Jesus Is Interceding for You

From Gospel Translations

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Revision as of 05:20, 10 November 2014

The author of Hebrews declares that Jesus, our great high priest, lives to make constant and unbroken intercession for you and me (7:25). He is ever present and ready to supply us with the help we need when facing temptation or the encouragement we need when confronted with disappointment or the strength we need when faced with weakness or the wisdom we need to make sense of life when it seems so senseless.

So what should we do in response to this? Draw near to God through Jesus Christ now! What is it that you need most? Is it the forgiveness of your sins and freedom from the horror of the guilt and shame that you carry around in your heart? Then draw near to him, now! Is it renewed hope that God has a purpose for your life and that he will truly work all things together for your good? Then draw near to him, now! Is it the peace and joy that come from his promise that he will never leave you or forsake you? Then draw near to him, now!

To “draw near” doesn’t mean you have to walk an aisle in a church building. To “draw near” doesn’t require any physical movement whatsoever. It only requires desperation and trust and the cry of your heart, “O, dear God in heaven: help me! deliver me! heal me! comfort me! hold me! strengthen me! fill me with your abiding love and presence so that I can make it through today!” And if you come to God through faith in Jesus Christ in that way, he will hear you.

Do you remember the incident where Peter denied Jesus three times? Before it occurred, Jesus said to Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

What we are being told in Hebrews 7:25 is that Jesus continues to fulfill this same role for you and me. He always lives to pray for us and to intercede on our behalf and to supply us with the strength to endure the temptation of the enemy and to repent when we fail. The reason I have hope and assurance that my sin will never cut me off from Christ is because Christ himself is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on my behalf, pouring out on me and into me whatever strength of will I need to continue to believe in him for everlasting life.

Paul said much the same thing in Romans 8:31-39.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).

How can Paul be so sure? He is rock solid in his assurance and confidence because Jesus Christ, who died and rose again from the dead, “is at the right hand of God . . . interceding for us!”

What more can I say to you? So, draw near to God through Jesus Christ. Now! Find in him and in the spiritual blessings and resources he abundantly supplies everything you will ever need.

• To the weary and worn out, draw near to God through Jesus Christ that you may find strength to endure
• To the shame-filled and downtrodden, draw near to God through Jesus Christ that he may cleanse you of all guilt and turn your shame into shouts of joy
• To the broken-hearted, whose dreams and desires never seem to come to pass, draw near to God through Jesus that he may fill your heart with his presence and satisfy your heart’s deepest desires
• To those who have lost hope, draw near to God through Jesus Christ that he may restore hope in his promises and his purposes for your life
• To those who are broken and weak in body, draw near to God through Jesus Christ that he may touch your physical frame with his healing power
• To those who are filled with anxiety and worry about things you can’t control, draw near to God through Jesus Christ that he may impart his peace that passes all understanding
• To those who have been deeply wounded or abused, whether by a parent, a spouse, or someone you thought was your friend, draw near to God through Jesus Christ to find a friend who can be trusted and who can heal those wounds and love you in the way your heart was meant to be loved
• To any man, woman, young or old, who has believed the lie that nothing will ever change and that life simply isn’t worth living, draw near to God through Jesus Christ who makes all things new
• To anyone else whose pain or problem I haven’t mentioned, draw near to God through Jesus Christ and find the God-man who knows your pain and understands your problem and stands ready and able to help.