NOTES FROM MOM

High Priest

Hello Again!

We ended the journey through the Tabernacle last month, but there is one more thing I want to touch on this month, and that is the office of the High Priest. This is a very interesting study and I don’t even pretend to be able to explain his duties from the Old Testament laws. Each of the pieces of his garments that he wore meant something too. So, rather than try to figure all that out, I want to show his ministry as compared with the ministry of our High Priest, Jesus Christ and how it applies to us today.

The Bible has much to say about this ministry. The call of the high priest in the Old Testament began with Leviticus chapter one. All of the tribes of Israel were given land when they entered into the land God had promised to give them, except the tribe of Levi. This tribe was to consist of Aaron and his sons. They were called to be priests before God and the other tribes were to provide for them. Their ministry was to be mediators between God and the people of Israel. There were many rituals and laws they had to learn and most of them are recorded in the book of Leviticus. Our pastors have this same calling today. We are to supply their needs as they go before God to bring us His word.

When Jesus was crucified, He did away with the rituals for all time. He became the living sacrifice for sin on this earth. Mankind was pardoned and given the chance to come into the presence of God through what He did for us.

The Bible tells us Jesus became sin for us. A price had to be paid for us to be pardoned. So, God came to earth in the form of a man, born of a woman, but without the seed of a human man, to live and die and to pay the price for us. He became the ultimate sacrifice. “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18).

In other words, He came to earth and tempted with the same things we are tempted with. He suffered with the same struggles we suffer with. As a result, He knows what we are going through and is able to come to our aid when call on Him. That is the office of our great High Priest. He overcame sin for us and rose from the grave to ever make intercession for us in the presence of our heavenly Father.

The Bible says it best: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘Thou (Jesus) art a priest forever’; so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. And the former priests on the other hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing, but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

For the law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.”

The office of the High Priest has been fulfilled forever in none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who has suffered not only all we have suffered, but also took sin into His own body complete with all the sickness, disease, emotional distress and more than any man has or ever will suffer on this earth. And, He did it for every single person on this earth. The only requirement we have to enter into it is to accept what He died to give us.

Think about it for a minute. Put yourself in the place of our heavenly Father. You as a father or mother sacrifice your son with the most cruel, inhuman kind of punishment imaginable. You do it for everyone born on earth since Adam until the end of time, (the same way our heavenly Father did). The only requirement you have is for each person to believe and accept what you did for them, and you will save them from eternal damnation in hell. What would you do with those who didn’t accept what he did for you?

It would sadden you, but you would have to let them go their own way. They couldn’t enter into the promises in your word. They couldn’t live in your kingdom here on earth. They would never experience the joy, peace and prosperity you provided for them here on earth. When they died, they would go directly to hell (a place that is worse than anything you can even imagine) to live forever separated from you and unable to make the simple choice while they were on earth to accept your son’s sacrifices.

THAT IS REALITY! No matter what you think…no matter what you have been told or not told. THAT IS REALITY!

AND did you know? Everyone who accepts what Jesus did for us is now called a king and priest unto God! Let’s read that. “…and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth…To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom of priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6)

“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou (Jesus) was slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Revelation 5: 9-10)

Jesus is called the King of kings and the Lord of lords. (I Timothy 6:15) We are those kings and lords He is the King and Lord of, if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. We can now enter in behind the veil that separated us from the Holy of Holies that we learned about in our last “Notes From Mom”. That veil was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross. (Luke 23:45) That signified that man can now come into the presence of a Holy God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. In fact Hebrews 4:16 tells us we can now “draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.”

So, what is the ministry of the high priest calling for us? It is the same as it was for Jesus when He was here on earth in a physical body doing the work our heavenly Father called Him to do. We find a good definition in Hebrews 5 beginning in verse 1.

“For every high priest taken from among men in appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weaknesses; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.”

This doesn’t mean we offer the animal sacrifices that the Old Testaments priests had to do. That was done away with when our High Priest became the final sacrifice. It means we are to be intercessors between God and man. We minister unto God through prayer and obedience to His word; and we are to witness to men and women wherever we are, of the sacrifice Jesus made and the saving grace He died to give them.

We are now in the kingdom of almighty God, the Creator of all there is! He has made us all kings and priests here on earth. As a king, we have dominion over the devil and his bunch. Jesus died to give us abundant life while we are here on earth. (John 10:10) We have all been given weapons of warfare to fight him with. Our weapons are the word of God, the name of Jesus and the blood that Jesus shed.

We are now called sons and daughters of God. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”

As children of God, we are to lead others in this world to the saving knowledge of what Jesus did for them. God would that none should perish, but He has chosen His children to carry the message to all we come in contact with. He came to earth and overcame sin. When He died, the devil could not keep Him because He lived a sinless life here on earth. He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. He gave the earth and all His authority back to mankind again.

When Adam and Eve were created, they were given the authority over this earth. They chose to sin and give it to the devil. Jesus paid the price and redeemed, not only us, but the earth. We are now given authority on this earth to overcome the schemes of the devil. Romans 8:19 tells us God’s whole creation is longing for the manifestation of the sons of God. We are the sons of God and we are the ones who are to bring the saving knowledge of God to the whole world.

I challenge us all to study the book of Hebrews. We shouldn’t just read it. We need to study and meditate on what it is saying to us. Once we have the revelation of what Jesus really did and the authority we have been given, our lives will change. We will be able to overcome those things that come against us. We will be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

For those who have not accepted Jesus as Savior and made Him Lord of your life, I invite you to say this prayer now. If you will say it from your heart as well as your mouth, you will be saved and on your way to heaven. You will feel the peace of God, and your spirit will be born again according to John 3:1-5.

You don’t want to miss out on the most important decision you will ever make. You will live somewhere forever. Will it be heaven or hell? The choice is yours!

“Heavenly Father, I come to you now. I am a sinner according to Your word. I believe Jesus died for my sins and that He rose from the dead to give me eternal life with You. I ask You to forgive me for every sin I have ever committed. I accept Jesus as my Savior and I make Him Lord of my life from now and forever. Help me to understand Your word and to come into the plan You have for my life. Thank you for accepting me into Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus, my Lord and my Savior. Amen”

If you just said that prayer for the first time, please write me and let me know it. I have something I want to send you.

May God give you all peace and revelation knowledge of His word. May He keep you in perfect peace as you stay focused upon Him. May He grant you the desires of your heart as you trust and obey the revelation He shows you.

Until Next Month…Be Blessed.

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