CONSIDER JESUS - PART 5

TUESDAY 21 MAY 2024

So much emphasis have been made on the Person of Christ, who is God's bodily image, but there is a fundamental truth deeply inherent within His exalted state, and that is the Great High priest. More below!

Reference: Hebrews 3:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

"Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."

Today I am here to complete the expository revelation of the last segment regarding the above versified reference, which is:

How does His office as the apostle and high priest of our confession apply to our Christian faith?

Having dealt with His office as the apostle of our confession, today's article is focused on His high priesthood - still in relation to our confession. Firstly, understand that Jesus is the high-powered High priest of our confession; this is the reason for the "Great" High priest attached to His priesthood. His priesthood is not an abstract concept of weltanschauung, but a real Person who was seen, touched and heard whilst on earth. To that effect, Hebraic emphasis on this verity reads:

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14 NKJV). Got it?

By the truth in this versified statement, you can perceive how His high priesthood connects to our confession and applies to our Christian faith. Furthermore, why did I mention that His priesthood is not an abstract concept of weltanschauung?

This is because He was a real human on earth and so He experienced all of the dinstict identity of human nature, including the condition of being weak, exhausted and tired (John 4:6-7 NIV), and sometimes He displayed a sense of enervating emotions. To that effect, Hebraic inspired expression numbered as Hebrews 4:15 reads, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV).

How was Jesus able to overcome temptation of human nature? He exercised godly fear through obedience. Got it? Now watch this: This is how we apply High priesthood to our Christian faith - Come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, which are the evidence of His finished work, having offered an atoning sacrifice for our sins as the Great High priest. Since He was subject to human weakness in the days of His flesh and still turned out to be victorious, He functions as a sympathetic and empathic High priest who offers GRACE and MERCY to all who need it (see Hebrews 2:17-18 NIV). He does not offer it by condition of the law because He had already removed the body of sin revealed by law through His perfect sacrifice.

Remember that the law could reveal sin, but Jesus' sacrifice as the Great High priest came with the fullness of grace and mercy, and this fullness is available to all who believe in Him and His finished work. You can now relate to the reason the glory of the old covenant of law was a fading glory, but the glory of the new covenant in Christ is an increasing glory.

Again watch this: Hebrews 3:12 reads, "Now that we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech..."(NKJV). In other words, now that we have acknowledged that Jesus is our Great High priest, we obtain His mercy and grace with boldness of speech. So when you hear that we should come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, it plainly denotes - that you receive the finished work of Christ through your boldness of speech, and that is your faith-filled confessions. Are you with me? Don't ever miss this please. That is how His office and position as high priest of our confession apply to our Christian faith. Hallelujah!

As our Great High priest, Jesus is matchlessly, peerlessly, and markedly exalted above the heavens and the angels, and the unlimited and absolute completeness and abundance of divine power and heavenly glory are "tabernacled" in Him. So it became quite necessary, therefore, that God should give us a more perfect revelation and confession of His will and mind in Christ, through His apostleship and High priesthood, in order for us to share in a heavenly calling, as we consider the Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Hebrews 5:1-4; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Corinthians 1:26.

Guided Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are mighty in the matters of your everlasting Kingdom, and you sit on a throne of glory. Thank you for revealing your glory through the person of Christ, His works, and His purpose on earth. I'm a worthy partaker of Jesus' High priesthood, and this truth is continually confirmed by my rewarding divine experiences, in Jesus' Name, Amen.