Quote for the Day
“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
Today's Prayer
This week pray for those at home as they miss their loved ones. Ask God to give those at home a special comfort as they long for the closeness of their family who is traveling.
Hebrews 7:11-28
Hebrews 7:11-28 (NIV)11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from , and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” 22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Message
While the main part of this passage goes into further explanation of Melchizedek and the relationship to the priests of Aaron and to Christ, there is another very important message in this chapter. The message? A new chapter in the history of man is now here. This is the chapter that all previous chapters have pointed to for generations. While there is much discussion of how we got to this chapter of mankind, verse 25 sums up all the issues, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”Please reread that last sentence one more time, and try to absorb it completely. This is the reality of Christ: He and He alone is our salvation. This is the plan God Almighty has determined from the very point in time that He created this earth and all that is in it! Everything else was in anticipation and planning and preparation for this to happen: for Christ to come, to be our sacrifice, to rise from the dead, and to plead our case to the most Holy God. Why could the Jewish priests (or anyone else) not accomplish this through the prescribed sacrifices and rituals? Because they were not perfect as Christ was perfect and they would not “…always live to intercede…” as Christ DOES!