CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST: DR. MENSAH OTABIL, SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH, 2020
ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE BY DR. MENSAH OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)
TOPIC: CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST
DATE: 25TH OCTOBER, 2020
TEXT: HEBREWS 3:1
Amen! – Let us rise together wherever you are (or reading on the Label of DMC) as we make our DECLARATIONS OF EXCELLENCE, in this Year of fantastic Excellence.
… Are you READY?
SAY WITH ME:
Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God shines forth. The Lord my God causes the righteous to shine forth as the Sun.
His Awesome Hands has formed me; His Creative Spirit inspires my mind. He skillfully guides my hands.
Therefore, I boldly declare: I am set apart for Excellence. The Ruler of the Universe has exalted my horn among the Nations. He sets my feet on high! In His Strength, I rise!
By Faith, I Press forward towards the Prize of my Highest Calling.
I believe in my heart, and confess with my mouth: that Jesus is Lord! He is the Vine, I am the Branch; in Him I abide, in Him I Blosom.
As it is written: God, who commanded Light out of darkness, has shone His Light in our hearts;
We have His Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Excellence of the Power may be of God, and not of us!
In this Year, I commit to EXCELLENCE, I commit to EXCEPTIONALISM, I commit to do the EXTRAORDINARY.
In Jesus’ Name – Amen and Amen and Amen and Amen!
And you may be seated in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus wherever you are joining us or reading on the Label of DMC.
My Message today is Titled: “CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST. “
Jesus Christ, amongst many things, is our High Priest.
We know Him as the Saviour of the world, we know Him as the King of kings, we know Him as the Lord of lords, we know Him as the Healer.
But there is another role of Jesus Christ, sometimes we forget; and that is His role as a High Priest.
… And that role is still ongoing this time!
Our Text is taken from Hebrews 3:1 (NKJV):
“Therefore, Holy Brethren, Partakers of the Heavenly Calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”
… Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our CONFESSION, Christ Jesus.
That word ‘CONFESSION’ there means what we believe as Christians.
The High Priest we believe in (as Christians) is Jesus Christ.
And it is a very significant statement, because it talks about what Jesus did, and continues to do for us in our time.
Jesus Christ is our High Priest now! – It’s a role that He was ushered into after His death and Resurrection.
He is not a High Priest unto Himself; He is a High Priest unto us!
Also listen to the audio here: Christ Our High Priest – Dr Mensa Otabil
So, HOW IMPORTANT is the ROLE of the HIGH PRIEST?
Why do we need a High Priest?
What does a High Priest do?
And so, I am going to take a little time to explain: WHAT A HIGH PRIEST DOES.
And to get that, we have to understand that:
The ROLE of the High Priest originated in the Old Testament; it was established as Part of the Old Covenant.
And if you read the Books of Exodus and Leviticus, you will see a lot of Roles for the Priesthood and the High Priest.
The High Priest was the most Senior Priest in the Tabernacle and in the Temple.
And the first (1st) High Priest in the Bible was AARON – Aaron was the brother of Moses!
And from then on, the Role of the High Priest Passed on from various people throughout the story of Israel.
When you look through the Bible, there are different terms that are used to refer to the High Priest;
He is simply called the PRIEST. Other times he is called the ANOINTED PRIEST. Or the PRIESTHOOD among his Brethren.
Sometimes he is called the CHIEF PRIEST. And then other times he is called the HIGH PRIEST.
But all those terms indicate that there are Priests. And under the Law there were many Priests.
If you know your Bible well, you know that the PRIEST came from the TRIBE OF LEVI. But Particularly from the FAMILY OF AARON.
But amongst all the Priests, one of them was the Senior Most. And he is called the HIGH PRIEST.
WHAT DOES THE HIGH PRIEST DO?
I will talk about Three (3) Things that the High Priest did in the Old Testament and we will bring it to what Christ does for us.
- One of the most significant is that: The High Priest MAKES SACRIFICES for the people.
This is one of the important Task of the Priesthood of the Old Testament.
And the High Priest being the most Senior Priest, would be the one who made most of the Sacrifices for the people.
The life of Israel was based around Sacrifices to God. And God dealt with them based on their Sacrifices.
And the High Priest was a very important Player in that!
And the biggest Sacrifice he made was made on the day of Atonement – Where he had to go to the Holiest of holies to Present the people before God.
So the High Priest makes Sacrifices for the people.
- The High Priest REPRESENTS the people before God.
