A prophet comes out from God to speak for God to man. A priest comes out from man to go to God to speak for man to God and to represent man. You see, the Lord Jesus is both prophet and priest. He came out from God and spoke for God to man. He reveals God to man. Now He goes from man back to God and is our great High Priest. He represents us there. In fact, we’re in Him. And, my friend, if you’re not in Him, you’re not up there, because you and I could never get there on our own.

We’re to stay very close to Christ for peace of conscience and power over temptation. My Christian friend today, stay close to Him. That’s the thing that’s all important. He only gives peace to those that are His own. And He only gives it to His own who have entered into this glorious, wonderful fellowship with Him—that look to Him, rest upon Him. Oh, when you find Christ adequate and wonderful, then the peace of God that passeth all understanding is going to enter into your heart.

I find that when we’re told that we’re to offer ourselves a living sacrifice unto God, that’s the hardest kind of make, because when you crawl upon the altar and the fire gets hot, I crawl off. I don’t know about you. I find a lot of folk do that. But it was only the Lord Jesus; He could say, “I do always the things that please Him.” I wish I could say that. I’m afraid you can’t say it. But the Lord Jesus could. But that’s a challenge to every believer today, because God delights in the continual obedience of His children. This is, I think, real food for God. What love and obedience.

You and I have a High Priest that is in heaven today, and He’s as busy as He can be. Now when He says He sat down, it means that His redemption was complete. It’s just the same as when it says God rested on the seventh day. He wasn’t tired. The Lord Jesus didn’t sit down up there to do nothing. He’s busier today than He’s ever been. He died down here to save us; He lives up yonder to keep us saved. And you and I ought to keep in touch with Him. This is reality. This is spiritual. The trouble today is we’re out of touch with the living Christ, and He’s no longer a reality to us.

You remember the Lord Jesus on the cross cried, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” On the cross, Christ became sin for us. But He was holy. God withdrew from Him; yet God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Let me say this and let’s not let it out because some folk think I know the answer to all these questions, but I don’t. May I say, I don’t know. I don’t understand this. This is a great mystery. He was holy and my sin was put upon Him. And, my friend, He’s still holy. You and I will never know what He suffered there on the cross because He’s holy and you and I are not.

Religion can never satisfy the heart or meet the holy requirements of God. Only the death of Christ on the cross can give us forgiveness of sin. It took that. We’re sinners by nature. We’re not fit for heaven. And if God consigned this entire world into a lost eternity, He’s righteous and good. But thank God He didn’t do that. Oh, my friend today, if you’ve never turned to Him and trusted Christ. See that He’s adequate. See that He meets the deep need of your heart and your soul.

My friend, the thing for you to understand and for me to understand that when Christ forgives your sin, He forgives you, friend. Nothing more to be said about it. He has put it in the bottom of the sea, and it will never be remembered any more. He settles the sin question. That’ll get rid of your guilt complex. Somebody says, “Oh, I wonder if He’s forgiven?” Oh, my friend, He took it all away. He took it all away. This was the remedy, you see, for the conviction of sin, and the only one that could satisfy the mind and heart—and when you come to Christ and see Him, you’ll find Him adequate.

Christ is the only One, friends, who can break down the walls today that are separating individuals; that separate families; that separate races; that separate religions; that separate nations. All are made one in Christ. Then they become a habitation of God in the Spirit and they have access to the Father. You see, only believers can join together in partaking of the wonders, the beauties, and the glories of Christ. And they can have, through that, communion with the Father and fellowship one with another as they share the things of Christ.

It’s what God saw in Christ—the sweetness that came out under pressure. Now sometimes today sweetness doesn’t come out of us under pressure. But the more tension upon Him the sweeter He was, and the Lord Jesus made this statement, “And He that sent me,” He says, “is with Me. The Father hath not left Me alone, for I do always those things that please Him.” And, therefore, believers have the high privilege of sharing Christ, you see, with God the Father. It’s what God sees in Christ. But what do you see in Him? Is there sweetness about Him? Have you smelled the sweetness and the fragrance of His life?

It’s rather amusing to hear about these peaceful demonstrations, and they all end up in a brawl. Man today, he’s trying to perfect some very fiendish instruments of frightful destruction. That’s not the goal of man. God has another purpose and another thing in view for man. And if you want to see what He’s got in mind, look at Jesus. Here’s the man who pleased God. There was a glory in His manhood. The loveliness of Jesus was truly a sweet perfume. His coming was a doxology. His stay was a blessing. His departure was a benediction. And His winsomeness has filled the world with a new hope and an ideal concerning man.