Hebrews 4:14-16 - BEEN THERE! DONE THAT! HEBREWS 4:14-16 BEEN THERE! DONE THAT! We use the expression, Been there, done that! When we say, Been there, done that, we can relate to what a person is going through! Our Daily Bread once told of a boy who had lost an arm in a terrible accident. He had become bitter and dejected. He withdrew into a shell and refused to see the people who came to try to cheer him up. But he experienced an abrupt change of heart when he was visited by another Christian who suffered from a similar handicap. The sight of that one-armed man coming into his room gave the youngster new hope. He felt he had found someone who could really identify with him and his feelings. His outlook immediately improved. It was if that one armed man was saying to that boy, Been there, done that! According to Dr. John MacArthur, Booth Tucker was conducting evangelistic meetings in the great Salvation Army Citadel in Chicago. One night, after he had preached on the sympathy of Jesus, a man came forward and asked Mr. Tucker how he could talk about a loving, understanding, sympathetic God. If your wife had just died, like mine had, the man said, and your babies were crying for their mother who would never come back, you wouldnt be saying what youre saying. A few days later Mr. Tuckers wife was killed in a train wreck. Her body was brought to Chicago and carried to the Citadel for the funeral. After the service the bereaved preacher looked down into the silent face of his wife and then turned to those who were attending. “The other day when I was here, he said, a man told me that, if my wife had just died and my children were crying for their mother, I would not able to say that Christ was understanding and sympathetic, or that He was sufficient for every need. If that man is here, I want to tell him that Christ is sufficient. My heart is broken, it is crushed, but it has a song, and Christ put it there. I want to tell that man that Jesus Christ speaks comfort to me today.” The man was there, and he came and knelt beside the casket while Booth Tucker introduced him to Jesus Christ. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews, (Chicago, Moody Press, 1983) p. 114 Booth Tucker could say to that distraught husband, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! In the course of a life time you face many problems, many hurts, many difficulties and many temptations. There are times when someone can relate to you and say, Been there, done that! Other times you will feel that nobody is relating to what you are facing. I have a reminder for you this morning. There is a person who always understands your problem, always feels your problem, can always relate, and can always say, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! He may have not faced the exact trial but he faced trials so similar that he can always relate. The persons name is The Lord Jesus Christ! The Lord Jesus can always say to you, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! And this morning in Hebrews 4:14-16 we see how He is present to help us through any difficulty. These three verses show us that, JESUS IS OUR PRIEST JESUS IS OUR PARTNER JESUS IS OUR PATHWAY JESUS IS OUR PRIEST Vs. 14 There are three functions which the Lord Jesus is filling. He is prophet. He is priest. He is king. When He walked the earth the first time, his primary function was that of prophet. When He comes again the second time to establish His kingdom his primary function will be as king. Today, as Jesus sits on the right hand of God, His primary function is as priest. Not just any old priest, but Great High Priest! In the Old Testament, priests were appointed to be mediators between God and His people. They were the go-betweens. It was the high priest who offered the greatest sacrifice of the year on what is known as The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. Once a year the high priest entered the the holy of holies which contained the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat. The mercy seat was where the glory of God dwelled on earth. He came sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat, symbolic of the sins of the people. On this Day of Atonement the priest actually entered the holy of holies” three times. The first time he came in and burned incense. The second time he came and sprinkled the blood of a bull. The third time he came, he sprinkled the blood of a goat. When the priest came to the “holy of holies” bringing the blood to be sprinkled, he passed through three areas of the tabernacle or temple. First he went through the outer court, then through the holy place, and then through the veil into the holy of holies. Before the priest could offer a sacrifice for the people, he had to offer a sacrifice for himself. Every year the offering was made at the mercy seat. And during the year, thousands of offerings were offered for sin. The sin offering was never enough! Neither the priest, nor the sacrifice was perfect. Then came the great high priest, the Lord Jesus. He offered the sacrifice of himself for sin. He was sinless, so it was an offering that was perfect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: The offering that Jesus made did not need to be repeated again ever! Hebrews 10:14 - For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 9:28 - So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. After making the one time sacrifice for sin, Jesus delivered that blood to Heaven. Jesus, our priest has passed into, or rather, through the heavens. He went through the first heaven or atmosphere, the second heaven of outer space, to the third heaven where God dwells and the true tabernacle is located. There was only one sacrifice needed and he paid it and delivered the blood. Hebrews 9:12 - Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Gods mercy seat is always available. The throne of grace is always open because of the work of Christ. As our high priest Jesus remains in Heaven. He is there as our mediator with God. He is there in our behalf. Because our high priest has finished the work of paying for our sins, we are to hold fast our profession or confession. Perhaps some professing believers were tempted to leave their faith in Christ and go back to Judaism. They were told to hold on to their profession of faith in Jesus the Son of God. Perhaps you have been tempted to give up on your faith in Christ. Dont! You have a great high priest in Heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Hold fast to your faith in Him! We as Christians tend to worry and fret, and do things we should not do, or not do things we should do! When we worry, fret, do wrong things, or not do right things, we are not holding fast our profession of faith, which is our testimony. We cant lose our salvation, but we can lose our effectiveness. What kind of advertisement are we for Christianity if we are a continual basket case? The more we live correctly and trust Christ, our Great High Priest, in trials, the better testimonies we are. That is when someone will say, I want what