As Jesus was giving His disciples some instructions before His departure from earth and return to heaven, one of the things He tells them, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18) The word "Helper" is also "Advocate and Comforter" which means, "someone who is called in alongside to help." We see this also revealed in this way, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." (1 John 2:1) As we can see, the scripture unfolds a beautiful truth, that is, believers have two advocates. We have Jesus Christ, the Son, at the Father's right hand, and we have the Holy Spirit on earth. Having two such helpers, advocates, how could we ever lose a case?
So, let us look at these verses a little closer, "the Father, and He will give you another Helper, "that He may abide with you forever."." We need to understand the importance of the word "another." It actually indicates a person. In a way, Jesus is saying, "I'm a person who has been your Helper. However, I am going away and when I go, another person will come to be your helper. Do not be heartbroken because the one coming in My place will never leave you." Jesus also tells them, "for He dwells with you and will be in you." In other words, "this advocate, comforter, helper, is not only going to be with us, but He is going to live in us. What a most wonderful promise. The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit will come and set up His residence in every believer.
Finally, Jesus says, "I will come to you." This is very important. Jesus tells His disciples that He is coming back to them in the Holy Spirit. While He was on earth in His body, Jesus could only be in one place at one time and could only talk to one person at a time in one conversation. He was limited by time and space. Now, when He comes back to His people in the Holy Spirit He is completely free
from the limitations of time and space. Now, for instance, through the Holy Spirit He can be in Australia, talking to a believer and at the same time, He can be in the United States anointing a
preacher or even somewhere in the deserts or the jungles of Africa, strengthening or healing a
missionary. He is not limited. He has come back, and is no longer subject to the limitations of time
or space.
Continuing in His instructions to His disciples Jesus tells them, "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless
I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I
do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." (John 16:5-7) Jesus is saying, "As long as I am with you, in person on earth, the Holy Spirit has to stay in heaven. But if I go away, then, the Holy Spirit will come and take my place." In other words, there will be a exchange of divine persons. He also tells them, "It is to your advantage that I go away." This is quite a statement. Jesus is saying we are better off with Him in heaven and the Holy Spirit on earth than we would be with Jesus on earth and the Holy Spirit in heaven. Few people realize that. Many time believers will say, "If only I could have lived in the days when Jesus was on earth" or "I wish Jesus were still here on earth., but Jesus says, "you are better off if I go."
Finally, the Day of Pentecost came where the disciples were filled with the very Helper, Comforter, Advocate, that Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit. The results of this experience is evident. First, they understood the plan of God and the ministry of Jesus far better than they had ever understood it while Jesus was on earth. The fact is, they had been very slow and limited in their understanding while Jesus was with them, but, the moment the Holy Spirit came, they had a totally different comprehension of the ministry and the message of Jesus. Second, they became extremely bold. Even after the resurrection, they still hid away behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. (John 20:19) They were not willing to stand up to preach and proclaim the truth. However, the moment the Holy Spirit came, that all changed. (Acts 2:14-38) Third, they had supernatural confirmations. The moment the Holy Spirit came, miracles began to take place. (Acts 3:1-10) It was just like Jesus being back with them in person.
The reality is, Jesus is still with us, "The Lord is the Spirit..." (2 Corinthians 3:17) as the Holy Spirit. It is to our advantage that the Holy Spirit has come, so that we believers can continue the ministry that Jesus began here on earth for His glory, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20) " And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...
Showing posts with label Advocate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocate. Show all posts
Monday, December 17, 2018
Monday, August 7, 2017
Our Great High Priest
After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we see that He "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High" (Hebrews 10:12), because He accomplished two tremendous feats. First, He made redemption both eternal and available for all; second, He now sits as Mediator, (1 Timothy 2:5), Advocate, (1 John 2:1), Intercessor, (Hebrews 7:25) and Great High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) Much time is spent studying what Christ has done for us, but it seems that very little time is spent on what He does in us, and even less on what He is now doing in His High Priestly office at the right hand of the Father.
His entire ministry from birth to sitting down at the right hand of the Father was certainly a tremendous feat, but now, praise the Lord, He ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus died as the Lamb of God, (John 1:29), He arose as the Great High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He is a merciful and faithful High Priest, not in things pertaining to man but in things pertaining to God. The claims of justice had to be satisfied and the needs of man had to be met. It was necessary that as a High Priest, Jesus should make propitiation for the sins of the people. The Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews tells us, "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 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." (Hebrews 9:11-12)
From where did Christ come to become High Priest? Out of hell. The place where He had gone as our substitute to satisfy the claims of justice that was set against rebellious humanity. He had to carried His blood into the heavenly Holy of Holies and seal the document of our redemption with it. (Hebrews 9:12) Now His blood is the guarantor of the integrity of our redemption. Just as the high priest under the first covenant carried the blood of animals into the Holy of Holies once a year and made a yearly atonement, Jesus carried His own blood in and made an eternal redemption once for all.
