Our High Priest

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." 6 As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The great sign God cares for us is His provision. We think of how He feeds us, or how He provides us with water, or of warmth, or of family or occupation. The list of the things God provides us by His goodness is vast and probably endless, (if we were to seek to name them all from a human perspective.) Who, for example, knows where their next heartbeat is coming from? Or how about life itself?

Of all the things God has provided us, however, the greatest is His provision of a High Priest.

In order to fully understand the nature of the importance of the position of High Priest, you have to go back to the Torah, to discover what God had in mind for how He would relate to His people. God related to the Israelites through the office of the High Priest. It was the High Priest who would go into the Holy of Holies once per year to make atonement for the people. It was the High Priest who would hear from God and speak to the people about God’s desire for them.

In short, the position of High Priest existed to allow people to know and understand the love God had for His people, and that He desired to be in loving relationship with His people – rather than being followed by those under coercion in some sort of religious fanaticism.

The position of High Priest indicates to us how it is Holiness can relate to lowliness. The High Priest stands between God and man. Of course, our High Priest is Jesus Christ.

-  Pastor Bill

Immanuel

Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

A question: If you were God, and your plan was to enter the world, how would you accomplish that?

When you think of the crush of celebrity - and everything that takes place when the public is aware of the presence of a huge celebrity - would it be like that? Could it be like that? Would that work? Would it not be the greatest event in the history of the world? Would it not draw the greatest crowd in the history of the world? Wouldn’t it be great to draw a huge crowd – so all could know at once that God had entered into His creation?

God chose an alternate path of entry. Fascinating. It had always been planned this way, and now it was accomplished. At Bethlehem, a wide spot in the road. In a stable, apart from the maddening crowds. The very antithesis of what may have been expected.

It must have been very troubling for Mary to know that she was giving birth to the Son of God in such a mean estate. Can you imagine? We want the very best circumstances and environments for the birth of our children.

But God’s plan was to come into the world to a world unawares. Rather than appearing in grandiosity, God would depend on men to get the word out about His birth. He still does.

-  Pastor Bill

Heeeeeeere’s John!

Luke 1:57 Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John." 61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father--what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him.

It is amazing what a year can hold. It was just a year ago that Zacharias and Elizabeth were serving out their elderly years, faithfully accomplishing God’s plan for their lives. Perhaps nothing much more to look forward to than the proverbial, “death and taxes.” In a word, their lives could probably be characterized as ‘uneventful.’

After all, what can a senior citizen expect from life that may bring about any sort of change - let alone a radical one?

It was in the midst of faithful humble service that the Lord arrested Zacharias’ life, and it is important to note all that happened in this ‘no-longer-normal-at-all’ life that he and Elizabeth lived together before the Lord.

His prayer (for a son) had been heard, (by God) and it was the angel Gabriel who told him so.

But his question about how he could know this had been silenced and his ears deafened since he last heard anything at all. (And the last thing he heard was that his wife would bear him a son!) I suppose if you were immediately deaf and dumb at the mere pronouncement of an angel you may also sense and trust God’s power to design conception even in those far too old to conceive.

And then, indeed, there WAS a conception. Elizabeth was pregnant. I’m pretty sure that in the midst of his imposed silence Zacharias was now living a life of awe in addition to the life of reverence he had previously lived.

Nine months is a long time to spend in silence, but isn’t it wonderful we don’t have to be able to audibly speak, or physically hear in order to speak to or listen to God?

And now, a son is born. What a difference THIS year had made. What would his name be? Would it be to the glory of his father – a little Zacharias junior? Or would it be to the glory of his father’s Father? Yes! His name would be JOHN!

-  Pastor Bill

Let It Be?

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

In the words of rock-poet Paul McCartney, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…”

I am so glad that isn’t true.

We have a greater than Mary who DOES come to us in times of trouble, and His name is Jesus.

Think though, of the investment God has made in Mary…His only begotten Son, the One Who is to come, born of woman, born of a virgin, born of this teenaged woman, Mary.

To truly consider all that has been entrusted to Mary is pretty incredible, and it speaks of the wonder of God’s trust in man, even though man has a history of completely disregarding and breaking that trust.

But there could be no other way. For The Son of God to be The Son of Man, He must be born of woman.

Her name was Mary. We can thank God for her, but not worship her. What of her parents who raised her and prepared her for this role? What of her grandparents and all of the community that prepared her for this?

Mary, the one who would hold the Savior of the World as her very own child – all the while knowing He was the child who belonged to the ages…

Let it be…Jesus!

