Jesus... Times Seven— Part II.

Shouldn’t we have some idea of what Jesus is doing in the present, so we can join Him in His work, so we can labor alongside Him?  That was the question; ‘indeed’ is the answer.

So, for the purpose at hand, I want to narrow down the scope of Jesus’ present ministry, His reign at the Father’s right hand, to two areas and two ideas: the micro-level and the macro-level.  One of these is directed toward the Church, the Body of Christ in Time; the other is directed toward the world, the nations who reject His rule, His authority, and His Kingdom.  At the micro-level, the level of intimacy and relationship, from the care, protection, and provision of a Shepherd for His Sheep {Ps. 23} all the way up to the tenderness and faithfulness of a Husband for His Wife, a Bridegroom for His Beloved, Jesus is interceding on our behalf.  There are two passages dealing with this in the NT.

In the midst of his argument in Romans 8 that the Sons of God, those who are “chosen” in the Chosen One, elect in the Elect One, are “called, justified, glorified” and secure, Paul in v. 33 say’s, “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies [‘It is God who declares us righteous, it is God who acquits us of our crimes and forgives us of our sins, it is God who declares a verdict of not guilty, it is God who vindicates us for all Eternity!’ {RRExp}.].  Who is he that condemns [Now, or any time in the future.]?  Christ Jesus who died— more than this, who was raised to Life— is at the right hand of God and is also [In addition to the ministry of His Spirit, vv. 26-27.] interceding for us [Which is an ongoing statement of reality, genuine action on behalf of those who believe.],” v. 34.

Jesus is the One with whom we are, each and every one, identified by faith.  Therefore, it is vital for our faith to know not only what He has done, but what He is doing.  Here are four things about the Son of God.  [i] He is our Sacrifice for sin {Rom. 5:8 and 8:32}; [ii] He is the “new Life” we share through His Cross and Resurrection {6:4, 8 and 11}; [iii] He is our Defender, the “Righteous One” who argues our case before the High Courts of Heaven not based on anything we have done, but on the merit of His Work alone {1 Jn. 2:1}; and [iv] He is our Intercessor {Heb. 7:24-25}.  Once again, He labors in prayer on our behalf.  I don’t know about you but this is a reassuring bit of reality: to know the Sovereign God of this Universe, Lord of the Everlasting Armies, the True King of all Creation, is praying over my sometimes sketchy life, my sometimes shady, sinful self this very moment!

The author of Hebrews said in 7:24, “Because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood [Like Melchizedek {5:10; 6:20; 7:3, 16-17 and 21}, the king and priest of Salem to whom Abraham paid homage with a tenth of his spoils {7:1-10}.].  Therefore He is able to save completely [‘thoroughly, utterly, eternally’] those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them,” v. 25.  The one thing which is crystal clear from Hebrews 7 is that Jesus is our High Priest.  And as our High Priest, and the “Great Shepherd of the Sheep” {13:20c}, He provides for our every need.  He makes provision for our physical, for our spiritual, even for our emotional and relational.  He shelters His Flock like a momma-bird does the chicks under her wings.  In the shadow of His wings mercy and grace abound.

Get this last idea down regarding divine providence.  The Lord’s ‘providence’ is His provision in the here and now, based on His foreknowledge of the future, from the Ages of Eternity.  Hang on to this one for awhile.  I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need it.

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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