The uniqueness of the high priest within the Jewish religious system is even more uniquely filled once for all by Jesus the High Priest, who both enters into human experience and draws us beyond that to God through His perfect obedience.
Hebrews 4:14-5:10
SERMON OUTLINE
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” (Hebrews 4:14)
What is a High Priest?
- for others as a representative (5:1)
- with others as like them (5:2)
- before God as intercessor (5:2-3)
- because of God appointed to ministry (5:4)
Jesus is the Great High Priest
- for others as High Priest and Son of God (4:14)
- with others as new Adam (4:15)
- before God as intercessor (5:7-8)
- because of God appointed to ministry (5:5-6)
Because Jesus is the High Priest We Can Access the Good Life
- we have one who makes a way with God (4:16 – prayer)
- we have one who sympathizes with our weakness (4:15 – temptation)
- we have one who intercedes before God (5:7, 9 – salvation)
- we have one who makes us children of God (2:11 – belonging)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- When has someone helped you in a time of need? What happened? How did you respond? Was it easy or difficult to receive help?
- As we continue our series “The Final Word: Knowing Christ through Hebrews,” this week we turn to Hebrews 4:14-5:10. Begin your study by praying that God would speak to you through His Word. Then, whether you’re alone or with a group, read that passage aloud.
- This section of Hebrews begins a longer exploration of a concept introduced earlier that Jesus is “a merciful and faithful high priest” (2:17). What does Hebrews 4:14-15 tell you about who Jesus is as a high priest?
- Because Jesus is a true high priest, our access to God is changed according to 4:16. What does Jesus’ identity and work as high priest do for our life with God?
- Do you find this encouraging or not? How might this change the way you pray?
- Chapter 5 begins another comparison between Jesus and characters within the Hebrew Bible, this time focusing on Aaron and the Levitical priests. What does the writer tell us about the humanity of these priests in 5:1-3?
- With 5:4 we see that priests of any sort, including Aaron, were chosen by God. How is this similar or different from Jesus according to 5:5-6?
- According to 5:7-8, like the priests who offered prayers on behalf of the people, Jesus offered prayers to God. What is both similar and different about Jesus’ prayers and the result of His prayers according to these verses?
- Why do you think it is important to note that Jesus “was heard” in His calls to God?
- If it’s true that Jesus “did not sin” (4:15), what do you think it means that Jesus “learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8)?
- How does this description of Jesus’ suffering shape your understanding of your own experience of suffering? Does it make your suffering more meaningful or less lonely?
- Based on what you read in 5:9-10, what are two specific ways in which Jesus is superior to the other priests that came before?
- What is one thing God is speaking to you through this study of Hebrews 4:14-5:10? If you are on your own, write that down. If you are in a small group, discuss your answers with one another. Close in prayer. Choose one person in your life with whom you will share something you learned through this study.
DIG DEEPER
- Memorize part or all of Hebrews 5:7-10 this week.
- Learn how to pray more consistently and boldly based on Hebrews 4:16. Reach out to someone you know who has a mature prayer life and ask them to help you learn how to pray.
- Study the background of the priests by reading some or all of these passages: Exodus 28; Leviticus 8-9; Numbers 1:47-54; 3:1-20, 44-51; 8:5-26.
- Read Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:14-18; and 5:7-10, then make a list of characteristics about Jesus. Choose one of them on which to meditate more deeply each day of the next week.
- Take some time to respond to what you are encountering about Jesus in this passage: go for a prayer walk, draw or letter something, paint a picture, write in your journal, make a song, or something else.