God Whispers three reasons Jesus Is the Great High Priest.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4: 14-16 NASB. 

Then

When I was eleven years old, I was sitting under a tree at a youth camp, and vividly, I saw Jesus. We had just heard a speaker tell us the plan of salvation from the Roman Roadway, and we were asked if we wanted to invite Jesus into our lives. As I sat on the grass, it was as if Jesus came and sat beside me. I had no choice but to accept the invitation to accept Him as my Lord and Savior.

Now

Fast forward to today, serving Jesus is my greatest delight. My testimony is that I had a period of unfaithfulness. Also, I had a time when food was an idol for me. Oftentimes now, I struggle with the sins of procrastination and not telling the complete truth. Gratefully, I am a sinner saved by grace; I am a saint who sometimes sins. Yet, I am forgiven because Jesus is my great high priest.

Jesus our Great High Priest

Jesus, who knew no sin, became the perfect sin offering to have eternal life; I have the gift of forgiveness from my sins. He was the perfect lamb who was slain. We first read about the sacrifice of an animal in the life of Abraham when he was asked to offer his son Issac. When Issac asks his father where the lamb is to sacrifice, Abraham tells Issac that the Lord will provide. Then we meet Aaron and the other priest in Exodus. Finally, we learn about the inner room of the temple, the Holy of Holies, where the priest presented the offering for the sins of himself and the people.

Jesus became the sin offering and died on the cross, but unlike the other priest, he arose from the dead and now is at the right hand of God to intercede for us. He gave up his rights as God, and was born a virgin, and lived as a man who suffered and was tempted so that he can identify with our temptations, and he provides the bridge between man and God. He is the mediator that paid the ultimate price so that we might have eternal life.

We no longer need a priest to sprinkle the shed blood of a sacrifice on the mercy seat. Jesus shed his blood to cover the multitude of our sins. As verse fourteen says, Jesus passed through the heavens and is God’s son. No other priest has done this.

I mentioned the high priests who entered the Holy of Holies once a year and sprinkled the blood under the mercy seat. Well, under the old covenant, the priests would pass through the outer court, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people’s sin.

Jesus passed through three heavens: the atmospheric, the stellar heaven, and the heaven where God dwells. So he’s not like any priest that’s ever walked this earth. And I think that’s pretty clear, too, of all the evidence we see in the gospel of the differences of Jesus and the things He did and the compassion that He had. There is a song Jesus I lift Your Name on High that I love. Will you lift His name on high. 

Another way He is our great high priest, Jesus sympathies with our weakness. He relates to us in a way that no one else does. He understands our temptations and provides a way out of the temptation. I mentioned when food was an idol for me. The way out of the temptation is not to buy the food that is a trigger for me. If you struggle with debt, don’t have a credit card, or have one with a small balance you can charge.  If you struggle with procrastination, set up a schedule. My mom used to get up early and do her housework and then took a nap. She had a schedule, and she followed the schedule.

Lastly, we read in the last verses that Jesus had compassion, and we can draw near to Him who knew no sin. We see Jesus’s compassion when he heals the woman with the issue of blood and when he healed the person with paralysis. His actions are recorded in the New Testament. How have you seen Jesus’s compassion?

Conclusion

I am a work in progress but I really want to embrace that Jesus is our Great High Priest.

Father God, for my reader that is struggling with sin, may she resist the temptation to sin by turning to Jesus. May she remember that Jesus Paid It All and all to Him we owe. May she draw near to Jesus by praying and reading God’s Word daily. In Jesus’s name. Amen

What sin are you struggling with? Jesus will provide the way away from temptation. Will you identify and give Jesus your struggle?