seated
Are you guys happy to be here?
I'm excited to be here. I hope you are too if you have your bibles Hebrews chapter 4 is where we're gonna be this morning
Who is someone that you
would like
To have access to that you do not have access to now
Maybe it would be
somebody
in a particular field a
Leader and something you're interested in maybe you're a business person and so there's some owner of a business company
Someone that does a podcast someone that has a YouTube channel
Maybe maybe something like maybe you like to have lunch with Dave Ramsey. I don't know something like that
Or maybe maybe it's a sports figure
Maybe it's some somebody that you like just had a real respect for it
You could have a lunch with him or some spend some time with him or her find out what they were thinking at a particular game
Or in a particular moment, maybe that's something that you would like
Maybe it's like a musician who here's like a really into music. I love music
There's some musicians. I'd love to spend time with pick their brain figure out how to
Pick and grin like they do right or something like that
Maybe somebody like that. Maybe maybe it's someone in your past
Maybe the person you don't have access to is a
Mother or a father or a grandma who here misses somebody that's gone to be in
Heaven yeah, maybe maybe that's who you like to have access to somebody I this week my aunt posted a picture
That I had never seen before of my mom who has gone to be with Jesus and she looks young in that picture
And and my dad looked like a
weird kind of 80s hippie kind of thing and
and
That was kind who has pictures like that as it's all there. Yeah, so
Maybe maybe it's somebody like that. You just like man. I wish I could just talk to them again and find out
Sometimes you meet people like that. You're like, oh, you knew my mom
I tell me about tell me about what she was like, you know that kind of thing
Maybe it's a person. Maybe the person you don't have access to but you'd like to have access to is someone with like lots of resources
Maybe you've got a business idea
Yeah
Some kind of thing you and if you just had just a few moments with somebody that had the right knowledge or the right expertise
Or maybe the right bank account
They could help you in some particular area. You can make a good connection
Maybe you want to access to someone you don't even know yet
There's some people in the room that are single and I know when I was single. I remember thinking man
What's my wife gonna be like one day, you know and and that kind of a thing maybe
There was a pop song when I was in college that and I remember being lonely and listening to song
I says I'm so tired of being alone. So hurry up and get here. That was the the lyrics to the song
I'm like, yeah, hurry up, you know
Maybe there are times that you're just lonely and you want there to be access to people just because you don't maybe you're by yourself all
the time and and
You have people in your life that you depend on, you know, we have a lot of access to people today
We have a lot of access to people even if they're far away this week
I had almost instant communication with my buddy Brett Anderson who we support a missionary that's in Spain
I'm on his his board for his
His sending agency and so he and I were talking back and forth. I had
Some friends from Wales that sent me a polo. You don't even know what a polo is
But he sent me a polo and we heard from him just like in a live way and you know in in Wales
I heard I have a friend that's started a church
I went to college with started a church in Australia and this week
He's in Israel and I'm finding out about what he's learning when he's in Israel
I'm like we have so much access to people and sometimes we have access to people and we don't even take advantage of it
We don't we don't anybody have somebody you probably need to call
You haven't talked to him in a while and you have that access to him, but you don't take advantage of it
there was a time where
Communication like the kind of communication we have today is was not possible even in my lifetime
who remembers when you first got a cell phone and
Who remembers having like
50 minutes
Until nights and weekends and then you had five thousand minutes, but you had to wait till nine o'clock
Okay, if you're old enough to remember that raise your hand. Okay?
