Table of Contents
Introduction
BLUE--SYMBOL OF MAGNANIMITY
A Symbol of Integrity
A Symbol of Fidelity
A Symbol of Piety
The Sky is Blue
PURPLE--SYMBOL OF MAJESTY
A Symbol of Position
A Symbol of Prosperity
A Symbol of Power
The Bottom Line is the PURPLE
RED--SYMBOL OF A MIRACLE
A Symbol of Sin
A Symbol of Sacrifice
A Symbol of the Savior
The Sky Turns Red
Conclusion
Footnotes
"Praise Him with resounding cymbals." -Psalm 150:5b (NASB)
As created beings with innate desires to have community with our Creator, we want to be with Him; we want to be in the place where God meets man. The Holy Bible in its entirety fits under the category of "the place where God meets man," from Eden to the New Jerusalem. There is a cord of three strands that connects all the places where God meets man.
Our God has blessed us with a chain of resounding symbols that reverberates throughout the Word which He has spoken and throughout the world which he spoke into existence in the beginning. This chain establishes and interweaves itself into the philosophy of ministry that is presented in the paragraphs that follow.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God seperated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day." (Genesis 1:1-5, NASB)
"Resounding Symbols" as a philosophy of ministry begins with the Almighty God of the Holy Bible Himself, creating that which is good; the Lord God Himself bringing about that which is beneficial to the recipients. Likewise ministry should be a bringing about of that which is beneficial to its recipients.
In Romans 1:20 we read, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse," (NASB). The philosophy of "Resounding Symbols" continues with the creation itself pointing all of its observers to its Creator; likewise ministry should point all of its observers to the Creator.
A symbol the Lord gave us that resounds to this day is the rainbow. In Genesis 9:12-17 we find that the Lord establishes a covenant with all the earth after the great flood in which He will not destroy every living thing with the waters of the flood again. God gives the rainbow as a memorial to Himself and a sign of that covenant, an everlasting covenant of mercy and grace. (This is a symbol of Christ who is to come; more on that later.) So also, ministry should be marked by mercy and grace.
Time marches on in the narrative of Genesis and continues in Exodus, as generations are spanned from Noah to Judah, and from Judah to Nahshon the son of Amminadab. The line of Judah will yield the Lion of Judah. Through their lives Messiah will be presented to the nations, so also through our lives of ministry should Christ be presented to the world.
After the Lord delivers Israel from their chains through His deliverer, His servant spends forty days on the mountain with the Lord. In that time Moses is given very specific instructions regarding the means and methods of worshiping the God of Israel. The instruction with regard to the Tabernacle began with a voluntary collection of precious materials:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, rams' skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:1-8, NASB)
In the same manner, ministry should be the voluntary contribution of the individual as their heart moves them, not a mandatory fulfillment of a perceived obligation. It has been said somewhere that there is a scarlet thread that is woven throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, and that is correct, but the whole truth is that there is an unbreakable cord of three strands, of blue and purple and scarlet strands, that runs from Beresheath to Amen; Resounding Symbols that ripple throughout heaven and earth, time and space, flesh and blood, heart and soul, providing a robust model for ministry--a way of life.
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10, NASB) Living this abundant life could be referred to in today's slang as "Livin' Large" or "Livin' Big"; living magnanimously, as modeled by He who is the Greatest, is absolutely required by anyone who would follow Jesus Christ and serve Him, and particularly in ministry. Blue captures in a shade this requisite aspect of ministry; it is a symbol of integrity, of fidelity and of piety.
One of the specifications the LORD gave to Moses was regarding the attachment of fifty blue loops on each of the outermost curtains that was to comprise the outer covering of Tabernacle (Exodus 26:4-6). These two sets of loops were to be opposite each other and joined together by golden clasps. Blue here is a picture of integrity: holding together. The curtains come loose if these loops lose their integrity. The gold capturing the concept of service and the curtains themselves capturing the idea of the body of Christ, these blue loops, this integrity is the connector that holds them together. The usefulness of these blue loops is only that they hold.
