amen if you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4 we're going to be looking at verses 14 to 16 this morning before we read God's Word let me take a moment of personal privilege to thank my Pastor David strain and the elders of this church for the privilege of coming back to preach I cannot believe it's been three and a half years it's a little strange for me I must admit to look down on the page and see guest minister next to my name because this feels like home
and it always will and so I don't take this privilege lightly I've been looking forward to it for a long time and I'm really really appreciative of the opportunity the second thing to do is just to bring you greetings and thanks from your friends at Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary does not exist without First Presbyterian Church Reformed Theological Seminary is the creation of First Presbyterian Church Reformed Theological Seminary has never had a chairman of the board that wasn't an elder at First Presbyterian Church I'm not even sure we've had a vice chairman of the
board that wasn't an elder or a deacon at First Presbyterian Church and you you probably most of you don't know how much First Presbyterian Church means to RT s fifty years ago on a horse farm in West Jackson 14 students gathered in the what we call the White House which is a little farm house on that horse farm and started Reformed Theological Seminary 'he's first semester fall in 1966 and fifty years later RT s is the largest reformed evangelio seminary in the world with campuses in nine cities and eight states students in 80 countries on
every continent programs in Brazil and Indonesia talking to China right now a global program with students from all over the world 1600 students taking courses in any given time I mean it's nobody could have done this but God but First Presbyterian Church has been at the heart of this for 50 years and I know a lot of you haven't even ever been out to to West Jackson to our campus but we're there and and and though we're in 9 cities now RTS Jackson is still our second-largest campus right behind Orlando where we've been for about
25 or 26 years now so it's it's just thank you that's all that's all I can say we're grateful to First Presbyterian Church and we want to extend the Ministry of First Presbyterian Church and Jackson is a very special place for us you may not know this but the city of Jackson Mississippi has more Presbyterian Church internships than any city on the planet right here in Jackson not Orlando not Charlotte not New York City not Dallas that Jackson Mississippi and so we love student because we think students need a local church and a good seminary
to prepare them for a lifetime of gospel ministry and so there's no better place than right here so just thank you now what you brought me here for is not to talk about bore you to tears telling you about RTS if you want to be bored to tears call me up I will bore you to tears telling you about RTS you brought me here to preach the word so let's look at the passage let me tell you why I'm here about a month ago Mike gloto who many of you will know he's one of our
professors in Orlando wanted to provide a series of summer devotionals for all the visiting students on campus and so he said we're gonna do the theme of the Ascension and there were five of us that were gonna preach Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday and he picked out about 11 texts in the New Testament about the Ascension of Christ into heaven and he said you all pick from these and each of us will take one of these texts and will preach on the Ascension all week long well I picked Hebrews 4:14 and what happens when when
a preacher looks at a pack I focused on one phrase you'll see the phrase and 14 he passed through the heavens that's that's a reference to Jesus ascending into the heavens to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty that the priest passed through the curtains of the Holy of Holies once a year into the symbolic presence of God but Jesus passed through the heavens into the real presence of God and so I camped on that phrase and sort of worked that over in that morning devotion and what happens for a preacher is
scripture is like catnip you you see you see all these other things that you want to learn yourself and you want to teach the people of God about and I saw all these things that I didn't have time to to preach in that short morning devotional and then I went back and I looked at my notes and I preached on this passage at First Presbyterian Church 19 years ago on a Wednesday night I can't believe I picked this passage for a Wednesday night this is a Sunday morning passage so I have really been looking forward
to opening up this passage and I want you to see as we read it I want you to be on the lookout for one thing in each of the verses because in this passage the author of Hebrews is going to show you three things that Jesus does for you three ways that he helps you that you really really need and you're gonna see one of them in each of the verses verse 14 speaks of the Ascension of Christ and you really need what Jesus does for you out of the Ascension verse 15 speaks of the
session of Christ you know we have at First Presbyterian Church when the elders meet they are called the session why session is from the little Latin word sessio which means to sit it's it's a description of what happens when leaders or governors or elders do when they come together they sit to deliberate things and discuss things and to make decisions well when Jesus ascended into heaven what did he do he that at the right hand of God the Father Almighty it's called the heavenly session and that session is really important for you and then in
verse 16 we'll see jesus provision he he provides exactly what you need so we're going to look at his ascension verse 14 his session verse 15 and his provision in verse 16 but before we read God's Word and hear it proclaimed let's look to him in prayer and asked for his help and blessing our heavenly father we do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God the grass withers and the flowers fade and fall but the word of our God stands forever you speak no falling words your
