Hebrews 4:14-16

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Hebrews 4:14–5:5
• Sermon
• Prayer of Closing

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Sermon Title: The Sympathizing High Priest

Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16

I. The Second Statement: Christ Is Able to Sympathize with Our Weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15)

A. The double negative: "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize" — that is, we have one who is able B. Gospel illustrations of Christ's sympathizing humanity

1. Mark 4:35-41 — Jesus asleep in the stern; fully human, he grows weary after a day of teaching
2. Luke 4:1-4 — Jesus fasting 40 days, genuinely hungry, genuinely tempted by the devil with food
3. Luke 22 — Jesus tells his disciples they have been with him throughout his "trials" (same Greek word as "temptations"), indicating his entire ministry involved real temptation

C. The realness of his suffering in temptation confirmed by Hebrews 2:18

1. "Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted"

II. Yet Without Sin — The Sinlessness of Christ

A. The sinlessness of Christ is essential to his high-priestly ministry

1. Romans 5 — by the one man's obedience the many are made righteous
2. Hebrews 7:26 — "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens"
3. Hebrews 9:28 — Christ was offered to bear the sins of many, not his own sins
4. 1 Peter 2 — "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth"
5. 1 John 3 — "In him there is no sin"
6. 2 Corinthians 5 — God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God
7. Hebrews 9:13-14 — his blood, offered without blemish, purifies our conscience; the unblemished sacrifice is what makes atonement effectual

B. His perfect righteousness is imputed to believers — his sinlessness makes the great exchange possible

III. The Impeccability of Christ — He Was Not Able to Sin

A. Definition: non posse peccare — it was not possible for Christ to sin B. Ground 1: The nature of the God-man

1. Hebrews 13:8 — "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" — he is unchanging
2. Chalcedonian Christology: one person (the eternal Son), two natures (fully divine, fully human), united but unmixed — the person of the Son cannot sin C. Ground 2: The decree of election and the security of salvation
3. If Christ could have sinned, the salvation of the elect would have been in jeopardy
4. God's immutable promise guarantees the outcome (cf. Hebrews 6:17-18) D. Holding the tension: real temptation and impeccability together
5. Unlike us, Christ faced no temptation arising from within — only from without
6. Because he never yielded, temptation continued to press him without relief — he faced it at a magnitude we have never experienced
7. His impeccability does not make his temptation less real; it makes his sympathy more profound E. Eschatological significance: Christ's impeccability is the goal toward which he is bringing his people — in glory, believers too will be unable to sin

IV. The Second Invitation: Draw Near to the Throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16)

A. The throne of grace — an echo of the mercy seat (the throne of Yahweh) in the Holy of Holies; Christ has passed through the heavens to the true mercy seat B. The veil has been torn; believers now have direct, confident access to God through their great high priest C. The promise: mercy and grace to help in time of need — every prayer, every petition, every moment of weakness has a place at this throne D. The writer includes himself — "let us with confidence draw near" — a pastoral, corporate invitation