“Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Hebrews 9:11).
Just as the high priest ascended the stairs to the holy place on the Day of Atonement, our High Priest Jesus ascended into the heavenly tabernacle. Indeed, John describes seeing Jesus in his priestly robe: “Clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band” (Revelation 1:13).
Jesus ascended into glory as our High Priest to make intercession for us. He enjoys the glory he deserves but he also does a work on our behalf. The psalmist shares in Psalm 68: “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men … Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!” (Psalm 68:18-19). He is saying, “Our Savior has given us every gift and benefit we need to live in freedom!”
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus’ work in heaven is all for us: “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). “He always lives to make intercession for [us]” (7:25). Christ does it all for us, his children.
What exactly does this phrase mean, “He lives to make intercession for us”? Some may imagine Jesus standing before the Father pleading with him to show us mercy when we fail. But Christ’s intercession for us has to do with Satan’s accusations against us. You see, the devil comes to God’s throne to accuse us of every failure and transgression, demanding “justice.” But Jesus immediately steps in, demanding that Satan keeps his hands off us.
Jesus also intercedes in our own hearts, reconciling us with the Father. He reminds us that we are forgiven and we can trust God’s faithfulness to provide us with all the power and strength we need.
Because of Christ’s intercession, you can say, “I may have battles in the flesh, but I know what Jesus did for me. Sin can no longer hold me because he is my High Priest.”
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.