Let's take our Bibles and turn
to Hebrews 5. Hebrews chapter 5. I'd like to look at a couple
of verses tonight. Verse 7 and 8. We've been looking at what the
Holy Spirit has revealed concerning our Lord Jesus Christ who is
the great High Priest. Now, you understand that we must
have a High Priest. You see, Almighty God is not
going to be approached in any other way except in absolute
holiness. He is, the Scripture says, of
pure eyes than to behold iniquity. To try to approach Almighty God
without a high priest is to be consumed. God is a consuming
fire. Now what we're doing here is
we're beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, He who is our great High
Priest, God Almighty and man. Not half and half, you know that.
Totally God, totally man. That's why the Scripture says,
great is the mystery of godliness. manifested in the flesh. I mean,
we can understand half and half, but not half and half. Totally
God, totally man. The great high priest, so that
he is able to touch both parties as you will with absolute knowledge,
perfect understanding. wisdom himself. Now this passage
tonight is going to give us some great insight into the work and
the person of our Lord Jesus Christ who absolutely earned
the right to approach God as man, earned it. Now, I know that as God Himself,
He is deity, perfection. But I tell you this, as man,
He obeyed God absolutely perfectly. And here we are going to behold.
Now, this is the One that represents His people. This is the One who
is right now ever-living, to make intercession for his people.
This is the one that God Almighty is looking at and looking to,
beholding him as our surety, as our substitute, as our federal
head, as our intercessor, as our life. This is the one right
here. who absolutely has obeyed God
for us. Now, verse 7 says, Who in the
days of His flesh, that is, in the days of His earthly ministry. Now, you know that the Scripture
says in John 1 that the Word, John 1.14, the Word was made
flesh. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word
was made flesh. He took upon Himself that nature,
associating Himself in our nature, actually made flesh, human, who
in the days of His flesh Now, I know that right now He's still
in that body, the body in which He suffered, the body in which
He obeyed God, that body in which He walked on this earth. He's
still in that body right now. That's what the angel told the
disciples when they beheld Him ascending up into heaven. You
men of Galilee, why stand you here gazing into the heavens?
The same Jesus that you see taken up shall return in like manner.
Just like that. He is right now in the very flesh,
the very nature in which we will behold Him eternally. The disciples saw Him. They saw Him ascending into heaven.
They saw Him on that cross. The disciples saw Him on the
seashore after He had risen. He ate some fish with Him. They
ate some honeycomb with Him. They looked at Him. Peter says,
Our eyes beheld Him. Our hands handled the Word of
Life. And that same One that those
apostles and many that saw Him, knew Him, believed Him, we are
going to see Him again. Just like that. But in the days
of His flesh, That One that came into this world and lived on
this earth, when He, the Scripture says, had offered up prayers
and supplication with strong crying and tears unto Him that
was able to save Him from death, He was heard in that He feared.
Now here is the Lord Jesus Christ associating Himself perfectly
with His people, doing that which He alone could do, shown to be
truly identified with His Bride. Here He is. The Scripture sets
forth offering up prayers, supplications, strong crying and tears unto
the Father Himself. The actual weight of our sin that He bore, it was His. This is something that you and
I cannot possibly enter into. I live and you live in a body
in which Paul the Apostle reveals that there is a body of death. That's what Paul said. Who shall
separate me from the body of this death? And here we are. We're living in a body and you
and I, are not able to enter into the depth of sin. Now, we know something of it,
and truly it does grieve us. But I'll tell you, we don't know
really what sin is. We know something about the effects
of it, and it grieves us when we do see the effects of it in
ourselves. And we do. We do see it. But
here the Lord Jesus Christ offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears in what He bore. Now, He's living
or lived on this earth, walking on this earth, bearing the weight of obedience. for His people. He bore that weight. He bore that trial, that temptation. He was tried and tempted in all
points just like we are. Now listen in Psalm. Turn to
Psalm 40, verse 7. Psalm 40, verse 7. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book, It is written of me." Now, you know this is
the Lord Jesus Christ speaking. I delight to do thy will, O my
God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness
in the great congregation. Lo, I have not refrained my lips,
O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart. I have declared Thy faithfulness
and Thy salvation. I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness
and Thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not Thy
tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let Thy lovingkindness and Thy
truth continually preserve me, for innumerable evils have compassed
me about. Mine iniquities have taken hold
upon me so that I am not able to look up. faileth me or forsakes me." Now
here is the prayer of our Lord. He's admitting, mine iniquities. Well, you know that He was without
sin personally. So whose iniquities are they? Well, it's the iniquities of
His people. Here He is bearing up, offering up prayers and supplications. He bore before the Father petitions
and entreaties for us and prayed for us as we couldn't. We don't even know what to say,
Mike. What do we ask for? How do we call upon Him? We don't even know what the depth
of our depravity is. And here's the Lord Jesus Christ
with strong crying. It means with strength and ability. That's the strong crying. The
strong crying, the ability. Tears. Real tears. Who in the days of
His flesh, offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying and tears. Here is one that truly bore before
the Father what you and I only in fleeting moments and frailly
feel. We feel somewhat of the weight
every once in a while. It seems like just for a moment.
