Our Great High Priest - [Hebrews 4;14-16]

Bethlehem Bible Church iconBethlehem Bible Church

0 views

0 comments

00:00
it's our privilege and our joy now to turn to the book of his promises to that inerrant and infallible book through which
00:07
God speaks to our hearts and so would you turn within it now to the book of Hebrews and to chapter 4
00:17
Hebrews and the fourth chapter and this morning we're gonna be focusing on verses 14 through 16 now the last couple of Sunday nights we've been studying
00:29
Hebrews 4 and learning about how we can enter into God's rest and so what
00:34
I want to do today is to just continue our study through this great chapter to see the encouragement that God has provided so today we will saturate our minds with the truth that we have a great high priest but before we do that I just wanna pray for his blessing on our time and and then we'll get into the word so would you bow with me
01:01
Almighty Father we just turn to you once more and we are ever conscious of our need of you and of that blessing which you alone can give and especially
01:19
Lord when we come to look at the things found in your holy word and we just ask that you would look upon us and have mercy on us and that you would grant us your blessing give us understanding oh
01:33
Lord and above all show us the light of your glory that we may praise you and you alone and we pray this in the name of your precious son
01:46
Jesus Christ Amen the writer of Hebrews after issuing an extended warning not to harden your hearts but to hear
02:00
God's voice then says in verse 14 therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens
02:12
Jesus the son of God let us hold fast our confession for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need now with these verses the writer shifts the emphasis of the book of Hebrews as he moves from warning us to encouraging us and now he sounded these warnings faithfully all through the the previous chapters and cautioned us about the need to heed the
03:03
Word of God and that section concludes in verse 12 with the warning that the
03:10
Word of God is constantly judging you the Word of God is always assessing us and that it scrutinizes your thoughts and motives and exposes them to the light of God's righteous judgment and then verse 13 tells us that nothing we ever do is concealed from God's all -seeing eye you see every one of us is going to be a debtor to the
03:37
Word of God we're gonna either be a debtor to its promise of mercy to be found in Jesus Christ or we're going to be a debtor to its promise of wrath for those apart from Christ but either way we're all going to be a debtor to the
03:56
Word of God but it's after we're confronted with the sobering truth that he now turns to encouragement in our passage and the encouragement comes in the form of the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ and it's this subject that will permeate the rest of the book of Hebrews in terms of its practical exhortations now to this point the writer has been laboring to explain to us his concern regarding his readers and his concern is for their resolute commitment to Jesus Christ that is their obligation and he wants them to hold fast to their profession of faith in Christ and to remain faithful until the end now the themes really of the entire book of Hebrews are summarized in these three verses right here in the fourth chapter and that is that they would hold fast and that they would draw near and that's his reason for encouraging them and he grounds all of that encouragement and all of that exhortation in the fact that we have a great high priest we have a man in heaven we have a man like us who's now in heaven for us now what we're gonna do this morning is we're just gonna focus on the glorious truth that we have a great high priest and then we're going to consider what the appropriate response is to that wonderful reality okay very simple so let's contemplate the blessed truth that we have a great high priest now
05:46
I'll warn you that we won't be able to study it exhaustively today because it really takes the rest to the epistle to do that he spends the rest of his time in this book just considering all of the implications of this marvelous reality but we can begin here in verses 14 through 16 to get a look at it now it's it's a glorious truth and it's a wonderful encouragement because you see in the previous verses we were warned that the
06:18
Word of God is penetrating and that his piercing lidless eye sees all but now as we're confronted with that penetrating word and that piercing eye here is our great encouragement and it's a glorious encouragement it's a merciful encouragement that we have a great high priest without this blessed truth there is no way that we could stand uncondemned before God and there would certainly be no way for us to have access to God nor could we ever have any hope of favor from God in terms of mercy and pardon and rest if it were not for this merciful truth then the warnings that we've just seen in verses 12 and 13 about a
07:11
God who sees all and knows all and before whom all things are open and laid bare would just leave us in anguish and misery and we would abandon all hope but suddenly this great doctrine breaks through the gloom and brings us encouragement once again it's a truth that he will rehearse throughout the book and that is that we have a great high priest now we got a glimpse of him earlier in Hebrews chapter 2 and he was introduced as merciful and faithful but now he describes him with this superlative he is great he is great and so for our outline this morning
08:04
I want to keep it simple and I just want to point out four areas in which he is great okay just four areas in which he is great so let's look at it how can we see his greatness here well first of all he is great in terms of his destination he is great in terms of his destination look what it says about our high priest it says he has passed through the heavens so he is a transcendent high priest he has gone where no high priest has ever gone before and you know what he's doing here the writer is contrasting him to the
