Author: rickkhol

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:17

In order to have propitiation (i.e. in order for a sacrifice to do what it was intended to do) all the pieces had to be in place. There needed to be an acceptable altar, a qualified priest, and an animal specifically created for sacrifice. But it was more than that! The legal precedent had to be established whereby there was a process for atoning for sin.

Therefore, the Aaronic priesthood and system for sacrifices was not just cute symbolism or literary foreshadowing of Christ on the cross, they were God’s way of showing how complicated it is to actually remove sin from a sinner.

The office of the High Priest was essential, both for atonement of sins and for intercession for the sinner. Unfortunately some high priests weren’t worthy of the job. Annas and Caiaphas were evil men that not only failed to recognize the promised Messiah, they conspired to have him crucified. It is hard to imagine that their offering for the people on the Day of Atonement would be accepted, because they were so far out of God’s will.

The Lord Jesus on the other hand, is the Merciful and Faithful High Priest. He is highly qualified for the job and was able to do what all His predecessors were unable to do, atone for sin once and for all. He showed mercy by freeing His people from the bondage of sin and now faithfully intercedes on behalf of the blood-bought people He redeemed. The altar was the cross; the propitiation was the blood of Christ and the Minister of the Sanctuary was our Merciful and Faithful High Priest.

July 30

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 18:18

It’s interesting! There must be hundreds of thousands of Christian churches in the world that label themselves “the Good Shepherd” but I don’t think that I’ve ever heard of one called “the Good Teacher.” Likewise, I’ve seen many stained glass windows and paintings of Jesus holding a shepherd’s staff surrounded by a small flock of sheep but I’ve never seen the Master holding an apple and a bunch of books. That might be because in our society, shepherds are better paid and more highly esteemed than teachers. 

That having been said, teachers are generally credited for preparing people for life and the Good Teacher gets His followers ready for eternal life. Jesus’ parables tell believers about what they don’t know about the Kingdom of Heaven by beginning with things and experiences that they do understand. Christ’s Sermon on the Mount began as a P.E. class; they had to climb up a mountain and get their blood circulating before they could understand the spiritual exercise of faith. He used Old Testament scripture as His text book, not only quoting from it, but by fulfilling it as the Living Word of God. 

However, more than anything else, the Good Teacher taught by example. He washed His disciples feet before asking them to do the same. Jesus was faithful to His calling even though He was despised and rejected by men. Yet, He instructed His followers that they needed to do the same. He called on men and women to take up their cross and follow Him and then was nailed to a Roman cross to show what He meant. The lesson stuck long after the class was over.

And so it is: theory is turned into reality in the lives that are touched by a really Good Teacher.

July 29

And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is
He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
Acts 10:42*

“All rise!” ordered the bailiff. The courtroom fell silent as the judge entered wearing a black robe and a dark expression on his face. The mood was unusually somber because the fate of the man already convicted of multiple murders and felonies was to be handed down. The judge cleared his throat, repeated the seriousness of the crimes committed, and then declared the sentence: Life plus 120 years without parole.

That punishment, reported to be extremely stiff, only underscores the inadequacies of the human justice system. At best, man can only punish the living. A criminal with three consecutive life terms can be out in a week if he dies in his cell.

In preaching the gospel, Peter called Christ the Judge of the Living and the Dead in order to convict people of sin. The idea is that either in this life or the next, everyone must answer to the Lord Jesus for what they have done. The purpose is to evoke the fear of God that leads to repentance. Godly fear can be a very healthy thing.

Sometimes it seems that people literally get away with murder. They can either bury the evidence, bribe the witnesses, or find a loophole in the law. They feel that if they can escape punishment before they die, they somehow have won the game of life. Boy, are they wrong!

It’s the job of a faithful witness to declare that true and lasting judgment will finally come. Some may be successful at mocking human justice, but no one can make light of the Judge of the Living and the Dead. The message that must be proclaimed is “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

*see also 2 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 4:5

July 28

For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our
Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us.
Isaiah 33:22*

Few professions on earth are more God-like than that of a judge. An artist may create something original on a blank canvas, and the president is commander-in-chief, but a judge has the power to define right and wrong and gives the final word. Politicians make laws and policemen enforce them, but judges determine what they mean and declare the winners in legal battles.

