The Dwelling Place of God with man: The Priest (part 2)
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And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
Intro: Last week we looked at some of the differences of the offices of Aaron and Christ. We ended with looking at some of the similarities, or the fulfillment of the earthly priesthood by the heavenly priesthood of Christ! We ended with this thought, that as Aaron came out of the Tabernacle, and showed himself to the people it was to bear witness of the atonement being made complete for that year, and so it is with Christ, as He came out from the tomb, and showed himself to the people, it was to bear witness of the atonement being made complete once and for all! We stated that the priesthood on behalf of the people towards God. Aaron’s ministry ceased when he died, while Christ’s ministry was established through His death.
The High Priest Ministry of Christ which is on behalf of you and me and towards God.
He is our Righteousness:
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
It is in His role as High Priest that He is continually before the Father representing us as the righteous sons of God! This point we will revisit at the end.
He is our Advocate:
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Which we need because we have a prosecutor which stands to oppose us.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The Bible gives us an understanding of Satan’s work as our adversary in the book of Job. However, unlike Job, we have a great High Priest! Satan goes before God and accuses us, Christ is also there in His role as High Priest!
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Think of those situation where someone said they would stand by you but didn’t. Christ will never let us down! He is with us through thick and thin, He cannot deny Himself, nor the office that He assumed in heaven on our behalf! He is our advocate!
He is our Intercessor:
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Because we were dead in our trespasses and sin, we needed an intercessor.
Websters 1828: To mediate; to interpose; to make intercession; to act between parties with a view to reconcile those who differ or contend;
Christ’s intercession is more than someone who comes in after the fact. He knew His role as intercessor would come before He created the world. Because He is all knowing, He sees our needs before we realize we even have a deficiency. He is interceding before hand on our behalf!
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Whenever I think of an intercessor I immediately think of Moses.
And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Moses role of intercessor was not done however because the people had been spared from God’s wrath.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Christ our High Priest is our righteousness!
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Although I do not believe this should be the primary passage for a believer. The truth remains!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Because He is our righteousness before the Father our standing never changes. When we sin, our fellowship is however changed, Christ stands before God interceding, before we sin, and is there interceding after we sin. He is working continually to reconcile that which set us apart. A role which He is perfectly equipped to accomplish on our behalf!
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;