None of the young people raise your hand. Okay, it's fine
But I remember waiting counting down the time until I could call
The person I wanted to call and not use up all my minutes
There's a time when that kind of communication that kind of access we didn't even have it my wife is from West Idaho
I'm from Southeast from the West and Idaho
I'm from the Southeast of Florida and we met right in the middle and Springfield, Missouri
There was a time in the not too distant past where we probably would not have even met each other
There were times in history where someone left
Where they were from and the chances of communicating with them again drop dramatically, you know
You live in the East and you're going out West to make
Go West young man, they would say and they guys would go out there and you you don't know if you'll ever see that guy again
And that's just how it was
The Bible is full of letters that were hand-delivered
Right you read the end of the the letters that Paul wrote and it's hey
I'm sending this person and and and greet them and accept them and love them think about it like we have sometimes a hard time
Getting people to work the nursery. What about taking a letter across the
Cross yeah, I got a letter to send can someone volunteer to go on a trip to take that would be a difficult thing, right?
We have more access to more people on an individual visual basis
Then we ever have and yet we don't always take advantage of those
Possibilities I was thinking about that this week
Access to other people and how we take advantage of that
When I was thinking about the passage that's before us today in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14
The big idea of Hebrews chapter 4 verses 14 through 16 and it's not disconnected
I'm going to show you how it's connected to everything. We've been learning the past few weeks
The big idea of this particular couple verses is this
We have a great high priest named Jesus Christ a
Priest was someone and we'll talk about this quite a lot over the next couple of chapters a priest is someone in the Old Testament
That would go to God on behalf of people
Right and we'll talk about what that looks like
We have a great high priest
Jesus is greater you see the logo
Jesus is a greater high priest than anything that ever came before and he gives us
access to God
incredible
access to God better than having access to some thought leader podcast YouTube star
Musician athlete politician better than any of that
We have access to God
Okay, that was a weak amen
The God of the universe that breathed out the stars that designed everything that has every resource you could ever need
You have access to
That's good
We often do not fully comprehend and rarely do we really take advantage of
The access that we have to the God of the universe as we should so here's my proposal to you today
This morning. Here's what I want you to take away from this sermon
You should use your access to God every day
You need God every day God doesn't need you every day
you need him and
You can't access God if you're a believer in Jesus Christ you can't access God every day
because of
Jesus Christ high priestly ministry to you and for you
You should do this because Jesus Christ gives us incredible access to God
for three reasons
He gives us incredible access to God and he's actually
Really good at giving us access to God because of three reasons three character traits that he has are you ready number one?
Reason number one. He gives us incredible access to God is number one his position his position
Look at verse 14. This is so cool, man. I hope that I hope at the end of this that you're so motivated
To actually have a relationship with God through prayer
I hope that this isn't just something that are we just at church because it's Sunday morning. Is that why you're here?
Are you just here because of the time of the week that it is? Are you just here because of tradition?
Forget tradition. Why are you here?
Let's grow who wants to grow who wants to be better at the end? Hey good praise the Lord
Okay, when you go to some some some diners the cup is already the mug is already on the on the
Saucer on the are you with me? I'm kind of old-school. You know I'm talking about you get there in this
How do you tell the waitress you want coffee?
Flip it over. Okay flip over the cup this morning. I want to give you something
Okay, in your heart and mind. Are you ready to grow? Let's do it
Look at what he says here
Verse 14 seeing then that we have a great high
Priest that has passed into the heavens now that I'm gonna stop the sentence fragment there
When the author here says seeing then he's referencing all that has been set up until this point
He's been building a case. We're in Hebrews chapter 4 not Hebrew chapter 1 and there's been some things
They told us beforehand and so if you've not been here before let me kind of catch you up
This series is this the title of the series is called Jesus is Greater because the book of Hebrews is all about better
It's all about showing us how that the Old Testament had
pictures that were pointing to New Testament realities and
the Old Testament there were
Priests that were men now we have a high priest that is Jesus Christ. That's better. He's a better high priest
We have seen already that Jesus has a better name
That he's better than the angels, right?
That the angels were administering experience, but now he never said to an angel. You're my son today. I've begotten you
Jesus their servants Jesus is the son. He's better than Moses
Moses gave us the law the law can't save us Jesus is who saves us the law just tells us the rules
Just tell us that we mess up anybody mess up
Yeah, you read the Ten Commandments and if you read that with any kind of honesty you realize I am flawed
I have broken and the Bible says if we broken one we broken them all
Jesus came didn't not to destroy the law but to fulfill the law
He came to give us rest. He came to give us grace and mercy
And so he kept the law that we could not keep and then he gives us his righteousness. Who's excited about that?
