Jesus: Our Compassionate High Priest and Mediator

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus, Our Sympathizing High Priest

Jesus Christ, being fully God and fully man, serves as our perfect High Priest. His dual nature allows Him to understand our weaknesses and temptations intimately because He experienced them Himself. This profound truth is highlighted in Hebrews 4:14-16, where believers are encouraged to approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that Jesus sympathizes with their struggles. His empathy is not distant or theoretical; it is rooted in His real experiences of hunger, weariness, rejection, and temptation. As a compassionate High Priest, Jesus invites us to bring our burdens to Him, offering grace and mercy in our times of need. [01:26]

Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV): "Since then 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 is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Reflection: Think of a specific struggle or temptation you are facing today. How can you approach Jesus with confidence, knowing He understands and offers grace and mercy?

Day 2: The Interconnection of the Testaments

The Old and New Testaments are intricately connected, revealing the continuity of God's redemptive plan. In the Old Testament, the high priest served as a mediator between God and humanity, but Jesus surpasses this role as the ultimate High Priest. He fulfills and transcends the roles and symbols of the Old Testament, being not only a better priest but also a better sacrifice and tabernacle. Hebrews 1 affirms Jesus' divinity, describing Him as the creator and sustainer of all things, while Hebrews 2 highlights His humanity, showing that He was made a little lower than the angels to suffer and die for our sins. This interconnection underscores the unity of God's plan for redemption through Jesus Christ. [07:35]

Hebrews 10:1 (ESV): "For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near."

Reflection: Consider how the Old Testament foreshadows Jesus' role as the ultimate High Priest. How does this understanding deepen your appreciation for the continuity of God's redemptive plan?

Day 3: The Humility of the Incarnation

The incarnation of Christ is a profound act of love and humility. God, who is above all, chose to become man, experiencing suffering and death for our sake. This was not a mere symbolic gesture; Jesus truly felt the pains and pressures of human life, making Him an empathetic Savior. His incarnation demonstrates God's willingness to enter into our world and experience our struggles firsthand. This act of humility is a powerful reminder of God's love for humanity and His desire to redeem us through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. [15:19]

Philippians 2:6-8 (ESV): "Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Reflection: Reflect on the humility of Jesus' incarnation. How can you emulate His humility in your interactions with others today?

Day 4: Penal Substitutionary Atonement

The doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement is central to understanding Jesus' suffering and death. Jesus took our place, suffering the death we deserved, so that we might have life. This act underscores the depth of God's love and justice, as Jesus bore the penalty for our sins. His substitutionary suffering was not just a legal transaction but a profound expression of love and sacrifice. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus offers us forgiveness and reconciliation with God, inviting us to live in the freedom and newness of life He provides. [27:04]

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV): "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed."

Reflection: Contemplate the significance of Jesus' substitutionary atonement. How does this understanding of His sacrifice impact your view of God's love and justice?

Day 5: Christ's Compassionate Leadership

As our leader, Jesus understands the pressures we face and offers guidance and grace. He is not ashamed to call us His brethren, standing with us in our struggles and leading us toward glory. His compassionate leadership is rooted in His empathy and understanding of our human experience. Jesus' willingness to walk alongside us in our journey of faith is a testament to His love and commitment to our growth and transformation. In moments of weakness and failure, He stands ready to offer grace and help, urging us to bring our burdens to Him and follow His lead. [31:12]

Hebrews 2:11 (ESV): "For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers."

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you need Christ's compassionate leadership. How can you invite Him to guide you and offer His grace in this area today?

Sermon Summary

In our journey through the book of Hebrews, we are reminded of the profound truth that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man, making Him the perfect mediator between God and humanity. This dual nature is essential for understanding His role as our great High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and temptations. Hebrews 4:14-16 emphasizes that Jesus, having been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin, invites us to approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.

The Old and New Testaments are intricately connected, revealing the continuity of God's plan for redemption. The Old Testament high priest served as a mediator, but Jesus surpasses this role as the ultimate High Priest. He is not only a better priest but also a better sacrifice, tabernacle, and everything else that the Old Testament foreshadowed. Jesus' divinity is affirmed in Hebrews 1, where He is described as the creator and sustainer of all things, the express image of God, and superior to angels. In Hebrews 2, His humanity is highlighted, showing that He was made a little lower than the angels to suffer and die for our sins.

The incarnation of Christ is a profound act of love and humility. God, who is above all, chose to become man, to experience suffering, and to die for us. This was not a mere symbolic gesture; Jesus truly felt hunger, weariness, rejection, and temptation. His suffering was real, and it was for the purpose of identifying with us and ultimately redeeming us. The doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement is central here: Jesus took our place, suffering the death we deserved, so that we might have life.

As our High Priest, Jesus is not distant or disconnected from our struggles. He understands our pressures and hardships because He has walked in our shoes. This understanding makes Him a compassionate and empathetic Savior, who is not ashamed to call us His brethren. In our moments of weakness and failure, He stands ready to offer grace and help, urging us to bring our burdens to Him.

Key Takeaways

1. UiV4k8&t=86s'>[01:26]
2. The Interconnection of the Testaments: The Old and New Testaments work together to reveal God's redemptive plan. Jesus fulfills and surpasses the roles and symbols of the Old Testament, being the ultimate High Priest and sacrifice.

3. The Humility of the Incarnation: God's choice to become man and experience suffering is a profound act of love. Jesus' incarnation was not just symbolic; He truly felt the pains and pressures of human life, making Him an empathetic Savior.

4. Penal Substitutionary Atonement: Jesus' suffering and death were substitutionary, taking the place of sinners. This doctrine underscores the depth of God's love and justice, as Jesus bore the penalty for our sins so we might have life.

5. Christ's Compassionate Leadership: As our leader, Jesus understands the pressures we face and offers guidance and grace. He is not ashamed to call us His brethren, standing with us in our struggles and leading us toward glory.

** [01:26]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:26] - Jesus, Our Sympathizing High Priest
[02:53] - The "He Gets Us" Campaign
[05:02] - Prayer and Introduction
[07:35] - Jesus as the Perfect Mediator
[09:51] - Jesus: God and Creator
[11:36] - Jesus' Superiority Over Angels
[12:48] - Jesus as Fully Man
[14:09] - The Humility of God Becoming Man
[15:19] - The Purpose of Jesus' Suffering
[17:13] - Jesus' Death and Suffering
[18:35] - The Reality of Jesus' Suffering
[19:51] - The Necessity of Jesus' Death
[20:53] - Jesus' Empathy in Our Suffering
[22:11] - Jesus' Understanding of Rejection
[24:59] - Jesus' Experience of Temptation
[26:04] - Jesus' Love and Sacrifice
[27:04] - Substitutionary Suffering
[28:09] - The Journey to Glory
[31:12] - Christ's Compassionate Leadership
[35:40] - The Shamelessness of Suffering
[38:44] - Jesus' Unashamed Love for Us
[40:04] - Conclusion and Invitation to Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Hebrews 4:14-16, what qualities make Jesus a great High Priest? How does this passage describe His ability to sympathize with our weaknesses? [01:26]
In Hebrews 1:1-3, how is Jesus described in relation to God and creation? What does this tell us about His divinity? [09:51]
Hebrews 2:6-9 discusses Jesus being made "a little lower than the angels." What purpose does this serve according to the passage? [14:09]
How does the sermon describe the connection between Jesus' humanity and His ability to empathize with our struggles? [05:02]

Interpretation Questions

What does it mean for Jesus to be both fully God and fully man, and how does this dual nature qualify Him as the perfect mediator? [07:35]
How does the concept of Jesus as a better High Priest and sacrifice fulfill the roles and symbols of the Old Testament? [07:35]
The sermon mentions the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. How does this doctrine explain the purpose of Jesus' suffering and death? [27:04]
In what ways does Jesus' experience of human suffering and temptation enhance His role as a compassionate leader? [31:12]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt weak or tempted. How can the knowledge that Jesus sympathizes with your struggles encourage you to approach Him for help? [01:26]
The sermon emphasizes the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. How does understanding this connection deepen your appreciation for Jesus' role in God's redemptive plan? [07:35]
Consider the humility of Jesus' incarnation. How can you emulate this humility in your daily interactions with others? [15:19]
How does the concept of penal substitutionary atonement impact your understanding of God's love and justice? In what ways can this understanding influence your relationship with God? [27:04]
Jesus is described as a compassionate leader who is not ashamed to call us His brethren. How can this truth transform the way you view your identity in Christ? [31:12]
Identify a specific area in your life where you need to experience Jesus' grace and mercy. What steps can you take to bring this need before His throne of grace? [40:04]
How can you support others in your community who are experiencing struggles, knowing that Jesus has walked in their shoes and offers grace and help? [05:02]

