Why?:
I want to answer one question tonight. Yeah, you heard me right, one question. Why? At the center of our text tonight, which can be found in book of Hebrews 4:14-16, the author says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16, italics mine). Confidence! Confidence! With CONFIDENCE the Hebrew author is calling us to draw near to the throne of grace. Confidence!
I’ve been around the block enough to realize that confidence can get you far in life. Whether it be in the classroom, the work place, or the sports arena; confidence alters your demeanor which more times than not gives way to your outcome. Employers call this “Command.” Teenage girls call it “Swag.” NFL scouts call it “the ‘IT’ factor.” But confidence is not merely an empty emotion or positive thinking. Confidence—true confidence—has substance, depth, weight, and character. For the employee it is built upon the process of perfecting one’s trade. For the teen heart throb it is grounded in self-image. For the potential number one over all pick it is grafted in the sphere where talent and hard work collide. Confidence is not simply will-power; confidence is faith—a trust in; a belief upon; a hope found within.
But confidence is not merely an empty emotion or positive thinking. Confidence—true confidence—has substance, depth, weight, and character.
But I don’t necessarily think that the author of Hebrews has this type of confidence in mind; not a self generated confidence at least. The intensity that surrounds the type of confidence that the author is referencing is not self-made. The type of confidence the Hebrew author is implying is a confidence that is contingent upon an alien righteousness that is not our own. A confidence not in our own doing, but mounted upon the fulfilling work that has been accomplished for you and me.
Lets be real honest, if we had self-generated confidence and we entered into the throne of grace—like what the author of Hebrews is insinuated here—we’d be whipped out immediately. Destroyed completely! I mean, the author later on says to strive “for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). No one has a holiness of their own that would afford them the right to stand before the eternal holy God. Therefore, no one has a self-authenticating confidence. All we have, left to ourselves, is fear; fear of judgement. Fear of condemnation. The author apparently is not talking about an internal confidence in the self. So, where is this confidence coming from? Or should I say in whom should we have confidence in? And why should I share in this confidence; so much so that I’d be willing to approach this throne of grace where the infinite, almighty, all powerful Creator God dwells and reigns? Why? Why should I have this confidence? And if confidence is built upon substance; in whom does this confidence reside upon?
No one has a holiness of their own that would afford them the right to stand before the eternal holy God. Therefore, no one has a self-authenticating confidence. All we have, left to ourselves, is fear; fear of judgement.
Why, Oh author of Hebrews, why? Why do you call me to confidence?
If you have your bible—which I highly recommend that you do because we’ll be using it a lot this week and in particular tonight—turn to Hebrews 4:14-16. The first two words you will see, if you are using the ESV, will be “Since then.” If you are using the NIV you will find the word “Therefore,” or if you are using the NKJV you will see “Seeing then.” This is essential because these words are sentence-connectors in that they are used to connect two ideas together. Upon reading these words one must realize that the author is trying to attach, or rather is attempting to piggy back the current concept upon the previous truth claim. So, if we know from verse 14 that “we have a great high priest,” what is the previous content structure that would affirm the greatness of this figure?
This, my friends, is trying to understand the context.
In the previous chapter, chapter 3, we find that Jesus is the greater Moses. Meaning if Moses’ obedience brought about the salvation of God’s people—the Israelites—out of Egypt, how much more will the obedience of Christ grant us new life from sin? And yet it is imperative to understand that this faith produces an obedience—an obedience to the Savior King! Look at Hebrews 3:1-6 with me, and see how the author depicts Moses and how Jesus is greater than.
“1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”
According to the author of Hebrews, then, if we acknowledge the faithfulness of God through His servant Moses, how much more should we cling to the faith of the eternal Son Jesus Christ? For this reason the warning rendered in chapter 3 verses 12 thru 14 which says, “12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end,” was given because within the Israelite people there were individuals who did not have faith and, thus, did not enter the Promise Land—which is the promised rest. This warning must be heeded by us as well. To cling to our confession—the Lord Jesus Christ—which is far better and greater than the salvation the Israelites experienced firsthand from Egypt. If we have such a great high priest, all the more to cling to His goodness, His salvation, His redemptive work. For in Him we find ultimate rest.
