Our High Priest!

(Luke 22:44) “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

In considering my HIV status, as tragic as it may seem to some on the one hand, but on the other it is a glorious opportunity I had been afforded, I have had the privilege to stand up and declare my allegiance to my Saviour the Lord Jesus in those circles. Without this virus I would not have had a platform. Although I live with this ailment, it is now helpful as a reminder of my disobedience as a young believer, for which I am grateful, not thankful for my disobedience but appreciative for the love the Father has shown me in this area of my life, as it proved my Father’s love to me from another perspective. How you may wonder? The answer is very simple but extremely clear, the only danger we have if we take this position too glibly and wilfully continue in sin that grace may abound, we will suffer consequences to our lives, hence the reason I am HIV positive. God disciplines those whom He loves. Nevertheless, in faith through it all I never doubted what Christ had done for me on the cross. Yet pride is a very dangerous trait to live with; “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

Samson is a good case to consider; although he was told never to divulge the secret of his strength, when he disobeyed he seemed somewhat surprised that he lost his strength. Nevertheless this I will say with confidence and I think I have understood what I am now going to say, he was thankful for God’s discipline in that area of his life even though he lost his eyes. He is now in the company of God and all those who have died in faith not yet having received the promise of their resurrected bodies as they wait patiently for the trump of God to sound! Discipline is a crucial part in a believer’s life and we must welcome it, as it will bring forth palatable fruit in its season.

For all who have now been through this adoption process - those who are born again, not by the will of man by the will of the Father, have now been given the privilege to call out “Abba Father”, to addresses with reverence and in love but with confidence, the only true God as their Father. Why? Only because we now have been given life, our eyes are opened, and we can see! We now believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary. This is the qualifier, we cannot reject that message and believe some other message and claim the right to this adoption, as it will make us illegitimate children. There is a deception that sweeps across the globe wanting people to believe that there is another way to heaven, it is a lie! This deception may even get us to believe that we are entitled to the privilege of heaven when we pass from this life to the next, but that would not be true! Only those found written in the Lambs Book of Life will enter heaven and no other; “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

In other words all of God’s adopted children will ultimately find themselves in heaven, but impostors and the like will be cast into outer darkness. "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11-14)

There is only one way we are entitled to the correct wedding garment, we must call upon the name of the Lord, accept His sacrifice on your behalf, agree to His conditions and do not come with any of our own added agenda's and we will be welcome into the kingdom of heaven; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

There is a side to this glorious gospel message that we often overlook; Jesus our High Priest! We get so bogged down by the trail of life and we see God as awesome as He is, as someone far above us, which He is, but we think along the lines that no one understands our predicament. This thought could not be further from the truth. From as far back as Moses and Aaron the high priest ministry was introduced to prepare us to understand the importance of that role. The Catholics believe that the pope is God’s appointed man for the hour, the high priest, one who intercedes on behalf of the people and communes directly with God. They are wrong! Those days of intersession by a man have long run their course. The final high priest was the Lord Jesus and no other man will ever be needed to intercede on behalf of the people ever again, as He has “finished” the work. We have a High Priest, He is God and yet He lived as a man. It is because of His life on earth as a man that qualifies Him for the role. How so? May we never forget and may God the Holy Spirit continually remind us, as He does, that the Lord Jesus not only lived as a man but in all points was tempted as we are tempted: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

I will confess this truth often eludes me when I am in trial. Forgive me Father when and where I have erred in the application to this truth. We must understand that the Lord Jesus does understand what we are going through, not only does He understand but has experience far more than we could ever begin to imagine. I can sympathize with someone living with HIV as I too live with the virus. You may feel for me, but you could never really come to grips with what it is to live with the virus as you do not have it. In the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord Jesus endured such hardship against sin that He began to sweat drops of blood. May we remember this in our time of trial! He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities!

“The mental pressure arising from our Lord’s struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Saviour so that he distilled great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a very pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which exudes from the tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded most sweet spices when it was wounded under the knotty whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but see, it giveth forth its best spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound. This sets forth the voluntariness of Christ’s sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, “Spring up, O well;” of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Saviour in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fulness of the offering which he made for men.

Do we not perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which he passed, and will we not hear its voice to us? “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, and sweat even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls.” (C.H.Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone