Hebrews 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Our police forces spend an unknown number of hours trying to solve crimes that have been committed. Sometimes they can follow the trail quite quickly and make an arrest. Sometimes it takes years for them to solve the crime and sometimes they never solve it. Those who commit crimes need to understand that nothing is hid from God. He knows about the thoughts of the criminal before he or she even commits the crime.
In Genesis 4 we read that God knew about Cain’s anger toward his brother. God knew where that unchecked anger would lead and God counselled him to deal properly with his anger. Cain ignored God’s wise counsel and became the first murderer and was unrepentant in spite of God’s wise counsel. He died a wicked man who has been in torment for many years and will never be released from hell.
In verse 12 of our text we noted that God’s Word cuts right to the root and heart of every issue. God has the answer to every situation you and I will ever face. He knows how we can avoid unnecessary pain and sorrow.
In verse 13 we read that no one hides anything from Him. Every creature is manifest in His sight. Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. They tried to hide that by sewing themselves fig-leaf aprons. When they heard God’s voice in the Garden, they hid themselves. God knew where Adam was and He gave Adam the opportunity to acknowledge his sin before his Creator. Adam tried to hide his sin further, but God knew all about it and He addressed it appropriately.
God knew where Jonah was when he chose to disobey God and paid the fare to go in a different direction from what God wanted. He knew where Jonah was when he was thrown overboard. He prepared a fish to swallow Jonah and to carry Jonah around for 3 days and 3 nights. At just the right moment, God directed that fish to vomit Jonah out on dry ground right where he needed to be to go and do as God had commanded him. Jonah had opportunity to repent and humbly submit to God’s command, even though his heart was not right with God yet at that time. God knew all about what was going on and He addressed every thought Jonah had.
God tells us as well that we all “have to do” with Him. Every person is answerable to God. None will escape His judgment. Some will be at the judgment seat of Christ. Many more will be at the great white throne judgment. Those Israelites that perished in the wilderness are all accountable to God. Every professed atheist will answer to God one day. None will avoid Him. Thus it is wise to listen to what God has already stated. To day is the day to listen to God. Stop fighting against Him and surrender to Him. No man will ever win an argument against God. No man will ever change His mind. His way is right and His way provides blessings for those who turn to Him and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In verse 14 God draws the conclusion to the fact that we have a great high priest. God has already pointed out that Jesus Christ is greater than the angels. God is also contrasting Jesus with the Old Testament priesthood. He will continue to do so. The Old Testament high priest was the only one who could enter the holiest once a year. The rest of the year it was the priest who was to make the sacrifices for the people. The people needed to bring the prescribed offering to the priest and the priest needed to make the offering. The people could not make their own offerings. King Saul tried that and God did not accept it.
God tells us in our text that we have a great high priest who is in heaven. Jesus Christ is seated on the right hand of His Father in heaven. The Old Testament priest did not have the power to take away sin. He was the mediator who brought the people’s offerings and sacrificed them on the brazen altar for the people. It was God who would atone for the sinner, not the priest. Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and men and He is the One Who brings man’s request before His Father. He opened the way for man to come directly to God through Him. We do not need a human mediator now. We can come directly to God through Jesus Christ.
Those who are saved are challenged to “hold fast our profession.” This is not a matter of trying to keep ourselves saved. The Bible is clear that salvation is a work of God. Holding fast has to do with staying true to the salvation we have been given. We should not get off track into false teaching. We should build our lives on the sure Word of God. As we have mentioned before, the words of man do not supersede the Words of God. What God says is true. We need to build on that.
Those who are saved need to get into a good, Bible-believing church. They need to get Scripturally baptized and join that church. They need to be faithful in that church, learning and growing in the Lord. They need to be willing to serve God through that church. If that church turns aside from the truth, the individual is responsible to remain true to the Lord, not to an apostate church. Too many people tie their salvation to a church. They think it is a sin to leave a church that does not teach the truth. Some leave and do not seek God’s direction in finding a true, Bible-believing church. That is not holding fast our profession.
In verse 15 we see that we have an high priest Who is well able to address every need we will ever have. He understands our frailty. He understands our sorrow. He understands every temptation we will ever face. We can run to Him with everything. Jesus Christ was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.
Those who are saved do not need to be like Adam who tried to hide from God when he sinned. We can come to God through Jesus Christ and find mercy and find grace to help in time of need. God is never happy when His child sins. He never ignores the sin either. However, Jesus Christ is a merciful High Priest Who is there to intercede for His child.
Peter learned this after denying Jesus Christ three times. He went out and wept bitterly. He longed to be forgiven. God did not write him off. Jesus Christ addressed Peter personally and showed that forgiveness was real. The same was true for the repentant thief on the cross. He turned to Jesus as a lost man, but he found mercy through Jesus Christ.
In verse 16 we are encouraged to come boldly unto the throne of grace. Boldness does not equal pride. It speaks of an openness in coming before God in all honesty. We do not come trying to minimize our sin. We do not come trying to hide our fears or our sorrows. We come honestly and we know that Jesus Christ will hear us and will answer us with mercy and with grace. God provides the strength, the help and the kindness to meet our every need. You will never read of God harassing a repentant sinner. God’s wrath is poured out on those who reject Him, not on those who love Him because He first loved them.
As we noted, Peter was grieved when he sinned against the Saviour. Jesus did not hunt him down to inflict pain upon him. Jesus sought him out to demonstrate His forgiveness for him and also further work that Peter was called to do.
Every true child of God has needs that he or she cannot meet on their own. Some people try to be tough and weather the storm on their own. The wise saint walks with God and brings his cares before that throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need.
Pastor Bartel