DAY #325: Hebrews 10:1-39

The old system in the law of Moses simply offered a shadow of what was coming. The daily and yearly repetition of the sacrifices reminded the people of their sins, and taught them that it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Animal sacrifices provided only a temporary way to deal with sin until Jesus would come to deal with sin permanently.

Although sacrifices were necessary to pay the price of sin, in many places in the Bible, God revealed that he didn’t want the sacrifices of a person whose heart was not right. God wanted his people to obey him. The sacrifices were necessary, however, because the people did not live up to the regulations that God had given them.

Applying to Christ the words of Psalm 40:6-8, Christ came to offer his body on the cross for us as a sacrifice that is completely acceptable to God. God’s new and living way for us to please him comes not by keeping laws or even by abstaining from sin, but by turning to him in faith for forgiveness and then following him in loving obedience. This was what set Christ’s sacrifice apart. He followed God’s will, obeyed him, and offered the perfect sacrifice of perfect obedience.
The entire Old Testament (the Scriptures) had written about Christ and his coming. The law and the sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come. Christ fulfilled the law as well as the prophecies that announced the coming of the new covenant.

God wants his people to be made holy. The God of Israel and of the Christian church is holy—he sets the standard for morality. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use, and set apart from sin and its influence. Holiness comes from a sincere desire to obey God and from wholehearted devotion to him. God’s qualities make us different. A follower of Christ becomes “holy” (sanctified) by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us his Holy Spirit to help us obey him and to give us power to overcome sin.

Here again is the point of once again; the priests had to offer sacrifices day after day. These sacrifices could never take away sins. By contrast, our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. The sacrificial system couldn’t completely remove sin; Christ’s sacrifice did so. Christ now sits at God’s right hand. He is able to sit because his sacrifice was completely sufficient to take care of sin.

Although we are made holy when we accept Christ as Savior, God is also continually making us holy. In Christ, we are free from the penalty of sin (judgment) and the power of sin (compulsion to sin, death). But while still alive on earth, we are not free from the presence of sin (temptations) and the possibility of sin (failures). We are saved by God’s grace, but we still need to grow. We can encourage this growth process by deliberately applying Scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the discipline and guidance Christ provides, and by giving God control of our desires and goals.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

What's the response God would have me make as a result of what Christ has done for me? Change. Obey. Love. Sacrifice. Serve. Worship. Share.

The Bible says this “From the very beginning God decided that those who came to Him, and He knew who would, should become like His Son.” God says, His goal for us, before He even made us, is that we'll grow up and become His Son, Jesus Christ.

But don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. He’s not saying you’re going to grow up and become god. You’re never going to be a god. Not even a little teeny, tiny, itty-bitty God. You’re human and you’re not a god. If you were a god you could solve all your problems. You’re not god. But God says I want you to grow up and become godly. I want you to love the way I love and I want you to think the way I think and I want you to feel the way I feel and I want you to act the way I made you to act. The model of that is Jesus Christ. “God wants us to grow up like Christ in everything.”

What does that mean? For me to become like Christ? Does it mean that I lose my personality? No. Does it mean that I become some kind of religious nut? No. Does it mean I go join a monastery and talk about blessings all the time? No.

Actually to become like Jesus Christ means to become fully alive. The most fully alive person who ever lived was Jesus Christ. The Bible says this, Jesus said, “I came to give you life in all its fullness.” Jesus didn’t say I came to give you religion. He wasn’t in to religion. He said I came to give you life in all its fullness. When you love like Jesus loves you’re going to have better relationships. When you live like Jesus lives you’re going to have fewer problems. When you think the way Jesus thinks you’re going to have less stress and worry. When you do what Jesus did you’re going to have more peace in your heart. When you love and do all these things the way He made you to do, life is going to be at a higher level.

You don’t become more religious when you become like Christ. You become more human. You become what God made you to be – fully alive to the glory of God. Learning how to think and act and speak and love and share and serve the way Jesus did. To become like Christ.

You say, that seems like an impossible goal. How in the world do I do that? Do I go to a meeting and I get changed? No. Do I take a pill? No. Do I do some kind of seminar? No.

It’s a process. And the process is going to take your entire life. It’s not an easy process. Learning to think less about yourself and more about others. Learning to see things less from your viewpoint and more the way God sees it. It’s going to take your entire life.

That process in the Bible is called discipleship. You may have heard of that word, you may have not. Discipleship is the process of becoming like Jesus Christ. It is God’s goal for your life. When will you start?