Phil Rowlands

Hello, my friends!

Today, I want to talk to you about something truly amazing – our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. You know, when we think about Jesus, we often focus on His earthly ministry, His teachings, and His sacrifice on the cross. But did you know that Jesus has another ministry that's been ongoing for 2,000 years? That's right, He is our Great High Priest, interceding for us at the right hand of God.

In the Old Testament, the high priest was a crucial figure. He represented the people before God, offering sacrifices and interceding on their behalf. If the high priest failed, the people were rejected. But if he succeeded, blessings flowed to the people. Now, imagine having a perfect High Priest who never fails, who always represents us faithfully before God. That's exactly what we have in Jesus!

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:14-16, “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. 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. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

This passage reveals something incredible about Jesus as our High Priest. He's not distant or unrelatable. He understands our struggles because He experienced them Himself. When Jesus came to earth, He didn't just appear as a divine being untouched by human experience. No, He fully embraced our humanity. He felt hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, and pain. He faced temptation and endured suffering. Yet through it all, He remained without sin.

Friends, this means that when we approach God through Jesus, we're coming to someone who truly understands us. He's not a cold, detached figure, but a compassionate High Priest who knows exactly what we're going through. And because He overcame every temptation and trial, He can offer us more than just sympathy – He gives us the grace to overcome as well.

Now, let's talk about something truly revolutionary about Jesus' priesthood. It's a new kind of priesthood, completely different from the old Levitical system. Under the old covenant, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the people's sins. But Jesus, our Great High Priest, has entered the true Holy of Holies in heaven itself, where He continually intercedes for us.

This new priesthood brings with it a new way of relating to God. The Bible says we can come “boldly to the throne of grace.” The Greek word for “boldly” here means with freedom of expression and complete deliverance from fear. Can you imagine that? We don't have to cower in fear before God. We don't need a human mediator. Through Jesus, we can approach God as beloved children approaching a loving Father.

Think about how different this is from the old covenant. When God gave the law on Mount Sinai, the people were terrified. They begged Moses to speak to God on their behalf because they were afraid to approach Him directly. But now, because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice and His ongoing ministry as our High Priest, we can come freely into God's presence. We can pour out our hearts without fear, knowing that we're fully accepted in Christ.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way in chapter 10, verses 19-22: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 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.”

This is the heart of the gospel – that through Jesus, we have direct access to God. We don't need to clean ourselves up first or perform religious rituals. We come as we are, washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and clothed in His righteousness. This is the power of having Jesus as our Great High Priest.

But there's more to this new priesthood. The Bible tells us that Jesus is a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.” This mysterious figure appears briefly in the Old Testament, blessing Abraham and receiving tithes from him. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, something that was not allowed under the Levitical system. His name means “king of righteousness,” and he was also called the “king of peace.”

Jesus, as our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, brings both righteousness and peace. Through His perfect sacrifice, He has made us righteous before God. And having been justified by faith, we now have peace with God. This is the order – first righteousness, then peace. Our Great High Priest has secured both for us.

Moreover, while the Levitical priests served for a limited time and were replaced due to death, Jesus serves as our High Priest forever. Hebrews 7:24-25 says, “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Friends, do you see how secure we are in Christ? Our salvation doesn't depend on our performance or our ability to maintain our righteousness. It rests on the eternal, unchanging priesthood of Jesus. He always lives to intercede for us, ensuring that we are kept safe in God's grace.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why was a new priesthood necessary?” The answer is simple – the old system couldn't bring perfection. It couldn't fully deal with sin or bring us into the perfect relationship with God for which we were created. The sacrifices had to be repeated over and over because they could never fully take away sin.

But Jesus, as our Great High Priest, offered one perfect sacrifice – Himself. And by that one offering, He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. His priesthood is supported not by a law of fleshly commandments, but by the power of an endless life. This means that through Jesus, we receive not just forgiveness, but life – abundant, eternal life that empowers us to overcome sin and live in righteousness.

Let's consider for a moment the significance of Jesus' role as our High Priest in light of our daily struggles. We all face problems, don't we? Sometimes these problems can seem overwhelming, causing us to lose focus on God's promises and His presence in our lives. But here's the truth: your problem is not your problem. Your real problem is your preoccupation with the problem.

Friends, when we become obsessed with our difficulties, when we magnify them out of proportion, we can lose sight of the bigger picture. We can forget that we have a Great High Priest who understands our struggles and is interceding for us. Remember the Israelites who, after leaving Egypt, became so focused on the giants in the Promised Land that they forgot God's power and promises? Let's not make the same mistake.

Instead, we're called to “hold fast” to our confession. This Greek word, katacho, is a nautical term that means to hold one's course toward. It's about maintaining our focus on Jesus, our Great High Priest, regardless of the storms we face. When we do this, when we shift our preoccupation from our problems to the solution – Jesus Christ – we find the strength to overcome.

Consider this: Jesus, in His earthly life, faced every kind of temptation and suffering we face, yet without sin. He experienced hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, rejection, and ultimately, the cross. He didn't use His divine power to escape these trials. Instead, He endured them, relying on the Father's strength. And now, as our High Priest, He offers us that same grace to endure and overcome.

This is why the writer of Hebrews encourages us to come boldly to the throne of grace. We come not just for forgiveness (though that's always available), but for grace to help in our time of need. This grace is God's divine enablement, His power working in us to do what we cannot do on our own. It's the power that lifts us above our circumstances and enables us to live victoriously.

Friends, isn't it amazing that we have such a High Priest? One who understands our weaknesses, who has experienced our struggles, and who now sits at the right hand of God, continually interceding for us? This is why we can approach God with confidence, without fear or hesitation. We can come as we are, pour out our hearts, and find the help we need.

Remember, under the old covenant, people were afraid to approach God directly. They needed a human mediator. But now, because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice and His ongoing ministry as our High Priest, we have direct access to God. We don't need to clean ourselves up or perform religious rituals. We come as we are, washed clean by the blood of Jesus, and clothed in His righteousness.

Be blessed today, my brothers and sisters. As you go about your day, remember that you have a Great High Priest who understands your struggles, who has overcome every temptation, and who continually intercedes for you. Don't let your problems overwhelm you. Instead, come boldly to the throne of grace. Pour out your heart to God without fear. Receive His mercy and find His grace to help in your time of need. And rejoice in the perfect, eternal priesthood of Jesus that guarantees your salvation and your standing before God.

Phil