Christ is Our Intercessor
"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore”
Hebrews 7: 26-28
The priestly ministry of Christ involves a constant intercession and intervention for those who receive Him as Lord and saviour of their lives. By embracing the cross of Christ you switch sides; you are delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s Son – Jesus Christ. In that very movement you become a new creature in Christ; this is what is referred to as new birth or to be born again. It means you have being regenerated and given the opportunity to start a new life in accordance with God’s standard. This new walk is made possible only through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, who works exclusively in our lives, when we embrace the cross of Christ and make Christ the object of our faith. Nothing else but the cross of Christ.
As believers in Christ we are embanked on a rigorous journey; this journey if often interchangeable by various themes in the scriptures; it could be referred to as “…the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1) or “the good fight of faith” (1st Timothy 6:12), or wrestling (Ephesians 6:12), and could be said to be ‘the trying of your faith’ (James 1:3). This is because we are constantly in opposition to the sinful nature, which is contrary to the cross of Christ as it relates to our walk of faith. You will understand this better as we examine the priestly ministry of Christ. However, the constant inter changeable use of these themes in the scriptures should make us aware of the present priestly ministry of Christ as our intercessor in this continuous battle with the enemy of our faith; which the scripture referred to the thief or the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10, John 10:10)
Christ is our intercessor; He stands in the gap between us and our accuser; He continuously intervenes for us and intercedes on our behalf before God as our High Priest. Just as the Araronic priests pleaded the blood of the lamb of the atonement for the sins of the people; in the same manner Christ blood availeth for us today as believers in Christ; and has librating power to free the sinners from sin; cleans the conscience from dead works, and bring about forgiveness, reconciliation and intimacy with God.
Praise God!
Now, let’s consider these seven distinctive qualifications of Christ from the early Aronic priesthood; particularly as it relates to His present ministry as our unchangeable High Priest and Intercessor.
- Christ is Holy
- Christ is Harmless
- Christ is Undefiled
- Christ is Separate from sinners
- Christ is made Higher than the heavens
- Christ had no need to offer up sacrifices for His own sins for he had none
- Christ sulvivic work is sufficient; He offered up Himself once for all eternity.
Christ is Holy
The first qualification of Christ as our unchangeable high priest and intercessor is Christ holiness. “He is holy”. When the angle of the Lord announced to Joseph the coming birth of our Lord; he said in Matthew 1:20 “Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins” The word ‘holy’ has reference to the very nature of our Lord. His conception; His birth; His life and earthly ministry were governed and led of the Holy Ghost. In various scriptures we are admonished by the Lord to be holy because He is holy. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy: for I am holy” (1st Peter 1:15, 16)
It was Christ holiness and spotless nature that made Him the perfect offering for our redemption. He was the perfect Lamb at the cross. Christ was the perfect Lamb of God to take away our sins and to justify us before God. Christ is the Lamb without blemish, spot or wrinkle.
God required a perfect offering in dealing with the issue of sin once and forever; Christ became that perfect offering at the cross of Calvary for all humanity. (1st Peter 1:19) The redemptive work of Christ was for all humanity; both those who were before His sulvivic work through the cross; those who were during His sulvivic work at the cross and those after the fulfillment of the sulvivic work at the cross. This why John the Baptist referred to Christ as “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the word” (John 1:29) Note the word ‘sin’ and not sins, which means the sulvivic work of Christ atoned for all sins; past, present and future. This truth is established by various scripture. Apostle John speaking concerning this said: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1st John 2:2, 4:10). Apostle Paul speaking concerning Christ sulvivic of redemption for all ages said: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:25). The benefit of the cross of Christ is for all humanity but can only become a reality through faith in His shed blood.
Salvation is a free gift! And it is obtainable by our simple obedience and faith in the sulvivic work of Christ. The price for redemption and reconciliation with God has been paid, but it remains our responsibility to receive the free gift of God and experience the benefit of the cross of Christ. All significant exchange is made at the cross; meaning life comes by embracing the cross of Christ.
Accept Christ work of redemption.
Exchange your condemnation for His redemption.
Release your pain and weariness for His healing and unspeakable peace.
Friend! The price has been paid. There is no more sacrifice needed for man’s redemption and reconciliation with God. There is no more sacrifice required for our fulfillment and triumph over the sin nature. Christ paid it all.
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh”. Hebrews 10:19, 20
We have been granted access into God’s throne of grace. Victory over intimidation, resentment, unforgiveness, fear, sin and the devil will only become possible when we come boldly into God’s throne of grace. Come bold to the cross just as you are. Come out of the bondage of failure and shame by laying your all down at the foot of the cross. Come out of dejection, oppression and lies of the enemy of your faith by simply embracing the cross of Christ. Forgiveness is possible through the bold of Christ; but only when we embrace Christ and make the cross of Christ the object of our faith. Apostle John speaking concerning forgiveness from sin through the blood of Christ said:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1st John 1:9)
Christ holiness and sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection made Him our eternal redeemer. By confessing and forsaking our sins we receive forgiveness through His sulvivic work. We are to confess and acknowledge our frailty and faults unto the Lord and not to man. David said: “I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5) God invites us to reason with Him; He promised to cleans us from our every sin; those we acknowledge and those we hid.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:8)
Christ is holy, and when we receive Christ into our lives we receive the righteousness of God. Through Christ we are justified by faith; faith in His blood. “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Through faith in Christ blood you overcome temptation, weakness and failures. Faith is all that is required on your part to experience God’s ultimate best, which comes only as a result of the cross of Christ. ‘Faith in His Blood’
Christ is Harmless
The second distinctive qualification of Christ as our unchangeable High Priest and intercessor is the fact that Christ is harmless. The Greek word and meaning for harmless here is a-ko-kos, which means innocent and without guile. Christ overcame all temptations, trails and difficulties, thus He is also able to save us from failing and falling. Apostle Paul speaking concerning this said: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all point tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. (Hebrews 4:15)
Our responsible is to call on Him. He invited us to call upon Him: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3) Christ invite us to the foot of His cross to exchange our weariness for His blessings. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30) Christ paid the supreme sacrifices for us to have God’s best; but it remains our responsible to embrace and acknowledge His sulvivic work and find true meaning for living.
Unlike the Aaronic priesthood who had sin, faults and were subject to weakness and guile; Christ was harmless and had no fault, and no guile. Apostle Peter speaking concerning this said: “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1st Peter 2:22-23) Christ was innocent and paid the complete penalty for our sins. Prophet Isaiah prophesying concerning Christ innocence as the Lamb of God, even before He actual finish the work at the cross; said: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Looking at the fulfillment of this prophecy as it relates to Christ, His accusers, judges and particularly before Pilate; we see His humility. Though God and possesses all power yet He humbled Himself; and endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself; so that He might become a faithful and unchangeable High Priest between God and men. (Hebrews 12:2, 3, Philippians 2:7-9).
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