08:48
Levitical priesthood that Israel knew in the Old Testament times in Israel you see one man would be chosen from among the people to be the high priest and to represent those people and then once a year on Yom Kippur that high priest would represent his people before God and on that day he would pass out of their sight and into the holy place and into the most holy place and there he would make atonement for their sins see acting as a representative of the people he would appear before the presence of God in the mercy seat and so he would briefly disappear from their sight but then he would soon emerge once again so he would pass into an earthly sanctuary and into an earthly mercy seat offering up the blood of bulls and goats and he would do this year after year after year but now our text tells us that we have a great high priest he's not a high priest who has passed through some kind of a human tabernacle or a temple made with hands but one who has passed through the heavens themselves and notice in the text it says he has passed through but it doesn't say that he has passed away because our high priest didn't die or or rather death didn't end his ministry he was buried but he arose again and he continues triumphantly in his ministry even to this day see death death didn't conclude his ministry he ministers continually on our behalf and the phrase passed through the heavens probably speaks of his his resurrection and his ascension when he was carried up into the clouds and he passed through the heavens until he went out of the sight of his disciples and into that invisible and unshakable realm where God himself dwells that is what our high priest has done he doesn't minister in some kind of an earthly sanctuary but he appears in the most glorious presence of God himself to atone for our sins he ministers in the heavenly sanctuary and he brings a greater offering and the writer will make that distinction later here in the book for example in Hebrews 9 .24
11:44
it says for Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands a mere copy of the true one but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us for us he appears for us earlier in chapter 8 in verse 1 it tells us we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens so you see
12:20
Christ who died as a substitute for us now appears before God in heaven for us you see when
12:32
Jesus said it is finished he meant that his ministry here on earth was finished but he wasn't finished with his heavenly ministry
12:42
Jesus Christ went up into heaven and he continues to minister for us as our great high priest and he offers a greater sacrifice a perfect and complete sacrifice the final sacrifice for sin and you know his sacrifice was so perfect that it never needs to be repeated again but the work of his ministry is not yet complete because he appears before God for us and this ought to be a tremendous encouragement we have a high priest who represents us in the presence of God himself and that is the reality he has gone to the very throne room of God he's departed from our sight he is absent from our view but his absence is for our benefit
13:41
Jesus himself said it is to your advantage that I go away not only that I might send the spirit to you that he might strengthen you but it's for your benefit that I go into the very presence of God as your mediator as your priest as your intercessor that I might plead the benefits of my blood and my righteousness on your behalf you see he entered as the forerunner for us and he has prepared the way for us he's gone to the very right hand of God the
14:23
Father to minister day and night on our behalf and that is why he's so great but now notice now here's another reason why he is so great and that is that he is great in dignity he is great in dignity just consider who it is that we're talking about here who is it that is our high priest well look in verse 14 the writer identifies him right there he says that it's
14:57
Jesus the Son of God who has passed through the heavens so who is it who sits there for you none other than Jesus the
15:08
Savior is there God's only son who came as your substitute and died in your place now it's an interesting fact here that first he calls him
15:22
Jesus which is his human name and it's the name that marks him as one of us you see our high priest had to be chosen from among us and that's why
15:35
Jesus took on the flesh and became like unto us but then he calls him the
15:43
Son of God which is his divine name and he had to be divine didn't he he had to be divine if he was going to be the spotless lamb of God the one without blemish to provide the perfect sacrifice for our sins and you'll notice that it's not merely the
16:09
Jesus who was born of a virgin or the Jesus who ministered here on earth or the
16:14
Jesus who was crucified but it's this Jesus who is the
16:20
Son of God and there has never been a priest like him in terms of his nature and his relationship to God you see if you want to secure the favor of God if you want faithful representation before God if someone is going to provide you with access to God do you know who that someone is it's his son his son it's the one who is of the same nature and essence as the father he is the one who is our priest it is that one who himself is very
17:03
God it's the one whose excellencies were declared in Hebrews 1 the one who is the radiance of God's glory the one who upholds all things by the power of his word the one to whom the angels bow and whose throne goes on forever and ever and ever he is the one it's that one who is our high priest he has the greatest dignity and he has the closest relationship to God and we can have full confidence because of that relationship that he bears with the father just think of the high regard with which the father held the son
