Jesus, the Perfect Mediator.

We all need help. We all need a priest. But not the kind we see today in fancy robes—those who claim to be God’s representatives to modern society. We need a perfect and sinless priest to represent us before a holy God. We need a representative to stand for us in the place where our sinful lives could not possibly survive—someone to successfully petition God for mercy, kindness, and compassion on our behalf. And the Pharisees understood this better than most.

Among the first things a Jew might have asked about another religion were, “Who is your high priest? Who mediates between you and God? Who offers the sacrifices to atone for your sins?” A Jew during the time of the early church may well have asked a Christian, “How are your sins going to be pardoned when you have no one offering sacrifices and no one interceding for you? How can you claim that this New Covenant supersedes and is superior to the Old Covenant made through Moses, when it leaves you without a high priest?”

The Christian would have replied, “But we do have a high priest, a perfect High Priest. He has offered sacrifice for our sins. He does not confine Himself to an earthly temple, nor does He have to sacrifice yearly, much less daily. He made one sacrifice that atones for all sins ever committed by His people, from the beginning to the end of time. That is how great a high priest He is and how great His sacrifice was. Not only that, but our High Priest is seated at the right hand of God and continually intercedes for those of us who belong to Him.”

The heart of the book of Hebrews (chapters 5–9) focuses on Jesus’ high priesthood. His superior priesthood, more than anything else, makes the New Covenant better than the Old. He has done what all the priests together of the old economy did not do and could never have done.

Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs. And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 8Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:1-10 NLT

The priests under the Old Covenant were bridge builders to God. Men could not come directly into God’s presence, and God therefore appointed certain men to be ushers, as it were, to bring men into His presence. The way to God was opened only as the priests offered sacrifices—day in and day out, year after year—presenting the blood of animals to God. The priests were God’s mediators.

But with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, the need for the Temple and for the Levitical priesthood was ended. There was no longer a requirement for a high priest such as those who succeeded Aaron, or for any merely human priest at all. Jesus was both High Priest and sacrifice, and provided eternally for man an opening into God’s presence. At His crucifixion, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two, exposing the Holy of Holies to anyone who would come to God through the Son. In one perfect act of sacrifice, Jesus Christ accomplished what thousands upon thousands of sacrifices by a multitude of priests could never accomplish. He opened the way to God permanently, so that any human being at any time by faith in Christ might enter into God’s presence.

Praise God for what He has done for us. May you feel the embrace of our loving God. May you know how much He has done to adopt you. May you see there is now nothing to keep you from a beautiful relationship with your Heavenly Father. Blessings on your journey.

Worship is Everywhere.

Most of us are good at something. But to get there, it didn’t happen overnight. We typically have spent hours, days and weeks perfecting that thing we love in our life.

Following Jesus is no different. This year, if you want a deeper, more rooted walk with the Savior, you’ll have to invest in ways to grow those roots, changing old habits for new ones and revising your day to day walk.

A great place to start is recognizing that worship is a lifestyle (Romans 12:1-2). Traditionally, we are taught we worship on Sunday. While that is absolutely true, it happens on the other six days of the week as well. So to better define what worship is, we’ll need to tease out three ideas that we all possess.

First, we all have 168 hours in a week. In that time we sleep, eat, play, work, and pick up the laundry. But how much of that time do you spend towards God. A great place to start is giving God 1-3 hours every Sunday to come together with a body of believers to publicly praise the Name of Jesus. We also need a time in our daily routine to pray to our Heavenly Father and read God’s Word to discover what guidance and direction he can give us for our lives.

Second, we need to use our God-given giftedness or talent for the glory of the Kingdom. Any time you use your talent for God, it gives attention to God and you shine for him. The Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:10-11, that we each have been given gifts by the Spirit and he admonishes us to use those gifts for God’s glory.

Some of us love hospitality. Being a welcoming person at your congregation, holding doors, making the coffee or putting out the donuts are great ways to be hospitable. Some of us love to sing. Being a part of the praise team or band is a wonderful way to give God glory. Some of you love tech so working with the computers or the lighting in the AV booth is a nice way to use your giftedness.

Third, we view our resources as a tool to further the Kingdom story. And it can be scary to release your money or resources back to God when you are not in the habit of doing so. But we grow our faith by trusting God to take care of us when we put him first in our resource category.

In Malachi 3:10, God is speaking to his people and reminding them, you cannot out give God. You make a decision to put God first with your resources and he will bless you in return. Now, we don’t give in order to get but when we trust God, he will take care of us.

Worship is a lifestyle. Worship happens when we work, drive, love our family, or are dining out. It will always cost you something. So whether you are giving God your time during the week or making sure your are using your giftedness for the Kingdom’s benefit or trusting God with your resources, following Jesus will cost you something. Disciples of Jesus are not consumers but givers. This year, may you determine to become a giver and allow God to bless you because of it. Blessings on the journey.

Well, That's Garbage!

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil.  Go ahead, get something to write on and with.  Now, make a list of all the things you consider of value to you or that you are proud of.  Include in that list material possessions, personal accomplishments, honors and awards, and other things you value deeply.  How do these make you feel?  How much are they worth to you?