Christ is not only the Creator and Lawgiver; He is also Judge. He will judge people on three different occasions to declare who is just and who is not. No one will be able to dispute His verdict.

At the Great White Throne, the Lord judges the lost. The record books will be opened and men and women will be judged according to their deeds. Religious folks will be there as well as the notoriously sinful, but none of them will have their names written in the Book of Life. To all of them, He says in one way or another, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).

Christians are scrutinized in another way, because they all must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Their works will be reviewed and rewards given or lost. Christ desires that each of His servants be found faithful.

When Christ returns to earth at the end of the great tribulation, He will stand in judgment of the nations. He’ll separate the faithful from the unjust as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The wicked will go to everlasting punishment, but the righteousness into eternal life.

The word of the Judge is final, so the guilty should fear to face Him. However, as long as the age of grace lasts, there is time to settle out of court.

*see also Matthew 7:21-23, 25:31-46; John 5:22-24; Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10

July 27

Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted
up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory?….
Psalms 24:7-8*

The Psalmist asks a question of each man and woman on planet earth. Everyone needs to know the answer, because the most important test in anyone’s lifetime will be given on the final day of judgment. Do you know the answer?

               Who is this King of Glory?

– The LORD strong and mighty.
– The LORD mighty in battle.
– The King of Kings.
– The Lord of lords.
– The LORD of the hosts of heaven.
– The one who puts all His enemies at His feet.
– The destroyer of death and the devil.
– The one before whom every knee shall bow.
– The one who is the fullness of the godhead in bodily form.
– The one every tongue will confess as Lord.
– The one who illuminates New Jerusalem with His presence.
– The maker and sustainer of the universe.
– Image of the Invisible God.
– THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

He is the King of Glory.

*see also Psalms 24:10

July 26

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.
Philippians 2:9

By its nature, fame is a fleeting thing that usually lasts just until the present record or exploit is surpassed by someone else. There are a few exceptions who stand head and shoulders above the rest, finally achieving lasting recognition. Their reward is the enshrinement of their name as the symbol of greatness in the minds of men and women. However, even the grandest of grand grow dim and lose their luster when compared to the one whose Name is Above Every Name.

Einstein …Christ is smarter.
Lincoln …Christ liberated more slaves.
Solomon …Christ is wiser.
Caesar …Christ is more historical; He divides human history.
Nobel …Christ gives better prizes.
Rockefeller …Christ is richer.
Napoleon …Christ conquered more.
Mozart …Christ has more talent.
Schwarzenegger …Christ is stronger.
Aristotle …Christ is more profound.
Hilton …Christ takes in more guests.
Kennedy …Christ is more famous.
Windsor …Christ is more noble.

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2:10).

July 25

For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:29

Two young boys straddled an old wooden bench pretending it was their spaceship. Space suits woven with imagination enabled them to explore “Jupiter” and “Mars.”

“Now, let’s fly to the sun,” said one to the other. “It will be fun to walk around in the flames.”

A chuckle came from the other room, and with it the voice of authority: “You’re going to burn up.”

“Don’t worry, Dad,” retorted the young voice. “Our space suits are made out of that fire-proof stuff.”

“That doesn’t matter,” came the final word. “The sun’s so hot that your whole spaceship would melt away before it came within a million miles of the sun.”

“OK,” said the boy, “we will go to the moon.”

Too often, God’s holiness is also taken very lightly. People seldom remember that He is completely unapproachable for sinful man. He is a Consuming Fire. No sinner alive can even stand before the glorified Christ. Both Ezekiel and John had short glimpses of Jesus’ fiery splendor, but fell down as dead men when they saw it.

When Christ came to earth as the Savior, He veiled His glory for a short time to redeem fallen man. However, He will retain His radiance for the rest of eternity, never again to lay it aside. It is only because He clothes His ransomed creation with His own glory that there will be fellowship in heaven forever.