So, when the High Priest goes before God, he doesn’t go alone (by himself); he goes with the people.
And how can the people go with him when he is alone?
Exodus 28:29 tells us how the people get to be with the High Priest when he is before God:
“So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of Judgment over his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, as a Memorial before the Lord continually.”
… When he goes into the Holy Place, as a Memorial before the Lord continually.
So, whenever the High Priest went to the Presence of God, he went alone – But the Bible says he went with the names of the people.
How did he do that?
The garment of the High Priest was designed that it had a breastplate – something at its chest area.
And on the breastplate was written the names of the Twelve (12) Tribes of Israel. All the twelve (12) of them were written on his chest.
So, when he goes to the Presence of God, he goes as a Person, but he carried the whole Nation with him.
So, there is something he is doing as an individual, but in doing it, he is representing the people before God.
So, when the High Priest went and Prayed before God as a Person, he wasn’t the only one Praying; the whole Nation was Praying with him.
WHY? – Because their names were written on his chest (on the breastplate).
That is very important when we come to the New Testament – To see what Christ also did for us: So, He represents the people before God; he carries them wherever he goes. He carries them to Presence of God.
- The High Priest RELEASES God’s Blessing on the people.
So he takes the requests of the people to God, and he takes Blessing from God, to the people.
And so he stands between God and the people: He takes their requests to God, and then takes the Blessing from God to the people.
Leviticus 9:22-23; this is an account of after Aaron had made sacrifices. And the Bible says:
“Then Aaron lifted his hand towards the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and Peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle of Meeting, and came out and BLESSED the people. Then the Glory of the Lord appeared to ALL the people,”
I hope you see what’s happening? – He goes ALONE with the requests of the people; and then he comes out!
And when he comes out, he doesn’t come alone. He comes with Blessing from the Presence of God, for the people.
And so the Bible says here: He comes and RELEASES the Blessing. And as he releases the Blessing, the Glory of God comes upon ALL the people.
So the High Priest plays a very important Role:
- He makes Sacrifices for the people;
- He takes the Requests of the people to God; he brings the Blessing of God to the people.
… And after he returns, that Blessing comes upon them!
And the Blessing God gave the High Priest, the specific words to speak_ to bring Blessing to the people is in Numbers 6:24-26:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be Gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you Peace.”
And these words, when he spoke them upon the congregation, brought the Blessing of the Lord upon them.
And that is why: When I am dismissing a Service, I speak these words because these are the words that God said we should speak over the people to Bless them:
…The Lord bless you and keep you
So, the Role of the High Priest in the Old Testament was a Shadow of what Christ was going to do for us.
Everything you see the High Priest doing in Old Testament, was telling us what Christ would do when He comes because the Bible says, the Old Testament was a Shadow of things to come.
When the Bible says that something is a Shadow, it means that it Precedes you!
It is almost like when you are where there is light, and it throws a shadow.
And if I was walking infront of you, the first thing you see would be my shadow before I come!
And when you see my shadow, it tells you: ‘I am coming!’
And that is what the Bible says the Old Testament was – It was a Shadow; it tells us somebody is coming.
… And that Person who is coming, is Jesus Christ.
So, Aaron was a Shadow of things to come; The Sacrifices he made, was a Shadow of things to come; the Blessing he gave, was a Shadow of things to come.
But the real High Priest came later on after Aaron. And His Name is Jesus Christ. – And He is your Lord and your Saviour!
… So, let’s go to the New Testament.
Hebrews 9:11-12:
“But Christ came as High Priest of the Good things to come, with the Greater and more Perfect Tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His Own Blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained Eternal Redemption.”
- The first (1st) thing the Passage says about Jesus Christ and His Role as High Priest, is that: He is the High Priest of GOOD THINGS TO COME.
… I believe GOOD THINGS are coming to you this morning – Amen.
Wherever you are reading this Message on the Label of DMC; if Christ is your High Priest, GOOD THINGS come to you – Amen!
Because when He is Ministering, He doesn’t Minister condemnation; He Ministers GOOD THINGS.
- And then it says: His High Priest is GREATER, and He offers Sacrifices in a BETTER TABERNACLE.
I wish I had time to explain all of these. But these are very Powerful Statements.
Aaron, as High Priest went to a Tabernacle made with hands and look at the Glory and the Power that came with it!
But Christ entered a Tabernacle that was not made with hands; the True Tabernacle, the Heavenly Tabernacle.