In Michael's treatment on Spurgeon, He writes
How did Spurgeon rise to the challenge in modeling character? He made his case for character not only in words but also in the context of his daily life. His primary focus was the preaching of the gospel and the ministries that were an extension of that calling--to lead believers in matters of faith. Spurgeon championed the cause for authentic leaders to exhibit an uncompromising standard of moral character. He believed that the most effective leadership is by example, not by edict.1
Blue is not a powerful picture because of what it is, but because of what the LORD has it doing in this Exodus passage. It holds. Its integrity directly affects the integrity of the entire Tabernacle. Anyone doing ministry after the Lord's calling needs this kind of integrity; it affects the integrity of the entire Body of Christ.
Just a couple of chapters later, in Exodus 28, we find the LORD giving Moses explicit instructions regarding the garments that were to be worn by the high priest. In reading through the instructions found in Exodus, a pattern quickly discerned is regarding the materials, "the gold and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet material." When we come to verse 31, however, we read what could be considered a spartan verse, "You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue." That's it. No elaboration or exquisiteness is mentioned with regard to the robe of the ephod. This is an expression of fidelity, of faithfulness. The servants of the Lord are to display an demonstrate the glory and beauty found in service to God, but underneath it all is the necessary faithfulness to Him. The service of worship is to be performed without mixture of ulterior motive or laziness. It is to be performed dutifully with vigor, faithful to Him Who Reigns On High, regardless of any circumstance that may potentially distract; we are to worship Him with a singular vision, with consistency, and ultimately with a passion.
There is an order of priority with respect to faithfulness. Michael writes it this way, "The Christian leader's first priority is not himself; his primary commitment is to Christ. He must lay himself on the altar before God and deny himself in following Christ. His next priority is to the persons whom God has placed under his roof."2 We are to be faithful to the people we are responsible for and faithful to the people to whom we are answerable.
In Numbers chapter 4 the LORD speaks to Moses and to Aaron regarding the number and work of the Kohathites, the sons of Kohath. A pattern quickly discerned in this chapter is the way in which the most holy things are packaged.
In verse 6 they are to "spread over [the ark] a cloth of pure blue." In verse 7 they are to "spread a cloth of blue" over the table of the bread of the Presence. In verse 9 they are to "take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it;..." In verse 11 they are to "spread a blue cloth" over the golden altar. And finally in verse 12, they are to "take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth..."
Blue is here presented as covering these most holy things. Blue is a picture of holiness: That which has been set apart for the service of the LORD. Likewise, we who have been called out, we "called out ones" that are the Church of Jesus Christ from ca. 33AD to this present day are called to be separate from this dying world; not isolated, but separated, set apart for the service of the LORD. This harkens back to a statement the LORD makes twice in Leviticus 11:44-45, "be ye holy, for I am holy."
If we were to ask Science a commonly asked question, "Why is the sky blue?" we would get a very detailed answer to the effect that light from the sun passes through our atmosphere, which by nature of its makeup filters out all but the blue part of the visible spectrum, and hence we have a blue sky. The problem with this answer from Science is that it answers a different question. We ask "Why?" and Science tells us how. Science is adequate to answer some questions of physical process, but it is never equipped to answer questions of celestial intent. The sky is blue because God is faithful; the sky is blue because God is true; the sky is blue because God is holy. "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; ..." (Psalm 19:1a, NASB).
Where blue represents loyalty, purple represents royalty. A key fact to reinforce in all followers of Jesus Christ is the fact that each and every one of them are children of the King; princes and princesses since the day they were born again. These offices that are gifted to each Christian come with great responsibility. As leaders of God's people, our ministries should emphasize the importance of having a spirit of humility given the position, prosperity, and power that has been endowed to us as stewards of the message and work of Jesus Christ.
Belshazzar was a king who abused his position. Daniel 5 tells the whole story about how he defiled the holy vessels, he and his family and friends. The Scriptures tell of the hand that appears and inscribes the writing on the wall, "MN MN TKL PRSN," (roughly like reading in english, 'NMBR NMBR WGH DVD', that is, 'number number weigh divide'). The Scriptures go on to tell of the reward Belshazzar offers, the purple robe and gold chain to whoever can interpret the writing. After his dealings with Belshazzar's father Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel's reputation preceded him as one who had such spiritual giftings as to read and interpret the like. When brought on the scene, Daniel's response is exemplary, "Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him." (Daniel 5:17, NASB)
What gift can you give to the person that truly has everything? The proper perspective in ministry is that of Daniel here in the presence of Belshazzar: we are greater than conquerors in Christ. We have a message to give, words from God to interpret to a lost and dying world, a world full of people who Jesus said are condemned already because they do not believe (John 3:18).
