A Priest Passed into the Heavens

A Priest Passed Into the Heavens

Sunday after Ascension Day

Collect of the Day O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thy Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. The Epistle. 1 St. Peter

Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-5:10 (KJ21)

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed into the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession.

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;

2 who can have compassion on the ignorant and on those who are outside of the Way, since he himself is also encompassed by infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof, he ought, both for the people and also for himself, to make offering for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honor unto himself, except he that is called by God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made a high priest, but He that said unto Him, “Thou art My Son; today have I begotten Thee.”

6 And He saith also in another place, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

7 Christ, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared,

8 though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.

9 And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all those who obey Him,

10 being called by God as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

When Secretary of State Clinton was asked if the Administration were standing by the story that the Benghazi attack was a protest that got out of hand, she famously responded, “What difference does it make?” You may be tempted to ask the same question about the Ascension of our Lord. What difference does it make? The Bible gives two main answers. One is that Christ is King in heaven, ruling over the universe for the sake of his church. The other is that Christ is High Priest in heaven listening to and helping his people. Today’s Epistle reading focuses our attention on the second of those two - Christ, our High Priest in Heaven. 1. Christ Ascended 1.1 The writer calls him Jesus the Son of God. He has the human name Jesus, because he became one with us in our humanity. He is called the Son of God, because in eternity he always was and when he became a man remained one with the Father in his Divine nature. He is man and God, one Person with two natures. He is at the same time fully God and fully man. He lacks nothing of the human nature and nothing of the Divine nature. He was born to Mary and grew up in Nazareth. He began his public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist. For three years he spoke the words of God and did the works of God. At the climax of his ministry he died on the cross to save us from our sins. On the third day he rose from the dead, victorious over sin, death, and the devil. During the next 40 days he showed himself alive and prepared his disciples for their ministry after his departure. 1.2. Then he left. St. Luke describes the event:        And when He had spoken these things, while        they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud        received Him out of their sight. And while        they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He        went up, behold, two men stood by them in        white apparel, who also said, “Ye men of        Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?        This same Jesus, who is taken up from into        Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye        have seen Him go into Heaven” (Acts        1:9-11). He returned to the Father who had sent him because his mission was complete. He went through the heavens into the presence of God. There he is our King and our High Priest. The first Old Testament High Priest was Aaron. He and the High Priests after him represented the people before God - interceding for them and daily offering offering sacrifices for them. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went into the Tabernacle, passed through the thick curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, and went into hte Most Holy Place which was filled with the glory of God. There the High Priest sprinkled the blood of the atonement on the Mercy Seat.   The Most Holy place was a picture of heaven. It was set apart as the dwelling place of the Most Holy God and as his throne room. There was no approaching him except by the blood of atonement. Jesus went not into an earthly Tabernacle but into heaven itself, where he continually presents to the Father his once-for-all sacrifice for our sin and where he lives forever to intercede on our behalves. 2. Christ Touched 2.1 Christ is in heaven where there is no sin, no sorrow, no tears - nothing of sin or its consequences, only perfect holiness and blessedness. Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. In heaven he is not waiting to be made King; he is King, exalted at the Father’s right hand, the place of authority.   