Recently, throughout my seemingly endless bouts of failure and defeat, I’ve been appreciating that I have a High Priest as portrayed in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin”. This verse is excellent for all weak fallen humans, especially myself. Why? Because this verse reveals that we DO have a High Priest who CAN be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses. It reminds us that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, knows our weaknesses in all respects! He understands us thoroughly, from our outermost hair to the deepest part of our being, and knows how easy it is for us to fall. He knows this, not because He is God, but because He was also 100% man. Christ can sympathize with us, because He lived as a man and prevailed in a life encompassed by weaknesses.
Christ’s position as a High Priest appoints Him to constantly intercede for us. Our Christ today, is a “Priest forever…[who] lives always to intercede” (Heb. 7:17,25). Because it is in our nature, we will always fall. No matter how hard we try, we will inevitably fail and succumb to our weaknesses. But, praise the Lord! God doesn’t hope in us! God’s hope is not in man, but in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus we shouldn’t hope in ourselves either! Why even try to hope in ourselves when our hope can abound in Christ (Rom. 15:12-13). Furthermore, our very hope, Christ Jesus who died for our sins, is now sitting in the heavens at the right hand of God, interceding for us. No matter how far we fall, Christ will always be in the heavens, petitioning on our behalf. If all the world is against us, He will still be for us. This is our Christ, our forever High Priest.
Even though Christ has overcome all weaknesses and is petitioning to God on our behalf, there is still something to be done on our part. We cannot save ourselves from weaknesses, but we must come to Christ to be saved from them. Hebrews 7:25 says, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him”. Who is Christ able to save? Those who come forward. What do we need to do? We need to come forward. Even more specifically, Hebrews 4:16 shows us that we can come forward with boldness to the throne of grace. We need to be bold to come forward to Christ, our High Priest, because when we come to Him about our weaknesses, we will receive mercy, we will find grace, will receive timely help, and He will save us to the uttermost.
Thus, even in my state of weakness and failure, the word of God has yet again reminded me of the sweet merciful grace of my Lord Jesus. When I fail, I needn’t obsess over my failure, but I should believe into Christ my hope and touch Him in my spirit. When I am weak, I shouldn’t wallow in my weakness, but I should come forward boldly to the throne of Grace. As I am putting these things to practice, I am slowly finding that in Christ I have an Intercessor. I am slowly realizing that in Christ, I can be saved from my weakness. I am slowly experiencing, that in Christ, I have One who can take me from a dark situation and transfer me into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).
By: S. Chen
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Your words about Heb 4:15 and 7:25 match what I see in my current reading of the gospels. An example; in Matthew 8:2 is coming forward: “a leper, coming near, worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can cleanse me.” And in 8:3 the Lord is touched by this human weakness: “stretching out His hand, He touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Amen!! Praise and glory to our precious High Priest Jesus Christ!
This portion of the word became my supply in my present situation. I’ve been defeated by my failures and weaknesses recently, but praise our High Priest! He can symphatize with us and He knows how easy it is for us to fall. He is well able to save us to the uttermost. What we need to do is just to come forward with boldness to Him.
Amen!! Our weaknesses are actually a means for us to touch the Lord. When we realize our weaknesses, we are actually in the best position to touch the Lord on the throne and receive mercy and find grace. This is why Paul could say in 2 Cor 12:9b, “Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me.” If we learn to touch the Lord through our weaknesses, then we experience and show forth the Lord’s mercy and grace!
Thank You, Lord, for our weaknesses!! Thank You that they help us to come forward to the throne of grace!
Praise the Lord. What a rich portion!