The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed? Maybe you were feeling that this morning when you woke up, got ready for church, and quietly made your way to your seat. Not necessarily by one big crisis, just life. The burdens keep piling up. You carry concerns for your children. You worry about your marriage. You struggle with your health. You fight the same sins you fought for years. You pray about the same problems again and again and again. And sometimes you begin to wonder, can I really keep going? Does anyone truly understand what I’m carrying? Where am I supposed to find strength for tomorrow when today already feels overwhelming?
Every Christian eventually asks those questions. And the good news is that Christianity does not point us inward for an answer. It points us to Christ. Not merely Christ who died, not merely Christ who rose, but Christ who is alive right now. Christ who intercedes. Christ who sympathizes. Christ who welcomes weary sinners into His presence. And that’s exactly where the text takes us this morning.
After warning us about unbelief, disobedience, falling short of God’s rest, the author lifts our eyes away from ourselves and fixes them on Jesus. Hebrews 4, 14-16, we discover that Jesus is our better priest. So let’s lift our eyes to that reality. Jesus, our better priest, has all power and authority. All power and authority combined with a perfect love for his people. And in these three verses, the author shows us exactly why weary Christians can keep going. We will see Christ’s power. We will see Christ’s heart and we will see Christ’s invitation.
The reason weary saints make it safely home is because they know, we know, who their priest is. Who is he? Well, he never lets go of his weary pilgrims first. Secondly, Jesus understands every burden his people carry. And lastly, Jesus supplies mercy and grace for every need.
But how does Jesus help weary pilgrims keep going?
The author begins by directing our attention to his power. Before Hebrews tells us about Christ’s sympathy, it tells us about Christ’s supremacy. Why? Because the comfort of weary saints rests upon the strength of their Savior. And that leads us to our first point.
Point 1: Jesus Never Lets Go of His Weary Pilgrims
Hebrews 4:14
Number one, Jesus never lets go of his weary pilgrims. It’s verse 14. Hebrews chapter 4, we read together,
Since then… We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession.
Notice those two words, we have. It’s not there is or there was. We have a great high priest. He’s ours today. He’s ours tomorrow. He’s forever ours. There’s no comparison. You may have a friend who, a great friend who prays for you, is there for you. But the fact that we have a great high priest, it means something so much more. He is for you in your struggles today. He is for you in your trials tomorrow. He’s not distant, removed, detached. He’s not a man sitting in a dark booth asking, hey, when was the last time that you made your confession? He’s not like the priests of old who had to offer sacrifices again and again.
Our great priest, Jesus, is unique. Unlike every priest who came before him, Jesus had no sin of his own. You see, the Old Testament priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could represent the people. But Jesus needed no sacrifice for himself. He entered our humanity. He lived in perfect obedience and became the perfect sacrifice. So for our sake, he made him who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus never sinned. Unlike every other priest, as I said, he needed no sacrifice for himself. Instead, he became the sacrifice. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And when he cried, it is finished, his work of atonement was complete. There’s no more sacrifices. There’s no more guilt. There’s no more separation. There’s only one great high priest who has all authority and power.
But that’s not the end of the story. You see, there’s another veil that had to be pierced. You remember the old one? Not this earthly one, though. This veil was to the heaven of heavens. In his resurrected body, Jesus passed through the vaulted expanse of the sky. And he entered the heavenly sanctuary. It’s the ascension.
Notice what the author does next. He says, Jesus, the Son of God. Why is that significant? Because right before our eyes, he is showing and reminding and focusing our attention on both the humanity of Christ and the deity. Jesus is the name that refers to his humanity. And Son of God is the name that refers to his divinity. Truly man, truly God. And because he is both, he is able. Oh, believe it. Yes, he is able to both save and keep his people.
So what’s Jesus doing right now? He must be just hanging out, just enjoying the Father’s presence. Surely. Such an exalted Christ must be distant from ordinary sinners like you and me. Oh no. Far from it, Jesus continually is interceding on our behalf. He finished the work on the cross, but never stops working for us. He’s doing all this in the greater and more perfect tabernacle. One that’s not made by human hands, one that is eternal in the heavens. He’s seated at the right hand of the Father. It’s another way of saying that he has all power and authority. And all the while, he presents us. Weary pilgrims, struggling saints, before his heavenly Father, and even now he’s working all things together for our good and his glory.
Because of this gospel reality, the author commands us to do something. Hold fast your confession. Because Jesus is who he is, a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, the very Son of God, hold fast to him.
