Our text is found in Hebrews
chapter 4. The fourth chapter in the epistle
to the Hebrews and verse 15. 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. Hebrews 4. 15. 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
seeing. To consider again then something
of the priestly office of the Lord Jesus Christ. We see in
Scripture of course His threefold office. He is the prophet is
the fulfillment of that prophetic office that one like unto Moses
remember how the great theme of the Old Testament prophet
was to the law to the testimony if they speak not according to
this word it is because there's no light in them but now there
is one greater than Moses, the law was given by Moses, grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. He's a prophet like unto Moses
but greater than Moses and he's also that one who fulfills the
kingly office. The princes and the kings in
the Old Testament ultimately point to the Lord He is King
of Kings. He is Lord of Lords. But then
also we have his priestly office. And as I said, this is the theme
really. This is the subject that is being
dealt with here. And time and again, of course,
we see it throughout this epistle to the Hebrews. There was a priest in the Old
Testament. Aaron was the priest. and Aaron's sons were those who
were to fill that priestly office. But now there is a priest that
is far greater than Aaron. We read there in chapter 7 where the Apostle speaks of course
of Melchizedek. What does he say? verse 11 of
that chapter, if therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
remember Aaron was of that tribe of Levi, 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. It is a different
order of priests that we have then under the New Testament
with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And again, there in that
chapter that we read, chapter 7, Verse 15, it says, It is yet
far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek
there arises another priest, who is made not after the law
of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless
life. For he testifieth thou art a
priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This is that
Melchizedek that you can read on back in Genesis, Remember
the account that we have there in the 14th chapter how he met
with Abraham returning from his war with the kings and of course
it's those things that are spoken of here at the beginning of chapter
7 but then going back also to chapter 5 because Melchizedek
is mentioned there in verse 6 with regards to the Lord Jesus Christ
thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek it says the Lord Jesus Christ and he's
that one who is the fulfillment of the of the priestly office
he is that one who is so fulfilled what we have in the Old Testament
that there is no more any priestly office, no more any necessity
for a priestly office, there is no more any sacrifice for
sins. He has made the one sacrifice
for sins forever. And He has now ascended heaven
itself. And there, of course, he ever
lives to make intercession. He is an interceding priest in
heaven, and all who are in him, all who are believers, are in
him kings and priests to God. They are a kingdom of priests. Well, thinking tonight of Christ
in his priestly office, as we see it in this particular verse,
chapter 4, and verse 15, 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. And I want to mention three aspects
of his priestly office. First of all, Christ is a sinless
and an eternal priest, a sinless and therefore an eternal priest. and we see also that the Lord
Jesus Christ here is a suffering priest and then finally he is
a sympathetic priest. Firstly then, we notice that
he is an eternal priesthood because he is sinless. That's what the
Apostle says concerning the contrast between the Aaronic priest in
the Old Testament and this priest the language that we have there
in chapter 7 verse 23 he says they truly were many priests
because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death
but this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood it's because he was sinless because
he continues forever that his priesthood is an eternal priesthood
clearly we see that he was altogether without sin We read that here
at the end of the text, yet without sin, it says. And although he
was truly sinless, yet as we come to move on, we see how he
suffers. He's a sinless priest. Such a
high priest became us. We're told He was holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. In contrast, those priests of
Aaron, they sinned. That's what we read at the beginning
of 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 infirmities
and by reason here rather he ought as for the people so also
for himself to offer for sins the priest has to make sacrifice
for his own sins in the Old Testament as well as sacrifices for the
sins of his people That was a priestly order that was attended to by
the sinful sons of Aaron. But how different is the priesthood
of the Lord Jesus Christ? He is all together without any
sin. Oh yes, he comes and he's not only the priest, he's the
sacrifice and he makes a great sin-atoning sacrifice and in
that he knew no sin, he's made sin for us, says Paul. He has
all the sins of his people laid upon him, imputed to him, and
he makes the sacrifice for those sins. He sheds his blood without
the shedding of blood, no remission, no forgiveness of sins. And so
he dies, but death cannot hold him. On the third day he rises again
from the dead. He is an eternal and an unchanging
priesthood because he is a sinless man but as I said though a sinless
man yet he suffers and now he suffers and we suffer temptations
and that's what we read here in the text touch with the feeling of our
infirmities in all points, tempted like as we are. Oh, he was sorely tempted. How
Satan would assault him time and time again. Again we're told
here in the end of chapter 2, in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted. He is able to succour them that
are tempted. How those temptations were such
a part of his sufferings, all that he has to endure as a man
here upon the earth, a sinless man, yes, but a man who was sorely
tested and sorely tempted. Satan will throw, as it were,
all his armaments at the Lord Jesus Christ and yet the Lord
resists him, he is altogether without sin But when we think
of him as that suffering priest, we see, do we not, the necessity
then of him becoming a real man, the necessity of his incarnation. And you know that's what Paul
says here in this epistle, there in chapter 2, for as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same. that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death. That is the devil. Though verily he took not on
him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behold
him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of his people. How plainly
the apostle declares it here. Here is the reason why he must
become a real man. He must be made like unto his
brethren in order that he might be a merciful and a faithful
high priest. The necessity of the incarnation. Oh, he must be a man. And he
must be a man in order that he is susceptible to sufferings.