Sermon Clips

We do not have a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. That means we do have a high priest that can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. That word infirmity means weakness, hardship. And so we have a high priest that's very well in tune and very well understands our infirmities and our weaknesses. [00:01:02]

Let us therefore, in light of the fact that he was tempted like as we are, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. You see what he's telling you and I is that we ought to come before his throne of grace and we ought to get in his presence, because he understands where we're coming from. [00:02:08]

And there is a sense in which he does get us. He does understand us. He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He understands all of the hardships. You get tired. He got tired. You get weak. He got weak. You get hungry. He got hungry. You get tempted by the devil. He got tempted by the devil. All these things he suffered like we did. [00:03:08]

Father, we want to thank you that you are a sympathizing Savior. That you do have sympathy for sinful men. You do love us. You are gracious towards us. Lord, you condescended down from the heights of heaven to get down with the lowliness of men. Lord, and walk through the muck and the mess that we've made here on this planet so you can understand what it's like for your creation to walk through this same mess. [00:05:17]

The entire purpose of Hebrews chapter number 1 is this simple fact, Jesus was God. The entire purpose of Hebrews chapter number 2 is Jesus was man. And because he is God, and because he is man, it makes him the perfect mediator. And who was the mediator in the Old Testament? It was the high priest, wasn't it? He was the mediator in between God and man. [00:07:24]

Everything from the old has been made better in the new in the person of Christ. And here's why. Number one, Hebrews 1 tells us, because Jesus was God. Look at Hebrews chapter number 1 and verse number 2. Well, let's read from verse number 1. Hebrews 1, 1. God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. [00:08:55]

This same Jesus that in chapter 1, is greater than the angels, is now being subjected to being lower than the angels. Who is higher than the angels in Hebrews 1? God is. And Jesus assumes that role. And who is lower than the angels in Hebrews 2? Man is. And Jesus assumes that role. And so Jesus is 100 % God and 100 % man in human flesh. [00:14:23]

He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. The very thing that you and I hate. The very thing that you and I are running from until we can't run from it anymore. The very thing that you and I hate. that we're weeping over because of our brother this morning and yet we're trying to get away from it. And yet here is God and He condescends and looks at death in His eyes intentionally. [00:17:13]

Somebody's got to die for sin, right? And all of us are on our way to death and on our way to a grave because of sin. Romans 6, 23 The wages of sin is death. But God just happens to love death bound sinners. And so God said I don't want them to die. I want to intervene in the middle of that. The problem is somebody's got to die because God's holiness demands it. [00:19:36]

To the hungry, Jesus has felt their hunger. Mark 11, 12 said, And on the morrow when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry. That's Jesus, was hungry. God himself got hungry. He didn't have to. He became a man just so he could get hungry. So he could suffer like you suffer. To the rejected, Jesus has felt their rejection. [00:23:02]

And whether it's temptation, whether it's hunger, whether it's weariness, whatever it is, to anybody in between, Jesus has felt what you're feeling. I don't care what the hardship was you woke up with this morning. Jesus is not separated from it. Hebrews 4 .15, he was tempted in all points. All points, like as we are. If you got a temptation, if you got a suffering, if you got a hardship, Jesus has got it too. [00:26:17]

And so Jesus, our brother, when he stands before the Father he's not ashamed to say these are my brethren. What an amazing thought. That even when you fail because you go through the pressures and you fail, you fall and you cave to the temptations he's not ashamed of you when he stands before the Father and he upholds your name. That's what makes him a good high priest. [00:37:41]

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