If we have such a great high priest, all the more to cling to His goodness, His salvation, His redemptive work. For in Him we find ultimate rest.
Yet this rest theme has some significance. This rest theme is derived from the creation account found in Genesis 1 and 2. After God finished creating He rested. God called His people to honor this Sabbath rest by ceasing from work. Joshua and the Israelites were promised a rest upon entering into the Promise Land. Yet the author of Hebrews maneuvers to show that the rest communicated to Joshua was not one that would be experienced within the confines of this broken world, but pointed toward to a greater rest that would come later, ultimately, in the work and Person of Jesus Christ. That is why Hebrews 4:8-10 says:
“8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
Therefore, the rest was speaking of God’s work in Christ Jesus to bring forth restoration to the world and reconciliation to the Father. One commentator writes, “Applied to God’s rest, it means no more self-effort as far as salvation is concerned. It means the end of trying to please God by our feeble, fleshy works. God’s perfect rest is a rest in free grace. . . To enter God’s rest means to be at peace with God, to possess the perfect peace He gives. It means to be free from guilt and even unnecessary feelings of guilt. It means freedom from worry about sin, because sin is forgiven. God’s rest is the end of legalistic works and the experience of peace in the total forgiveness of God.”1 Simply put, rest is to find true satisfaction and complete identity in God through Christ Jesus.
Quickly note all the postures of rest found throughout the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews 1:3 ESV, “3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Hebrews 10:12 ESV, “12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,”
Therefore, the “Therefore” is there to connect the ultimate rest to the greater Moses, Jesus Christ. He is the great high priest in which salvation stands. Yet if faith is expressed in confidence and confidence is rooted in substance. What is the substance of Christ that we would have confidence in Him?
There it is again; why?
The Substance We Seek:
The substance and depth that we are seeking serve and embody the foundation which anchors the confidence that we have in entering the throne of grace. We want to set our minds and hearts on the meat of the matter. We want to saturate ourselves in the fullness of its array. We want to be engulfed in the truth which stirs our hearts and affections, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to “set our minds on things that are above” (Col. 3:2). If you have your bibles please turn to Hebrews 4:14-16 and let us read it together:
“14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The Greatness of the Priest:
Look at verse 14 again, “14 Since then we have a great high priest.” The author of Hebrews is distinguishing the greatness of the priesthood to which Jesus Himself represents. This implies a distinction between the priesthood that is established by the Levitical law and the priesthood to which Jesus is operating in—the Melchizedekian priesthood. Understanding this distinction will grant us access into the thought process of the author and, more importantly, the substance that anchors our confidence found in Christ Jesus Himself. Though this may sound extremely technical, I hope to convey it in a manner that will bring to light the supremacy of Christ, or rather the centrality of Christ.
And I must quickly define that the priestly order in the OT were selected individuals by God who would operate in the intercessory office for the nation of Israel. Meaning, they would offer sacrifices to God on behalf of Israel for the forgiveness of sin. Priest were, for a lack of a better term, middle men.
Priest were,
for a lack of a better term,
middle men.
The author of Hebrews moves us into two areas within the letter to the describe the importance of the Melchizedekian priesthood which he notes in Hebrews 5:10, “10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” Now before we dive into the distinction I am well aware of the fact that majority of you are asking: “Whose this Mel guy?” First things first.
Our first encounter with Melchizedek is in Genesis 14. Within this context Abram’s nephew, Lot, is swept into a fury in which multiple kings have come and have overthrown the previous monarch. In the process Lot is taken into captivity. Abram, alongside a host of other kings and their respective armies, comes to aid and “William Wallace” the whole joint. Afterwards Abram was blessed by Melchizedek who—if you look carefully—is described by Moses as being a “priest of God Most High” (Gen. 14:18).