Paul had accomplished quite a bit in his life.  He was a man of high esteem, incredible education, significant social clout, and he was probably fairly wealthy.  His greatest value was the religious accomplishments he had obtained, being a Pharisee taught by one of the most important Jewish teachers of his day.  Paul tells us that if anyone had the ability to be proud, he was it.  He had power, prestige, social status, kept God’s law as a Pharisee, and was super committed to his church.  But compared to knowing Jesus Christ, all this is just a pile of dung.  Oops, I shouldn’t write that, but that is exactly what he said.  Read Philippians 3:8 again.  He says that he considers all his accomplishments and possessions “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.  The word rubbish is the Greek word for dung or excrement.  Yep, it’s in the Bible.  Paul is saying that all the stuff the world has, and all the awards, trophies, possessions, money, power, prestige, social standing… are dung compared to an awesome relationship with Christ.  Think about this for a moment.  What would have to happen in your life for you to get to the point where you consider the list you made as no more value than rubbish in comparison to knowing Jesus?

Furthermore, look at the path Paul says he will take to know Christ deeply in Philippians 3:7-11.  The path includes the power of the resurrection, that’s pretty good.  But what about the rest, “the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death.”  That does not seem like an enjoyable journey, but this is what Paul is getting at.  The path to true joy and great purpose is the path of the cross-centered life.  From the outside, that path looks ridiculous.  No way experiencing the suffering of Jesus is better than my car, my house, my trophies, my accomplishments.  But a person on that path discovers something, or someone that is vastly better than my stuff, they find Jesus.  He is the greatest prize, he is the most wonderful experience, he is the source of joy.  Paul is expressing what many have found, compared to knowing Jesus, the list is poop.

Ask yourself an honest question, if it came between the things listed on this page and your relationship with Jesus, which would you choose?  Remember, in reality the stuff you wrote on your list is really just dung! Blessings on your journey.

Some Gave All.

Memorial Day weekend. The “official” start of summer, it’s when city pools open, families and friends gather for picnics, the kids get out the bubbles and sidewalk chalk, bicycle tires get pumped up, flowers are planted, and we relax in the yard with a cool lemonade while the ribs cook on the grill.

Memorial Day, however, is a day of remembrance—of remembering the more than 1.3 million American military men and women who, over the last 240+ years, paid the ultimate price for our freedom to enjoy this pleasant holiday. That number, however, only reflects those who lost their lives in combat. Unfortunately because we live in a sin-filled world, many more will lose their lives in the future so that we can relish the freedom we have come to love so much.

People have paid for this three-day holiday weekend with their lives. Yet, with less than one percent of our population on active duty or in the reserves, most of us are distanced from the true cost of war. When we don’t know any military personnel, it’s easy to become unappreciative or complacent about their sacrifice. Let’s never forget that we continue to have American men and women in harm’s way. Since 2001, over 7,000 American troops have lost their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom alone and there seems to be no end in sight. I have the honor of being a veteran of that conflict. Each one of those fallen soldiers left behind loved ones who still mourn their loss. For some people, today means placing flowers on a grave rather than a cook-out with hot dogs and s’mores. For them, every day is Memorial Day.

As we celebrate the start of summer, let’s pause to remember those who died in the service of their country, thank God for their sacrifice, pray for their families, and, most of all, pray for peace. Father in Heaven, we thank you for this nation in which we are blessed to live. Thank you for those who went before us, making our freedom possible and those who continue to battle for our country’s safety and survival. Just as we must remember that our salvation was because of your sacrifice, let us never forget that the freedom we enjoy as a nation came at a great sacrifice, as well.

May you enjoy time with family and friends. May you never take for granted the freedom you enjoy. May you take time today to pray for the families who are experiencing an empty chair today. Blessings on your journey.

We need mom!

“God couldn’t be everywhere, so He made mothers.” While not theologically accurate, this old Jewish saying describes beautifully the significant role mothers have in our lives.

Motherhood is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. A loving, committed mother is an indispensable person in our development. Just imagine a world without mom. It would be a sterile place indeed. Mothers instill powerful social and nurturing characteristics in each generation. It is principally from their mothers that children learn the virtues of sacrifice, sharing, valuing others, compassion, community and a host of other interpersonal values and skills that enable humans to live together in peace.

Women are designed for self-sacrifice. Mothers are designed by God to nurture. There is just no greater nurturing power on the planet than a mother. When the apostle Paul was describing his love for the church at Thessalonica, he used the metaphor of a mother’s love to describe how deeply he cared for them. He reminded them that he was like a “gentle” mother who “tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). When God described His love for Israel, he did so with a motherhood metaphor. He told Israel that He would comfort them like a mother comforts her children (Isaiah 66:13).

I am reminded of the closing chapters of the great biblical book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs. The book that has helped billions through millennia live better lives closes with a great testimonial tribute to women. They speak of the beautiful, indispensable role that women play in God’s creation. After 30 chapters of directions on living the good, godly, noble life, Proverbs closes with these words: “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying, ‘Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:28-31).

The best of all that God designed a woman to be is expressed in motherhood. Not one of us came into this world without a mother. Motherhood is a conscious, deliberate decision made by a woman to enter that noble, God-like act of loving self-sacrifice to participate with the God of all creation to bring a new life into the world—you!

So, while Mother’s Day is over, never stop telling that special woman how much you love and appreciate her. We all need mom and she needs to hear you do. Blessings on your journey.