Identity Found in GodThe King and the Kingdom The King The King’s People The Kingdom on Earth The Law Living with the Attitude of Christ The King And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8 What flashes through your mind as you visualize a King? A flashy robe; a throne; a crown of jewels; fine dining; servants who wait on you hand and foot; a palace richly adorned with the best of the best. These descriptions definitely match the lifestyle of a king – those back in the Old Testament all the way to modern day kings. What are some other characteristics of a king? I looked up the question, “What are qualities of a good king?” and here are some things I found: calm and centered, decisive, hardworking, well spoken, wise, able to protect and maintain order, has personal integrity, just, fair, sets an example, achieves kingship by birthright. This sounds like the kind of person I would want to reign. The Israelites were so determined to seek someone to come and deliver them. They went through their share of kings, of a messiah – someone who would serve as a leader and savior of their group. Days, months, years, decades, centuries went by as their search continued. Human kings came and went. Then, just as God planned, from the line of David, the Messiah was born. Jesus Christ, the King of all kings, came to lead and save His people. This Messiah, born in the midst of hay and animals, entered the world with a power and authority that came straight from God. He fulfilled the prophecy that a descendent in the line of King David would be king, a king who would take charge and overthrow those who oppressed the people. Jesus was sent from heaven to save them. To be the one to accomplish what no earthly king had yet done – provide complete freedom. Character-wise, He fit the description – full of integrity, well-spoken, calm, centered, just, decisive. He knew His mission, and oh how He knew His Kingdom. He reigned with power and authority. What He didn’t do was maybe what they expected – come in, rally the troops and attack. His tactics were different. He was sovereign and wise, and there was power and strength in each word and move He made. He rightfully deserved the throne that was from the line of David, but His kingship was also, and more importantly, passed on to Him from God Himself. This King left His throne in heaven to establish His Kingdom on earth. Unfathomable! Our King of kings walked this earth, not in ornate jewels and a flashy robe. He didn’t demand to be waited on and pampered – in fact, it was quite the opposite. There was something different about Him. He washed other people’s feet. What a beautiful, pure and perfect example Jesus portrayed. He spoke of the law of His land, teaching and modeling how to behave. He knew what was needed, when it was needed to accomplish exactly what was needed to be done or said. He brought comfort and love. He brought a sense of security for those who followed Him. All of this was done in a way that looked different – in a Jesus kind of way. What kind of king are you allowing to rule in your life? There are many people, ways of life, or beliefs that can easily move in and take the place of King Jesus. Dig your way to your core and consider who or what you turn to for security? Consider the kind of king Jesus is – a king that looks like no worldly king, and yet He is our Messiah. Do you allow Him to reign in your life? Do you name Him and recognize that Jesus is the One? The One who knows best. Come and reign in us. Rule over our thoughts and ways. Your ways are better.
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Identity Found in GodThe High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven Living Confidently as the Forgiven Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart… Hebrews 10:19-20 Jay has mentioned how it was brought to his attention that any given person can consider all the characters of Winnie the Pooh and choose one they can identify with. Go ahead – give it a try. Who would you resemble? Christopher Robin? Tigger? Winnie the Pooh? Rabbit? Piglet? Kanga? Roo? What about Eeyore? Who would you be? Let’s take a closer look at Eeyore. It is said that he “has a bleak outlook on life and has never shown emotions such as joy or excitement”. Do you know people like that? Or maybe that describes you? I had to think of this as I considered what I should look like as one who has an advocate, who sacrificed His life for, who has full access to God, the Creator of all things, whose bad choices, sins, are completely forgive, who has a heavenly home to look forward to, and who has the Spirit of God living in them? Sometimes we may have all of that, yet still walk around like Eeyore! I’m guilty, I have had my Eeyore moments too. But, WOW! Seriously, what if we considered all that He has given and done for us. What should it look like? Ephesians 2:4-8 says this, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…” Now if you don’t get a skip in your step and a surge of joy in your spirit after reading that, read it again! Wrap your mind and heart around what this means. We were made alive in Christ. Maybe once we fully grasp this, we may be a little more like Tigger! Hebrews 10:19 mentions that “since we have confidence…”. Let’s stop there a moment to consider what it means to live with confidence. Confidence, by definition is to be sure of something, to have no doubt. This is different from having arrogance or selfish pride. Sometimes I wonder if we know how to be confident as this verse describes. There are some who hold back because of fear that others will see them as boasting or arrogant. Some come across as too much, seeming to brag and be self-righteous. This reminds me of a story about our boys. Our older one, Brady, had a lesson