SCRIPTURE
Hebrews 2:17-18 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.Hebrews 3:1-2 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him,
Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 5:9-10 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
OBSERVATION
The priest job in the Old Testament was to make the sacrifices and gifts to God for the sins of God’s people. The earthly priest had gotten way out of control and sometimes they were worse than the people that they were supposed to be helping were. Consider Eli and his sons or the corruption of the priest during the time of the kings. Even a high priest had Jesus put on trial and sent him to Pilate to advocate his death.
We needed a better High Priest one that would be pure, just, accessible to us, merciful and faithful.
5 Ways We See Jesus Serve as a Priest (crossway.org)
Now we have the best High Priest that has been through the struggles and the pain that we have experienced, he has dealt with the temptations that the devil sent his way. He is the most merciful high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses.
This should give us confidence to approach his throne to receive mercy and grace because he has been there and done that. Be confident, don’t be afraid of him because he knows how much we struggle to do the good things that we want to do. (Romans 7:15). Have some respectful reverence for who he is but don’t be afraid of the one that loved us enough to die for us (John 3:16). Christ is our High Priest, and he is the only source of our eternal salvation.
APPLICATION
I will approach Christ boldly with reverence for the forgiveness of my sins, he already knows how hard I struggle and what it feels like to struggle so it should be easy to tell him about it.
PRAYER
Thank you Jesus for washing my sins away and for coming down to my world to experience my struggles and pain.
