Hebrews 4:12-16

October 7, 2012 Dont be like the Israelites who came out of Egypt but in their hearts didnt want to.
12For

the word of God is quick,

Lets keep this in context: the Israelites were in trouble for rejecting Gods command to enter into Canaan. The word of God in this case was the promise of rest, and they refused it. Look again at 4:2 and also this verse: For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (I Thess. 2:13). The word of God is more than the record of His words. We know this because its a living word. and powerful, It has energy; it is effective and active, and sharper than any twoedged sword, Now remember, were talking about disobedient Israelites. Dont follow their example because the word of God (the command to enter into rest) is alive and full of energy and dangerously sharp: piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. What kind of sword could divide a mans soul from his spirit? The only swords we have can only divide his body, but Gods word is able to get down to the real core of a man,
13Neither

is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. What a terrifying thought! They thought they were rejecting Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, but those men only spoke for God. The command to enter was a divine one, and to disobey it put them at odds with God who sees everything for what it really is. They had to settle accounts with Him!

Now, we see that and we fearsinners will be laid bare before God to answer for their crimes in breaking the royal decrees.
14Seeing

then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Do you see this? He doesnt tell us to try harder to believehe points us to Christ. Fear to be like the Israelites, instead set your hopes and thoughts on our High Priest. There really cant be any confidence if a man is your only hope. What if he fails? What if he doesnt want to do it? But our Priest isnt just some man. This Jesus is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. He was declared by God to be the Priest and He is and always has been perfect. Hes not just a priest; Hes the High Priest. Hes not just the high priest; Hes the Great High Priest! Not only that but Hes already died once (He has passed into the heavens), so death no longer has any mastery over Him. He lives forever, and so His priesthood will never end. Not only that, but being in heaven He sees the face of God clearly. Theres no smoke of incense obstructing His view. He has full access to the Father without any of the restrictions of the earthly priests. This means that Hes our advocate before the Father, and He has direct access! He has washed us and made us new; He has dressed us in His righteousness so that His works become our works; He has given us direct access to the Father by His substitutionary atonement! What confidence we have in this Great High Priest who always speaks on our behalf. None of Satans accusations stand because we have one who ever intercedes and pleads our case.
15For

we have not an 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. Compare this to 5:1-2: For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: 2Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. The human priests could identify with the people in their sin because they were guilty too. But Jesus is the priest who cannot identify with our sin, yet He knows the feeling of our infirmities. This has already been mentioned in Hebrews once before: For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted (Heb. 2:18). This word for tempted has a couple different meanings. It could mean to have an urge from within to commit sin. If I walked by a table covered with money and no one was looking, I might be tempted to take a couple dollars for myself. Its just a natural temptation because I have depraved fleshwhats been called the Adamic

nature. But Christ doesnt come from Adam; He was conceived of the Spirit, and so He has no Adamic nature. He is the infinite and changeless God, and its not possible that He should sin. The other meaning for the word tempted is tried or tested. He could not sin, but He could feel the suffering of spiritual warfare when Satan tempted Him in the desert. Though it was impossible, Satan tried to get Him to sin. But Jesus was tempted and tried in other ways too. He was hated by many, the leaders constantly tried to trap Him, He was persecuted, He suffered in His crucifixion, He was abandoned by His disciples and forsaken by God, he felt hunger and thirst, and He even died on the cross. He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, so He has compassion on us. What an encouragement to know that Christ Jesus doesnt observe our plight from afar without any knowledge of what its like: He Himself left heaven to take on flesh and share in our sufferings. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief [] 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows [] 5he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3-5). So our faith holds fast because our Great High Priest intercedes for us and knows our sufferings.
16Let

us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,

Because Jesus is our High Priest, and because He intercedes and knows our infirmities, let us come boldly before the throne of grace! What a contrast to the mercy seat of the Old Covenant: And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat (Lev. 16:2).
13And

he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
14And

he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.

shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
16And

15Then

he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel (Lev. 16:12-17). Everything these people touched was tainted by their sin so that blood had to cover everything. But this blood was the only way to appease the wrath of God for the time being; but this blood foreshadowed the blood of the perfect Lambthe Perfect Priestwho would offer Himself up as a sacrifice to purchase eternal redemption for us! There is no more wrath! There is no more condemnation! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:16-18). Those who believe are already freed clear of debt, and those who do not are already condemned! They have no priest capable of standing with the Father and no one to intercede for them, but our Great High Priest has passed into the heavens and He will never let us fail! We are saved! Contrast this throne of grace again with the Great White Throne: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). The priest goes through all the ceremony of blood to get to the mercy seat, and all of heaven and earth flee but cannot get away from the terrible judgment of the great

white throne. We, however, approach the throne of grace boldly and whenever we are in need. How happy are we to be near the Father; how we long to see His face! The other thrones are approached in dread so that the priest is happy to be enveloped in smoke and the lost cry out to the mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb (Rev. 6:16). But we are at peace with Him and we speak our minds freely as a child does with his father. that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. This is the result of the work of our Great High Priest: By his own blood [Christ] entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:11). The priests of old entered into the most holy place by way of a veil. When our Priest made the payment for our pardon, the veil was torn in two from top to bottom (Mk. 15:38). Because of Him the wrath of God is satisfied, and we have access to the throne with confidence. Theres a constant supply of mercy and grace that covers us and our God cares for all our needs. We are the friends of God because of Jesus. We dont beg for forgiveness; we know we have it. We dont hope to live with Him; we know we will. We dont come in fear and timidity; we come in boldness. Its all because of our Great High Priest. http://newgracebaptist.blogspot.com/