Called to Gather, Pray, and Worship
Revelation 3:19-21
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Pondering Point
The blessing people zero in on here may be the right to sit with Jesus in heaven – surely a blessing! But there is a prior blessing too: Having Jesus come in and eat with you now.
Every rebuke of Jesus, discipline, or call to repent is oriented toward this blessing: A call to be with Jesus now, not just later! He wants to fellowship with you. Reconcile my friend – reconcile. Hear His voice and open the door!
Christ’s New Covenant
Sacrifice for us
Hebrews 10:1-10
In working through Hebrews 10:1-10, it does not have the feel of a story being told. But notice in the middle section that Jesus is being given a voice as to why He came (as a man). That is our story. From Jesus’ perspective, the first (or old) covenant is giving way to the second (or new) covenant. In the old covenant, God’s people were the ones making the sacrifices, performed through the priests. God put many laws in place to manage this sacrificial system. In the new covenant, God Himself is making the sacrifice through the person of Jesus, God-in-the-flesh. He is both the sacrifice and the priest performing the sacrifice. God does ALL of the work to provide atonement (i.e. forgiveness).
Notice the language of Hebrews 10:5 and following. It wasn’t the sacrifices that God was interested in. It was way more about following God’s will. God’s will is that we are holy as He is holy. But we don’t become holy by our actions. Even our holy actions don’t make up for our other ‘unholy’ or sinful actions. The people of God are made holy through Jesus’ act of sacrifice.
This is the reality God wants His hearers to figure out.
Hebrews 10:1-10
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
~ Hebrews 10:10
1 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. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Prayer for the Week
Recognize before God that your ability to become holy and righteous required the sacrificial death of Jesus. Own the gravity of your sin and its impact. Confess any sins you can think of. Then, with a renewed appreciation for Jesus as your Savior, share a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s grace.