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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…..For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things….
Hebrews 8:1, 4, 5

No one in the Old Testament got closer to God than the High Priest.  Endowed with great privilege and responsibility, he was allowed to enter into the presence of the LORD once a year and advocate for a sinful people before a most Holy God. The title is used 74 times in scripture, most often in the Old Testament, but ten of those times the reference clearly speaks of Christ and all of those occur in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Hebrews explains how Temple sacrifices and rituals were “shadows” (i.e. clues and illustrations) that help us understand what God is doing on planet earth through Christ Jesus.  So then, all seventy-four mentions of high priest shed some light on God’s Anointed and the ten direct references bring it into detailed view.  The distinction is similar to the difference of a man standing in the sunlight and the shadow that he casts.

Aaron and his high priestly descendants interceded for God’s people.  That’s what Jesus came to do.  “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens: who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:25-27).

As High Priest, Christ was given the job to atone for our sins. He did that well and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Now, He continues to stand in the gap for His people and intercedes for us before the throne of God against anyone who would bring a charge against God’s chosen people.

April 6

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2:1

Absolute zero is minus 459.67 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale – that sounds pretty precise, but no one has ever been able to ever get something that cold, because it is the total absence of all heat. It would make atoms completely stop moving.

To be totally free from sin is to be righteous. Living in a sinful world with all the lusts and evil thoughts that abound here, righteousness is a concept that is approached rather than obtained. The Christian life is the process of working with God to crucify the sinful human nature by working with God to live righteously (Galatians 5:24-25). This may be an impossible-to-reach goal this side of heaven, but each believer is encouraged to get as close to it as he can.

Christ is the only one who is truly Righteous. He never had a bad attitude, flew off the handle, made poor choices, nor snapped under pressure. Everything He thought, felt, or did was totally right. As God, He could not do wrong, but even in His human capacity, He chose to be sinless.

Believers become more and more righteous as they progressively conform to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29). It’s not easy to keep one’s thoughts on everything that is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely (Philippians 4:8), but Jesus certainly did. When Christians have the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:16), they are able to do that also. They begin to be righteous even as He is Righteous.

 March 25 

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;
and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
Luke 1:32

Unexpected guests can be a joy to receive, if they are dear friends that haven’t been seen in a while, but as a general rule, visitors that just pop in are stressful and interfere with the daily routine. That angst would be increased if the interruption was caused by a stranger, and then would be magnified even more if it was discovered that he was an angel.

Mary had a messenger from God in her living room, and he was talking about personal things, uncomfortable things. She was probably a young teenager who had an arranged marriage in her future, but Gabriel was talking to her about having a baby. He even had the name picked out: “Jesus” (Luke 1:31). All of this was overwhelming to say the least.

One interesting aspect of the angelic announcement was the revelation that He was to be be called the “Son of the Highest.” Since this title is used nowhere else in scripture, the question begs to be asked: “Who is going to call Him this and when?” Hints to the answer are given elsewhere.

A few more verses down, the angel Gabriel says: “…the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

A similar title is used by another non-human in Mark 5:7: “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Here, a fallen angel is addressing Christ using a similar phrase.

God calls Himself the “High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity” (Isaiah 57:15). This title for God would be used not only by people, but also by all the celestial principalities and powers. Therefore, the holy messenger was actually telling the mother of Christ how Jesus is referred to in heaven: “the Son of the Highest.”

 December 7 

In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent
and appealing For those of Israel who have escaped.
Isaiah 4:2

Prophecy scholar I am not. It’s hard to sort through all the pieces and get them in their proper places. It could be compared to finding a bunch of little animal bones in a field and then taking them home to discover what they are. For me, analyzing and interpreting prophecy is just that kind of challenge, although I would much prefer re-articulating a mouse skeleton any day of the week.

That having been said, I’ve had to search out and study the Old Testament prophets looking for titles of Christ. Many times, it is not immediately apparent if the name is Messianic or refers to God the Father. The Branch of the LORD, however, is one of the very easy ones. It is like it has a neon sign beside it saying, “This is the Messiah.”

