Meet the High Priest Who Never Fails

We’ve come together to pray—and we will. We’ll pray well enough if the Spirit of prayer is on us, and we’ll catch the Spirit of prayer if we catch a sight of Jesus.

Hebrews 4:14–16

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus Is

Jesus is. Mohammed was. Marx was. Buddha was. Jesus is—Jesus was, Jesus is, and Jesus is to come. The apostle says, “We have a great High Priest.”

When I was fourteen, almost fifteen, the Lord stepped into my life and saved me. A little while later someone slipped a piece of card into my hand. It read:

He came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman.
He put on humanity that we might put on divinity.
He became man that we might become the sons of God.
He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, reared in obscurity—only once crossing the boundary of the land of His childhood.
He had no wealth nor influence, neither training nor formal education.
His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluential.
In infancy He startled a king; in manhood He rules the course of nature.
He walked upon the billows and hushed the sea to sleep.
He healed multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services.
He never wrote a book, yet not all the libraries of the world could hold the books written about Him.
He never wrote a song, yet He is the theme of more songs than all songwriters combined.
He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast as many students as He has.
He never practiced psychiatry, yet He has healed more broken hearts than doctors have broken bodies.
He never marshaled an army, drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun, yet no leader ever made more volunteers; under His orders, more rebels have stacked arms or surrendered without a shot being fired.
He is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the Lion and the Lamb, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases.
Great men have come and gone, yet He lives on.
Herod could not kill Him, Satan could not seduce Him, death could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him.
He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant’s gown.
He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor. How poor? Ask Mary. Ask the wise men.
He slept in another’s manger, crossed the lake in another’s boat, rode on another man’s donkey, and was buried in another man’s tomb.
He is the chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely—the Christ, the Son of the living God.

We have a great High Priest—but unlike the Old‑Testament priest who vanished behind the veil, ours has entered heaven itself. Though out of sight, He represents us, and therefore we can pray with boldness.

Jesus Understands

We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses; He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.

I once lived by the ocean near a harbor protected by a great wall. One winter a storm no one ever forgot struck. By morning the wall was gone, yet the cliffs beside the harbor—battered for three days and nights—stood unmoved. We give in under temptation; He never did. He faced evil with an intensity none of us has known and did not budge. When the worst comes, He understands.

Jesus Forgives

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy…

A man dreamed he was caught in a storm. Seeking shelter, he found three doors:

• Holiness—he was not holy.
• Truth—he had not always told or believed the truth.
• Justice—he had not always lived justly.

Shut out, he saw another door: Mercy. It stood open, street‑level, with no steps to climb. He entered, was welcomed, clothed, and fed. If entrance required holiness, truth, or justice, none of us could come—but the door of mercy stands open because a holy, truthful, just Savior died in the believer’s place and lives to welcome us.

Mercy and Grace

What’s the difference?

Some boys once shattered the glass of a greenhouse with stones. Caught by the owner, Mr. Hudson Pope, they returned the next day. “The damage is £500,” he said, “but you won’t pay it—I will.” That’s mercy: they did not receive the punishment they deserved.

Then he led them to a room with a table spread with every treat. “Sit down, lads, and feast.” That’s grace: they received what they didn’t deserve.

Jesus Helps

Jesus is. Jesus understands. Jesus forgives. And Jesus helps—by giving us the grace we don’t deserve. Whatever help you need, ask. Pray what’s on your heart. A child once broke a silence in a prayer meeting by simply shouting, “Help!” It was a good prayer.

There is a Savior in heaven representing us. He is; He understands; He forgives; He gives grace to help. So—

Let’s Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace