JESUS THE BETTER WAY: JESUS IS A BETTER MEDIATOR
HEBREWS 4:14 – 5:10
Big Idea: 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.
Supporting Scripture:
• Reading from the Old Testament: Job 23:1-9, 16-17
• Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 22:1-15
• Reading from the Gospels: John 17:1-26
INTRO
It strikes me as significant and worth note that most religions in our world employ a holy office of priesthood (or its equivalent). Look at any religion you please; Spiritism, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Native American religions, and even some strains of Christianity. The office of “priest” (or its equivalent) is present. As humans we seem to need someone to serve as a “buffer” between us and God … we need someone to “mediate” the relationship.
If you were to establish a set of criteria for someone to be a mediator what would that criteria be? I see many of the same criteria for mediators whether they be mediators between two parties in a dispute or between you and God. What would be on your list?
• Compassion? I certainly want my mediator to be understanding and sympathetic to my cause and my plight.
• Life Experience? I certainly do not want a mediator that is wet-behind-the-ears! I want them to “know the terrain” very well.
• Above average in wisdom and intellect? I want someone who has the wherewithal to navigate the circumstances for me. I want them to know everything they need to know to plead my case!
• Character? I would not want a mediator whose character was questionable. Questionable character makes everything they do suspect. I want them to be worthy of the office.
• Access to the judge? I want my mediator to be properly credentialed.
And there’s the rub. My list is impossible. I, like you, know some pretty good people but none of them meet all those criteria. Everyone meets some of them but nobody meets all of them.
The problem we face is that the mediator by her/his very nature (human) is inadequate. The mediator needs a mediator!
It really does not matter whether we are talking about a mediator in a court of law or a religious mediator (a priest) they all have this problem. Judaism certainly suffered from this. If you read the book of Leviticus you will find this to be a consistent undercurrent. Even though God ordains Aaron and his clan to be his priests the book makes it clear that Aaron and his clan aren’t qualified. God keeps reminding them to offer sacrifices for themselves. He also keeps reminding them of certain behaviors they cannot or must do. They are flawed and inadequate.
This real and present dilemma brings us into closer grips with the great theme of Hebrews – that Jesus is the perfect high priest – the perfect mediator. His task is to bring the voice of God to man and to usher men into the presence of God.
Let’s read Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10.
4:14-16 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. 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. 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.
5:1-3 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. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
5:4-6 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 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.’” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Heb 5:7-10 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. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
What makes Jesus the ideal mediator?
The first criterion is that Jesus is himself God. Hebrews has already made this clear (and will continue to). He alone can pass through the heavens without restriction to the throne.
Secondly, his humanity, which has been sufficiently stressed as well, makes him qualified to stand on our behalf.
The incarnation of God in Christ has at least two effects.
First, it gives God the gift of Divine Sympathy (Mercy).
The Christian idea of God as a loving Father is interwoven into the very fabric of our mind and heart; but it was a new idea in its day. To the Jew the basic idea of God was holiness. Holiness carries more meaning than simply moral purity; it means to be different – completely different – “wholly other.” In the Jewish mind there was no sense in which God shared our human experience and was in fact incapable of sharing it just because he was God. It was even more so with other religions and philosophies.
• The Jews had their wholly other God
• The Stoics, their feelingless gods
• The Epicureans, their completely detached gods.
• Plutarch – a very “religious” Greek said it was blasphemous to involve God in the affairs of man.
Into this world of thought burst the Christian concept of God as fully seen in Jesus Christ. It was through the life and teachings of Jesus that we understood the character of God Himself. This understanding of incarnation and sympathy was revolutionary to every religion that heard the Gospel. The untouchable God has been replaced with a God of relationship, understanding, sympathy and intimacy.
On August 25, 2012 Haiti was hit by Tropical Storm Isaac and it wreaked great havoc. People were displaced and others killed. A year or two back this would not have registered much response with me but after visiting Haiti this stopped me in my tracks. I could see the tent villages. I could see the deep dry trench grooved into the mountain, then burroughing itself into the city of Port-a-Prince. I could see this devastation on top of the other inhumane devastations they suffered. All of this simply because I HAD BEEN THERE!
So it is with God … when he looks at your struggles, your plight, and your pain. In Jesus Christ he has been where you are and he can sympathize with your “infirmity.”
First, it gives God the gift of Divine Sympathy (Mercy).
It also gives God the gift of Divine Help (Grace).
We all know that the best person to give you advice and help on a journey is someone who has travelled the road before you – someone who has been there before and successfully navigated the experience and terrain.