The message to Belshazzar (read the lost world) was that his days had been numbered, he had been judged, and that he was about to lose his kingdom. As ministers of the gospel, we have been gifted with the position of proclaiming this message to a world full of people like Belshazzar.
Even after this sobering correspondence from On High, Belshazzar followed through on his reward to Daniel, perhaps hoping the gifts could change the end that had been disclosed, but all for naught; Belshazzar was slain that very night. The purple robe and gold chain were symbols that Daniel had been given the position of the third in the kingdom.
Our position in Christ gives us an abundant resource in sharing God's message with people. On this point Michael writes this of Spurgeon
He often shared from the pulpit, especially in the latter years at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, his own experience of salvation. He was heard to say that an ounce of personal testimony was worth more than a ton of heavy theology. If he were struggling for something to say, he just put a charge of spiritual experience into the barrel and fired it off. Although he had plenty of spiritual ammunition from which to draw, his own conversion was near and dear to him throughout his life and ministry. 3
Our position in Christ trumps every other position, because of who Jesus Christ is in the context of all things. He is the center of all things, whether people want to accept the fact or not. To be in Christ is to be properly centered, the state of being made right with God.
Jesus tells a story in Luke 16:19-31, which may be actual as well as parabolic, in which a man blessed with a high position and prosperity abuses his blessings.
"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and sees Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house--for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham says, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"
A demon tempter named Screwtape notes in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters that prosperity "knits a man to the world." Prosperity does have a propensity to draw people away from spiritual matters. Good stewardship of the things with which the Lord has blessed us is required.
This man in Jesus' story was greatly blessed in terms of material, but was completely oblivious, or intentionally cruel, to this man named Lazarus who was in great physical need. So also, we who follow Jesus Christ have been greatly blessed spiritually, and sometimes materially; we must be diligent to give assistance to those around us that are in dire spiritual need. This rich man suddenly became compassionate for others in the fires of Hades. We have been given ample time and opportunity from God through His Word and His servants that Hades is waiting for those who will not repent.
Spurgeon was greatly blessed by the Lord both spiritually and materially, and stewarded those blessings very well. Through his tireless efforts and multiple ministries, he led many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and demonstrated the love of God not only through his words but largely through his actions.
Likewise, anyone following God's call into ministry should be good stewards of that with which God has blessed them. There should be no doubt that God's called has God's hand upon them. Hand-in-hand with their blessings, they themselves should be a blessing to those to whom they minister.
True love is not a feeling; true love is a Spirit that embodies action that is to the benefit of the object of affection. When true love is applied, there is fostered a pleasant euphoria that is healthy. The feelings follow the action. Romantic love, left unchecked, puts the cart before the horse. Romantic love, if allowed, dictates that there must be feelings before actions should be taken. This type of love, gone unchecked, is unhealthy and its symptoms parallel physical ailment.
God is love. John said, "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love," (1 John 4:8, NASB). God is One, there is no other, and He is Trinity, Three-in-One. God the Father loves Jesus Christ, Who is God the Son. Jesus Christ loves God the Father. Just as the combining of blue and red yields purple, the eternal relationship of love between the Father and the Son is the Spirit of Love, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. In the same way that blue is in red and red is in blue in the color purple, the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father in the Holy Spirit.
The power of God is the power of love. This power is gifted to everyone who becomes saved when they are sealed and indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God; there in the heart of every believer is the essence of the Relationship of Love between the Father and the Son. It is only by the power of the Spirit that anyone can attempt to keep the greatest commandments, to love God with all, and to love neighbor as self.
Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends," (John 15:13, NASB). The greatest expression of love that has ever been came from God Himself, from the Father in sending His only begotten to be a propitiation for the transgressors, to love the haters, to save the lost; from the Son, as it is said in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."; and just a few verses back in Romans 5:5, we see the Spirit's role, "and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." The power of love is expressed in the power of PURPLE.
