The Issue of Intercession
Whom shall we go to when we are in big trouble, someone who can intercede for us to get back to normal with our heavenly father?
Well the Bible tells us Jesus intercede for us.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. - 1 Timothy 2:5
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” -Luke 22:31
When Peter was in big trouble in terms of his relationship with God, Jesus prayed for Peter and God listened to Jesus’s prayer about Peter and help Peter to get back to track. Interesting!
God himself made a promise when this priest was appointed. But he did not make a promise like this when the other priests were appointed. The promise he made is, “I, the Lord, promise that you will be a priest forever! And I will never change my mind!”
This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. There have been a lot of other priests, and all of them have died. But Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever! He is forever able to save the people he leads to God, because he always lives to speak to God for them.
Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven, and he is better than any other high priest. Jesus doesn’t need to offer sacrifices each day for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He offered a sacrifice once for all, when he gave himself. The Law appoints priests who have weaknesses. But God’s promise, which came later than the Law, appoints his Son. And he is the perfect high priest forever. -Hebrews 7: 21
There were so many candidates for the position of eternal intercession between man and God. But none qualified for the job because none raised from the dead to continue the job they have started on earth in heaven.
Only Jesus qualifies since death cannot hold him in the grave. Therefore, he continues what he was doing on earth in heaven. He used to intercede for our faith when he lived on earth and now, he intercedes for the entire world by siting on the right hand of his father. If anyone comes to him by faith, believing that Jesus died the death of a sinner, he can save them from eternal death through the blood he shed on that cross.
The other qualification for the job of intercession is purity before God. No one is pure since all have sinned against God. Only Jesus is holy and innocent before God. He is the only one on earth and heaven who can come between the sinner and the wrath of God, which is like fire predestined to do justice for God is holy. Jesus’s blood is an eternal atonement and a beautiful fragrance that cools off the wrath of God when God smells it ever day for eternity.
Others cannot even save themselves let alone become an eternal atonement for whoever believe in Jesus. They too need the blood of Jesus to get right with God.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
We praise God for sending his son to die on the cross for the sake of the sinner and design a way to establish eternal friendship with him through Christ Jesus who is our high priest. He always intercedes for us when we got in trouble and prepares a way out.
What I mean is that we have a high priest who sits at the right side of God’s great throne in heaven. He also serves as the priest in the most holy place inside the real tent there in heaven. This tent of worship was set up by the Lord, not by humans. - Hebrew 8: 1
The priesthood of Jesus Christ is eternal. Jesus Christ is the same today, tomorrow and forever. He doesn’t change. The only thing that is needed from us is to believe in him who is faithful to bring peace to our lost soul.
That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. - 2 Corinthians 5:19
God reconciliation is from him, by him and to him. Salvation is designed, prepared and executed by God.
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. - 1 John 5:12
There is no other option to be saved and escape from the eternal death. There is no alternative other than Jesus that God has prepared for humans to be saved. No Jesus, No life. Period.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. - Matthew 16
The best thing you can do to save your life from the danger of eternal fire is lay it on the hand of Jesus Christ. Any other option we take to save it is a guarantee for death. Jesus will never let you down. Once you put your trust on him, he is faithful to keep it safe and be able to present it to the father.
For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13
Just calling his name when you are in great trouble will bring safety and salvation for your soul. God listens to us when we truthfully cry out to him by faith.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. - John 3:17
Therefore, there is no one below or above the earth except Jesus that is given to human beings to carry their sin and burn on the cross. There is no one for us except Jesus to care for us and bring our case before the most fearsome God and be able to win the case.
There is no one except Jesus who can face God for the sins of human beings since the wrath of God on the sinner is great. Jesus Christ intercedes for us when we are short of the glory of God due to our rebellious nature.
Others may feel pity for us but nothing more. But he can give us grace that will help us triumph over our enemies. He set a practical example for us to learn how we can defeat the devil by obeying God till death. He has already sent us his Spirit to live in us who always intercedes for us even when we don’t know how to pray.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
Holy Spirit also intercedes for us. The Spirit of God which is living in us always intercedes for us according to the will of God.
Since it is God’s Spirit, he knows (in 100% match) the will of God for our lives. Since he is also God, he knows exactly what is in our heart. Therefore, he prays for us even if we don’t know what to pray and what exactly Holy Spirit is praying for us. Interesting! Jesus is praying for us in Heaven sitting on the right-hand side of his father. Holy Spirit is also praying for us on earth living inside of us if we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. - Romans 8:26
John put in a very understandable language also. He said we should keep all the commandments of God but as a human being, if we messed up now and then, he said, we have an advocate with our father.
What it means is that Jesus is asking the father for forgiveness as don’t know nothing – not even the right from the left. We saw that Jesus intercedes for Peter. We also read in the Bible Jesus Interceding for the men who crucified while he was still in pain (He said, “Father, please forgive them as they don’t know what they are doing”).
Now, as you read this article, Jesus is praying for you and me to make it to heaven. Interesting!
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:1
Thank you Lord!