A Merciful High Priest

I want you to turn in your Bible here tonight to Hebrews chapter 2, Hebrews 2 and then we're going to go to Hebrews chapter 4 and I've just got a few very short verses I want to read from. We finished our last series last Wednesday night. I want to just initiate two or three messages at the very most.

There's going to be these other things, traveling, going to the school in Germany, elsewhere, a number of things coming up, but I just want to briefly deal with something and a few scriptures for the past two days I cannot get free of. I believe they're important and I believe what we're going to deal with is very important to us, but it's very brief, very concise. I will deal with part two next Wednesday night, but I want to deal with part here and my message is a merciful high priest.

Reading from Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 17, wherefore in all things it behooved him, that is Christ, to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God. To make reconciliation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. Then moving over to chapter 4, reading from verse 14, chapter 4 verse 14, seeing then that we, and notice that word, emphasize it in your mind, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heaven, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our profession, 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. Will you pray as well? Pray for yourself. Pray for this preacher.

Let's unite our hearts. Let's ask God. We have, we in this room, we have, we possess a great high priest at the right hand of the father.

Saints, that means something. That is remarkable tonight, and I want this to impact you. We have a high priest, and you know what? As we come to prayer, it's through him that we come.

It's through his blood that we come. We have access tonight. It would be a tragedy if you neglected to come boldly.

It would be a tragedy in your spiritual life if you didn't enter in knowing that you have a great high priest, that he's made full provision, and that he wants to minister to you here tonight, right here in this room. If you allow him, he'll minister to your heart. He'll set you free.

He will apply his blood to your conscience. He will encourage you. He will strengthen you.

He will aid you. He will help you. Saints, that's why we pray.

Pray isn't a ritual or a tradition. It is a cry. I need you.

I depend on you. I call on you. I need that ministry.

I can't minister to myself. I need you at the right hand of the Father to minister unto me. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you that at the right hand of glory, we have a great high priest. We have an intercessor. We have one who died at Calvary.

We have one who made atonement. We have one who redeemed us. We have one, nor God, who suffered and bled.

We have one who offered up his body, and nor God, he entered into that holy place, nor God, he sat down at your right hand, that he might minister for us, that he might plead our cause, that he might represent us at the right hand of your presence. Lord God, thank you for so great a high priest. Thank you for a loving, gracious, merciful, and kind high priest.

And here tonight, I pray that you destroy lies in the mind, strongholds in the hearts, nor God, that you'd set at liberty, that even as I preach, O God, that your Holy Spirit would apply the blood of Jesus to our conscience. You deal with guilt, with condemnation, nor God, with unbelief, nor God, with the accusing voice of the devil, nor God, that you'd give us access right into your presence, where we shall receive grace and mercy, nor God, to strengthen us and encourage us tonight, nor God, you know every heart in this room, and even our friends here visiting for the first time. Will you bless them, O God? Will you reveal yourself to them? You know what they need.

You know how to minister unto them, and I ask of you that you do it, that your name would be glorified, and that we might rejoice in you tonight. Thank you for your grace and love and kindness, O God, to us in Jesus' name. Amen, amen.

I want to bring you to this, and I want to continue next week, and then two weeks after that, I'll continue again. But there's my message tonight, a merciful high priest, and I'm emphasizing that merciful. We'll come back next week and deal with the high priest again, but not as merciful.

We'll then deal with him as being faithful. But here tonight, my emphasis is on the mercy, the mercy of our high priest. What does the Bible actually mean when it talks about our high priest being merciful? That's what I want to deal with here tonight.

I believe the book of Hebrews, that it was written by Paul the apostle to the church in Jerusalem, the gathered body of believers, Jews mostly that were converted to Christ. And Paul picks up his pen and writes this dynamic letter that deals with all of the tradition of Judaism. And by tradition, I don't mean something bad.

I mean something given by God, their priesthood, their tabernacle, the sacrifices of blood all through the generations. The entire letter of Hebrews deals with all of that. But when it looks at the priesthood of Aaron, when it deals with the tabernacle in the wilderness, when it deals with the entire priesthood of the Levites, you know what it's doing in Hebrews? It's bringing you through and showing it applies to the church that what was natural, physical, and visible in the Old Testament.

When you come to the New Testament, it is spiritual, it is eternal, and it's within the body of Christ or the church. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1, wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, that's the believer in Christ, you're born again. You are a partaker of a holy calling.

If you're saved tonight, if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you know what? You have a calling on your life. It's a holy calling. It is a high calling.

It is an eternal calling. In other words, you can never be free of that. You don't walk into a meeting and live as a Christian, then walk out and enjoy yourself like sinners do.

Oh no, this is a calling that grips you. It is eternal. It is from Christ at the right hand of the Father.

It grips your life, your thoughts, your emotions, your desires, your will, your plans, your purposes. It affects your past, your present, and your future. So he calls them holy brethren.

Wouldn't it be terrible if scriptures like that, because of our unholiness, they don't apply to us. It says to these holy brethren who are partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. So here you have in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 1, you have a call by the apostle to consider Christ as your high priest.

The word consider means to gaze, to scrutinize, to take a long, hard stir. The word here consider, it means to engage your mind, to intellectually be alive, to stir up your mind, to use your mind, your thought process. We are not of those Christians that say, leave your mind at the door.

