Slave or Son - Trapped or Free?

 

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:11–17 ESV).

 

We get back to this incredible image of Jesus’ greatness, even over Melchizedek. All of these last three chapters (cf. Hebrews 5-7) leads to this great, practical, relevant conclusion. Because Jesus is alive, and in the presence of God with the sacrifice of the blood of the Son of God, and full of sympathy for his people, therefore two things must be true: first, we must “hold fast our confession” (v. 14b); and second, we may now “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace” (v. 16).

 

This confession is simply our unshakable hope (cf. Hebrews 10:23), that God is for us and will work to bring us into his final rest and joy. Hold fast to that because you have a great High Priest. That’s the first conclusion. For days we have been seeing the call to hold fast and to be diligent and to take heed. Here we see it again. Only here is the writer spreading out powerful reasons not only for why we should hold fast to our confession, but also why we can! God is for us. We have a great High Priest. He is alive. He is in the presence of God. He is the Son of God. He is sympathetic. So, hold fast to our hope. Now we can explore what we practically do with this hope. The writer tells us: “Jesus knows the battle. He fought it all the way to the end. And he defeated the monster every time.” (v. 16).

 

If I were preaching, this would be that moment when I would take a “dramatic pause” and say, “stop… listen… don’t miss this!” It is an incredibly important point. Every one of us needs help. We are not God. We have needs. We have weaknesses. We have confusion. We have limitations of all kinds. We need help. But every one of us has something else: sin. And therefore at the bottom of our hearts we know that we do not deserve the help we need. And so, we feel trapped. I need help to live my life and to handle death and to cope with eternity — help with my family, my spouse, my children, my grandchildren, my loneliness, my retirement, my health, my finances. I need help. But I don’t deserve the help I need.

 

We are all right there. We can try to deny it all and put on that hypocritical front that we don’t need any help. Or we can try to drown it all and throw our life into a pool of sensual pleasures. Or we can simply give way to the paralysis of despair. But God declares over this hopeless conclusion that Jesus Christ became a High Priest to shatter that despair with hope and to humble that false act and to rescue us as if plucking us from the fire. Because we have a great High Priest, the throne of God is a throne of grace. And the help we get at that throne is mercy and grace to help in time of need. Grace to help! Not deserved help — gracious help. This is the whole point of the Old and New Testaments. God planned for a High Priest, a Savior, a Redeemer, a gracious Helper.

 

You are not trapped. Say no to that lie. Listen to Jesus:

 

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34–36 ESV).