Jesus gives us full access to God through His once and for all sacrifice. The sacrifice had been made. Atonement is complete. We have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus. And so we draw into the presence of God with complete and total confidence in Jesus. Our hope is Jesus. Our life now and into the future is in Jesus. For the work of Jesus gives us full and complete access to God. And now our life individually and collectively flows out of this work of Jesus as we believe, as we do life together encouraging one another, and as we meet together. This doesn’t mean that life is always going to be easy. This doesn’t mean there will be no suffering. But it does mean that we, as people who have been bought and redeemed by Christ the crucified, can come before God with boldness and confidence all because of Jesus.
The sacrifice of Jesus was once and for all that we might be freed to serve God. The Levitical Law is quite clear. It is explicit and even gory at times. When sin happens, blood must be shed. Based upon the circumstance or the particularities involved this might look different, but one thing remained, the sin: the wages of sin was death whether it be a bird or lamb or calf or even a person. It seemed to be a never-ending cycle. One would go and make atonement for one’s sins with a sacrifice. Life would get restored, then you would mess up again. You would go back and make a sacrifice again. It was a never-ending cycle of sin and sacrifices to cover those sins. Then Jesus steps in as the sacrificial lamb. He is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the whole world. So, He made the sacrifice. He opened the curtain. He made access for us to come before God. So, if we sin again does Jesus have to die again? Do we need to keep sacrificing animals? No and No! The sacrifice of Jesus was once and for all that we might be freed to serve God. Jesus gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice doing what only Jesus could do.
There are many things in life that vie for our attention, our minds, and our hearts. There are many things in life that can so easily distract us. There are situations that rock us to the very core leading us to question absolutely everything. So what is it that gets us through? What is it that keeps us on the straight and narrow? What is it that keeps us grounded in who we are and whose we are? According to the author of Hebrews it is ONLY Jesus. He is the Anchor for our soul. He shows us the absolute faithfulness of God. He shows us grace and forgiveness when we fall short of the glory of God. He is there with us each and every step of the way. Christ is our Anchor through all the twists and turns of life.
The author of Hebrews defines the task of the High Priest as the One “chosen from among men… appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” The high priest was to present God to the people and people to God. He was to teach the people about who God was, what he had done for them, and what God desires of His people. The high priest intercedes on behalf of the people to God. Aaron was the first high priest tasked with this important task after the Exodus. There was then a long line of high priests, some good, some bad. Now Hebrews tell us that Jesus is the new high priest and He goes on behalf of the people before the Father. Jesus is the One who through His personal sacrifice made it possible to come before God. Jesus continues His work interceding before the Father on our behalf. He knows us and knows what it is like to be us and so He can sympathize with us. Jesus is our great high priest. There is no need for any other.
They have power to kill and to make alive. With a word, God spoke creation into place. With a word, Lazarus was brought forth from the tomb alive. Words are powerful. God’s Word is even more powerful. As the author of Hebrews is describing the word of God, he says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)” The word of God works. It accomplishes its purpose. It can see between the lines. It can pierce through even the hardest hearts and minds. God’s word is a force to be reckoned with. It is God’s Word that works to bring us from unbelief to belief, death to life. God’s Word is our life and salvation.
There was an old Saturday Night Live skit about Mike Ditka, the iconic coach of the Chicago Bears. For Chicago sports fans, Ditka was larger than life and adored by many. In this skit, there is a rolling discussion about how great Ditka was. They would debate who was greater. Ditka or a train. Ditka or a hurricane. And so on. And the obvious answer regardless of the opponents was Ditka every time. In many ways, this was how the Jewish people felt about Moses. Moses versus anyone or anything and Moses was going to win every time hands down. He was the hero above all other heroes. He was the greatest and best the Old Testament had to offer. He was the one everyone looked up to. But now the author of Hebrews dares to compare Jesus to Moses and the conclusion is that Jesus is like Moses but even greater than Moses. Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses. Jesus is over all of God’s house. Jesus led ALL people out of slavery to sin as opposed to just leading Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Jesus was the One promised by Moses, who was Moses 2.0, even greater than Moses himself.
I remember as a kid getting excited when a new Super Mario Bros. was going to come out or the new baseball game. It was exciting. The anticipation was palpable. You couldn’t wait for the new game that was going to be bigger and better than the last one. Sure there was going to be the same cast of characters and the basic tenets of the game were not going to change that much, but you knew when the next one came out it was going to be bigger and better than the last one. The graphics would be better. The game would be more fun. In the same way, Jesus, we are told, is just like us. He was born of Mary just like we were born from our mothers. He knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty, to grieve and to be happy, to be sought after and to grieve. He was tried and tempted in every way just like we are. Yet there is one key difference: Jesus is God. So, when He was tempted, He never gave in. And yet the author of Hebrews wants to make very clear to us that for Jesus to be the author of salvation, He had to be just like us but better. He had to be one of us to save us. He had to taste death that we might have life. Jesus experienced all the things we experience so that we might be saved by Him.
There is no need for a middleman, for Jesus is God in the flesh. Focus: If you have ever bought a car, you know what a middleman is. The middleman is the person you meet that you are talking to and trying to make a deal with but can’t ever be the one to make any decision. So, you talk to him/her, and they go talk to the manager. Then they talk to the manager then come back to talk to you. You tell them something and the response is, “I’ve got to talk to my manager about this.” After a while you just want to get up and yell, “just bring your manager out here or someone who can actually do something.” Middlemen can be very frustrating. As great and nice and even as responsible as they may be, they are no substitute for the real thing. The book of Hebrews opens by telling us that with Jesus there is no middleman between us and God. Jesus is the real thing. He is God in the flesh. And salvation is ours because of Jesus. Instead of looking for life and salvation in all the wrong places, cut out the middleman and come to Jesus. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
Let’s be honest, we have short memories. We easily forget how good the Lord has been at every step of our journey in life. It is especially easy to forget the blessing of the Lord when death becomes the next step. It is at this moment that we need to be assured that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Join us on as we look to Jesus for assurance when we reach the end of the road.
The modern concept of retirement cannot be found anywhere in Scripture. Instead, God’s Word reveals spiritual gifts that the Lord gives, takes away, and replaces with other gifts. This process continues for our entire life. Whether you are young or old, rich, or poor, healthy or sick, working or retired, how has God gifted you today for His purpose? Join us to be reminded that no matter where you are at in life, God has a plan and purpose for you.