Oh no, that isn't spiritual, to merely switch off your brain and accept everything, believe everything, and merge with everything. That's very dangerous. See for the biblical Christian, he considers, he uses his mind.

It's not unspiritual to use your mind. It's very spiritual, very, very spiritual. And so here he says to observe Christ as your high priest, to observe him fully, to gaze completely, or in an entire, complete, whole way, to look at Jesus very carefully.

It would be tragic if you merely thought of Jesus, he's my savior, but you don't even know what it means for Jesus to be your high priest. Do you understand this biblical teaching? When it says Jesus is your high priest, have you gazed steadfastly at Jesus? Have you studied diligently? Have you prayed over these scriptures to understand? This word means to actively use or to exercise your mind in order to consider or gaze at him. You become transfixed, you set your eyes on him.

You know when a guy falls in love with a girl, he gets a problem. You can always tell a guy and girl in love, they become transfixed, they keep looking, they can't take their eyes off. There's something about that look.

If you ever watch a couple in love, you just watch and go, there's something going on here. Man, they don't even look at the rest of us, they're distracted, they're not even listening to me. You know what? They become transfixed with the one they love.

They're gazing, they're besotted, they're caught up, they're consumed. You know, there's very few people in the church that love Jesus Christ. Oh, we love Jesus.

What do you mean by that? What do you mean? Someone in love is passionate. Someone in love is very conscious of the other person. Someone in love is in awe, is waiting, watching, listening.

That's what the Christian should simply be. I'm someone who has fallen in love with Jesus. I'm transfixed.

I gaze at him. I gaze at him. I fix my eyes on him.

I watch him. Not for a moment. Not for two minutes.

But I am gazing him. I am exercising my mind to behold him, to stare at him, to discover him, to perceive him, to understand him. If you don't gaze on Christ, you'll never know him.

You'll never come to understand him. And so, we see that in the Old Testament, as you read Hebrews, why is it Jesus is called the high priest? Why is it we're told as Christians, consider gaze at Jesus as your high priest? Why are we told that? You can't even understand what that means without engaging your mind, your brain, study, reading, time. Unless you do that, you can never understand what it means for Jesus to be your high priest.

Do you know what you need to do? You need to go into the Old Testament. You need to read Leviticus. You need to read Deuteronomy.

You need to read many books of the Old Testament or you're not gazing. You are not considering Jesus. See, we've moved into a realm of the church of just worship.

We've moved away from the word of God to worship. Oh, I'm not into the word or intellectual study or scholarship. I just worship him.

Our churches have become a place of worship. And do remember the word worship as we use it in today's church has nothing to do with how the Bible uses the word worship. In the Bible, the word worship means submission to God.

Job, when he lost his 10 children, worshiped God. No feelings, no guitars, no music, no changing of the lights, no atmosphere. This was cold-blooded worship.

Do you know what it looked like? I've lost everything. I don't understand it. I'm devastated.

But he fell on his face. I'm submitted to you. I worship you.

I will not curse you with my mouth. That's worship. That is worship.

But in today's church, we've moved away from the word of God to something we call worship. It's got to do with the five senses, feelings, sound, atmosphere, how our five senses feel. You know what? That's a great tragedy.

We need to get back to engage in our brain, a sanctified mind led and taught by the Holy Spirit and go back to the Old Testament. If you want to consider Christ as your high priest, go back into the Old Testament and begin to understand what the high priest was in the Old Testament. You can't consider Jesus any other way.

It's not going to come by a mystical revelation. The Holy Spirit teaches you by comparing spiritual with spiritual, scripture with scripture. That is how he teaches, not by a mystical experience.

Imagine the Holy Spirit inspired this perfectly. Every single letter, every single book, every single author. And then we say, no, I'm going to ask the Holy Spirit to teach me.

I don't need the written scriptures. That's religious. That's too much hard work.

So I'm just going to wait out on him. Teach me, speak to me. You know what? You're going to sit for an awful long time.

I assure you, if you go to the Word of God to consider Christ and you go back into the Old Testament, he's going to begin showing you what it means that Christ is your high priest. When you go into the Old Testament, you see there was only one high priest in the nation at any one singular time. And that one priest could only enter into the Holy of Holies one single day in the entire year on the day of atonement.

And that one man, that single man was the only one who could enter in and stand in the very presence of God. No one else could do it. Everything hinged on that one man.

And that one man was the man through whom sacrifice was offered unto God and blood was offered up. He was a unique man. He was a mediator and the entire spiritual state of the nation connected to God depended on that one man.

This high priest, the health of the nation, the acceptance of the nation, the holiness of the nation, all of its worship, all of its intercession, all of its sacrifices hinged on this one man. This man stood between God and the entire nation. This one man.

Everyone looked to this one man. All the worship came in through this one man. His entire ministry was going to gauge exactly what happened.

He had special clothes. He was anointed in a unique way. He had an utterly unique role and function in the nation.

Everything he did was unusual and unique. And when you go to the Old Testament, you see that there's 1500 years of this high priestly ministry. For 1500 years until the year AD 70, the nation had a high priest.

With the fall of Israel, they lost their priesthood. They lost their high priestly ministry. And saints of God, we need to understand.

If you're going to understand as Christ, as your high priest, you need to go back and begin to study and begin to understand who this high priest was. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. The Old Testament high priest was a shadow.

He was a picture. He was a lesson from God. He is an instrument of teaching.

