Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Hebrews 4:15
Pastor: Pastor Schlicht
Sermon Date:  February, 26, 2020

The theme for our midweek lenten services is “The Son of God Goes Forth to War.” The underlying pretense being that Jesus fought for us 2000 years ago to defeat death, the devil, and sin itself at his cross. Yet not just 2000 years ago, but that even today your Savior fights for you. “I will be with you always.” He told his disciples before he ascended to heaven. He is with us here this evening. He is with you every moment to help in time of need. That’s important to know, especially when temptation strikes. If we are considering the life of faith as a battle, then daily temptations are what I will call skirmishes. A skirmish is an episode of irregular and unexpected fighting, often between outlying parts of armies. Skirmishes may be small, but they can devastate an army’s spirit and deplete their resources. Skirmishes can leave soldiers feeling defeated before the larger battles have even begun. Temptation has the same effect on us, doesn’t it? Temptation comes to us in irregular severities most often at unexpected times, devastating and demoralizing our efforts to obey God.

Therefore, as we look to address these skirmishes, before us today is an extremely practical and comforting passage of Scripture: 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, just as we are, yet was without sin.” The high priest was a singular position, the center of all religious life for Israel. He was the only one who went before God to sacrifice and mediate on behalf of the people. The high priest we have is Jesus Christ, who relocated from heaven to become himself the sacrifice and the mediator for his people. But here we learn that our priest has a most unusual quality—sympathy for our weaknesses. That should be surprising, particularly because we would usually assume that a “high priest” would be aloof in piety and disconnected from real life. But Jesus, our high priest, the writer claims, is truly able to sympathize with our weakness. That is an amazing truth to believe for many reasons. 

Firstly, it tells us something about ourselves indirectly—a reality that can be difficult to admit. Jesus assumes we have weaknesses. Think about that. It addresses you, me, and every living person in possession of a soul. We are sinners in a fallen world, frail, tenuous, and imperfect. All of us. This verse is not addressing some unique subset of humans who have the misfortune of being flawed. If you are human, you are weaknesses. More specifically, even if you are a longtime Christian, even if you are a leader in this church, even if you are a pastor, you have weaknesses. The question is not whether it’s true; the question is whether you are honest about it.

You may have heard of the term captology. It’s the study of technology that is designed to influence people’s beliefs and behavior. It’s most easily seen online or in social apps. This technology is calibrated to get us to click on links, to buy stuff, or to watch the next YouTube video and the next and the next so that we watch all accompanying commercial ads, of course. These persuasive technologies study how we think and the designers have a well-laid-out plan to manipulate our behavior (stanford.edu). But this is really nothing new, someone has been an expert in the field of manipulating behavior ever since Adam and Eve. Our enemy, the Devil, has an understanding of our weaknesses. And he seeks to exploit them in his battle plan. He comes to us at our weakest points and knows just what to put in front us. You have felt Satan’s temptations draw you away, haven’t you? Think about all the skirmishes you have had with him over so many different issues. What is your worst battleground? What temptations are you struggling with? What is your weakness?

In a national religious survey on temptation conducted by Barna Research, people said they struggled most with wthe following: lack of self-control (eating too much, too much time on social media, overspending); lust (primarily viewing pornography); worry/doubt of God, and lying (Barna Reasearch). I find myself tempted by the things on that list and other things too on a daily basis. And I know that losing these skirmishes can be devastating. Nothing ruins your prayer life like falling into temptation. Nothing is more demoralizing than repeatedly repenting for the same sins over and over again. Nothing brings shame and despair bubbling to the surface than the helpless feeling we get when the Devil exposes our weakness and we sin against the God we love.

You know, when Barna Research asked why the survey participants gave in to temptation, only a few said they enjoyed it or that it gave them a needed escape from life. Most said, get this, that they didn’t know why they kept doing it—the very same befuddled conclusion that the apostle Paul reached. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15) We don’t have any good answers on our own, do we? Left to ourselves, the Devil’s skirmishes would rack up such guilt and devastation that we would have no choice but to surrender and just give in. We need a Savior, one who takes up his sword and shield on our behalf. One who doesn’t look down on us, but fights beside us. We need one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. We need Jesus.