If he's going to sympathize with his people, you see, he must
experience sufferings. And then he will be able to minister
to them as one able to sympathize with them in the midst of all
their sufferings and all their temptation. And so He who is
God, the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, how He humbles Himself,
how He is made, we are told, lower than the angels. There
in chapter 2, verse 9, we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste
death for every man. here is that one then who is crucified we were thinking
only on Thursday evening how he was crucified through weakness
crucified through weakness remember that was not sinful weakness
in him because in the crucifixion we see him as that one who is
clearly obedient in dying he is obedient, obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. There's nothing of sin as he
dies, although he's crucified through weakness. All we know
that he is that one who lives now by the power of God, and
the contrast there of course in him being crucified, as we
said on Thursday, is between the the weakness of his human nature
and yet constantly sustained by his divine nature because
he is the God man in that one person those two distinct nations
he is God he is man, he is God manifest in the flesh and it's
interesting to think of his coming into this world how different
it was to the first man, the first Adam When God created the
first man, He creates him as a grown man. When Adam comes
pristine from the hand of his Creator, he is in the full vigour
of his manhood. But not so the Lord Jesus Christ. The first man, we're told, is
of the earth, earthly. He's made out of the dust of
the earth. God breathes into his nostrils
the breath of life. He becomes a living soul, but
he's a full-grown man. but one of the Lord Jesus Christ
the Lord from heaven oh how he humbles himself as he comes because
he is born as a babe he is born as a babe created there in the womb of
the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost that human nature that holy thing
that was joined to the eternal son of God, the person the second
person in the Godhead and how we see him as a child
growing how he increases in wisdom and in stature it says the language
there in Luke 2.52 Jesus increased in wisdom and stature before
God and man He's a babe. He's a little young child, a
toddler. He's a little boy. He's growing.
He's growing. Just as we all grow. This is the amazing truth, is
it not, with regards to the way in which He so comes to us that
He's able to minister to us and succor us. What do we read here? We have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. All he feels
for us in all of our human nature, in every aspect, every part of
our human nature, from the womb right the way through
to the very end of our lives, he's able to sympathize with
us. and yet he's always without sin all we read of God sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he does
become the great substitute because he's not only the the priest,
he's also the sacrifice the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world and in in that sacrifice we see him
as the one who is made sin as he bears in his own person all
that punishment that was due to the sins of his people all
the necessity then of the incarnation, the reality of his human nature
in order that he might suffer and suffer for his people and
bear the punishment that was due to their sins bone of their
bone, flesh of their flesh But then also we see here something
of the necessity of the temptations. He is touched with the feeling
of all our infirmities in all points tempted like as
we are. In all points tempted like as
we are. Now the word that we have here
that's rendered tempted is broad in meaning. It has also the idea
of trying, testing, proving. It has a broad meaning. It can
be rendered, translated in different ways. Here it's translated, tempted,
like as we are. but remember what James tells
us that no man when he is tempted say I am tempted of God because
God cannot be tempted with evil and God doesn't tempt any man and yet here is the Lord and
we are told in all points he was tempted again in chapter
2 and verse 18 he himself had suffered being tempted it says
We have to recognize then there's a certain breadth in the word
that's being used here. And I want to think of, as you
were, three aspects of those trials and those temptations.
When it comes to the use of this word, which is tempt, or try,
or test, or prove, we know how God tries his people, God tests
his people. In this epistle we are told something
of Abraham, who is the father of all them that believe, and
we read of how Abraham's faith was sorely tested. Verse 17 of chapter 11, By faith
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received
the promises offered up his only begotten son. He was tried. and we have the record there
in Genesis 22 and if I remember right in our authorised version
it speaks about God tempted Abraham really it's God testing Abraham a man when he is tempted is not
to say he is tempted of God God does not tempt with evil as we've
said God does not tempt with evil but there is a trial Abraham had that trial, the father
of the faithful, and Peter speaks of the trial, does he not? The
trial of your faith, being much more precious than the gold that
perisheth, though it be found under praise and honor and glory.
