                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                    Christ Our High Priest! (Part ONE)

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By David Wilkerson
May 6, 1996
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          God the Father appointed His Son Jesus to become a High
          Priest for us in glory. Indeed, Jesus is in glory right
          now -- as both Man and God -- on our behalf. He is
          arrayed in the garments of a High Priest -- and He
          stands before the Father interceding for us, even as I
          write!

          No doubt the Father takes great pleasure in having His
          Son at His right hand. But the Bible does not say Jesus
          ascended for the sake of His Father. Nor does it say He
          ascended to regain His glory. No -- Scripture says
          Christ ascended to heaven on our behalf -- as a High
          Priest: "Christ...entered into heaven... now to appear
          in the presence of God... for us..." (Hebrews 9:24).

          John caught a glimpse of Jesus in His ministry as our
          High Priest in glory. He writes that Jesus appeared in
          the midst of seven candlesticks (representing His
          church) and ministered among them wearing a particular
          garb: "...clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
          girt about the paps with a golden girdle" (Revelation
          1:13).

          This is the attire of a high priest! Jesus wore a robe
          down to His feet and a breastplate around His
          midsection. And that is the same attire He wears as He
          ministers on our behalf right now in glory!

          You probably remember that the high priest in the Old
          Testament was a type and shadow of Christ. Two
          priesthoods are mentioned -- an Aaronic priesthood and
          a Melchizedek priesthood. Aaron was most certainly a
          type of Christ. Indeed, God gave us an illustrated
          sermon in the Old Testament high priest. Everything he
          did illustrated the work and ministry of Jesus in
          glory!

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                      Everything in the Temple Focused
                        on Jesus and His Ministry!

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          Every piece of furniture and every arrangement in the
          Old Testament tabernacle pointed to Jesus. If you want
          to know about Christ's ministry to us in glory in these
          last days, study the tabernacle and the high priest.
          Exodus 30 gives us a wonderful picture of this
          ministry:

          Between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the
          tabernacle was a veil. And just before the entrance to
          the Holy of Holies stood an altar made of gold, three
          feet high and eighteen inches square. Incense was
          placed on this altar and burned at all times.

          As high priest, Aaron was commanded to take care of the
          lamps and wicks. Every morning when he went into the
          Holy Place to light them, he put incense on the altar.
          The altar had to have coals of fire in it always, so
          the fire would never go out. Even at night Aaron was to
          go in and put sweet incense "beaten small" on the
          altar.

          "And Aaron [the high priest] shall burn thereon sweet
          incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he
          shall burn incense upon it. And when Aaron lighteth the
          lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a
          perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your
          generations" (Exodus 30:7-8).

          For years, throughout all of Israel's wilderness
          journeyings, the golden altar filled the Holy Place
          with a cloud of sweet incense. An incense was
          constantly rising to heaven!

          Now, incense in the Bible represents prayer. And the
          ever- burning incense on that altar in the Holy Place
          represents the prayers of Jesus while He was on earth.
          There was not a day in His life on this planet that
          Jesus did not pray for His disciples. His prayers for
          them were a sweet incense wafting daily to the Father:
          "...I have given unto them the words which thou gavest
          me...I pray for them...keep through thine own name
          those whom thou hast given me..." (John 17:8-11).

          Jesus prayed constantly: He went to the mountains to
          pray...He sought solitude for prayer...He prayed in the
          morning and in the evening -- at all times. In fact,
          Jesus said He did nothing without hearing it first from
          His Father -- in prayer!

          John 17 is all about Jesus' prayers for His disciples
          and His people -- for those who followed Him and
          believed in Him.

          Yet, Jesus prayed not only for His followers, but
          "...for them also which shall believe on me through
          their [the disciples'] word" (verse 20).

          What a powerful truth! Jesus' phrase, "them which shall
          believe on me," includes you and me. Jesus was praying
          for us when He walked this earth in the flesh!
          Centuries ago we were on His mind. He even recorded
          this prayer in His Word, knowing we would be reading
          it. He wants us to know He was interceding for us to
          the Father!