17:50
God himself said this is my beloved son in whom
17:55
I am well -pleased if it is his son who appears for us he who has such dignity he who has such favor he who has such worthiness if he appears for us then we shall find favor and you see this is the basis for our confidence this is the reason that we are to hold on to him and that's the exhortation that the writer will put forth a little bit later here hold fast to Christ so first of all he has passed through the heavens and into the best place secondly he's undeniably the best person to intercede before God for us but now thirdly and here is some encouraging news he is great in sympathy he is great in sympathy look at verse 15 we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses you see although he is matchless and glory although he is supremely exalted and though he stands to minister in the best place he is not apathetic toward us even though he no longer dwells with us he's not aloof he is not disinterested and he has not forgotten us as he stands there in glory now the text says that he has a unique ability to sympathize so not only has he entered into the best place and not only is he the best person to represent us before God but he also possesses an unmatched sympathy there's no one who understands us like the
20:07
Savior and though he is now exalted he still has the same sympathetic heart that he had on earth he didn't abandon his affections for us when he ascended into glory and you know this is really the statement here in the text is it's a double negative and in the original text it's a double negative so this is an apt translation but this double negative results in an emphatic positive because you see we have a high priest who can sympathize with us and so it's meant for emphasis and you know when you think and you look back on Jesus' ministry wasn't it characterized by sympathy
21:06
I mean wasn't Jesus' ministry on earth a ministry of sympathy wasn't it people whom others would avoid that Jesus himself sought out
21:19
Christ was constantly showing sympathy to widows and to lepers and to the poor the fact is that Christ's heart overflowed with sympathy and that was what distinguished his ministry on earth and you know his sympathy was a ready sympathy and a cheerful sympathy and a tender sympathy and his sympathy was never hesitant it was never reluctant and it was always practical did you notice that?
21:53
Christ did not just merely shed a sympathetic tear he did not just say be filled and be warmed and then turn and walk away but he offered assistance to those with whom he sympathized and so his sympathy was always practical it was always manifesting itself in action and that was the distinctive quality of his sympathy on earth but you know now that he's ascended into glory he has not lost any of that sympathy he remains a sympathetic man in heaven but now
22:35
I want to be careful to point out that he doesn't sympathize with our sin but rather he sympathizes with our weaknesses you see
22:48
God never sympathizes with sin there is no sympathy on the part of God or Christ when it comes to our sin but there is a sympathy and there is an understanding when it comes to our weaknesses you see
23:10
Jesus knows all about our struggles he knows how feeble we are in our humanity and he knows how we strain to overcome the sinful flesh he knows our infirmity and the frailty of our hearts and of our minds and of our wills and he knows the power of sin and how heavily it weighs upon us and he is mindful that we are but dust but he is a
23:44
Savior who sympathizes with us and our weaknesses he doesn't despise us you see the weaknesses that so often make us ashamed the weaknesses that so quickly drive us to despair
23:56
Christ himself sympathizes with because he knows the weakness of our human condition in fact he knows your weakness better than you will ever know it we think we have strength but beloved we're just fooling ourselves
24:20
Jesus however is not fooled he knows our weaknesses better than we do he knows that we're helpless without his strength and he sympathizes with it that weakness is the cause you to grieve the weakness that causes you so much anguish the weakness you fear will be your undoing
24:46
Christ sympathizes with you about them now why does he have this profound sympathy where does this profound sympathy come from well it's because he was fully human and because of that truth he faced limitations too right you see in the days of his flesh he had limitations just like the rest of us now don't get me wrong here that Jesus was also fully
25:17
God and he didn't lose any of the attributes of his deity during his incarnation but when he took on our humanity he took it on fully and he faced all the same trials that we face surely he had limits to his strength and to his understanding and to his will and as a human he knew what it was like to have to depend on God for strength each and every day he prayed because in his humanity he had needs he needed
25:57
God to strengthen him when he was wearied and troubled in spirit and you know he faced all the temptations just like we do in fact we're told that he faced temptation right there in the garden the temptation to look for an easier way the temptation to doubt and complain it was in the weakness of his humanity that he fell on his face in Gethsemane and prayed to his father and it was in the weakness of his humanity that he poured out his soul to the living
26:30
God it was in the weakness of his humanity that he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness and it was in the weakness of his humanity that he became hungry and thirsty and weary and it was in the weakness of his humanity that he suffered and bled and died.
26:57
You see he was fully human never forget the full humanity of Jesus Christ because his humanity is the foundation of his sympathy toward us.
27:13
Now scripture says that he was tempted in all things as we are so you know if that's true then you can't claim that he doesn't understand what you're going through or that he doesn't understand
27:28
I mean you just can't go there because he knows what it's like there's not a struggle that you can go through that Jesus Christ does not know.
27:39
He was tempted in all things as we are so you can't accuse him of not understanding your trial because it's not true.
27:49
Don't think for a minute that Jesus doesn't know what your struggle is like. He knows what it's like he was made like us and he endured all the temptations that are common to man.
28:06
He felt the pressure to pursue his own selfish glory. I mean men would come and they would try to make him king by force and surely he felt the temptation that that presented.
28:19
He must have struggled with the desire to defend himself the attraction that the path of least resistance would have had for him must have been almost unbearable.
28:31
The natural desire to avoid shame and suffering these temptations assaulted him as a real man you see we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with us.
28:47
He endured defamation and character assassination he was the victim of abandonment and treachery he experienced a hideous painful death.
29:02
In fact I challenge you to read through the Gospels and consider the humanity of Jesus Christ and then point out someplace where he has not had to endure what you have had to endure you see this man in heaven understands you and he sympathizes with you now
29:28
I like the way that the King James Version says it at this point the King James renders it as we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
29:43
We don't have a man who cannot be touched Christ is touched with compassion for us.
29:54
He feels your pain deeply and personally. You see what touches us touches him and that's how great is the love of our great high priest now fourthly he is great in that he is different from us.
30:16
He is great in his difference and here's what I mean. Look at the qualification that's included in verse 15.
30:27
It says one who has been tempted in all things as we are and now here's the blessed qualification yet without sin.
30:43
You know it's not sin merely to be tempted temptation is simply the opportunity to sin.
30:52
So it's not being tempted but it's yielding to temptation that is sin and Jesus in his life here on earth was frequently assailed by temptation.
31:07
It says he was tempted in every way but in spite of that onslaught the blessed result of his life was that there was no sin.
31:21
Now that's a marvelous difference and it's a difference of great consequence now why would
31:30
I say a thing like that? I mean why is that so significant? Well of course we know that he had to be without sin in order to be the perfect sacrifice for us.
31:43
That's a given but you see there's more to it than that because what it means is that his sympathy toward us is the very best sympathy there is you see
31:55
Christ did not have to sin in order to identify with us. Sin is not an essential part of what it means to be human in fact
32:04
Adam came into the world without sin. So sin is not a necessary part of our humanity in fact it's sin that distorts our humanity it's sin that pollutes our hearts and destroys sympathy and it's sin that tries to enslave us.
32:25
But Christ was without sin and he possesses a perfect sympathy toward us because he was sinless it's his sinlessness that ensures his compassion.
32:42
You see sin is the cause of a hardened heart but there was no such hardening in Jesus.
32:50
He has a perfect and tender sympathy because he was without sin. But now this verse is also wonderful because it tells us that he conquered that he faced the fiercest assault that sin could muster and that he conquered it he triumphed and unlike us he didn't compromise.
33:13
Unlike us he didn't surrender he didn't sin.
33:20
He resisted all of the temptations and endured the full power of sin and therefore he understands sin better than you and I will ever understand it because he faced all of its fury and he never wavered.
33:36
You see it wasn't his yielding to sin that produced such a great sympathy but it's that he refused to submit to it because he knows how wicked it is.
33:53
Now let me offer you this as an illustration how can you know the strength of an army if you surrender at its first assault?
34:05
You can only gauge the strength of an army as you oppose it day after day after day and so you see the truth of the matter is that most people don't know the full sinfulness of sin because they always yield they're quick to collapse but you see
34:26
Christ never yielded. Christ never yielded he faced sin's full frontal assault and Christ didn't succumb to it he didn't sin.
34:41
He conquered sin and that's a marvelous truth. We have a high priest who has experienced everything that we encounter but one who has overcome what we so often do not now the result of this sinlessness will be considered in the later chapters of Hebrews but listen when you're tempted to sin you need one who has overcome when you struggle with weakness you need someone who has endured someone who has conquered and Christ our great high priest was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin.
35:26
Now that's a precious reality and we need to understand this glorious truth.
35:36
But now in light of these things that we've just seen I want to point out some practical applications and I just wanna ask how are we to respond to these verses and what
35:47
I'm going to do is point out two responses and they come right out of the text each of them is just two words.
35:53
Now the first one is hold fast. Hold fast.
36:01
Since we have a great high priest notice at the end of verse 14 now let us hold fast.
36:11
Let us keep holding on. Because he is such a great high priest hold on to him.
36:18
Don't let go. Hold on to him who stands in the presence of God on your behalf.
36:25
Hold on to this transcendent man. Hold on to this sympathetic man.
36:31
Hold on to this holy man and don't let go. Don't forsake your allegiance to him.
36:38
He is your only hope of pardon. He is your only hope of favor. He is your only hope of glory.
36:48
He is your only hope. Hold on to Jesus and don't let anything persuade you to let go of him.
36:56
Hold him fast. Beloved if you let go of Christ then you let go of heaven.
37:07
If you let go of Christ then you let go of God's perfect rest. If you let go of Jesus Christ then you lose his perfect sympathy.
37:21
You lose his perfect representation. You lose his perfect peace. Hold him fast.
37:31
And this is so crucial because you know we're engaged in spiritual warfare and we need to hold fast to his strength.
37:40
So hold fast to your hope. Hold fast to Jesus the Son of God. Hold fast to Christ the risen
37:47
Savior. Well that sounds good but how do we do it?
37:56
How do we hold fast? Well we hold fast by listening to his voice as he speaks to us through the words of Holy Scripture and by submitting to it with a life of obedience as we walk with him.
38:15
And we hold fast by rejecting anything or anyone who would seek to steer us away from him.
38:22
Anything that would seek to replace him as the chief attraction of our souls. And we hold fast by following hard after him and by pursuing a life of self -denial.
38:38
We hold fast by being cross -bearers and not just cross -wearers.
38:44
And we hold fast by proclaiming
38:49
Christ to a dying world. Hold fast. Now the second response is this.
38:59
If you want to enter into the promised rest then he says draw near. So hold fast and then draw near.
39:11
You see we're invited to come before him. Our great high priest has opened the way into the very presence of God.
39:19
Do you want to hold fast? Do you want to stand firm until the end?
39:26
Well then you must continually come before God in the presence of God in that throne of grace.
39:33
This is the privilege that Christ has made available to us. He says draw near to me. And you know when you think about it this is one of the most radical thoughts of the entire
39:45
New Testament. That sinful creatures like us could enter into the presence of a thrice holy
39:53
God. It's our greatest privilege. Access to God.
40:00
Access into his very presence. And only Christianity can provide it because only
40:07
Christ purchased it. Now the idea that the text is conveying here when it says let us therefore draw near is simply this.
40:22
Come anytime. Keep coming all the time.
40:28
That's the idea. Keep coming. Hold fast. Come boldly to the throne of grace.
40:35
Come quickly. And come. Christ's perfect sacrifice has been accepted and our sins have been wiped away.
40:46
This is a treasured gift from Christ. Access to God. He bought it for you.
40:55
Will you take it? Will you take advantage of it? You see our great high priest says come to God.
41:05
I've already blazed the trail. Follow me into the holy of holies.
41:11
Follow me into the very throne room. Follow me. And notice as he calls us what it is that we have access to.
41:22
Right there in the text. It's access to a throne of grace. A throne of grace.
41:31
Where a majestic and reconciled sovereign sits to bless us abundantly.
41:39
Isn't that just a tremendous encouragement? Especially after the hard news of the last couple of weeks. We're not told to come to a throne of merit.
41:47
Or we're not told to come to a throne of bargaining. We're not told to come to the throne of a resentful
41:53
God. But it's to a throne where he sits to grace us. And where he sits to show us favor and to extend mercy to us.
42:04
We come to a throne of grace. Now isn't that encouraging? God is pleased to show favor and to bestow mercy and grace upon us.
42:19
So how can you possibly fear to draw near? How can you in the midst of trials and in the midst of difficulties run away from a throne of grace?
42:31
Rather, draw near to it. Believe it. Dare to believe it.
42:39
Dare to take advantage of it. Dare to rely on it. God patiently waits for you to come and he is ready to show his love and his grace and his mercy because our great high priest sits at his right hand.
42:54
And therefore we're told, come with confidence. Come with confidence.
43:01
Don't come doubting God's goodness. Don't come expecting that God will not be good to you.
43:08
Don't come that way because it's a throne of grace. It's a throne of grace and we're told to come boldly to the throne.
43:15
We're told to come with confidence to the throne. So I just need to ask at this point,
43:23
I want to pause and just ask you, do you need grace? Do you?