with our youngest, Jesse, in the difference of these two approaches. They changed the lyrics of the song, “Don’t worry, be happy,” to “Don’t brag, be humble”! Sometimes I hear Jesse singing that as he plays his Legos! Be assured, we CAN have confidence as this verse mentions – we CAN be sure without a doubt. Let’s finish the passage now, verses 19-23 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Every time I read that I feel like jumping up and doing a cartwheel – which I can’t do – so I won’t – but I sure do feel like it! Our High Priest has made the way. We can draw near to God, we are cleansed and washed with pure water! We can cling to His faithful promises. These are things we can be confident of, sure of. Brothers and sisters, these are truths we can find nowhere else! Hebrews 4:14-16 describes it again, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” We can approach the throne with confidence, where we will find mercy and grace and the strength we need. You see, we are alive in Christ, but we live in this messed up world. Things will be hurled at us that could send us straight into the pit of Eeyore. But, we don’t have to stay there! Be confident in your High Priest who understands the pain of this life. Have no doubt that you can go to your God and experience forgiveness, mercy, grace – all we need in our time of need. Live a life that reflects this Christ-like confidence of who you are as a forgiven, cleansed child of God! Take some time and visualize yourself confidently approaching the throne of God. Embrace Christ, your high-priest, who shed His blood, the Bread of Life who made a way – He is enough! You are forgiven! Live confidently as the forgiven! Identity Found in GodThe High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The Distractions Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves,and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:14 Have you ever had distractions in your life? Times when you’re going on your way, and something else catches your attention? Ok “Up” fans, you know, those are “squirrel” moments. And then all of a sudden you say, “Wait, what was I doing? Oh yeah…” I confess this happens to me more and more. I can offer many excuses, including old age. While some of the excuses may be legitimate reasons why my mind may shift from one place to another, the core of this distraction is the fact that I wasn’t 100% tuned into and focused on the first activity. We can look back and see the Israelites, the judges, kings, Pharisees, disciples, the followers of Jesus, who tended to get distracted over and over. Sometimes it didn’t take long for them to forget the direction they were heading. Other scenarios it happened gradually. I have to wonder how the Israelites lived the 364 days between one Day of Atonement to the next. I imagine they experienced some distractions. But when that Day of Atonement came around again, I bet they were reminded of where their focus should be. It's pretty easy to examine and even judge those we read about. But what about you and me? How focused are we on God in our lives? Are we able to stay on the course of living a life as God has called us? What are the squirrels on our path? What, or maybe who, distracts us, steals our attention away? Distractions are all around us. There’s no doubt that we can find other things to concentrate on, to spend time doing or thinking about. We are surrounded, in fact, we are drowning in a pool of distractions. Let’s stop for a moment and consider what types of distractions we may face. Maybe we face distractions in the form of social media or news. Maybe our jobs occupy much of our attention. Or, our lives can sometimes be just plain busy. Busy in school, busy with activities, appointments and meetings. How do we know when these things become a distraction? When do we stop and recognize that something has drawn our focus away from God’s involvement in our lives? Distractions can even come in “doing good”. There are times when we are involved in many “good” things, but as a whole picture, we find ourselves with little energy left for the source of “good” – God. How can we avoid the distractions that seem to want to swallow us up? First, we have to recognize that the squirrel has our attention. If it’s a squirrel, call it a squirrel! Name it and realize you’ve been had. Secondly, we have to make an intentional choice to return to the path before us. The conscious desire to join Jesus on the journey is key. Putting on the perspective and reality of what our purpose is here on earth. Take some time to put on this perspective. Reorient our priorities and focuses, bringing ourselves back to God. Third, take part in those things to help us stay tuned in to Christ. Dig into God’s Word – I mean REALLY spend time allowing Him to reveal His Truths and promises to you. Spend time in prayer – in conversation with Him. Maybe keep a prayer journal – or not (for those who dislike writing). Surround yourself with brothers and sisters who will help keep you focused, not those who may serve as squirrels. People who share the same destination and map can help speak direction into your life. Wake up each morning and find a way to seek Him first. Fill your day with His perspective. Avoid those activities and ways the world offers. You are capable to make this choice. Pray for strength to stay on the path. Take heart, when the squirrel does come, and it will, just as those we read about in the Bible, we can get back on track. The Israelites had the Day of Atonement as one reminder. Maybe as we experience our Easter season we can be reminded, reoriented, refocused on who we are, who we serve and where we’re headed. Spend time today intentionally focused on God. Ask Him to reveal the distractions in your life. Surrender