Hold Fast to Your Confession

Well, hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning, we're at Hebrews chapter four, verses 14 through 16. We're going to be talking about Jesus, our high priest. So have some coffee. We'll pray. I'll get into God's word. Oops. Yep. You need your microphone. You want coffee, too? Is it caffeinated? Yes, it is.
You'll pass. OK. All right. Hebrews chapter 4, 14 through 16. You want to pray for us this morning? Sure. God, thank you for a good morning that we can learn about you and learn what your word has to say and how that points to Jesus and how we can apply that in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen. All right. So I'm going to have you read verses or chapter 4, verses 14 through 16. OK.
Seeing then that 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 was in all points tempted, as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Okay, so we got three questions to ask, eh? B, what's the? And C, what are we? Called to do. All right. So this is you're jumping in at the very end of something big here, right?
So in Chapter one, Jesus is much greater than all the angels. In Chapter two, Jesus is takes on human flesh. In Chapter three, Jesus is the one who's faithful and that he's the one in chapter four who has been not just faithful but has entered into his final rest, right? For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his work as God did from his.
Then last time it was about holding fast to our confession, right? Not like the people in the wilderness who went to Kadesh B'nei and they sent the spies and that they want to go. No, no. Right. Why? Because, well, they didn't have faith that says they didn't mix their mix it with faith. And so that's where we were last time. All right. So now.
Now we have something interesting and introduces a new idea about Jesus here. And what does it introduce Jesus as? Priest. You know, our great high priest. Jesus. Right. Being the one who upholds and sustains all things, right. Very beginning of chapter one, greater than all the angels. Given privileges, right, to which of the angels did he ever say, you know, that I have begotten you. There's Jesus is greater than all of them, but then he was made.
Flesh and blood, right? He's made flesh and blood. But did he stay on earth? Yeah. No, no. Where'd he go? He ascended up into heaven. And so what's he doing in heaven? Being lazy. No, Jesus isn't being a lazy bum and you're in a sort of Catholic mood today. What's he doing in heaven?
Yeah, he's our mediator, he's our great high priest. Great. So that's really what we're going to be talking about over the next couple of chapters. It's really fun seeing this about Jesus. Right. So he's our great high priest. He passed through the heavens. Jesus, the son of God, just to make sure everybody understood exactly what this is talking about. OK, so son of God. Yeah, so seeing that Jesus is the son of God, seeing that he's our great high priest, what what's that supposed to do in us? The very last part of verse 14. So we can approach God.
So we can approach God, right, because we have a high priest, right, we can go boldly to the throne of grace, but notice the previous paragraph was about let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, not like those who fell in the wilderness, but let us hold fast our confession is what verse 14.
Hold fast that confession. Why? Why can we hold fast to our confession? That's what verse for what verse 15 answers that is what's the verse first word of verse 15 or Okay. So why can we hold fast to our confession if Jesus or a high priest? Let us hold fast to our confession.
Why? Because Jesus Yeah, because of Jesus. What did Jesus do? He died on the cross. Okay, he died on the cross because he was a wicked sinner, tested in every way, and found to be a common criminal? No, because he took all blame. Yeah, but notice, we don't have a high priest who cannot what?
Sympathize. Yeah. He was tempted. Yeah, he was tempted in every way we are. Yet? Without sin. Do you think Jesus was tempted with using his iPhone too much? Yeah. Do you think Jesus was tempted with playing too much Minecraft? Do you think Jesus was tempted with eating too much McDonald's? So how was Jesus tempted in every way we are yet without sin?
Because he didn't inherit Adam's Yeah, so he's not born of what our confession says, natural generation. That's true. But but this is what is it? But was in all points tempted as we are yet without. And how how can we say he was he was tempted in all points as we are? If he didn't ever get tempted with Minecraft, if he didn't ever get tempted with with eating junk food like In-N-Out or McDonald's. He got tempted in the wilderness and Satan tried to tempt him.
Can you imagine? I know it kind of sounds funny. If you just bow to me, I'll give you all of these. But you have to think. He's out in the wilderness for 40 days. You know how good that might seem? Like, I'll give you all of this. There's like probably 14 whales here. And a bunch of loads and a bunch of chefs.
And he was like in the flat shirt. natural desire would be just bow down and get it all. How easy would it have been to, right? Because he actually says, seize all these kingdoms, they'll all be yours. How easy would it have been for Jesus to be like, wow, I can get all the kingdoms and I don't have to go to the cross.
