curg11

Can You Reach God

Lesson Eleven: by turtle

Can you reach God or do we need a high priest? Can we reach God on our own merit? Can we offer up sin offerings on our
own? Where the high priest of old worthy to do such a task as offer up sin offering on behalf of the people? How is one
chosen? Do you pick the person? Though not catholic, I once said I really could use a priest/Father to confess to. The friend
understanding the thoughts only said you need Jesus, yet already knew I had Christ. However this is a verse in scripture that
probably felt my sediments.

James 5:16 KJV
(16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.

To confess sin to a friend or spouse enables one to be free of burden. Yet also enables one to understand that they are human
like so many others. It is something not practiced among many church groups, however you still see some that do it.
Sometimes confession of sin is good for the soul. However some might consider just confessing to God. However can we go
directly to God the Father? The answer is no. The order of sacrifice for sin has always been done by a priest before Christ.
The first high priest name was Melchisedec.

Hebrews 5:1-7 KJV
(1) For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts
and sacrifices for sins:
(2) Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed
with infirmity.
(3) And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
(4) And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
(5) So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I
begotten thee.
(6) As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
(7) Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Melchisedec was the first high priest appoint to be worldwide priest as they knew and understood the world. He was
recognized by many as a high priest including Abraham.

Genesis 14:18-20 KJV
(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
(19) And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
(20) And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Only thing really known of Melchizedek was that He was a great High Priest the the most high God. Israel was not formed yet
and neither was Abraham offspring born. Yet he paid homage and respect the King of Salem. He was a Priest. And Priest
blessed Abraham, and Abraham paid tithes of the spoils of war to the king. A tithe to be exact. No where is it mentioned tithe
was paid for any other purpose to the priest before the time of the Mosaic law. This was a type of payment for services render.

Sodom wanted to paid Abraham in the next verses in Genesis.

Genesis 14:22-24 KJV
(22) And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of
heaven and earth,
(23) That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest
say, I have made Abram rich:
(24) Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and
Mamre; let them take their portion.

Yet Abraham refused the money because he did not want it said that Sodom made Abraham rich. I can respect that. Sodom
was not a group that lived for God. You never want the devil to be able to say I made you famous or I made you great you
owe me. The devil will try and do this. Man can not make you great, only God can. And you are only as great as the next
human.

Back to Hebrews five first verse.

Hebrews 5:1-4 KJV
(1) For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts
and sacrifices for sins:
(2) Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed
with infirmity.
(3) And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
(4) And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

The honor of pastor or priest can only be given by God. I have few people I would call pastor. Main reason some I do not
consider worthy and others I consider not able to do the task. Billy Graham has been consider a world wide evangelist for
years and many television ministers have felt qualified to be as such as well, but on a smaller scale. The pope of the catholic
church is an acting high priest to all Catholics and others that recognize him. And I do not doubt there are many others in other
religious orders and faiths. They are the head leaders of their groups and wide world recognition. However there is no one
more recognized then Jesus himself. Jesus was not just a Priest but also a King. Though His thrown is heaven right now, one
day he will return in a cloud to establish a new kingdom on earth. No other Priest or ruler ever made that claim. And truth is
Christ did not claim it but God appointed Him as such.

Philippians 2:9-11 KJV
(9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
(10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
(11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ was given this honor by God just like Aaron was given this title among the Hebrew. It hard to understand that Christ
was before Melchidek and also after and also after Aaron. Christ before because He is apart of the Godhead bodily and yet
after because of His birth as a Son of David who was a King and not a Priest, yet Christ was born from a priestly line as well.
Christ by conception and birth being in the humanly order and yet high priest because of His divine nature.

Hebrews 5:5-10 KJV
(5) So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I
begotten thee.
(6) As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
(7) Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
(8) Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
(9) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
(10) Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Aarons calling was to him and his family by God.

Exodus 7:1 KJV
(1) And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Exodus 27:21-28:1 KJV
(21) In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it
from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of
Israel.
(1) And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister
unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

What appointment by God through Moses. Yet today we no longer need a Priest Jesus. Who was appointed by God to be a
chief mediator.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV
(5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Aaron duty as priest was to offer the sacrifice for sin. Christ not only became the sacrifice but the mediator between God and
us. Galatians explains this a little better.

Galatians 3:11-14 KJV
(11) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
(12) And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
(13) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree:
(14) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit through faith.

One can not be justified by obedience to the law of God alone. One has to have faith. Faith through Christ Jesus His Son. It
comes through faith. Faith making Abraham righteous and us as well. For Christ did not change his position beside the Father,
but was still God’s only begotten but equal to God the Father and being place above by the Father to rule. Faith being
established to the gentiles through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith to the Jews and others through faith in God the Father. Immerging
through the Holy Spirit into one faith in God. Immerging through baptism of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through
faith. Not speaking of water baptism but a spiritual Baptism. Christ was made High Priest but chief mediator.

Galatians 3:17-29 KJV
(17) And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty
years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
(18) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
(19) Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise
was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
(20) Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
(21) Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law.
(22) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe.
(23) But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
(24) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
(25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
(26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
(27) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
(28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus.
(29) And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now the close of the chapter five of Hebrews goes into about of understanding. Hebrew is a more difficult book to understand
and some reading this would fair better by reading the Gospels on their own then trying to understand these lessons in
Hebrews. However Hebrews is not hard to grasp if broken down a little at a time. Keep in mind as you go through each lesson
who Christ is and the fact He does not change, however His title changes. His task, just like you might be a mom or a dad, or a
daughter or a son, but be known as a president of a company, or a clerk in a store or a gas station attendant. Meaning each
person has more then one role in life and different titles and so does Jesus. He is still Mighty God and still the Son of God,
Take time to read Isaiah 9:6 titles of Christ before He was born.

Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV
(6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
(7) Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
perform this.

Do not worry if this is hard to grasp, but realize this is not easy for beginners in Christ to understand, and yet even those who
are mature, might fair better on milk, meaning love then the doctrine of who Christ is. Yet even so you might pick up
something you can hold on too. Most of all hold on the Jesus.

Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV
(11) Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
(12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the
oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
(14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil.

Through a mediator we come to the knowledge of God. Through the need of a mediator we grasp the need of God. And
through this need we grasp that it is our choice to either believe or not to believe.