom, or even respectfully walking there or Harold God Almighty God Almighty says you come. I've already lifted the scepter. I've already given you permission to come to me at any time with anything any place so we believers we have two intercessors we have Christ Jesus on the throne pleading on our behalf for our sin. That's what recurrent grace is all about.

You see, God will continue to forgive his people, and then we have the Holy Spirit in us and he pleads the case of Christ to us. You know this is not right. Don't do it you know this is right do it you know Christ loves you, you know, and that is the Holy Spirit ministering within us, teaching us what to say. Have you ever prayed and said to God, maybe not. With these words, but the same idea. I don't know what to say about this and then you all of a sudden it's just coming out.

We think that came from. You think it was manufactured in your heart heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things.

That's God the Holy Spirit ministering sometimes and groans of the times articulation when you think David got the words for his Psalms, God found a heart that he could write on and out of the abundance of the heart of David, we have the Psalms Street psalmist of Israel. So we look at Jesus Christ our great high priest we see well in the past. He was a prophet when he walked the earth. Absolutely true. Speaking to us in the present. Right now he works as our priest, the go-between on our behalf interceding for us as a way for us to get our heads around why we sinners have access from why those who reject Christ do not.

They do not have the great high priest there. So when they want to get to God. There's no one is no interesting entry into the presence of God unless they are repenting of sin and then he will eventually come as King. So we see Christ even as he was on earth that we see him overall. Over time, as the prophet in the past as a priest in the present and is the king to come. Some 47 verse seven for God is the King of all the earth, sing praises with understanding your singing a hymn, you don't know the words what you know the words original with a mean get a dictionary were to sing with understanding were not supposed to sing some of those old hymns and not know what some of those old English words mean we are to get to the bottom of it. Well we have to move on Jesus, the son of God, of course clear identification of this great high priestess. Let us hold fast our confession.

Let's not be deflected elsewhere to try anything else of the mixing in his encouraging them. Let us stick to our faith is terrible. It almost every commentator out there has to say would mean that does mean that other guy don't believe a person can get their salvation lose their salvation get their salvation lose their salvation audibly that for one moment, but I do believe you can get your salvation and I do believe that if you give it up because I don't want anymore. You won't get it back.

That's it.

And Hebrews 6 is going to lay it out and it's tiring listening to all the great men of God tell you why doesn't mean that because they have to protect some doctrine instead of just saying it pretty much means what it says well that's more mainly for my radio audience because I know biophysical audience should know this stuff behind now from this pulpit but anyway verse 15 for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin. At the pause and go back.

Perhaps a disgustingly left at a point we don't know when that point of no return is what God does and it does exist and that's all we need to know God in his grace often gives wide margins gives time for the sinner. The backslider even the apostate to come back. But if they don't cross the line of no return. Should it be any other way. Should we be pretty unaware about it, but I want to make you feel good, you just go do what you want to do you know you're okay.

May I never tell anybody make me I don't want to feel comfortable in my own sin. Why would I want to comfort somebody in their sin of walking away from Christ.

Now back to verse 15.

Isn't it nice you don't have a word from our sponsor. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

So important is it that God wants us to understand that he understands that when he was risen again. What'd he say to those first followers. Peter was not among them.

He said make sure you go tell Peter see was sense that he knew Peter was agonizing over his denial so the great sweep of sympathies is tell him tell Peter I will see him and can you imagine when they got there, Peter. He's risen. We saw many sent to you. Talk to you later wasn't to never frown on space.

His countenance was aglow. We need to know this God. Remember God can learn nothing. God does not have to have a disability to know what you're going through with the disability. God does not have to go through divorce to learn what it's like for you to go through one God does not need to experience anything to get it. He's got it already. He's always had and he always will.

But we need to see that he sees that's why it is penned this way because when I even now after all these years.

There are times I feel slighted and I am tempted to say, but I put a hand over my mouth but I want to say it. You don't care master. Can you not that we perish. That's what they said in the boat is in the boat sleeping and they will come up. Don't you care when frowning here. He wakes up and steals the storm and so we need to see where the weak ones. We are the leaky vessels were you pour the spirit in we burn up some of it in service and ministry. As we should, and then some of it leaks out all of it leaks out and we come back and we refill again throughout devotional time to fellowship through time in the body with each other and so when we read of his experiencing things and learning of obedience in his humanity, not his deity.

His deity always got it but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

Now there's more here this without sin.

Not only did he not sin, but he was not even attracted to sin.

