Sermon25-32 Heb4-5 Guide

Heb 3:13-5:10 theme verse Heb 5:8-9

The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.

In this twenty seventh Sunday of 2025, on Pentecost Sunday, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and also the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life. Last week, we looked at the continuity of the Old Testament and New Testament, yet this week, we would like to look at why Christ called the great High Priest and what is His mission together.

1)    To summarize the content of today's text, today's text can be divided into three paragraphs. In the first paragraph of 4:14-16, the author of Hebrews says that we have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who completed the ministry of atonement for us, was resurrected and ascended to heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God to intercede for us. And he says that he could sympathize with our weaknesses, since He has been tempted in every respect, just as we are. And then in the second paragraph of 5:1-5, discussing about the qualifications of the high priest, he says that the high priest who was chosen by God, must be purified through the sin offering in order to receive forgiveness of sins on behalf of the Israelites on the Day of Atonement. And finally in the third paragraph of 5:6-10, he says that Jesus Christ is the eternal great High Priest for us, who was begotten by God forever, and was appointed by God according to the order of Melchizedek. In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to God who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his godliness. And although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.

2)    Yet the High Priest mentioned in today’s text, was the Chief Religious Leader representing the Israelites before God, being in charge of all matters related to sacrifice (Ex 27:21). And he supervised the sanctuary and took charge of service and the accounting (2 Kings 22:4) And also he asked God’s will with the Urim & Thummim (Num 27:21) and once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he entered the Most high place to offer a sin offering and receive the atonement on behalf of the Israelites. (Lev 16:34)

3)    As such, Christ, the Son of God and the Messiah, who came to this earth, inherited this ministry of the high priest. He was called the great High Priest who represented the humanity before God and became the sin offering for all the humanity by crucifying on the cross and finished His vicarious atonement for us to become the source of salvation for those who believe in Jesus Christ. Therefore, not only did we receive forgiveness of sins through faith, but we were also able to receive Hia grace to help us in time of need from the throne of grace. Because when the Lord died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in the middle (Luke 23:45), meaning that the sin was forgiven and we were justified so that we can boldly approach the throne of grace in the Most Holy Place where the presence of God is, through the new path which Christ has opened with His blood.  However, since Christ, our eternal Great High Priest, is different from the high priests who followed the order of Aaron since He follows the order of Melchizedek, as Heb 7:3 says “Without father, without mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, but like the Son of God, he remains a Priest forever. Like Melchizedek, our Lord was begotten eternally by God the Father, and His origin is eternal.” Therefore, in today’s text, God says that he is the great High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And not only did he complete the work of atonement, but he also sits at the right hand of God’s throne to intercede for His elect.

4)    And today’s text says that the reason He could become the source of our eternal salvation is because He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin (4:15) and in the days of His flesh, He offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to God who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godliness (5:7). And also even though He was the Son of God, He learned obedience from what he suffered and was made perfect.

5)    Regarding our eternal and great High Priest, Christ, Belgic confession article 26 confesses that “We believe that we have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor, "Jesus Christ the righteous,” who therefore was made human, uniting together the divine and human natures, so that we human beings might have access to the divine Majesty. Otherwise we would have no access. But this Mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does. Although he was "in the form of God,” Christ nevertheless "emptied himself,” taking "human form" and "the form of a slave" for us; and he made himself "like his brothers and sisters in every respect.” (Therefore He is the One who loves us most and has all the authority of heavens and earth, sitting at the right hand of God.)”

6)    And then Belgic confession continues to confess that Jesus Christ had to become like us in all aspects, and so that he could serve God as true Great High Priest, and also become the sin offering for the sins of the humanity, and also because He Himself suffered and was tempted, it is said that He is able to help all who are tempted. And also it urges us to keep your faith in him, knowing that Jesus, the Great High Priest and the Son of God, ascended into heaven and is now interceding for us at the right hand of God, and also since our High Priest knows our weaknesses and also was tempted in every way, yet without sin, so  that it urges us to approach the throne of God’s grace with courage, so that in time of need we may obtain mercy and grace, after we may enter the Most Holy Place, and approach the eternal High Priest, who can save completely those who come to God, and who intercedes for us. And also we should not seek other advocates, instead following the command of Christ, as the Lord's Prayer teaches that we have to cry out to our heavenly Father, since Jesus Christ, our Only Mediator, who knows our weaknesses, has promised that whatever we ask of the Father in His name, He will give it to us.

7)    Yet Hebrews 5:8 & 9 say that “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and having been made perfect and became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” Here we can know that holding on our faith in 4:14 is actually same as obeying Him as 5:9 says. As such our faith is not just only a function that occurs in the brain, but as Rom 10:10 we not only believe with our hearts but also confess with our mouths and are saved, confessing with our mouths means that we could be persecuted or martyred under the persecution of the Roman Empire in the first century, therefore, just as he obeyed even though he was a Son, we too will be saved when we believe and obey.

8)    Therefore, even if difficulties come our way in our journey of faith, we believe that we should become those who learn obedience through the sufferings we receive to obtain eternal salvation and become perfect, after receiving the strength to endure from God who sympathizes with our weaknesses through prayer, just as the Lord offered up His supplications and prayers with deep cries and tears. I pray that this year, we all may follow the Lord to receive eternal salvation while obeying to Him to be perfect,  as our Lord obeyed to God in trials and became our source of eternal salvation.

Key Questions as Small Group Activity

Q1 Through today’s text, we became to know that the reason why Christ could become the source of our eternal salvation was because in love, he endured all the temptation and finished His vicarious atonement ministry on the cross. So, meditating on His grace and to which life His grace leads us, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Q2 And, also we became to know that His grace can be received through the faith which results in the obedience too. So after reviewing if we are following Him with faith and also with obedience, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Love you. Thank you. God bless you.

Prayer Note

Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!

Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or  even during the week )

Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!

Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),

please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized   ).

I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon                                    )

Please help me to live in that (  learned way of life                                                )

I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.