10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
10250 North Freeway @ West
Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Peculiar
Misunderstandings
Written by Dr.
Lester Hutson
Copyright
- Lester Hutson - 1989
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced
without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Message #18
MISUNDERSTANDING
THE PRIESTLY WORK OF CHRIST
(Part #3)
The Key to Acceptable Worship and Service
Text * Hebrews 13:15
C. As has been often emphasized in this lesson, the high priestly work of Christ relates primarily to our worship and service to God:
1. Worship consists of our offering of praise to God. Formally we do it through praying, singing, giving, preaching, and the Lord's Supper. Some of these we do also privately and informally. (The Lord's Supper we do not do informally since it is a collective church ordinance to be done when the whole church be "come together into one place," I Corinthians 11:20-26).
Service is the giving of ourselves unto the Lord, even as did the Macedonians of II Corinthians 8:5. They "First gave their own selves unto the Lord." Every day, in the home, on the job, as a citizen, in the church, as a parent, and in so many ways, every believer has opportunity to serve or give himself unto the Lord. In fact, I Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
2. Although, we are nothing of ourselves, I Corinthians 3:7. There is no way our offerings of worship or service will be accepted by the Father apart from the intercessory work of Jesus Christ, our High Priest. That says, apart from the priestly intercessory work of Christ on our behalf, no singing, praying, preaching, giving, observance of the Lord's Supper, or daily service to God is of value to God. What we offer counts only because we have a High Priest. Our daily help is all because of him, and any rewards we receive here or hereafter will be because of him. How thankful we ought to be that we have him. And, in view of how vital he is to our successful worship and service, and all subsequent spiritual blessings; we ought to make doubly sure we place ourselves into that realm or sphere over which he works. There is substantial evidence that this realm is the church. Therefore, we can not recommend too strongly to any believer that he follow his Lord in baptism promptly, and thereby become a member of one of the Lord's churches over which he act as High Priest.
3. This is especially evident when it comes to prayer. Hebrews 4:14-16 speaks of Christ, our high priest. We are exhorted to come to him to receive certain benefits, which we are able to do in prayer. Verse 16 states it this way, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Note the two things one can expect when he comes to the high priest in prayer. One is "mercy" and the other is "grace." Mercy is what God's children need when they sin, which they will often do. They need forgiveness and mercy. Because they have an interceeding High Priest, they can get it. But, such ones, who have a weakness to sin, also need the grace of God to help them conquer that weakness. And, this too they can get when they come in prayer. But, this grace, like mercy, is only possible because such ones have an interceding High Priest.
Note well the goodness of God to those who avail themselves of the privilege offered here. As Hebrews 7:26 puts it, the High Priest "ever liveth to make intercession" for them. Redhanded offenders get mercy, plus the unmerited help of God in overcoming their infirmities; and all because of Jesus, their High Priest. What gracious help for current living! Why should any child of God fail to avail himself of it by refusing baptism and church membership?
4. And, remember Hebrews 13:15? It says with our lives, we're to offer "the sacrifice of praise to God continually." But, this verse predicates that command by saying that it can only be done "by him." That's right folks, acceptable worship and service to God is only possible because of the intercessory work of our High Priest; and we believe he does it over his church.
D. Now, someone may be wondering if the intercessory work of the High Priest extends to any worship or service offered outside a church building:
1. The answer is a most assured "yes." The building is not the church; the people constitute the church. There are appointed times when the church as a whole is to come together to worship God. One of those times is the first day of the week (Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 16:2, etc.); and when the church is to come together, the members are commanded to be present, Hebrews 10:25. On such occasions, no member is to be off somewhere else conducting his own private worship service. If he is, his worship will not avail before God.
Yet, this is not to say that no private worship or service avails before God. In fact, the vast majority of our worship and service to God is to be private. Only a small percentage will be rendered in a public worship service when the whole church comes together. That's when the tithe (which is just 10% of the 100% all of which is to be used to the glory of God) is to be given. That's when just a few minutes of singing or prayer will occur. Most of the praise to God should go on day by day. As Colossians 3:16-17 puts it, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." All giving is not to be done in a church service. We're to privately give to the poor (Matthew 6:1-4), and privately pray, Matthew 5:5-6. Our daily service of caring for the domestic needs of our families (I Timothy 5:8), and helping people in need (Matthew 25:34-40) is also a part of our offering of our lives to God. In no sense is our offering of worship and service to God to be only occasional as we attend a church service. To the contrary, it's to be continual, day by day, every day. Christianity is not a public services only proposition; its a twenty-four hour every day proposition. We do not need a High Priest just for public church services; we need an High Priest all of the time. And, our High Priest is not just interceding for the worship and service we offer at church; he is interceding for all of the worship and service we offer, both public and private.
But, the key to whether he acts over it as interceding High Priest is whether we offer it as a member of one of his churches or as one who has no membership in one of his churches. A member of one of the Lord's churches is not just a member when the church is in public assembly. He is just as much a member when the church is not in assembly. Thus, the worship and service he renders to God on Monday or Friday while he's home or at work is just as acceptable as that which he offers during the Sunday morning worship service. And, it is acceptable on the same basis as his public worship is. In both the public case and the private case he offers to God as a member of one of the Lord's churches over which Jesus acts as High Priest. And, it is solely upon the strength of his intercessory work that the offering of worship or service in either case avails with God.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"