Hebrews 4:14-16 GOD’S WORD Translation
Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests
14 We need to hold on to our declaration of faith: We have a superior chief priest who has gone through the heavens. That person is Jesus, the Son of God. 15 We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. 16 So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness [a] to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Every culture has its list of food preferences.
Most of us tend to elevate certain foods over others, “high society foods” only certain people of certain social economic status can pronounce, even afford and depending on what’s familiar to us “regular folks,” what agrees with us, and what agrees with our less complicated pallets, and what we like and don’t like.
In Old Testament Israel, however, living according to the strict food laws was not a matter of socio economic preference or status.
The Levitical law stated that certain birds and other animals were unclean.
So, as a way to live holy lives, the people were required to avoid those animals at all costs and not eat them.
The food laws set aside by God seemed to honor principles about life and death, suggesting that God was putting in place a simple way for his people to flourish.
When Jesus Christ brought about the new covenant through His life death and His resurrection, ascension, the old Levitical food laws were no longer required.
In Acts 10, for example, we read of Peter asleep on the rooftop having a vision in which God reveals to him “all kinds of four-footed animals, including reptiles and birds,” were now considered clean – for all people – regardless of status!
In this way God urged his people to “approach each other” freely, with no thought of partiality and spread the good news of Jesus to all other nations.
The simple idea being that all people of other nations regularly ate those kinds of animals, and God did not want his people thinking that those other peoples were “unapproachable” unclean or unworthy of being saved through Jesus.
Today when we are too busy being taught and conditioned to be exceedingly afraid to approach anyone without giving offense, without any fear of cultural appropriation, without fear of getting involved in any racial animosity, we are still called to be holy (set apart) living with universal intention as God’s people.
Rather than following rules about food, we are invited to make ourselves as vulnerable as Jesus did, live for our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Prayer to Approach People and God with Confidence
Hebrews 4:14-16 New King James Version
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 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. 15 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. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I’m not a huge fan of revealing my vulnerabilities or my surrendering to them.
I’d much rather keep them hush, hush, thank you very much.
I suspect I’m not alone.
People are taught to be, to live, on the edge of crisis, people wound other people and there are times when it’s tempting to judge God based on human actions.
A close friend who betrays our confidence and uses them as a weapon can create even higher degrees of cautiousness in how we approach other people and God.
The idea of setting aside our vulnerabilities, the grave risks of our setting any vulnerability, sheepishly drawing near God’s throne with confidence fill us with a special kind of trepidation – unleashes from within us a rush of uncertainty.
Will God reject us because we are not strong as God wants us to be strong?
Will He get angry at us, Will He “Set Us Aside,” Will he turn his back to us?
Can we be vulnerable before God, or do we need to wear a façade of strength?
Jesus knew our struggles knew our vulnerabilities, knew our faults, failures and weaknesses and yet as fully human as He was and lived, he resisted temptation.
While we flail our arms and thoughts everywhere, in every which direction, we fail and we fall, in His full humanity, our Jesus always resisted and prevailed.
What a friend, what a confidant we have in him, sympathizing with all of our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, yet remains our example to press thru to victory.
Jesus Christ knows our vulnerabilities and our weaknesses and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities fill him with compassion – to approach us and to serve us.
Because of this we can, in all our own weaknesses and vulnerabilities approach God, to still serve others, knowing that He welcomes and desires our prayers.
We don’t have to be “GOD” strong before we approach God. We don’t have to have it all figured out before we ask for help – yet, we can struggle with this.
Our fear everything arbitrarily different society promotes perfection and then socially parades all imperfection as a cautionary tale of what not to do and be.
This creates internal pressure because we can feel the need to hide much of ourselves, we feel the overwhelming need to avoid – “so, no free hugs here!”
Yet, every single one of the Gospel Narratives are replete with stories of Jesus becoming high end vulnerable, freely risking everything of His reputation to “go where no one “clean” dared to go” to “approach all the unapproachable.”
Yet, God knows us and our alleged status of “cleanliness” both inside and out.
He knows our strengths and our weaknesses and our vulnerabilities and his love for us does not change 1% based on that knowledge, His love is a compassionate completely approachable love always ready, willing to help us in times of need.
God provides all we need in any circumstance.
He offers peace to the anxious heart.
He brings joy to the cheerless face.
His hand stays steady and sure.
His blessings follow the if/then cycle.
If we sow to the flesh, our harvest consists of anger, doubt, bitterness, the like.
But if we sow to the spirit, we reap peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, and many more highly desirable, exceedingly desirable, approachable attributes.
Yet, sometimes, we need help with the sowing because we say yes instead of no to choices reinforcing the idea that we must be perfect before we approach God.
But God wants us to approach Him, come to Him and depend on Him for help.
The throne of grace in this passage from Hebrews 4 refers to the meeting place from where all of God’s favor, wisdom, help, love, mercy, forgiveness, wisdom, spiritual power, and spiritual gifts flow – How wonderful and marvelous is this place – how completely approachable – it’s ours to be had if we choose to come.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let’s pray:
Holy and most Approachable and most Compassionate and most Huggable God,
I stand in awe before you because you are so willing to take me as I am. Forgive me for holding myself apart because I have believed the falsehood that I need to be over strong before I come to you. You sent your son Jesus to intercede for me and because of that I can come with confidence before you. Here I am, Lord. Broken, bruised, and looking for belonging. I find everything I need in you. From you I receive the grace to face the doctor’s diagnosis. It’s because of you that I can love my prodigal child. Your joy teaches me how to hold my sorrow and not lose hope. Thank you for making me confident in you. I come to you today and wait for your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Please do give us the wisdom of the ages to live intentionally and vulnerably for you.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 