Our Great High Priest
(Service #7)

PREPARING/THINKING ABOUT IT:

Read Compass article #7: "God Provides a Mediator"
Read "Behold the Hands"

OPENING:

Call to Worship:

May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation,
may your saints rejoice in your goodness. (2 Chron 6:41-42 )

We come to worship the High King over all, who is clothed with splendor and majesty. (O Worship the King

Reading: The God of Glory-- Psalm 29
   

Our Need. . . Confession
When we see him in his glory, we see our pitiful rags, our nakedness and shame (Gen.3:7-10,**   Revelation 3:17-18) --and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6) . And we cry out with Job "if only there were someone to arbitrate between us" (Job 9:33)
(**optional: rehearse how we, created to be like God, to reflect his glory, to be 'priests to God' lost our glory by rebelling, snatching after GOD'S glory)

. . .but we do have one who come between--one sent from the Father himself, and made like us --"god with us!"

"God With Us" by Graham Kendrick(©1988 Make Way Music) Integrity Hosanna! Bk 5:392

And what has Immanuel, the God-man, done to bridge the gap between God and man? He has taken our place, and the just punishment for our rebellion.

Ah, Holy Jesus

So through Jesus our substitute we come, confessing our sin and need. . .
(For meditation: The Best Robe [a Puritan prayer])

Confession

Celebration
We do have an advocate on high!(Job 16:19-21) Our Mediator, our High Priest, who suffered in our place, now represents us before him--he has sat down (Hebrews 1:3) at the place of honor at God's right hand, and crowned with glory. (Hebrews 2:9)

"Join All the Glorious Names"
"jesus, name above all names " ('beautiful Savior, glorious Lord')

by Naida Hearn (©1974, 1978 Scripture in Song/Adm by Maranatha! Music) Integrity Hosanna! Bk 1:49.
"All Hail, King Jesus" by Dave Moody (©1979 Glory Alleluia Music/Adm by Tempo Music Publications) Integrity's Hosanna Bk 1:2 ('all hail Immanuel')
**add other hymns, choruses, readings describing the glory or 'names'/titles of our Mediator
(congregational prayers of thanks)

Prayers of Intercession     [add specific requests!]
Cleansed by his blood and clothed with his righteousness (Gal 3:27), we boldly approach the throne.

"Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness "

We come to the King with confidence that he hears our cries:

• Great God and King, we boldly cry out "abba, father" and know that you will hear us because of do not come on our own our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).
• we come in need of the mercy and grace that flows like rivers from your throne, from your 'mercy seat'
• we come with joy in our sorrow, because you, Jesus, are the high priest who understands and sympathizes with our weaknesses, and you know our needs better than we do ourselves
• we come acknowledging our sin 1 John 2:1-2 )
• we come, in weakness --tempted, falling --asking for your strength:
• we come, bearing the effects of sin --brokenness, sickness. . . --for your healing mercies
• through the one and only Mediator we come to intercede for those who do not acknowledge the name of Jesus, and do not know your love (1 Tim.2:1-6 )
• we ask all this "in the name" of Jesus.

Offering:
We give, remembering "the grace of our lord jesus christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, so that we through his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9)

"How Deep the Father's Love for Us" by Stuart Townend (©1995 Kingsway Thankyou Music)

Sermon:  Draw Near to the Throne of Grace with Confidence (Hebrews 4:14-5:3)   (John Piper)

Communion:
Now by faith we see our Savior. We see him broken for us. We see the nailprints in his hands with which he pleads before the throne.

"Broken for Me" by Janet Lund (©1978 Mustard Seed Music) Maranatha Praise and Worship Collection, 1987: 118

The meal we share is often called the "eucharist"--"thanksgiving." We take the cup of thanksgiving 1 Cor 10:16 (cf.Psalm 116:13), and declare what he has done for us.

"(i'm) Forever Grateful" by Mark Altrogge (©1985 People of Destiny International, Admin. by Word, Inc.) Integrity Hosanna! Book 3:208 ('you clothed yourself with frail humanity')

Closing
(This is our hope:)   through Jesus, our great high priest, who lives to intercede for us, God will continue to give us everything we need for life and godliness (Romans 8:31-34)
And so we go in confidence.

"If God is For Us" by Bruce L. Johnson (©1995 Bruce L. Johnson)

(Priestly)Benediction/Blessing:

Soon we will see him coming on the clouds, clothed in glory--when we will see the wounded hands of the one who has triumphed over death for us.(Revelation 1:7)

"See, he lifts his hands above!
See, he shows the prints of love!
Hark! His gracious lips bestow
blessings on his church below" --Charles Wesley

Numbers 6:24-26