To believers, Christ is our Refuge, Stronghold, and Fortress. We have nothing to dread or fear. To those who refuse to believe, at the Great White Throne, the Lord Jesus will be seen as a Consuming Fire. Now is the time to be concerned and do something about that.

July 24

Who is this King of glory? The LORD
strong and mighty, The LORD Mighty in Battle.
Psalm 24:8

Bible scholars consider Psalms 22-24 a Messianic trilogy. Psalm 22 presents the agony and death of God’s Suffering Servant, while Psalm 23 shows the love and care of the Good Shepherd right now during the church age. Then comes Psalm 24, showcasing the King of Glory sitting on the throne of David during the Millennial Kingdom. Even the Jewish sages during the time of Christ regarded this Psalm as referring to the Messiah.

The reason for starting this way is because some theologians and groups deny that the above title does or could ever belong to Jesus. This brand of Christianity is so opposed to war and violence that absolutely nothing could ever justify it. Maybe they’d concede that the title above belongs to the God of the Old Testament, but never to their “Sweet Savior meek and mild, wouldn’t hurt a little child.” Sorry, folks; the title is Christ’s! He is the LORD Mighty in Battle.

In Revelation 19, there is a long description of how Christ will come on a white horse leading the whole host of warrior angels to judge and make war on earth “in righteousness” (verse 11). The focus is on Satan and the Beast with his a huge army; they will be obliterated. On that day, good will overcome evil, and the justice of God will be evident.

Reality check – there are a lot of evil, rotten, no good, nasty bad guys out there that would kill you as soon as look at you. They don’t need much of a reason. You’re a Christian; you’re an American; you have more money than them; or they just don’t like you. They are God-haters who are waging war on Christ and His Church.

In times like these, we need to believe in and pray to the LORD Mighty in Battle.

July 23

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2:10-11**

Fear falls upon you suddenly when you come face to face with the unexpected or unnatural. You don’t need it or want it, but that is never a consideration.

Shepherds stood minding their own business on a cold winter’s night when the darkness was broken with the glory of the LORD. It would have been a privilege to behold such a sight, had a warning be given, but to encounter the power of God when you are unprepared only produces terror. Beads of sweat formed on the sheep-keepers’ brows, and their knees knocked together as they fell down to the cold ground to hear the good news that the angel came to proclaim.

“Don’t be afraid, a Savior is born,” they were told. It was the only message that could have truly dealt with this fear.

Sin has been controlling mankind with fear ever since Adam tried to hide himself from the LORD in the Garden of Eden. Only a Savior capable of conquering sin could be strong enough to bring peace on earth.

Savior – a majestic title for such a tiny child…
Yet He Himself formed the wood
That now makes up His cradle,
And designed the tree
That will one day be His cross.
                                           – Cindy Maddox

*the first title given to Christ at His birth
**see also Acts 5:31, 13:23; 2 Timothy 1:10; Isaiah 45:21; plus 32 other references

December 2

In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1**

“The Word” – What kind of title is that to give somebody? It’s not so much a description as it is a means to describe. A lot of people might find that a little hard to understand.

Actually, the title denotes the Lord’s mission more than His person. Translated from the Greek word “Logos,” the idea that comes across is that of expression and communication. The Word makes known the thoughts in the mind of a speaker. As such, Jesus is the full Revelation of God as well as the Revealer of God.

Before time began, Christ was already the articulation of all that God is, being God Himself. By coming to earth, He became the embodiment of the divine message to Adam’s race. Just the fact that the Lord was there meant that God was making a statement. The symbols and ceremonies that had served for centuries were no longer needed. The Word became flesh, and people could finally experience God with all distance gone. Holiness, grace, and mercy passed from the realm of the theoretical and were played out for all to see on the little hill of Calvary.

Thou art the Everlasting Word,
The Father’s only Son,
God manifestly seen and heard,
And heav’n’s beloved One.
                         – Josiah Conder (1789-1855)

*This title was exclusively used by the apostle John
**See also John 1:14; 1 John 1:1, 5:7; Revelations 19:13

July 21