L ast week, I said the sacrificial system was given to Moses by God to temporarily cover the sin of His people so their prayers could be heard. They would bring their sacrifices to the High priest, who would intercede to God on behalf of the people.
The Bible is a compilation of the stories of God and His relationship with his people. It portrays how the imperfect sacrificial system and the law was just too hard for them to carry out. But God’s ultimate plan was to send a Savior to become the final sacrifice and put an end to that system. This Savior would become the only mediator necessary between God and man. So, to those who accept this truth are given the special privilege to come into a personal relationship with God. That is a privilege that came at great cost to God.
The price of the privilege of prayer
We saw in Genesis chapter 3 that God had to sacrifice a lamb to give Adam and Eve soft lamb skin coverings to cover the shame of their nakedness. This act of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin was a foreshadowing of God’s plan for redemption, which was first revealed in the prophetic verses found in Genesis 3:15
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
In this verse, God is speaking to the serpent, Satan the deceiver. It foretells how God would send His first born son, Jesus to come to earth, born of a woman to overpower sin, death and the grave. The offspring of the serpent is Satan, the author of sin, death and the grave. And so, Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, remained perfectly sinless, suffered and died a horrific death, sacrificing himself for the sin of the world like a lamb led to slaughter.
When Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross on the hill of Calvary, Satan thought he had won a great victory. Notice the fulfillment of the prophesy of the serpent bruising the heel of Jesus by the nails that were driven through his feet as he hung on the cross. Satan watched victoriously as Jesus died. However, as Jesus’ earthly body lay in the tomb, His spirit descended into the lower regions of the earth known as Hades. Three days later Jesus (the offspring of the woman) overcame Satan and the power of death and the grave. Note that Jesus the Overcomer now has Satan under his feet as He rose from the dead, thus bruising the head of the serpent. And when He rose, he brought with him those captives who had died according to the law, while still waiting for the promise. That promise was that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through the seed of Abraham. (Genesis 22:17-18) Jesus was a descendant of the seed of Abraham, the Jewish people.
So, now to all who call on the Name of the Lord, the Name above all names, Jesus Christ, shall be saved from eternal separation from God. Because the shed blood of Jesus is more than just an inferior covering for sin, (like that of sacrificed animals), it actually makes one totally righteous, and able to stand before God. (For a more in-depth understanding of this, read Hebrews chapters eight and nine.) Therefore, without Jesus paying the price for the sin of mankind by his own blood, we could not have a relationship with God!
The way that relationship works is through prayer.
The price Jesus paid for us to be entitled to this privilege of prayer was too high to be taken for granted. God the Father made a way for us to be reconciled back to Him through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus, our Messiah. He made a way when there was no way!
Jesus is the Way
If you want God to hear your prayers you must believe in Jesus! No matter how radical or politically incorrect or intolerant this may sound to some, it is Truth. If you don’t believe it, maybe that’s why your prayers have not been answered.
Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
If you are reading this and you are wondering whether or not Father God has heard your prayers, let me assure you that the Father is drawing you to Jesus! God loves you so much that He sent His only son Jesus to die for you, so you can have a relationship with Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, now is the perfect time! It’s very simple, God‘s word says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Jesus is the only intercessor between God and man. Call on his name now. Confess any known or unknown sin. Tell him you believe He is Lord and believe that it is done! Then, your Heavenly Father will hear from heaven and answer your prayers.
In the next part of this blog on prayer I’ll discuss why we pray if God already knows everything and how it will turn out.
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