Great High Priest

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14. Seeing then or having then a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession, our confession, 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. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need or timely grace.

Now chapter 6 and verse 18, that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entered into that within the veil whether the forerunner is for us entered, that is Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now chapter 7 verse 26, for such an high priest became us who was wholly harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens. Chapter 8 verse 1, now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum or the chief point, we have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary.

Now over again chapter 13 and verse 10, we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle, for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp, wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered without the gate, let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach for here we have no continuing city. Now the Lord will bless what we have listened to and I think a few remarks on what we have read will follow in line with what we've just been listening to. You will likely know that in the Hebrew epistle the writer whoever you think he was is reminding us of the greatness, the superiority of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He's above and beyond all, there is no way that we can ever exaggerate describing him. And so what the writer is doing, he's giving us a series of contrasts between all the good that was linked with Judaism and what is far beyond all of that found in the person of Christ. For instance in chapter 1 he's greater than the prophets and when he comes into chapter 2 along about verse 4 and into chapter 4 of verse 1 and into chapter 2 he's greater than the angels and in chapter 3 he's greater than Moses and chapter 4 greater than Joshua and on and on throughout the whole epistle it's the greatness of this glorious person.

One of the early brethren, a man called J.G. Billet many years ago said this epistle is a loaded altar but an empty sepulcher. You remember those occasions in Matthew's gospel when the heavens opened and we hear those words this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Heaven views Christ down here but in the epistle to the Hebrews heaven is opened again but instead we're viewing this glorious person up there.

Now that's what God wants us to be occupied with. We've been reminded more than once today that God is far more interested in what I am as a believer than in what I do. You see we get so occupied with service.

There's a verse in the Song of Solomon that sometime I'm going to try and preach on and I'm going to title it the barrenness of a busy life. You remember the bride is looking for the bridegroom. She sought for him.

She says finally I found him and I could not let him go but he had departed and so it's possible for you and I to lose a conscious presence of our blessed Lord in our lives. I want you to notice what we read in chapter 4. A great high priest. We have this is something that someone that's touchable and tangible.

You notice the structure of verse 15. He says we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. Now we've heard as well that there are many of God's people and they're knowing something of the trials of the way.

Some here have lost loved ones. We've buried loved ones right here within the last two weeks. The infirmities of life.

They're feeling them and the writer tells us here is one in fact it's what's called a double negative. We have one which can be touched. That's the meaning of it.

We have not a high priest which cannot be touched. You and I can come under every circumstance to this glorious person in the heavenlies. You know there's no waiting.

There's a wee thing that my wife gives me a thing about. If I make a phone call and I get a hold of a line. There's another call coming.

Call waiting. That bothers me. I like to get right through.

Don't you? When it comes to our heavenly father there's no waiting. We have access. We enter into his presence.

We come boldly under the throne of grace under every circumstance. He says here's one that is a touchable tangible man and he's touched with a feeling of our infirmities. You know what he's saying? That he has an interest in every circumstance in your life and in my life.

There was a divine a century or so ago. His name was Samuel Rutherford. He said faith should try to grasp in the challenges of life something of the mercies and the grace of God that's there to meet our present need.

You see there's no such thing as perchance in your life and my life. It's not disappointment. It's his appointment.

There's not a sorrow rends the heart but the man of sorrow shares a part. And dear child of God he knows the way that I take. And Job says when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold.

You wonder why there are circumstances in your life? Well I want to tell you here's one who has a genuine interest and a care. We have a great high priest. Very quickly look over to chapter 6. Now he says by two immutable things which it is impossible for God to lie.

That is his promise and his oath. He tells us we can stake our all upon it which hope we have. Now hope in the New Testament is not hope as you and I use the word.

When we say hope it means something may or may not take place. But the idea is absolute assurance which hope we have set before us as an anchor of the soul that has entered within the veil. You see the forerunner even Jesus has already entered in.

The writers using the figure of the days of sailing vessels when they were looking for a safe anchorage. They would send a little skiff of a boat around a point looking for a safe place to put down the anchor and that little boat would put down the anchor and then the other ship would just enter in. The pilot boat found the harbor.

Well the writer says that our blessed Lord Jesus is the forerunner like that pilot boat that went ahead. He has entered inside and because he is there ever living to make intercession for us we come. You remember the high priest could only enter in once a year into that holy place not without blood for his own sins and the sins of the people.

Once a year Aaron could enter in but you and I have access at all times. We're told to come boldly onto the throne of grace. We have a hope.

Then in chapter 8 we read those words, we have such a high priest. Holy, he's suitable, he meets our need, he's absolutely perfect, harmless, blameless, no cause of death found in him. Again he says he's undefiled and more than that he's undefilable.

He could contact sin and not be defiled. That's our blessed Lord Jesus. You remember in the days of the consecration of the Levite there had to be that sin offering sin offering every day but because of this one who was passed through the heavens and he's living for us in the power of an endless life, such a high priest the writer says is one that becomes us, is suitable for every circumstance in our lives.

Then we read in chapter 13 that we have an altar. Now this altar is for the Christian not for the Jews. What the writer says the Israelites had an altar to worship, yes but we have the person of Christ to feed upon.

You read John chapter 6, he that eateth my bread and drinketh my blood the same hath my life in you. So it's a continuous thing we must feed upon this blessed one. Our Lord Jesus is the one that has met our every need and we delight to feed in him.

We read again that we have no continuing city. Those are lovely words. He says you remember Abraham had a city don't ever take that city away from Abraham.

He looked for a city that had foundation whose builder and maker is God. But we have here no continuing city but we seek one to come. I hope you appreciate the gatherings of the Lord's people.

I hope you do. I had Bible readings last week on the local assembly in Waterloo and there was men there that had never known anything about the assembly and it just seemed to so appeal to them. Let me tell you an incident and I'm gonna finish.

In a few weeks we expect to be back in I was gonna say the Holy Land but Northern Ireland it's not really the Holy Land but some of our dear brethren might think it is. But my wife had a great-grandfather that was saved in the 1859 revival and the last time I was there four or five years ago a brother handed me a mimeograph printout of the assembly and on the front of it was a picture of a man with a long white beard and a bowler hat and underneath it was his name Alexander Kennedy. And when I showed it to my wife she said that's my great-grandfather.

I heard about him all of my days from my dad. Well then I was interested to read it. He and three or four other men who were saved in the 1859 revival heard of a number of Christians six or seven miles away that were gathering as the early disciples did and they walked and they observed and they'd been reading the Bible and then they thought well we can do what they're doing so they baptized each other and two of these men were weavers they wove linen had a loom in their parlor in those days and they baptized each other and put the loom out of one room and set up a table and had a loaf of bread and a cup of wine and they began to remember the Lord.

That was a place called Randallstown. Brother Gilliland knows where it is. But you see there was appreciation for the truth of God and there are many of our four fathers.

When they left the religious associations it cost them something. The late Mr. Wark used to say when he was baptized and joined what they referred to in those days as the Dippers he said I had a fast day. My mother didn't even give me a dinner but he left it all and gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus.

I hope we appreciate it outside the camp to thy dear name and one of these days when you and I are in his presence and we look back over life by and by when we look on his face beautiful face wonderful face by and by when we look on his face we'll wish we had given him more. The Lord bless his word with what we have heard for his name's sake.