Jesus is not a Pharisee, rolling his eyes when we fail, outwardly tolerating us but inwardly reviling our weakness. No, Jesus actually sympathizes with us where we are weak. As a loving high priest, he knows the areas where we suffer most. But that’s not all. Jesus does not sympathize as an outsider. He’s not the guy who read a book on your weakness, or googled it to become conversant. No, your Savior knows you on an experiential level. As a true human, Jesus really was tempted in every way, just as we are.

Now if you’re anything like me, you might hear that Jesus can sympathize with you, but still be skeptical. Have you ever had an experience where someone thinks they can relate to you, but they really can’t? I remember a classmate who was disappointed about how he did on a test. I struggled on it too and thought we were in the same boat, but then I found out he had gotten an A-. He could not relate to what I was talking about. 

So I think the natural question in the case of Hebrews 4:15 is: Can a sinless Savior really sympathize with sinful people? If Jesus never sinned, can he really understand the rollercoaster of faith that I ride? It is a good question, but readily answered. Sinlessness does not make sympathy impossible. In order to feel sympathy for someone who is being tempted, it is not necessary that one has the same reaction to the temptation, but simply that one has endured the same temptation. If a man loses his wife and thinks about committing suicide, the best person to talk to him isn’t another man who is also considering suicide because his wife died. The best person for him to talk with might be another man whose wife passed away, but he is able to see past the grief and understands that life is worth living. That man would be more helpful because he understands the trial, but his reaction helps instill hope in the widower. This may be a rather extreme example, but the point should be clear enough. Christ experienced temptation. And he not only understands our temptations, but is uniquely suited to help us, not because he knows what it is like to fall, but because he found the strength to stand.

Remember, Jesus endured a degree of temptation that you and I will never know. The one who yields to temptation never gets to experience the worst of the tempter’s might.  The devil barely lifts his pinky and many people jump head-first into temptation. Even the strongest Christians fall for his most basic tricks. But think of what the devil would have unleashed on Christ. He would have used his subtlest tactics, employed his strongest demons, and attacked Jesus with all his might. As we fall after a single arrow hits our chest, we can imagine Jesus walking through a cloud of arrows as he endured the very worst that the Devil could dish out. Each day arrows rained down upon his head and yet Christ never fell. Jesus knew temptation sharper and more completely than any other human ever will. He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin. Take that to the bank.

Has it been a bad week for you in battling lust? Jesus understands. He knows the temptation. He was born a full-blooded male and went through puberty. He talked with women, he knows how babies are made. Jesus, did not fall into the temptation of lust, but he was tempted in every way! He understands. Are you struggling with resentful thoughts over some way you were mistreated? Jesus gets it. He was mistreated by people and wrestled through those very temptations. Frustrated over an issue at school? Worried about finances? Feeling forgotten? Jesus knows them all. Tempted to throw in the towel, to give up? Tempted to despair? Jesus understands that, too. He understands your skirmishes because he’s been to war. Jesus knows how temptation affects you, how they compete for supremacy over your mind and body. Jesus understands, and because of his experience, he sympathizes with you.

My friends, your Savior understands what you are going through. And from that perfect knowledge, dipping all the way down to your DNA, he says to you tonight, “I get it. I know how hard it is. I’m here for you. I’m fighting by your side! If you fall, my forgiveness is there to pick you up time and time again. You can never wear it out. Keep fighting in the skirmishes, keep wrestling, keep praying. It is not in vain.”

It is not in vain, because the Son of God went to war for you. Jesus never succumbed to temptation and he takes that perfect impenetrable record and lays it at your feet. He takes your weaknesses upon himself and sacrifices himself in your place. My friends, God has forgiven all your sins. Every skirmish lost has been erased by Jesus’ victory. Your Savior fought for you and he still fights for you. Trust him, rely on him, and rejoice in your victory through him.

I’ll end with a verse from the old hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”: Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Amen.