Therefore...fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. Hebrews 3:1, NIV

It was the beginning of my freshman year in high school when one of my teachers invited me to be part of a team-preaching project with a handful of other young people.  We were asked to share a joint sermon at several churches in the area.  I had participated in speech competitions before, so the public speaking part wasn't too intimidating.  The specific subject, however, was new territory:  the meaning of the sanctuary.  Each of us youth were assigned a different compartment of the sanctuary to describe and explain.  My assignment was the Holy Place, and I remember what it was like to pour over relevant commentaries, articles, and book excerpts about the sanctuary like it was yesterday.  Why?  Because as I studied about Jesus in the sanctuary, God grabbed a hold of my heart and led me to conversion.  When you "turn your eyes upon Jesus" like the familiar hymn invites us to, what exactly about Jesus do you fix your attention upon?  For me, it's often Jesus ministering for us as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.  That might not be the first place your mind goes when you turn your eyes upon Jesus, but I think Paul in the book of Hebrews would suggest that maybe it ought to be (cf. Heb. 3:1).

We're not going to do a deep dive into the entire book of Hebrews in this one post, but what follows is a survey of just three passages in Hebrews through which the apostle Paul calls our attention to Jesus' ministry as our High Priest.  These may be things many of us have heard before, but if we're anything like the people in Paul's day, we need to give "more earnest heed" to this precious picture of Jesus "lest we drift away" (Heb. 2:1).

THE PRIEST WHO SYMPATHIZES

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. Hebrews 4:14-16, NKJV

What this says about Jesus' sanctuary ministry -- First off, Paul wants us to see, know, and be certain that Jesus is in fact our High Priest.  And in this role, He is truly great.  In other words, the magnitude of what He does for us as High Priest cannot be understated, impacting not only our experience on earth but even in heaven where Jesus ministers in the true tabernacle for us (cf. Heb. 8:1-2).  On top of that, this great High Priest actually understands every aspect of our human experience with all our weaknesses and temptations. Jesus knows what it's like to walk in our shoes, to face temptation and trial, and better yet, to come out on the other side victorious!

What this means for us -- If all this is true, then we can hold fast our confession.  When we encounter temptations and trials, our faith doesn't have to weaken or lose grip as if those difficulties are evidence that God has let go of us.  Instead, we can come before God's throne with boldness -- not timidity or uncertainty -- knowing full well that God sits on a throne of grace, that Jesus stands with us to give us mercy and grace for every need we encounter.  No temptation is too great that He cannot supply the aid we need (Heb. 2:17-18).  No trial is too troubling that He cannot redeem for our good (James 1:2).

THE PRIEST WHO LIVES FOREVER

...but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.  Hebrews 7:24-26, NIV

What this says about Jesus' sanctuary ministry -- Plain and simple, Jesus' ministry for us in the sanctuary is permanent and unchanging because He lives forever.  Because He lives forever, His intercession on our behalf is forever.  

What this means for us -- Our salvation is complete in Him.  When we choose to come to God through Christ Jesus, we can know of a certainty that He will save us completely, to the uttermost, to the fullest extent not just in duration but also in degree.  A hymn from the 1860s entitled "Before the Throne of God Above" beautifully expresses the hope found in knowing that our Savior ever lives to make intercession for us:  

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect plea

A great High Priest whose name is love

Who ever lives and pleads for me

My name is graven on His hands

My name is written on His heart

I know that while in heav'n He stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart

No tongue can bid me thence depart

If the One who bears our names upon His heart (cf. Ex. 28:29-30) and has inscribed us on the palms of His hands (cf. Isa. 49:15-16) is also the One who ever lives to make intercession for us, then there is never a time that we are not a recipients of His salvation.  His salvation is full, complete, and constant!  Every need is and always will be met by our High Priest!

THE PRIEST WHO OPENS THE WAY

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:19-22, NIV

What this says about Jesus' sanctuary ministry -- The full picture of Jesus' sanctuary ministry includes His work on earth as the Lamb of God as well as His work in heaven as our great High Priest.  Just as we cannot understate what Jesus does as our great High Priest, we cannot underestimate what Jesus accomplished for us on Calvary.  From the cross, Jesus could declare "It is finished!" (Jn. 19:30) because His infinite sacrifice made it possible to enter the Most Holy Place, the very presence of God!  Did we access the immediate presence of God in the Most Holy Place that day?  No, but the way was opened up for us through the shed blood of the Lamb, and today Jesus as High Priest continues to apply the merits of His shed blood to our lives until we see God face to face (cf. Rev. 21:2-3).

What this means for us -- We can have confidence, boldness, and assurance knowing that it's our destiny to live in the very presence of God once again, to have the Garden of Eden experience restored soon and very soon.  In light of that blood-bought destiny, we can draw near to God every day in the meantime with a heart that is sincere, sprinkled clean, without guilt, and fully assured in our trust in all Jesus has done and is doing on our behalf.  Our nearness to God isn't contingent upon our merit but His alone.  That's where our boldness and confidence in drawing near to God comes from.

Hebrews 12:2 calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus so we can run our life race with endurance.  I don't know what particular struggles or hardships are making it difficult for you to endure life's journey, but there is One who understands completely, One who has been there, done that, and come out on the other side victorious.  Today, I invite you to look to Jesus in the sanctuary -- the One who gives you every reason to keep holding on, who supplies every need, and who makes it possible to enter the very presence of God with full assurance of faith rather than fear.

PS -- If you'd like to study the significance of Jesus' sanctuary ministry in greater depth, check out this 10-part series presented by LightBearers ministry.  Click here for the YouTube playlist.  A new episode will be posted every Friday over the next 10 weeks.