Let us turn to God's Word, turning
to Hebrews, but not the seventh chapter, although we read the
whole of that remarkable chapter, which speaks of Christ, of course,
a priest after the order of Melchizedek. But I really want to center your
thoughts upon the words that we find previously in chapter
4, and there at verse 15. in Hebrews chapter 4 and the
15th verse. Familiar text, I'm sure, for
we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin. We were considering last Thursday
evening words in Psalm 75 and thought about Christ in particular
as he occupies that position, the office of the judge. God
is the judge. He puts down one and raises up
another. The Father judges no man, says
Christ in John chapter 5. But hath committed all judgment
unto the Son. That's true. Today, the day of
grace, as it will be evidently true in that great day of judgment. And how does the Lord execute
his office as judged now by the ministry of his word, as his
own ministry was ever a discriminating ministry. So even yet, the Lord
will come and sift the people by his words. and he'll raise
up one, he'll put down another. He will expose the false religion
of the hypocrites, but establish those who are his true people. But having said a little then
with regards to Christ in that particular office, I thought
it might be profitable just to say a little more with regards
to this priestly office. We often think in terms of those
three great offices of the Christ. He is prophet, he is king, but
he is also a priest and he is greater than the priest of Aaron. And that is
evident of course in the chapter we were reading There in chapter
7 verse 11, if therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
for under it the people received the law. What further need was
there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek
and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law The law is associated with the Aaronic priesthood,
but the priesthood of Christ, of course, is very much associated
with the gospel of the grace of God. And what a different
order of priests is this. In chapter 5 and verse 5 we read,
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest,
But he that said unto him, Thou art my son, today have I begotten
thee. As he saith also in another place,
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. That mysterious character then
that is spoken of repeatedly in that seventh chapter where
we were reading just now Verse 14 in chapter 7, it is evident
that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake, nothing
concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident,
for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there arises another
priest, who is made, not after the Lord of a carnal commandment,
but after the power of an endless life. is a never-ending priesthood. He testifieth thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek. The uniqueness then of the priesthood
of the Lord Jesus Christ and as we come to consider it I want
to say three things concerning the priesthood of Christ. It's
a sinless priesthood It's a suffering priesthood and it's a sympathetic
priesthood. It is altogether singular, the
priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, it's stated
quite plainly here in the text that he is one who is without
sin. in all points, tempted like as
we are, yet without sin. And we have it there at the end
of the reading in chapter 7, such an High Priest became us
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made
higher than the heavens. We know that those who were After
the order of Aaron were, of course, all of them sinful men. They
are, like we, the descendants of Adam and Eve, and all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God. It is not a just
man upon the earth that doeth good, and sinneth not. And so, in chapter 5, every high
priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining
to God. that he may offer both gifts
and sacrifices for sins, who can have compassion on the ignorant
and on them that are out of the way, for that he himself also
is compassed with infirmity, and by reason hereof he ought
as for the people so also for himself to offer for sins. The Aaronic priest then must
offer the sacrifices as much for themselves as for the people,
they were sinners but here is one who is a sinless priest but
he is also a suffering priest although sinless, how much he
suffered And that reminds us, of course, of who this person
is and the necessity, really, of the Incarnation. And St. Paul already spoke of
that previously in the second chapter of the Epistle. He took
not upon him the nature of angels, this one, but he took upon him
the seed of Abraham. For as much as the children were
partakers of flesh and blood, he likewise took parts of the
same. In all things, in all things
it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren. He must be
a man, Oh, he must be a man that he might be susceptible to sufferings. And yet, at the same time, he
must be God because he is going to make the great sin-atoning
sacrifice. He's not only the priest, he's
also the Lamb. The Lamb of God that taketh away
the sin of the world. What is going to be laid upon
this one? even all that punishment that
was due to the sinner he is therefore God and yet he is a real man
and he is susceptible to sufferings and he experiences real sufferings
in order that he might be susceptible to sympathy so that he can sympathize
with his people That's what the text is saying, surely. We have not an High Priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He is able
to feel for his people because of the reality of his human nature. And in his human life, although
he is sinless, he knows what it is to endure all our sinless
infirmities, although He is made low and little. What does it say there in chapter
2 and verse 9? We see Jesus. We see Jesus who was made a little
lower than the angel, Again at verse 10, it became
him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing
many sons unto glory to make the captain of their salvation
perfect through sufferings. Here is one then who knew our
sinless infirmities. He knew what it was to be wearied
in his journey. There in John 4, as he must need
to go through Samaria and he comes to Sychar, he sits at the
well because he's wearied in his journey. He has real human
emotions, he is touched, he's moved within his soul at the
grave of his friend Lazarus. And when he sees the grief of
the sisters, Mary and Martha, how he's troubled in his spirit.
