The past month I have been preaching through Isaiah 53 and just finished what turned into a four part series last Sunday. It was a wonderful study exploring the details of our Lord's suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation written down 700 years before any of them came to be. (If you are looking for proof of the inspiration of Scripture, there you go! Only the Spirit of God can write of the future in such detail that many years ahead. Man can't accurately predict what the weather will be like tomorrow and that is from watching patterns.) The very last statement of this song or poem really struck me. In speaking of the Messiah's exaltation, the prophet states, Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. Part of the Messiah's exalted work is to make intercession for the transgressors. While His pouring Himself out His soul to death, being numbered with the transgressors, and bearing the sin of many all are in the perfect tense in Hebrew, communicating a completed event in the past, the verb for make intercession is in the imperfect tense, indicating that it has not yet been completed. It is a work that the Messiah continues in His exalted state. The New Testament speaks of this continual intercessory work of Jesus as well. Paul mentions Jesus being the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:34). And the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (7:25). This work of intercession is one that I don't think that believers ponder enough but would serve as a great encouragement to us.
Take a moment to reflect on the point that Jesus is praying for you at this very moment? Isn’t that an encouraging thought? In the midst of our weakness and struggles, our very Savior who bore our sins upon Himself and took the punishment for them is speaking to the Father on our behalf. When you can’t find the words to pray, and who of us haven’t been there, Jesus continues to intercede for us. When we are negligent in our praying, Jesus is never negligent in bringing our needs to the Father. Young Scottish Pastor Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne put it this way, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” If we were more aware of this throughout our day, how much more confidence in our Christian walk would we have? Let me encourage you to remind yourself of this very thing. That Jesus is praying for you. See if that doesn’t strengthen your faith and help you better get through whatever it is that you are going through right now. And, of course, the Father will always answer Jesus' prayers. There is never any reason to worry about that.
What specifically is Jesus’ praying for us you may wonder. One thing that we can be sure of that is included in those prayers is the forgiveness of our sins on the basis of His shed blood. Similar to what He prayed for the transgressors as He hung on the cross. The very first of those seven sayings that He uttered just before His death. When He cried out to God, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). As J. C. Ryle has said, "as soon as the blood of the Great Sacrifice began to flow, the Great High Priest began to intercede." Jesus continues to plead for the forgiveness of our sins on the basis of His shed blood. John alludes to this in his first letter when he writes, if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).
We have an enemy who continues to accuse us before God’s throne. Who constantly brings up our sins to the Father. But we have an Advocate in Jesus who keeps reminding the Father that He has paid the price for every single one of our sins. Who continually pleads for our acquittal. That’s part of His intercessory work that Isaiah prophetically draws our attention to here. I can imagine Satan coming up to God and saying, “Did you just see what Your child did there? Did You notice that sinful thought? Hear that cross word? He deserves hell for that.” And then Jesus stepping up and pointing out that He experienced hell in the believer’s place and that the believer has been cleared of such.
We may find another hint of the content of Jesus' ongoing prayers for us in the prayer that He prayed for His disciples both then and now in His high priestly prayer of John 17 where He asked that the Father would keep them from the evil one (v. 15), sanctify them in His truth (vv. 17-19), and to make us all one as He and the Father are one (vv. 20-21). Such are prayers that we still very much need prayed for us today since we continue to face threats from the evil one, are not fully sanctified, and are not completely one as the members of the Trinity are with each other. In fact, none of these will be a reality for us until we get to glory. Hence, why we should be thankful for Jesus' prayer for them.
I think that Jesus is also praying for us like He did for Peter in Luke 22:32 that our faith will not fail. How else can anyone explain how a Christian’s faith, as much as it is tested and tried by the things of this world, will not fail and continues to hold fast to Jesus, even in the most difficult times? Wouldn’t it have to be due to Jesus’ praying for us? It certainly can’t be because of how strong it is on its own. If it wasn't for Jesus praying such, I'm convinced that none of us would be able to keep the faith.
So, fellow weary believer, take heart in the fact that your Savior is praying for you right now in the midst of whatever it is that you are going through. That He is bringing your needs before the Father as you read. That He is continually pleading with the Father for your forgiveness based on His sacrifice, your protection from Satan, your sanctification, our unity together, and for the perseverance in the faith and be comforted. If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
Love in Christ,
Lee
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