Got a High Priest? (A Look at Hebrews 4:14-16) Part 1

My friends and I have been reading through the book of Hebrews. This week we’re reading Hebrews 4 together. I describe our Bible-reading covenant here and recommend that you consider doing the same with a few of your friends!

If you are at all like me, you hardly ever think of the Lord Jesus as your High Priest. We don’t live in a culture that requires a high priest (or so we think). But this concept, this blessed role that the Lord Jesus plays in our lives, needs to be examined — and embraced!

Here’s what we read in Hebrews 4 —

A proper exegesis (examination) of this text would require an extensive study of the Jewish priesthood and especially the role of the high priest. And that’s a study worth pursuing.

For our purposes I would like to simply make some observations and raise some questions in several posts on this passage. Your comments and reflections are always welcome!

1. The first observation: Jesus is our “great” high priest. When I focus on the world around me, the world that belongs to my Father and has been given for my righteous enjoyment, I can quite easily fail to focus on my Savior. I’m not making the case that we are to ignore or turn away from the beauty of God’s creation. My point is that Jesus my high priest is great — and I need that truth to receive my primary attention.

2. The second observation for today is that our great high priest “has ascended into heaven” (v. 14). I’ve heard very few messages on the ascension of the Lord Jesus, but that event is a cardinal doctrine in the Christian faith. His ascension indicates that the Father approved His atoning work and guarantees that He will return for His own. We have an ascended High Priest who is at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us!

Today’s Challenge: What in the world makes us think that we don’t need a high priest in our lives?! Thankfully our sense of what we need doesn’t limit God’s provision of what (Who) we really need! Praise Him for providing the Lord Jesus as our great High Priest!

 

The Spirit, the Preacher, and the Word (Part 9)

The American humorist Will Rogers once said, “I refuse to accept my religion from anyone who earns his living only by the sweat of his jaw!” Preaching is incredible risky business. We want to be Spirit-led, Spirit-enthused, and Spirit-pleasing, don’t we?

Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse tells us some of the ministries of the Third Person of the Trinity. But how does He relate to our preaching? Let’s look at our section of that discourse one more time . . .

²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. . . . ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”