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[0:00] If the Lord is pleased to help us, may we direct your mind to Hebrews chapter 4, verses 14 to 16.

[0:19] Hebrews chapter 4, verses 14 to 16. 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.

[0:41] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

[0:58] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

[1:28] These words were first spoken and written for the Hebrews, that remnant of Israel that existed in those days.

[1:52] And there is still a remnant today, we feel, in that nation. But not only so, it was written for all nations, because it is to be preached throughout the world.

[2:15] And in this scripture, the apostle is expressing a very wonderful confidence, respecting the Lord Jesus Christ, when he says, we have a great high priest.

[2:46] His objective, we notice, is to strengthen the hearts and hands of those who have made a profession of his name.

[3:05] He would have then, by serious meditation upon this glorious person, to be strengthened thereby, on account of three main considerations.

[3:36] The greatness of the high priest, the sympathy of the high priest, and the grace of the high priest.

[3:52] The apostle himself, apparently, has a great confidence about this matter, when he says, we have a great high priest.

[4:11] It may be that many among these Hebrews could echo that word. But, as always, there would be those who have many fears and faintings, respecting their profession and whether they should endure.

[4:39] However, it may have its use at this present time, both to confirm those who are confident and strong, to support and to nourish those who are filled with fear and apprehension.

[5:09] It may be even of use to the careless, that they might consider two things.

[5:21] Namely, there is either a right and gracious profession of this glorious person, or else there is a being ashamed of him.

[5:42] And so, there is another point too, namely, those who are but seeking him, in whose heart is found some good thing toward him.

[6:01] It is as yet like the blade and like the seed in the ground to be drawn forth.

[6:15] The objective is to bring them, to bring us to this point of blessed confidence, seeing then that we have a great High Priest.

[6:34] We have. It is a word of appropriation, a word of possession, a word of relationship.

[6:48] How many steps there are to this point to come here, that we have a great High Priest.

[7:04] It supposes an awakening and a quickening and a revelation of our state by nature.

[7:15] The burden of sin, the blessing of repentance, the period of hearing of him, a following heart after him, hearing his blessed gospel, following on to know, to hear of the greatness of his person, to come at length to a belief of his wondrous name.

[7:57] Those things may, and often do, occupy a long period, a period of exercise and conflict and examination and opposition at length to come to this place with a trembling hope that we have a great High Priest.

[8:33] Well, we would come to the words and consider him and consider him in his greatness that faith may come by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

[8:52] It is by the proclamation of his person that poor sinners are drawn, drawn, as it were, out into the open and to hear of him, to know him and to confess him.

[9:17] So saith the word here, let us hold fast our profession. there is a connection between that and the greatness of this High Priest.

[9:38] How he shines forth in his glory here. His greatness consists of several things.

[9:51] for instance, in the first place, this High Priest is very God. In that first chapter, how it is emphasized.

[10:08] And thou, Lord, and thou, God, such expressions addressed by the Father to the Son to teach us he is co-equal with the Father.

[10:28] The brightness of his glory to express image of his person. He is great in that sense as being Jesus, the Son of God, word of equal honour, glory, praise, and worship of angels and men.

[10:58] A great High Priest on account of his divinity. So great that there is no greater and that all true worship is addressed and paid to him.

[11:24] When the first begotten cometh into the world, he saith, let all the angels of God worship him.

[11:36] there's the greatness also of his office here, the High Priesthood.

[11:51] The greatness of it is manifest by two things, by his divinity and by that super excellence over the Old Testament priesthood, he has a glory that excelleth.

[12:18] There's the greatness of the manhood of this High Priest. How pure and holy how mysterious great is the mystery of godliness in this God was manifest in the flesh.

[12:44] His name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. That manhood is a part of his greatness.

[12:57] holiness, that in him is found all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

[13:10] oh, how great this is manhood in its holiness, purity, beauty, reality, and also now his exaltation.

[13:33] salvation. How fitting it was that he should pass into the heavens.

[13:46] On account of the greatness of his undertakings while here upon the earth, he was able to say, I do always those things that please him.

[14:09] He was able to say at length at the end, Father, I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.

[14:24] And he was great in his righteousness. that perfection and purity which he rendered in the obedience to every precept, in the restoration of that broken law.

[14:50] He was great too in the sacrifice which he laid down in passing through Gethsemane and at length to Calvary and there to be offered up as on the altar of the cross a sweet smelling savour unto God.

[15:23] All the offerings of the Old Testament appointed to this. They were all but temporary.

[15:35] They were shadows of this one great offering and he excelled in this point.

[15:50] He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. The glory and greatness of his mediation in this world is manifest in the perfect restoration of God's broken law and therefore of necessity his liberation from the tomb and from the pains of death was not possible he could be holden of it.

[16:40] And so at length at the appointed time he went out as far as to Bethany with his little company and lifting up his hands he blessed them and so passed upward through the cloud into the heavens.

[17:07] And his greatness therefore is one of infinite worth and worthiness so that the song mentioned in Revelation speaks of it worthy thou art worthy to receive glory and honor majesty and dominion and blessing forever.

[17:41] well this is the object set before those who have made or contemplating this profession and the usefulness of his passing into the heavens is found in that great matter of his work there wherefore also he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

[18:35] I say the usefulness in connection with their profession and their felt weakness exposure to danger and temptation is found in this he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

[19:04] And as the Hebrew speaks a little later it was a necessity that this man should have somewhat to offer.

[19:18] What a telling sentence that is. Somewhat to offer. Oh he had great things to offer to present.