When Vickie and I first arrived in New York we relied on a variety of things to get us around. Sometimes we would resort to a map but there were other sources too. For example, we had a Tom Tom – a GPS device in our car. We quickly discovered that, in most cases the GPS would get us where we were going but not necessarily in the most efficient way. On a few occasions the device took us to dirt roads traversing through the mountains or even, one one occasion, to a dead end road. Without a doubt we discovered the best way to get to an unknown place was to talk to … locals. You live here. They could tell us about Highway 30 or 3. They could tell us that there is a southern and northern route to places like Boston, and Vermont.
Well, that is akin to what Jesus can now provide. Instead of venturing out on our own and running into dead ends we can look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; the One who has gone before us.
Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus is the perfect mediator because he is perfectly God, and perfectly man. He can give us sympathy, mercy and power. Jesus brought God to men and he can bring men to God.
WRAP-UP
Now what were those criteria I said I would look for in a mediator? What am I looking for in someone who is to stand as a buffer between me and God?
• Compassion
• Life Experience
• Above average in wisdom and intellect
• Character
• Access to the judge
Well to use the words from an old Holiness hymn “Hallelujah! I have found Him!” There is only one mediator who meets those criteria. Every other advocate fails but Jesus far exceeds in each and every one!
As you may recall from my introductory sermon for this series, there were some in this specific Christian village (Church) that were in danger of splintering and defecting. They thought that somehow by following Jesus they were giving up more than they were gaining and the cost was becoming too high.
But the writer is systematically showing them that Jesus is greater than the religious economy they came from. Their mediators/priests were limited and flawed – they were in need of a mediator themselves. But Jesus is better and can do more. No passage expresses that better than the one we are looking at today.
In light of who Jesus is, the writer is saying:
Don’t Let Go – Hold Tight! (4:14)
Don’t Fall Back – Step Forward (4:15)
Don’t Give Up – Look Up! (4:16)
When I stand before the throne of God and I have to plead my case I want the one representing me to be worthy of the task. You do too.
You are invited into a relationship with this mediator today.
Would you pray “The Congregational Prayer from Hebrews” with me?
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
First Church of the Nazarene
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
www.banazarene.org
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Jesus: The Better Way
(A Congregational Prayer from Hebrews)
Leader: Heavenly Father, giver of all good gifts,
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our legends
All: We will look to Him for character
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our human potential
All: We will look to Him for strength
Leader: Because Jesus is better than our family pedigree
All: We will look to Him for identity
Leader: Because Jesus is a better mediator
All: We will look to Him for reconciliation
Leader: Because Jesus serves as a better guide
All: We will look to Him for direction
Leader: Because Jesus offers a better relationship
All: We will look to Him for communion
Leader: Because Jesus makes better promises
All: We will look to Him for assurance
Leader: Because Jesus ensures a better peace
All: We will look to Him for comfort
Leader: Because Jesus provides better possessions
All: We will look to Him for satisfaction
Leader: Because Jesus instills a better motivation
All: We will look to Him for purpose
Leader: Because Jesus establishes a better family
All: We will look to Him for belonging
Leader: Because Jesus awards a better inheritance
All: We will look to Him for our future
Leader: Because Jesus imparts a better life
All: We will look to Him for an example
Leader: In the name of Jesus, the Better Way, we pray.
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TALKING POINTS
JESUS THE BETTER WAY: JESUS IS A BETTER MEDIATOR
HEBREWS 4:14 – 5:10
Big Idea: 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.
Read the sermon text for this week.
Also read Hebrews 7:23-26.
The High Priestly work of Jesus includes (but is not limited to):
(i) Jesus offering Himself as a more-than-sufficient sacrifice for your sin
(ii) Jesus serving as a mediator / intercessor between you and the Father
• Have you ever had an encounter with God in which you sensed his holiness or your humanness so intensely that it was difficult to pray or be in His presence?
• How does the priestly work of Jesus inform and alleviate the sense of alienation, distance, or even fear that we can experience in such times?
• Are there times when you somehow feel responsible for you own salvation; when you feel there is something you must do to earn or be qualified for it?
• How can the High Priestly work of Jesus inform and affect this tendency towards a works salvation?
In his sermon, Pastor Ken said, “Jesus is the perfect mediator because he is perfectly God, and perfectly man. He can give us sympathy, mercy and power. Jesus brought God to men and he can bring men to God.” The High Priestly work of Jesus has the potential to provide you with peace, security, assurance, confidence in prayer, approachableness to the Father, “spiritual self-esteem”, and power for living.
• Rank these provisions in the order of their value to you (from 1-7 with 1 being the greatest in value).
• Does Jesus’ work as High Priest fill you with joy and a sense of intimacy with God?
• Can you take a few moments and thank God for Jesus’ ministry and ask him to help you live a victorious life through him?
