Jesus, Our High Priest, and the Kingdom of Heaven
WELCOME:
Every time you turn to the book of Zechariah, you’re reading good and comfortable words. Never forget it as long as you live. These words are right up to date!
Our God is the most unusual God. When it appears the darkest, right behind the clouds is the sunshine, brighter than ever. It’s wonderful to walk with God. We should not feel the hardships of coming back all the Way.
Through this dynamic story, we touch on a new dimension to Christianity that goes beyond forgiveness of sin. God has a thousand redemptive moves on our behalf that we know nothing about. May God grant us an accurate view under a saving influence.
Satan has condemned you. Satan has summoned you, but don’t park at condemnation, it’s only part of the story. Are you ready to go to trial? Proverbs says that the first to speak in court sounds right — until the cross-examination begins. Let’s plumb the depths!
CAFE QUESTIONS
Who grants a reprieve to someone on death row who’s been found guilty? Has Christ conquered you? Are you engaged with your salvation as much as heaven?
MUSIC & HYMNS
♪ Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ♪ penned by Robert Robinson, 1758
♪ Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine! ♪ penned by Fanny Crosby 1873
PSALMS
@ Psalms 96:1-13, The Message
We are not going to be afraid if we can sing psalms about it.
TITHES & OFFERINGS
The spirit of generosity is the spirit of heaven. Are you sacrificial?
SCRIPTURE
@ Revelation 5:6-10, The Message
Jesus is called the Lamb 26 ~ 29 times in the book of Revelation.
I believe John is trying to tell us something. Let’s find out what it’s all about.
BACKGROUND
@ Zechariah 1:1-8a, 16-17, The Message
The Medo-Persia exile (date) was a particularly dark time spiritually. Both the city of Jerusalem and the Temple at Jerusalem had been destroyed, the priesthood had been removed and the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel.
Israel had transitioned from captivity in Babylon, to exiles in Persia, to the gradual restoration of Jerusalem, the Sanctuary system and worship of the true God. Unfortunately, most of God’s people did not live in Jerusalem at the time. Only a remnant had come back to the promised land, the land flowing of milk and honey.
The reason the Lord asked his people to make a sanctuary is that he may dwell among them. That’s still his reason — even for a sanctuary in heaven. God has always wanted to be with his people.
Today, the temple, the sanctuary, whatever you want to call it, on earth is all gone. Look to heaven, look to heaven — the heavenly sanctuary. All our hope is in the heavenly system. Christ has gone back to heaven to minister for us, and he is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth.
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
// John 4:23-24
The Heavenly sanctuary is where it all takes place. It is the house of God the Father, where he resides and presides, The throne of God is the hub of salvation. It’s a BIG operation.
During Zechariah’s time when the temple/sanctuary is being rebuilt, the Angel of the Lord sent another message to the prophet in a vision during the night.
NARRATE the STORY @
@ Zechariah 3:1-10, The Message
@ Zechariah 6:9-15, The Message
WONDERING QUESTIONS
1. What is the plan of salvation like? Galatians 3:24-4:7
2. What is it like in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary?
3. What does the heavenly sanctuary have to do with getting rid of my sins? hub of salvation, God the Father is held accountable for his children’s sins
4. Is heaven contaminated with my sins?
5. Is the only evidence of sin in heaven the scars of Jesus’ body?
6. Is there a court in heaven?
7. Is God the Father accountable for his children’s sins?
CHARACTERS
HIGH PRIEST JOSHUA
-Where is Joshua, the High Priest, standing in the opening scene?
-Why is Joshua’s case carried to God’s house in heaven?
-How would you feel to be accused by Satan before God?
-What should Joshua do?
-Is there any help for Joshua?
-Who does the High Priest represent?
-What do the filthy garments represent?
-How did Joshua stand in God’s presence, the Shekinah glory without dying?
-Why do we need a High Priest?
-Why did God need to establish a new Priesthood?
Hebrew 7:11-28
ANGEL OF THE LORD
-Who is the Angel of the Lord?
-Where is the Angel of the Lord?
heaven Hebrews 1:3
-Who is the Branch?
-When the Branch returns, shall he find faith and faithfulness?
-What does God think of the Branch?
he’s righteous
SATAN
-What do we know about Satan?
In the original language, he is still the accuser, who seeks to destroy faith by accusation.
Satan is in the most need of judgment.
-Does Satan have a VISA to visit heaven?
-What claim about God is Satan trying to establish in our minds?