[19:32] His finished work his righteousness the merit of his precious blood the infinite satisfaction rendered to God he had very much to offer and the effectual fervent prayer of this righteous man availeth much.

[20:02] the connection between his greatness there pleading on behalf of a people below effectually to secure for them all needful grace.

[20:25] It is expressed so well in that verse we mentioned he ever lives to intercede before the father's face give him my soul thy cause to plea nor doubt the father's grace and if these thoughts and are blessed of God and sink into our hearts they will tend to confirm this last clause let us hold fast our profession seeing that he is there and that he has a mediatorial power that he remembers his weak people that he who hath moved them to confess his name is able to perfect that which concerneth them the holding fast of her profession is not to hold it with her own hand but only in this way as mentioned in

[22:06] Philippians for it is God that worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure it is holding fast in his strength and how this verse does emphasize his worthiness seeing then that we have a great high priest what great things he hath done and accomplished how fitting it is that he should be exalted and pass into the heavens and to be seated at the right hand of

[23:06] God that mysterious relationship Jesus Jesus the son of God yet equal with God an eternal son and yet I and my father are one and is emphasized so much that he is very God great mystery not to be rejected because not fully explainable then we move on to the 15th verse where another theme is brought before us with a view to strengthen those who desire to follow him and that consists here of two main themes expressing his sympathy and his power first is sympathy we have not a high priest which cannot be touched moved affected with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are as the first aspect of the verse to consider how fully and inexpressibly he entered into the path of temptation in all that it means it embraces all his afflictions and all his sorrows the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and all his poverty and all the opposition scorn and ignominy and shame heaped upon him but more especially perhaps the temptations of

[26:07] Satan we have but a brief record of some the forty days and nights in the wilderness and the three major attacks of this enemy against him respecting the stones being made bread and casting himself from the pinnacle of the temple and also to fall down and worship the devil and though not much is written in detail about it yet the few sentences warrant us to understand that it was very terrible and very powerful and very comprehensive too being a summary of all the temptations that poor sinners are warranted to meet with and what they do experience from that evil one as he assaults the mind and stirs up the corruptions of the heart how he can flatter or overwhelm to despair how he so attacked the holy son of

[28:18] God to such an extent that he was weakened and prostrated and brought lois to the body mystery that he was very God and could have banished the enemy at once submitted to it and felt it in the keenest possible way and so we read how after all this he was hungered and an angel came and ministered unto him we cannot tell but it summed up here was in all points tempted like as we are there was a purpose for it that he should be a faithful merciful sympathetic tender feeling high priest he was touched and is touched he knows each tempted member's pains for he has felt the same the strength of

[30:11] God is owned by all but who his weakness knows who can tell how low the Lord of life must fall before he vanquished hell but he was touched and moved and still is being the same yesterday today and forever and now it does not stop there that he was assaulted in every way that thereby he has a deep and divine sympathy but as we read in the last clause yet without sin expresses his mighty power his ability to conquer and the devil leaveth him the prince of this world finds nothing in me nothing inflammable he overcame he conquered was victorious and this expresses his power as

[31:54] God man and therefore in this verse for the for the help and comfort of those who are following him and find themselves assaulted in so many ways the fear they shall be overcome they are pointed to this great high priest who has these two qualities sympathy and power so another scripture tells us that in that he himself suffered being tempted he is able to succor them that are tempted so they are pointed to this great this exalted one this sympathetic one this almighty one who continues to live for the express purpose to succor them that are tempted and now the last verse opens up the plenitude of his grace and informs us of the way that help can come and does come to poor people who would follow after him the exhortation points us to the fullness of grace in him as it is written elsewhere we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth so first there is the plenitude the fullness of grace there where he sits the throne of grace to dispense it this word grace is a very wonderful word as it expresses several things for instance it means the free favour of

[34:58] God the free favour and love of God in all its greatness and then grace again means beauty let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us then thirdly it contains all the individual graces love joy and peace gentleness goodness long suffering meekness temperance and so on the fullness of grace and then the exhortation those who feel their weakness and are often brought to a time of need let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy find grace to help in time of need when he was here upon the earth they could approach him physically but now he is passed into the heavens this coming is not physical but it is by way of faith and prayer and making known our requests confessions unto him and though he is exalted so high we read that he heareth desire of the humble there is a rapid communication with that high and holy place from the heart of a poor soul as the psalmist said let my cry come near before thee oh lord according to thy word and he says here that we may obtain mercy and find grace which indicates his readiness and that he delighteth in mercy and these two words coming together in one verse mercy and grace raise the question how wherein is there any difference and we feel that they are extremely close together they unite as the colors of the rainbow and that really means grace is the free favor and kindness to the necessitous and the weak and those unable to pay and mercy

[38:58] LoH is just that same thing but its character defined its grace and kindness to the guilty and those who have offended those who have forfeited those who have broken law those who have or they should be or would otherwise be punishable so there's a blending and we feel the psalmist catches the expression in one word when he said let thy merciful kindness be for my comfort according to thy word so there's a blending of the divine favour and an indication it's specially prepared for the guilty so it is merciful grace and then they shall obtain it what a field that opens up answering and supplying all needs grace for the seeker grace for one who would follow the Lord grace to help in believing to help in obedience grace to receive his forgiveness that is cleansing justification the white garment of his righteousness grace to give strength for labour grace to support in affliction grace to sustain in cloud and conflict grace to meet every occasion and then uniting the two the Lord is a sun and shield who give both grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly what a great high priest he is having all that is needful to sustain those who would follow him and not be ashamed of him and he is not ashamed to call them brethren amen