words are truth Your Word is truth sanctify us by truth all Scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable for teaching reproof correction training and righteousness that we may be equipped for every good work so speak Lord your servants listen this we ask in Jesus name Amen this is the word of God hear it in Hebrews 4:14 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 amen and the sins this reading of God's holy inspired and inerrant word may he write its eternal truth upon all our hearts this congregation that received this letter and really the letter sounds almost like a sermon if you've ever have you ever heard people quote sections of the book of Hebrews it sounds like a sermon
it has that sermonic role remember I had Derek he'd start off slow you know and he'd build up speed and it just it was like a freight train moving down and this this book has that feel to it you know like a preacher who's really getting going but this congregation was struggling with the temptation to think that there was something out there better than Jesus now that their particular temptation is different from your in my temptation today the way the world is tempting us today out there is different from the specific temptation that they were
experiencing probably from fellow ethnic Jews who are basically saying to them you know you can have everything that you think you get in Jesus and in Christianity in our kind of Judaism if you'll just turn your back on Jesus and come back to your heritage you know you'd be able to have everything you want without turning your back on your people and on your heritage that's the kind of temptation that they were facing now that's the temptations we're facing are different but they are also the same in that the world our own hearts are constantly
tempting us to think that there's something better than Jesus that we can live a fuller life apart from Jesus there's ultimate satisfaction that's better than Jesus and so we really need to hear what the author of Hebrews is saying to us today and so he puts before our eyes three things that Jesus does that nobody else can do that you desperately need and the first one has to do with Jesus ascension look again at verse 14 since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens notice the contrast our high priest
didn't just pass through the curtains of an earthly holy Holies that represented the symbolic presence of God our high priest passed through the heavens into the immediate presence of God Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our confession in other words the author of Hebrews is saying this Jesus knows how to get you to God and why are we here today we're here today because we want to get to God and the author of Hebrews is saying Jesus didn't just symbolically go into a room that represents communion with God presence with God he
went into the presence of God in his ascension he is there he knows how to get you there this is I mean don't we all want to go home I mean that what we all we all want to go home and our home is with God Jesus knows how to get you there it reminds me of John 14 a little bit doesn't it where Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's explaining to them that he's getting ready to leave them and they're upset Jesus we don't want you to go and he says let not
your hearts be troubled the place I am going you know and the way that I am going you know and in fact I'm going to prepare a place for you so that I can come again and take you there to be with me and you remember what happens is one of the disciples goes what st. Jesus I don't understand any of this I don't know where you're going I don't know how you're getting there and Jesus says I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the Father but by me
you hear what he's saying I can get you to God I can get you home and no one else can get you home and it's like the author of Hebrews is just he's just piling that truth of John 14 right on top of you and my friends how many funerals have we heard that truth spoken at right here in this congregation Leon Lewis Bob Canada Michael Slater Miss Erie Brazil go down the list how many times have we gone to John 14 to remember that it's only Jesus that can get us home it's only Jesus
who can get us to God and here's the author of Hebrews saying Jesus can get you to God and nobody else can we sing about this take take your hymnals out and look at the last line of each of the first four stanzas of number 172 you know the hymn let us love and sing and wonder it's a great John Newton song and and look at look at each of the last lines of the stand of the the first four stanzas he has washed us with his blood he has brought us nigh to God he
has washed us with his blood he presents our souls to God he has who washed us with his blood soon will bring us home to God he who washed us with his blood has secured our way to God it's the same thought Jesus brings you to God and you need that desperately and then he points us to the session of Jesus Christ you know Jesus remember we every time we do the Apostles Creed we do this on the third day He arose again from the dead he ascended into heaven there's the ascension verse 14 and
sitteth I like the old version sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty that's the session he sits down for the session at the right hand of God the Father Almighty but that session is really important for you he is not just sitting down taking a rest he is at work for you in fact go ahead and take a peek look forward at Hebrews 7:25 you know what he's doing there he ever lives to intercede he's Jesus is praying for you he's interceding for you at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
and one of my favorite scenes in the Bible is when Stephen is giving his life for Jesus and he's surrounded by people who think they are doing God a favor by killing him and he is all alone and he looks up and there is the scene of Jesus in his heavenly session but if you look at Acts chapter 7 it's a little weird because Jesus is not sitting down what is he looks up and he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God what is that about what is the major posture for prayer in