          Beloved, this prayer which Jesus prayed for us did not
          vanish into thin air. It has been burning on God's
          altar all this time -- and God has accepted His Son's
          prayer for each of us! Our conversion, our salvation,
          is the result of Jesus' prayers. That is why we are in
          Him today -- because God answered His prayer for us!

          "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an
          unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to
          save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him,
          seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them"
          (Hebrews 7:24-25).

          Right now Jesus is praying for transgressors who
          haven't yet turned to Him. Scripture says He can save
          to the uttermost -- meaning, "to the end of time" --
          all who will ever come to Him.

          Throughout my years in ministry I've seen many addicts
          and alcoholics get gloriously saved. Each time I would
          think to myself, "This one had to have a praying mother
          or interceding grandmother somewhere in the past. God
          is answering those holy warriors' prayers!"

          But now I see something better than that -- something
          far more powerful and effective. It wasn't just a
          mother or grandparent who was praying for those who now
          believe. Jesus was praying for them all along!

          "...I pray...for them also which shall believe on me
          through (my disciples') word" (John 17:9, 20).

          If you've been running from the Lord, you'll never get
          away from His prayers! The Father answers His Son. And
          all who resist Him, continuing in their sinful ways,
          are hardening their hearts to the prayers of Christ --
          who prayed for them on earth, and is praying for them
          still!

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                      I Want to Talk to You Now About
                      the Praying of Jesus in Glory!

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          Once a year, the high priest went into the Holy of
          Holies to make atonement for Israel's sins. After
          sanctifying himself -- bathing himself thoroughly, to
          enter in purity -- he took with him the blood of a
          bullock and a golden censer (or cup) held by three
          prongs or chains. The priest then removed some coals
          from the altar, put them in the censer, took a handful
          of incense and went into the Holy of Holies.

          Inside was an ark, and atop it was the mercy seat -- a
          lid or plate covering, with a little rib around it. On
          either side of the seat were two golden cherubim, whose
          wings spread over it. The mercy seat represented the
          very presence of God -- where the Lord sat on His
          throne.

          In my previous message, entitled "The Precious Blood of
          Jesus," I wrote that the high priest sprinkled the
          blood of the sacrifice seven times on this mercy seat.
          This was for the remission of all of Israel's sins. The
          blood sprinkling signified the satisfaction of every
          demand of God's justice and holiness, and every
          accusation of the devil. By this blood sprinkling, all
          were made clean.

          Then the high priest took the handful of incense and
          threw it on the fire in the censer. Suddenly, a
          beautiful aroma filled the tabernacle. The priest would
          swing the censer in front of the ark until the mercy
          seat was enshrouded in a cloud of aromatic, sweet
          incense.

          Beloved, this is a perfect illustration of what Jesus
          has done for us -- and is doing right now! First, it
          signifies Jesus' death and ascension to the heavenly
          Father as our High Priest. He went through the veil --
          splitting it in two -- and straight into the Holy of
          Holies, taking with Him the blood of His own sacrifice.
          There, in a spiritual sense, He sprinkled the altar in
          glory, saying, "From this day forward, all who believe
          in Me -- who follow Me and trust in Me, giving Me
          saving faith -- are covered by My blood. I present this
          blood, O Father, as a sacrifice for the sins of the
          world!"

          Second, this scene of atonement further signifies the
          time when Jesus began to pray for us, interceding to
          the Father on our behalf. Why? The sweet-smelling
          incense that filled the Holy of Holies represents the
          prayers and intercessions of Jesus now in glory! We
          have a friend in glory, an Advocate before the Father's
          throne, an intercessor at the right hand of God -- for
          us: "Christ...entered into heaven...now to appear in
          the presence of God...for us..." (Hebrews 9:24).

          This Advocate, or lawyer, isn't like an earthly lawyer.
          When you run out of money, He doesn't refuse to show up
          in court for you. No! He sticks closer to you than a
          brother. He will never leave you or forsake you. He
          will always be there -- interceding for you!

          The initial work of Jesus' intercession was the
          sprinkling of His blood on every bond and debt we owed.
          A bond is "a sealed note of debt or obligation that is
          binding upon the debtor and his heirs." An example is a
          bank mortgage note. As long as you live, the law
          obligates you to pay that note -- and when you die,
          your children are obligated to pay it.