Isaiah prophesied at a time when the nation of Judah was in decline. The Assyrian empire had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and laid waste most of the land around Jerusalem. The prophet looked forward to a day when the land would flourish again, when God’s anointed would come.

Just as a branch grows out of a tree, the Branch of the LORD is just an extension of God that comes out of Him and produces fruit on the earth. The title is a very strong affirmation of the deity of the Messiah and was given to bring hope and faith to God’s people in a time of desperation.

In Jesus’ teaching of the true vine, believers are compared to branches that draw strength and sustenance from Christ Himself. When examining a tree, it’s observed that a branch forks and divides and then forks and divides again. Young Christians receive spiritual nourishment from more mature disciples, who serve as channels of grace from the Savior, who is the Branch of the LORD.

 March 12 

“For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
Malachi 3:6

When people list the attributes of God, immutability is usually there. That is the stuffy, theological word meaning “unchanging.” God’s character never changes, and that’s a good thing. People, on the other hand, can become happy or sad depending on the time of day, room temperature, or their degree of hunger. Mood swings can happen in an instant depending on circumstances, so immutability is not a human quality.

The book of Hebrews describes the Lord Jesus: “Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail” (Hebrews 1:12). As our great Unchanging Lord, He can be counted on to always be holy, loving, approachable, understanding, forgiving, patient, available, comforting, and real. The exciting thing about this is that He’ll be the same way tomorrow and next year. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”  (Hebrews 13:8).

In the Muslim religion, Allah can change his mind and act differently with different people because he is “almighty” and answerable to no one. Although at times some Christians feel God has become distant and unresponsive, it is the human heart that changes and not the Unchanging Lord.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
                              – Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)

September 23

Indeed I have given him as a witness to the
people, A leader and commander for the people.
Isaiah 55:4

As Leader and Commander, Christ must be followed and obeyed. He needs to take over and control a person’s life, or no transformation can take place. Unfortunately, some people just want to “invite Jesus into their heart” and expect Him to be a quiet, polite guest who minds His own business and leaves them in charge of daily activities. The bottom line is that they’re still lost, because they don’t have the faith to believe that He is the boss and they must obey Him.

Jesus is the Way to Heaven, which is great, since no one else knows how to get there. He’s also the Leader for those who trust Him to lead them…

-from a lost condition into one of positive direction.
-from a sin-cursed world into the New Jerusalem.
-from sorrow into joy.
-from loneliness into fellowship.
-from pain into healing.
-from dryness of spirit to the still waters.

A leader also commands troops into battle, and that connects with the second part of the title: Commander. Christians are on the winning side of a spiritual war waged against the devil and his hosts. Unfortunately, many battles are lost, because many in the Lord’s army don’t obey their orders. Many so-called believers call themselves independent Christians who feel that obedience is optional, whether to church leaders or to Christ, their Commander-in-Chief.

Salvation by grace through faith is one of the basic tenets of Christianity, but it must be understood that faith is agreement with God. It is saying, “Yes sir, I’ll do what you say” to the Leader and Commander of the Universe.

 March 14 

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is
head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Ephesians 5:23

Most people define “church” as the building Christians use to do whatever it is that Christians do. Structures have to sit on property, so somewhere there is a title to the land and, on the bottom line of that title, the name of the owner. The church itself might be deeded to an organization, so the CEO or bishop or pope or person in charge of the group would be considered the head of the church.

This line of thinking makes sense to most Americans, but that’s not how it is presented in the word of God. There, the church is understood to be an assembly of believers in a certain place. They can meet in a building or have a picnic together in a park. The church is still the people and not the place. The universal church is not only made up of every true believer everywhere in the world, it is the sum total of every Christian that ever lived in every century since the day of Pentecost.

The church might be people and not a place, but it still has an owner. The Lord Jesus bought every believer with His own blood and claims them as His own. That clearly makes Him the Head of the Church, which also gives Him authority over it.

The problem with titles is that they must be honored and recognized, or they are meaningless. When Pontius Pilate presented Jesus as king to the Jewish leaders and people, He really was the King of Israel, even though they shouted Him down to be crucified. He was rejected by His own people, so was not allowed to reign over them. However, He will come again to claim His kingdom and wear the crown.

