Wednesday: The Great High Priest
What do the following texts reveal about Christ’s ministry as High Priest? Heb. 2:17-8; 3:6; 4:14-15; 7:24–28; 8:1–3.
Jesus is the “great High Priest” (Heb. 4:14, NKJV). He is superior to all high priests and rulers of earth. The Bible assigns a number of qualities to Jesus as great High Priest:
Merciful and faithful. The two characteristics of merciful and faithful (Heb. 2:17) fit Christ’s role as mediator, for He bestows His gifts on us (“merciful”) and is loyal to His Father and to us (“faithful”).
With us. Jesus can sympathize with us (Heb. 2:18; 5:2, 7). Because He has lived as a human, we can trust that He is a compassionate and perfect Helper. Yet, He is not in the same situation as we are, because He is “without sin” (Heb. 4:15).
Over us. Jesus as High Priest is not in the community of believers, as Moses was; He is over us, like a son presides over the house of his father (Heb. 3:6). Christ enjoys full authority among the saints.
As we are. Jesus’ divine origin did not give Him any exclusive rights. He was tempted just as we are (Heb. 4:15). The selected temptations in the Judean desert show that He was tempted in the physical, mental, and spiritual dimension (Matt. 4:1–11).
For us. Christ appears in the heavenly sanctuary in the presence of God “for us” (Heb. 9:24), and He is making intercession for us (Heb. 7:25). Thank God that we have a divine Representative to appear in the judgment in our place.
Jesus is in heaven “for us.” What does that mean? How can you draw some assurance and security from this wonderful truth?
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We can no longer enjoy open communication with God after the fall of man, this is the reason we need intercession which binds finite man to the throne of the infinite God.Thank God that we have a great High Priest, who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Thus we can be able to find access to God.
Jesus is in heaven “for us.” What does that mean? How can you draw some assurance and security from this wonderful truth?
Seeing what Jesus has suffered for me, He now being in heaven gives me the assurance that I have a hope of making it to heaven. It means that this gospel of salvation is not a fable and is very real. I can take Jesus word as truth and this continues to give me hope.
Without Jesus there is no hope for me. He took all upon Himself, this gives me the assurance that He is taking care of all things. All we have to do is live the life in faith and obedience to God.
Now that Jesus is in heaven as our Great High Priest we can rejoice, but we need a reality check-up. What if my name is chosen for the investigative judgment and my case is closed? Am I living with false hope like the five foolish virgins? Am I ready if He comes today? Time is running, 2013 will soon be history. He will come, He will come, let us watch and be ready. One of these days, he will no longer be the Great High Priest.
Lorraine, a person’s case isn’t closed until it is closed by that person himself through a stubborn refusal to accept Christ and His government. The fact that a person is still asking questions about their status indicates that they haven’t come anywhere near the point of committing the unpardonable sin.
This is part of the problem we have with the investigative judgment. We think it is something that is against us instead of for us. We need to think in terms of justification concerning the Day of Atonement - not condemnation.
Concerning questions like these we, as a people, have a terrible amount of insecurity and lack of faith in a God that sacrificed Himself to save even me, a stinking sinner drowning in sin. Remember, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8 NKJV). If you have the slightest tugging by the Holy Spirit then, “He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor 1:21-22 NKJV) which is an unfailing promise of salvation. As long as one has any notion to stay with God even though he/she fails at times WILL BE SAVED unless that person definitely chooses otherwise.
Remember:
Something pop out of my head on Wednesday while studying the lesson. Why Jesus had to come from a different order of priesthood from the levitical priest. We serve a All knowing, All wise God who does not have to prove Himself to be God, He is Just God by His Sweet Self. In chapter 9 of the book of Levitecus we find the dedication of Aaron and his sons and the and the Priestly garments that were to put on. One can assume that the Day of Atonement was nigh at hand. in the following chapter we find two of Arron's sons decided to do what they wanted to do and did their own thing and willfully neglecting the direct instructions that God has instructed His servant Moses(lessons to be learn here). So here is what intrigues, Had Christ came through this lineage can you imagine the field day the Devil would have made when it comes on the Sacrifice that Jesus would have made. suggesting that the priest were not holy therefore the entire sacrificial system was faulty. But thank God He send His Son through a different order in fact He was from the Tribe of Judah and His Priesthood is form the order of Melchisedec. His Priesthood was commissioned by the oath the God Himself took. We serve a Mighty God.