That's a great thing. So he's better than Moses and he gives us a better rest
Jesus is greater Jesus is
Better and so as we move on from these introductory ideas the author moves on to the superiority of Jesus Christ
Priesthood we have a better high priest so to understand how Jesus is better than the Old Testament high priest
You have to know something about that priesthood
What was it priest in the Old Testament?
Well, the Old Testament priests
Would mediate to God on behalf of the people of Israel
They did this through the sacrificial system in worship
Old Testament priests in function much of the time were like butchers
Because they were always making sacrifices for sins
literal animal sacrifices for sins on behalf of the people of God
Because they were sinful themselves
Another way that Jesus is a better high priest
They sin and because they sin they had to sacrifice for themselves before they could sacrifice for anybody else
We will say much more about the priesthood in the coming weeks as we venture through Hebrews
But what must be understood now is that a priest mediated between
Men and God especially through the sacrifices that were made to atone for sin
the blood that was shed
Was a picture of the blood that would be shed in
Jesus Christ so here the author says that Jesus Christ is our great high priest
And it's not the first time you said it in Hebrews if you go back to
Chapter 3 verse 1 and 2 it says
Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling consider the apostle or the sent one and high priest of
our profession Christ
Jesus
Who was faithful to him that appointed him as also mazes was faithful in all his house
So Jesus Christ like Moses was sent as an apostle apostle just means sent one
Moses was sent to Egypt to Pharaoh. What was Moses's message when he was sent to Pharaoh let my
People go let my people go that was his message
And so he became someone who went to the because of God he went he was a prophet
But he also mediated between God and man, but he was that apostle that went to Pharaoh and
Jesus was better than Moses because he could provide a greater rest than Moses could ever provide all Moses could provide was getting them to the
Promised land
Jesus provides a better rest because it's not about a land. It's about a person living inside of us that gives us rest
Isn't that awesome?
But Jesus Christ like Aaron was a high priest
But he's a better high priest for so many reasons we see him as a better high priest
Here in his position
Because first he's better because of where he is
He's better because of where he is
Okay
Now verse 14 it says this seeing then we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens
The scripture says here he's passed into the heavens the high priest in the Old Testament worked in the tabernacle and
Then in the temple
You got a picture here of the tabernacle
I
Hate to do this. Can one of you guys bring me a pointer?
Do we have a pointer?
Should have thought about this earlier this week amen, okay?
This is a replica of the Old Testament
Tabernacle it's not exactly perfect. This is an inspired, but it gives you some kind of an idea in the tabernacle you had
Thank you. This is exciting
Can you see the green dot
Okay in the tabernacle you had this this
Outer wall which was fabric on the tabernacle tabernacle's a tent and it was made of fabric and and
And would God prescribed how that would happen?