As previously mentioned, the rainbow is a symbol of the Christ who was to come, and who has already come, and who will come again on the appointed day. Scientifically speaking, a rainbow occurs when light passes through a field of water droplets or a patch of high humidity, producing the colorful bow that spans the visible spectrum from red on top, down through to purple on the bottom; always red on top down through to purple on the bottom. Just as purple is always the bottom line of the rainbow, PURPLE should always be the bottom line of any sign, wonder or message that is said to be from God; the PURPLE being the "Precious Unblemished Redeemer Provided Life Everlasting". PURPLE should always be the bottom line of any ministry that is from God. Anything else is a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.
As we have seen, God is love, and therefore the House of God is the House of Love. In blue we have seen love's foundation, and in purple we have seen love's framework; now in red we will see love's furnishing. The memorial of the finished work of salvation is contained in the color of red.
In red we will see sin as dyed-in-the-wool. In red we will see the undyed Savior dying to undye us. In red we will see the essence of the Savior Himself; may His name be praised forever.
In Isaiah 1:18 it is written, "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD, 'Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.'" In this verse, sin is depicted as red dye, remarkably staining whatever material with which it comes into contact.
Sin is a reality with which we must deal in this life. Jesus Christ is perfect, and in Him is no blemish found, not one sin. As imperfect creatures, even the reborn struggle with disobedience to God. Walking in His ways does not come overnight. In His infinite wisdom, He positions the saved in Himself spiritually, as their debts have been covered, but in the day-to-day practical walking through of life, there is still much that is needed to be learned to live a mostly sin-free lifestyle. In our flawed humanness, we can never attain sin-free living in this life. To truly live is Christ.
Sin is painful. The worst sins we suffer are from a brother or sister in Christ who knows better. How much more does our perfect God suffer when we sin against Him? Effective ministry requires an understanding of the ugliness and evil of sin and the damage it causes in lives. Competent ministers need to love sinners and hate sin. It should come supernaturally. While the result of the process of dyeing is permanent for a time, the result of the process of undying is permanent for eternity. Romans 3:23 records, "The wages of sin is death...," and a just God requires those wages be paid in full. While God is just, He is also merciful and loving: Enter the Scapegoat.
In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it is written, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Substitutionary atonement is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for all of us on the cross; He left a model for all of us to follow, in that we should lay down our lives for others. We should sacrifice when moved to do so. In this verse of Scripture we see Him Who was as wool and white as snow becoming scarlet and red like crimson because of His love for us all and His desire to not see one of us perish in the eternal fires of hell.
Blood is red, as we all know from our own experiences. We know from the Old Testament that the life is in the blood, and we know from the New Testament that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins; we also know that the bloods of bulls and goats were never able to take away sins, only the blood of the Lamb of God was (and is) able. He was the only One that ever could have offered the proper sacrifice to save us all. He died once for all, for all sin, for all time.
Any church that denies the FINISHED work of Jesus Christ on the cross, any church that presumes to carry on the work of paying for the sin debt of the world, is partaking in heresy, because our Lord Jesus Christ ALONE paid that price for us all at a place called Golgotha; He proclaimed "tetelestai!" (it is finished!), and He is no liar; the debt has been paid in full. Any church that would participate in the proclamation of the lie that Jesus Christ did not pay in full for the sin of the world is apostate, from apostacia, fallen away; such churches at their core harbor the spirit of the woman Babylon depicted in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. She has a form of godliness, but denies the power thereof.
In Revelation 16:3, Antichrist is described as a scarlet beast. He will perform wonders and stage a resurrection; he will feign the miraculous. The wicked woman is described as wearing purple and scarlet, among other adornments. She will be sinful and appear sacrificial, and she will indeed exude an air of majesty, as she already does in this present day. Noticeably absent from this vision given to John is the color blue. These two evil individuals, while presenting majesty and miracles, will not have the ability to show magnanimity; there is no truth in these two, they are liars who, as Scritpure indicates, will crumble under their own weight because they have no foundation; they built their houses on the sand, and not the Rock.
The True Sacrifice from God did not come seeking for Himself, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came as the fulfillment of the Passover, He is the Passover Lamb. He came into the House of Israel on the appointed day, stayed a few days, and was killed, a ransom for many. All may now be saved who have marked their doorposts and lentils with His blood. All who are under His blood may be passed over for the condemnation that is to come.
To recall once again God's sign of an everlasting covenant of mercy and grace with the earth, the rainbow: the red is always on the top. As the Lord remembers His covenant, as He looks down on His creation, the first thing He sees is the blood of His Lamb covering those that it covers.