2.2. It would be natural for us to think that because of where Christ is and what he enjoys there, he does not understand what we are going through in this life. He is no longer here with us going through what we go through. We may have known someone who was born poor and grew up in a family that was always behind on their bills, got their clothes from the Salvation Army, sometimes got their utilities turned off, drove old cars, and suffered one humiliation after another. But then that person becomes rich. He invents a piece of software, or makes a great investment, or marries into a monied family. His life changes. He keeps track of  his money, buys what he wants, including a fine house furnished with luxuries, is a respected an influential member of the community. As time passes he forgets the life he once lived. He loses empathy, sympathy, and concern for those who are now in the conditions he once was. The past is forgotten. We may think that surely that is the way it is for Jesus - whose sufferings are long passed and whose life is all blessedness. 2.3. But that is not true of him. His earthly experience as a man was not protected by his Godhood from the testings and temptations we undergo. He was misunderstood by his own family, rejected by his own people, condemned by the Jewish religious leaders, abandoned by his own disciples. He experienced both physical deprivation and the powerful temptations of the devil in the wilderness. He had to face the shame and pain of death by crucifixion. He died the death of a condemned criminal. In his death he was under the Father’s condemnation for our sins. There is no sort of trial or temptation that we experience that he did not experience. Yet, he always held out to the end of temptation till he overcame it. But one victory for him was not the end of temptation. Satan was always near to tempt him to turn away from the Father’s will to do what he wanted. Yet he never sinned. Had he not experienced our trials and temptations, he would not know what we go through by experience. Had he not resisted temptation and never sinned, he could not save and help us. Jesus is in heaven enjoying all glory and having all authority. But he has not forgotten what it is like to be us - for he has chosen to remember. He knows what we go through not just by divine omniscience but by human experience. 3. So What? So what that Christ was tested and tempted as we are and understands our weakness? What are we to do? 3.1. First, we must hold fast our confession of faith in Christ. The Hebrew Christians who read this letter were experiencing pressures and persecutions. Some had had their property confiscated. Some went to jail. They were rejected by their Jewish families. Judaism was a recognized and protected religion in the Empire. Christianity was not. So some of their families were saying, “Come home to your family. Come home to the synagogue. Turn your back on this new religion. There is no need to suffer for this new faith. Come back to us.” The writer of Hebrews says, “No, don’t do that. Jesus went through what you went through. He is exalted in heaven, but her understands you, and you can be sure he will hear you and help you when you turn to him. Persevere in your faith. 3.2. Second, come to the throne of grace. For unforgiven sinners, God’s throne is a throne of judgment and condemnation. At the throne of God unforgiven sinners’ sins are exposed, their guilt established beyond doubt, and sentence of eternal punishment is pronounced. Any unforgiven sinner can only feel unimaginable feelings of guilty, doom, and hopelessness. But for those who confess Christ as their Savior from sin the throne of judgment is transformed into a throne of grace. It is a throne where you encounter the unfathomable love of God. You meet God there not as a Judge but as a compassionate Father. You go to the throne with boldness and confidence to get the help you need. A guilty prisoner can appear before a judge only with defiance or fear. But a child, who is loved by his father, can go to his father anytime without fear. He is not irreverent or non-chalant because this is his father, not his buddy. But it is his father who always welcomes him, always has time for him, and will always help. 3.3. When we come to the throne by Christ we find there mercy and grace. We need mercy because remain sinners. We should not sin, we must not sin. We must not presume upon God’s mercy as though we can sin as much as we like because God is a merciful God. Christians hate sin, struggle against sin, want to be free of sin. But they sin. What should they do then? Run away and hide as did Adam? No! They should go to the throne of grace knowing that God never turns away a sinner who comes asking for the mercy of forgiveness. If you sin, and you come through Christ to confess your sin and ask for forgiveness, you can be absolutely sure that you will always receive mercy.You will get not the judgmen you deserve but the mercy you need. 3.4. We will also find grace. Why do we need grace? Because we face constant testings and temptations. They are beyond your power to endure. Grace is God’s enabling to do what you cannot do by your own resources and power. You can go to the throne and say, “This temptation is so powerful and I have been defeated by it so many times, and here it is n with a ramrod at my heart. I need help.” Or, “Lord, I am being severely tested. I feel I am about to be overwhelmed. This just seems more than I can bear, more than I can endure. Please help me. And you will find grace from Christ who has been tempted and tried in every way you are. He will help you to not to fall, or if you have fallen to get up go on in faith. Christ is your High Priest in Heaven. He is the only Priest you need. He knows what you are going through. Go to him and find from him the mercy of forgiveness and the grace of help.