From the PASTOR
The Work of Jesus Christ – his office of Prophet, Priest and King.
An office can take on many forms – in my experience anyway. I have two of them, as I step out the back door (on the left) is my “other office” (the shed) and to my right is my “official” office (the place where the phone, books, computer, calendar, and all those other things for my pastoral work). Sometimes I say to my wife I’m heading over to the office and she often asks which one!
The work of Jesus Christ
The work of Jesus Christ is connected with his person; they cannot be separated. Only because Jesus is full human and fully divine can Jesus be the saviour of the world. Christianity sees the work of Jesus Christ under three main headings: PROPHET, PRIEST, KING.
The office of PROPHET
In the Old Testament, a prophet was known as someone who spoke on behalf of God; in the New Testament, Jesus claimed that status of himself. People who heard Jesus speak claimed that as well because he spoke as someone not just with authority, but with special authority. When Jesus went about his ministry, he announced the kingdom of God was near; put simply, the presence of Jesus brought the loving and saving rule of God to us.
At the moment, the Sunday’s gospel readings have been on some of the parables of Jesus taken from Matthew’s gospel. These parables show us what it’s like when God rules with his grace. We also know full well that Jesus performed many miracles, these miracle were ‘signs’ of God’s kingdom, so God’s loving rule was in action when Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sinners and ate with outcasts. The clearest way Jesus showed the love of God came through who he was and what he did.
Through Christ, God showed his love for the world in his death on the cross to bring all people back into a right relationship with God. And God’s action shows the impossibility of any attempts we may make to try to put ourselves right with God. So from Jesus’ humiliation (death on the cross) to his exaltation (rising from the dead) now continues in this office of Prophet – through the pastoral office (where the pastor functions as Christ’s mouth), as well as the witness of his people.
The office of PRIEST
In the Old Testament, the Priest would make sacrifices to God on behalf of people for their sin against God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ has replaced the old system with the new; Jesus Christ is the Priest who offered himself as a sacrifice for his people, and now remains forever the mediator between God and his people (Hebrews and Timothy). This means Jesus Christ has taken our place in the face of all that accuses, threatens and haunts us. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for sinners. Jesus Christ is the suffering servant, the one who humbled himself to death on a cross.
Again, this means freeing us from the law that accuses. He has paid the penalty for our sin and has turned away the anger of God on account of our sin. Jesus frees us from our sin and guilt through the forgiveness of our sin, and this forgiveness is received time and time again through the sacrament of Holy Communion – there we have the assurance of sins forgiven and peace with God, so why not celebrate communion often? Then again, in Jesus’ own words, it’s only the sick need healing; the healthy don’t need a doctor.
Because Jesus rules at the right hand (as we say in the creed, sits at the “right” hand) of God, he continues his Priestly office as our advocate, who mediates for us. Jesus is both God and human being and because of this, he is our great high Priest, continually interceding for us, this great God of ours had suffered temptation so we can approach the throne of Grace, trusting in God’s mercy and help.
The office of KING
This office says that Jesus is King who has won the victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. Through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, he has finally defeated these enemies and has broken the power of the law over us; this is clearly shown in Christ’s resurrection. Also in our baptism, we have been united with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that we now share in his victory; time and time again we hear this said at most, if not all Christian funerals. We were comforted by these words again at dad’s funeral. Wonderful comforting words – what a
wonderful witness for the living to have those words read at your funeral?
Jesus is also the King who is a servant. The amazing grace about worship on Sunday, is the fact that we have a God who comes to serve us!!! Yes, that’s right! Worship is not a human thing, something we make up, but something set up for us by God! he is servant whose crown is thorns and his throne was his cross! so this mean he rules in love and mercy, he showed his love by washing his disciples feet! What sort of King does that? And his commandment is that we love one another.
Now, yes his kingdom is not visible to the human eye, not yet anyway and it doesn’t matter because part of his rule is not limited to time and space, but one day it will be fully revealed at the end of time when he comes to judge the living and the dead. He will then reign forever in glory with the saints.
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!
To believe in Jesus means more than what the Bible says about Jesus is true. It means trusting in Jesus as our only hope of being rescued from our guilty condition, and from the punishment we deserve. And yes it means more than that, it means living and dying with the confidence that because of Jesus, God is for us and nothing can separate us from God’s love. Jesus Christ is very special and very unique; he is the one and only saviour for all people.