And so God for 1500 years, he kept appointing high priests, anointing them, using them constantly. When one died, another had to be appointed in his place. 1500 years, they had to keep raising up a man.

He had to be a unique man of a certain family, a certain lineage, a certain condition of health. But that man was only a man in the Old Testament. We know now in the New Testament, we don't have a special priesthood.

The entire people of God are a spiritual priesthood. We don't believe the ministry is the priesthood. Never call a preacher a priest because he's not.

I want to assure you, I am not specially in priesthood ministry because of my position. The Bible says very clearly the entire church of God, every Christian is a priesthood. We believe in the priesthood of all believers.

Listen to what it says in 1 Peter 2 and 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We as an entire priesthood are connected to Christ. Our entire ministry goes through Christ.

He is the high priest. There's only one high priest. There's only one mediator.

There's only one intercessor. There's only one who offers up the sacrifice. Everything goes through him, but we are an entire priesthood.

Again, it says in 1 Peter 2 and 9, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So as sinners, you're called out of darkness, out of sin, out of disobedience to become an entire priesthood or who are going to minister unto God. You're utterly peculiar.

Some of you definitely are. You're utterly unique in the house of God. We as the church are called out to a very special, unique ministry, but it's connected to the priesthood of Christ.

The concept of priesthood was not our invention. We didn't simply create that. It was God's idea.

The high priest and the priesthood has always been God's idea. In fact, in the Old Testament, he wanted the entire nation to be a nation of priests, but you know what? They rejected it as a nation. They said, oh no, let Moses go to you and we are scared of you.

They did not take on the calling to be an entire people, but you know what? The concept of being a priest was always in the heart of God. God himself took the initiative to provide a high priest for the nation. It was his desire.

It was his plan. It was his purpose to restore fellowship between God and man. You need a priest.

You need a priesthood. You need blood sacrifices to bring a man into right relationship with God, that God may dwell among them. There has to be a mediator, one that goes between God and man.

Listen, his ministry is twofold. Number one, to minister to God for a man, but also to minister to man for God. He's doing these two things.

He's ministering in two ways. He ministers unto God, but also unto man. In that position as high priest, he is ministering both ways.

He ministers to God on your behalf, but he ministers for God unto you. His entire ministry, this is the function of it. Now when we come to this verse that we have already dealt with, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 17, look at it because this is my verse here tonight.

Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a, notice this, a merciful and faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. We see in this verse, we are called to consider Christ as our high priest. We need to go into the Old Testament for that, and you begin to see there's only one mediator.

The entire worship of the entire nation depends on one man, the acceptance of one man. In the Old Testament, history tells us that when he went into the holy of holies to offer up the blood on the mercy seat, they used to tie a rope to his ankle because they never knew, will he be accepted? He also had bells around the bottom of his garment, and you would listen carefully. If you're outside, if you're someone who has sinned during the year, if you come knowing that you need the blood to be accepted, if you're there trembling going, is God going to accept me? It all depends on your high priest, and so you listen for those bells, those little pomegranates, and those little bells, and they all dingle together.

The pomegranates represent the fruit of the spirit. The bells represent the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and when you hear that noise in the house of God, fruit and gifts together, you say he's walking in the midst, he's still there. You know what saints, when I see and there's evidence of the fruit of the spirit, I know the high priest is here.

There are gifts, the noise of those gifts in the midst, and they used to tie the rope lest it went silent, lest he was slain in the holy place and no one else could go in. They would literally pull him out in the event of death. Everything hinged upon this high priest, but I want you to notice this tonight, and this is the very heart of what I'm giving to you.

This high priest who's ascended, seated at the right hand of the Father. Do you know what the Bible calls him? Merciful. That's my first point here tonight.

A merciful high priest prepared. Before we come to that, let me explain what merciful means. This Greek word merciful, a merciful high priest means to be compassionate, to have compassion.

It's so important you hear this tonight. Hear me every one of you. It means tenderness.

I'm telling you what your high priest is like. This is what marks his high priestly ministry for you, to God and to you. Tenderness, bowels of mercy.

It means to be actively compassionate, not just compassionate as a feeling, as an emotion. No, no, more than that. This Greek word that is used here for merciful means to be actively compassionate, and listen, towards those in misery.

Not talking about those who are fine or okay. It's talking about a mercifulness to those in trouble, to those suffering, to those struggling, to those wrestling, to those who are in need. You see, saints are very needy people.

Don't think you just get saved and then it's over from there on. I'm a very needy person. You may not think it, but I tell you every single day, Lord, I need you.

I need your grace. I need your love. I need your mercy.

Don't leave me. Help me. I can't face the day ahead.

I can't even do basic things. I can't preach tonight. I need you.

We are a very needy people. This word mercifulness or a merciful high priest literally has within it that his heart is tender. It is compassionate.

It is filled with love. He is eager. He is earnest.

He is desirous to actually reach out to you. Are you in need today? Are you struggling here tonight? Are you wrestling against temptation? Is the burden too heavy? Are the circumstances too much in you? Do your thoughts press in upon you? Do your emotions actually act against you? Are you there saying, I'm not sure I can make it. I'm not sure I can carry the burden.

Then this high priest is your high priest. He has an entire spiritual ministry. It is heavenly.

It is eternal. He didn't just die for you. He is right now there as your high priest on the right hand of the father.

And he's saying, I'm merciful. I am constantly desiring to be merciful. It's not just an emotion.