Oh, there is a trial of faith. And how the Lord Jesus Christ
himself experienced the trial. Again, we're reminded of it here,
are we not, in chapter 5, in verse 7, "...who in the days
of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save
him from death, and was heard in that he feared, though he
were a son, yet learned the obedience by the things that he suffered."
All those things that he suffered, as a man learning obedience how he was sorely tried, how
he is tried when he comes to the end and he must be obedient
to the will of the Father and he must accomplish all that work
that the Father has given him to do and all the agonies that
he has to endure as he is making that great sin atoning sacrifice
there upon the cross at Calvary and he cries out in agony, O
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? God tries, God tests,
and the Lord Jesus Christ is that one and how he has come
through and accomplished all the Father's goodwill and pleasure.
But as God tries and tests, so we see how men can also tempt
and men can taunt And how the Lord Jesus has to endure that. In John 8 we read of that woman
who was taken in adultery and how they bring her and present
her to the Lord Jesus Christ. And what do we read? There in John 8 Verse 4, they say to him, Master,
this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses, in
the law, commanded us that such should be stoned, but what sayest
thou? And it says, This they said,
tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. Men tempt,
you see. But Jesus stooped down, and with
his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not,
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and
said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down and
wrote on the ground. And they which heard it being
convicted by their own conscience went out one by one, beginning
at the oldest, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone,
and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus lifted up Himself
and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are
those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She
said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither
do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more. Oh, how the Lord silences them.
Oh, they were tempting Him. They were tempting Him. They
wanted to have something that they could accuse Him of. But
the Lord silences them. Men do tempt. And that's not
the only occasion on which we see that they wanted to catch
him. Often they want to catch him in his words, they want him
to say something that they can use against him. There in Luke 11, where we read
of the accusation that was brought against him that he cast out
demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. And we're told
others tempting Him sought a sign from heaven. Or they're always
wanting something, they're tempting Him. Men tempt. Yes, God tries
and God tests and God proves His people all but the wickedness
of man. Tempting the Lord Jesus Christ
that they might taunt Him or lay some accusation against Him.
And then of course, ultimately it is Satan. Satan who is the
great tempter. and the one who is the accuser
of the brethren and how we see Satan so active at the beginning
of the Lord's ministry immediately after he was baptized by John
in the river Jordan remember how he is led of the Spirit into
the wilderness and there in the wilderness how the Lord is that
one who is now in the place of temptation. Jesus, being full of the Holy
Ghost, returned from Jordan, was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in
those days he did eat nothing, and when they were ended he afterward
hungered. And the devil said unto him,
If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made red. and Jesus answered saying it
is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every
word of God and so the devil begins his temptations if thou
be the son of God or that impious if the language that we have
there in the hymn of the Lord's temptations that hymn 300 And
12, and the third verse, if thou art the son of God, oh what an
if was there, these stones here speak them into bread and make
that sonship clear. That impious if, he thus, that
God incarnate through, no wonder if he cast it us and make us
feel it too. oh it was so impious had not
the father just owned and acknowledged him at his baptizing had not
the heavens opened and the spirit descended upon him in the form
of a dove even as the father spoke those words this is my
beloved son in whom I am well pleased and then Satan comes
with that if so impious of course he is the son of God as not the
Father just owned and acknowledged Him. He is the Lord then in the
wilderness. And that's just the beginning
of His temptations. And we contrast Him with the
with the first Adam. The first man is of the earth,
earthly, the second man the Lord from heaven. What a contrast,
there is Adam and God creates him as a grown man and God sets
him there in paradise in the Garden of Eden and makes every
provision for him and the tempter comes and Eve falls and Adam
quickly follows in that fall even in paradise they fall at
the tempter's hand and yet the Lord Jesus Christ there in a
wilderness or we resist Satan the great adversary of souls
Christ resisted him and you know we're not to think
that after those initial temptations there was little else in the
way of temptation the devil only left him for a season it says
and when he comes to the end of his ministry He can say to
his own disciples there in Luke 22, 28, He are they which have
continued with me in my temptations. His whole life here upon earth,
it's a life full of temptations. The devil coming at him time
after time after time. And when we come to the end,
we see him in a garden. Well, Adam was there in the Garden
of Eden, the Lord Jesus Christ, we witness Him there in the Garden
of Gethsemane and how there He has to wrestle with His Father
in prayer that He might execute that work that the Father has
given Him to do. Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ is
that one then who overcomes and accomplishes that great work
of redemption. And why all of this? Why all
these temptations? in order that he might succour
his people. That's what we're told previously
at the end of chapter 2. In that he himself hath suffered,
being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Or the prince of this world comes,
you see, and Christ can say, he hath nothing in me, he will
resist him but how the devil is going to come and sorely tempt
him and as it were do as much as he can and more
than he can but there's nothing he can take advantage of but
the Lord is so sorely tempted of him and all in order that
he might succour his people and these words that we have there
at the end of that second chapter to succour literally means to
help or to come to the aid of again it's one of those those compound words, it's two
words it's literally the words cry and then to run, cry and to run and
this is what the Lord does you see, we cry, we call and he immediately
responds he runs to us he's a very present help in every time of
trouble, that's his succor he's so sympathetic to his people
so he's there as it were at their beck and call oh this is how
the Lord is He comes to their aid with all haste. There is such a ministry that the Lord is able
to exercise and all because He is touched with the feeling of
all our infirmities. He was tempted in all points,
like as we are. He's a sympathetic high priest.