-  Pastor Bill

Progressive Revelation

Luke 1:1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

You awake in a darkened room and stagger groggily into the bathroom. You flip on the light switch – and – youch! Severe eye pain. It’s more than your eyes can stand…

The way God has designed our eyes is amazing. The pupil opens and closes depending on the brightness of the light source. Natural light provided by God has a gradual brightening and darkening. (We call those ‘morning’ and ‘evening.’) God understands the need for our exposure to light to be gradual rather than sudden.

John the Baptist IS “Elijah who is to come.” He is the gradual lightening to come before the Light of the World.

John the Baptist is key for the ministry of Christ for two reasons. 1.) He would be the fulfillment of prophecy spoken by Isaiah, (40:3-5,) and Malachi, (3:1 & 4:5.) 2.) He would be God’s emissary whose mission would be to prepare the ‘eyes’ of man for the Light of the World - Who is Christ the LORD.

God is gentle with His revelation before man. He knows our sensitivity to His Divine Light, and so the ground is well-prepared long before the light switch is flipped. (A mixed-metaphor for sure!) But you get the drift…2,000 years of prophecy followed by the birth of John the Baptist, followed by Christ. Do you see God’s prep work?

Who is the person who was your own personal, ‘John the Baptist?’ Whose personal ‘John the Baptist’ will you be? How fascinating God uses man to introduce men to God. We are not that Light, but we are those who bring others gradually to it.

-  Pastor Bill

Only You Know and He Knows

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

If we were to carefully examine ourselves we might be surprised by what we would find. (Especially if we were left with nothing but self-interest to examine ourselves by.)

There are so many things I cannot know about myself. I can’t see the back of my head, and I never would without the aid of a mirror. Can it be possible my soul has blind spots as well?

That would be a, “Yes!” Again, imagine if the only perspective of self-examination was self-interest. Where would that leave us? There are so many things we cannot see about ourselves, (blind spots,) and the things we can see that we don’t like can be covered up. (Camouflaged.)

The problem with the effectiveness of camouflage, (and it does work,) is that in deceiving others about our weaknesses we also deceive ourselves. Take our eternal condition for example. It is VERY easy to look the part of a Christian. Go to church. Smile. Carry a Bible. Call yourself one. Done.

The worst part is by doing those things I may even convince myself I am a Christian. Millions upon millions of people are in that exact position. Look the part. Be the part. I am the part.

The Word of God teaches otherwise. In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul writes in verse 5: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.

But here’s the deal – what am I to use to examine myself by? (Knowing my blind spots, self-interest and extensive knowledge of camo.)

Answer: The Word of God is the ONLY impartial tool of examination known to man. Note: ALL other religious treatises deal with the actions of the flesh. ONLY God’s Word deals with the attitudes of the heart. You know…the part way down inside that cannot be seen by anyone…the part we may even hide from ourselves for as long as we choose…

When Jesus taught me to love my enemies, I knew I was guilty as sin. Here I was thinking I was a pretty good person, and along comes The Word slicing me open and showing me my heart in a way I had never seen before – or even desired to. The blessing is with the revelation of Truth comes the application of forgiveness and salvation. Unless you would rather not look. The choice is yours.

-  Pastor Bill

Resting Place

Heb 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; 5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

“Resting” is an interesting concept. Obviously, everyone needs it. You can’t go for too long without it.

The really curious part is how ‘resting’ recharges our batteries? Renews our strength. How does that work? How is that all I have to do is lay down for a bit – say 8 hours – and all of the sudden I’m as good a new?

When I was in college, part of my fraternity initiation was to be kept awake for 5 straight days, from Monday through Friday. The guy who designed our initiation had been a POW in Viet Nam, and he designed our initiation to incorporate sleep deprivation because he saw how powerful an influence it was. Being kept from sleep for an extended period of time makes you real loopy, and your brain stops functioning properly. It gets hard to think straight, and your body gets fuzzy and weak.

When you’ve been away from physical rest for a long enough period of time, you find yourself absolutely craving it, imagining it, practically dying for it. “I need rest!”

The same is true in the spiritual realm. God has designed us to require rest, both physically and spiritually.

In the same way physical rest is only found in sleep, spiritual rest is only found in Jesus. There is no other name under heaven which is given by which men may have rest. Don’t harden your heart to this fact – delight in it!

How wonderful it is at the end of a long exhausting day to climb into bed and just drift away! Equally wonderful is how at the end of a life-long tiresome search we can open our hearts to Christ and receive the eternal rest we have been seeking.

-  Pastor Bill