This week, we learn the meanings of four theological words that describe God’s attributes.
Let’s examine each one of them.
- The first one, you may already know.
IMANNUEL. Interpreted as, “God with us.”
This verse is a quote from the book of Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah’s birth.
Jesus is called Immanuel. He is, in fact, God, “God with us.” Now, in Christ He is ‘in’ us.
That means He is present with you at all times, as Hebrews says.
He will never leave you or forsake you…no, not ever.
You may ignore Him, turn your back on Him, shake your fist in His face, and even spit into His face, as they did at His trial, but He won’t ever leave you or forsake you.
When He promises never to leave you, it means that His presence is always with you. You may backslide. In doing this, you may grieve Him, but He is still there. He is a very present help in trouble. He is with you through the storms of life, such as broken relationships, terminal sickness, and the loss of a loved one. Even through your mistakes and failures, He keeps His promise: “I will never leave you.”
You can break fellowship with Him, but never a relationship that the Holy Spirit has sealed.
If you are feeling left out, lonely, overlooked, or not listened to, Jesus is your friend. He sticks to you closer than a brother.
OMNICIENT.
“God is all-knowing.” He knows everything at once. He knows all about you, and there is nothing you can hide from him. You cannot hide yourself or your sin. Look at Adam and Eve. Look at Jonah. God knows where you are hiding, even if it is inside yourself!
He knows your thoughts, your motives, what you watch on TV. The sneeky things you do behind your husband’s back.
He knows when you pretend, when you lie, put on an act.
He possesses immediate, complete and perfect knowledge of all things at all times, past, present and future, including all possibilities.
OMNIPOTENT.
All Powerful.
He possesses supreme and unlimited power to accomplish anything He chooses to do. Think of it, He has given you that same power, the dynamite power that raised Him from the dead, is yours to command. You can demand sickness to go from you, cast out demons, and even raise the dead. It’s yours to command in Jesus’ name. When you truly grasp this, you will see miracles before your eyes.
He has complete control over all creation, including miracles, life, death and nature.
This knowledge should bring you great comfort, knowing that He is the God of the impossible and that nothing is too hard for Him. It should build your faith to trust Him more, to trust Him completely.
He is totally reliable in answering your prayers and fulfilling your wants and desires.
OMNIPRESENT.
God is everywhere consistently at the same time, encompassing all creation without being limited by space or time.
Knowing all this about our awesome God, we now learn that He is also our Great High Priest. Jesus, who gave Himself for us on the cross of Calvary, “bearing our sin in His body on the tree that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, who by His stripes we were healed.”
1 Peter 2:24.
He is resurrected, ascended, now at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us in our weaknesses. Let’s read Hebrews 4:14-16.
“SO THEN, SINCE WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST. WHO HAS ENTERED HEAVEN, JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, LET US HOLD FIRMLY TO WHAT WE BELIEVE.
“THIS HIGH PRIEST OF OURS UNDERSTANDS OUR WEAKNESSES. FOR HE FACED ALL THE SAME TESTINGS AS WE DO, YET HE DID NOT SIN.
SO LET US COME BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF OUR GRACIOUS GOD.
THERE WE WILL RECEIVE MERCY, AND WE WILL FIND GRACE TO HELP US WHEN WE NEED IT MOST.”
Friend, no human priest can minister to us as God does. Jesus ministers to us in all our needs and weaknesses and forgives all our sins.
Only Jesus is indeed our Great High Priest. He is superior to artificial priests. He possesses perfect grace and mercy to help us in our weaknesses. Grace that never runs out!
How does He fulfil His priestly role?
He is the perfect MEDIATOR. Meaning, He is the Go-Between God and all humanity. He brings us together as one in Christ…a reconciler who brings peace between a Holy God and sinful man.
We were estranged from God through the wall of sin. Jesus broke down that wall of partition and reconciled us back to God. Now we have free access to God.
You can pray to God, openly, honestly, about anything. And what is so fantastic is that Jesus is praying with you about the very same thing! Hey, so is the Holy Spirit interceding for you as well?