The 1689 London Baptist Confession summarizes his present ministry this way. This office, the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake and makes continual intercession for them. Well, why does he do that? Because he refuses to let go of you. And us, our confession is what we profess, what we believe. It’s our only hope in life and death that Jesus is ours and we are his. Don’t forget that. Don’t let go of that. John 10, 28 to 29 says this. I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hands.
Brothers and sisters, if Christ has you in his hand, he will not lose you. Don’t try to graduate to the deeper, hidden knowledge. We never graduate from the gospel. We only go from strength to strength and grace upon grace, knowing that Jesus is faithful to preserve his people all the way until the end. Romans 8.34 says this, Who is to condemn? Who? Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, he was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
And this is why weary pilgrims can keep going. We have a great high priest. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. He ascended for us. And even now, he intercedes for us. For you. He finished the work of atonement. But he never stops ministering on behalf of his people. He never lets go of you. Whatever your sin, whatever your struggle, whatever weariness.
Point 2: Jesus Understands Every Burden His People Carry
Hebrews 4:15
But that raises another question. Does this exalted Christ, high above the heavens, full power and authority, does he understand really what I’m going through right now? Does he know what it’s like to live in this fallen world? Hebrews answers that in verse 5, 15. Let’s read that together. Jesus understands every burden his people carry.
Verse 15. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, and yet… Without sin.
This comes back to the question that you may have asked here coming today or you have in the past. Does anyone understand? Does anyone really get me? And the answer is a resounding yes. So how is Jesus able to sympathize with my weaknesses? He’s not gone through what I’ve been through. Well, actually, he’s been through worse. Well, but I don’t understand, Pastor. He was never married. He didn’t have kids. He never lost his job. Most importantly, he never sinned. So how could he know what it’s like?
Listen, when the author says that Jesus was tempted… He’s saying he was afflicted with every manner of evil. And focus here, externally. This is a lot different than us. When we’re tempted, two things often happen. It’s the external temptation and it’s the internal sinful desire to respond to it. James says it well. Each person is tempted when he’s lured and enticed by his own desire. Jesus never had the second part. There’s no sinful nature in him. There’s no corrupt desires. There’s no inward inclination to evil. Temptations come from Satan. They came from Satan, the world, suffering weakness and opposition.
But never from sinful desires within himself.
In a sense, Jesus felt temptations more deeply than we do. Most of us, we just give in. When the intensity of the temptation rises to such a level, we finally say, oh man, I just, I gotta have it. I’m just gonna do it.
There’s a man that’s standing in gale force winds. How long do you think he lasted? He just gave up. He sought shelter. But Jesus would never do that. He never gave in. He stood against every wind of temptation to the very end. The intensity of the temptation Jesus endured was greater, far greater, than what we will ever experience.
And what better place to look than the Garden of Gethsemane?
Jesus prayed, My Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from me. He wasn’t tempted to sin there. He genuinely felt the horror of what awaited for him on the cross. As truly man, he was overwhelmed by the reality of the wrath of God to soon be poured upon him. And yet he perfectly submitted in saying, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
Why does the author of Hebrews emphasize this? Because he’s not trying to teach us what Christ is like in some academic sense. No, he’s trying to comfort us by saying, your great high priest understands you. Not because he sinned, but because he knows everything about your weaknesses, the grief, the exhaustion, the rejection, the loneliness, and the suffering. He knows it all from personal experience.
That’s why I love what Thomas Goodwin, well, Thomas Goodwin loved this verse. He wrote a whole book on it. These Puritans are nuts. How do you write a book on one verse? He said, now that Christ is in heaven, his heart is as much inclined to sinners as it ever was on earth. Think about that. Now you might think that since he has now ascended to heaven, he’s somewhat removed from your pain. No. Jesus is not cold and unfeeling toward you. He is, as Goodwin would say, forever touched with the feeling of your infirmities. He’s never indifferent to the struggles of his people. He sympathizes perfectly because he knows every experience and he knows all the suffering and what it feels like.
What better verse? Isaiah 53, 3-4. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Jesus understands every burden his people carry because he himself was a man of sorrows and equated with grief. He knows what it’s like to be rejected. He knows what it’s like to be misunderstood. He knows what it’s like to suffer. He knows what it’s like to weep. And yet, without sin. And yet, he has set his love upon us. A love that will never let us go.
