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. 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. 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.
There’s one show that my son likes to watch which I have grown to enjoy. It is called Man vs. Wild. In the show Bear Grylls puts himself in the middle of some nasty areas of the earth where he has to try and get out alive. He always leads the way while the person who films him follows close behind. This is in some ways the way that I picture the work of Christ. Jesus put Himself in a nasty situation; being born in a cattle stall and going to the cross. Jesus did this to blaze a pathway through sin, death and hell in order to free us from the pathway of damnation. When I see a passage like today which says that Jesus “has gone through the heavens”, I once again envision Him blazing this pathway through His death and resurrection and ascension. When the curtain temple was torn in two, God was saying to us, “Jesus has opened the pathway. Come on in.”
Lent is a season to look at how Christ focused on His goal of going to the cross and also a time to be motivated to stay focused on our goal of salvation. Now that Jesus has gone into heaven He has promised us that He will come back in the same way He went. In the meantime, if we die prior to His arrival, He promises our souls an immediate pathway to heaven with no more suffering or pain or temptations of any sort.
Jesus puts us on the “narrow” pathway through baptism and the Word. But this is not the way of Elijah who was transported to heaven without death in a whirlwind. This is the way of David who described for us how believers still need to go into the valley of the shadow of death in order to get to heaven. This is the way of Jesus who suffered and died prior to His resurrection and ascension. Our way is not nearly as painful as Jesus’. Nonetheless, our way to heaven is through faith in Jesus; that He paid for our sins. We are transferred to heaven through death. There is no other way on this side of Judgment Day.
Prior to arriving to death it is an uphill battle against the grain of life, but He gives us water and wine and bread to sustain us in this life as we walk the pathway to heaven. He makes sure we have all we need to sustain us both spiritually and physically, but that still doesn’t make the life of faith easy. It is easy to get off course; to stop and look at the scenery on the way; to get scared or protective and hunker down and do all we can to stay away from the valley. But God doesn’t want us to do that. As Jesus called Peter to walk on water and chastised the disciples for being scared in a thunderstorm; Jesus calls on us to follow Him no matter how deep the waves or how strong the winds.
Approach the Throne of Grace With Confidence
I. Holding firmly to the faith we profess
How can we
do this? By first of all focusing on what Jesus already did. 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. The role of the high priest was to go into
the
This is what we continually profess on Sunday; the historic faith of the Church –
I believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Son our Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
This is the center of our profession of faith. It is what our hope and life revolves around; the completed work of Christ for our salvation.
Notice again what the writer writes. 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. The word for “hold firmly” means “to seize.” It is used when describing someone’s arrest, but here it is not used for an arrest. It is used in reference to the faith we profess; and I think this is an interesting picture to draw. Imagine God’s Word as your castle which you are to capture with your mind and your heart and your soul. Go barging into the Word of God and storm through it; search one chapter and then another; one verse and then another. See how you find Christ in Matthew, look for Him in Genesis, and see if you can find Him in the prophets. Some books may take some more in-depth searching with intricate pathways and hidden rooms. Other books will have basic layouts with easy directions in where to go. Storm them. Seize them. Look for one doctrine and then another and get it firmly placed in your mind. First and foremost see how Jesus is your great high priest throughout. The cross must be the center of our focus in storming the Word.
Jesus went to the temple to study the Word. This studying of the Old Testament helped Him to fight against the devil when he was tempted in the wilderness. He quoted the Scriptures in defense of his actions. He used specific verses from specific books of the Old Testament. It helped him in his battle. You see, our faith is not just some bland word like you hear in the popular songs, “You gotta have faith.” Our profession of faith is precise. It is based on the specific words and promises in the Bible which tell us how Jesus came to this earth and what He did. The Creeds that we profess are not just bland professions, “I believe in God.” They thoroughly describe and profess what the Bible says about our Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Are you clinging to the Word? Are you seizing hold of Christ? The danger of a married couple is to quit getting to know each other because they assume they already know each other just fine. But people change over time. The spouse you married ten years ago is not the same today. So you need to keep communicating with one another to help adapt to the changes you go through. Jesus doesn’t change. But you can never know enough about Him. There is much more about our Groom than we can ever understand. There are many different descriptions of Him in the Scriptures. Do you know Him well? Are you still digging into His Word? When you memorize a passage is it only so you can recite it five minutes later or for the rest of your life? Think about the basics of what you learned in catechism. How many of you can still recite your Ten Commandments with the explanations? How many of you can still recite the explanations to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd articles? How many have read through your whole Bible in the last five years? If someone asked you why we baptized infants, would you be able to explain it to them? The catechism and God’s Word are the chassis through which we know Christ.
The problem is that all too many are getting lazy with their faith; careless on the path; assuming that they could never get lost. What happens as a result? Time and again we find congregations that should be strong and vibrant are barely staying afloat. Individual members who should be strong in the faith find themselves seeking something else because they never really sought what they had here. They don’t feel a strong connection or need to stay in the Word because they stopped working at knowing Christ more. People who could find strength and encouragement from their fellow members end up living their own lives in their own little homes; drifting away from the anchor which once held them firm and kept them here. And ultimately nobody is to blame but themselves. Do not be one of them. Hold firmly to the faith we profess. Storm into the word and explore who exactly your great high priest is.
II. Remembering who is on the throne
The reason to do this is because of Christ. It is truly a joy to get to know Christ more and more. The writer tells us, “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.” When you walk into a doctor’s office you have nurses and doctors who are trained to examine your wound or pain and apply the proper remedy. They are not paid to get to know you. They probably don’t want to know you, and you may not care to know them either. The Dr. doesn’t care if you prefer red or white wine. The nurse will not ask you what prefer on your salad. Time is of the essence. They want to get to the problem and fix it since there are other people who need fixed too. They are probably somewhat required to actually keep a cool head and think logically through the situation; to detach themselves from the emotions of the moment from the person who is writhing in pain in front of their very eyes. Jesus is known as the Great Physician as well; but this picture is different. Here Jesus is the sympathizer. It reminds us that Jesus was down in the trenches; He fought the battle against temptation as we saw in His 40 days in the desert to start out His ministry.