the Bible standing up with arms outstretched to God remember when Moses is interceding for the people of God as they fight their enemies he's standing up interceding for them and there's Stephen looking up and he's Savior who's ever saving for him as he gives his life for him you need Jesus to intercede for you and he ever lives to intercede we sing about that when we sing arise my soul arise he ever lives to intercede that's what Jesus is doing but it's not only that he says let me tell you something about the Jesus who
is the son of God and look at the end of verse 15 and is without sin is not only in the heavenly session to intercede for you he understands your weakness we get verse 15 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 this is this is my way to say it in verse 14 you just told me Jesus is God in verse 15 you just told me that he's without sin and at the same time you told
me that he understands me help me God in the flesh completely without sin understands my weakness my temptation yes he does it just I just sit back and take this in your God knows what it is like to live in your buns he knows what it is like he knows your weaknesses experientially because he took on your nature it's mind-boggling that this can be said but what an incredible help the one to whom you are crying out in your time of need actually understands you he understands your weaknesses don't offend anybody you know how it
is when you're a little bit pudgy you know you're you're getting ready to tuck into your barbecue sandwich with coleslaw collards and then the you know the the the the big old sliced potato wedges and that that person who you've known for a long time who's thin fit eats healthy and exercises do you ever think yourself man he understands me no you don't think that or you know you're not the best student at school and and there's that one person in class and she always makes an A usually a-plus and you're kind of Duffing along
it be - level you do you ever think man she understands how it is to be me know you don't think that but the author of he purrs is saying that the sinless son of God gets you he understands what it's like to live where you are now you you got it with me you've got to say how can that be that does that makes no sense now he's he is not saying he is not saying that Jesus has experienced every discreet kind of temptation that you have ever experienced Jesus has never been a pregnant
woman I have never been a pregnant woman thank God I have no idea what it's like to be a pregnant woman I am sure that there are unique temptations that attach to being a pregnant woman he's not saying that Jesus has had every discrete distinct type of temptation that any of us have ever Jesus was never married he never knew what it was like to have to put up with a spouse but first Jesus came here Isaiah 53 says it and Jesus says it in Matthew 8 he came here to take on our weaknesses he
came here to do that you understand that he came here to do that to take on our weaknesses second Jesus has experienced temptations that you can't understand greater temptations than you've ever experienced you know the question is not you never be you can say you know Jesus you really don't know what it's like to be me because he can counter well you know actually you don't know what it's like to be me because Jesus has experienced things that no person in the world knows what it's like to experience and that that has that has given
him a tremendous sympathy for his people but it's even more than that at the heart of every temptation is the desire to not have something that you have that you don't want to have or to have something that you don't have that you want to have and Satan uses that hook in every one of us to just cart us off in the wrong direction and Jesus understands both those things a couple of weeks ago I was in Nashville and I heard rustling on the Lord's Prayer and he expounded this marvelously in he he took us
to the scene in Matthew 4 when Jesus is being tempted in the wilderness and you remember how Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount we'll say to the disciples look pray to God he'll give you good gifts each of you as a father if your child asks you for a piece of bread you wouldn't give him a stone you'd give him a pre-sub ram why because you love your child so also your Heavenly Father if you ask him for bread he's not gonna give you a stone but in the wilderness when Jesus is being tempted
what happens he's standing there and they're nothing but stones around and the Satan says you know I noticed that there are only stones around here I'm sure you're pretty hungry having fasted for the last 40 days seeing is how God your father hasn't provided bread for you I've got a suggestion you provide bread for you see Jesus there was something that he wanted that he didn't have and here is Satan saying you can get it apart from God you don't need to trust your heavenly father you don't need to trust his provision for you you
can do this yourself and here's what Russ said you see see what Satan's doing Satan's not just trying to tempt Jesus he's trying to adopt him he's trying to get Jesus to turn his back on his father's provision and look to Satan my friends that's in every temptation or maybe you've got something that you don't want to have about a year or so ago I was talking to one of my favorite human beings he is a Bible believing reformed Evangelical Church of England vicar and he's same-sex attracted he's attracted to men and because he is
committed to the Bible's teaching he is committing he's committed to being personally chaste and never being married and he doesn't want that attraction and he knows he's gonna live with it for the rest of his life now how could Jesus possibly understand a person like that well I I seem to remember this day where Jesus was sweating as with drops of blood saying father if it is possible take this cup from me and the answer was no and his follow-up was nevertheless not my will that your will be done you think you think Jesus can