And so, turning to that aspect of his priesthood in the third
place. He is an eternal priest, a sinless
priest. This is the power of an endless
life. He's a suffering priest. He knew
what sore temptations were. and he is a sympathetic priest.
We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. And it's a double negative, isn't
it? We remarked on it previously. And the double negative makes
it such a strong assertion. The language is stronger when
it's put in this fashion isn't it doesn't just say that he is touched with the feeling of
our infirmities but it says we have not an High
Priest which cannot he most definitely is touched with the feeling of
all our infirmities and again What we have here in the word
touched, this verb is another compound really. It's two words brought together.
Literally, it means is with to suffer. The word with, the preposition
with, and then the verb to suffer, is with them to suffer. in all their affliction he is
afflicted that's what it means when his people are in the midst
of their suffering when they're in the midst of their afflictions
he's there he's touched he's feeling with them and for them
and why is it so? because the Lord Jesus Christ
himself has such an experimental knowledge of what sufferings
are These are the very things that he himself has had to endure.
That's the wonder of those words that we've already referred to
in chapter 5. And verse 7, where we read of
him in the days of his flesh, how he's offering up prayers,
supplications, strong crying, tears, unto the one who's able
to save him from death. Oh, he's the Son, he's the eternal
Son of God, and yet he is learning in his human experience and learning
by all those things that he is suffering and so he is able to
minister to his people the sympathetic priest is the Lord Jesus Christ
and again I go back to the words that we have at the end of that
second chapter in that he himself has suffered being tempted He
is able to succour them that are tempted. See the force of
the language again. It doesn't say in that he hath
suffered being tempted. No, it says in that he himself. There's a repetition there. It's
he himself. Like we were considering this
morning. Behold it is I myself I am myself
where there's that repetition it's emphasizing the fact that
he is one who has so known sufferings that he can
fully sympathize with his people whatever be their situation whatever
be their circumstances And this one who has himself
suffered is never anything less than true almighty God. Look at the context of the text
that we're considering, the previous verse. It says, seeing then that
we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus,
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. What does he
say here in this previous verse? Who is this person that he is
speaking of, this high priest? Why? It's the Son of God! It's the Son of God! That One
who is equal to the Father, the Eternal Son, the Only Begotten
Son, the Son of the Father in truth and in love. And what is
his position? Why? He has passed into the heavens. He has gone into heaven itself. Again, when we go further on
into the epistle, what do we read? 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. into heaven itself now to appear
in the presence of God it says. Oh we have the person who is
the person who is this high priest who has accomplished his work
here upon the earth and has made the great sin atoning sacrifice
and has risen and ascended. Why this person is none less
than the Son of God. And now having accomplished his
work, having risen, having ascended, where is he? He's in heaven. And there he is in the presence
of God. He's in the very presence of
God. And he is able to save to the
uttermost all that come to God by him. But we're going to observe the
context here. We've referred back to the previous
14th verse. We're considering the 15th verse
in particular, but there's a connection, isn't there, with what follows
in verse 16. In view of all that we've said
concerning this priest, this sinless priest, this eternal
priest, this priest who has suffered,
who is able to sympathize with his people, Paul then makes a
deduction. Let us therefore, he says. And the strength of that expression,
let us therefore. Let us come boldly to the throne
of grace, he says, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. Oh, He is there for a purpose. He's there for a purpose. To
take our poor prayers and to present them before the face
of His Father. And our poor prayers will prevail
when we come in and through His mediation, when we look to Him
as our High Priest. Remember the person, it's the
Son of God. Or remember His position, He's
in the heavens. Remember that He is in the presence
of God. And then here we have the purpose.
The purpose of it all, what's the point of it all? That we
might come boldly onto the throne of grace and there obtain mercy
and there find grace to help. Oh the Lord help us then to avail
ourselves of that blessed provision that is made when we think of
Christ in this great office. He is that one who is the high
priest of our profession. Oh the Lord grant that we might
know him and we might know what it is to be succoured by him. The Lord bless his word to us. Amen.