I am active. I am your high priest. So important to know he's your high priest.

Are you born again? Is he your priest? See every Catholic in this city, they all know who their priest is. Do you know why? He's my means of forgiveness. I go into that little box, confess my sins to him.

He says, you're forgiven. The good Catholic comes out. Brilliant.

I'm free. And then you go through the whole process. I don't need to change my life.

I just confess to him. He searched it all out for me. I throw something in the bucket.

I'll come back next week again, or whenever you get some who are really devout. Every single day, they're at mass. They're doing confessional.

Some priests must get tired. I don't know how the poor priests do it. Sitting there listening.

Sins after sins after sin. No good testimony. No one's going in that little box and I've got wonderful testimonies about what Jesus done this week.

They're coming with their worst bad news from morning to night, morning to night, every day. Can you imagine the poor priest must be going crazy? No wonder they fall into sexual sin. No wonder they're immoral.

No wonder the poor guys don't get married. They're not in a fit state for it. But here you have, we have a high priest.

It says in 1 Peter 5 and 7, casting or throwing all of your care. The word care there means burdens or it means mental anxiety. The word in the Greek for cares means that you're getting pulled in your mind or your emotions in two directions at the same time.

Something's going to snap. I want to warn you. That's what cares are.

The Bible says casting, casting all of your cares, your anxieties, your burdens, your stresses upon him because he cares for you. That's why you do it. Saints of God.

He is a merciful, compassionate. He is literally there eager saying, I want to help you. I want to help you when you're tempted, when you're in trouble, when you're distressed, when it gets dark, when the devil's lying to you.

I want to help you. Why don't you cast all your care upon me? It says in Matthew 5, 7 using the same word. And it says there concerning that we are to be those that actually show mercy.

And if we show mercy to others, think about it. What is showing mercy? It's the exact same word for Christ. But those who are going to be shown mercy, they show mercy.

Don't tell me you're associated with Christ and you're not merciful Christian, that you're narrow or you're hard or you're tight. There's no such Christian, the real Christian under grace. See, if you're under law, you could be that.

But if you're under the new covenant in grace, you're a merciful Christian. In other words, you're kind, you're compassionate. You're actively looking to show pity on those in distress and trouble.

Those that are in trouble, you actually say, I want to help you. And so we see that this word mercy, the word mercy used here, it means to be hot inside of you, to be moved with internal heat. The word mercy is a warm word, a passionate word, a burning word.

It means inside there is a fire burning within you that wants to show compassion, that wants to show mercy. And remember, mercy is not deserved. I want to tell you like grace, it is unmerited on every single front.

And so God is warm hearted. Christ, our high priest, is moved with compassion. And you know what? He's raised up an entire priesthood in the church who are like that.

We are exactly merciful like he is. We want to minister the mercy of God, not because people deserve it, but we are those on the earth who are merciful like our great high priest. It says in Psalm 51 verse one, have mercy upon me.

David prayed and he'd sinned. He had been a man of God, but he sinned. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness, according to the multitude, and listen to this, of Thy tender mercies, the multitude of Thy tender mercy.

Sitting here tonight, do you doubt that God is very merciful? Are you going through trials and troubles where in your mind you start to say God isn't good? Or even if you're not saying it, the devil is whispering, he's not good, he's not kind, he's not wise, he's not with you, he's not merciful in his heart, he's not desiring to be compassionate to you. Well, even David in his hour of sin, he says, minister to me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. In other words, they're vast, they're without number.

Your tender mercies, this word mercies, that's what it means. Tender mercies, your tender, your merciful. You know, when you know someone is tender, it's easy to approach them.

When you know they're kind, when you know they're good, when you know that they wish your best, it says in Psalm 40 verse 11, withhold not Thy tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let Thy loving kindness and Thy truth continually preserve me. Not truth alone, but Your mercy, Your loving kindness and truth.

Truth could easily wound you, but truth that comes with mercy and with loving kindness won't. Psalm 145 verse 9, O Lord, the Lord is good to all. That's the heart of God.

You may say, he's not good to me, he's not kind to me. I don't feel his loving compassion. I feel I'm struggling to walk.

I feel like I don't earn this. Do you know what the Bible says? The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works. And so we see that mercy, it's not just a feeling, but he shows mercy.

He is actively showing pity to those in trouble. And you're going to see this before we finish. It means to be moved towards those with concern, with the desire to help, with an abundance of ministry.

Tonight, God wants to minister to you through a high priest, through one chosen man. He's not just there at the right hand of the father. He is ministering here tonight on behalf of the father.

And you know what? His heart absolutely is filled with tender compassion and mercy. He wants to help you in this room. He wants to minister to you right now.

This is the real word of God, what it says. And so I've got three points for you here. Number one, a merciful high priest prepared.

What did God the father do? He prepared a high priest. He prepared. You know why? Because he wanted such a high priest.

1500 years of teaching. That's how long it took. God has got to put a high priest in Israel and have them come man after man, after man, generations, 1500 years.

You know why? He wants to teach you what a high priest is. That's how eager he was. You know, when he wanted to show you about the blood, he had 4,000 years of teaching on the blood from the blood shed in the days of Abel and Adam and Eve all the way through to Malachi.

Blood shedding every generation for your sin. Why? In order to teach you the New Testament message about the blood. This entire book is to help you.

