Confidence
Hebrews 4:14-16
Emmanuel Christian Church 6.8.25
INTRODUCTION: QUESTION: “Do you know for sure you are saved?”
(“Yes”, “No”, “I hope so”). “Can you know for sure you are saved?”
Haunting questions! Some people think that having confidence in
salvation is tantamount to pride, and as everyone knows, pride is one of
the “seven deadly sins” (Proverbs 6:17)! But is it? Is confidence the same
thing as pride? If I get in a plane to travel to some distant destination- is
my confidence in the pilot and the aircraft a sinful act of pride?
PROPOSITION:The answer to that question rests in the same place as our
confidence. If our confidence is in ourselves, it is foolishly prideful. If our
confidence rests in the Word of God, then we are truly wise.
Now, as we consider the subject of confidence in light of the Word of
God- let’s remember what we learned last week: “The Word of God is that
which we hold in our hand, and HIM in whose hand we are held.” Keep
that in mind as we listen to our text for this morning:
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith
we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then
approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
As we think about our confidence in the Word of God in Whose hand we
are held- I want us to focus our attention on the three two word phrases
highlighted in or text: “hold firmly”, “high priest” and “with confidence”.
“Hold Firmly” (To what?)
- Certainly NOT to our own righteousness!
- Remember, the three words from verse 13:
- “uncovered” NAKED
- “laid bare” head bent back, throat exposed
APPLICATION: The powerful Word of God makes us take a hard look at
ourselves. It takes REAL courage to open our eyes to what it reveals. What
it reveals is crystal clear- we are a fallen race in desperate need of
rescue.
- We MUST (as a matter of life and death) “hold firmly”, “to the faith we
profess”. But what is that FAITH? In his first letter, the Apostle John
gives us three powerful statements that give us a simple outline:
- Our faith is TRUSTWORTHY:
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
- Our faith is HONEST:
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim
we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no
place in our lives.
- Our faith is in JESUS:
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our
defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
APPLICATION: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, the Word of God in
Whose hand we are held, is the Person to whom we ABSOLUTELY
MUST, “hold firmly”! Listen to THIS bold statement from Scripture:
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
High Priest (Who’s that?)
- Actually, there are three “priests” mentioned in the Scripture: “Priest,
“High Priest”, and the “Great High Priest”.
- Of “priests” there were a MULTITUDE. Of High Priests there were
MANY. Of the Great High Priest there is only ONE- Jesus.
- The function of EVERY priest was simple- to plead the case of
broken mankind before the eternally, prefect Almighty God!
- Unfortunately, every human priest had the same two problems: they
themselves were guilty of sin, and every last one of them eventually
died.
- This is where our eternal, sinless, Great High Priest Jesus, outshines
them all!
- But there’s one more great thing to add to our list- listen again to our
text for this morning:
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin.
- Our Great High Priest, Jesus has experienced EVERY temptation we
have ever personally faced- as a result, He has SYMPATHY for our
condition.
- Our Great High Priest, Jesus- when faced with those temptations, DID
NOT give way to sin! What this means is simple- when Jesus, our Great
High Priest pleads our case before God, it is ONLY our sin that He
bears!
- Of Jesus’ ministry, Scripture says:
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
APPLICATION: If you ever needed a definition of “Grace”- that’s it! If you
want to know what “Grace” looks like listen to this:
1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is PATIENT…”
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
It is God’s patient grace in Jesus Christ that brings us to our last two
words:
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of
need.
With Confidence
- That word, “confidence” is pretty dramatic! Occurring 31 times in the
New Testament it contains the idea of a fearlessly bold, public
proclamation of that which one is fully convinced!
- In “confidence” there is only one answer to the question “Do you know
for sure you are saved?” ABSOLUTELY! (with no room for “No”, or “I
hope so!”)
- On what basis can we have THAT kind of “confidence”? Jesus’
faithfulness and sacrifice.
Jesus’ FAITHFULNESS
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are
his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and
protect you from the evil one.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you
through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls
you is faithful and he will do it.
1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common
to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so
that you can stand up under it.
Jesus’ SACRIFICE
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us
from all sin.
CONCLUSION: Your confidence in salvation can and should be 100%.
But, ONLY if it rests in Jesus’ sinless sacrifice on your behalf.
Remember what I said at the beginning of this message about
confidence in getting on a plane? Think of it this way:
- Heaven is our final destination.
- Jesus’ is both our plane and pilot, whose sacrifice and faithfulness are
our only means for getting there.
- The only thing we need to do is get on board that flight with Him!
- John calls that walking “in the light”.
- Getting on board with Jesus and walking in the light BEGIN with faith,
repentance and baptism.