I've said this before. It seems just for a fleeting
moment. And I know it's just so frail and weak. I don't know
what I am. I don't know what I am. But it
just seems like just sometimes, every once in a while, I think
I might get a glimpse of something that just grieves me. Oh, oh. Does it grieve you when you pray
and all of a sudden, as I've mentioned this before, and you
just all of a sudden realize My mind is somewhere else. You remember when the Lord told
His disciples, He asked them to pray with Him. He came back.
They were asleep. He said, Could you pray? You
couldn't even stay awake? Have you ever seen something
of that in yourself? Here He was with strength and
ability Bearing before the Father, He who knew no sin, petitioning
for us, asking on His own merit, bearing the feelings of our infirmities,
knowing what we felt, knowing what we are. Here He is, mine
iniquities, He said, taking hold on me. bearing up unto Him prayers and
supplications that was able to save Him from death. He didn't say able to save Him
from dying, because He died. But able to save Him from the
power of death. Eternal death. Eternal separation. Almighty
God is going to be obeyed. Almighty God is going to be approached
in holiness. And He is the only One. Without
Him, there is no hope for mankind. Here He is, bearing before the
Father with strong ability. And here is what the Scripture
says, and He was heard. He was heard in that He feared. In the margin of your Bible,
you may notice where it says, in that He feared for His piety,
for His holiness, for His obedience, for His rightness. He was heard. Turn to Psalm 145, verse 18. He was heard. Think of the hope
that we have. Think of the hope that we have
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the one that is petitioning
with strong crying and tears, bearing the iniquities of His
people, bearing their burden, coming before the Father as the
representative of His people and making their pleas to be
the plea that He asked the Father for. With strong crying, dealing with the Father on His
own merit. And the Scripture says, He was
heard and that He reverenced. But when I think about what did he say? What did he
ask? Oh, I tell you this, we get great
insight when we read John 17, that high priestly prayer. But
you think about this, our great high priest in the days of his
flesh, walking as the representative of all of his people, doing business
for them before God Almighty, A strong ability. Crying in tears. And you and I, we don't even
know. What do we ask? What do we do? Oh, we need a high priest. We
need one that knows what is it going to take to approach God. Psalm 145, verse 18, 19. The
Lord is nigh. unto all them that call upon
Him." To all that call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of
them that fear Him. He also will hear their cry and
will save them. Now, let me ask you this. The Lord is near unto all them
that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Christ. He said, I'm the way. I'm the
truth. I'm the life. He will fulfill
the desire of them that reverence Him. He'll hear their cry and
save them. How would we ever be heard by
God Almighty if we did not fear and reverence Him perfectly? I'm not talking about this little
menial, insignificant sort of, kind of. No, I'm talking about
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him perfectly. We need a high priest. We need
one. I know He is near in omniscience,
omnipresence. Oh, but in sympathy and favor? He is a very present help, the
Scripture says, in trouble. Fulfills the desire of those
that reverence Him and hears. He hears. He hears their cry. Not an angel. He hears them.
I think about the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Two or
three are gathered. He hears. Folks talk concerning
Him, talk about Him, fellowship in Him, a book of remembrance.
He hears. This is real. This is real. We're actually going, those that
know Him, those that love Him, those that trust Him, Those He's
regenerated, I'm telling you, we're really going to see Him.
We're really going to see Him and truly be with Him. Isn't
that a joyful thought? Because of His holiness, righteousness,
because of His life, His nature, the Father heard His plea on
behalf of His people. He hears Him. For our sake. For the sake of Him who is obedient.
But He was doing it for us. For His people. Remember when
the Lord told Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith fail
not. I think about this. Stop and realize you believe
Him right now. He's praying for you that your faith fail not.
