Commentary on Hebrews 5-6
Chuck Smith explains how Jesus, as our great High Priest, uniquely mediates between God and humanity, providing believers with bold access to God's grace and mercy.
In this expository sermon, Chuck Smith explores the profound role of Jesus as our great High Priest as presented in Hebrews chapters 5 and 6. He explains the Old Testament priestly system and contrasts it with the perfect mediation of Christ, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and grants believers bold access to God's grace. Smith addresses the Jewish perspective on approaching God and emphasizes the importance of holding fast to our faith in Jesus' priestly ministry. This message encourages believers to confidently rely on Christ's intercession and persevere in their spiritual journey.
Text
Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Hebrews 5
At the end of chapter 4, the author of Hebrews introduced the idea of Jesus being our great High Priest. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession" (Hebrews 4:14). That would be our profession of faith. "For we have not a 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 [or tempted apart from sin]. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help" (Hebrews 4:15-16). We can come boldly to the throne of grace because we have a great high priest.
You see, the mission of the priest was two-fold. He was to go before God to represent the people before God. Here is a holy, righteous God. Here is a sinful people. A sinful person could not approach the holy, righteous God. So the priest would take the sacrifice and he would go before God for the person, make the way, and he would represent that person before God. Then, as he came out from the offering of the sacrifice, he would then represent God to the people. He was a mediator. He was a go-between between God and man.
Now we have a great high priest. This was, of course, so instilled in the Jewish mind. They would not dare to try to approach God apart from the sacrifices and the priest. That has changed today. That has changed radically. For the Jews today feel that they have direct access to God and that they need no mediator. That is why they do not believe that they need Jesus Christ. They say, "We go directly to God." And so the whole mental concept has been changed through the years.
At the time that Paul was writing, the mind frame of the Jew was how God was so totally unapproachable by sinful man, that he would not dare to approach God. And so he felt his only approach to God was through the priest, which was the correct, through the offering of the sacrifice and the priest coming before God for him. Now with the coming of a faith in Jesus Christ, there was this mental problem, subconsciously, of, "I don\
Sermon Outline
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I
- Jesus as the great High Priest
- The role of the priest in the Old Testament
- The significance of Jesus’ priesthood for believers
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II
- The Jewish mindset about approaching God
- The change brought by faith in Jesus Christ
- The problem of direct access without a mediator
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III
- Jesus’ empathy with human weakness
- The invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace
- The availability of mercy and grace through Christ
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IV
- The call to hold fast our profession of faith
- The importance of perseverance in the Christian life
- Encouragement to trust in Jesus’ priestly mediation
Key Quotes
“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” — Chuck Smith
“We can come boldly to the throne of grace because we have a great high priest.” — Chuck Smith
“The priest was a mediator, a go-between between God and man.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- Approach God with confidence, knowing Jesus intercedes for you as your High Priest.
- Trust in Jesus’ empathy and understanding of your weaknesses when facing temptation.
- Hold firmly to your profession of faith and persevere in your spiritual walk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Jesus called our great High Priest?
Jesus is called our great High Priest because He mediates between God and humanity, offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice and enabling believers to approach God boldly.
What was the role of the priest in the Old Testament?
The priest represented the people before God by offering sacrifices and then represented God to the people as a mediator.
How does Jesus’ priesthood differ from the Old Testament priests?
Unlike Old Testament priests, Jesus is sinless and has passed into heaven, providing a permanent and perfect mediation for believers.
Why do some Jews reject the need for Jesus as mediator?
Some Jews believe they can approach God directly without a mediator, which contrasts with the biblical teaching of Jesus as the necessary High Priest.
What does it mean to come boldly to the throne of grace?
It means believers can confidently approach God to receive mercy and grace because of Jesus’ priestly work on their behalf.