Day 318: Fulfillment as High Priest

My favorite sermon series are when there is preaching through a book of the Bible. Topical sermon series have their place, but I like that just focusing on one book is like the meat and potatoes of bible teaching. The book that our pastors are tackling right now is Hebrews, and I'm glad we're going through it. It's not an easy book, but what I appreciate about my church is that overlooking difficult texts is not an option.

There are plenty of texts in Hebrews that are dripping with depth, and I am so thankful for it!

My husband introduced (A Better Rest: 11/06/11) the topic of Christ as our High Priest when he preached last week, and then our senior pastor piggy-backed it this week (A Better Access: 11/13/11). I. Love. Jesus.

We read the Jesus Storybook Bible to our kids, and what I love about it, is that it is a simple way to introduce children to the truth that ALL of Scripture is about Jesus, or pointing to Jesus. As we study Hebrews, this is idea is not lost!

Like I said, at our church, we don't shy away from difficult texts, and a while back we studied Leviticus (yeah, Leviticus!). Understanding the books of that law is so important! If you understand what a high priest does, and what God is communicating to his people about sin, and sacrifice, then it gives you a better understanding of what Christ has done and is doing on our behalf!

So where am I going with this?

I will tell you.

I am incredibly thankful that Jesus fulfills the role of a High Priest on my behalf. He offers me direct access to my Creator because of the perfect sacrifice he offered on the cross. He makes intercession for me perfectly, just as priests of old tried to do for the people. All the blood that was spilled, all the cleansing that was done, could not cover sins. There was still a divide between God and man. We needed a perfect sacrifice, and we needed a perfect High Priest.

Hallelujah! The curtain has been torn, and I am set free!