Our Great High Priest

The Lord , our Great High Priest and what we have in Him.

Hebrews 4:14, 2:17  7:25   8:6    10:19

In these verses we find what we have in our Priest and what He alone can do.

Life’s greatest joy is to respond to God’s love in praise and worship

Life’s greatest privilege is to walk with God

Life’s greatest opportunity is to serve God.

Life’s greatest comfort is to trust God.

For this to be maintained, we must have the priestly work  (take it for ourselves) of the great High Priest. His work means that we can immediately be restored to fellowship with God, and it makes us fit for worship and praise. It brings us to God and it means that we can be comforted  and restored if we fail. Whenever we are tempted we cannot resist in our own strength, but if we have a genuine heart and desire to overcome it, we can lift up our hearts in faith to our Priest and He will give us grace and strength to overcome. When we have a problem, any problem we can take it to the Lord in prayer. There is not a problem He cannot meet if we fix our eyes and heart on Him, We must in every circumstance come with full assurance of faith and with a willing, humble and genuine heart.

When we are right with God, obedience is done gladly, but when cold in heart it will be a duty. People are not prepared or able to let guilt go. We must confess our sin immediately ( and not save it up till the end of the day) and let all guilt go immediately.

When we pray or worship we are standing in the throne room of heaven and the mighty God of the great universe bends to hear us, weak and frail that we are. If we are to continue in growth and joy, we must find our everything in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must get our eyes fixed on God and look at His glory and love  so as to worship and praise Him.

James McKee

Riches

The very real danger of riches.

Many parts of the Bible refer to the  dangers of riches - Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Gospels, teachings of Paul and James. It has often been  said that being rich is not a sin, but wanting to be rich is a sin.

I ask you to read though the Gospel records and note the discipleship teaching of the Master. He knows best: for example

"How hardly shall those who have riches enter into the kingdom of God"

Our western culture pushes us very hard to be rich and independent of God. My Lord said:

"Verily I say to you, whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall nowise enter into it."      Mark 10

again 

"Blessed are you who are poor"     Luke 6.20

How can this be?   because He who was rich, became poor!   2 Corinthians 8

JRM

Signs and miacles

The Sign

The Pharisees came  to Jesus seeking a sign. He responded:

“Why does this generation seek a sign?  Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Why?  - because of their unbelief?

-      Because of His hidden purpose of dying as a sacrifice?

I rather think it is because the ‘word of God’ had been consolidated and made available. He Himself referred to the Torah, the Psalms and the Prophets as His source of authority.

“Moses wrote of me”  Deuteronomy 18

“ David’s son”   Psalm 110

“”Numbered with the transgressors” Isaiah 53

Many miracles and signs were done, and John the baptizer was referred to this as the as proof of His mission.  His primary goal in serving the people was by teaching, to bring the people to God in harmony with the Old Testament scriptures (to repent and believe the gospel).  He sure did bring new teaching to the ears of the disciples, but as a matter of convincing them of His authority, He directed them to the Old Testament scriptures.

So today, in situations of illiteracy and ignorance, God may choose to use signs and miracles, but where the Bible is so readily available, the revealed truth is the issue. For example in India, miracles are often the means to bring people to Christ. In the Middle East, dreams are sometimes God’s initial point of contact. In the west, where Bibles are so abundant, God is speaking through His word (Old Testament and New Testament).

Hence my purpose, to direct people to the Lord Jesus Christ via the Bible.

If you do not have a Bible, please send me an email and I will endeavour to send you one.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

Danger

Truth or traditions

The Lord Jesus Christ said:

"This people honours Me with their lips

     but their heart is far from Me.

   In vain do they worship Me,

     teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Mark 7:6

JRM