MINISTER AND MEDIATOR

MINISTER AND MEDIATOR

Heb. 8:1,2,6 ¶ Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

These are two amazing revelations about the present day ministry of Jesus as our heavenly high priest. First, He is called the Minister of the true sanctuary in heaven. As Minister of the heavenly sanctuary He leads us into a totally new way of life. He has entered into heaven as a man as the forerunner. He is experiencing this heavenly life that He has purchased and made available to all of us. He is calling us to Himself, calling us to a new way of life behind the veil. He is also called the Mediator of the new covenant. As the mediator of the new and better covenant He is able to institute in us the better provisions of this new covenant. Specifically, He changes our heart, His word is actually written in the heart of every believer. As Minister of the sanctuary and Mediator of the covenant He provides for us this new and living way. Here is Andrew Murray’s thoughts on this passage.

“But it is for this very purpose that Jesus, the Minister of the true sanctuary, is also the Mediator of the new covenant. He engages so to reveal the power of His blood and the boldness of access it gives thee, so to put God’s law into thy heart in that power of and endless life in which He does all His priestly work, so to fit thee to know The Lord, that thou shalt indeed know that as Minister of the sanctuary He does in very truth secure thy entrance and thy abiding there. The work done by Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary must have its counterpart in the heart that is to enter the sanctuary. And because it is one Jesus who is both Minister of the new sanctuary and Mediator of the new covenant, we may be confident that He will do His work in our heart as effectually as He does it in heaven. And, therefore, the deeper our insight into the perfection of His work in heaven above, the more confident our expectation may be of the perfection in our life within.”

Wow, He has given us this two fold benefit, we have access into His very presence and on top of that He has given us a brand new heart. He is our Minister of the sanctuary, He leads us into the glory of the Father’s presence. He is also the Mediator of the covenant, God’s word is in our heart so that we do not sin against Him.