That’s why the old hymn says, Come ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready. He stands to save you. Full of pity, love and power. And even now, he is just as intimately acquainted with you as he was with every sinner he touched. He knows your weakness. He knows your struggles. He knows your temptations. That is Christ’s heart for you. That is his compassion for you. His condition has changed, but his affection did not. He changed place, but not his nature or office. He relates to us perfectly and loves us completely.
But Christ’s sympathy is not some merely emotional thing. He does not simply understand our need. No, he meets our need. He does not merely feel compassion toward weary sinners. He gives mercy and grace to help them.
Point 3: Jesus Supplies Mercy and Grace for Every Need
Hebrews 4:16
That’s the third question. Where do I find the strength to keep going? The good news is that Jesus does not merely keep his people. He does not merely understand his people. He helps his people. And that brings us to our third point. Jesus supplies mercy and grace for every need. That’s verse 16. We read together.
Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Once again, we see the phrase, let us. Let us draw near to God with confidence. Notice the author doesn’t say, let me draw near. He says, let us draw God never intended weary pilgrims to do this journey alone, although that’s very popular in America. Private, pietistic, personal faith. One of the ways that Christ supplies mercy and grace is through his church. As we worship, as we pray, as we sing, as we encourage, as we bear one another’s burdens, and yet many who are not here pray, Decide that church is okay when it works for my schedule. When the sports are off. The throne of grace is not merely a destination for isolated Christians. It’s where God’s people come together through Christ.
Now, how is that possible, you may ask? I’m just a sinner. God is so holy. How can I confidently draw near to him? I think about the priests of the Old Testament. They approached God with fear and trembling. Am I clean enough? Have I prepared enough? This goes back to what we learned last week, 1 Peter 2, 4-5. That we are to come to him as a royal priesthood. Not because we’re mediators. There’s only one mediator, Christ. It’s because through Christ we have direct access to God. That is the key. Christ has made it possible for us to go directly to God through him. And so because of what Jesus has done, because he has made it possible, we now have the confidence.
But what does that confidence really look like? It’s not because we have strength in ourselves. It’s because we have strength from the Savior. We can now come to our God with cheerful courage, the same way a child comes running to her parents. We can have boldness and assurance. Why? Because we have fellowship with the living God.
Notice what kind of throne we’re looking to approach here. Does it say a throne of justice? A throne of the law? No, it’s a throne of grace. And that matters deeply for us in our daily lives. See, in the Old Testament, there was this thing called the mercy seat. It was the golden cover on top of the Ark of the Covenant. It’s the place where God’s presence was symbolized. It’s where the high priest would go in once a year for the Day of Atonement. The blood was sprinkled and mercy was granted to sinners. Listen, the mercy seat was both a place of judgment and of mercy. It represented God’s holiness and the atoning blood. Without the blood, the sinner could not approach. Only the high priest. Only once a year. Only fear and trembling.
But brothers and sisters, I want you to listen to the difference. In Christ, the door is never closed. The veil is gone. The sacrifice has been offered. And God’s people are invited to come. The place that once inspired fear is now called a throne of grace. It’s still a throne. God is no less holy. But because Christ has satisfied divine justice, the throne that should condemn us now welcomes us. Because our priest is powerful and he’s compassionate, we’re invited to come boldly into God’s presence. Not because we’re worthy. Not because we had a good week. Not because we conquered all our sins.
But because our priest has already gone before us.
That’s why the author doesn’t call it merely a throne. He calls it a throne of grace.
Now what happens when we come boldly to this throne? What do we find there? It’s two things, mercy and grace. We find remission, removal of all of our sins, and we find the source of all spiritual power. Certainly His mercy displayed in our salvation. Ephesians tells us that God is rich in mercy. And Titus reminds us that He saved us not because of works done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. And that mercy didn’t stop when we were converted. He continues to show mercy in our weaknesses. Mercy in our failures. Mercy in every time of need.
And yet, we often just respond to that mercy being offered and we’re a bit standoffish.
I got this, Lord. I can take care of it on my own. I don’t want to bother you with my problems. And I certainly don’t want to disappoint you with my ongoing issues. Stop it. Dearly beloved, do not despise his mercy. Run, run to that throne. Receive, receive from him. It’s nothing you can merit. For mercy is not getting what we deserve.
