The better hope by which we draw near to the Father
And so let me reiterate that, the
better hope through which we can draw near to God the Father in the inner court
is by:
1)
A
greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this
creation.
For Christ has not entered the
holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Because the Holy Spirit
indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest
while the first tabernacle was still standing” (Hebrews 9:8).
2)
A greater and perfect sacrifice which can
present the worshiper perfect, holy and sinless before God.
Previously, what was offered was
symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices were offered
which could not make him who performed the service perfect in regards to the
conscience, neither could present the worshiper perfect before God. They were
concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances
imposed until the time of reformation.
But the time of reformation has come;
Jesus Christ now enters the Heavenly Sanctuary, “Not with the blood of goats
and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy place once for all,
having obtained eternal redemption and has left the cup of blessings (the wine)
which He blessed on the night before His crucifixion to represent His blood of
the New Covenant: For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a
heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?' (Hebrews
8:9-14)
And for this reason He is the Mediator
of the New Covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive
the promise of the eternal inheritance.” The New Covenant which Jesus Christ is
the Mediator is the one He instituted when He took the cup, and gave thanks,
and gave it to the disciples saying; “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My
blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
And this New Covenant became effective after His death because, a testament is
in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator
lives (Hebrews
9:12-15; Matthew 26:27-28).
3)
We
have a perfect High Priest who continues forever, and has an unchangeable
priesthood
Therefore Jesus Christ is also
able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever
lives to make intercession for them, hence the reason Jesus Christ said to
Thomas; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me” (Hebrews 7:4-26; John 14:6).
The way is through His flesh as
confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “by a new and living way which He
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh;” Now His flesh is
represented by the unleavened bread because, in establishing the New Covenant,
Jesus Christ took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and
said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
The truth is the Word of God Who
is Jesus Christ Himself, for in the beginning was the Word and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. He now intercedes on our behalf as our High Priest
and this is again confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “and having a High
Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water.
The life is the blood of Jesus
Christ which cleanses us from our sins, for as it is written; “for the life of
the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul.' And the apostle Paul again confirmed this by saying; “Therefore, brethren,
having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Leviticus
17:11; Hebrews 10:19).
So now, where there is remission, forgiveness
(through the cup of the New Covenant), there is no longer an offering for sin
but the Lord’s sweet smelling aroma, the food for His offerings we are to be
careful to offer to Him at the appointed time and therefore the admonition is; “But
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the
cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment
to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and
sick among you, and many sleep” (1Corinthians 11:28-30).
Let us therefore consider this
for a minute, if the improper discernment of the bread and wine which
represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ is taken in an unworthy manner is
the reason why many are weak, sick and died what if it is taken in a worthy
manner as prescribed by the Lord Himself? Some food for thought.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
No comments:
Post a Comment