          Likewise, the devil once held the mortgage bond on your
          soul. He laid claim to you, because you were dead in
          trespasses and sins. Indeed, there are many in hell
          even now because the devil foreclosed on their unpaid
          note!

          There must be a cavern somewhere in the bowels of hell
          that contains a mountain of records, including your
          note and mine. And right now those notes are due. The
          notes read, "You must pay with your life -- and the
          price is eternal death and damnation."

          But Jesus was given the keys to hell's vault! Our High
          Priest went down to the very pits, right into that
          place of records, and opened up the vault. He began
          flipping through the records and pulled out our notes
          -- all the bonds, debts and obligations of those who
          believe in Him and who will yet believe.

          Jesus gathered all those notes and took them to glory.
          There, in the presence of the Father, He sprinkled His
          blood over them, announcing, "These debts are paid in
          full -- by the blood of My own veins!" "...know ye
          not...ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a
          price..." (1 Corinthians 6:19). "...he that is called
          in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's
          freeman...Ye are bought with a price..." (7:22-23).

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                 The Just Wrath of God Was Turned to Mercy
                -- Through the Ministry of the High Priest!

                      -------------------------------

          God's justice demands that He be angry at sin. His
          holiness demands that His wrath go out against all
          rebellion. But God loves mercy! And now the blood of
          Jesus has satisfied God's justice and holiness -- so
          that God can come out to us through the rent veil,
          showing mercy and grace!

          The Old Testament includes a powerful foreshadowing of
          our merciful High Priest. In Numbers 16, we see the
          whole congregation of Israel rising up and murmuring
          against Moses and Aaron. Two hundred and fifty princes
          had rebelled, and God was angry -- so He destroyed
          them. Now the people were mad at Moses and Aaron over
          their deaths: "...all the congregation of the children
          of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron,
          saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord" (Numbers
          16:41).

          God appeared in a cloud, telling Moses and Aaron to
          stand apart from the rest: "Get away from them. I'm
          going to consume them instantly -- right now!" (see
          verse 26).

          Suddenly, a horrible plague broke out among the people.
          Moses was terrified -- and he told Aaron, the high
          priest, "...Take a censer, and put fire therein from
          off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto
          the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for
          there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is
          begun.... And he stood between the dead and the living;
          and the plague was stayed" (verses 46, 48).

          Moses was saying, "Get the censer -- and run through
          the camp waving the incense, covering the people!"
          Aaron did just that -- and the incense went up
          throughout the camp.

          Aaron is a type of Christ here -- and the incense
          represents Jesus' prayers for a rebellious people. What
          an incredible picture of God showing mercy through the
          prayers of the High Priest! We see an image of Jesus
          running among rebellious sinners, sending up prayers to
          the Father on their behalf. With each person He
          sprinkles, He cries, "Lord, I have prayed for this one!
          I have sprinkled this heart with the blood. I've
          satisfied Your justice, Your holiness. So, Father, have
          mercy!"

          An advocate is one who tells the court what is legal --
          what is right and should be done. In short, he
          describes the law. And our Advocate Jesus says, "I have
          fulfilled the law. I have paid the price to fully
          satisfy God's justice. The devil can never accuse God
          of being unjust!"

          Though 14,700 Israelites died of the plague, 2 or 3
          million others should have fallen. All of Israel should
          have been destroyed. But God showed mercy!

          Likewise, you and I should have died long ago because
          of our sin. But the Father, through Jesus' prayers, has
          mercifully kept us by His power. He loves mercy!

                      -------------------------------

                The Book of Zechariah Also Reveals Something
                      About Our High Priest in Glory!

                      -------------------------------

          Zechariah 3 describes a high priest named Joshua
          standing before the Lord, and Satan standing at his
          right hand to oppose him. Also present was an angel,
          who had to be Christ (or Jehovah of the Old Testament),
          because angels do not judge.

          Now, this Joshua was a real man; he was not a type of
          Christ. Rather, he was the high priest during the time
          of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra 2:2 records that this Joshua
          came out of captivity along with the prophet Zechariah.

