“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” (Hebrews 4:14).
TEXT — Hebrews 4:14-16
Message
How best to approach God has remained a big challenge for many, including those who attend church. Others seek God in frivolity and carelessness, on the false belief that God is a Father who accommodates whatever personal shortcomings that may characterise their lives. Yet, the Lord expects us to approach Him with reverence and complete submission. Man’s failure to attain this high standard has necessitated an intermediary for the people who seek fellowship with God in the Old Testament.
The High Priest served this role in the nation of Israel. He was the only person who could enter the holiest place in the temple. He went there once a year and brought the people’s sacrifices before God for the cleansing of their sins and conveyed to them acceptance of their offerings. In reality, the high priests pointed to Jesus Christ, our great high Priest. Unlike those who had to enter the holy of holies once a year to obtain cleansing for the people from their sins, Jesus offered His life once for all as a sacrifice on the cross. That vicarious death qualified Him to mediate between God and humanity.
Jesus has given us hope that our sins are blotted out as we accept His sacrifice on the cross. The barrier standing between us and the almighty God is broken down. We are reconciled to Him and become His sons and daughters, and He assumes His rightful role as our God and Father.
Only through His sacrifice on the cross can our sins be forgiven once and for all, our names enter the book of life and we are assured of a place in heaven. And we can now come boldly before God to obtain mercy, find grace and receive help from the Almighty, all because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
Thought for the day
Those who spite Christ’s death on the cross invariably choose their destruction.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
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