Jesus the Great high priest cont. (and looks like it will be for a while :P)

Sitting with my iced coffee, Bible, the rain pelting outside my cracked window, and sun trying to peak through. It's a very peaceful day. And I think it will be a productive one... I'm hoping so anyhow. Still got quite a bit to do. It doesn't look like much, but from experience all that little stuff left sure adds up if you haven't taken care of it.

Recap: "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess."

And moving right along...

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."(heb 4:15-16)

Our high priest isn't some stand-offish snooty guy. He's able to sympathize. He was tempted too. He lived this human life, but without sinning. He understands the temptation. He just didn't sin when it was in front of him. He overcame it. He has sympathy for us.
We should approach with confidence. We should be confident. Sure of ourselves. Not in an arrogant way, but knowing that Jesus understands what we've gone through. He can help us. We'll receive mercy and find grace to help us when we need it. But we have to approach that throne of grace to help us.
I listened to a teacher/author talking about grace a month or so ago (John Bevere). He was talking about grace being God's empowerment according to 2 Cor 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." God gives us POWER through his grace. So in approaching with confidence, we can receive God's power to get us through the temptations! That's pretty awesome that God offers that to us.

"Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people." (heb 5:1-3)

These high priest guys were chosen from from among men to represent men in matters related to God. They were the go-between, the mediator between humankind and the God of the Universe. They were the ones offering the gifts and sacrifices of the people to God. They were able to be compassionate to other people because they had their own weaknesses. But because of those weaknesses they had to make their own sin-sacrifices. So their priesthood wasn't the best solution.
But Jesus... He was a perfect high-priest. He can be compassionate because he was tempted, but did not actually sin. He is the perfect mediator between us and God because he has no sin to keep him from God and we have access to him through the atonement he made for our sins. How awesome that we have such a great and perfect high priest interceding on our behalf!