"I Deserve Hell", but... - 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. 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."
Hebrews 4:14-16
In verse 13 of Hebrews 4 we are faced with the reality that all of our activities, thoughts, and even motives are laid bare before God whom we must give an account. That is a frightening thought apart from the grace of God. But it is true! All of our sin is an open book to God. We can't hide it or cover it up... He knows! So on the heals of that sobering thought, the author of Hebrews gives the reader good news. We have a High Priest!
Now certainly a Jewish audience would be very familiar with what a high priest is. In the Old Testament, a high priest was the people's representative before God. He would be the only one of the priests who would be allowed to enter the Most Holy Place where God would manifest His presence. The high priest was a mediator between us and God. Jesus is our High Priest! He represents us before His Father. But we have something in our favor... He is a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way while He walked this earth and yet was without sin. He made Himself vulnerable by taking on flesh, so He knows our weaknesses. When you and I are tempted, He knows that it is hard to overcome, that is why our great High Priest does three activities for the people He represents.
First He gives us confidence when approaching God the Father. As we approach God there is a confidence that we come with that is not based on our own merit or spirituality, it is solely based on the merits of Jesus. He is our confidence when approaching the Father because He is representing us.
Second we receive mercy! I don't know if you grasp the depth of that word (I am not sure that I do), but it is a powerful thing. Mercy by definition is not receiving what we deserve. In the context of our relationship with God, our sin deserves death... separation from God. We deserve the wrath of God being poured out on us. The simple fact that God allowed Adam and Eve to live was an act of mercy, and thus our living is by His mercy as well. I have a friend who wrote a song "I Deserve Hell", that was written because he felt the weight of that truth. It is true! That is what we deserve, but mercy came running! I have been shown mercy! That is what our High Priest gives to us.
Third we find grace in our time of need. Grace is another beautiful word and is an extension of mercy. It means to receive favor that you don't deserve. God gives us His favor! We don't earn it or in any way deserve it, He just gives it to His people. So when we are struggling and are in desperate need of help, He gives us His favor!
Jesus can relate to His people! He understands and can sympathize with our weaknesses. He knows how difficult faith can be! He knows how difficult falling into Satan's lure can be! He knows how strong the pull of this world can be! So don't give up! Hold on the faith you profess! When you say things like, "How could God still love me?", remember that you have a sympathetic High Priest that is ready to extend mercy and give grace! Approach your God boldly based on the merits of Christ and say, "Help!" Watch His favor come!
Comments
She says: So what did his son die for if we still sin? It doesn’t make sense and never will.
He says: Because the law made nothing perfect.
She says: Law has nothing to do with it.
He says: Then what is sin that we even need a law?
She says: His son did not die for sin or it wouldn’t exist still. Its that easy. Dieing means something is over, it doesn’t continue on, sin continues on.
He says: That’s interesting. Probably why some say Hell is on Earth.
She says: I’m sure.
What do you say?
All my life, in the time I’ve reverenced God through Christ’s blood there has been opportunities to share his Love. Either a short time in prison with inmates playing cards or a nursing home, the workplace, in my house, online, and every place two or more are gathered. Honestly, if there was a chance to be Peter - I wouldn‘t want it! One person in the above script (I won’t specify which) struggles with the idea of a Trinity. Partakers of Christ are sanctified while the cure for unbelief is being read out before your eyes. Faith grows and it is contagious - get my drift?
(Τετραχηλισμενα) I’m trying to teach these neat looking languages to myself in many different ways and as far as I see my Microsoft screwed up by capitalizing the wrong letter - “But in all things” let’s not take action against them… This is from the verb τραχηλιζω which talks of slaying according to Adam Clarks Commentary. Supposedly,
It indicates the neck and head to be tilted backwards exposing the face as to be sure of the subject being butchered, slain, sacrificed, flayed, cut open, split in half (see 2Timothy 2:15 doesn’t seem to resonate with those words to me). Metaphorically perhaps it’s the reason we can handle God’s word which is a gift all on its own. This is why I brought up Isaac rather than speaking about what is written. What is written is inspired and what was sacrificed In Abrams day was probably the reason for the word in Lev. 18:21.
A few times I’ve seen body’s in this nature. Cut up and laid bare naked yet some were rotten with disease. I recall sucking the blood out of a woman until her cavity was dry then stuffed all her organs back into a hefty bag to be sown inside the flesh of her cold, white, saddened, body. I recall the owner of Sea Oaks Golf club with his face fully exposed and his eye ball hanging from the left socket. Another victim and another day we skinned a scalp over a face to remove his brain. Numerous times we just did what this author described by cutting down the center and sawing through to divide the body in half obtaining all the putrid smell of a dead, defecated, disgusting, successful autopsy. Imagine what Mary felt seeing her Son like that!!! I’ll give my best example, probably couldn’t look at Him just like I couldn’t look at my son in front of the blue curtain. The last thing I wanted to see was Joseph (my son) being pulled out of a cut open bare body like the naked dead from the morgue. This passage really focuses on the sacrifice but I praise the Lord for a beautiful image He left us before the ascension after the resurrection.