In the same way, “Christians” who don’t obey or honor Christ’s authority will one day be sorted out. The true believers will be separated from the false ones, and Christ will be hailed by the saints of all ages as the Head of the Church.

 March 15 

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, “These things says He who holds the seven stars
in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.”
Revelation 2:1

If there was a file folder for unusual titles of Christ, He Who Holds the Seven Stars would certainly go in it. Not even strong Christians understand this title unless they are able to recognize the context of the verse. It comes from the letter Christ dictates to the Ephesian church, which appears in Revelation chapter 2 and refers to the Apostle John’s vision of the Lord in chapter 1. Here, the Savior is seen holding seven stars, which are later explained as being the angels that minister to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 1:16 and 20).

John had a special burden for these churches in the later years of his life, and their well-being was on his mind and in his prayers. Even though the circumstances of these local churches were historical, they are also seen as representing different periods of church history throughout the ages, as well as representing different types of churches that can be found at every point in time.

The glorified Son of Man identified Himself to the church of the Ephesians as He Who Holds the Seven Stars. This church was doctrinally sound and doing great works, but they had fallen out of love with the One who had loved them unto death. The idea of the title is that Christ has them in His hand and won’t let them go. The name speaks of possession and fellowship.

In scripture, the number seven symbolizes completeness, so the idea is that He has every church in His hand. If someone is playing poker, he is dealt five cards; when dealing with churches, a full hand is seven.

Christ has his finger on the pulse of every local church everywhere in the world at every moment. We have a very small assembly of believers that meets in our home, but the Lord Jesus is here even when only two or three are gathered together (Matthew 18:20). Knowing that makes it hard to stop loving Him Who Holds the Seven Stars.

 March 16 

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He who is holy, He who is true,
He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.”
Revelation 3:7

Titles are descriptive and informative, but too many are cumbersome. If a formal introduction of Elizabeth Windsor was given, she’d be presented as: “Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Queen, Defender of the Faith, Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Merioneth, Baroness of Greenwich etc. etc.” Actually, the Queen has several hundred titles; if all the titles were given, it would fill several pages. Normally, however, only about a half dozen titles are given at any occasion, and those are chosen as being the most appropriate for the audience.

When the Lord addressed the small, suffering church at Philadelphia, He used the titles that communicated that He had power to meet their needs. The believers there were having their outreach shut down by persecution and the opposition seemed to completely hem them in. The odds against them were so overwhelming, it was like sending a young boy to fight against a giant.

Oh, wait a minute, I just remembered David and Goliath, and that’s what Jesus wanted the church of Philadelphia to remember, too. Christ is He Who Has the Key of David, and He can open the prison cell that believers are put in. The Lord of lords has the power to open any locked door and the power to intimidate a host of bullies.

David grew up the youngest in a large, poor family, but God chose him, used him, and gave him unimaginable victory. That’s important to remember at a time of great stress or opposition. Jesus is not only the Lamb of God, Christ is He Who Has the Key of David.

 March 17 

…if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2:3*

Gracious – I’m not really sure I know what this word means in English, much less how to define it in Bible-speak.

The dictionary says that it refers to the qualities of someone who is kind and courteous, such as a gracious host. OK, it might fit, but Jesus is a lot more than just a nice guy.

The word actually entered the language with Middle English around the 1300s and was borrowed from the French. It meant “filled with God’s grace.” Now, that seems to be more like it. Jesus was certainly “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

It occurs a lot referring to God in the Old Testament especially in the Psalms. Here, there is a long string of other character traits that are linked to the gracious LORD.

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth“
(Psalm 86:15).

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).

“Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous” (Psalm 112:4).

“So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm” (Joel 2:13).

I think I’ve got it now. When I look at Christ with the eyes of faith, I can very clearly see the Grace of God. The Savior is filled with God’s grace which obviously makes Him Gracious.

*see also Psalm 111:4, 116:5; 145:8 and 17

 March 18