Only certain people were allowed inside
The Jews were allowed in here not the women
Just the men this area the holy place were only
Were only high priests were allowed and back here
It would have been called the holy of holies and you can't see it because it's so small
But right there in the picture. There's the Ark of the Covenant
It's behind the holy of holies is the place that only one priest could go
Once a year on the day of atonement
so there was
this holy of holies this place right here was the place that
God's manifest not that God God's omnipresent you understand that God's everywhere
But his manifest presence
Showed up here in the in the tabernacle in fact at one time the glory of God came down in the tabernacle when they finished it
Same thing happened in the temple
But but the manifest presence of God was there in the tabernacle so that if the priest even the priest if anybody went in there
They would die even the high priest when he would go in they would put a rope around his
His ankle so that if he went in there and died because he wasn't worthy to be in the presence of God they'd pull him out
Priests had access Old Testament priests had access that the normal everyday person didn't have
Same thing happened in the temple
You go to the next slide there
This is the hered's temple. This is the been the temple of Jesus time
You have here the gate called beautiful and the and they call this the gentile the court of the gentiles
If you were a gentile you could go to that part. You could not go into this part to this
Woman's what's called the women's courtyard unless you were Jewish
Gentiles couldn't go in there. In fact, if you remember in the book of Acts a bunch of Jews rioted being mad and stirred up by
a
Greek-speaking Jews that had come to Jerusalem and
And accused the apostle Paul of bringing Gentiles into the temple. You guys remember when that happened
And so if you were a Jewish woman you could go here, but the women could not go into this here
What's called the priest courtyard
The men could but they only can only go to certain parts and then this holy place
Was kind of a replica of what happened in the tabernacle. There was the holy place and then the holy of holies and again
It's the same thing
the priest in the day of in the day of atonement where the
Were the only ones allowed inside that particular
That particular area the whole edifice was called the holy place
That inner part was called the holy of holies and you know, it was awesome when Jesus died on the cross the bible says the temple that's
The the uh the curtain the veil that separated the holy place
From the holy of holies that kept people from accessing the place that was most
Uh known for the manifest presence of God that that veil in the temple ripped
But not from bottom to top it ripped from top to bottom it ripped in only in a way that only
God could have done it
man didn't do it
God tore that veil from top to bottom and you know what he was saying
Now
You're the temple
Now the holy spirit is going to come and live inside of you. It's not about a place Jesus said to this emeritus woman
There's coming a time when those who worship God will worship him in spirit and in
truth
So think about this verse he says now seeing them we have a great high peace that has passed into heaven
Jesus is not just the high priest. He's a great high priest. Why because of his location. Where is Jesus in the verse?
He's in the
You see it. Where is he at?
He's in the heavens
Ha ha
He's in the heavens. He's gone to the most holy place to the heavens where God the father is
We were already told where Jesus went after he died. He was buried in rose again and ascended into the heaven
Do you remember it's already been told us that he was chapter one verse one just the beginning of the whole thing remember
God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake into us
In times past under the fathers by the prophets have in these last days
Spoken done to us by his son
Whom he had appointed air of all things by whom we also made the worlds
Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power
When he had by himself purged our sins
Are you ready?
sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high
The priest had access to God because God although God is under present his manifest presence was most notable in the holy of
Holies
That is where the high priest had access to him through the mediation of the covenant
Relationship expressed through the sacrificial system ceremonial washings and the like
Talk about access to God
Now the high priest of our profession Jesus
Is found sitting at the right hand of God
In heaven
Is that a better place
We got people in high places
Talk about access to God his high priestly position is better because of his location
It's also better because of who he is
Look at verse 14 seeing them. We have a great high priest that is past to the heavens. Jesus the
Son of
God let us hold fast our profession
When you have an in when it comes to our relationship
Access is more easily obtained at the last church. I worked at
There were
10 full-time staff members on leadership staff
We had more than that and support staff including secretaries receptionists
Radio and television ministry support staff building and maintenance support staff bus ministry
Mechanics and workers. There's a lot of people on staff and pastor Fraser was definitely accessible
But when you have
A large congregation and that many employees it's if you just let anybody come in at any time it can get kind of
Harry and so you don't just usually walk in there's there's a secretary anybody seen the situation like that
Where is that a secretary? Yeah
so we all recognize that that's the case and
And some someone at least large groups of people they they have to kind of manage how that happens
I noticed though that someone did have the kind of access to pastor's office where they could just walk in you know who it was
They would show right past the receptionist
Most of the time you know it was Connor
Pastor Fraser's son
He walked right past the secretary most of the time
Rachel pastor Fraser's wife
She got in every time
Lauren pastor Fraser's daughter. They had a special access to him because of their relationship
Our high priest to God in the heavens
Is in the heavens and he's right next to God our high priest to God is Jesus Christ his son
What is Jesus's relationship with the father it was stated
By God himself at Jesus baptism baptism. What did he say in Matthew 3 17?
