You Need a Good Lawyer -Heb.4:14-16

A lawyer's dog, running around town unleashed, heads for a butcher shop and steals a roast. The butcher goes to the lawyer's office and asks, "if a dog running unleashed steals a piece of meat from my store, do I have a right to demand payment for the meat from the dog's owner?" The lawyer answers, "Absolutely." "Then you owe me $8.50. Your dog was loose and stole a roast from me today." The lawyer, without a word, writes the butcher a check for $8.50. The butcher, having a feeling of satisfaction, leaves. Three days later, the butcher finds a bill from the lawyer: $100 due for a consultation. Lawyers often get a bad wrap, and yet, unfortunately, the time will inevitably come when we will require the use of one for one reason or another. However, as your pastor and friend I hope that you have never been or will ever be on the receiving end of this statement, “You’re going to need a good lawyer.” No one wants to hear these words!  When uttered, it is clear that you might require good representation before a judge to plead a case in your favor to escape some penalty.

Well, I’m here to tell you something that no one wants to hear, “you are going to need a good lawyer.” In fact, we all need a good lawyer—maybe not before a judge in the Roanoke courthouse building, but most certainly before God. Why? Because all of us are guilty before God of sin and have incurred a penalty as a result. Additionally, God has appointed our court date—a date that we will never know until it comes—and one thing is for sure, we are going to need good representation if we are going to get off the hook. Where can we go? Who can we call upon? Thankfully, Hebrews 4:14-16 has the answer. Let us take a close look at what it means to have Jesus represent us before God and how we ought to live in response.

WHO BELIEVERS HAVE-THE GREATEST HIGH PRIEST-4:14-15

Connected to the previous passage (Hebrews 4;12-13) by “therefore,” Hebrews 4:14-15 is contingent on a robust view of both the word of God and the Word of God as taught by the preacher. Inasmuch as the Word of God (big “W”—Jesus) by means of the word of God (little “w”—the Bible) convicts us of sin when truth penetrates our innermost parts and exposes our faults, believers and would be believers are constantly confronted with their need for a mediating Savior—someone who can appeal to God on their behalf. In the same way that a criminal needs a good lawyer, every sinner needs an even better mediator to advocate for them before the throne of God. This advocate is introduced in verses 14 as Jesus Christ—the greatest High Priest, “…Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God…” (4:14).

Ultimately, the role of the high priest was focused on representation. In the Old Testament, the High Priest was God’s called man to represent God’s people before His presence in the Holy of Holies. After a series of ritual washings, the high priest would, each and every year, bring a sacrifice into the holy of holies—where God’s presences rested in the Temple---and sprinkle the blood on the altar. This was done yearly to provide propitiation for sins committed. This image of the high priest would not have been lost on the preacher’s primarily Jewish audience. Everyone new how important it was for them to have good representation before God and how crucial this proved in their history. Like those who had been to trial before, the people of God knew how important it was to “have a good lawyer.”

However, Jesus is not just a good lawyer or just any high priest. He is the “great High Priest.” He is superior to the priests of old on several levels. First, unlike the priests of old who were only granted access before God once a year in the holy of holies, Jesus enjoys unlimited access to God in His glorious presence, having passed through “the heavens.” The perfect participle used here describes a past act with present implications. In this case, the past act is Christ’s ascension. Because Christ ascended into heaven following His completed work in the past, believers can enjoy steadfastness in the present. Second, while the high priests of old were called of God for a ministry that required washings and cleansings, Jesus is the very Son of God—holy, righteous, perfect, etc. He is a lawyer of the very best kind because He doesn’t just see the judge once in a while, but enjoys a close relationship with the judge and is related to the judge!

On these grounds, because of the highest High Priest that believers have in Jesus, the preacher encourages the church to “hold fast our confession” (4:14). The verb describes a firm and steadfast grip that is constantly applied to an object (as the verb is a present progressive). However, what is the object believers ought to hold tightly? What is this “confession”? As far as Hebrews is concerned, this confession involves the superiority of Jesus Christ as realized in His divinity (relationship to God the Father)(1:3), His revelation (the living and active Word) (1:1-2; 4:12-13), and His ministry as High Priest (2:17, 4:14-16). These are the truths that the church was encouraged to hold onto tightly. Such an encouragement, coupled with a robust view of Scripture (see 4:12-13) and a high view of Christ should help believers persevere under the pressures of this world—persecution, discouragement, etc.

