Jesus Prays for His Own in John 17. He Continues to Pray for Them in Hebrews 7:25 as High Priest. Are You Included by Your Rebirth and Taking Up Your Cross? If Not, Why Not? Please Meditate on That!

Jesus Prays for His Own in John 17. He Continues to Pray for Them in Hebrews 7:25 as High Priest. Are You Included by Your Rebirth and Taking Up Your Cross? If Not, Why Not? Please Meditate on That!

A Devotional Reading for Tuesday October 6

From the pen of John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress

Christ Prays as High Priest

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them”

 Hebrews 7: 25.

I come now to . . . [another] thing, namely, to show you what is to be inferred from Christ’s making intercession for us.

This is to be inferred from hence, that saints—for I will here say nothing of those of the elect uncalled—do ofttimes give occasion of offence to God, even [after] they that have received grace. For intercession is made to continue one in the favor of another and to make up those breaches that at any time shall happen. [They occur] to be made by one to the alienating of the affections of the other. And thus, he makes reconciliation for iniquity; for reconciliation may be made for iniquity two ways. First, by paying of a price, secondly, by insisting upon the price paid for the offender by way of intercession. Therefore you read that as the goat was to be killed, so his blood was, by the priest, to be brought within the veil, and in a way of intercession, to be sprinkled before and upon the mercy-seat: “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is, for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat; and he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remaineth among them, in the midst of their uncleanness.” (Leviticus 16:15-16) This was to be done, as you see, that the tabernacle, which was the place of God’s presence and graces, might yet remain among the children of Israel, notwithstanding their uncleannesses and transgressions.