"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming-not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship." Hebrews 10:1
Hebrews 10:1-18; 11:1-3: 12:1-3
Do you realize the magnitude and wonder, the incredible gift beyond measure that we have by our Lord's work and sacrifice?
Key point: We are given a prize that only one high priest was able to have only once a year for a brief point of time--to be in God's presence. We have grace, forgiveness, and a personal relationship with God the Creator and Savior. We have life and purpose, meaning and hope! We are indeed fortunate to have this, and by no work or effort of our own. The question is what we are doing with Christ in us so He is shown outside of us? So go, and be trusting of His wonder, faithful to His plan and precepts, and know Him more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10)!
Christ is our Sacrifice and offering. God desires us to be transformed agents of His Work and Word!
Jesus showed His love by taking our place for the just wrath and punishment of our sins. He kindly took our interests over His and paid that ultimate price through His sinless life and His sacrifice on our behalf. The Love of God takes the initiative, as He did with us, and fosters the Fruit of the Spirit and brotherly love that must empower the Christian life and be the beacon for the life of a church! If not, what good was that sacrifice!
What Jesus did was cancel the old Covenant and gives us the New Covenant is effectual and that we most desperately need.
Christ's sacrifice is continual and never ever needs to be repeated or have anything added to it. He will never leave us or forsake us! We have a Savior, God who is here, Who cares, and Who is Holy. Who gives us great comfort. The Holy Spirit also testifies to this and will pour out Himself to us, too, so that Christ does, indeed, dwell within us. God will not even remember our evil deeds; they are covered by His deeds of atonement and love. We will be able to live for Him and obey Him from a willing heart because we have been redeemed and forgiven!
The Creator of the universe lowered Himself like the created beings He made who were filled will flaws and sin, and who needed redemption.
A journey was made filled with countless sufferings and an eventual death, on behalf of a humanity that neither asked for it nor could do it for themselves. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ was the supreme act of proving who He is and what He can do for us (Acts 2:24; 17:31; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11,20; 54-57)!
The ultimate victory has come: Jesus Christ is risen; He is risen indeed! Halleluiah! Christ's agony and death now turn into victory--our ultimate triumph!
Do you fully realize what Jesus did for you? Christ took this punishment for us; our fears (as in scared to death, not fear as in reverence to Him) have been borne on the cross, while the fear and awe of our Lord and Savior helps us see what He did for us (Prov. 3:5)! Every time we sin, we incur greater guilt, and we deserve punishment (Gen. 3:1-24; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:1-11; 3:10-26; 5:12-19; Titus 1:15; James 1:12-15; 1 John 1:8-10).
Jesus's agony turned into victory and became our triumph! Furthermore, the incredible miracle here is that we are set free by His work on the cross, by His death and resurrection (Rom. 5:10; 6:22). We have salvation by Jesus' sacrificial death (John 19:30). Now how will you live your life?
The life, work, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus provided us with life eternal, ultimate hope, great meaning for our lives, AND immediate relief from our complete and every sin by our faith in Him through the grace of God. By the blood and body and new life of Jesus Christ, He has removed the barriers to God Our Father so that we may be in right relationship with Him.
We are chosen by God and by God alone for our Christian journey, because we are not at our final destination. Rather, each of us is in a process in life and faith. As long as we have breath, God is not finished with us yet; He is still at work in you. He deeply loves you, and He wants you to draw ever so nearer to Him. We need to avoid slipping into unbelief and cynicism just because we can't wrap our minds around it or because we are disappointed. Yet, this is where we all can easily live, because life can be so hard and confusing. We can learn from it--no matter what. We can have joy! We praise Him for His guidance from His Word and Holy Spirit. As we walk in Christ, we can always know God was the One who created us to walk and continues to teach us! "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." (Phil. 1:6)
Through what Christ did, we are justified and can go directly to God without sacrificing or needing the mediation of a priest. We are able to have our prayers heard, our journey of life known, and be assured we have a God who truly loves us and cares for us beyond our comprehension. (John 11:25-26; Romans 4:25, 6; 1 Corinthians 15:17; Ephesians 1:18--2:10; Colossians 2:9-15; 3:1-4)!
The question is what we are doing with Christ in us so He is shown outside of us? So go, and be trusting of His wonder, faithful to His plan and precepts, and know Him more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10)!
Christ's sufficiency and the importance of His sacrifice is all that is needed and it is complete.
God now forgives our sins based on the Person and Work of the Son; no more using rituals and sacrifices for atonement when Christ is sufficient and fulfills it all. This is the crux of the argument in the Book of Hebrews to the Jewish Christian audience who wanted to leave Christianity and go back to the old system. That would be foolish because we have so much more now; it is better beyond our situation or thinking (Isa. 53; Ezek. 40:39; 42:13; 43:18-27; 44:29; Heb. 8:6-13).
Salvation is not by birth or lineage. Salvation does not come from tradition or our good works. Salvation is only by what God has done and by the faith He gives us in Jesus Christ through the grace of God. Christ had to intervene in history and in us personally.
Take this key point to heart and into the streets of your life: God is the God of promises. God made promises, and God keeps His promises!
The people in your church need desperately hope beyond all hope, reason, and purpose! We have faith that is deeper and wider than we could ever imagine, a gift that we did not earn or deserve. Jesus the King, who was also the son of David and the son of Abraham, fulfilled that promise and demonstrated this faith! In addition, when you accepted Him, you became part of the promise and faith fulfilled.
Do you realize we have The Living Christ inside of us here and now! We have grace, forgiveness, and a personal relationship with God the Creator and Savior. We have life and purpose, meaning and hope! We are indeed fortunate to have this, and we have this by no work or effort of our own.
What are we doing with Christ in us so He is shown outside of us? (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10)!
How is your personal relationship with Christ? How do you show in your life, will, mind, and attitude that Christ is your Priest and Lord, and that you know He is the One we go to? He knows us intimately and asks us to do the same with Him--know Him more. How do you do this now? How can you even more so? This is what will help you grow spiritually and enable you to survive and even thrive, through the hard times of life and loss as well as the jubilations, and still be content. Knowing God is a contract, God declares an agreement, but also a personal call to each person that He is a God that loves and cares; He wants to form and mold us further with Him so we can be our best for His glory.
A mature Christian seeks from God: how I can know you more? An immature Christian seeks just what he or she can get from Him.
© 2016 R.J. Krejcir, Ph.D., Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org/