An office can take on many forms – in my experience anyway. I have two of them, as I step out the back door (on the left) is my “other office” (the shed) and to my right is my “official” office (the place where the phone, books, computer, calendar, and all those other things for my pastoral work). Sometimes I say to my wife I’m heading over to the office and she often asks which one!
The work of Jesus Christ
The work of Jesus Christ is connected with his person; they cannot be separated. Only because Jesus is full human and fully divine can Jesus be the saviour of the world. Christianity sees the work of Jesus Christ under three main headings: PROPHET, PRIEST, KING.
The office of PROPHET
In the Old Testament, a prophet was known as someone who spoke on behalf of God; in the New Testament, Jesus claimed that status of himself. People who heard Jesus speak claimed that as well because he spoke as someone not just with authority, but with special authority. When Jesus went about his ministry, he announced the kingdom of God was near; put simply, the presence of Jesus brought the loving and saving rule of God to us.
At the moment, the Sunday’s gospel readings have been on some of the parables of Jesus taken from Matthew’s gospel. These parables show us what it’s like when God rules with his grace. We also know full well that Jesus performed many miracles, these miracle were ‘signs’ of God’s kingdom, so God’s loving rule was in action when Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sinners and ate with outcasts. The clearest way Jesus showed the love of God came through who he was and what he did.
Through Christ, God showed his love for the world in his death on the cross to bring all people back into a right relationship with God. And God’s action shows the impossibility of any attempts we may make to try to put ourselves right with God. So from Jesus’ humiliation (death on the cross) to his exaltation (rising from the dead) now continues in this office of Prophet – through the pastoral office (where the pastor functions as Christ’s mouth), as well as the witness of his people.
The office of PRIEST
In the Old Testament, the Priest would make sacrifices to God on behalf of people for their sin against God. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ has replaced the old system with the new; Jesus Christ is the Priest who offered himself as a sacrifice for his people, and now remains forever the mediator between God and his people (Hebrews and Timothy). This means Jesus Christ has taken our place in the face of all that accuses, threatens and haunts us. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for sinners. Jesus Christ is the suffering servant, the one who humbled himself to death on a cross.
Again, this means freeing us from the law that accuses. He has paid the penalty for our sin and has turned away the anger of God on account of our sin. Jesus frees us from our sin and guilt through the forgiveness of our sin, and this forgiveness is received time and time again through the sacrament of Holy Communion – there we have the assurance of sins forgiven and peace with God, so why not celebrate communion often? Then again, in Jesus’ own words, it’s only the sick need healing; the healthy don’t need a doctor.
Because Jesus rules at the right hand (as we say in the creed, sits at the “right” hand) of God, he continues his Priestly office as our advocate, who mediates for us. Jesus is both God and human being and because of this, he is our great high Priest, continually interceding for us, this great God of ours had suffered temptation so we can approach the throne of Grace, trusting in God’s mercy and help.
The office of KING
This office says that Jesus is King who has won the victory over sin, death and the power of the devil. Through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, he has finally defeated these enemies and has broken the power of the law over us; this is clearly shown in Christ’s resurrection. Also in our baptism, we have been united with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that we now share in his victory; time and time again we hear this said at most, if not all Christian funerals. We were comforted by these words again at dad’s funeral. Wonderful comforting words – what a
wonderful witness for the living to have those words read at your funeral?
Jesus is also the King who is a servant. The amazing grace about worship on Sunday, is the fact that we have a God who comes to serve us!!! Yes, that’s right! Worship is not a human thing, something we make up, but something set up for us by God! he is servant whose crown is thorns and his throne was his cross! so this mean he rules in love and mercy, he showed his love by washing his disciples feet! What sort of King does that? And his commandment is that we love one another.
Now, yes his kingdom is not visible to the human eye, not yet anyway and it doesn’t matter because part of his rule is not limited to time and space, but one day it will be fully revealed at the end of time when he comes to judge the living and the dead. He will then reign forever in glory with the saints.
FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST!
To believe in Jesus means more than what the Bible says about Jesus is true. It means trusting in Jesus as our only hope of being rescued from our guilty condition, and from the punishment we deserve. And yes it means more than that, it means living and dying with the confidence that because of Jesus, God is for us and nothing can separate us from God’s love. Jesus Christ is very special and very unique; he is the one and only saviour for all people.