Truth Archive

Heb 7:25 He is able to completely save those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

This thought of intercession has been on my mind. I need to value it more. I need to know more about it in my own life. To value the fact that Christ is interceding. He’s interceding for those who come to God by Him. He can save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him.

Verse 24 Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, which is only a copy of the true one. He entered heaven itself, now to appear in God’s presence on our behalf.
I thought of Him there in the presence of God, living to intercede for us. We have heard of the cost at which this has come to us. That we would not be able to grasp it. But He is there, always interceding for us.

Paul wrote to the Romans, Who is he that condemneth? Someone once expressed the thought that while we are criticizing someone, if we are criticizing or condemning somebody, or accusing somebody, and that while that person is coming to God and pleading with God at that very moment.  Can you think that while Christ is interceding for that person, we are condemning and criticizing that person? Do you know what punishment we would be worthy of? I just realise that I have no right whatsoever to criticize or accuse. You know, accusers aren’t intercessors. We are either an accuser or an intercessor. Intercessors will be interceded for and accusers will be accused. Recently I have been trying to watch myself. Watch my tongue, watch my thoughts, knowing that Christ is interceding for everyone that comes to God through Him. Every moment Christ is interceding for them. And He is pleading for them. He is interceding and waiting upon God for them.

In Isaiah, there is a portion there in chapter 53 and the last verse, we know it well. Wherefore I will divide Him a portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the strong because He hath poured out His soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors and he bears the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors. I looked up that last portion of this verse in many different Bibles, Bibles of different languages, and they all say just the same. He made intercession for the transgressors. It says in the first portion that He was numbered with the transgressors. In two different gospels, it refers to that verse. In Matthew’s gospel it refers to the time that Peter had a sword and He said that When you had no purse did you lack anything? He said “No I didn’t lack anything” Then the Lord said “He that hath no purse go and get one and he that hath no sword, go and get one, that I may be numbered amongst the transgressors.” So, they would be doing wrong to do that. Peter was wrong to have a sword. In Mark’s gospel, it says when He was crucified He was between those two malefactors, two transgressors. So, He was numbered amongst the transgressors, but here it says He made intercession for the transgressors. I can’t be sure of what that entirely means and my mind cannot grasp fully the price that He paid so that He could make intercession. Is it the time that He forgave His disciples? Is it the time that He helped the man on the cross? Is it the time that He prayed on the cross “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”? We don’t know but it is also for us. He was numbered amongst the transgressors and every one of us is a transgressor. And He is making intercession for us.  Here He is giving His life, that He can make intercession for us. Then how easy it is for us just to recklessly and carelessly accuse or condemn another.

We heard that one who is a child will not look down on someone else. I just like to think of the price that Jesus paid for every child of God, every one of us.

In John’s letter, there is a verse in the 2nd chapter that we are all familiar with, it says. My little children, these things I write unto you that you sin not and if any man sins we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. I looked that up in many Bibles and I like the Afrikaans where it says “ ‘n Voorspraak”. But an advocate is one who intercedes for us. The important thing for us is to be honest, honest with our advocate. It is no use, a person trying to intercede for us if we are not going to be honest, honest with our advocate. We need to tell Him everything: our faults, mistakes and failings and we need to be repentant and remorseful about it, broken about it and honest with Him. Then He can be an advocate for us and intercede for us. If we are not willing for that then He can’t intercede for us. He won’t be interceding for us because He is interceding for those who come to God by Him, willing for His life.

In thinking of this matter of interceding I would just like to mention sometimes when Jesus was on earth and interceded for His own disciples. In that prayer that we have in John 17. It was a very special prayer. He must have prayed it audibly for His disciples to hear it and in that prayer, He said “I pray for my disciples.” Then he also said in the 20th verse He said “I pray not only for them but also for those that will believe on me through their words.” That is when He was on earth He said that He was praying for those who would believe through the preaching of the gospel and would accept it. That was when He was on the earth before He paid the price for interceding at God’s right hand, He was already interceding for us. “For them that will believe” He also spoke to Peter “Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith fail not.” He didn’t say that he had prayed for him that he would not go through this experience. “I have prayed for you” isn’t that a wonderful intercession for Peter while He was still on this earth. I enjoyed that very much.

It has also been much on my mind, this matter of faith. We say that we have faith but do we really have the faith? This is going off my thoughts altogether but we read that Jesus healed those 10 lepers. They came to Him and asked for help and He said to them “Go and show yourself to the priest. “But they were lepers so what is the use of going and showing themselves to the priest? But they all went because they believed. They believed that very moment and as they went they were healed. We say we believe but I know for myself there are times when I question my own belief.

That woman taken in adultery in John 8. They quoted the law out of the Old Testament and you know, Jesus could have said many things that day. He could have said, “Well get on with it, if you want to get on with it.” He could have said, “Where is the man?” He just said “He that is without sin throw the first stone.” Jesus was without sin, He could have thrown the first stone. He could have but He said to that woman,” I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more.” He interceded for that woman that day. There is no condemnation where there is intercession.

You remember Mary falling at the feet of Jesus for her brother’s sake? Her brother had already died. She wept and the people wept and when Jesus saw her weeping at His feet weeping and interceding for her brother who was now dead. Saying “If you had been here he would have lived.” It says that Jesus wept. To intercede for someone else we must feel for someone else.

I just thought of the three angels coming to Abraham in Genesis 18, They told Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah and they left. It says that Abraham stood yet before the Lord. Then it says that Abraham drew near and he interceded for Sodom. He started with 15 and he went down to 10 people. When we intercede for somebody we draw awfully close to God. Jim Chaffee said that there is no time when we are more like Christ than when we intercede for somebody. So, he interceded and came to 10 and God left.

Abraham continued to intercede till God was no more there. Wonderful that he didn’t leave before God left. He waited before God and he was interceding for Lot and his family. We know that Sodom was not spared but that family was spared.
There are many other occasions. Paul in Ephesians 6 he encourages prayers and supplications for all saints and persevering for ALL saints, in the spirit. Then he goes a step further when he writes to Timothy. 1 Timothy 2nd chapter. I exhort therefore that prayers and supplications be made for all men, for kings and all that are in authority that we might live a quiet life in all godliness.

I just realise that I need to value Christ’s intercession for me more and I need to know more about it because it is the purest form of service. I need to know more about interceding for others. May God help us in these things.