A Word from
Pastor Joe...
'The High Priest Has Been Replaced'
Dear Friends,
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was to bring 2 goats before the Lord and then cast lots to determine which goat would be sacrificed and which would be the “scapegoat.”
“Scapegoat” is a term still in use today. The dictionary’s definition is: "one who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others…"
In the temple on this day, the High Priest would kill the one goat that the lot casting had identified as the sacrificial one and offer it to God for the sins of the people. Then, he would take the living goat, place his hands on the goat’s head, and recite over it all the sins of the people for the year, symbolically passing the sins onto the animal. This goat was then sent away, escorted out of the city by someone to ensure he did not return.
The two goats foreshadow two aspects of what Christ’s death and resurrection accomplished.
The first goat was sacrificed because God said, Hebrews 9:22 … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The second goat, and the fact that he carried the sins away, prefigured the fact that when God forgives because of Jesus’s atonement for us, our sins are taken away. In John 1:29, John the baptizer said, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
How far does He take it from us?
Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. Notice that the psalmist did not say he removes our transgressions as far as the north is from the south, for that is a fixed distance. But, how far is the east from the west? You can keep going away to the east or the west, but You never get to a point where you can say you have arrived. Jesus is the highest of the High Priests now. His work alone is what appeased the Father. And we know His sacrifice was acceptable because Jesus is alive! Just as at the temple, had there been something amiss in the sacrifice of Atonement, the priest would not have come out alive.
Yes, the High Priest has been replaced. This is great news. Please share it with someone else.
Pastor Joe
About Our Pastor
1. Where were you born? I was born in Nassau, Bahamas
2. Describe your family. My family is a pet lover (mainly dogs) and the four boys play soccer.
3. Were you always a Presbyterian? My father was a Baptist preacher, but later in life chose to be a Presbyterian.
4. What is your fondest childhood memory? I remember my dad teaching me how to swim and ride a motorcycle.
5. What did/do you do for a living? My first paying job was picking oranges; it lasted one day. Then I worked for Denny’s restaurant for seven years while I was attending college. Meanwhile, I also tried to sell life insurance and used cars which lasted about four months.
6. What do you like to do with your leisure time? Besides being around my family, I enjoy lifting weights, running, riding a motorcycle, playing soccer, traveling, playing guitar and washing fast car movies.
7. Is there anything left on your bucket list that you wish to do? I would like to eat sea food in every country.
8. Is there something that most people don’t know about you? I am an open-book.
9. What will your tombstone say about you? Well done “HAPPY”, faithful servant.