And lower voice from heaven saying this is my
Beloved son in whom I'm well pleased
Peter gave a witness to God's testimony about Jesus's relationship to God
at his transfiguration
2nd Peter 1 16 says for we have not followed cunningly devised
Fables when we may known unto you the power of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
For why witnesses to his majesty for he received from God the father honor and glory where
When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved
Son
In whom I am
well pleased
pleased
The author of hebra has already told us that Jesus has disappeared to the angels in his name because he's the only begotten son
He was one for being made so much better than the angels as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name that day
For under which of the angels has said
He got the father at any time now aren't my son this day have I begotten thee
And again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son
And again when he bringeth forth his first begotten to the world he saith and let all the angels of God worship him
If you want to get a job from somebody
It's good to have a relationship with people they love
Right
Tell the world works we have access to God the father through Jesus Christ God's son
He loves us
Jesus loves you
God loves you
God sent Jesus to die for you
God sent a spirit when you got saved to live inside of you and now you have the third person the spirit living in you
You have the son not only having died for you, but now representing you to god the father
This is amazing
Don't think of this as dry theological truth. This is a reality that you can live in
You have access to God
Through Jesus who is there with God?
And who is his son and he's the one that died for you
He's the one that now lives there ever to make intercession
for us
He's a better high priest the great high priest in this position because of his location and because of his identity
Number two, why is he better? Why is he a better high priest? Here's the second reason not only his position
Number two his perfection his perfection. Look at what it says
For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities now stop there
Not only is Jesus Christ our great high priest giving us access to God because of his position
He is also our great high priest. He's so much better than anything we have access to
Because of his perfection and there's two ways that he displayed his perfection
And he still displays his perfection that are referenced in this verse
First we see that Jesus is touched
He's touched. What I'm what do I mean by that?
Well, he says here verse 15
Very clearly. We are not
We don't have a high priest which cannot be touched by the feelings of our infirmities
Now when it says that Jesus can't cannot be untouched
We can also say that Jesus can't be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. What does that mean?
That that means he can and does care for us
That's what it means
He does he knows what it's like to do something
He knows what it's like to deal with things that we deal with as human beings
Living in a cursed world. You know why?
Because he was a human being he is a human being and he came and lived in this incursed world
He's not some high priest that's untouched with what he knows what we've gone through
He knows what we're going through
There may be some that are reading well Jesus is in heaven. What does he know about life down here?
I want to give you that answer
He knew what it was like to lose close friends to death
He was acquainted with grief
In John 6 when he was about to raise his friend
To life from the dead
He looked around and saw the grief that was being experienced by people who had just lost their brother
And you know what it says he did?
He wept
Jesus weeps
He wept
He saw the grief he knew the loss and he wept
There were moments where Jesus was frustrated
Anybody ever hear be frustrated?
Here's another way to ask that anybody here have kids?
Anybody here have a husband or a wife relationships?
Oh
Faithless generation how long will I suffer to be with you?
Jesus had parents
Teenagers
Jesus had parents
Jesus was perfect
And he had parents that weren't
I'm not saying you're perfect in your parents. I'm saying Jesus had imperfect parents anybody here ever have an imperfect parent?
Jesus had brothers and sisters
Jesus had Jesus had people who questioned his motives
He couldn't sin and yet people called him a sinner
He was there to love people and no good deed goes unpunished. He would he would get accused for that
Jesus had people who were angry with him
Jesus at times was hungry
Jesus was thirsty
He experienced extreme pain
He became obviate unto death even death on across Philippians says
He was in so much pressure that before he went to the cross. He sweat great drops of blood before he even got there
He had people betray him
Anybody ever anybody disloyalty?
You ever have anybody say things falsely about you slander you?