he has! or, “I want what she has!” When we trust the Lord and live the way He wants us to live, we are holding fast to our confession. If we have a great high priest in Heaven, a mediator, one who is on our side if we have trusted Christ, should we not just relax and trust Him! JESUS IS OUR PRIEST JESUS IS OUR PARTNER Vs, 15 No matter what we face as Christians, we have a partner, The Lord Jesus Christ, who can say, Been There, Done That!. I wonder how much contact the high priest of the Old Testament had with the common man. Probably it was not very much. There were just too many Israelites to know everybody! But our Great High Priest knows us personally. He indwells us personally, through His Spirit. Hebrews 13:5-6 - [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. As our great high priest He is present in Heaven to intercede for us and help us as we come to God. And because he knows us, and because we are Gods children, and because He is our partner is suffering, and because he did it himself - Because of all these things He can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, or weaknesses. Think of this, · Jesus knows what its like to live in a human body, with all its inconveniences and limitations. · Jesus knows what it is like to lose a loved one. - Joseph. · Jesus knows what it is like to have friends forsake him - the disciples. · Jesus knows what it is like to be disowned – Peter. · Jesus knows what it is like to be betrayed. Judas · Jesus knows and understands hurts and sorrows. · Hes our partner through these things. He can say, Been there, done that! Jesus also knows what is like to face temptation! Temptation is one of our biggest problems! There are three basic types of sin. 1 John 2:16 - For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Genesis 3:6 - And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Good For Food - Lust Of the Flesh Pleasant to the Eyes - Lust of the Eyes Desired to Make One Wise - Pride of Life Now lets turn to Matthew 4:1-11 Vs. 3 - Lust Of The Flesh Vs. 6 - Pride Of Life Vss. 8-9 - Lust Of The Eyes Luke 4:13 - And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Notice that Jesus was left for only a season. Satan came back to tempt Jesus some more. Jesus was tempted in all points such as we, yet without sin! His temptation was far more intense than ours. The pressure to do something wrong can be very intense, but when we give in, the temptation is gone, at least for a while. Because Jesus didnt give in, the pressure would have been greater than anything we can imagine. Although Jesus did not give in to temptation, He, as our partner has faced temptation, and understands exactly what we face, and what our sorrows are! JESUS IS OUR PRIEST JESUS IS OUR PARTNER No one understands like Jesus, Hes a friend beyond compare; Meet Him at the throne of mercy, He is waiting for you there. No one understands like Jesus, Every woe He sees and feels. Tenderly He whispers comfort, And broken hear He heals. No one understands like Jesus, When the foes of life assail; You should never be discouraged, Jesus cares and will not fail. No one understands like Jesus, When you falter on the way; Tho you fail Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today. No one understands like Jesus, When the days are dark and grim; No one is so near, so dear as Jesus, Cast your every care on Him. This hymn by John W. Peterson leads us to the final point. JESUS IS OUR PATHWAY Vs. 16 Because Jesus is the Great High Priest Because Jesus understands our weaknesses and is sympathetic towards them We can now come to the throne! Where is the throne to which we are to come? Its in Heaven. Whose throne is it? Its Gods throne, with the Father and Son sitting there. What kind of a throne is it? There are times when it is a throne of Judgment. However, right now for the believer, it is a throne of GRACE!! Are you a born-again Christian? · COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE. Christian, here is a throne for you! · Do you hurt? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE. · Do you have troubles? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE · Do you need strength? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE! · Are you tempted to sin? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE! · Are you worried? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE! · Have you failed God? COME TO THE THRONE OF GRACE! When you come, you do not come in your own name or righteousness. You come in the name and righteousness of your Great High Priest, and He is there to help you! John 14:13-14 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. When you travel on land, you usually look for the road, or at least a path. Jesus is the only pathway to the throne of Grace. We come through Him. John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Notice how we are to come. We are to come boldly or confidently to the throne of grace. We can be confident because our Great High Priest Is There. Many years ago an elderly gentleman sat outside the main gate to the White House in Washington DC His threadbare clothes were covered with dust, and his eyes were filled with tears. A young boy stopped and sympathetically asked why he was crying. The man said that his son was in the Army and was condemned to be shot because he had deserted his post. The guards on the White House Grounds will not let me see the President said the distraught man, Mr. Lincoln is so kind and generous. If he heard the full details of my sons desertion, I feel sure that he would pardon him. I can take you to the President, said the boy. You? asked the man with surprise. Yes, hes my father. He lets me come in and talk with him anytime I feel like it. The little fellow took the man into the White House; and after Lincoln heard the story, he did indeed pardon the condemned soldier. The application is very simple, Through Jesus Christ, Gods Son, and our Great High priest we can come into Gods presence. Hes the one who brings us to God!” It is here that we obtain mercy. Mercy for forgiveness. Mercy to see what God is not allowing us to go through. Mercy for our shortcomings. Mercy for our human infirmities. And there is alwats more grace. The grace is there to help as we bring every worry, every care, every sin, every temptation before Him! 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. One day Andrew Bonar was ministering in a service at Northfield, Massachusetts. D.L. Moody, who was in charge said impulsively, Dr. Bonar, these people would like to know how you live this victorious life about which you have been preaching. Tell us your experience. With some hesitation Bonar quietly replied, I do not like to speak about myself; but for 50 years I have had access to the Throne of Grace. So do we. Jesus says, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. COME THROUGH ME. JESUS IS OUR PRIEST. JESUS IS OUR PARTNER JESUS IS OUR PATHWAY
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 10:35:07 +0000
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