Therefore we know that the figure, Melchizedek, operated within the realm of the priesthood in which he extended a blessing to Abram while simultaneously functioning as a king—remember he led an army amidst those who took Lot captive. Melchizedek, then, was a priest-king! Contrary to figures like Saul who was Israel’s first king, but fell into sin by operating in an office designated for Samuel—the priest.
David sees this distinction as well! Look at Psalm 110:1-4, the most quoted OT passage within the NT, David writes:
“1 The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’”
David speaks of his Lord at the same time simultaneously being lord from the kingly standpoint. Most commentators realize that David is speaking of his descendant who would later come to surpass his kingly reign—Jesus Christ Himself. Yet David, being years removed from the establishment of the law sees that the promised King—Jesus Christ—would not come through the lineage of the Levitical priesthood—which would seem congruent with the biblical narrative—but rather fall into another priestly order—Melchizedek.
Key words within this psalm such as “scepter,” “rule,” and “power” illustrate the notion of a Kingdom. That the Lord of David would come and rule over His enemies and establish His kingly reign. Yet in the same notion David ends this descriptive psalm in saying, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” David understands that the messianic king would not fall within line of the Levitical priesthood, but would come through a different and better lineage. He Himself would be a priest-king like Melchizedek.
Where the bible largely operates within a genealogical structure—meaning the author would chart family lineage from birth to death—the Genesis account of Melchizedek records no such origin. Anybody of anybody within the bible narrative is charted, yet Melchizedek—this gigantic figure—has no particular make-up. David and the author of Hebrews takes this sign in terms of an eternal priest-king. Meaning, because Melchizedek has no beginning and no end, he is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ who is the Alpha and Omega. Not that Melchizedek is an eternal being, but that he represents—or rather foreshadows—the eternal King Jesus Christ.
Meaning, because Melchizedek has no beginning and no end, he is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ who is the Alpha and Omega.
This brings us back to the book of Hebrews. The author aligns himself (or herself) with David and maneuvers throughout the letter to convey to the audience the supremacy of Christ, or rather the centrality of Christ.
Therefore, the priestly mark, the intercessory work, of Christ far exceeds the Levitical approach of the Mosaic law. Though Moses was an obedient figure, as shown in chapter 3, his lineage was not sufficient to bring forth transformation. The fundamental flaw of the law was that it could not change nor remedy the human problem—sin. The author articulates this in Hebrews 7:11 in saying,
“11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?”
Meaning that if the Levitical priesthood was sufficient in remedying our sin issue we would not have needed another priesthood in the Melchizedekian order. But since the Levitical priesthood is insufficient there is a dire need for another order.
Simply put, the Levitical law and its priest were too weak to bring about the new birth that was needed for humanity. The author flushes out this reality in Hebrews 7:18-19, 23-24 in saying, “18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. . . 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.”
Forever! He, Jesus, has no beginning no end.
You see! The author of Hebrews is acknowledging that the former, the Levitical priesthood, was inadequate while the latter, the Melchizedekian priesthood—namely Christ—was greater to bring forth the remedy for the human crisis, redemption from sin and reconciliation to God.
Therefore, the claim of “a great high priest” in Hebrews 4:14 is conveying the better formula which would ground the necessity of our confidence in being centered upon Christ. That is why the author pleads with us to “hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14).
Jesus is the greater Moses, because His intercession will never cease. Jesus is the greater Aaron because He will never die. The author articulates this in Hebrews 7:25, “25 Consequently, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Jesus is the greater Moses, because His intercession will never cease. Jesus is the greater Aaron because He will never die.
Passed through the Heavens:
Since Jesus’ intercession is of one that will never cease, the access He embodies is of a more glorious engagement in the heavenly. Meaning, just like His priesthood is more glorious than the Levitical priesthood, so is the reality of the inner courts to which He grants us access. Through His sacrificial offering and intercessory work, believers have access to encounter the true and living God.