So don’t worry if your prayers are messy and all mixed up. Jesus straightens them out and presents them to God in perfect order. This is where speaking in tongues is helpful.
The word Advocate means,
SUPPORTER,
CHAMPION,
UHOLDER,
HELPER.
Jesus offers forgiveness only because He can, and there is no other way.
Thats why Jesus said,
“l AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. NO MAN CAN COME TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME.”
John 14: 6.
He is the only Saviour.
He is the perfect one to do that because He understands you inside and out. He knows your weaknesses because while on earth, he faced the same temptations and testings as you do, yet He never sinned.
He is the perfect example of the Overcomer.
He can sympathise and empathise with you as your Great High Priest.
What is the difference between sympathy and empathy?
SYMPATHY.
It is a feeling of sorrow and pity for someone elses misfortune. (You feel for them.)
You say, “I’m so sorry your loved one died.”
EMPATHY.
Empathy goes deeper than sympathy, as sympathy is understanding and sharing the emotions of the other person ( feeling ‘with’ them)
Empathy is a deeper connectio n. (Crying with them.)
Sympathy…’for’ them!
Empathy…’with’ them!
Having been tempted, He remained sinless.
This is what Jesus did so we could come boldly and confidently to approach God in prayer at the Throne of Grace in our times of need. Jesus opened the way to the Father for anyone to come. You do not have to crawl on your knees, with your head down, toward Him. You can come boldly, looking Him straight in the eyes and ask what you will in Jesus’ name. And as the Bible says, “God will give it to you.”
You may be feeling weak, helpless and ashamed. Don’t let that stop you from approaching the Father.
Because He is Grace! He loves you passionately, ready and willing to forgive, save, deliver, and heal you. He is so compassionate that He will weep with you, just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
Many people stay angry at God for years because they felt forsaken by Him at a time of trauma they encountered. But Jesus was there all the time, hurting with you.
The High Priest in the Old Testament served as the go-between between God and Israel. God, at that time, whose presence dwelt in the Most holy place in the Temple.
Israel continued to sin every day. So once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would approach God with sacrifices for the people seeking forgiveness and cleansing.
God forgave them of all wrongdoing.
This happened every year.
But Jesus in the New Testament did something very different… HE OFFERED HIMSELF.
His perfect sacrifice was offered …ONCE AND FOR ALL! Never to be repeated.
This is when He took upon Himself all sin, past, present and future.
This is called,
THE NEW COVENANT.
You and I are so blessed living after the cross.
Now we can come freely and boldly to our Holy God in prayer, find wonderful comfort in our time of need and forgiveness for every failure, mistake and the vilest of sin.
1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This is awsome!
Allow me to ask you. How do you approach God?
Do you come crawling on your knees full of guilt and shame, wondering if the All-Holy God of Heaven and Earth will accept you and forgive all your sins?
You don’t need to feel that way.
He will not only forgive your sin. He lavishes His Grace upon you, such as His comfort, strength, peace and joy, healing, deliverance from the Evil One, and power and authority to live the Christian life. Now ask yourself,
Who is this High Priest? What does He mean to me?
Listen to the words of the song, it will explain Him to you.
“HE’S EVERYTHING TO ME.”
IN THE STARS HIS HADIWORK SEE.
ON THE WIND HE. SPEAKS WITH MAGESTY, THOUGH HE RULES OVER LAND AND SEA, WHAT IS THAT TO ME.
TILL BY FAITH I MET HIM FACE TO FACE AND I FELT THE WONDER OF HIS GRACE.
THEN I KNEW THAT HE WAS’NT A GOD WHO DIDN’T CARE, WHO LIVED AWAY OUT THERE.
NOW HE WALKS BESIDE ME DAY BY DAY, EVER WATCHING OVER ME LEST I STRAY, HELPING ME TO WALK THE NARROW WAY, HE’S EVERYTHING TO ME… HE’S EVERYTHING TO ME.
Amen.
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Heather Dalzell
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