          In Ezra 10:18 it appears that Joshua and his sons had
          married heathen women and therefore were "clothed in
          filthy rags." At that time, the worst way a Jew could
          defile himself was by marrying a Gentile. Thus, Joshua
          defiled his priestly garments:

          "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood
          before the angel" (Zechariah 3:3).

          Consider the scene now, in type: Joshua stands before
          the throne in his filthy garments, and the devil is at
          his side, accusing him. In Revelation 12:10, Satan is
          called "...the accuser of our brethren..." Think about
          it: The devil stood before the Lord to question Job's
          righteousness...he stood before the heavenly throne to
          oppose this high priest Joshua...and he stands before
          God right now to oppose you and me -- to accuse us of
          sin and unfaithfulness!

          Satan argued against Joshua: "God, You know all things.
          You know Your law -- and this man has broken it! He has
          sinned against You, and now his heart is like filthy
          rags. He is unclean, evil, unworthy!"

          The devil's accusations were correct: Joshua had
          sinned. He was guilty, and his garments were spotted.
          And now Satan claimed Joshua for himself: "I claim this
          man as my own. He is filthy, living in darkness -- and
          that is my kingdom!"

          Beloved, this is exactly what happens with us! Many of
          the devil's accusations against us are accurate. When
          we fall into sin -- when we fail in our Christian walk,
          and our garment is defiled -- Satan comes before the
          throne to accuse, oppose and defame us. He points at us
          and says, "Look at him! You know all things, God. Don't
          You see the compromise in this one's life? If You are
          just, You must give me his soul!"

          That is when our Advocate steps in. Jesus stands up and
          says, "It's true, Father -- there is a blemish here.
          There has been failure, and his garment is defiled. But
          there is faith in his heart -- faith in the power of My
          blood!

          "You know I have made satisfaction for this man's sin.
          Indeed, I have paid for every sin he has committed or
          will ever commit. So, by every law of justice, holiness
          and mercy, I hereby call for this man's pardon and
          freedom. He is a brand I have plucked from the fire. I
          have sprinkled his heart with My blood -- and caused
          his iniquity to pass away!"

          Jesus then turns to those standing by and says, "Take
          those filthy garments off of him, and put My robe of
          righteousness on his shoulders. Take that hat off his
          head and put on a crown!"

          This is just what happens with Joshua in Zechariah 3.
          Jesus pleads his case, interceding for him: "...I have
          caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will
          clothe thee with change of raiment" (verse 4). That is
          the passover -- the sprinkled blood!

          Jesus then says to Satan, "...The Lord rebuke thee, O
          Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke
          thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?"
          (verse 2).

          What a picture! The devil was forced to leave with a
          sound rebuke. And Joshua walked away with a pardon, a
          new garment and a crown of righteousness on his head!
          "...if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
          Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..." (1 John 2:1).

          Jesus has been in glory for these 2,000 years praying
          for us. When He was on earth, He said, "...men ought
          always to pray..." (Luke 18:1). And that is how we know
          He is still praying for us: By His own testimony He
          said men ought always to pray -- and He is still a Man
          Himself, even in glory!

          You see, it is in His Manhood that Jesus prays for us.
          He prays as One who experienced all that we experience,
          who was tempted in all the ways we are tempted. And as
          our High Priest, He entered into the Holy of Holies
          understanding every human frailty, every human
          experience:

          "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like
          unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
          faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
          make reconciliation for the sins of the people"
          (Hebrews 2:16-17).

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                   Our Greatest Comfort Ought to Be That
                  Jesus Came Down and Lived in Our Shoes!

                      -------------------------------

          It was necessary for Jesus to take on human nature so
          He could go through everything we do on earth --
          rejection, pain, sorrow, temptation. Indeed, though He
          was God in flesh, He endured the whole human experience
          not as God, but as a human, with all our frailties. And
          that enables Him, our High Priest, to pray for us with
          tremendous sympathy: "For in that he himself hath
          suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that
          are tempted" (verse 18).

          Consider a dear sister in struggle. She is a lover of
          Jesus -- but she is discouraged, cast down, feeling
          rejected. She stands in shame, thinking, "I've been so
          hurt. Nobody seems to understand me. Nobody knows what
          I'm going through. I have no one to talk to who really
          understands." Sometimes she wonders if even God can
          forgive her of having such weak faith. She is in total
          despair -- on the brink of giving up.

