from Gary Hamrick
... Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Chapel
for
Our Great High Priest
... Because Jesus is our eternal High Priest, we can confidently draw near to God and faithfully grow in Him.
Hebrews 4:15 NKJV (devotion translation)
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Devotion:
Today’s Scripture reminds us that Jesus is not distant from the struggles of His people.
The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the perfect and eternal High Priest. Under the old covenant, the high priest represented the people before God by offering sacrifices for sin. Yet every earthly priest was himself a sinner and needed atonement. His ministry pointed forward to something greater that God had planned from the beginning.
Jesus fulfilled what every priest could only foreshadow. Because He lived a sinless life, His sacrifice was complete and sufficient for all who trust in Him. He does not merely understand our weaknesses from a distance. Having taken on human flesh, He experienced temptation, sorrow, weariness, and suffering, yet He remained without sin. This means that when we come to Him in prayer, we come before One who knows our struggles perfectly and intercedes for us with compassion.
This truth also gives the believer confidence. We do not need an earthly mediator to bring us before God. Through Christ alone we have access to the throne of grace, where mercy and help are always available in our time of need. Our confidence is not rooted in our own faithfulness, but in the finished work of our Savior, who forever serves as our High Priest before the Father.
Hebrews also reminds believers to grow beyond spiritual infancy. God desires that His people mature through the steady study and application of His Word so they can discern truth, walk in obedience, and know Him more deeply. Spiritual maturity comes through continual dependence on Christ and faithful attention to Scripture.
Rest today in the assurance that your Savior not only understands your need, but also continually represents you before the Father.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for giving us Jesus, our perfect and eternal High Priest. Help me draw near to You with confidence, trusting in His finished work and growing each day in the knowledge of Your Word. Amen.
Related Sermon:
Digging Deeper:
- Hebrews 4:14-16 ↗ - Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace through our compassionate High Priest.
- Hebrews 7:23-25 ↗ - Christ’s eternal priesthood secures His continual intercession for believers.
- Hebrews 9:11-15 ↗ - Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 ↗ - Christ’s sacrifice gives believers confident access into God’s presence.
- Hebrews 5:12-14 ↗ - Spiritual maturity comes through continual growth in God's Word.
- 1 Timothy 2:5 ↗ - Jesus Christ is the one Mediator between God and mankind.
- Romans 8:34 ↗ - Christ intercedes for His people at the Father’s right hand.
- John 17:15-19 ↗ - Jesus intercedes for His disciples.
- 1 John 2:1-2 ↗ - Christ is our Advocate with the Father.