God With Us in Our Weakness

I listened to some preaching this week. I was listening to a sermon by Adrian Rogers. He's gone on to be with the Lord now, but you can still hear his sermons on his podcast. He was preaching a sermon on a different topic than I'm preaching today. But he said something in the sermon that I've often thought. He said, “I'm not only preaching to you. I'm also preaching to myself.” That was good for me to hear. Because as I am preaching this sermon today, I'm not only preaching it to you, but I'm also preaching it to myself. The sermon today is this: God is with us in our weakness.

As we approach Christmas, that is the message of Christmas. We celebrate Jesus because he is Emmanuel, God with us. Through faith in Jesus Christ, God is with you and with me. God is with us as we shop in stores for our gifts. God is with us at work, school, or home while we are with our family. God is with you as you are stuck in traffic, and that driver has just cut you off. In whatever is going on, God is with us.

But many times, when we are weak and in need, it's hard to remember that God is with us. We're just trying to figure it out ourselves. Especially when we fall into sin and temptation, we don't feel like God is with us. 

But is there a way for us to know that even in our weakness, God is with us? We're going to take a look at that question today through the book of Hebrews. If you have your Bibles, please open them to Hebrews 4:14-16.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." Hebrews 4:14–16
The Book of Hebrews is a very Jewish book and an incredible epistle. We will preach through it next year as we start a sermon series on Hebrews in January. The Book of Hebrews has a constant theme that Jesus is greater. The one thing that will come back repeatedly in Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than everything the Jews had seen under Moses.

Hebrews 4:14-16, where we are today, is given within the context of the author of Hebrews speaking about how exposed we are before God. In other words, your human condition, who you are on the inside, is entirely bare before the Lord.

Hebrews 4:12 contains a famous verse about how “the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword.” It says God’s word can “judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” One way you know the Bible is the Word of God is that it exposes the very condition of your soul. 

I can't tell you how many times I've been preaching the Word of God, and someone comes up to me and wonders how I knew exactly what was happening in their life at that time. I don’t know what’s happening in your life, but God does. Whenever you encounter the word of God, whether someone is preaching it or you are just reading it on your own, God has a way of exposing the condition of your soul through his word.

Hebrews 4:13 states that “no creature is hidden” from God’s sight. Every person is exposed before God. Nothing is hidden from him, and the word says that we will give an account of ourselves to God.

Our condition of being exposed and laid bare before God sets us up for Hebrews 4:14. It starts with this Jewish idea of Jesus as our great high priest.

1. Jesus is Our Great High Priest

Take a look at Hebrews 4:14. It says,
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession." Hebrews 4:14

What Does It Mean That Jesus Is Our Great High Priest?

It is helpful to remember that Christianity is what Judaism was meant to be—the worship of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus fulfills all of God's promises to the people of Israel. For the Jews, to miss Jesus is to miss everything. They are missing the fulfillment of God's promises to them.

One of God's promises to Israel was fulfilled through the role of the high priest in the Jewish temple. When God established the temple, the role of the high priest signified that man needed a mediator between him and God.

God established the role of the high priest through Moses. His brother Aaron was appointed as the first high priest in Exodus 28-29. 

The high priest was someone who was set apart. He represented the people of Israel to God. He carried on him the names of the tribes of Israel before God as a reminder. 

You see this in Exodus 28:11-12. These verses describe an ephod (or a garment) that the high priest would wear on him as he approached the presence of God in the Tabernacle. There are instructions here on what to engrave on the ephod. It says,
"Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel’s sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the LORD as a reminder." Exodus 28:11–12
In other words, Aaron (or the high priest) must remember that he is a representative or a mediator between the people of Israel and God.

It is very intentional that the high priest needed a reminder because of an inherent weakness within the high priest system. The high priest was required to be holy to approach a holy God. In Exodus 28:36, the high priest wore a turban with a gold medallion engraved with the words "Holy to the Lord.” Exodus 28:38 describes why the high priest wore this medallion. It says,
"It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the LORD." Exodus 28:38
The high priest had a specific role of bearing Israel's guilt upon himself before God. However, the high priest system's inherent weakness was that the high priest himself was a sinner. It was not enough for him to bear Israel's guilt because he had his own guilt to bear before God. 

The tabernacle, or temple, had an area called the Holy of Holies, where God's presence was manifested above the ark of the covenant. This area had the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat, and it was divided from the rest of the Tabernacle by a curtain. Once a year, the high priest went past the curtain and entered the holy of Holies to bring a sacrifice before God for the people.

However, because he was sinful, he first had to make a sacrifice for himself before he could present the sin offering to God for the people. This whole process is described in Leviticus 16. But Leviticus 9:7 gets to the heart of the process and purpose of the high priest. It says,
"Then Moses said to Aaron, 'Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people. Sacrifice the people’s offering and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.'” Leviticus 9:7
So, the purpose of the high priest was for the people to have an atonement before God, a sacrifice made for their sins. The high priest needed to make that atonement before God.