Under the Old Covenant to the Israelite's, atonement simply meant to cover sin. However, it was not the sins that man had committed that needed to be dealt with, it was mans sin nature, spiritual death, the nature of Satan that had to be ultimately dealt with and be put away, "...But now, once for all time, he (Jesus) has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice." (NLT) Mans sins were small things that could be wiped out or covered as we see under the Old Covenant. But our sin nature required God's own beloved Son to become sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He became sin with our sin that we might become righteous. He took our spiritual death that we might have eternal life. He took our outlawed nature, that we might become the children of the Father. (1 John 3:1) Oh, the unmeasured grace of God unveiled in the sacrifice of Jesus.
It can be said that Christianity is a confession of the finished work of Jesus. It is a confession that He is seated at the right hand of the Father having perfectly redeemed us. It is a confession of our sonship, of our place in Christ, of our rights and privileges. It is a confession of our supremacy over sickness, disease, weakness, unworthiness and over Satan, all in the name of Jesus. Hebrews 4 reveals another wonderful aspect of Jesus' ministry at the right hand of the Father as our Great High Priest, "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 sympathize 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." (Hebrew 4:14-16)
He does not have a chance to take a vacation. He has no opportunity to step aside for a moment. No one else can act as High Priest, Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor but Jesus. He is a High Priest and the surety of the New Covenant. (Hebrews 7:20-22) In other words, every Scripture from Matthew to Revelation is backed up by the Lord Jesus Himself in the same manner that God became the surety of the Abrahamic Covenant. (Hebrews 6:13) Jesus is able to do this because He abides forever and His priesthood is unchangeable. (Hebrews 6:20, 7:24)
So, let us continuously consider Him in all His grace, His beauty and His overflowing love. Jesus our Great High Priest will forever meet every need of the believer from the moment he is born again until he is ushered into the presence of the Father at the end of life. PTL
His entire ministry from birth to sitting down at the right hand of the Father was certainly a tremendous feat, but now, praise the Lord, He ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus died as the Lamb of God, (John 1:29), He arose as the Great High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He is a merciful and faithful High Priest, not in things pertaining to man but in things pertaining to God. The claims of justice had to be satisfied and the needs of man had to be met. It was necessary that as a High Priest, Jesus should make propitiation for the sins of the people. The Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews tells us, "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 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." (Hebrews 9:11-12)
From where did Christ come to become High Priest? Out of hell. The place where He had gone as our substitute to satisfy the claims of justice that was set against rebellious humanity. He had to carried His blood into the heavenly Holy of Holies and seal the document of our redemption with it. (Hebrews 9:12) Now His blood is the guarantor of the integrity of our redemption. Just as the high priest under the first covenant carried the blood of animals into the Holy of Holies once a year and made a yearly atonement, Jesus carried His own blood in and made an eternal redemption once for all.
Under the Old Covenant to the Israelite's, atonement simply meant to cover sin. However, it was not the sins that man had committed that needed to be dealt with, it was mans sin nature, spiritual death, the nature of Satan that had to be ultimately dealt with and be put away, "...But now, once for all time, he (Jesus) has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice." (NLT) Mans sins were small things that could be wiped out or covered as we see under the Old Covenant. But our sin nature required God's own beloved Son to become sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He became sin with our sin that we might become righteous. He took our spiritual death that we might have eternal life. He took our outlawed nature, that we might become the children of the Father. (1 John 3:1) Oh, the unmeasured grace of God unveiled in the sacrifice of Jesus.
It can be said that Christianity is a confession of the finished work of Jesus. It is a confession that He is seated at the right hand of the Father having perfectly redeemed us. It is a confession of our sonship, of our place in Christ, of our rights and privileges. It is a confession of our supremacy over sickness, disease, weakness, unworthiness and over Satan, all in the name of Jesus. Hebrews 4 reveals another wonderful aspect of Jesus' ministry at the right hand of the Father as our Great High Priest, "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 sympathize 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." (Hebrew 4:14-16)
He does not have a chance to take a vacation. He has no opportunity to step aside for a moment. No one else can act as High Priest, Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor but Jesus. He is a High Priest and the surety of the New Covenant. (Hebrews 7:20-22) In other words, every Scripture from Matthew to Revelation is backed up by the Lord Jesus Himself in the same manner that God became the surety of the Abrahamic Covenant. (Hebrews 6:13) Jesus is able to do this because He abides forever and His priesthood is unchangeable. (Hebrews 6:20, 7:24)
So, let us continuously consider Him in all His grace, His beauty and His overflowing love. Jesus our Great High Priest will forever meet every need of the believer from the moment he is born again until he is ushered into the presence of the Father at the end of life. PTL
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