Bro Bill Sunday Evening 7/24/11

Bro Bill Sunday Evening 7/24/11

Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

Zec 6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Jesus is our priest, our intercessor.  The part that stood out to me in the morning’s message is the part about the characteristics of God.  God is a mighty God.  He will work and help us to conquer in the ways that we need it.

Christ is our intercessor. 

Exo 28:6  And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.

Exo 28:7  It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.

Exo 28:8  And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

Exo 28:9  And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:

Exo 28:10  Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.

Exo 28:11  With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.

This is talking of Aaron the High Priest and the garments that he had on.  One of the places I read described how beautiful the garments were that he wore.

Exo 28:12  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.

Picture in your mind the stones one on each shoulder.  Six of the children of Israel were written on each shoulder.  They were for a memorial to Aaron.

Exo 28:29  And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

Exo 28:30  And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

Aaron had the 12 names on the breastplate, upon his heart, for a memorial before the LORD.  They were upon his heart as he went in before the Lord continually.

I want to encourage you.  As you go through life remember that you are before God, Jesus is making intercession as our High Priest.  It doesn’t matter what you look like, elderly or young, if you are living for God, you have an intercessor. 

When a saint gets ready to pass on, I used to think that I would like to tell them that, “When you cross to the other side, talk to the Lord and let Him know that I want to serve Him.”  You know something? you already have someone on the other side making intercession.  He is for us.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

He wants you to make it.

Psa 40:5  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

You are precious to God.  He has many thoughts toward you.  My life will not be any different than your life in the thought of there are times when you were trying to make certain decisions when no matter what you tried to do you could not make it come to pass.  I wonder if it wasn’t that the intercessor was saying, “Oh God please help him/her.”  If we could see the times that the intercessor worked on our behalf we would have such a boost to know that we have an intercessor that really works on our behalf.

Have you ever been in a battle where you felt like you were going through it on your own, you had no one to turn to.  I wonder if God puts us in those positions so we have no one to turn to but God.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus knows what you go through.  People may misunderstand you as you go through something; people can have empathy and feel for you.  Personally I don’t think we can know what someone is going through unless we’ve gone through the same thing.  He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.

I looked in the book, “Shadow of Good Things to Come.”  It said that these stones on the shoulders typified Christ bearing us before God on his heart of infinite love and on His shoulders of power.

Ruben unstable as water was represented on the stones as well as the lion of Judah.  We will have different personalities and strengths but God will intercede and work on your behalf as well as any other child of God.

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

He is our mediator!  I’ve heard say, “If you were the only one on earth, Jesus would have died for you.”  You mean a lot to Him.

To intercess means to interpose between parties in order to reconcile them. 

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Isa 53:12  Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

God was satisfied with that sacrifice.  It just seems that the atmosphere of Jesus in various ways is the atmosphere of an intercessor.  He is the go-between between man and God until we get to the other side.

Intercessor means prayer, petition or entreaty in favor of another.

Zec 2:8  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

It is good to be reminded how God is, and how Jesus is toward us.  Those that touch you touch the apple of His eye.  We are special to Him.  Don’t mess with God’s people!  He that touches you touches the apple of His eye.

Isa 42:1  Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

Isa 42:2  He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

Isa 42:3  A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

The way a saint illustrated this to me years ago is Jesus standing before the Father and saying, “Oh Father, you know how they want to serve me.  They’re bruised and there is a little smoke there, fan them and please work on their behalf.” 

I was down at my orchard watering the grapes and saw one of our plum trees with the leaves starting to get thin looking.  When I looked up, it looked like it was dying.  My heart was sad.  Imagine in the same connection how Jesus and God would be when He looks at one of His spiritual trees.  How it must affect the heart of God as one of them is failing.  “Oh God please help them.”  If we fail God, there is no excuse.  If we fail God we have no excuse because of all that is working on our behalf.

Another way that the intercession works is not only does Jesus make intercession for us; the Spirit of God even uses God’s people to make intercession.  Have you noticed that when a saint of God is going through something and you feel burdened to pray for them and know nothing about what is happening but you pray and later you find out that they needed help from God.  The Spirit of God moves on us.  We need one another.

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

When I looked this up in the commentary, it said that when there are times when your name is repeated like that it is intended as an expression of love manifested by a warning voice.  Simon, Simon, whatever your name would be, put it there.  Can you imagine the father saying, “YOUR NAME, YOUR NAME, Satan has desired to sift you but I have prayed for you.”

Heb 7:23  And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

Heb 7:24  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

He ever lives to make intercession for them.  To the uttermost means evermore. God’s plan is that people not only get saved but that they make it all the way through.

Intercession means prayer petition, or entreaty in favor of another. 

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

I’ve been in this position where I’m going through something and I just don’t know how to pray. 

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Maybe this is why there are times when things don’t work out for you the way you think they should.  In the steps of my life I tried to pull one way or another and it didn’t come to pass, He makes intercession.  All things work together for good to them that love God.  When things happen it is working for your good.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Are you seeing the picture of Jesus being our intercessor?  The Spirit of God is our intercessor as well and the Saints of God intercede and the Spirit of God moves on our lives causing us to be an intercessor. 

Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

His own son was very precious to Him.  He sent Him to die for us puny, worthless, ugly humans.  Before we were even saved He loved us. 

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

From the different angles you have God pulling for you.  Jesus, The Spirit of God, the Saints through God moving on their heart, are all interceding.  Who shall separate you from the love of Christ?  There are hard times.  I go through tough battles.  In the midst of the storms we have God working on our behalf.

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter how strong the powers of the enemy seem, God is greater.  God is greater than them powers.   

You can make it.  Whether you are young, have a family, are single, you can make it.  God is working on your behalf.