understand my friend he understands my friend like my friend doesn't understand my friend the author of Hebrews is saying that the one who's interceding for you gets you he knows what it is like to live inside your weakness he knows what it is like to inhabit your frail flesh he knows what it is like to be tempted he understands you you know how you're always you're looking for that person who gets you and and then and even though they get you they don't they still like you you're looking for that person in life the author
of Hebrews is saying one who ever lives to intercede for you the one to whom you lift up your prayers he gets you he knows what it's like to be you and he loves you with an everlasting love my friends you need that you desperately need that and the author of Hebrews is saying nobody but Jesus can give that to you nobody but the sinless son of God can give that to you and then one more thing look at verse 16 know not only does he get you but he knows how to give us what
we need most at the time we needed look at how the author of Hebrews puts it let us then draw with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need would you turn with me to another hymn turn with me to 554 I hope that's the right number it is 554 look at the v stands it's at the top of the page next side and look at this is the end of Martin Luther's rendering of Psalm 130 though great our sins and sore
our woes His grace much more abound at his helping love in that a beautiful phrase his helping love no-limit knows our utmost need it sound when you were in your greatest extremity of need his helping love reaches to the bottom of it it sounds it out to the bottom our Shepherd good and true is he who will at last his Israel free from what from all our sins and sorrows that that's what I need that's exactly what I need and the author of Hebrews is saying Jesus will provide that he will provide for you exactly
what you need in your utmost need I love the saying that comes from the black church I think it I think it I think I first heard it from Ronnie cruda and it goes something like this he may not come when you want him but he's always on time in that in a man that's some reformed theology right there he may not come when you want him but he's always on time you know he's not your bellhop you know God gets nappy on this and sometimes you think he has left you hanging by your very
last fret thread and then he shows up and it's just what you need just how you need it just when you need it the author of Hebrews is say Jesus knows how to do that Jesus is ready to give you the Grace and the mercy that you helping to free you from your sins and your sorrows and all of this is designed to lead to two things notice that there in each of the three verses there there's one thing that Jesus does that you desperately need and then cocooned inside are two things that are our
response look at verse 14 let us hold fast our confession because we have a great high priests because he sympathizes with us let us hold fast our confession I'll never forget in biblical theology class in seminary when palmer robertson who grew up in this congregation was reading that passage and he said let us hold fast our confession and he said Westminster Confession implied every presbyterian has to love that but the point here is don't stop believing there's enormous pressure for us to give up on faith to give up on believing to stop trusting the world
is not helping you continue to believe that when I was a young pastor here at first prayers over where charr is now it used to be Shoney's back then how's that for an upgrade from Shoney's to char I was with a bunch of our UF campus ministers who were was we're here at Belhaven and Bo I was getting ready to do campus minister training and they said to me Oh as a pastor what's your philosophy of ministry and I said what I don't know you know what what is it that I do as a pastor
I you know and I sort of started fumbling through my answer to that question well interestingly enough about six months after I became Chancellor somebody said to me well woman what's your philosophy of being a Chancellor I mean what is it exactly that you're trying to do and I started thinking I don't know I'm you know and but the first thing that came to me is my first job is to wake up in the morning and believe why do I say that because we're preparing people for ministry in a world that's going to slaughter them
that world is not going to help them keep believing the faith once delivered to the Saints and if I don't really believe this stuff I'm not helping them be prepared to keep believing this at the end and cross the finish line fighting the good fight of faith so the first thing I need to do is get up in the morning and believe this stuff that we're teaching it was interesting I was met by a missionary from North Africa at the door after the first service who said I'm one of those people that got slaughtered and
I needed to hold fast my confession and I needed to see my great high priest who helps me keep believing the world is toxic to faith your great high priest can keep you believing and then the second thing it's in verse 16 admit let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace what's he saying pray depend on me believe that your prayers are heard you know dependence and waiting our underrated aspects of the Christian life you know we like to talk about the great exploits of the faith well here's a great exploit
I waited for the Lord and he inclined his ear unto me there's a great exploit of faith waiting for the Lord is hard and the author of Hebrews is saying your high priest understands what it's like to live in your skin he knows exactly what you need how to give it to you and when you need it ray to come to him with confidence the world's not helping you do those things or believe those things but your savior is and you desperately need what he does for you let's pray Heavenly Father help us to believe
in to pray because of what Jesus has done we ask it in his name amen but seeing to God's praise from number 580 lead on Oh King eternal