It's a teaching manual. The high priest in the Old Testament was simply to teach you that God had a plan to raise up a man who would be your priest. A merciful high priest prepared.

Listen to what it says in Hebrews chapter 2 and 17. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and a faithful high priest in all things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sin of the people. Look at that first statement there.

Wherefore in all things, in everything, this ministry affects everything of the Christian life. When you deal with Christ as your high priest, everything is impacted by this. It says it behooved him.

That's an old English word meaning to be under obligation, to owe or to have a duty. In other words, it says Christ is under an obligation. That's a very strong word.

This high priest has been put in a calling, a ministry, as high priest and in that position he is obliged. He owes a debt. He is bound by God himself and in that position it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren.

He was obliged to become like his brethren. In other words, to be born of a woman, to take on human flesh, to deity confined to a human body for 33 years. He was going to feel tiredness, hunger, weariness.

He had to sleep. He had to eat or that body would suffer. All of these things.

Do you know what the Bible says? He was obliged. He had to be made like unto his brethren. What am I talking about? God's going to raise up a high priest.

You can't have a high priest. You cannot have one like this unless God actually makes his son like unto his brethren. The word be made like unto, it's one singular Greek word.

It means to assimilate, be similar to, to be identified with or to compare it so everything is molded so you're just like them. You're assimilating. You're working hard to make sure that Christ is going to experience everything.

You see, if you're going to be a high priest, you need to take on human flesh. You need to feel what we feel. You need to be tempted.

You need to suffer affliction in that natural physical body. And it says he had to take on him this resemblance of his brethren. Listen, that he might be a merciful high priest.

You can't be a merciful high priest, compassionate, having pity, moved with your feelings, having a heart that's moved with desire. You can't be a merciful high priest unless you take on human flesh. And so it says here that he was incarnate.

In chapter 2, 17, it says, wherefore in all things that behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. It behooved him. It was necessary, absolutely necessary.

It had to be. There was no other way. When we talk about the incarnation, it's two Latin words and it means in flesh.

In other words, God came into human flesh. Jesus on the earth was absolutely God. It's not 50-50.

He wasn't half man and half God. 50% God and 50% man. Oh no, he is absolute deity.

He is God manifest in human flesh, but he's 100% man. He took on him the likeness of men. And so it was for the purpose of being a priest.

The one that's at the right hand of the father tonight, he had to take on human flesh or he could not be a merciful high priest, compassionate, filled with pity. Though he was God, it was necessary, absolutely essential. He take on human flesh.

The high priest at the right hand of the father had to have taken on human flesh. He had to walk through this life. He had to experience it.

It's a vital part of his ministry, but not only for himself. You might say, why when he's God? Oh no, it's for you. See, sitting here, you'd say, he doesn't know what I feel.

He doesn't know what it's like to suffer pain or loss or agony. You see, you would begin to challenge that he understands what you've gone through. It says in Hebrews 2.14, for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.

Then verse 16, for verily he took not on him the nature of angels. He could have. He could have taken on the angelic nature of cherubims or seraphims.

He could have done that, but he didn't do that. He chose not to do that, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Abraham was a man like you and I, a frail man, a frail man who even sinned, who made the wrong decisions, who birthed an Ishmael.

But I tell you, Christ took on him the form of a man. It says in verse 17, wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren. So he's saying here, in order to be a merciful high priest, he had to be incarnate.

He had to be born of a woman. He had to live in this life, but also he had to be tempted. In Hebrews 2.18 it says, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted.

Why did he take on so that he would suffer temptation? He wasn't tempted just merely to see if he's God. It wasn't the devil saying, I don't think you are God incarnate. It was for you.

He had to be a fitting high priest. So you go, he understands me. When he ministers, it's not game playing.

He bled on a cross. He suffered ridicule. He was held up as a shame before men who said, if you be the Messiah, why don't you bring yourself down? Utter ridicule.

But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, no sin within him. He has been tempted. Don't you ever say he doesn't understand.

See, the devil will come and tell you saying, you're going through something he doesn't even know. He doesn't even understand. There's no compassion.

I want to tell you there's a Christ, a perfect risen Christ at the right hand. He knows every temptation you're going through. Not one temptation in this room that wasn't hurled at him, that wasn't directed at him.

40 days in the wilderness. You only read about the last day. You don't read about 39 days.

You read one day and you don't read about all the temptations of his life. You read one temptation on one day. That's all you're reading about.

But saints of God, everything was hurled at him. Listen for a moment. Just consider who he was in the flesh.

This was planned, not accidental. He was poor. He was born in poverty.

He ministered in poverty. No matter what the prosperity preachers say, I've got nowhere to lay my head. Some have twisted that and said, oh, it's because he owned everything.

He had so many houses, he didn't know which one to choose. What a load of rubbish. He was poor, born in poverty.

You'll remember that Mary and Joseph, they couldn't pay for a lamb to be sacrificed. They had to pay for the dove. It shows they had lack of money in that home when they took him up to be circumcised.

He was despised from the very beginning of his ministry. He was reproached constantly in every hand. He was rejected by his own brothers in his own home who thought he was a man gone mad.

He was lied on. He was slandered. He suffered hunger.

He was weary and tired. He suffered so much sorrow, so much pressure, so much stress. It can't even be explained.