He had people betray him he spent a night in jail
Think about that
For most of his ministry he was basically homeless
Jesus is not untouched with the feelings of our infirmities think about it the God of the world
The God who breathed out the stars became flesh and dwelt among us
Imagine how you imagine how you feel in heaven
The best you've ever felt is like
a bad day in heaven
I'm just making that up, but you get my point who thinks heaven's a great place to be right better than any day here
Jesus left that
and became
Not the king in the sense that he had everybody worshiping him and acknowledged him
He came and was born into poverty
He was born into poverty and the Bible says that he became poor so that you through his poverty might be made
rich
The writer of Hebrews is saying that Jesus had a capacity to feel for us because he experienced in physical fashion
Relational fashion what it means to be
Fashion what it means to be human
Notice that that phrase is expressed in the path in the present tense
He says for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities
That's in the present tense. He's saying no, Jesus still has a capacity to feel what we feel now
Do you get it?
Now that's a mystery, isn't it?
He cares
It's not just saying that he what that he went through it in the past
It's saying that he can sympathize with us right now because of his experience
Yet it doesn't in there
He has been touched and can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities
If that's where it ended though, he would not be the different than any other priest
Every piece being a man has been able to live the human experience
But there's something unique about Jesus's ability not only did he experience what we experience
but
Also, you see that he conquered temptation. Jesus was not just touched. He's tempted. Look at what it says
For we have not a high priest
Which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are
yet without
Sin
In all points in every way
It doesn't mean that Jesus went through the exact details that is the detail of every human experience
It does mean that he was tempted in all the ways and all the categories that were tempted
He endured all the things that we do and was tempted in every way, but there was something unique
It can't be said about any other human being
He went through it and never sinned
He was sinless he never did anything wrong
He he never did anything right for the wrong reason
Anybody ever do something good and then get prideful about it
Like every time I do that
Right
That's not good
He never did anything right for the wrong reasons. His motives were pure his actions were pure his thoughts were pure
His heart motivation was to please our heavenly father at every
Moment at every moment. So let me just summarize what I just told you. Okay. This is amazing. You got to get this
A priest mediates to God on behalf of another
This means that he must have access to God
Jesus has passed through heavenly realms and is sitting on the right hand of God
A priest mediates to God and that means that he must have a right relationship with God Jesus Christ is the son of God
In whom the father is well pleased
A priest mediates to God on behalf of us
This means he represents us in our humanity. Jesus is the god man who experienced what it means to be human
A priest mediates to God on behalf of us and our sin and here's the cool thing. He died for our sin
He could die for our sin and give us righteousness because he had a righteousness to give
He never sinned. Do you see it?
Jesus is greater in every way
And he ever lives to give intercession to make intercession for us
Jesus Christ gives us access to God and is our high priest not only because of his position
But also because of his perfection
That leaves me to this third
reason
He's a great high priest because of his provision
Provision what he provides look at what it says
verse 16
Let us therefore come boldly
Let me read that again. Let us therefore come boldly
Let us therefore come boldly
Unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need
in verse 16
We see that Jesus is our great high priest because because of his provision as high priest
He gives us access to the provision of both god the father and god the son
What is that provision? He gives us two things. We sing about both of them today
I don't think don had a clue what I was going to preach but yet she picked the right songs
It's almost like god did it
What do we sing?
grace grace
God's grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin
And what do we sing?
His mercy is more our sins
They are many his mercy is
more
What is the provision grace?
