Preparing for the Lord's Day
Jesus is Better
I never enjoyed group projects in school. We have all been a part of one of these assignments. The teacher groups you with a couple of other students and together you are to put together a presentation or write a proposal. Inevitably, there is one person who wants to take complete control, one person who doesn’t want to do anything, and the rest of us who just want everyone to do their part well. Many times, I found myself playing the first role, the control freak. I wanted control because I did not trust the other members of the team to do a good job. I did not trust that they would do the research, write their portion of the project, or coherently communicate the information. I was not willing to be poorly represented and risk receiving a bad grade.
It is difficult to trust someone to represent you. When you know that their actions (or inaction) will have a direct impact on your well-being it is tempting to take over. Yet there are times when you have no choice but to trust a representative. You cannot do the job of your employees, but their work will reflect on you. You cannot make your child's behavior better at school, but their poor behavior will make others judge your parenting. You cannot control the way that your neighbors keep their lawn, but if they fail to do regular maintenance it will drive down the value of your own home.
In our passage for this Sunday, we come to a discussion on the nature of the priesthood. The priests were appointed by God to represent the people of Israel by offering sacrifices for sin. They were mediators between God and man. However, the people of Israel had to place their trust in these mediators to represent them well before God. Yet now there is a new mediator in Christ. And what the word of God is teaching us is that we must trust in Christ as the better representative, as the better priest. You might be a person who wants control. You may not feel comfortable allowing someone else to act on your behalf, especially when your eternal future rests on their performance. Nevertheless, the word of God teaches us that we must trust in Christ as our mediator because of his full humanity, his interceding weakness, and his divine appointment. To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Hebrews 5:1-6, Exodus 3:30, Psalm 2, Psalm 110, John 6:38, Philippians 2:4-11, and this article on the Priesthood of Christ.
As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul,” the Acclamation of Praise “Before the Throne of God Above,” and the Hymn of Response “Jesus, My Great High Priest.” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
Sermon Information
Text: Hebrews 5:1-6
Title: The Right Representative
Outline:
- We Must Trust in Christ’s Full Humanity
- We Must Trust in Christ’s Interceding Weakness
- We Must Trust in Christ’s Divine Appointment