In Matthew 27:46 it is written, "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" In making this statement, many emotions are stirred. We can feel the dejection and despair as our Savior languishes on the cruel cross of Calvary. At the same time there is also a feeling of familiarity, almost a deja vu sensation as we hear the words bounce around in ourselves, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" We are transported immediately to the 22nd Psalm,
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.
Yet You are holy,
O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You delivered them.
To You they cried out and were delivered;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm... (Psalm 22:1-6a, NASB)
In the Exodus passages regarding the instructions for building Tabernacle, the word translated worm, towla (sounds like "toe"+"lah"), is used in a special Hebrew construction with another word, shaniy (sounds like "shaw"+"knee"). This construction is the word that is rendered in our english as "scarlet". The idea is that the color used in the production of Tabernacle is the color that (at that time) comes only from a particular grub. We know this creeping thing today by the name cochineal.
Jesus Christ is saying through the Psalmist that He is Scarlet, not that He is the color of the red bug (towla-aht-shaniy), but that He is the red bug (towla). Jesus Christ is saying that He is the substance of that which is symbolized. In our respective ministries, He should always be the substance of that which we symbolize.
In Isaiah 53:10a it is written, "But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; ..." Through the red-colored glasses we have a more vivid picture of what is happening. We do not have any physical evidence regarding how the process of dyeing took place in Biblical times, but we know how dyeing is done these days. The cochineals are ground into a fine powder and mingled with liquid; the mixture is a dip into which the material to be dyed is dipped. The Father was pleased to crush the Son because He knew that we who had sins as scarlet, red like crimson, could be dipped into the Scarlet, and come out as wool, and white as snow. The furnishing of the House requires the destruction of the tree.
If we were to ask science another question, "Why does the sky turn red at dusk and at dawn?" we again would get an inadequate answer. When we ask "Why?" all science is capable of doing is answering how. As a general rule, science should never be considered authoritative regarding questions of meaning. Science is only equipped to determine processes, and science is very good when held in that regard. We, as ministers of the Gospel, should stand our ground when confronted with anyone bringing a scientific argument to "debunk" the foundations of our faith. Science is only equipped to deal with the natural, not the supernatural.
The sky turns red at dusk because the Son was set "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40b) The sky turns red at dawn because the Son rose "on the third day according to the Scriptures," (1 Corinthians 15:3b). "...and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands," (Psalm 19:1b). Anyone working in ministry after the call of God should take time out of every day that God affords and remember who God is with every blue sky, what He has done with every sunset and every dawn, and what He has promised with every rainbow. Behold, He makes all things new. May His name be praised forever.
Jesus Christ came to earth almost exactly 2000 years ago. He is the Holy One of Israel, God with us, and the Anointed One. He was born of a virgin, He lived a perfect life. He wept; He suffered. He died a perfect death. He was laid in a tomb on a Friday. He rose again that Sunday morning. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again.
He will come again in the clouds, with 10,000's of His holy ones, not again as a servant who suffers, and as a worm, but this time as the Judge who judges righteously. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the apostle John sees a particular vision in chapter 19, of a rider on a white horse.
In Revelation 19:11 it is written, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war," (NASB). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Blue.
In Revelation 19:12 it is written, "His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself," (NASB). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Purple.
In Revelation 19:13 it is written, "He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God," (NASB). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Red.
In the beginning the place where God met man was in the garden of Eden. In the end, it is written in Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,'" (NASB). In the meantime, the place where God meets man is within every human heart that is willing to let Him in. Anyone undertaking ministry after the call of God should always be mindful of this.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me," John 14:6 (NASB). He is the only Mediator between God and man; apart from Him there is no other. He is the only High Priest that can go into the Most Holy Place with His own blood, making amends for the sin we have committed. He enters the Most Holy Place "...through the veil, that is, His flesh," (Hebrews 10:20b). His flesh is the substance of the symbolic blue and purple and red veil, which was the pattern described to Moses by the LORD. Each of us, as ambassadors for Christ in an antagonistic world, should reflect His light and resound as symbols of Him Who Is To Come, all for His glory. May His Name be praised forever. Amen.
1Michael, Larry J., Spurgeon on Leadership, p. 81
2Michael, p. 121
3Michael, p. 62
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