Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Stephen Pierce's sermon from Hebrews 4:14.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Stephen Pierce's sermon from Hebrews 4:14.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Lindsey Blair and I’m joined by Bobby Gilles. This past Sunday, Pastor Stephen Pierce began our Advent series called “A Praying Christmas.”
Bobby: Pastor Stephen preached from Hebrews four, verse fourteen. He said that He said that we can hold on because Jesus is our high priest, the Son of God who ascended into heaven. And for anyone who missed the sermon or needs help remembering, let’s do the weekly recap:
Lindsey: Stephen began by saying that the thesis statement of Hebrews and the time of Advent is pretty much the same: “Look at Jesus and hold strong. Jesus is coming back, so hold strong.” And Hebrews answers the question, “Why keep going?” and the question “How should I do it?” The author of Hebrews has two simple answers. Your why is Jesus. Your how is hold strong.
Bobby: So far the author of Hebrews has been showing us that Jesus is better than angels, he’s better than Moses, he’s stronger than the devil and more infinite than death. And now he sums up the awesomeness of Christ. He says Jesus is awesome because he is a great high priest, because he ascended into heaven and because he is the Son of God. The High Priests of the Old Testament were ultimately a selfish bunch, like all humans. Can’t we get one person who can do it right? Yes; Jesus, the perfect mediator between God and humanity.
Lindsey: The great high priest who is going to stand in the gap for you literally crossed the gap from earth to heaven in order to stand for you at the right hand of God himself. Jesus is our great high priest, the unstoppable God-man whom death couldn’t hold down who ascended into heaven. He is God himself. Jesus - salvation himself - gets you out of bed in the morning, he keeps you going during the day, and gives you peace at night.
Bobby: But Satan comes to us at our weakest, when we are suffering, and urges us to let go. This is the point where we must hold strong, and we do that through prayer. Stephen said that prayer is the power by which the immortals engage with the Lord of Heaven's Armies. Prayer is accessing your soul and turning it to God. Sometimes it will feel like a wrestling match, with shouts and frustrations, groans and grunts.
Lindsey: Sometimes it will feel like a nap in a safe spot in the middle of the storm. Sometimes it will feel like letting the waves of numbness wash over you as you feel God’s hand on your back hold your head above the water. This kind of prayer is a difficult task. But it is our gift. And it is our calling. It is how we hold strong to Jesus.
Bobby: This coming Sunday is the beginning of the second week of Advent. We’ll continue our series “A Praying Christmas!” And in Bible Fellowship, we’ll discuss a strange prophet who appeared in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey, to prepare God’s people for the Messiah in Matthew Three. Join us, and bring a friend.