My Faithful High Priest

Today, in the morning message at Bethel, I preached about how the mosaic priesthood (Exodus 28-29) pre-figures our role as priestly believers in Christ. We talked about the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer and boiled it all down to three great privileges…

• Itimacy with God.
• Authority before God.
• Ministry for God.

Those are our guarantees because of the gracious trade Jesus made with us – His righteousness to our account, and our sinfulness to His on the cross.

Tonight, we’re talking about the same passage of Scripture from the angle of how the priesthood pre-figures Jesus as the great High Priest. There are some differences, such as the fact that Jesus did not follow the line of the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood, but the “order of Melchizidek instead – therefore He serves as both King and High Priest (something always forbidden in Jewish history).

The entire discussion of Jesus’ priesthood will revolve around the Hebrews passages that discuss this great aspect of Jesus’ present-day and eternal ministry. The writer of Hebrews reminded us of these great truths…

• He is perfectly holy, unlike the sinful priests of the Aaronic line.
• He is human to the degree that He understands ALL of our temptations and trials.
• He has made one offering for our sin, and it’s sufficient for eternity without repitition.
• He grants us forever access into the very holiest place of all – the feet of God in His throneroom.
• He “ever makes intercession for us” (prays for us) because He feels all of our pain and has the utmost compassion for us.
• We are a part of His forever family by trusting Him.
• He ministers directly to us in our worst moments, and in our best.

These are wonderful thoughts! They’ve encouraged my heart and I’m inclined to simply praise Him for His High priestly ministry in my life, and in yours. He stands between an unholy me and a holy God and He makes my relationship with my righteous Creator possible. He draws me into the inner core of His very living room, providing the eternal and intimate connection I need.

All praise to the “Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus…”