Good Morning Friends,
“The point of what we are saying is this: We
do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up
by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and
sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to
offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men
who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.” (Hebrews 8:1-4)
The author of Hebrews continues to talk about
Jesus as our high priest and reminds us about how much better He is as a high
priest than the priests that came through the law.
For one, He serves in a much better
sanctuary. The priests who came through the law served in a sanctuary made by
human hands according to the pattern revealed by God to Moses. But it was just a
shadow of the real sanctuary. It was as inferior to the heavenly sanctuary as
everything on earth is inferior to that which is in heaven. It may have been
fashioned after the real thing, but it could not compete with it. Jesus, though
does not serve in the sanctuary on earth, but in the real sanctuary in heaven. It
is the sanctuary made by God, not by man. It is not a shadow, but the real
thing.
He serves at the right hand of the throne of
Majesty in heaven. Our high priest has the Father’s ear, because He sits next
to Him. There is no doubt about whether or not the Father hears Him. He hears
everything that our high priest says and every petition our high priest makes
for us. Our high priest is in the perfect place to intercede for us.
And one more thing, every high priest offers gifts,
sacrifices to the Lord. The high priests according to the law, offered the sacrifices
detailed by the law. They offered bulls and goats and sheep and doves and grain
and wine and other sacrifices like those. But our high priest offers none of
those gifts and sacrifices to the Father. The sacrifice He brings is far
superior to those sacrifices. It can’t even be compared with them. Our high
priest offers Himself as the sacrifice on our behalf. It is His blood that He
poured out as a gift. It is His death that He offers to the Father.
We need not doubt that the Father has
accepted the gifts and sacrifices our high priest has offered to Him. He offers
them in the heavenly sanctuary right next to the throne of the Father, and
offers the most valuable sacrifice imaginable: He offers Himself!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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