Take Courage. Series

But Jesus was a different high Priest - very different from the Aaronic Priests who did that - we are told that he is a Priest in the line of Melchizedek a Priest

GE 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth.

Melchizedek comes out of nowhere and blesses Abraham (or Abram) by serving him bread and wine -Melchizedek is not an Israelite - but He was a Priest of God most high - we will hear a lot about him when we look at Hebrews chapter 7.

But for this morning we need to note that he brings Abram bread and wine - Jesus who is said to be a Priest in the line of Melchizedek serves his disciples with bread and wine.

We read in:-

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LK 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

LK 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

So what it is saying is that Jesus is a different kind of Priest altogether.

The sacrifice that he must make is his own life to act as a bridge between him and God.

Jesus dies once and for all for our sins.

Why does that make Peter and John couragous.

Because the worst that the leaders in the temple can do is to kill him.

But Jesus has defeated death and both John and Peter know that to die is to be with Christ in heaven because Jesus has brideged the gap between God and all people.

The courage of John and Peter firstly and foremostly comes from the fact that Jesus has defeated death for us.

The other night a few of us watched a bit of the journeys video at our home at the manse and Trevor Yaxly spoke of a time in his life when he was taken up into heaven where he got a glimpse of what heaven was really like.

This is an amazing experience but not one that many of us have had.

Because eternal life is a promise that Christains have it should make them couragous and very bold.

Couragous enough to live life the way that God wants it to be lived.

James Calvert (1813-1892) was a zealous missionary to cannibals on the Fiji Islands. His faithful work bore fruit in the lives of those accustomed to taking the life of others. Years later and English earl visited the Fiji Islands and was critical of a chief’s conversion to Christianity. "You’re a great leader but it’s a pity you’ve been taken in by those foreign missionaries. No one believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the threadbare story of Christ dying on a cross for the sins of mankind. They know better now. I’m sorry you’ve been so foolish as to accept their story."

The old chief responded with a gleam in his eyes, "See that great rock overt there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it. In that oven we formerly roasted the bodies of our enemies. If it hadn’t been for those good missionaries and the love of Jesus that changed us from Cannibals into Christians, you’d never leave this place! You’d better thank the Lord for the gospel, otherwise we’d already be feasting on you. If it weren’t for the Bible and its salvation message, you’d now be our supper!" (quoted in Autoillustrator.com , "SPIRITUAL GRATITUDE" from, Kindred Spirit, Volume 16, Number 1, p. 6)...