There was nothing inside of him, as there is in us. There was no falling mages that I like that you younger and so you your your mom and dad tell you don't do this what you wanted to and then you do it. Christ was not that way.

That's you that's not right. As part of be ready for the consequences where the backslider is hard, but sinlessness is an exceptional feature when the Bible finds an exceptional or not so ordinary feature about someone. It pointed out Goliath, how big he was our biggest bed was the king that had six fingers on each hand and six toes are points that out. If Peter were 9 foot tall do you think the Bible would tell us absolutely would tell us so if anybody else was sinless in the Bible, which is a greater extraordinary feature exceptional feature if anyone else was sinless, don't you think the Bible would say it, don't you think the Scripture would say Peter is without sin. Mary was on the but it doesn't say that about them that we find Mary think she needs a Savior.

So when we read Romans 321 all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It means all except God, which is Christ Jesus also he was able to touch a leper without catching leprosy himself or any other kind of a contagious disease. Why is that there was nothing in him of the sin to attach itself to report.

This is the God we serve. Anytime you don't like what God is doing. Understand he is right that stabilizes me if I did not have that I would be a bitter person set of your word but you would never leave me or forsake me a look at me.

Okay, maybe you all perfect and you don't have that kind of experience I should say. If you haven't had those kind of experiences you're probably not serving but if you serving the Lord, you are going to get stripped you going to take hard hits you have to because that's why you have a sword sword means is a bogeyman out there and he's got one too and he's going to use it if you don't have one. The playing field is not level and he wins.

So crisis given us a sword, instead of saying don't worry about it I'll send my angels will do my light work for me. He doesn't always do that he does.

Always do this, though he is your sword hears your breastplate, here's your shield here's your helmet will work on these things. Make sure you know how don't say it was okay for David to say I have not tried the armor of Saul doesn't fit me, but it is not okay for the Christian to say I have not tried the armor of Christ. It doesn't fit me weird to say that's mine. And when I turn it in and it's going to be smoldering. It's going to have dents and singe marks on it. None of them that I wanted I wanted none of those. But if I gotta be here. I'm going to wear so verse 16 were almost done.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. How beautiful is that the throne of grace. Let us therefore come boldly. I made comments on it already, but the Greek word for boldness means frankness, openness without paranoia, not a brazing nor a shameless approach. Certainly a reverent approach. Boldness does not extract reverence from it. Boldness, in the sense of God saying to you here the keys I want you to drive this around the block and you do not rank it or act like it's yours and so I did years ago when I was in the in the service.

I had a first sergeant did. That is nice sports car and he didn't know me that well, but he felt that I needed to be reached out to as a young man own older men to a young man. It was an older man to me. I was 19, maybe 20, and he was probably for 500 years old. I know that because his light driver's license was a scroll but anyway. He had a weird way of talking to Lucky's car around the block and those are big blocks of those barracks were and I took that car and Isis is nice and I brought it back in one piece is very grateful. I wrote them a letter when I got out it was he was a man that I learned leadership from just like that by comparing what others did not do and what he did and he had a fruit bowl of ribbons.

This was a man that it seen a lot of combat and yet he was still decent enough.

I wish I would've been able to stay in touch with him by are not digressing I'm saying it's good to have heroes in life is good to be reverent with the things of God gives us. And if God says you boldly come we come without hesitation.

I don't have enough time to speak all the verses that I would like to use except all of do this one when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, saying, son of David, have mercy on us. See David is the king they recognize that Jesus was a prince that he was in the line of David and they could boldly come to him for their need. So they cried out in the couldn't be stop the growth mercy mercy involves the passing grace involves the future mercy as you did something wrong in the past.

Maybe two seconds ago but it's past that's you need mercy and grace involves the future I'm going to give you southern past two but in the sense that I'm using it. The application here you see it that way. We understand God has a heaven for us means telling these Hebrews be diligent to stay the course of the faith receive the grace and the mercy says to help in time of need in this life. This life we receive what we need from the Lord you've been listening to cross reference radio the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick asked Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. As we mentioned at the beginning of today's broadcast. Today's teaching is available free of charge at our website. Simply log on to cross reference radio.com that's cross reference radio.com would also like to encourage you to subscribe to the cross reference radio podcast subscribing ensures that you stay current with all the latest teachings from Pastor Rick, you can subscribe cross reference radio.com or simply search for cross reference radio your favorite podcast to the next time as Pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Hebrews right here on cross reference radio