That is why the Bible says He is a GREATER High Priest, and He offers a More PERFECT Sacrifice.
So, He is a High Priest of GOOD THINGS to come!
WHAT DID CHRIST DO?
… Three (3) Things;
- First (1st), like the Old Testament High Priest, He also ENTERED the Most Holy Place.
And the Passage says, He entered it once for all
Now, in the Old Testament, the High Priest enters EVERY YEAR.
So, if Aaron goes to the Most Holy Place this year, next year on the day of Atonement; he would go – Every Year he has to go!
But Christ did it ONCE, and concluded it.
… And He doesn’t go and come, go and come!
Because He offered a ONCE AND FOR ALL PERFECT SACRIFICE.
Why did Christ go only ONCE, and He doesn’t go again?
- Because He entered with His Own BLOOD.
The Sacrifice He made was not of goat, and bulls and calves; because the life of a goat cannot be a Propitiation for the Atonements of a Human Being.
… A Human Being is of a higher value than a goat.
What they did in the Old Testament was Temporary; What Christ came to do is PERMANENT.
He entered with His Own BLOOD; the Blood of Jesus Christ was higher than the value of man!
In other words, he PAID and OVERPAID what was required for us to be saved.
And when He PAID, and He PAID it so well, that there was nothing else to be Paid every year.
That’s is why Christ doesn’t have to die Yearly; He died once and for all and settled the case for ever!
And the Bible says, as a result; He OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION.
… Not a Short Term Redemption, not a Part-Time Redemption, not an On and Off Redemption; but ETERNAL REDEMPTION.
That is why when you give your life to Jesus Christ, you don’t get saved and unsaved, Born Again and unborn again; made clean and unclean.
No! What God has cleanse, let no man call unclean.
When He saves you and REDEEMS you, it is an ETERNAL REDEMPTION.
Jesus Christ did the same thing that Aaron did, but He did it Higher!
Aaron goes to the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Tabernacle in Heaven – The True Tabernacle; and offered His BLOOD as a Sacrifice for our sins – And He did it ONCE and FOR ALL.
And He is not going to do it again. He will not come again to die for the sins of Mankind. He has done it, and it is Permanent.
Hebrews 8:1-2 says: “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens, a Minister of the Sanctuary and of the True Tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.”
… We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty.
Jesus Christ our High Priest, on the day He died, on the day He Resurrected, Presented Himself to the Father: Offered Himself as a Sacrifice; offered His own BLOOD, in the Heavenly Tabernacle once and for all.
And when He went, just as Aaron enters the Holy of holies (with Israel with him); Jesus also entered with US.
That is why the Bible says: We DIED with Him, we are RAISED with Him, we are SEATED with Him.
Why? – He did it alone, we were not there. But he CARRIED US in His heart; He CARRIED US and we entered the Holy of holies with Him.
… We got Forgiveness with Him, we are Raised with Him, we are Seated with Him!
The Shadow of the Old Testament is fulfilled in the Reality of the New Testament.
What Jesus Christ did, He didn’t do for Himself, He did is for ALL.
We were with Him in his Death, we were with Him in His Resurrection, we are with Him in His Authority.
Hebrews 10:11-13:
“And every Priest stands Ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”
He is talking about the Old Testament Priests: They offered the same sacrifices, over and over again.
If you took a goat today, and next time you wanted forgiveness, you have to go and take another goat and they will make a sacrifice.
If it is a sin offering; and you don’t do one offering and be free forever – You keep doing it over and over!
And so, under the Old Testament, they were making sacrifices literally, around the clock because people sin around the clock!
So, constantly the Priest is making Atonement for the people, and then on the day of Atonement, the High Priest goes and does the Big Sacrifice.
And then another year, he goes again and makes another sacrifice with a goat!
So, that is what the Bible means: “And every Priest stands Ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”
But this Man (which man)? JESUS! This Man,
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.”
When Jesus had finished His work, the Bible says: ‘HE SAT DOWN’.
When somebody does something very serious and he sits down; he simply wants to tell us: ‘FINISHED!; assignment “COMPLETED”!
And the Bible says He sat down waiting till ALL His enemies are under His footstool.
There is nothing more Jesus is ever going to do for you:
I. He is not going to Heal you – He has HEALED YOU.
II. He is not going to Forgive you – He has FORGIVEN YOU.
III. He is not going to give you Freedom – He has GIVEN YOU FREEDOM.
There is nothing more He is going to do!
If you are going to ask Him: Lord Jesus, Please do this for me; He is not going to do anything again for you because He FINISHED what He had to do and SAT DOWN.
So somebody says: Well, if He has finished what He is doing and He has sat down (and I’m in troubled); Pastor it means my case is beyond JESUS.
It means that maybe He didn’t finish doing this!
But if you look at the Passage, it answers your question.
From that time when He finished making the Sacrifice He SAT DOWN waiting (for what)?
… Till ALL His enemies are made His FOOTSTOOL.
So He is not doing it again, He is waiting and capturing His enemies and putting them under His footstool.
But guess what? He is not the only One who SAT DOWN!
The Bible says: “We are SEATED WITH CHRIST in Heavenly Places.”
We are SEATED WITH HIM!
… So when He sat down, we also sat down.
So, in God’s reckoning, my friends; your case is COMPLETED!
In God’s mind: Your Healing has been DONE; your Breakthrough has been DONE. Everything you need has been DONE!
DR MENSA OTABIL
Then what is left? –
Wait! -Because He is going to bring everything under your feet;
You don’t get up when He hasn’t finished putting everything under your feet!
Now, maybe sickness is not under your feet but it is going to be under your feet!
… Just WAIT, God is going to out it under your FEET.
Maybe you look at it: You say Oh, I don’t have Prosperity, I don’t have much.
Wait! Because He is going to put it under your FEET.
Oh, I am fighting this battle, the devil is fighting me.
Wait! Because He is going to put it under your FEET.
Don’t get up! Don’t be worried, don’t be anxious – Just WAIT!
Because He has finished the job and He is in the Process of bringing everything under your Feet.
The Problem with us is: We don’t like to sit down. We don’t want to rest in the Lord; we don’t like to take things easy.
When God says: Sit down! We say Lord No! I have to do it myself.
I think if we have the Permission, we will go into the Holy of holies ourselves!
But He says: It is DONE! I Am sitting down. I am Waiting.
In other words, when Jesus Christ finished His work, He completed everything that is required.
But there is a battle to be fought to actualize what He has done.
And that is where we sit and trust Him and see Him bring everything under our feet.
The Legal case is settled; whatever is needed for your Healing is settled; whatever you need for Salvation is settled!
That is why when a sinner needs to be saved, we don’t say: Well, we are making the Altar Call; come and give your life to Jesus Christ;
And then you come forward to give your life to Jesus Christ.
We say: “Lord Jesus, they have come. Can You please go to the Cross again and die because there are New people for You to save”
… Okay! He has died for you people, now you are saved!
Is that what we do? – No!
We reckon that He has completed the work of Salvation and these people are the New people He has brought them into His Family.
And all that we do is to wait for Him to bring the sinners home, one at a time!
Some get saved today, some get saved tomorrow, some get saved next ten (10) years.
But we don’t ask Jesus to die again – We just wait till He brings everything under His feet.
He has Healed you, He has made you well, there is no Prayer you can Pray for Healing beyond what Christ has done.
He has done it by His Stripes.
You don’t tell Him: Lord, look at my sickness, please go back and take more lashes. – No!
“Be His Stripes, WE WERE HEALED” – FINISHED!
Now, we are waiting as He brings that sickness under our feat. And we wait and watch Him subdue every sickness and every diseases and every infirmities and every Pains, and every distress under our feet!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.
To read other Messages on the Coverage of DMC MediaCrew so far this Year and beyond; kindly visit our Website: http://discoverymediacrew.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @discoverymediac
Send a Friend Request on Facebook to DMC MediaCrew.
Like our FB Page: Discovery Media
Join us on WhatsApp:
Join us on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/NzzPckuGazKYFxZZFkt9fg
Follow Us on Instagram: Discoverymediacrew
Watch and Follow Us on YouTube: Discovery Media Crew
For Enquiries, email Us on: info@discoverymediacrew.com
And I can assure you that you will be glad you did as it will avail you first hand access to comprehensive reports on the various Messages of Pastor E.A Adeboye and other Men of God!
It is outrightly wrong and a sin we frowned at it for anyone to consciously remove the original source of the work that does not emanate for him or her!
Discovery Media Crew … Reaching out to the World through the Power of the Gospel!!!
COMPILATIONS BY:
MOSES DURODOLA, TITILAYOMI AJAYI AND TOPE BABALOLA
© DISCOVERY MEDIA CREW (DMC) 2020
Recent Comments