Scripture

For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once or all time.

Observation

Christ came into the world to take away our sins. He said to God,” You do not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. I will offer my body. I have come to do your will, O God.”

Christ cancels the first covenant, the covenant of Moses, in order to bring a new covenant into effect. Gods will is for all of us to be made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Application

Jesus came with the sole mission of dying to atone for the sins of all people.

His death is good enough for my sins and for yours. There is no expiry date on His sacrifice.

There is nothing we can add to this sacrifice. It is good for all people for all time. There will never be another Jesus, another atoning sacrifice.

We are made holy by the sacrifice, not by our good deeds. It is all grace from God.

We are not made right by offering sacrifices nor by observing the Jewish festivals. These things have been done away with forever.

Now there is only one sacrifice that puts us right with God – that of Jesus our Lord.

Prayer

Hallelujah! Lord, you have liberated me from bondage to sin and to law. You make us holy by your own sacrifice. Thank you. Amen

Scripture

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Observation

Faith is being certain of what we hope for, sure of what we do not see. Faith tells us that God created the universe. Faith gave Abel a better sacrifice and lifted Enoch to heaven.

Noah built an ark by faith, and Abraham followed God to a foreign country by faith. By faith Abraham fathered a nation.

Application

Faith is central to our relationship with God.

We must first of all believe that He exists. This is not an intellectual exercise that says there must be a God. No, true faith is a deep trust- I believe that the God of the Bible is real and that He is the one true God.

Faith is an issue of trust or commitment. I commit my whole life into the simple fact that God is here and He controls my living and my dying.

Secondly, faith is built on the belief that He rewards those who seek Him.

We are saved by faith in Christ. That faith tells me that God is good and that He is passionately committed to me. I trust that when I stand before Him, the blood of Christ will protect me from His holy wrath. My sins have been washed away by the blood- they were scarlet but now I am like the snow.

Because I know that He loves me, I can approach boldly the throne of grace. I can come into His presence and ask for the things that I need and the concerns of my heart.

God is good, and I know that He will never disappoint me.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the gift of faith. It is by faith that I am saved and by faith I am delivered, healed, renewed and redeemed. Thank you Lord for your great grace. Amen.

Scripture

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as we see the Day coming.

Observation

Priests offer sacrifices over and over, but Christ our High Priest offered the one perfect sacrifice and then sat down at God’s right hand. This one sacrifice atoned for all sin and so there is no longer any need for sacrifices.

Therefore we have confidence to enter the Holy Place knowing that our hearts and consciences have been made clean. We should spur one another on to good deeds, continuing to meet together to encourage one another.

Application

There is a wrong belief amongst some people that we don’t need church to walk with Jesus. Apparently that belief was there from the beginning, but in our increasingly individualistic and fragmented society it is becoming more common.

On the one hand, the New Testament reassures us that we have the Holy Spirit and don’t need anyone to teach us the ways of the Lord. On the other hand, the New Testament also emphasises frequently the corporate nature of the church which is described as the Body of Christ,

We need each other to ensure that we keep growing in Christ. We need each other to complement one another’s spiritual gifts. When we are left to our own devices it is easy to be deceived into believing that we are doing well. When we meet together the exuberance of others might encourage us to go deeper in Christ. Seeing others grow in the Lord can encourage us to see that we have more to learn, more to repent, more to grow.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for the church, the Body of Christ in the world. Help me to be an encourager to my fellow christians and to be encouraged by them. Amen.

Scripture

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.

Observation

This passage compares the high priesthood of Christ in the new covenant with the high priests of the old covenant.

Christ came into the world as high priest through the heavenly “tabernacle” not through one made by human hands. His own perfect blood is the sacrifice that cleanses. His blood cleanses our consciences, and not just the outward appearance. The result is that we are set free from acts that lead to death and enabled to serve the living God.

Application

There is a tendency amongst some christians to want to in some way go back to the sacrifices, ceremonies and worship laid out in the Law of Moses. They argue that by following these practices which were ordained by God, they are in some way superior to those who do not follow them.

The writer of “Hebrews”, though, paints a very different picture. The tabernacle, the sacrifices and the cleansing blood of the Old Testament Law have been replaced by the perfect offering of Jesus. Even the tabernacle that He passed through was better, being heavenly not earthly. The blood he offered was perfect and can cleanse us from sin and not just the outward actions of sin.

In Christ we have all we need to be reconciled to God and empowered to be His servants. We are the royal priesthood, because we serve the greatest High Priest.

Everything in the Old Testament was a picture of the reality to come. Let us not confuse the picture with the living reality.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for coming into this world as the perfect sacrifice for all the sins of mankind. Thank you for dying for me and setting me free to serve you. Amen.

Scripture

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest sword, cutting between soul and spirit, joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Observation

God’s word is powerful and alive. It exposes our secret thoughts and desires. Nothing is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed to Him.

Jesus is our High Priest in heaven. Having faced every temptation but remaining sinless, He understands our struggles. Now we can come boldly into God’s presence and find mercy and grace.

Application

The word of God is alive. The Bible is not some dusty old book that is out of date. It speaks to us because it is God’s timeless word. It brings conviction of sin and revelation of grace.

The word of God is powerful because it transforms lives of individuals and nations. As people are impacted by the word, their consciences are awakened to see how the world can be made a better place, more reflective of God’s kingdom.

The word of God is sharp. It gets right into our soul and spirit. It brings life to our spirit, empowering our relationship with Jesus. It rebukes our soul, convicting and cleansing us of sin.

The word of God exposes our secret thoughts and desires. We can put on a “holy” exterior that impresses people. But God looks at the heart, at what is going on inside us where nobody else can see. The word confronts our secret desires- both good and bad- and brings them to the surface.

To fully allow the word of God to have its full power in our lives, we need to read it in prayerful reverence, allowing the Holy Spirit to highlight words and sentences that we need to examine.

Prayer

Lord God, please help me to read your word regularly, prayerfully and attentively so that you can change my heart. Amen.