And the Father hears Him. and will fulfill the desire of
them that fear Him. I do want to trust Him. Lord,
don't leave me to myself. Lord, help me. Lord, if You were
which He never, He ever liveth, but if You ceased to intercede
for me, we're gone. He ever liveth. He was heard, and that he feared,
he reverenced." Not that he was fearful. I didn't say that. He reverenced. He feared. Reverentially feared. I'm sure
that he was tempted with natural fear. I don't doubt for a second
that he was tempted because the Scripture says he was in all
points tempted like as we are. But you know what we do? We succumb
to it. The frailty of our flesh. O ye of little faith, why? The
Lord says, why were you fearful? He reverenced. That's what that
word fear means. When the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Scripture says back in Mark, in Mark 14.33, while he was in
the garden. Let me read this to you. He taketh
with him Peter and James and John, and he began to be sore
amazed and very heavy. Now here's the Lord Jesus Christ,
sore amazed. I tried to look this up and find
out. what I could concerning those
words. He was sore amazed and very heavy
in the garden praying. The word sore amazed, there he
was astonished. And the word heavy means in anguish. He knew perfectly well what he
was going to suffer. He was able to behold the terrors
of the wrath of God as they arrayed themselves before him. He knew. He knew. People today Man by nature, he walks around
and he has no concern whatsoever with the end. Now, you know that. Man by nature doesn't care. It
doesn't bother him. He doesn't even think about it. Now, you know, we know something.
A believer, let me say this, and the way I'm going to say
it, I mean this in a very respectful way. But when we make our calling
and election sure, we're continually... This is what a believer thinks
about. His relationship to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Every time that a believer comes
and hears the gospel, they want to hear, as I've said so many
times before, this is what I want to hear. Tell me one more time. Tell me how the Lord has put
away my guilt. And tell me again that it's all
of grace. There's nothing that I can do. It's not my works of righteousness.
Okay. Alright. And we have no confidence
in the flesh. Oh yes, that's right. That's
right. It's like you're continually checking on yourself against
the Word of God. You never, never lightly consider
this. You never do. But an unbeliever
thinks nothing of it. It's just another day. A believer knows this life is
but a vapor. But he knows nothing. I know
nothing. of the wrath of Almighty God.
I know nothing. I can read in the Scriptures
of eternal judgment and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Carl, I don't even know. I don't
know. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, He
took Peter and James and John. He went into the garden and began
to pray as it were, great drops of blood. He began, the Scripture
says, to be sore amazed. He was astonished at what he
must bear. He allowed himself the actual
contemplation of God's judgment upon sin. He was sore amazed. Father, if
it be Your will, that this cup could pass for me. Nevertheless,
not my will but Thine be done." When he was sweating, as it were,
great drops of blood, what do you think he was contemplating? Here's one that with strong crying,
supplication, tears, doing business with his father, He who knew
no sin made sin. And dealing with God Almighty,
as Brother Scott would always tell us, God doing something
for Himself before He can do anything for us. He didn't waver. He never flinched. He always obeyed. Always referenced. This is my beloved Son, whom
I am well pleased." He never doubted God. He knew what he
was bearing. He said, I lay down my life,
my iniquities. We fear because of a lack of
faith. Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? But then the
Scripture says, verse 8, Though he were a son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered." The Son of God. God in the flesh. Son of man also. And therefore, to be our Savior,
He must be made like unto His brethren and suffer exactly what
they suffer. He must be a man of sorrows,
acquainted with grief. He took all that we possess and
have in our fallen nature and made it his own. He learned obedience. What does that mean? He experienced
it. That's what the word learned
means. He experienced obedience. He actually had to obey God. It was an actual obedience. Romans
8.32 says, He that spared not his own son. It means God the
Father spared him nothing. He suffered what we deserved. in his life and in his death,
there was no suffering that the Father spared him. There was
no experience. There was no temptation. He was
tempted in all points. You say, yeah, but I tell you,
I bet he wasn't tempted. I mean, there's been some...
He was tempted in all points, like as we are. The Father did
not spare him anything. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all. How shall He not with Him freely
give us all things?" Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ in human nature,
by personal obedience, experienced human sufferings. And He acquired
the full apprehension of that suffering. He knew what He was
suffering. He experienced and obeyed in his sufferings, and
he earned the righteousness that is imputed
to all his people, all that believe. Hebrews 2.18 says, For in that
he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor,
comfort them that are tempted. There's nothing that you've ever
suffered that He didn't suffer. There's nothing that's ever tried
you that He wasn't tried with. There's nothing that you've ever
gone through that He didn't go through. I'm telling you, there
is One who is right now seated in the heavenlies, who is our great High Priest
able to approach God Almighty on His own merit, He who has
satisfied God Almighty and that righteousness that He earned. That's the righteousness in which
we're robed, robed in Him, accepted in Him, accepted in the Beloved. In that day, that great day,
in Him, to hear the Father say, in Him, well done, thy good and
faithful servant. We will say as the four and twenty
elders say, Thou art worthy to receive all honor and glory and
praise. Oh, we need a high priest. We
need one that will answer for us. God Almighty, for Christ's
sake, He's satisfied. Satisfied. Satisfied. That's the best news I've ever
heard. Accepted in Him.