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) 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. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:11-14, ESV
Even as the writer of Hebrews explains how Jesus is the fulfillment and consummation of the Old Testament types and symbols, he reminds us of why those types and symbols were so important. They were earth-bound representations of the genuine article. In Hebrews 9:11-14 we are told of how Jesus entered into the heavenly tabernacle as the great high priest, offering His blood as the perfect sacrifice for sins and purchasing eternal life. The Old Testament sacrifices were not without worth. When the priest took the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled the people with that blood (Exodus 24:1-8), the people were made ceremonially clean; they were set apart from the rest of sinful men as God’s special people. What a divine gift of grace! But even though those sacrifices mattered, they pale in comparison to the sacrifice Jesus made in the heavenly holy of holies. There He offered Himself as the spotless Lamb of God. There He purified us from the need for repeated ceremonial sanctification by redeeming us from slavery to sin. As a result, instead of being set apart by a ceremony that looked forward to a day of actual redemption, believers are forever set apart for God, enabled to serve Him by their redemption from slavery to sin. The implication is this: to know Jesus as Savior is to be free from those things that hinder our service to God. This may demand a bit of a worldview shift. We so often speak as though we are hindered in service to God by the government, by our health, by our financial or vocational circumstance, or by the behavior of others. The truth is that we are free to serve our God even when the external circumstances of this life make that service unpleasant or even painful. The true obstacle to serving God, our sin, was dealt with by Jesus in the heavenly tabernacle. I pray that you will find new freedom “to serve the living God” even today! Pastor Don The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. Hebrews 7:23-28, ESV
The priests of Israel were employed first in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Their main tasks were offering sacrifices, maintaining the temple, and instructing the people. Their role was intercessory, representing God to the people, and the people to God. The men who served as priests came from the right family and were raised to this vocation. While there were many priests, there was only one high priest. He was responsible to ensure that the priests and the people followed the commands God set forth in the law of Moses. He bore the burden of directing the hearts of the people to God. He also led in the sacrifices, oversaw the offerings, blessed the people, and annually entered the holy of holies with a sacrifice on Day of Atonement. Hebrews 7 tells us these priests have been replaced by a better High Priest. This better High Priest is eternal, so He will never need a replacement. This High Priest does not need to deal with His own sin before dealing with the sins of others, for He is “innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” This High Priest does more than offer a once-a-year symbolic sacrifice. In fact, He “once for all … offered up himself” and continues to intercede for the saints before God at all times on the basis of that “once for all” sacrifice. Of course, this ever active and perfect High Priest is Jesus. The beauty and the blessing of His priesthood is reflected in the song lyric penned by Irish American hymn writer Charitie Lees Bancroft in 1863: 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. When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there, who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God, the just, is satisfied to look on him and pardon me, to look on him and pardon me. Behold him there, the risen Lamb, my perfect, spotless righteousness, the great unchangeable I AM, the King of glory and of grace! One with himself I cannot die. My soul is purchased by his blood! My life is hid with Christ on high, with Christ, my Savior and my God, with Christ, my Savior and my God. I pray that your day will be filled with the peace and assurance that are yours by faith in Jesus our Great High Priest. Pastor Don For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:13-20, ESV
Who can you trust? When two ‘experts’ disagree, which one is right? How can I, if I am not an expert, judge between experts? When one scientist produces a graph that disagrees with the graph produced by another scientist and their contradicting graphs are used to justify completely different actions, what are we non-scientists to do? As we continue to be avalanched by news reports and press conferences regarding the coronavirus outbreak, these questions naturally come to mind. The Bible does not include any lessons on epidemiology to help us become experts in evaluating the virus experts. It does, however, offer us a sure foundation upon which to stand in times when facts seem about as firm as Jell-O. Hebrews 6:13-20 appeals to an event recorded in Genesis when God made a promise to Abraham. The promise was made as part of a covenant of immense importance in God’s redemptive plan. Nevertheless, instead of dwelling on the content of the promise, the author focuses on the veracity of the one who made it. God swore an oath and God pinned the reliability of that oath on His good name. He did not appeal to any other standard because there is no higher standard when it comes to truth. When the all-knowing and always truthful God says something, you can take it to the bank as true because “it is impossible for God to lie.” God has given us His Word of hope in Christ. We do not experts to analyze its credibility. Instead, we simply need to trust it and fly to Him “for refuge.” Because God cannot lie, we can run to His Word, especially His Word to us about His Son, Jesus our Great High Priest. We can run to this Word and we can trust this Word as “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” If your soul needs an anchor today, turn in faith to God and His Word. His anchor holds firm. His promise of hope never waivers. He cannot lie. May you be well-anchored today in God and His Word. Pastor Don In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:7-10, ESV
Yesterday was not a day of good news for those of us living in Juniata County. Our governor declared that we will remain under stay-at-home orders, likely until June 4. Even as we long to protect those vulnerable to COVID-19, we fear the grave damage that will befall our community with four more weeks of such restrictions, and we weep for the extended loss of personal fellowship. It is in times like these that we most need to be reminded that Jesus understands suffering. While here on the earth and in the flesh, Jesus tearfully cried out His prayers and requests to God. Through His suffering as a man, Jesus “learned” what it is to obey His Father when under human temptation. He experienced the human condition. Think about that. Jesus, sinless and eternally God, became a man so He could suffer the pull of sin and the pain of resisting that sin as a man. Because He did so perfectly, He was able to save those who follow Him as their Great High Priest. Our Savior not only sympathizes with us in our suffering, He knows what it feels like. He not only knows what it feels like, He knows as one who was perfectly righteous and resisted it at every turn. Because He remained righteous in this experience, He is able to save us from the ultimate, eternal suffering of hell. Are you suffering under the thought that this social distancing, stay-at-home, essential-businesses-only period is going to continue? Are you crying out to God, begging Him to bring it to an end? Me, too. But even as we cry out, let us remember that our Great High Priest who hears our cries knows our suffering and, as One who endured it in righteousness, has rescued us from eternal suffering and gained us entrance into the place where suffering dwells no more. Jesus does not offer us platitudes for our suffering. He offers Himself. In a week with plenty of unwelcome news, I pray this good news will be a balm to your soul. Pastor Don
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13, ESV
As we strive toward the goal of our eternal rest, a rest won for us by Christ, we are reminded that there is a day of judgment. The two-edged sword language of this passage echoes that of several judgment passages in Revelation. Christ, wielding the Word of God will judge “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Nothing will be “hidden from His sight.” Once more we are challenged. How does this fit our understanding that those who have faith in Christ will be safe on that day? This challenge is easily met. This reminder of pending judgement by a God who sees everything is followed by: 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. 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. 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. Hebrews 4:14-16, ESV The context of our striving is now made clear. We strive in light of the fact that the Lord will return and judge mankind by the terrifying standard of the penetrating Word of God. We strive because we are all sinners deserving of God’s eternal wrath. Even so, we do not strive in helplessness or somehow try to work our way out from under that wrath—we know such striving would be in vain. Instead, our striving is toward our Great High Priest. We strive to “hold fast our confession,” coming to Him in faith that He is who the Bible says He is, and He accomplished what the Bible says He accomplished. Clinging to Him, we approach “the throne of grace” in confidence, knowing that He stands there offering us His mercy and His grace. We strive, but not with confidence in our striving. We strive with confidence in our Great High Priest, who faced that judgment on our behalf, bearing our guilt and shame while having none of His own. Martin Luther got it ever so right: May Christ be your Mighty Fortress today! Pastor Don |
From Pastor DonWriting about the Bible and praying that it will be of some good for someone. Archives
June 2021
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