Cooperating with the Heavenly Ministry of the Ascended Christ
Message Five
The Revelation, Experience, and Enjoyment of the Ascended Christ as a Merciful, Faithful, and Great High Priest
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Hence He should have been made like His brothers in all things that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people—Heb. 2:17.
Even as also in another place He says, “You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec”—5:6.
Word of Appetizer
The basic significance of a priest in the Bible is not that a priest serves God. Then what is it?
The first mention of a priest in the Scriptures establishes the principle of a priest; the first time the word priest is used in the Bible is with Melchizedek; Melchizedek came from God and ministered something of God to Abraham; the basic significance of a priest in the Bible is a priest ministers God to man.
Spiritual Burden
In His heavenly ministry Christ was designated a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not to offer sacrifices for sin as Aaron did but to minister to us the very God who was processed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, signified by the bread and wine (Matt. 26:26-28).
We should respond to Christ’s priesthood by coming forward with boldness to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The basic significance of a priest in the Bible is not that a priest serves God but that a priest ministers God to man.
Hebrews is a book on the priesthood in its three aspects-the aspect of the Aaronic priesthood, the aspect of the kingly priesthood, and the aspect of the divine priesthood.
Christ is a merciful and faithful High Priest because He is both the Son of God with divinity and the Son of Man with humanity.
Christ is a great High Priest. As our High Priest, Christ is great in His person, in His work, and in His attainment.
Christ as the High Priest is taking care of us, only the Lord as the High Priest knows the reason, and His care for us is always positive. Ultimately, Christ as the High Priest is caring for God’s need and interests.
The Experience of Life
Today Christ, our High Priest, is interceding for us in a hidden way that we may be His overcomers to defeat God’s enemies so that through our victory Christ can be manifested openly in His second coming.
Christ as our High Priest, who bears us on His shoulders and breast and ministers God into us, is an experience in the Holy of Holies, where we enjoy God Himself and all His riches.
Practice and Application
We should respond to Christ’s priesthood by coming forward with boldness to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help; whenever we turn to our spirit, we enter through the gate of heaven and touch the throne of grace in heaven through Christ as the heavenly ladder.
No matter for whom we are praying, our prayers should be aimed at the interests of God, that is, at Christ and the church as God’s interests on earth, for the fulfilling of God’s economy.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
…He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people—Heb. 2:17.
Even as also in another place He says, “You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec”—5:6.
Hence also He is able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him, since He lives always to intercede for them—7:25.
Priest ministers God to man
Priesthood in its three aspects
I. The basic significance of a priest in the Bible is not that a priest serves God but that a priest ministers God to man:
• Melchizedek came from God and ministered something of God to Abraham; the bread and wine signify God being ministered to us to nourish, refresh, sustain, comfort, and strengthen us. In His heavenly ministry Christ was designated a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
II. Hebrews is a book on the priesthood in its three aspects:
•The first aspect—the aspect of the Aaronic priesthood—is for offering sacrifices to God for our sins.
•The second aspect—the aspect of the kingly priesthood—is for ministering God into us.
•The third aspect—the aspect of the divine priesthood—is for saving us to the uttermost.
Key Verses (2)
Hence He should have been made like His brothers in all things that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people—Heb. 2:17.
Having therefore a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin. Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help—Heb. 4:14-16.
Christ is a merciful and faithful, great High Priest
III. Christ is a merciful and faithful High Priest:
•Hebrews 1 and 2 reveal that Christ is fully qualified to be our High Priest.
•Christ is able to be a merciful and faithful High Priest because He is both the Son of God with divinity and the Son of Man with humanity His being merciful corresponds to His being a man. His being faithful corresponds to His being God.
V. Christ is a great High Priest:
•As our High Priest, Christ is great in His person, in His work, and in His attainment. As our great High Priest, Christ was tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin. He has passed through the heavens, and He is touched with the feeling of our weaknesses.
•We should respond to Christ’s priesthood by coming forward with boldness to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace for timely help.
Key Verses (3)
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers—Rom. 8:28-29.
Christ as the High Priest—care for us is positive, care for God’s need and interests, consummates in the New Jerusalem
V. Although Christ as the High Priest is taking care of us, we all have our own thought and feeling as to how He should care for us; many times we do not know what is best for us or what the reason is for certain things; only the Lord as the High Priest knows the reason, and His care for us is always positive.
VI. Ultimately, Christ as the High Priest is caring for God’s need and interests—Christ, the kingdom of God, and the house of God.
VII. Christ’s heavenly ministry as the High Priest in ascension consummates in the New Jerusalem.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The first time the word priest is used in the Bible is with Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20) (Refer to Outlines I. A-B)
(Please explain that the basic significance of a priest is not that a priest serves God but that a priest ministers God to man.)
T2 Melchizedek is a type of Christ as the kingly High Priest (Heb. 7:1-3)
(Please explain that as the High Priest, Christ’s major job is to minister God to us.)
D2
T1 The Aaronic priesthood solves the problem of sin (Heb. 2:17) (Refer to Outlines II. A)
(Why do we need the Aaronic priesthood?)
T2 The kingly priesthood brought in God as our grace (Heb. 5:6) (Refer to Outlines II. B)
(Please explain that the kingly priesthood fulfills God’s eternal purpose.)
D3
T1 The kingly priesthood and the divine priesthood (Heb. 7:15-16, 25)
(Please explain the two aspects of Christ’s priesthood revealed in Hebrews 7.)
T2 The divine priesthood is able to save us to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25) (Refer to Outlines II. C)
(What does it mean that God is able to save us to the uttermost?)
D4
T1 Christ is qualified to be our High Priest (Heb. 2:17-18) (Refer to Outlines III. A)
(Please explain that Hebrews 1 and 2 reveal that Christ is fully qualified to be our High Priest.)
T2 Christ is a merciful and faithful High Priest (Heb. 2:17) (Refer to Outlines III. B)
(Please explain that Christ is able to be a merciful and faithful High Priest, because He is Son of God and also the Son of Man.)
D5
T1 Christ is a great High Priest (Heb. 4:14-15)
(In what aspects is our High Priest, Christ, great?)
T2 We should respond to Christ’s priesthood (Heb. 4:16) (Refer to Outlines IV. D)
(Please use your experience to explain how we should respond to Christ’s priesthood.)
D6
T1 Often the Lord’s way of caring for us is different from what we desire (Rom. 8:28-29) (Refer to Outlines V. A-C)
(Please use your experience to explain Christ as the High Priest is taking care of us is always positive.)
T2 Christ as the High Priest is caring for God’s need and interests (Eph. 5:32)
(Please explain that no matter for whom we are praying, our prayers should be aimed at the interests of God, that is, at Christ and the church.)
