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.
(from New International Version)
These statements are not contradictory.
To understand and know and feel tempted, it does not necessarily mean that we are tempted with evil.
Jesus was never tempted by evil.
He was tempted to thwart the Father’s will in accomplishing atonement for mankind and of exalting His Son.
When we look at the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, none of those things are wrong in themselves.
It is not wrong to eat
It is not wrong to trust the Father to protect you
It is not wrong for Jesus to desire to rule the world because He is God and rightfully should be and not only that, it is the best for man that He does.
So the things Jesus was tempted with were not inherently wrong or evil. But they were not the Father’s will for how atonement and Jesus’ exaltation would be accomplished.
Jesus’ purpose was to do the Father’s will
John 6:38
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
It would be incredibly tempting to go another route than the one the Father willed, but Jesus submitted to the Father’s will.
Jesus doesn’t need to face an identical temptation as you to understand temptation just like you don’t need to face every temptation to understand someone else’s temptation.
Just because you have never been tempted with the sin of homosexuality doesn’t mean that you don’t know what temptation is.
You have faced other temptations and can know the incredible pressure of it.
While Jesus was not tempted with evil, I would argue that His temptation was even greater, because it would be so easy to rationalize, going the easy way instead of the hard way of the Father’s will.
And not only that, but Jesus knows the full weight of temptation like we do not because He never gave into temptation.
Often times when we are tempted, we give in, and when we do, we relieve the pressure of being tempted. It dissipates. But when we never give in, it continues to mount often and we experience the hardest part before it subsides.
Jesus always experienced the worst of temptation because He never gave in.
And because He knows what temptation is and the suffering that comes with it, He can sympathize with us and help us.
Hebrews 2:18
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
How does He help us?
He provides us with a way out.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Sometimes we think, well, Gee, Jesus was God. Of course he could stand up to temptation. But he doesn’t understand that we are just mere men; that we are weak.
Listen, He knows what He is dealing with.
That is why He does not expect us just to be able to resist temptation all by ourselves, but
restrains Satan from tempting us beyond what we can bear and
provides a way out to escape the temptation.
The problem is that we become so fixated on the temptation that we fail to see the way out.
Jesus battled temptation by knowing the word of God.
If we know that God’s word tells us that there is a way out of every temptation we face, we will know to look for that way out when we are faced with temptation.
Jesus is going to help us with His Spirit and with His word. Be in the word and receive the help to overcome temptation as Jesus did.
Not only does Jesus sympathize in our time of temptations but
Jesus is sympathetic to us when we are In Need
Slide
Hebrews 4:16
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.
We have all kinds of needs that we face.
emotional needs.
Financial needs.
needs to live life.
And thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just ignore us when we are in need.
He is sympathetic to us in our need.
Jesus knows what it is like to be in need.
He did not have a place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20)
He knows what it is like to be hungry (Matthew 4:2)
He knows what it is like to thirst (John 19:28)
Jesus can sympathize with you in your need.
And not only does he sympathize, wants to help by offering you grace and mercy in your need.
He extends his grace and mercy.
Mercy in not giving us what we should have.
Grace in giving us what we don’t really deserve.
We don’t deserve his care, but he gives it to those who come to him.
The author of Hebrews says we can approach the throne of grace with confidence because He is a good and gracious God.
Jesus tells us that He will take care of us in our physical needs.
Matthew 6:31-33
“do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Peter reminds us of this as well.
2 Peter 1:3
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Application
Are you facing needs in your life and thinking God just doesn’t care?
Remember that Jesus faced needs in his life and was cared for.
Maybe you are facing a financial need.
Maybe you are in a marriage that is in need of an absolute miracle
Maybe you are in need of help through a health situation.
God wants to care for you too.
And if you are someone who has received Jesus as Savior, you can approach the throne of Grace with Confidence that God will help you through your time of need.
Trust Him.
Come before the throne of Grace and find help at the feet of Jesus.
Jesus is sympathetic to your need because He has been in need.
Turn to him and receive His grace and mercy
Well, not only does He sympathize with us
when we are tempted and
when we are in need,
but
Jesus is sympathetic to us when we are Suffering
Slide
Hebrews 5:8-9
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 (from New International Version)
Jesus suffered and it says he learned obedience.
Jesus knows what it is to suffer.
He suffered humiliation
He suffered abuse
He suffered rejection
He suffered pain
He suffered death
Jesus knows what it is to suffer.
I know that there are those here today who are suffering.
You may be suffering abuse.
You may be suffering pain
You may be suffering emotionally
Jesus can sympathize with you in your suffering and not only sympathize, but can help you and strengthen you through it.
We often think that suffering is of no value to us.
But that is not the case.
The author of Hebrews said that even Jesus learned obedience by what He suffered.
There is value for us in what we suffer as well. That is why we need to be strengthened.
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
(from New International Version)
Suffering brings about perseverance, character and hope.
Suffering can also reveal God’s power in our lives.
2 Tim 1:8
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,
When He strengthens us to get through times of suffering, it is a testimony to his power and helps us to see that we can trust him to get through anything.
It is also a testimony to others that there is a God who is powerful.
Suffering also brings us into closer fellowship with the Lord
Paul, while he was in jail said this.
Phil 3:10-11
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
(from New International Version)
When we suffer, we often have no place else to turn but to the Lord and it brings us closer. God knows that is the best place for us to be, close to Him.
Even in our suffering, though, Jesus is sympathetic, because He knows what it is to suffer and does not want your suffering to be of no effect for you. He wants to use it to help you.
Even though we don’t always see how it is helpful in the midst of suffering, we can know that Jesus is there helping us to persevere and grow through it because He suffered so incredibly.
Conclusion
We have a sympathetic Savior, who understands and knows what we go through and what we need.
We don’t have a God who is looking to punish us for the wrong things we do, but in fact is sympathetic to us and is extending mercy and grace to us by offering us forgiveness of our sins.
That is the God of Christianity.
A God of love and compassion who desires to be in relationship with you and mold you and make you that you might experience the fullness of the eternal life that He offers.
Perhaps there are those here today who have never seen God as sympathetic but as harsh.
Maybe you are here today in need of a Sympathetic Savior. Hebrews 5:9 tells us that He is source of our eternal salvation.
Come to the source and receive sympathy, and mercy and grace and forgiveness and eternal salvation.
For those of you who have never taken that first step with Jesus and experienced eternal salvation, receive Him as your Savior, a Savior who is sympathetic to all of your life circumstances.
For those who have received Him as Savior, but you have been struggling with seeing God as harsh, approach the throne of Grace today with new eyes and see the sympathetic Savior and receive His mercy and grace to help you through what ever circumstance you find yourself in today.
Let’s pray.