Look at the rest of verse 14, “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.” Because Jesus is the greater prophet than Moses; because Jesus is the greater priest than Aaron; because Jesus is the greater king than David; we, as believers, have access into the holies of holies where the Lord dwells and reigns. Not in a tabernacle made by human hands but the true dwelling place in which He resides. These OT measurements of inner and outer courts were merely shadows of the true dwelling place of the Lord.
To this end the author says in Hebrews 9:11-12, “11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” The greater and more perfect tent speaks of the heavenly dwelling in which we see God face to face. The blood of Christ grants us access and the intercessory work of Jesus is the fuel to our place of dwelling with God.
The imagery we see within the OT set up, again, is merely a copy of the prototype that is grounded in heaven. Thus the author writes in Hebrews 9:23-24, “23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” Jesus has come with a new and better formula. He is the better formula! Christ Himself has granted us access into the authentic realm of reality—union with God.
He is the better formula! Christ Himself has granted us access into the authentic realm of reality—union with God.
Throughout the book of Hebrews the author is assuring us that through the blood of Christ believers gain access into intimate relationship with God. Consider these verses:
Hebrews 4:14 ESV, “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
Hebrews 6:19 ESV, “19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,”
Hebrews 8:1-2 ESV, “1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”
Hebrews 10:19-20 ESV, “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,”
For the author, since we have such a great reward in being reconciled to God through the Son, let us “14 . . . hold fast our confession.” Let us not thwart the Gospel by adding onto it nor leaving it behind.
Young people, are we aware of what the Gospel of Jesus Christ grants us? Do we realize that the blood of Christ grants us access to communion with God and to experience joy forevermore?
Sympathy:
I am not a fool as to think that there are not some in this room who has left the faith due to the false notion that the church owes them something. I am very much aware that many of you attend this event for the sheer thrill. Many of you volunteer as workers for the single hope of hanging out with friends. A Christ-less aim and, therefore, an empty affection for the local church. Many of you attend SALT but can not make it to the local assembly. Because, in your minds, the church is there to pamper your needs, to fulfill your longings, to promise you prosperity. The church, for young people, is a place I take take take, without committing myself to the mission of the Gospel. When this becomes the central tenants of the Christian faith, we have fallen prey to the world’s rendition of religion.
When all that we want from God is His gifts rather than God Himself, we have undermined the Gospel message and mocked the power of the cross and resurrection.
God is the Gospel! He is the prize; the reward; the allurement of our hearts. We get God!
Weakness: Hebrews 4:15 reads, “15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Clearly the author indicates that Jesus is able to sympathize with our struggle because He embodied our pain. He took on humanity and experienced all the tension, temptation, and pressure of human life.
He took on humanity and experienced all the tension, temptation, and pressure of human life.
Later on in Hebrews 5:8 it reads, “8 Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. 9 And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” Being made perfect? Was not Jesus perfect already? As God in the flesh, was He lacking?
One commentator writes, “[Jesus] learned how to obey in the anvil of human experience, as He experienced life day by day. In particular He learned obedience in His sufferings. When suffering strikes, human beings are inclined to do whatever it takes to avoid it, to find another path where there is joy and refreshment. Jesus, however, learned how to trust God and do his will in the midst of His suffering. His first aim was not His own pleasure and comfort but the will of God.”2
In His humanity Jesus gave Himself to suffering in order to be obedient to the Father. His joy was not grounded in individual pleasures that were artificial and timely, but rather in the infinite glories that amounted to union with the Father. Therefore, the author could say in Hebrews 12:2, “2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In His humanity Jesus gave Himself to suffering in order to be obedient to the Father. His joy was not grounded in individual pleasures that were artificial and timely, but rather in the infinite glories that amounted to union with the Father.
The pain of the cross was overridden by the sheer fact that eternal joy would be had with God the Father. The glory of God’s salvation would shine greater in light of the cross. The Apostle Paul says it like this in
Ephesians 1:4b - 6,
“4 In love 5 he predestined us[a] for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
The pain of the cross could not drown out the joy of the Lord.