The shame of hanging on a cross, the contempt that he was held with to be identified by common faiths and even the faiths reviled him and mocked him as he bled, as he died, as he suffered. They mocked him and said, if you be. Saints of God, can you imagine what he had to go through all to be a merciful high priest? Don't you dare let the devil tell you he doesn't understand what you're going through.

This high priest is praying for you tonight if you're born again. If you're saved, he is praying. He's moved with compassion.

He says, I want to help you. This is the same Christ who went through suffering. His own family did not believe who he was.

Forsaken by multitudes of so-called disciples said, we're disciples of Jesus. But they left him thousands. Thank God we didn't have the thousands to leave us like that.

He had ministered to them, healed their sick bodies, healed their broken bones, restored them, refreshed them, ministered to them, gladdened their heart. It was these that betrayed him and walked off. He washed the feet of a man called Judas and Judas then went and betrayed him.

Do you realize what he actually went through? He felt all this. He had to experience all of this. He had to be baptized into this.

Remember he said his cup, can you be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with? It was a baptism of suffering. He didn't just get a little taste of this. You think I can't go on.

What's your pressure here tonight? What's your trouble? The man of Calvary endured untold agony of soul. The Bible actually says he was a man of sorrows. He wasn't skipping down the road happy.

I bet he knew the full experience of the joy of God. He was deserted by his own 12. In the garden they slept.

He says, can you not sleep? Can you not pray for me one hour? One hour. This is the night of my betrayal. This is the night of darkness.

This is the night where I'm praying to my father. Can this cup pass from me? You're your best friends. You come there sleeping.

Can you not pray with me just one hour? I am an agony of soul to such a point. It's like I'm bleeding. I'm an agony of soul.

Do you think they're just words? Do you think they're just statements of emotion? I tell you, he knew what it was to suffer. He suffered in body and in death at the hands of his enemies, but he stayed there for you. He stayed there for me.

It says in Hebrews 5, 7, who in the days of his flesh when he had offered up prayers and supplication, that's in the garden, with strong crying and tears onto him that was able to save him from death and was heard that he feared God was able to deliver him. He feared. Christ would never fear surely.

He doesn't know what it's like to fear. Who says, who says, can this cup pass from me? I don't want to go through this. He feared.

Don't tell me he doesn't experience things because the Bible says he does. Though he were a son, yet he learned or he came to understand through obedience. He came, he yet learned to be obedient by the things he suffered.

He had to suffer, tempted, suffering incarnation where he felt everything. You know why he done all that? So that right now he is a merciful, a suitable high priest for you. You know what? None of us can, and we need to study this.

We need to consider this. We need to think on this. We need to gaze on them and say, as we gaze on you, this isn't some impersonal ministry.

This isn't someone praying in heaven for you who has nothing caught up in you. He understands. He's gone through everything.

He has felt everything. He has experienced what it is for all hell to be unleashed in him, for darkness to come in, to be deserted, to feel there's no hope. Don't tell me he doesn't know what hopelessness feels like.

You go back and read Isaiah and you read some of the prophetic statements about him. My soul faileth. The bowls of Bashan and the Psalms surround me.

He felt everything. Second point, a merciful high priest crucified, not only prepared. This high priest had to be prepared as a man, a real man, a man with full feelings and emotions.

But secondly, this high priest had to be crucified. He could not be your high priest unless he was crucified. He had to die or he couldn't be that high priest.

It was actually the crucifixion is the foundation. It's vital to his priestly ministry right now. His prayers for you, his death, his suffering, his crucifixion is the foundation of his priestly ministry.

Listen to what it says in Hebrews 9 and 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. How did he enter into that ministry? How did he ascend and enter into the holy of holies and go before the father? It was through his blood. If he didn't die, he could not be your high priest.

It's through his sacrifice, through his death, through what happened in the cross. It's a tragedy that in today's church we have moved his death aside. So now we don't break bread on a Sunday.

We have another extra little sermon for 15 minutes about an offering, why you should give money to the Lord. And we have said, oh, the spirit leads us when to do the Lord's table, maybe in six weeks, maybe once every three months. The Bible says do this often, as oft as ye do it.

You know why we need to constantly in our gathering have the force to remember his death, his blood, his sacrifice. It says in Hebrews 10 and 11, every priest that is in the standeth daily ministering on offering, oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he offered one sacrifice for sins forever, that excludes the entire Catholic priesthood entirely.

You know why? Because every single day of the year, priests in this city, they're offering the mass. What do they do? They say, Jesus is dying afresh on this altar. He's crucified.

This is proper Catholic doctrine. Christ is being crucified again, right now, right here, every single day, every single mass. That's apostasy.

That's an abomination. You know what the Bible says? Listen to this. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, what did he do? He sat down on the right hand of God as your high priest, as a merciful high priest.

Look at him. He is your merciful high priest. How do you know? Because he took on the nature of a man.

He was tempted. He was incarnate. He come and was born and walked this earth 33 years.

That's why he came as a real man. But secondly, he died. He suffered on the cross.

You know, that qualified him to be your priest, says in Hebrews 7, 27. Who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifices every day, first for his own sins and then for his people's. But this he did once when he offered up himself.

Once, once, only once, not for himself because he wasn't a sinner. The Old Testament, they were sinners. Or in Hebrews 5, 7, who in the days of his flesh, as we said, and being made perfect, listen to what it says, being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation.