          Satan stands beside her, accusing her: "Look at this
          one -- she has virtually no faith. She lives in
          despair. What kind of a Christian is she, God? You have
          to condemn her!"

          That is when her Advocate steps in! Jesus sees her hurt
          and feels her pain. He knows that her faith is weak --
          that she's on the verge of giving up, feeling too
          unworthy to go on. So He comes before the Father on her
          behalf and begins to intercede:

          "Father, I know what she feels. I've been there! I was
          rejected by My own brethren, My own flesh and blood. I
          was mocked by the religious crowd, spat upon by
          soldiers who put thorns on My head. In Gethsemane I
          cried in desperation, 'Why hast thou forsaken Me?' I
          know what it feels like to be misjudged, called names
          and ridiculed. I sympathize with this woman, Father --
          and I have washed away her sins. I know she still has a
          heart for Me -- and I will not break a bruised reed!"

          This is where Jesus' prayers for us come in: "Father, I
          would that she be forgiven for her discouragement. I
          would that she be given a new supply of grace from on
          High -- that the Holy Spirit come upon her with a
          special renewing of encouragement. I would that she be
          given a spirit of peace and rest in the Holy Ghost. She
          is Mine, Father. Satan cannot have her!"

          Suddenly, out of nowhere, the woman feels encouraged.
          Grace is given to her -- through the prayers of our
          High Priest! He is touched by the feelings of our
          infirmities -- and He acts in mercy.

          Consider now a precious, worried man who stands accused
          because he has fallen into great temptation. He has
          sinned grievously against God, and he feels his heart
          growing cold. He thinks, "I can't make it! I'm too
          up-and-down, too hot-and-cold. Satan is throwing all of
          hell at me, and I'm tempted powerfully. I've been
          overtaken by my temptation many times. Yet, I love
          Jesus. Oh, Lord -- I want to be free and clean!"

          This man is weary, worn out, discouraged. And the devil
          stands beside him, accusing: "He fell into sin, God.
          There is no question: He can't withstand temptation.
          His garment is spotted, filthy!"

          But the Advocate steps in between this man and his
          accuser. He says, "Father, I know what this man is
          going through. The devil also drove Me into a
          wilderness and tempted Me severely. I was tempted to
          blaspheme -- to fall down and worship Satan! I know
          what temptation is all about. And I know this man's
          heart. There is a spark of faith still in him -- an
          ember of love in his heart for Me.

          "Father, I would that You look upon him as righteous
          through My blood. I would that he be delivered from the
          power of darkness and the wicked one. I would that he
          be accepted, forgiven, restored -- and given power from
          on high to resist the devil. I pray for his
          deliverance!"

          The next day, this man picks up his Bible and reads a
          powerful truth he hasn't seen before. He falls to his
          knees, and God comes to him with deliverance -- because
          the High Priest has prayed!

          Dear saint, it doesn't matter what you're going
          through. Jesus has been there and walked in your shoes.
          And that is what makes Him a merciful High Priest! You
          don't have to tell Him all your pain. He knows all
          about it -- because He's felt it all Himself! We
          haven't been through anything that He hasn't felt.

          You may be thinking, "Wait a minute. How can Jesus be
          praying daily, simultaneously, for millions of
          believers at one time -- and multiplied millions of
          transgressors?"

          That's a silly question -- especially when you consider
          that a tiny computer chip is capable of storing and
          dispensing millions of pieces of data! A chip the size
          of a fingernail is capable of making billions of
          transactions. And if that is true of a tiny memory
          chip, how great must be the mind of God -- capable of
          monitoring every human thought, every move?

          Indeed, Jesus is capable of bringing all the needs,
          pain, cries and prayers of His people before the Father
          -- at one time, at any time -- and making intercession
          simultaneously for all of them. Your Advocate knows
          your address. He has counted every hair on your head.
          And He knows your every thought, feels your every pain,
          hears your every cry. Take heart, beloved: Jesus is
          praying for you! Hallelujah!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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