Why Is Jesus a Greater High Priest?

Jesus is a greater high priest because he is sinless. He didn't need to bring a guilt offering for himself because he had no guilt. Jesus is 100% perfect in every way. 

That's the point the writer of Hebrews makes right in the next verse, verse 15, where he says that Jesus was without sin. You see this in 1 Peter 2:22, where it says,
"He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth" 1 Peter 2:22
You can also look at 1 John 3:5,
"You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him." 1 John 3:5
Since Jesus had no sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says he was made sin for us. 
"He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21
In other words, since he was 100% perfect and pure without fault, he was the only pure offering that could be brought before God. Jesus, our great high priest, was the only perfect offering who could carry the guilt of us all.

He's a great high priest who not only went past the curtain—oh, he tore the veil! But he also ascended into heaven and is at the very right hand of the throne of God. He is the perfect mediator between man and God.

We know the importance of a mediator to advocate for the powerless. I worked for a Christian ministry toward homeless individuals for seven years. And during that time, I was a counselor for a lot of men in our program. Within that time, our bosses decided to change our job title from a Case Manager to an Advocate, because they really wanted us to internalize the importance of our position. Our job was to advocate for individuals who felt powerless, people who were trying to get things together. 

When you have mental health issues, It's difficult to advocate for yourself. What you haven't had a job for long time, It's difficult to advocate for yourself. Those guys needed somebody to stand in the gap for them. 

If we understand the issue of the powerless in our community, how much more do we need an advocate who will stand in our place before God? How much more do we need a perfect and sinless person who will stand in the place of the sinful and wretched? It’s not just difficult. A sinful person can't stand before a holy God. 

We need someone who can say, "I've walked in their shoes and understand their condition." I am perfect; I have no sin, and I can carry their sin for them. Praise God, for he made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us. We need Jesus, our great high priest. 

Because Jesus has taken on our humanity, he understands our weakness.

2. Jesus Understands Our Weakness

Verse 14 ends with, “Let us hold fast to our confession.” Why should we do this? That leads us to Hebrews 4:15.
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15
We can hold fast to our faith and trust in Jesus because we have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, who sympathizes with our weaknesses. Jesus knows what it means to be human.

Do you want to know what our weakness is? Our weakness is temptation, and Jesus knows what it means to be tempted because he has been tempted in every way. 

You say, Pastor Jason, what do you mean he's been tempted in every way? Well, let's take a look at that.

Categories of Temptation

The Bible connects human weakness with temptation. Humans are weak because we are susceptible to temptation. If you've ever had to do something that took a lot of work and instead find yourself scrolling on your phone on social media because you want to see if that post you made has likes or comments, you know the power of temptation.

Jesus understands our weakness because the Bible says he has been “tempted in every way.” Now understand it’s not that Jesus faced every possible scenario a human could find himself in. For instance, he did not deal with temptations around modern technology. Instead, Jesus encountered every category of temptation a human being will find himself in.

You see these categories of human temptation described in 1 John 2:16. John describes them as the things of the world. He says, 
"For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world." 1 John 2:16
Human temptation can be categorized into three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life (or, as in this translation, the pride in one's possessions).

You can see all these temptation categories at work in Matthew 4:1-11 during Jesus's wilderness temptation. If you're unfamiliar with this chapter, this is when Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

A. The Lust of the Flesh

What is the lust of the flesh? The lust of the flesh refers to the physical desires of the human being. A lot of times, our mind goes to sexual desires, but it could be any physical desire that one has, such as the desire to eat so we won’t experience hunger. It could be a desire for comfort or just a desire for the avoidance of pain.

As Jesus is sent out into the wilderness, he is out in this barren, empty place, the sun beating on him, and he has been fasting for forty days and forty nights. No food. He is physically weakened from the lack of sustenance. 

Sometimes, it's hard for us to miss lunch, and he's been missing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for forty days. You can picture the devil saying, “Why are you doing this? You know you're hungry. If you're the Son of God, tell those stones to become bread.”

Jesus responds in Matthew 4:4,
"He answered, 'It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4

B. The Lust of the Eyes

How about the lust of the eyes? What is that? The lust of the eyes has to do with every time you look at something and say, “I want! I want! I want!” It's the desire for recognition, the desire for possessions, the desire for power.

The wicked one takes Jesus to the top of a high mountain, where he can see all the world's kingdoms. The devil says, “You're trying to do things the hard way. Listen, I've already got power over all these people. I'll give them all to you. Just bow down and worship me.”

Jesus says in Matthew 4:10,
"Then Jesus told him, 'Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'” Matthew 4:10

C. The Pride in One’s Possessions

How about pride in one's possessions? The human being is tempted to selfishly use his things, including his power or influence, for self-serving reasons. It's the temptation to use power selfishly, to avoid humility, to grasp or hold on to whatever perceived personal greatness you have.