Without Sin:
In His reverence for God which expressed itself in obedience to the Father He was without sin. Suffering He endured because of the love He embodies for the Father in which the Spirit proceeds onto the community of saints for the good of the church and the glory of His Name. Hebrews 4:15 speaks, “15 yet without sin.”
Obedience quantifies love and the enunciation of Christ’s love is captured in the sinless life He lives with the Father. Jesus says in John 5:19, “19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” In the midst of a generation that says, “Me, me, me” or “I, I, I;” the Son is saying “not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39).
Look how the author of Hebrews articulates the love of Christ:
Hebrews 2:9 ESV, “9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Hebrews 2:17-18 ESV, “17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Yes, we struggle with the sin of selfishness, greed, lust, or other countless sins; but we have an advocate at the right hand of the Father who intercedes on our behalf. Some of you have turned and have sought worldly pressures to fill the eternal whole in your heart that only God can fulfill. You have chased your vocation, your money, sex, and drugs. You have chased fame, power, and your own ways. You have chased all these worldly things only to find that you remain empty and unsatisfied.
You have chased all these worldly things only to find that you remain empty and unsatisfied.
Confidence in the Substance of Christ:
The Hebrew author has called us to confidence. Not just confidence emotionally or in the realm of positive thinking, but a confidence that is built upon substance, depth, weight, and character. Confidence in the work and Person of Jesus Christ. That He is “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4) whose intercessory work has no end and whose love for the Father has no bound. Who in His sacrifice can sympathize with my weakness and become my strength.
To this reason we, the SALT staff, can stand with the author of Hebrews and proclaim with conviction, “16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). As the tireless Intercessor of our faith, we have access to mercy and in Him we find the grace that will assist us in times of need.
May the beauty of God in the face of Christ grow ever clearer through the power of the Holy Spirit. May our eyes be opened to the wonderful Savior we have in Christ Jesus. May He receive all the praise, honor, and glory.
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*footnotes
1. John MacArthur, Hebrews. The New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publisher, 1983), 96.
2.
Thomas R. Schreiner, Commentary on Hebrews: Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2015), 164-165.
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McYoung Yang (M. Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). He is the husband of Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (8), McCoy (7), McColsen (5), and DeYoung (2). He has recently accepted the position of Associate Professor of Theology at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN and will begin teaching in the Fall of 2017. He is currently serving as a Counsel member of the Youth Ministry of the Hmong District of the C&MA. McYoung is continuing his post-graduate studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he hopes to obtain his PhD in Theology. He seeks to use his training and platform as a means to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens. McYoung enjoys reading/writing, sports, and playing with his children.
From the beginning theology has been at the center of the church. Creeds, councils, and confessions were and are the hallmark of a devoted commitment to the faith. Justin S. Holcomb points out that "[for] the early Christians . . . creeds were meant to be used by groups—not just a summary of what everyone in the room agrees upon but a promise made and kept as a group. . . Creeds aren't dogmas that are imposed on Scripture but are themselves drawn from the Bible and provide a touchstone to the faith for Christians of all times and places."5 From the early patristic era the church has had to wrestle through her Christological formation as well as her trinitarian construct in light of a monotheistic tradition. Furthermore, the Reformation (500 years baby!) had to work through the fallacies of the Roman Catholic Church and her doctrines of penance and indulgences. The hard work of scholarly precision was not a mere academic exercise in order to mount a stake upon intellectual elitism, but rather to serve the church in expressing a faithful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ via the revealed Word of Scripture. 
McYoung Yang (M. Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). He is the husband of Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (9), McCoy (8), McColsen (6), and DeYoung (2). He is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN and is currently serving as a Counsel member of the Youth Ministry of the Hmong District of the C&MA. McYoung is continuing his post-graduate studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO where he hopes to obtain his PhD in Theology. He hopes to use his training and platform as a means to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens. McYoung enjoys reading/writing, sports, and playing with his children. 