Oh, there are those infirmities. He's even crucified through weakness,
we're told, in 2 Corinthians 13.4. What a statement, that
this one who is never anything less than God, the eternal Son
of God, yet when we see him in his human nature, thereupon the
cross is crucified says the apostle through weakness and think of
the line of the hymn the strength of God is owned by all but who
is weakness knows who is weakness knows he didn't come into this
world as a full-grown man like the first Adam We are told, aren't
we, the first man is of the earth, earth. Adam was made out of the
dust of the earth. God forms him a perfect man and
breathes into his nostrils a breath of life. And there he is, a mature
man. The first man is of the earth,
earth. The second man, we read, is the Lord from heaven. And how is he brought into this
world? Why? He is conceived. He is conceived
by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The words
of the angel there in Luke chapter 1, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, therefore
also that holy thing. That holy thing, that human nature.
The body, the soul is formed there, conceived in the virgin's
womb, the miracle of the virgin birth. And we're told, aren't
we, the government is upon his shoulders. Remember the language
that we have there in Isaiah 9 and verse 6 concerning this
one and his name. and the government upon his shoulders
and he's called by all those remarkable names Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace and so forth and he is
that one who is upholding all things and governor of all things
the judge of all the earth even as a little babe his shoulders
held up heaven and earth when Mary held up him all the wonder
of these things the Lord Jesus is a real man and one who ultimately
will be crucified through weakness and yet we know weakness is not
sinful he is without sin he is without sin there's a difference
isn't it between this man and the other man the first man of the earth, earthy,
the second man the Lord from heaven. But that first Adam was made a living soul, the last
Adam we're told is made a quickening spirit. There is a difference
between them. Adam is the type of the Lord
Jesus, but the anti-type is far greater than the type. Adam was
was sinless, Adam was holy, he was made in the image and likeness
of God but Adam was peccable, it was possible that Adam could
sin and he did sin, he transgressed and he fell but Christ is that
one who is sinless, holy, impeccable he was tempted, yes in all points
yet without sin he never sinned, he couldn't sin And yet here
we see him, you see, as that man upon the earth, and we see
something surely of the necessity of those temptations that he
suffered. It says as much again here in
our text, in all points, tempted like as we are, touched in that
sense, with the feeling of our infirmities. Of course, the word
that we have here, that's rendered tempted, is a word that's really
very broad in its meaning. It literally means not just to
tempt, but to try, to test, to prove. Back in chapter 2 and
verse 18, we read, for in that he himself hath suffered, being
tempted, he suffered being tried and being tested. Now, doesn't
God in a sense test him and try him? God tested his people, God tested
Abraham. By faith, we read later in chapter
11, that great chapter of the faithful from the Old Testament,
by faith, Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac. We have the record of that back
in Genesis 22. No, there in our authorized version
it talks of God tempting Abraham. God doesn't tempt, but God does
try his people. God cannot be tempted with evil.
Neither tempteth he any man, we're told in James chapter 1.
But the Lord Jesus Christ as as man, the God-man here upon
earth, though he were a son, yet learned the obedience, we
are told, by the things that he suffered. Oh, how he was tried,
how he was tried there when he came to the end and his sufferings
upon the cross, and that remarkable cry when he feels so derelict,
so deserted, and he saw my God. My God, he cries, why hast thou
forsaken me? What a triumph. What a testing,
but he's obedient. God tested him and we know in
the course of his life many times the Lord was tempted by wicked
men. They were always wanting to find
an opportunity to accuse him of something or
other. In John chapter 8 we read of
them presenting this woman to him who was taken in adultery,
it says, in the very act. And what do they say? Now Moses
in the law commanded us that such should be stoned. But what
sayest thou? This they said, tempting him,
that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus spook down with
his fingers or with his finger wrote on the ground, and so he
heard them not. Remember what the Lord says to
the woman. He tells her, neither do I condemn
them, but go and sin not, he says. How they would tempt the Lord
Jesus, wicked men. Again in Luke 11, 16 we read
others tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. And not only were they ready
to tempt, but they were also there to taunt him. They taunted
him when he was on the cross. Those that passed by were told
reviled him, wagging their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest
the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. But he would be obedient, he
would endure to the end. He would make that great sacrifice,
loving his own. He loves them to the end, even
all the bitterness, all the suffering, all the taunts of men that he had to
endure there upon the cross. And we know of course how repeatedly
Satan would tempt him. when we read through the Gospels
we see there's a great deal of satanic activity, not surprising
really here is God manifesting the flesh and the demons knew him and now
they oppose him the elusive of the prince of the demons is the
one there in the wilderness we are told aren't we how the
The Spirit leads him after his baptism. He's led of the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan. And what a contrast
there between the first Adam and the last Adam. Adam fell
in paradise and Christ resisted the devil in the wilderness.
