Ah! believers, you are a tempted people. You are always poor and needy. And God intends it should be so, to give you constant errands to go to Jesus.  We have a merciful and faithful High Priest. He suffered, being tempted, just that He might succour them that are tempted.  The high priest of old not only offered sacrifice at the altar,—His work was not done when the lamb was consumed. He was to be a father to Israel. He carried all their names graven over his heart,—He went in and prayed for them within the veil. He came out and blessed the people, saying, “The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine,” etc. (Num. 6:24-26).

    So it is with the Lord Jesus. His work was not all done on Calvary. He that died for our sins lives to pray for us,—to help in every time of need. He is still man on the right hand of God. He is still God, and therefore, by reason of His divinity, is present here this day as much as any of us. He knows your every sorrow, trial, difficulty; every half-breathed sigh He hears, and brings in notice thereof to his human heart at the right hand of God. His human heart is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; it pleads for you, thinks on you, plans deliverance for you.

    Dear tempted brethren! Go boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help you in your time of need.

    Are you bereaved of one you loved? Go and tell Jesus; spread out your sorrows at his feet. He knows them all; feels for you in them all. He is a merciful High Priest. He is faithful too, never awanting in the hour of need. He is able to succour you by His word, by His Spirit, by His providence. He gave you all the comfort you had by your friends. He can give it you without them. He has taken away the stream that you may go to the fountain.

    Are you suffering in body? Go to this High Priest. He is intimately acquainted with all your diseases; He has felt that very pain. Remember how, when they brought to Him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, He looked up to heaven and sighed, and said, Ephphatha! [be thou opened] He sighed over his misery. So He sighs over you. He is able to give you deliverance, or patience to bear it, or improvement by it.

    Are you sore tempted in soul—put into trying circumstances, so that you know not what to do? Look up; He is able to succour you. If He had been on earth, would you not have gone to Him—would you not have kneeled and said, Lord, help me? Does it make any difference that He is at the right hand of God? He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.