But it’s not only mercy, it’s grace. Grace is God’s undeserved kindness toward his people. It’s everything that we need to serve the living God. He never calls us to do something without supplying the grace to obey and to carry it forward. In Matthew 11, Jesus says, come to me. In Hebrews 4, he says, draw near. It’s the same invitation. The one seated upon the throne of grace is the very one who still says to you today, come to me, all you who are laboring and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We just have to come. So come to the throne of grace. Come running. Come boldly. Come confidently. Do not delay.
The Savior’s storehouse of mercy and grace is unending. It’s richly supplied. Imagine this for a moment. A struggling family receiving a letter from a wealthy benefactor. Rich uncle, whatever. The letter says, whenever you have a need, come to this account. Everything that is necessary has been deposited here for you. When at first they hesitate. They say, no, surely that’s going to run out. There’s got to be a limit on what we can draw from. But every time they come, The resources that they need are still there. The account, it never diminishes. The supply never runs dry. The problem is not a lack of funds. The problem is often the reluctance to come.
Hebrews 4.16 tells us that Christ’s treasury of mercy and grace is infinitely greater than that. The throne never closes. There’s no caution tape or do not enter. The account never empties. There’s no overdraft fees. The supply never runs dry. The problem is never a lack of grace in Christ. The problem is often that weary saints forget to come. Or worse yet, your sin is so bad and surprising to God that you don’t come. Stop. Come.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. Jesus gives mercy for yesterday’s failures. He gives grace for today’s battles and he provides help for tomorrow’s trials. So come to Christ. The throne is occupied. The invitation is extended. All the mercy is available. And all the grace is sufficient.
Conclusion and Application
So as we close, don’t miss what the author’s done here. He’s taken weary, struggling, burdened believers by the hand. He said, oh, look up there. Look to Jesus. Lift up your eyes. Look to him. Don’t look to yourselves, look to your performance, to your own strength, but to our great high priest.
Have you noticed that he answers every question we asked at the beginning? Can I keep going? Yes, because Jesus will never let go of you. As he never lets go of you, you won’t ever let go of him. Hold fast to your confession. Does anyone, second question, does anyone understand what I’m carrying? Yes, because Jesus understands every burden his people carry. Where do I go then, the third, to find strength to keep going? We go to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace for every need.
Brothers and sisters, the Christian life is not sustained by your strength. By your personal holiness and your pietism. It’s sustained by Christ’s strength. It’s not sustained by how fast you hold on to him and gripping on him, but he’s got you. He’s holding on to you. We have a great high priest. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. He ascended for us. And even now, today, right now, as I’m speaking, interceding for us. Praise God he’s helping me.
So when you’re weary, here’s what I want you to do. Read your Bible. Look to Christ. Do those things, but look to Christ. When you’re burdened, look to Christ. Discouraged, look to Jesus. When you failed and you messed up and you think, oh God, it must be done with me. I can’t believe it. He thinks I’m a failure. It’s the exact time when you need to look to Jesus. And he’s going to pour out his mercy and grace upon you. Some of you may have, you don’t even know how you’re going to make it through another day. How am I going to do this? That’s when you need Jesus.
He’s powerful enough to keep you. He’s compassionate enough to understand you. And he’s gracious enough to help you. The one who calls you to persevere is the very one who who preserves you. Therefore, hold fast to your confession. Draw near with confidence. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of what he’s done for you. And keep looking to Jesus until that day, until we see him face to face and we enter that eternal rest that he has secured for his people.
Brothers and sisters, Hebrews shows us a Savior who’s powerful enough to keep us, compassionate enough to understand us, gracious enough to help us. And because that is true, we do not need to hide from God. We do not need to pretend how holy and pious we are. We don’t need to excuse our sins. He sees it all. We just looked at that last time. Our lives are laid bare. Through Christ, we draw near with confidence. So let us come honestly now before our gracious God and let’s just confess our sins and know the blood of Christ continues to wash over us and cleanse us. So I’m going to pray. A prayer now of confession. And then I’m going to offer an assurance of pardon. And then we’ll take a moment.
Closing Prayer
Most merciful God. We confess that we have sinned against you. In thought. In word. And in deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not loved you as ourselves. We’ve trusted in our own wisdom rather than your word. We’ve relied upon our own strength rather than your grace. We have often wandered from Christ, neglected prayer, harbored sinful thoughts, failed to walk in grateful obedience. And yet you are rich in mercy and abundant in steadfast love. For the sake of Jesus Christ, our great high priest, forgive us, cleanse us, renew us by your Holy Spirit. Strengthen our faith. Turn our hearts again to you, Lord. Help us walk before you in holiness and gratitude all our days.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
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