Jesus is our Great High Priest!!!
Yesterday's service was awesome!! Haha.. i can't wait to blog on the message! The message blessed me a lot and i pray that it is going to bless you too!!
Jesus is our Great High Priest
Who is our high priest today? Jesus is our Great High Priest! We can see this in Heb 4:14 -16 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens--Jesus the Son of God--let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
Today Jesus is the representative of all men unto God. Our position is wrapped up in the High Priest before God. But Jesus is God, how can He be our High Priest? Pastor mentions that MP in our area is like the high priest. He represents us to talk to the government. In the first place, he must be like one of us, understand and experience our HDB life. Though Jesus is God, He came down as a man to understand and experience our life. We can see this in Heb 5:1-2 For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. The benefit is that God judge us base on one Man - Jesus. One Man as a representative idea is from God. David as a conqueror represents Israel to fight Goliath. Today Jesus is our conqueror represents us to fight Satan and also represents us as righteous to God. We are more than conqueror through Christ!
Melchizedek Priesthood Replace Leviticus Priesthood
How good your high priest is represents how good the nation is. During Jesus time, the two high priests are corrupted. With this, the nation suffered and you can see Israel under the ruling of Romans. Jesus is of what priesthood? We can see this in Heb 5:5- 10 In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Though a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, and He was declared by God a high priest "in the order of Melchizedek." Levi high priests bless and curse. Melchizedek priesthood only blessed. When did the Leviticus priesthood came to an end? In Mat 26:63-65 But Jesus kept silent. Then the high priest said to Him, "By the living God I place You under oath: tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!" "You have said it," Jesus told him. "But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you've heard the blasphemy! This marks the end of Leviticus priesthood because the high priest tore his robes and by law he can’t do that. We can see this in Lev 21:10 "The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the garments, must not dishevel his hair or tear his garments. When the Leviticus priesthood came to an end, it gives way to a greater priesthood- Melchizedek priesthood!!
Five Fold Ministry
God told Moses to make Aaron and his sons the high priests before Him in Exo 28:1-4 "Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve Me as priest--Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for glory and beauty. You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron's garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest. These are the garments that they must make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. Interestingly, Aaron and the 4 sons adds up to 5 which represents the five fold ministry today which is illustrate in Eph 4:11-13 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.
We are on Jesus Shoulder
The two stones on the shoulder of the High Priest are described in Exo 28:9-12 "Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of Israel's sons: six of their names on the first stone and the remaining six names on the second stone, in the order of their birth. Engrave the two stones with the names of Israel's sons as a gem cutter engraves a seal. Mount them, surrounded with gold filigree settings. Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the LORD as a reminder. Woo… I believe that Abba really prepare me for this message! Yesterday, I was lead to study on the story of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis on the 12 tribes! If you are interested, can go to Gen49 to see Jacob telling the 12 tribes (his sons) what will happen to them in the days to come. The names of the 12 tribes is in Exo 1:1-5 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The total number of Jacob's descendants was 70; Joseph was already in Egypt. Today, Jesus carries us on His shoulder and we are upheld by His strength!!
We are in Jesus Heart
The breast plate of judgment of the High Priest is described in Exo 28:15-21 "You are to make an embroidered breast piece for decisions. Make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; make it of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely spun linen. It must be square and folded double, nine inches long and nine inches wide. Place a setting of gemstones on it, four rows of stones: The first row should be a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald; the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They should be adorned with gold filigree in their settings. The 12 stones are to correspond to the names of Israel's sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the 12 tribes. The 12 stones on the breast plate represent the 12 tribes of Israel which is us! Where are we in Jesus? His heart! We are in His heart where His heart beats. God sees everyone on the same heart and He sees us individually and exclusively. Why God wants stones to represents the people? Because we are like the precious stones in God’s eyes. All the precious jewels and gems! There is a significant reason for us been place in His heart - what moves the heart move the hand. Woo... I love this! When we groan, we pray, we cry, we laugh etc; Jesus hears in His heart and He moves His hands to embrace and protect us!!
God is light! Today when our High Priest, Jesus, comes before God, the light hit the gems and all the glory of the gems shines! The light shows how clean and bright the blood of Jesus has cleanse us! God sees the performance of His son at His heart. God sees us in Christ, perfect in Christ, righteous in Christ! So let us come boldly to God! When we come closer to God, our beauty is seen brighter because of the perfect work of Jesus. God has gain much more through redemption through the work of Jesus THAN the lost in creation by Adam sin. Jesus on the cross gives God much more than the time He created man. Today, we are seated in Christ in third Heaven gloriously and shine! We are forgiven completely and totally according to His super abounding favor!