Wil Pounds- A Tender Compassionate High Priest

A Tender Compassionate High Priest (by Wil Pounds) The second greatest truth in the Bible is God became flesh and dwelt among men. The greatest is that God became man because he loved us so much that he would go to the cross and personally die for our sins. Jesus Christ became like you and me. He sanctified life by assuming a full human nature without sin by means of his incarnation. He was fully human and fully God. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is man. The Bible puts these two great truths of full deity and full humanity together. He was the God-man. When we look to Jesus we see God himself. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” What makes Jesus so unique is he is the only one in whom you and I may see God. Jesus fully experienced what it means to be a man. He experienced all that we experience with the one exception that he never sinned in thought or deed. This is why he can be our great high priest and intercessor. Jesus never experienced personal sin, but he was reckoned a sinner on our behalf and died as our substitute. The incarnation made it possible for Jesus to die. God cannot die. However, a human body made it possible for Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay our penalty for sin. Three days later he was resurrected in his physical body and later ascended into heaven. A person’s eternal destiny depends upon his relationship to the eternal truth in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NET). Because he is the God-man, Jesus is full of tender compassion. We may come to him expecting full, tender, deep sympathy and compassion. Our great high priest is ever ready to strengthen and comfort, to heal and restore the wounded believer. He is ever ready and prepared to receive all who call upon him at the throne of grace. As with the apostle Paul, Christ says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you.” We have a wondrous provision of God’s grace in our time of testing. It is always available to us. Our exalted high priest is the Son of God. Because he is man as well as God he has already entered heaven and is at the right hand of the Father. “Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession” (v. 14 NET). Therefore, it is impossible for those who are really the people of God to miss the perfect and eternal rest. We have a high priest of supreme dignity, excellency and divine sufficiency to meet our every spiritual need (v. 15). Yet, he can “sympathize with our weaknesses” because he “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Only the God-man could accomplish that!

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The invitation is always open to “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (v. 16 NET). The only thing required to come to the throne of grace is to understand that we are sinners, and that he is our High Priest. We come in faith as sinners and saints. There is a washing of our feet, binding of our wounds, and sustaining grace in our time of need. In his grace he causes all things to work together for our good and for His glory. All believers, young and old, weak and strong, rich and poor, have been “brought near by the blood of Jesus Christ,” and therefore have freedom of access to the very presence of God. Why should we ever draw back in cowardice or impatience?

The circumstances in our daily lives cause us to call upon him and when he delivers us we glorify him. Let us take full advantage of every opportunity and come to the throne moment by moment every day with honesty, openness and frankness. Here is the one person we can pour our heart out to in confidentiality. We can come as we are, say what we feel, and ask what we need in confidence. We need not be ashamed before him because it is his blood that cleanses and his Spirit that refreshes us spiritually.

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