Jesus our Sympathetic Priest

—Hebrews 4:14–16
—(Part 25 of Seeing Jesus in the O.T.)

  • Andrew Fountain – July 4, 2021

 
 
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Goal

To gain a deeper appreciation of what Jesus does for us from the picture of O.T. priests.

Leviticus 16:2–6, 13–16

Hebrews 10:1–4

  1. For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.
  2. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?
  3. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.
  4. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.

Two Roles of O.T. Priests:

  1. Animal sacrifices for sin
  2. Incense offered as a symbol of prayer

Hebrews 4:14–16

  1. Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
  2. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
  3. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.

Not confident because:

  • Our sin and failure
  • Feel God does not really care
  • Feel God is angry
  • Our prayers sound foolish
  • Not important enough to bother God with

Jesus our Sympathetic Priest

  1. Problem of Sin and Failure
  2. How Jesus helps us to pray
  3. His sympathy with our struggles

1. Problem of Sin and Failure

  • We sin again...
  • But this is the 100’th time with this sin
  • and 100 times we have asked forgiveness
  • Feel too guilty to ask again
  • How does this teaching help us?

Leviticus 5:5–9

  1. when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things they must confess how they have sinned,
  2. and they must bring their penalty for guilt to the LORD for the sin that they have committed, …from the flock, a sheep or goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement on their behalf for their sin.
    …
  3. Then he must sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood must be squeezed out at the base of the altar—it is a sin offering.

1 John 2

  1. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
    But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,
  • So: Never let your sin keep you from coming to God in prayer
    because that is the very place you should go when you sin.

Part 2. How Jesus helps us to pray

  • Romans 8:34–35, 26
  1. Who is the one who will condemn? Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.
  2. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

The Spirit helps as well:

  1. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

Luke 22:31–32

  • Jesus prays for Peter:
  1. “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat,
  2. but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
  • Jesus is praying for us!

Jesus our Sympathetic Priest

  1. Problem of Sin and Failure
  2. How Jesus helps us to pray
  3. His sympathy with our struggles

Pictures of God:

  • Speaking to the woman at the well
  • Compassion on the hungry crowds
  • Weeping over Jerusalem who rejected him
  • stopping for blind beggars
  • Weeping a Lazarus’ death as he saw people’s grief
  • Angry with the hypocrites
  • Tempted like us

Hebrews 4:14–16

  1. Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
  2. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
  3. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.

Summary:

  1. He provides a place to go when we sin—a place of forgiveness
  2. He makes our prayers perfect and prays them on our behalf
  3. He is the most sympathetic person we could ever know
  • “Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”