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Hebrews 9:11–14
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
When I was a kid, I remember the first color TV my family owned. It was a big bubble of a screen encased in a large wooden cabinet that took up quite a bit of space in our living room, but my dad loved it. However, it wasn’t long before a new model came out that was slimmer and took up less space and my dad bought that one (my dad liked new TVs). So it went down through the years until he bought his first flat-screen TV. I remember my dad comparing his new 45-inch flat-screen TV to his first color TV and I asked him if he would like to go back to the old TV. With a big grin on his face, he said, “Never.”
The point that Hebrews has been making for some time now is that through Jesus the new covenant has arrived and it’s surpassingly better in every way. Through Jesus and His perfect atoning sacrificial death on the cross, the way is now open for us to come into the very presence of God.
Jesus’ sacrifice doesn’t just scratch the surface of our sinfulness; it purifies us down to the core, washing us clean so that we can serve the living God with reckless joy.
The Tabernacle and Temple can’t compare to what Jesus has accomplished and the new covenant established in His blood is better in every way.
Why would we want to go back?
And yet most of us have those moments and stretches of time where we forget our freedom and joy in Christ.
We hold onto rules and regulations, we think we need to justify ourselves before the Lord, or we let past guilt and fears drive us.
Paul, speaking to this concern for the Galatian believers, declared, For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5.1).
Is there anything in your life that is holding you back from living in relationship with and serving the living God with reckless joy?
God bless you and know that I am praying for you constantly.
Scott
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