How did he become perfect? How can you have Christ who is God incarnate? He is God. How can he become perfect? It says in Hebrews 5 and verse 9, he became perfect. How did he become perfect? The verses before what we already read, he was in the garden, strong crowns, fearing, and it says he learned obedience by the things he suffered.

He had to suffer. That made him perfect. How can Christ be made perfect? Is he not perfect? The word means complete or fitting.

Not that he lacked something, but he hadn't suffered unless he came as a man. Do you know what that done? That made him a fitting high priest for you. I've suffered.

I've been tempted. I've gone through agony of soul, of mind, emotions. I have wrestled.

I faced the devil. I know what it is to lose a friend. Lazarus dies.

He wept. He wept. He's there.

He knows he's going to raise him, but he has real human emotions. He knows grief. He knows loss.

He knows sadness. He knows what it is to be moved as a man. And you know what? When he died on Calvary, his blood, his blood is the secret of this high priestly ministry.

This blood that was shed, you can't have access to heaven. You can't even come before God if it wasn't that blood. He wouldn't pray for you if it wasn't for that blood.

You couldn't pray through him if it wasn't that blood. If he hadn't have died once for all, one sacrifice. Do you know what priests in the Old Testament done? Two vital things they done.

They offered sacrifice and they interceded or made prayers. Do you know what Christ done? The same two vital things. He offered up the sacrifice of his own body.

Once, one eternal sacrifice. And on the basis of that, do you know what he's doing now? He is interceding for you. He is praying for you by name.

Do you realize that, Enoch? He is praying for you. He'll pray for you tonight when you're sleeping. He'll pray for you in the morning when you wake up.

Christ has a ministry of prayer. You know what it's based on? His death, his sacrifice. What does the Bible say? If God spared not his only son but send him to die on a cross, he offered him up to die, to ridicule.

He let them mock him. What good thing will he withhold from you now? Don't you know there's a great ministry? Have you believed in Christ? Do you believe he died for you? Do you believe in his blood shed for you? Are you forgiven tonight? Have you experienced the death of Christ? That's only the beginning. If he is your savior, he now stands for you in the presence of God interceding.

How do I know that? How can I be sure of that? That this compassionate, merciful, caring God wants to help me? How do I know? Because he died on that tree 2,000 years ago. Now, he ever lives. If you believe in that death, then you must believe in his intercession.

If you believe that he so loved you that he gave his only son, you've got to believe the Father has raised up a suitable, a perfect, a fitting high priest for you who fully understands what you're going through. You'll say, but I'm so weak. I'm so small.

I'm so unimportant. I want to tell you there's someone at the right hand of the Father. His eye is upon you.

The Bible says his eye is on the sparrow. He watches the sparrow. He counts every hair that drops from her head.

Don't you know that his ministry of intercession, it is mighty prayers and intercession. It is 24-hour prayer, and there's no time in heaven so he can't scale it. This is constant, absolute prayer.

He is eternal. He knows everyone. He knows everything.

He is everywhere. He is God. And you know what? He's interceding.

Let me finish third and lastly, the ministry of this merciful high priest. I'm going to finish with two portions of scripture I read at the beginning. I believe these verses have impacted my entire Christian life.

These are some of those verses I've gone back to time and time and time again. I've prayed over them, meditated on them hours without number, returned to them as much as Romans 6 almost in my Bible. Listen to what it says as we close.

Hebrews chapter 4 verse 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest. Do you know what he's saying there? Seeing we have. Can I ask you tonight, do you have a high priest? Do you have a high priest? What does that mean? He's right there now.

He's a merciful high priest. He is one who went through everything. He became a man in flesh for you, personally for you.

He had experienced everything that you go through. Every fear, every worry, every burden, every doubt. He had to be.

Is he your high priest tonight? He's the one who died. He's so low. How do I know he'll be compassionate? How do I know he'll be merciful? Because he loved you and dying on the cross.

Look at the cross. Look at his death. Look at his blood.

Don't you know when you look there and see his love, he is a merciful. He has mercy right now. Here tonight, mercy, compassion.

He feels for you. And so it says, seeing then that we have. Seeing then on the basis of this, something good's coming.

On the basis of you having a great high priest. Look, wait, I'm going to tell you that he's passed into the heaven. Where is he? He's in heaven.

Jesus, the son of God, let us hold faster profession. Are you discouraged? Have you grown weary? Is your hand relinquishing the grip of your good profession, your confession? He is my great high priest. Are you getting tired and weary? Are you in the battle? Are you tempted? Are you being drawn aside by the devil? You know what it says? On the basis that we have a great high priest, hold fast your profession.

He is my savior. He is my Lord. I'm not turning to the left or the right.

On the basis of him being your high priest, do not let go saints of God. Lay hold of him. Let him be your stronghold here tonight.

It says in verse 15, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Look at this priest very closely for a moment. Look at his ministry right now for you.

He's not a priest that isn't touched. He's a priest who is touched. The word touch there means to have sympathy, to commiserate.

Listen, to feel what you feel. He's touched with the feelings. He feels what you feel.

Every thought, every emotion. You He does. I'll throw my Bible out.

He feels everything. He commiserates. He's touched with the feelings of your infirmities.

The word infirmities there means feebleness, your feebleness, your weakness, your social, emotional, spiritual sickness. There's something wrong with you. He feels it.

There's something going on in your mind that ought not to be. He feels it. He is touched with that.