The devil takes Jesus to the holy city of Jerusalem and has him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, the very top. Below him is this busy city of people, and if any normal human being would jump off from this place, they would fall to their death. 

The devil taunts him. He says, “If you're the Son of God, throw yourself down. And I know you like Scripture. I'll even throw a little scripture at you.” And then what he does, the devil will twist Scripture around. He takes Psalm 91:11-12 out of context and says, “This is what the Bible says about you: ‘He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone.’ Do you believe the Scriptures? Throw yourself down. Use your power and influence as the Son of God and show the people who you are.”

Jesus says in Matthew 4:7,
"Jesus told him, 'It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.'” Matthew 4:7
Jesus was tempted in every way as we are and was perfect in his response. Jesus is sinless.

Why Is It Important That Jesus Was Tempted in Every Way?

And why is that important? Why is it important to know that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, and was without sin?

This is important because weakness is directly connected to the power of temptation over your flesh, eyes, and pride. Temptation kills our good intentions and drives humanity into sin and despair.

And if our Savior didn’t understand temptation, he wouldn't understand our weakness. He wouldn't fully understand what it means to be human.

But he does. He fully understands the pressure of temptation upon a human being because he was tempted in every way.

He understands our weakness. Here's the good news: God is with us in our weakness.

When we fall into temptation, when our weakness is exposed in our soul, that's the point when we feel we should be distant from God. That's the point when we feel like God is done with us. He is just fed up. He cannot take any more of this weak human being who is constantly falling into temptation. 

But just the opposite is true. When we fall into temptation, God is with us in our weakness. He sympathizes with our weakness and is mighty to stand with us because he has been tempted in every way but was without sin. 

We need someone who will stand in the gap when we are tempted, fall, and need help. 

That person who stands must sympathize with us and still be perfect in every way. It’s good to know that God stands with us in our weakness.

3. Draw Near to the Throne of Grace

Because God stands with us in our weakness, we can draw near to the throne of grace. It says in Hebrews 4:16,
"Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." Hebrews 4:16
What would it mean for the writer to say, “Let us approach the throne.” In the first century, you didn't just approach the throne. The throne was the place of ultimate authority. It was the place of ultimate power. It was the ruler. It was the place of his majesty.

No one just approached the throne. If you approach the throne, you could be killed. This could be a place of severe judgment unless the ruler summoned you.

You see a good description of this in the Book of Esther, Esther 4:11. Now, Esther is queen and considering approaching the throne on behalf of the people of Israel. Listen to what she says about approaching the throne.
“All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last thirty days.” Esther 4:11
That picture is a good example of what the writer of Hebrews would have thought as he described approaching the throne. Access to an earthly throne was limited, and one would likely die if one attempted to approach the throne.

If approaching an earthly throne was dangerous, coming to God’s throne was even more dangerous—it was certain death. The Jews considered the place over the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies to be God’s earthly throne. In Exodus 25:22, God said to Moses, “I will speak to you from there.”

It was expressly stated that anyone who approached the Holy of Holies other than the high priest would die. The high priest could only approach the Holy of Holies once a year and had to bring an offering. If he approached the wrong way, he would die.

All of that changed in Jesus. Because Jesus is our great high priest, the sinless one who took on the sins of the world, the throne is no longer a seat of judgment for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. We don't approach a throne of judgment. We approach a throne of grace.

When we fall into temptation and are weak, we often feel like we're approaching a throne of judgment. But the judgment is gone. Our great high priest has taken on our judgment on the cross. He has taken on our sins. And so we don't approach a throne of judgment. We approach a throne of grace. 

When Esther approached the throne, she hoped the king would extend the golden scepter so she would live. But when we approach the throne of Grace, we approach a throne that has already extended grace. He didn't do it through a golden scepter; he did it through a wooden cross so that we would live through faith in Jesus Christ. 
  • We approached the throne of Grace through faith.
  • We approach the throne of God's grace in his word.
  • We approach the throne of God's grace through prayer.
When we approach the throne of grace, we can approach it in all our weaknesses because God is with us. We can approach Jesus in all our weaknesses because he is strong, mighty, sinless, and stands in the gap for you and me.

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in times of need. Do you find yourself in a time of need today? Do you find yourself falling into temptation? Are you kicking yourself because you feel like you're weak? 

Brothers and sisters, we are weak. When we find ourselves in our time of need and weakness, we must remember that he is strong. He stands for us. And we need to remember that God is with us in our weakness.

Sermon Reflection Questions

  1. What is the overall message of the sermon regarding God’s presence in our weakness?
  2. What categories of temptation are discussed concerning Jesus' understanding of human weakness?
  3. Why might people feel distant from God in times of weakness?
  4. Why is it significant that we can approach God’s throne as a throne of grace rather than judgment?
  5. How can we apply the sermon’s message about our weaknesses and Jesus’s empathy in our daily lives?