43:31
Do you need grace? Yeah, you need grace to hear the word of God.
43:38
You need grace to sing his praises and to fill your heart with his love.
43:46
You need grace to resist temptation and to mortify sin. You need grace to endure trials and you need grace to abide in him.
43:59
You need grace all the time and the living God stands by ready to give it.
44:05
He is a good God. He will give you everything that you need to hold fast and to enter into his rest.
44:14
Just simply come to the throne of grace and ask. That's what this verse means.
44:20
Just look and see at the end of verse 16. It says that we may receive what?
44:29
Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Now, maybe you feel undeserving.
44:40
And you should, but he will give you mercy. Maybe you have delayed in coming because you're so sin stained.
44:52
Well, he knows all about it. And he wants you to come. Don't lose hope.
45:01
Don't miss out. Don't fall away from the living God. But draw near to him.
45:09
And he will give you what you need. He will give you mercy.
45:16
You are called to come and he exhorts you to do so. There's no need for you to fear falling away.
45:29
There is no need for it. Because you have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.
45:36
And so you need not fear because the way to God is open. And so you need to cherish these things and to embrace them.
45:45
And you need to call upon him and tell him of your need. And the almighty
45:52
God will lavish grace upon you. Our God gives out of the abundance of his riches.
46:00
He is the God who gives generously. Ask and he will satisfy your needs.
46:07
Ask that your joy may be made full. For Christ has entered into glory.
46:15
He has secured the favor of God. He has secured grace from his father.
46:20
The way to God's presence is open. So go. Draw near to him.
46:28
What a privilege we have because of our great high priest who now sits in heaven for us.
46:37
Now you'll notice the text also says that we should go with confidence. Do you see it? Confidence.
46:44
Now, what does that mean? Confidence. Well, you're not to go with insolence, right?
46:54
You're still going to a throne. You're still going to appear before the father of lights.
46:59
And you still have to give an account to the one whose eye sees all. So he's not suggesting that you should just stroll in there brazenly.
47:08
Or that you should go casually. But go willingly.
47:16
And go trustingly. He's saying don't be timid.
47:23
Don't be hesitant. But go. With humility and a thankful heart, pour out your soul before the throne.
47:35
Because your great high priest sits there for you. Everything you need can be found in him.
47:43
And he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly. Beyond all you can ask or think.
47:50
His grace is greater than all your needs. And he bids you come. What a precious, precious truth.
48:00
It's a throne of grace. Hold fast. And then draw near to the living
48:07
God. Well, now some of you may be unfamiliar with this great high priest.
48:17
And with the salvation that he purchased. And, oh, perhaps you've heard of the living
48:23
God. And thought that you could approach him on your own. But you need to understand that there is no way to enter his presence.
48:31
Except through his son, Jesus Christ, the Savior. There's no pardon or favor to be found except through the bloodied
48:41
Lamb of God. And the exalted high priest. You see, all roads do not lead to God.
48:50
And God will not be grading on a curve. And you cannot approach him through any other way but through his son.
48:59
And you see, if you don't know the son. And if you're not believing in the son.
49:06
And if you're not holding fast to the son. Then you have no access to God.
49:12
It's as simple as that. You have no peace. You have no hope.
49:17
And you will have no rest. Instead, you're under divine judgment for your unbelief and your faithlessness.
49:30
But I'm pleased to tell you that there's good news for you today in God's word. Because there is only one way to escape this judgment.
49:39
And to receive a full pardon. Because this same book which proclaims judgment to the unrepentant.
49:46
Offers salvation to those who believe. You see, it says, whoever will call on the name of the
49:53
Lord will be saved. And Jesus himself said that the one who comes to me,
50:01
I will certainly not cast out. He bids you to come.
50:08
So come boldly to the throne of grace. Through Jesus Christ, our great high priest.
50:15
And you will find everlasting peace with God. Let's bow and thank him for it.
50:30
Father, we do bow in light of your amazing wisdom. And we thank you so very much for condescending to reveal this to us.
50:42
Lord, there was such a gulf fixed between us. And you've made the way. And it's through your only begotten son.
50:50
Jesus Christ the Savior, our great high priest. We thank you for his ministry.
50:57
And we pray that you would give us the grace to hold fast to him. And to make a beaten path to the throne of grace.
51:06
And we would just pray that you would give us this strength. Show us this mercy.
51:15
Lord, we do wish to exalt your name and to glorify you in our day. And we just pray it in Jesus name.