Jesus Is Better By Pete BriscoeSample

### What’s Better About Jesus? Why sell farming equipment to farmers? I should cut out the middleman and sell tractors directly to people dining in restaurants. – Jarod Kintz, This Book Is Not for Sale There are times when using a middleman makes sense—it not only works well, but also works best. But there are other instances when eliminating the middleman offers opportunity for something better. We’ve agreed that Melchizedek is better than Abraham, Jesus is better than the Levites, and grace is better than law. But we also noted that many believers live more like Old Testament Jews than New Testament Christians. What does it mean to choose the law over Jesus? The law and the Levitical priesthood went hand in hand. The law’s purpose was to show you just how far you were from God’s standard of perfection. No matter how hard you tried, failure was inevitable. As failure increased, so increased your desperation for righteousness and peace with God. Enter the Levitical priesthood. Sinners who recognized their own sin could ask the priest to offer an animal on their behalf. This sacrifice said to God, “I’m sorry and need your forgiveness.” It was a way for God’s people to connect to Him, even when they fell short of His perfection. Yet through the law, perfection never came. Instead, it remained a cycle of sin and sacrifice—never becoming a permanent remedy that transformed the cesspool of sin into a mountain stream. So there was a change in the priesthood—Jesus. And… when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also (Hebrews 7:12). * With Jesus… there were no more middleman priests; the Lord is now our forever priest. * With Jesus… there are no more cyclical sacrifices; Jesus is our final sacrifice. * With Jesus… we are no longer seen as cesspools of sin. Jesus is Living Water who invites us to come in, be washed clean, and experience His life. In Christ, we have direct access to God. He is no longer hidden—no longer once removed by intercessory priests. Instead, He is revealed and accessible. Jesus, I stand in the presence of the Father, filled with the life of Your Spirit because You—my forever priest—have cleared the way. May I access our intimacy daily—whether in prayer or study, dinner with friends, or singing loudly during my commute. Amen.