Yeah. What about, uh, right. Camping for 40 days. You know, you're the son of God. Why don't you say to that rock, turn into some bread. Dude, I think I would have done that in like after half a day. Right. I might fast for one night. Right. And the next day I'm like, ah, famished. Right. Jesus, 40 days.
I don't think it's saying that Jesus was tempted in every identical way that we have been tempted, but in every category or manner of temptation he endured. If you look through the Ten Commandments and you see all the different various ways in which we could be tempted, bow down and worship me. Commandments 1, 2, and 3.
Did he do it? No. Takes him to the height of the temple. Fall off. No. Do you think he could have been tempted to dishonor Joseph and Mary? Do you think he could have been tempted to want to just murder people or get super, super angry at them unrighteously? Oh, yeah. Do you think Jesus in the flesh could have been tempted to steal? Yeah, I mean, he didn't even have a pillow to lay his head on. He didn't have a home. He was poor. Do you think Jesus could have looked lustfully upon a woman?
Yeah. Do you think Jesus could have been covetous of what other people had? Yep. Do you see where I'm going with this? Could Jesus have just told a little white lie just to get out of Pilate's authority? Or is it thinking about something? Yeah. There's a phrase I've saw it somewhere. A half truth is a whole lie. All right. So, yeah, so Jesus could have told half truths. Right. But but Jesus decided not to do all those things, even though he was like us. In the flesh. But why does that help you? Hold fast to your confession. That's what you tell me. Oh, you were hoping I would tell you. Yeah, because my confession is Jesus. Jesus was tempted in every way, as I am yet without sin. He's the perfect one. And my confession is I cling to and rest in Jesus alone for my salvation. That's what this whole point above this was getting at.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest. That rest is Jesus's rest. He has finished work. Verse 10, for he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his work as God did from his. Jesus has entered into his rest. Jesus accomplished the work of redemption. And so I get to rest. I get to hold fast to my confidence because it's my confidence in me. Was my confidence in Specifically in Jesus and so I got a cling hold a cling fast to Jesus hold fast to Jesus Because he's my high priest.
I can never make myself good enough to stand before God But in Jesus we can go boldly to the throne of grace and That's what verse 16 is at. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We get to go to God's throne because Jesus is there. We find mercy and grace because Jesus has finished his work. We gotta cling to Jesus, look fast to our confession. Our confession is our, the object of our faith is Jesus. That's the good news. So we hold on to him, his finished work. Oh boy. All right. Well, this was way longer than I anticipated.
So go ahead and give me, uh, something here versus 14 through 16. What do you think is the best verse to summarize this? 11 through 13 we didn't even do 11 through 13 this is 14 through 16 oh you're just gonna you're like daniel just underline all of it but you know in hebrews is like everything like i think whoever wrote hebrews knew that they just had like It was going to be in the New Testament. Everything in the New Testament is shot, so they were just going to compress it as much as possible. Fit it into a few verses. Yeah, well, I mean, I can't really blame you too much if you notice in my Bible, I have the second half of verse 14 underlined, 15 underlined, 16 underlined.
So, alright, let's go ahead and go to calling. Alright, so go ahead and tell me, see calling. What are you called to do? Put our faith in Jesus Christ. Not in anything we could do because we don't have the We can't intercede. Well, maybe Jesus is too high for you. So maybe you should put your faith in like. A dead. Godly Christian. Oh, I know you can put your faith in mom and dad, but your faith in our faith. Oh. Oh, I know. Maybe maybe it's OK. Get better than mom and dad. Put your faith in an angel. Put your faith in your own faith. Hey. So, oh, so you're you're what you believe in. Oh. So what do you what's your confession? What are you holding on to? Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. And when things get tough, life is hard. And it seems like our foundation is getting shaken because of whatever we're going through. Where can we go for help? Yeah, we can go to the throne of grace, can't we? You want to go there now? All right.
Lord, what an amazing God you are. You've given us so much. Lord, you have finished your work in your son. The work of redemption is done. And you have given us our great high priest, Jesus Christ. Father, we thank you for the confession that we have that He alone is our only hope. That He was Lord, the demonstration of your love for us.
Even while we were yet sinners, you sent your Son to die for us. That you might bring us to yourself. You've made propitiation for us through your son. As a father, we pray that we would cling to him, hold fast to him. Thank you for giving us one who sympathizes with us in every way. But yet he is without sin. God, give us mercy. Give us your grace in Jesus' name. Amen. May the Lord bless you. May you hold fast to your confession, knowing that your great high priest has finished his work. We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.