It's been commonly defined as being given things that we don't deserve grace is getting good when we don't deserve it
In this verse. We're told to approach the throne of
what
The throne of grace
I love that he says where god sits. It's a throne of grace
The throne is presumably where god is and where god sits at it and where jesus christ sits at his right hand
He rules and reigns over everything his posture towards us is gracious because of his dear son who intercedes for us
Mercy is commonly defined as not getting the justice that we do deserve
The bible says sin when it is finished it brings forth
Death the soul that sins it shall die
God told adam and eve the day that you eat of the fruit of the knowledge of the tree of good and evil
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil in that day you will surely
die
What we deserve from god is death
Eternal separation from god forever
What god gives us because of jesus
Is grace and mercy
We have been given mercy and grace we deserve separation from god and therefore everything that is good forever because of our sin
We deserve death. We deserve punishment yet because of jesus christ's
Substitutionary death on the cross for us god's wrath for our sin was poured out on him
Hell judgment was poured out on him
Judgment was poured out on him
So that we didn't have to take it
Yeah, because of jesus christ
Substitutionary death on the cross god's wrath was poured out on him and now he lives
Again interceding for uh for for us
We have been given mercy and grace. We are being given mercy and grace
We will be given mercy and grace. This is god's love for us and what he wants to give us as a result is christ's
Intercessory and mediating work on the cross mercy and grace are not just what you need to get to heaven
Mercy and grace are not just what you need to get
For you to have salvation mercy and grace are what you need to get through walmart
Are you with me we don't just need mercy and grace to get to heaven we need to get it through every day
I needed today
Anything good I do is because of jesus I
I
You don't know how flawed I am
You don't know how flawed you are
It's what you need to parent your kids
It's what you need to be it's what we need to be unified as a church and take on our mission
Of reaching people and teaching people ministering to people
Mercy and grace are what we need in our relationship with god
And it's what we need in our relationship with each other
We need mercy and we need grace and you know who has it
Full to overflowing
Jesus christ
god the father
It's available to us
He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance
For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it's a gift
Of god not of works less than any man should boast
Whosoever calls on the name of the lord
Shall be saved
So what should our response be you like pastor ben that was really theological maybe a little bit deep
I get it like I get the points you help us understand the passage. I get it
What does it mean for me this wednesday at two?
How does it impact me Tuesday morning at one o'clock? Well, here's a couple things
It's literally what he says our response should be in the text
I read it, but I'll move past it pretty quickly. Let's talk about it number one
Our first response to bill our first response to the fact that we have access to god
We have access to god. He's died for us. He loves us. We can talk to him. We can talk to him
Right now you could talk to him
He hears you
if you're his kid
He knows what you're saying if you're not
But he's obligated himself to you if you're his kid in the sense that he says you're my kid. I'll hear you
So what what should how should we respond the number one it says in the verse let us hold fast our profession
Let's hold fast our profession
This passage has been talking about finding our rest in god
Finding our rest in god
This is amazing look you guys your bio have your bibles good Hebrews 4 is where we're at
Last week he talked about he's like there's a rest for the people of god, right
Verse 9 the remaineth a rest for the people of god
We said that rest is accessed by salvation, but it's also accessed by sanctification
That we can have a fulfilling joyous fruit bearing relationship with god. We can have rest in jesus christ
And then he says because god will transform us and as he transforms us he he he does his part
He transforms us we do our part. We just stay we remain he grows us remember that
okay
How does that happen? He says for the word of god is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword
Piercing the dividing of soul and spirit join in the marrow you see it there?
And as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, you know what that means?
God knows what you think
God knows what you feel he knows why you do what you do good and bad he understands it better than you do
What you need is to understand it so god's giving us his word and james says it's like a mirror and I can discern
What's going on in my heart that impacts my actions as I read it?
He says if you look at verse if the next verse he says
Neither verse 13 is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight?
But all things are naked and open under the eyes of him which with whom we have to do you know what that means?
God knows everything about you
That should scare us
He knows everything about us
His bible exposes us
You're laying there naked in front of him. He knows everything about you
But that's not bad news because he loves you
Do you see the connection?
We have a great high priest who's not
Untouched by the feelings of our infirmities
He was tempted in every point like we are yet without sin. How was Jesus on the cross?
He hung there naked
He bore the sin of the whole world he took on our shame and our guilt
Isn't that amazing?
And
So
He says let's hold fast our profession. What does that mean?