Though Jesus is a superior High priest because of His “high and lifted up” status and intimate relationship with God, the preacher does not want his congregation to infer that Jesus does not still identify with human beings. Therefore, he counterbalances this exalted imagery with a reference to Jesus’ humility as witnessed in His incarnation, “for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness” (4:15a). This, in fact, is yet another reason why He is a superior advocate for believers before God. Jesus is not some expensive hot-shot lawyer who does not understand the struggles believer’s face. He is one who sympathizes with His clients and, one who knows exactly what they are going through.

Some might ask, “How in the world could God made flesh possibly understand what I am going through?” The answer is found in the second part of verse 15—He is One who “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (4:15b). While Jesus knows what it is like to sit at the right hand of God in heaven because of His divinity, He also knows what it is like to be tempted like one of us because of His incarnation.  Both qualities make Him the greatest High Priest, Advocate, and Council for those who hold fast to His confession.

Just think of it. The same one who sits next to God the Father, knows what it is like to sit in the hot seat. He was tempted morally, sexually, physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc. just as we are. He knows what it is like to be on the brink of discouragement, despair, disillusionment, worry, fear, and rage. However, He never gave in! He is a high priest who requires no cleansing because, though He was given every opportunity to sin, He said “No”! Believers in Christ do not believe in a God who doesn’t understand them, know them, or have a clue about what they struggle with. On the contrary, believers in Christ have the greatest High Priest because He is in heaven, God’s Son, and excelled in every test He ever took!

WHAT BELIEVER’S HAVE-UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS-4:16

The remainder of this passage is contingent on whom believers have in the greatest High Priest as described in verses 14-15. The preacher, in light of the unique representation that Jesus provides before God says, “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace…”(4:16). The present tense of the encouragement given here suggests that believers ought to come before God’s presence as often as necessary. He is a judge that never tires of hearing our case! This is reminiscent of a parable that Jesus gave in Luke 18:1-8.

Luke 18:1-8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,  saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.  There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’”  And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?  I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

This widow illustrates how every believer ought to come before the Lord—with persistence. Not only that, but because of the believer’s relationship to Jesus, he or she should always approach God’s presence with “confidence” (παρρησίας)—courageously, boldly. Why? Because believers have been given the greatest council of all who is sure to represent His clients well every time they approach the bench. For the believer, the bench they approach when they come before God is a “throne of grace”—that is, a bench characterized by grace, not judgment, wrath, anger.

The purposes believers have in approaching the throne of grace persistently and consistently include receiving mercy and finding grace to help in time of need—(all the time in my case!). These are the gifts that God willingly bestows on His children when they approach Him, having Jesus as their Advocate. I imagine anyone would be happy to approach the bench if they knew ahead of time they would be given mercy and grace no matter how often they approached!

When one takes into consideration the context of this book, one remembers just how important this 

encouragement was to those who received it. The preacher is preaching to a congregation that is suffering turmoil, persecution, pressure, and discouragement. They needed to be reminded that because Jesus has unlimited access to the Father in heaven and because they are “in Christ,” they have unlimited access to God’s grace and mercy in time of need. Therefore, they out to approach the bench of grace as often as possible with confidence.

So What?

Sure, we all have need of a lawyer because of our sin. However, for those who are “in Christ” there is no need to fear the penalty we deserve. Instead, Jesus has already taken care of that. While we deserved death and separation from God, Jesus stood in our place and said, “I’ll take this instead.” Because of this, Jesus was murdered, though perfect and innocent. However, in victory, Jesus was raised from the dead and now stands before the throne of God, pleading the case of believers. Now, we do not have to fear the wrath of God. Instead, we can expect His mercy and grace. Therefore, we should approach the throne of God often and confidently in prayer and expectation!

However, those who are not “in Christ,” who have not trusted their lives over to the council of Jesus and have instead tried to represent themselves, are at real risk of suffering the penalty of sin. These are guilty and without a good lawyer. These should fear the throne of God, for, instead of mercy and grace, they will find wrath and exactly what everyone deserves—punishment.

You need a good lawyer. In fact, we all do. Who do you have representing you?