Jesus Christ: Our Great High Priest

Pastor Derek Evans | Until The Whole World Knows Ministry

Because Jesus Christ is our great High Priest, believers can hold fast their confession, bring their weakness honestly before God, and approach His throne for mercy and timely help. Our access rests upon the living Savior. It does not depend upon our ability to make ourselves impressive before Him.

Main Scripture — Hebrews 4:14–16 (KJV)

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Introduction — The Savior Who Brings Us Near

Beloved, some people believe God is powerful while remaining uncertain whether they may approach Him with their need. They can encourage someone else to pray, yet they hesitate when their own weakness becomes visible. They imagine that they must first regain composure, produce stronger feelings, or prove that they have improved enough to deserve an audience. The result is a painful distance at the very moment when they most need help.

Hebrews speaks directly into that hesitation. The passage does not deny God's holiness or minimize human accountability. Immediately before these verses, the writer describes the searching power of God's Word and the fact that nothing is hidden from Him. Yet the next movement is toward the great High Priest. The God before whom we are exposed has provided the Savior through whom we may draw near.

We must keep both truths together. God sees us truthfully, and God invites us through Christ. We do not have to choose between honest confession and confident prayer. Jesus makes possible an approach that is both reverent and assured. This doctrine belongs in the prayer room, at the bedside, in pastoral counseling, and in the ordinary struggles of discipleship.

Let us consider who represents us, how He understands our weakness, and what His priesthood calls us to do.

1. Hold Fast Because Your High Priest Is the Living Son of God

Hebrews does not begin this encouragement by telling believers to look within themselves for sufficient strength. It directs them to Jesus, the Son of God, who has passed into the heavens. The reason for holding fast is therefore grounded in who He is and what He has accomplished. Christian confidence must have an object greater than our present resolve. If the entire foundation of our hope were the strength of our grip, every difficult season would threaten to remove that foundation. The passage directs us toward the faithfulness of our High Priest.

The priestly language is central to the argument of Hebrews. Jesus brings His people to God through His own saving work. He is not merely an inspiring example who shows us how to approach and then leaves us to establish the way ourselves. The letter unfolds the sufficiency of His offering and the permanence of His priesthood. These truths belong together. The sacrifice of Christ is not incomplete, and the living Christ has not abandoned those who come to God through Him.

Hebrews 7:24–25 (KJV):

But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Notice the connection between His continuing life and His ability to save. The writer contrasts the mortality of other priests with the enduring priesthood of Christ. We do not need a successor to Jesus or a stronger mediator when our circumstances become more complicated. His living intercession does not mean that His sacrifice must be repeated because it failed to accomplish its purpose. It means that the Savior who gave Himself continues His priestly ministry for His people. Our hope is attached to a living Lord.

This gives substance to the command to hold fast our profession. We are called to continue confessing and trusting Christ when pressure invites us to retreat. Holding fast does not mean pretending that questions never arise. It means refusing to replace the Lord with another foundation when those questions become difficult. We bring our uncertainty into prayer, study the Word carefully, and seek wise help while remaining anchored in the gospel. Faith can ask honest questions without surrendering the One to whom those questions are brought.

In ministry, this protects us from making a human leader indispensable to someone's access to God. Pastors, teachers, and prayer partners have real responsibilities, and we should value their service. But no minister becomes another person's high priest in the place of Jesus. We must not train people to believe that God will hear them only through our particular voice, meeting, or method. Faithful ministry points people toward Christ and helps them learn to approach God through Him. Dependence upon a personality is a poor substitute for discipleship in the Savior.

When accusation or discouragement rises, return to the passage before constructing an elaborate explanation for every feeling. Confess Christ's sufficiency, pray honestly, and take the next faithful step. If you have sinned, repent; if you need instruction, receive it; if you are weary, seek support. None of these needs requires a different Savior. YOUR NEED MAY BE GREAT, BUT YOUR HIGH PRIEST IS GREATER. Hold fast because He lives, because His work is sufficient, and because the One who represents His people does not cease to be faithful when the day becomes difficult.

2. Bring Your Weakness to the One Who Understands Without Sharing Your Sin

Hebrews 4:15 gives an assurance that must not be rushed past. Jesus is not unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. His exaltation has not made Him indifferent to human distress. The Son of God entered real human life, endured temptation, and remained without sin. The passage holds His genuine sympathy and His perfect holiness together. We must not weaken either truth. A Savior who could not understand our weakness would seem distant; a savior overcome by sin could not be the holy High Priest we need.

His sinlessness does not make His compassion shallow. He does not need to commit evil in order to understand the pressure of temptation. We should avoid imagining that only someone who has surrendered to a particular sin can offer meaningful help to the person resisting it. Jesus knows temptation without yielding to it. His holiness is therefore part of our hope, not a reason to avoid Him. The One who understands the struggle is also able to lead us in the way of obedience.

Hebrews 2:18 (KJV):

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

This verse connects His experience of suffering under temptation with His ability to help those who are tempted. The purpose is practical encouragement. We are not being invited to speculate about experiences Scripture does not describe. We are being told where to turn when the pressure is real. Bring the temptation into the light of prayer. Name the desire, the fear, or the compromise without dressing it in language that makes it appear harmless. The Lord does not need a polished explanation before He can help.

We must also distinguish weakness from deliberate rebellion. Fatigue, grief, physical illness, and the need for assistance are not automatically evidence of disobedience. A person can love Christ deeply while experiencing profound distress. Compassionate ministry listens carefully instead of assigning a spiritual accusation to every burden. We can pray in faith for healing and freedom while supporting appropriate medical or professional care. The sympathy of our High Priest should shape the way His servants respond to suffering people. Harsh assumptions do not become discernment merely because they are spoken confidently.

At the same time, Christ's compassion is not approval of sin. He receives us truthfully and calls us toward holiness. If a person is tempted to retaliate, the answer is not that the pain makes retaliation righteous. The answer is to bring the pain to Christ, seek protection or accountability where needed, and refuse the sinful response. His mercy meets us in the struggle and helps us resist what would deepen the harm. We should not demand that compassion excuse what grace is teaching us to put away.

For the believer who feels ashamed of needing help, this is an invitation to stop hiding behind a religious appearance. Speak honestly to God. Seek a trustworthy pastor or mature believer when you need support. A request for help is not a confession that Christ has failed you. It can be an act of obedience to the very invitation He has given. You do not need to exaggerate your strength to preserve your testimony. A truthful testimony can acknowledge weakness while honoring the Savior who sustains you. THE LORD'S HOLINESS DOES NOT CANCEL HIS COMPASSION, AND HIS COMPASSION DOES NOT CANCEL HIS CALL TO HOLINESS.

3. Approach the Throne of Grace with Reverence, Confidence, and Expectation of Help

The invitation in Hebrews 4:16 follows from the identity and compassion of our High Priest. We are therefore called to come boldly. This boldness is not arrogance, a demand that God obey our timetable, or an attempt to prove spiritual rank. It is confidence that the way of approach God has provided is trustworthy. We come because Christ has opened the way, not because we have made ourselves worthy of commanding the throne. The throne remains God's throne, and the grace remains His gift.

Hebrews 10:19–22 (KJV):

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of God;

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The writer locates our boldness in the blood of Jesus and then calls for a true heart. Confidence and sincerity belong together. We do not approach by pretending that God has failed to notice what we are concealing. We approach through Christ with a willingness to be truthful before Him. This is why confession is not the enemy of assurance. When we confess, we stop defending the very thing that burdens our conscience and entrust ourselves to the mercy God provides.

Mercy and grace answer needs that self-sufficiency cannot solve. We need mercy because we cannot erase our guilt through explanation or achievement. We need grace because we cannot sustain faithful obedience through unaided strength. The promise of help in time of need encourages us to pray before the crisis has passed. Do not wait until temptation has become defeat before seeking help. Do not assume that a burden must become unbearable before it is important enough to bring before God. The invitation concerns real need, not only the needs we consider impressive.

Prayer should therefore become specific. Bring the conversation you are dreading, the decision requiring wisdom, the temptation you have been resisting, and the grief you do not know how to express. Ask for the help that accords with God's character and Word. Remain open to the forms that help may take: conviction, wisdom, endurance, practical assistance, or the strengthening presence of the Holy Spirit. We should pray expectantly without inventing a promise that every circumstance will change immediately or in exactly the manner we prefer.

For Pentecostal believers, this gives a sound foundation for earnest prayer. We may pray with fervency, exercise faith for healing, and depend upon the Spirit's help without treating volume or emotional intensity as the price of access. A whispered prayer offered through Christ is not excluded because it lacks public force. A powerful gathering should direct attention toward the Savior who makes prayer possible. The aim is not to manufacture an atmosphere strong enough to persuade a reluctant God, but to respond faithfully to the invitation He has already given.

After praying, continue in the obedience that is clear. If you asked for wisdom, listen when wise counsel comes. If you asked for help against temptation, take the practical step that removes an occasion for compromise. If you asked for strength in grief, receive the care of people God has placed around you. Prayer and faithful action should reinforce one another. Return to the throne when you need help again; repeated dependence is not an embarrassment. YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED TO DRAW NEAR. DO NOT LET PRIDE OR DESPAIR PERSUADE YOU TO REMAIN FAR AWAY.

Conclusion — Hold Fast and Draw Near

Beloved, Hebrews does not tell us that perseverance requires us to hide our weakness. It tells us that we have a great High Priest. Therefore we can hold fast. It tells us that He understands temptation without sin. Therefore we can bring our struggles honestly. It tells us that the throne is a throne of grace. Therefore we can seek mercy and help.

Let this truth change the way you pray this week. Begin with Christ's faithfulness rather than an inventory of reasons God might refuse to hear you. Confess what needs confession. Ask for what you need. Receive instruction with humility, and continue in obedience. Encourage someone who has withdrawn in shame to look again at the Savior Scripture reveals.

The church must remain a people who point beyond themselves to Jesus. We preach His saving work, trust His living intercession, and invite people to approach God through Him. No spiritual experience, ministry gift, or human reputation can take His place.

Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. Hold fast your confession, and draw near to the throne of grace.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for the access You have given us through Jesus Christ. Forgive our pride, our hiding, and our attempts to establish confidence apart from Him. Lord Jesus, we trust Your sufficient sacrifice and living priesthood. Teach us to bring our weakness honestly before You and to resist temptation with the help You provide. Holy Spirit, strengthen our faith, guide our prayers, and lead us in obedience. Make our ministry compassionate, truthful, and centered upon Christ. May those burdened by shame find courage to seek Your mercy today. In Jesus' name, amen.

Pastor Derek Evans
Until The Whole World Knows Ministry

Deliverance is the children's bread, all are welcomed.

Scripture quotations: King James Version. Read Hebrews 4, with supporting passages in Hebrews 2, 7, and 10.