Do you think he's repelled by that? If he saw what I was going through, how weak I am, how feeble I feel, I'm not sure I can make it. Don't you realize he's touched by that? The very thing you think repels him, makes him stand afar off. It draws his ministry.

He is touched by the feeling of your infirmities, not your strengths. We think in our minds, oh, he has moved when we're strong. No, he's moved when we're weak and faltering, when we're struggling, when we begin to wonder, am I going to go through this trial? Can I stand against this temptation? Will I endure through the dark night of the soul, through the wilderness, through the 40 days of temptation? That's when he is touched.

Saints, if you only realize the ministry of this high priest, he is constantly feeling what you feel. It says, but was in all points, tempted as we are in all points, yet without sin, every single point. These aren't just words.

Let us therefore come boldly onto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy. Now notice this carefully. He is there going, I want to help you, but you've got to come boldly.

At this time, you're weak. There's infirmities. It's dark.

It's becoming wild. You're feeling your feebleness. You're unsure.

You feel unsteady. And he says, in that condition, you feel so feeble. Come boldly with all outspokenness to the throne of grace.

You're actually to come. You know why? Because at the throne of grace, that's where he ministers to you. Through unbelief, through neglect, you can just stay where you are and you're perishing.

You're drowning. You're sinking. Remember Peter, when he began to drown, help me.

And the master reached on. The master didn't leave him. Man, you stop believing me.

He cried out. When he walked, he's believing. He's obeying.

When he's sinking, he needs help. Christ doesn't desert you at that point. Saints of God, we can so easily think, I was walking in the water.

I deserved his ministry. But when I'm sinking, I won't cry aloud to him. That's the very hour you need to cry aloud.

He is moved with compassion. He sees Peter sinking. He says, I care about you.

I see your feebleness. I see you're drowning. Without me, you'd perish.

But do you know what? I'm here. I am touched. I am moved.

I feel what you feel. I care about you. And it says, come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy.

How do you obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need? Do you need help tonight? Do you need mercy tonight? Do you need grace tonight? Then come boldly to the throne of grace through the blood of Jesus. Enter in, and God will help you in time of need. And lastly, Hebrews chapter 2, 17.

Wherefore, in all things, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. And notice this last verse. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted.

What does tempted mean? Scrutinized, tried, tested. The devil tempts. God doesn't tempt.

He tries you. He doesn't tempt you. He doesn't draw you to sin.

God never tests you to see if you'll sin. Never. The devil does.

The devil entices you to sin. And so it says that he himself has suffered being tempted. He is able to succor them that are tempted.

He is able. Let me break this down as we close. The word able means to have power, the ability or capability.

Jesus, your high priest, in your hour of temptation has the capability, the full ability to succor you. The word succor used there means to aid, to help, to relieve you, to lift you, to carry you, to strengthen you, to minister unto you. And saints of God, in that hour of need, as you come to the throne of grace, go and help me.

You've got a willing, compassionate, tender high priest who says, I not only know how you feel, I not only feel compassion for you, but I have power, I have ability right now to relieve you, to lift you, to strengthen you, to bring you out, to put your feet back on the rock, to lift you up out of the water, to stop your storm, to get rid of the devil that's trying to hinder you and trying to destroy you. I have full power. You know why? I am your high priest and saints of God.

I want you to consider Jesus Christ as your high priest. I want you to gaze at him. I want you to intellectually consider him.

I want you to stir yourself. I want you to take time to gaze upon him. Don't take your eyes off him and consider how great a high priest he is, that he is your high priest and that he's willing to minister unto you.

Will you pray with me here tonight? Thank you, Lord Jesus. We bless you. We praise you.

Lord God, I pray tonight. Lord God, right in this gathering. Lord God, destroy every lie of hell.

Lord God, every stratagem, every fiery arrow. Lord God, every work of the devil. Lord God, we pray, O God, to be a deep stirring.

Lord God, that you'd be very gracious, very kind, very merciful, O God, that you'd visit lice in this room. Lord God, like Peter drowning in the sea, that you'd reach down your hand and take a hold and lift us up once again. Lord God, we cannot do this without you.

Lord God, you're one that's been tempted, and you understand and you feel what we feel, and you understand what we endure. And O God, we need you as our great high priest. We do have a great high priest tonight, and Lord God, tonight we know you're merciful, that you're very tender, that you're compassionate, that your heart overflows desiring to help, to relieve.

Lord God, to quicken us, to comfort us, to make us to endure. And Lord God, tonight I pray that the power of God would visit individuals. O God, stir us to run to the throne of grace.

Lord God, quicken us in our inner man, that we wouldn't, Lord God, simply stand in depression. Lord God, standing in a pit. But O God, we're gonna seek through the precious blood of Jesus to come boldly, Lord God, confidently to the throne of grace to receive, minister even tonight.

My Father in heaven, I pray that this great high priest that you have fitted, that you have prepared, that you have made suitable, Lord God, you perfected him in this ministry as a man with full humanity. You have done that, Lord God, on the basis of his sacrifice at Calvary to minister constantly, praying for every one of us in this room. Lord God, we love you.

We worship you tonight. Lord God, open up a revelation from the scripture of your ministry from within the veil. Minister this night, Lord God.

Minister as we go to bed tonight. Lord God, open up your heart. Let your compassion, Lord God, be moved towards us.

Be touched with the feelings of our weaknesses tonight in Jesus' mighty name. Hallelujah.