Jesus - Our Sympathetic Savior Series

Jesus - Our Sympathetic Savior

He is Sympathetic to us when we are Tempted (4:15)

He understands what it is to be tempted

He is Sympathetic to us when we are in Need (4:16)

He offers Grace and Mercy

He mediates for us

He is sympathetic to us when we Suffer (5:8)

He suffered pain

He suffered death

Slide

People’s view of God sometimes is of a harsh disciplinarian.

He is always looking for us to do wrong.

He is just standing by so He can punish us because we don’t live up to His standards.

Sometimes when we are warned, that feeds into our view of someone being harsh or uncaring.

This happens to our kids sometimes.

“I am warning you, you better be home by 11:00 pm.”

“My parents are so strict,” the child thinks.

Well if the parent knows that after 11 pm, nothing good happens, they are warning them out of concern for their child.

There are times when we need to listen and obey, understanding that we don’t know all of every situation.

But there are other times, when we just need to be

understood and

loved and

sympathized with.

Kids often think that their parents have no idea what they go through, because if they understood, they would be more sympathetic.

More often, it is the kids that don’t understand that the parents typically do understand the pressures of life and can sympathize with them but are trying ultimately to protect them.

Parents, we need to recognize that we do need to express that sympathy toward our kids so they can know that we love them and want the best for them.

Even though sometimes you may think that God is strict and only wants you to obey Him, we need to recognize that He understands and loves us and sympathizes with us as well.

In fact, the author of Hebrews tells us that we do have a sympathetic Savior.

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Slide

We don’t have a Savior who is just looking to lay down the law, but we have one who is able to sympathize with us in all of our circumstances.

Now he has just finished talking about the rest we can find in Christ through being obedient to His word. Now he tells us to hold strong to our faith, because Jesus is able to sympathize with us and intercede for us, in the life circumstances we find ourselves.

Read with me in

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Heb 5:1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,

"You are my Son;

today I have become your Father."

6 And he says in another place,

"You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek."

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

(from New International Version)

The first thing we see here is that

Jesus is sympathetic to us when we are Tempted

Slide

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.

Wait a minute! Jesus faced temptation?

Doesn’t that contradict other scripture?

James 1:13-15

13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.