God is a fault finding spy
CHARACTER OF GOD
“The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” // Deuteronomy 6:4, NKJV
-The godhead was involved in the plan of salvation. It was a cooperative venture.
-God is in the most need of Justice.
-God is holy
-God is all powerful
-God is sovereign
-God is merciful
-God forgives
-God is good
-God is able to save to the uttermost.
-There is a patriarchal system where the Father is voluntarily accountable for our actions, because we are his children.
-He loves us and doesn’t want to lose us.
-In the patriarchal system, God is voluntarily accountable for his offspring. We are members of the royal family by Way of Jesus’ merits.
-God has a love affair with sinners.
-God offers perfect peace.
GOOD NEWS
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
// Hebrews 4:16
We will stand on the edge of death, before the Great Judge of the Universe, saying, “I’m guilty, have mercy on me.” because we have such a High Priest — Jesus is ours.
Closing PRAYER
The Lord’s Prayer @ Matthew 6:9-13, KJV, is made beautiful and fragrant only by Jesus.
PAINTING
Rembrandt
1606-1669
Dutch painter, teacher, draftsman, printmaker and etcher
Sampling Officials of the Drapers’ Guild
1662
191.5 x 279 cms | 75 1/4 x 109 3/4 ins
Oil on canvas
Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam | Netherlands
Credit: Web Gallery of Art
Rembrandt | The Sampling Officials
One way of trying to understand and appreciate works of art is by means of formal analysis, that is by looking at them not in terms of subject matter or technique, but in terms of purely formal concepts.
Through a careful study of Renaissance (late 15th- and early 16th-century) and Baroque (17th-century) works of art, Wölfflin distilled a number of principles, which he arranged in five pairs, which helped him characterize the differences between the styles of the two periods.”
http://arthistoryresources.net/baroque-art-theory-2014/wolfflin-renaissance-baroque.html#Top
1. Painterly v/s Linear
The painting is painterly. The three center figures are fused together triangularly in a see-saw composition. Contours are lost in shadow, swift brush-strokes bind separate parts together rather than isolating them from one another.
2. Planar v/s Recessional
The painting is planar, meaning that the elements of the painting are arranged on a series of planes parallel to the picture plane.
3. Open Form v/s Closed Form.
The painting is in open form. Checker boarding is present to create movement. There is a feeling of space beyond the edges of the painting.
4. Unity v/s Multiplicity.
The painting has Unity. All the units are welded into a single whole. Colors of the robes and dark shadows blend and mingle, and their appearance depends largely on how the light strikes them.
5. Relative Clarity v/s Absolute Clarity.
The painting has relative clarity, representing things as they look, seen as a whole.
This painting does not by any means convey all aspects of salvation.
Although no man has seen God since the fall (John 1:18), may Rembrandt’s oil painting, “Sampling Officials of the Drapers’ Guild,” be made as clear to you as though you had seen God’s house in heaven, the Most Holy Place. God is no longer at arm’s length or a thousand miles away, but we’re in the same room with him in the Most Holy Place. Here’s my revelation of heaven. You interpret it the way you want to. Your guess is as good as mine.
Let’s focus on the center man standing.
Christ, the slaughtered Lamb, stands. A strange contradiction.
The High Priest always ministered the blood. The Way into heaven could never enter the Most Holy Place without fresh blood.
The Priest and the sacrifice always commingled.
As John sees him, he’s still dying on Calvary, although he’s still living in heaven. The Lamb in the act of being offered. A never ending Calvary. Christ continually dies to sin.
There’s nothing like heaven.
As the mystery of redemption unfolds in my mind, I marvel at God’s grace. I’ve landed on an idea that’s so dreamy that even reality is hard to understand. This is the sanctuary service.
EVALUATION
Inductivity present? Biblical answers validated? Did we see Jesus? Clear questions? Logical flow of story? Affirmations given? Low participants encouraged? Who did most of the talking ?
EXPRESS
Poems
When You Can’t Sleep
Don’t try to be quiet, I’m awake
I haven’t been asleep at all
just tossed and turned the night away
I never could sleep when there’s a moon in full
funny the things you think of when you can’t sleep…
Incense
Last night I dreamed a temple
where I would be a priest
but God designed a tent
where I would be the least
Plucked From the Fire
I had only one choice
and it was not in self defense
but I discovered early on
I had found my audience
I’m guilty for loving you
I’m guilty
I’m guilty
I’m guilty
my camera kept clicking
red hot, ablaze in beauty
like a stick plucked from the fire
I’m gonna burn myself to save you
§tacy §weeney
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