Jesus is my only shot at rest
Jesus is my only shot at mercy and grace
Jesus is my only shot at heaven
Jesus said I am the way the truth in the life no man comes to the father
But by me your only representation
To God that will get you out of this life alive is Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of God
Don't walk away from that. That's your hope
God saved you so that you would have access to God the relationship that was broken in the garden is now
Being restored and you can walk with God in the cool of the day. You can have rest again
because of the access to God
So let's hold on to that profession
Are you a Christian? Yes
I'm a Christian
It's my only hope
Hold on to it
And then what's our second reaction?
Let us come boldly. He already knows
You naked
He already knows you inside and out and he laughs
He already knows you inside and out and he loves you
And he wants what's best for you and he wants to provide you rest in an abundant life
So you don't have anything to be ashamed of in this sense. Of course we're
Shameful of our sin, but you know when we bring our sin to God and we're just like God, you know, I'm a sinner
You know what repentance is
Repentance is just this. I agree with God about my sin
What God says about my sin is what I say about my sin
The way God sees my sin is the way I see it
We just agree with God we turn from the way we used to think about our sin hiding it
And we say God
You died for this you say your son to die for this
And you said that if I asked you to forgive me you'd forgive me you've already forgiven my sin
I want to be right with you and I've got this mercy that I need
I've got grace that I need
Not just for salvation
But for sanctification not just so that I can go to heaven, but so that I can get through my day
So can I have a good relationship with my kids so that I can have
A right relationship with my fellow believers at church even the really annoying ones
So I can get along with my boss
Do you get it?
And some of you are trying to go through the Christian life without Jesus
You're not reading his word
That exposes you and makes you think right
And you're not talking to him
And I'm in the boat with you sometimes
And then I wonder why I am
I'm not talking to you
Sometimes and then I wonder why am I not
Experiencing rest
Why is this Christian life so hard?
The Christian life is fair near impossible if you don't have Jesus
The word of God's quick and powerful and sharpening to the disordered discerns us
The Holy Spirit who wrote it lives inside of us
And when we let it
Examine us and when we obey its truths that we stay with God and we hear what he says
He produces all kind of fruit in us
Enjoying us
I'm not saying it's easy. I'm saying that gives you direction and
life
And then when you realize that this is about a relationship
It's not just about knowing things
It's about not just about knowing about Jesus
But it's actually about having a relationship with Jesus
Then you can hold fast to that profession
You can claim that as your identity. Yes, I'm a Christian and Jesus. I'm so grateful that you can bring me to God
So when we say
In Jesus name
Amen
That's not a rabbit's foot at the end of a prayer
That's how we get to God
That's how we access that grace and that mercy
He's a great high priest because of his position
He's a great high priest because of his perfection
And he is a great high priest because of his provision
And what I want you to know is this if you don't know Christ as your savior
If there's never been a time where you recognize fundamentally I'm a sinner and I need
Salvation Jesus died for me and that's my only shot at heaven. You're not saved
That's the first place to start repentance faith in Christ and then he comes and lives inside of you
So what should our response be
What should your response be to this sermon? Are you ready?
Go to God
Pray
Pray is not something that you have to do pray is something that you get to do
Pray
You know what we were just told we have access to God the God of the universe you get to get on his calendar because he's limitless
You'll have a harder time getting on any man's calendar than you do getting on God's calendar
He loves you he wants to
Hear from you. I don't know what it is lately about me with quoting lyrics
But I'm gonna do it again
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh what needless pain we forfeit all
What peace we often forfeit oh what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry
everything to God
In prayer
There is salvation rest for your soul
There is sanctification rest for your soul. There is a transformation
Power that's available to you through God's word. There is a mercy and grace available to you
Through going to God in prayer you can approach the throne of grace and find mercy and grace
to help you in time of need
and so
What did Jesus say come to me?
All that labor and our heavy laden
And I will give you rest
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke
For I am meek and lowly and heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden
is
Light come unto me all that labor and our heavy laden and I will give you
rest
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes on me?