“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” – Isaiah 53:5,6 

Scripture reading: Isaiah 53:1-6

On this third Lord’s Day of the New Year, we are called to worship the Almighty in His house of prayer in the midst of His people. What do we need there? We need a listening ear to hear God’s Word, we need to focus our attention on the prayers offered, we need to sing God’s praise (even if our voice is just a joyful noise), and we need to give our thank offerings. One thing we do not need, however, is a human priest.

We true Christians have but one priest; He is Jesus, the divine Son of God, our great High Priest of the New Covenant. As Isaiah prophesied, he gave Himself in His perfect

sacrifice, once offered on Calvary’s cross. There He bore the weight of our sins by providing a totally worthy sacrifice.

May your time at worship this day clearly remind you that we stand represented by Jesus, the Christ of God, our only High Priest. We need no further sacrifice for sin, for Jesus paid it all. Let us thank God this day and every day that His love toward us, His people, is so great that He sent His Son to be our priest, the one to represent us, to stand in our place and to die that we might live.

In faith and with heartfelt prayer, offer to God this day in worship your full trust in His saving grace and in the all sufficient merits of Christ. He alone is our priest and sacrifice together in His One Person.

Suggestions for prayer

Ask the Lord to open the spiritual eyes of those who think they need a human priest to intercede for them. Pray that the Lord will direct you to find all that you need in His Son, our great and only High Priest.

Rev. Gregg V. Martin was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 1977. In his years of service, he pastored a total of five congregations in three Canadian provinces. He also served for more than seven years in Latin America as a missionary providing leadership training in Reformed mission churches. He is presently retired and living in Toronto. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.