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Day 42: Hebrews 5/Psalm 113
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Tuesday April 6, 2004
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So Christ also
did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest.
Hebrews 5:5 (New International Version)
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The Perfect
Sacrifice
While I was coaching 12-year-olds, I heard an assertive remark from one
father to another about his boy’s play. He spoke with complete
certainty that his child had turned a game around, and in effect was
the most valuable player on the team. I grinned at the dad’s absolute
certainty about his son’s abilities knowing in fact the other dad’s boy
was a better, more complete and more valuable player.
Of course I’ve
entered discussions like these too, comparing Michael Jordan’s play
with Kobe Bryant’s (there will never be another “like Mike”). The book
of Hebrews is about establishing, once for all, that Jesus is the
ultimate, complete and last solution to reconcile with God. There is to
be no uncertainty about His son. Further, it was not Jesus but His
Father who appointed him.
Throughout the book
of Numbers, there are detailed instructions regarding the enormous role
and significance of the high priest as they represented the people in
“getting right” with their Creator. God had them set up a tent and
sacrifice to Him in His presence as they traveled in pursuit of the
Promised Land. The requirement to “get right” was to offer a sacrifice
through the priests, as they would sprinkle the blood of perfect bulls,
rams, goats and lambs on the Ark of the Covenant to symbolize their
failures and represent their repentance.
Jesus, the sinless,
perfect Human sacrifice and the ultimate High Priest, took on the role
of the one who stands before the Father as the High Priest. And then,
He sprinkled His own blood as a covering for our failures which we can
accept through deep repentance.
At the time, Jewish
Christians were struggling with their beliefs and missing the Supremacy
of Jesus. This time, when a Father was talking about how complete and
valuable his Son was, it was God telling us through the writer of
Hebrews, saying, in effect, “let there be no uncertainty who is the
Only One, it is my Son Jesus who settles the account for your
wrongdoing.” There is no other who could enter God the Father’s
presence on our behalf, and there is no other who could sacrifice so
much.
Today’s
Prayer:
Thanks Lord for entering our world and changing our history. Thanks
for stepping in and receiving my entire sentence for my wrongdoings.
Please Father, make it clear everyday, what a perfect sacrifice you
have surrendered on my behalf. In the awareness of Your sacrifice I
surrender to you.
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Memory Verse of the Week:
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in
the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD , "He is my
refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 (New International Version)
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For a complete
listing of all the previous devotionals in this "50 Day
Experience," click here.
To read the chapter or psalm of the day online, click on one of the
following links:
o
Hebrews
5
o
Psalm
113
Mark Stecher, stecher@cincyvineyard.com,
Associate Pastor at VCC
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