And the devil leaves him for a season, although The devil
will come again, and again, and again. When the Lord comes to
the end, he can say to his disciples, you are they that have continued
with me in my temptations. All the sufferings of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He resisted all the temptations. The prince of this world cometh,
he says to his disciples, and findeth nothing in me. Oh, there
was nothing to say. He's impeccable. He could never
sin. And yet, how that wicked one
brings everything out of his arse. These were the most severest
of all the temptations that were ever experienced by a man. And
so we're told here, he's able to succor. Oh, he's able to succor
all them that are tempted. What does this word Sucker suggest? It's an interesting word that
we have there in chapter 2 and verse 18. It's a combination of two words. It's the verb to cry and the
verb to run. They cry and what does he do?
He runs. When they cry he comes. Whenever the poor tempted sinner
then would look to one who can help him, here is one, he succors
them. He comes to their aid, he comes
to help them. Oh, the wonder you see of the
Lord Jesus. God tells us there is no temptation
taken you but what is common to man. But with the temptation
God makes a way of escape that his people may be able to bear
it. How do they bear it? when they call upon Christ. And
now Christ will come to his people and comfort his people because
he's not only a suffering priest, he's a sympathetic priest. And so thirdly, to say something
with regards to that aspect of his priestly office and the strength
of the language here, we've commented on it previously, we have not
and high priests which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities. We have not which cannot and
the double negative. I like the comment of the Scots
commentator John Brown, he says this double negation is equivalent
to a very strong assertion. This double negation, this double
negative we have not which cannot is equivalent to a very strong
assertion or this one most truly can and does feel for those who attempt it
he's touched, he's touched and again this is another interesting
word because it has the idea of suffering, but suffering in association,
suffering with. And that's why we get the word
sympathy. In all their affliction, he was afflicted. He feels for
his people. He's bone of their bone, he's
flesh of their flesh, the reality of his human nature. We rightly
make much of the truth of his divine nature, that he is God. He is the Son of God, he is equal
to the Father, he is equal to the Holy Spirit. But it is the
wonder of the person of Christ, isn't it, that he is also a man
and a real man. And he can feel for his fellow
men, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayer
and supplication with strong crying and tears unto him that
was able to save him from death and was hurt, in that he feels. though he were a son yet learned
the obedience by the things which he suffered we have it here in
chapter 5 verses 7 and 8 and again going back to chapter 2
and what Paul is saying there in verse 18 in that he himself
hath suffered being tempted he is able to succor them that are
tempted and there's an emphasis there, isn't there? it doesn't
just say in that he hath suffered but the pronoun is repeated in
that he himself in that he himself hath suffered being tempted all this one you see is full
of sympathy, full of empathy because He's a man, and a real
man, and he feels for all his people, and yet he is that one
who is true, almighty God, he has passed into the heavens.
That's what we're told here in the previous verse, verse 14.
We have a great high priest, says Paul, that he's passed into
the heavens. He's exalted in his person, of
course he is. He's the Son of God, He's the
Son of Man, He's the Sinless One, when we think of Him. Never
a man spoke like this man, no other man like this man. The
only truly sinless man that ever lived, though Adam, though Eve
were sinless, how quickly they fell, they transgressed, they
disobeyed the commandment of God, but this man, He's that one who is indeed holy
and harmless and undefiled and separate from sinners, different
to all others, exalted then in his person but also exalted in
his position because he's in the heavens. He's in the heavens. The wonder of that place where
he is what does it say in chapter 9
and verse 24 Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven itself
now to appear in the presence of God for us he is still a man
he is still all that he was here upon the earth but now he is
risen from the dead his body is glorified but it's a real
body even after the resurrection he could prove that to his disciples
by when he shows himself to them he partakes of food with them
he eats the food, he digests the food but now he is in heaven as God-man
all the wonder then of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, all
that he is. As that one who is able to feel
for his people and continually pleads for them, prays for them.
Here we have it in the words of the text. We have not a high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but what in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Paul speaks of him then in his priestly office. He is sinless,
he has suffered, he sympathizes, and what's the implication of
it all? How is it to be applied to us? Well, in that final verse of
the chapter, verse 16, let us therefore Come boldly unto the
throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need. Or what more can we desire in
way of encouragement to come by this one? The high priest
of our profession, the only mediator, we come in his name. And as we
come in that name, surely we can come in all the expectation
of faith that the Lord will hear us and answer us. for the sake
of our Lord Jesus Christ well the Lord be pleased to bless
his word to us tonight and help us now as we come to him in prayer
but before we before we pray we'll sing our second praise in the hymn
120 and the tune evangelist 138 With joy we meditate the grace
of our High Priest above. His heart is made of tenderness.
His bowels melt with love, touched with the sympathy within. He
knows our feeble frame. He knows what sore temptations
mean, for he has felt the same. 120, Tune 138.