So when we have a weakness; a temptation to eat more than we ought; Jesus isn’t just here to put a Band Aid on it and then walk away completely detached from the situation. He also knows where that desire is coming from. He knew what it was like to be hungry. When we have a desire to take the easy way out; or to try and impress people; He was faced with that temptation when Satan laid all of the worlds before Him and offered it to Him with a simple bow. He sees into our brains and the passions that make us do what we do. He truly knows our individual struggles; that this is not an easy pathway. Don’t try to hide them from Him. He already knows them.
Jesus knows it is difficult to stand firm when you are tired; when you just want it all to end. But unlike you Jesus finished the job. He withheld from every temptation. He never gave up and never gave in. How does that encourage us? There are several ways you could look at this. It encourages us because we know that Jesus was living the life we were supposed to and He DIDN’T fail. It is comforting to know we will get credit for what He did. It encourages us because the same living Christ is living in us; the One who Himself had conquered sin. It shows us that the flesh does not need to lead us around by the nose; that it can be resisted; that in the end the victory is ours. Jesus will know how to give us exactly what we need when we need it; because He knows what weakness is all about. 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.
Even the Apostle Paul, strong as his faith was, found himself in a moment of desperation. He wrote to the Corinthians about it and said in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9,
We do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of
Notice at the end how he said that his despair and feeling of death had a good purpose. It drove them to the grace of God and to rely on His mercy and power. While his mind was probably racing as to why all of this was happening to them, his heart was given strength knowing that God was gracious and loving. Even if they were to die, they had hopes of the resurrection of the dead. This helped him to endure even an almost sure death.
Nobody likes to admit their weaknesses. We take pride in getting ourselves out of our own messes and making our own decisions. Long time Christians sometimes have the hardest time just going to their pastor if they are having marital problems or struggling with some other addiction. They are too embarrassed over it, especially since they have been life long members of the church. What is this but pride? What is wrong with asking for help? What is wrong with seeking forgiveness? Shouldn’t life long Christians understand this most? Why should they be immune from marital or financial problems or other temptations? Where does God say it is wrong to need help from temptation? It is a throne of grace, not works. On that throne sits the Christ, who loves to welcome back the straying; who loves to forgive and wash away the sins of those who have gone far astray in the huge basin of His blood. God wants to be gracious; that’s what His throne is called. The church is a hospital for sinners and not just a hotel for saints. When we remember that this is a throne of grace and not of works, it should give us confidence to ask for forgiveness and help from God’s Word; no matter what kind of mess we get ourselves into.
When we focus on Christ and go back to His throne of grace at the cross, it is then that we find strength and courage to keep on the pathway of faith in the Word. The writer says that we do this “so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” When life throws a barrier in your way that you know you won’t be able to climb; then cry out to the throne of grace. When you have done something that you know is wrong and you are going to suffer embarrassment and shame because of it; don’t think that the LORD won’t be merciful to you. He won’t kick you out. He will point you to the cross; remind you that He died for you as a believer as well; forgive you and strengthen you to get back out on the battle field and fight another day.
The throne of grace is not far away. He still speaks to us through His Word. He still gives us Himself through the Lord's Supper. He still sends His Holy Spirit to strengthen us. He still uses fellow Christians to support us through life. He calls pastors to forgive you and encourage you in your callings in life. He even uses unbelievers and a completely corrupted world to serve our purpose. When you cry out to Christ for forgiveness you will find what a merciful and gracious God you really have; you will find help in your time of need. You will find strength to keep plodding through the pathway of life; even as it leads you into the shadow of death. You will get a fresh start today; a confidence to believe that God hasn’t given up on you yet and that He won’t give up on you as long as you remain in Christ; that you can live to fight another day with the true hope of eternal salvation.
Years ago a young man tried to travel into the Alaskan Wilderness without really knowing what to do in preparation for such a time. He ended up dying of malnutrition in a deserted bus. When Bear Grylls goes into the wild he doesn’t just drop into the wilderness without preparation. He talks to local experts and reads books on what he needs to do to survive in the specific area. The wild is too dangerous for most people to survive if they don’t properly prepare on what to do.
Jesus knew what He was supposed to do. Isaiah made it very clear. Go to a cross and die. Jesus had to chase out demons, calm storms, sleep outside, and face plenty of people who hated his guts. The devil had first crack at Jesus right after Jesus’ baptism, and the devil didn’t let up much at all during the next three years. But Jesus didn’t back down. He fought the dangerous battle and went to the most difficult place of all; the cross. He died on that cross, but He also won the victory through that death. His resurrection and ascension show us that the Trailblazer opened the pathway to heaven for us.
There are still battles to fight here on earth. It is much longer than the 40 days of Lent; it is life long. You need to understand this. We are pure spectators when it comes to our salvation, but we are not mere spectators when it comes to living. As long as you have breath the Lord will lead you down a pathway of sacrifice and suffering on the way to the throne; He will tell you to let your light shine no matter what the obstacle or battle. This is not an easy path. It is one that will wear you down and make you feel helpless. So stay in the Word. Hold firmly to the faith you already possess. Get to know your Savior well. Pray to Him. Beg for His mercy. Approach the throne of grace daily and with confidence, knowing that God is merciful and gracious; He will give you all you need in your journey of death until you enter into life eternal. Amen.