them to Him. Refocus. Reorient. Identity Found in GodThe High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The Dwelling Place of God We have had the experience of preparing several homes as God has led us from place to place – 6 different homes in fact. While we have never built one from scratch – I don’t know that I am capable of making that many decisions – we have done our share of remodeling and creating a dwelling place for our family. Measurements have been made, paint colors chosen, placement of furniture thought through. We always have to ask the question what needs to happen and be in place to create a space for our family to land? I imagine this is what God considered as well. “Hmmm what would be good for my family and I?” Day one of creation through day six, He worked on creating this space…light, sky, water, land, sea, vegetation, sun, moon, starts, fish, birds, animals…After each part of creation He proclaimed, “Oh this is good!” And of course His last but not least addition was man and woman who He described as, “very good”. So there they were, in this newly created beautiful space – dwelling together – walking together in the garden. A glimpse of perfection. Then came sin. Sin – separation from God. No longer could they live amongst God in such a way. In fact, because of their sin, their nakedness needed covered, thus, the first “sacrifice” went down. The Lord made garments of skin for them. In order to make these garments, an animal must have been killed so its skin could cover their sin. God led them to the edge of the garden and banished them – out they go – no longer able to physically live and walk in the presence of God. But God doesn’t stop there; His heart’s desire is to walk with us. He continued to speak to His people and would show up here and there, like in a fiery bush. As He led the Israelites out of Egypt, He showed up. The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:21-22) God’s presence was with them. The Lord showed up in a cloud atop of Mt Sinai as He revealed the law to Moses. Next, God began to prepare for His next form of dwelling. Exodus 25:1-9 reveals His first step, asking Moses to tell the Israelites to give God an offering, and He listed all the items needed to accomplish His plan revealed in verse 8. He wanted them to build a sanctuary so that He could dwell among them. He gave Moses the blueprint, the pattern – a very detailed plan. The Lord was the head foreman of this building project. Everything had a purpose. As the Tabernacle was completed, the Lord showed up as His cloud, His glory filled it. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. Exodus 30:34-38 Next God established His dwelling place in the Temple at Jerusalem. Instructions were given again and behind that curtain in the Holy of Holies, the place only high priests could enter just once a year, God dwelled among His people. This became the place of interaction with God. These earthly tabernacles were temporary. They were manmade. Hebrews describes them as copies or shadows of the heavenly dwelling place of God. They are the “In the meantime” homes. These sanctuaries, the sacrificial system, was all in place so God’s people can be forgiven of their sins, and draw close to God. This is, until Jesus came. We have already examined His role as the High Priest. Now let’s consider the dwelling place. Matthew 27:51 describes what happened as Jesus breathed His last breath, “In that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Such a short statement, but let it all soak in. This curtain, the very thing that separated us and the presence of God, torn. No longer in existence. The absence of the curtain signifies access to God. Jesus has made it possible, through His sacrifice – through His blood and beaten body – through His appearance to THE most holy place before God – on our behalf – through His Resurrection (His coming back from the Holy Heavens), through the message that God has accepted Him as a final sacrifice that was made for all of our sins – we now can come before God Almighty. So where is God dwelling today? What home has He prepared? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” He lives in us, with us. The Holy Spirit resides with us. We have access 24/7 to our great God. What a gift it is to live life on earth, which isn’t pain free, with the presence of our Creator. Because of Him, we can dwell here in this temporary place. What’s next – oh! Consider what Jesus tells us in John 14:1-4, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” They, the 3 in 1 – they’re preparing the place for our next move! This place, perhaps resembling the perfection in the garden, prior to sin, will be like nothing we have ever experienced or imagined. Our challenge, on this side of the move, is to do our best to prepare to live in such a way to ready our hearts to live with Him. (And guess what?! No boxes or moving trucks will be needed!) God’s getting things ready for us! Take some time and acknowledge God's presence with you. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Be mindful of His presence as you go throughout the day. Recognize His presence in all you do. He loves doing life with you! Identity Found in God The High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The Living Bread This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51b Most of us do not comprehend true hunger. I can say that my family has never been in a position of not getting enough food to sustain us. We may not have a Thanksgiving feast every day, but we have always had enough. The Israelites were cranky – they used to have all the food they wanted and needed. But now they were roaming around in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat. They were hungry…and cranky! Poor Moses. Poor obedient Moses. The Lord heard the grumbling and sent manna from heaven. The manna arrived daily. Each person was to gather just enough for the day. Some got greedy and took more, but soon realized that it spoiled overnight. Not only did this bread from heaven arrive daily, Scripture tells us they ate this for 40 years! There was no opening up the pantry trying to decide what to make…nope…manna was on the menu again...and again…and again! And it was enough. Fast forward to Jesus. John 6 unveils the way Jesus fed 5,000 with five small loaves of bread and two fish. Everyone ate until they had enough. Jesus performed this miracle around bread… He knew the analogy He was about to share with them. Later in John 6, Jesus refers to Himself as the Bread of Life. Just as God allowed manna from heaven to come down, God fed 5,000 people with those five small loaves of bread, and He sent the bread of life from heaven to fulfill our hunger. Jesus says in verse 27, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” In verse 35 He says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry…” What do we hunger for? (Yes, I have a problem of wanting foods that offer really no nutritional value…) But, what more do we strive for? What do we crave? Do we seek success defined by the world? Do we go after approval of man? Are we working for food that spoils? How would it look if we woke up each day, hungry for the bread of heaven. If we focused on what Jesus has for us in the day. What if we recognize the satisfying bread of life that we can consume? Can we say that He is enough or do we become as the Israelites, unsatisfied and ungrateful? Over and over and over Jesus reminds His followers that those who believes and eats of His flesh shall live forever. Over and over and over He tells them that the manna given from heaven that their forefathers ate has nothing on Him, the true bread of life – the bread that brings eternity with Him. Did this sink in to them? Does it sink in to us? Fast forward to the last supper. Matthew 26:26, “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat, this is my body.’” Luke 22:19 says, “This is my body, given for you.” The Bread of Life, broken, beaten, flogged, ridiculed, humiliated, spit on, mocked. For you. For me. Jesus says in John 6:51b, “This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Jesus offers eternal satisfaction. He is enough. Take some time to take a look at bread. Get a piece or a loaf of bread and ask God to allow you to understand even more what Jesus, the bread of life, means to you. Does He satisfy your hunger? Identity Found in GodThe High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The Blood of Christ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14 We are to take communion to remember Jesus. I have to put myself in the shoes of the disciples as Jesus talked about this new covenant in His blood. First of all, the concept of blood makes me a little woozy. When I list the various jobs and skills I have, anything that has to do with blood and needles would never make it on that list. When I think of blood, sorry, I’m just being honest here, my first thought is, “Ew! Gross!” and I try and change the subject. However, I really want to understand the concepts of blood sacrifice and the blood of Christ as it was “back in the day”. Blood signifies life. It is the flow of life within our bodies. Another symbol of blood is guilt. The blood of animals was a very common and important substance that was required as a sacrifice of sin. A sacrifice is an offering to God as worship or payment for sin. So as a payment for sin, an animal had to die so that it’s blood could be used. It was poured into bowls, smeared on top of door frames. Fingers were dipped into it. It was sprinkled. It was put on the horns of the altar. It was poured out. There was a great significance and plan in blood. When the Israelites were being protected from the plagues, they were asked to put lamb’s blood over the door frames so that Death would pass over them. Today, though, we do not have this same interaction with blood. We don’t have to perform sacrifices, and because of farmers and industry, we do not have to go out and butcher our own meat. We are exempt from the experience of killing something, observing its blood and preparing the animal to eat or for any other reason. At the start of creation, God’s people took care of things in such a way to prepare the sacrifices out of their relationship with God. The concept of blood had a whole different perspective and meaning. We hear the phrase “the blood of Christ, we sing songs like, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus…” But let’s pause and recognize and identify the significance of the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:12-14 & 15-28 sums up the importance: He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. You will find a comparison to a will. When you create a will, you are revealing what will happen when you die. But it will not take effect until you are dead. The old covenant which was based on sacrifices, forgiveness came out of the blood sacrifice of the death of an animal. But ultimately, the blood of goats and bulls were not enough. To continually seek atonement, they had to regularly offer these sacrifices. But Jesus took Himself to the altar. He was the One sacrifice needed. It was His blood because of the death of His unblemished being, that was poured out on behalf of the people for forgiveness once and for all. He didn’t sacrifice some animal, but took Himself to the cross. As we look beyond our limited experience of blood, and consider the great significance of the blood of Christ, may we realize and take time to remember what Christ did for us – on our behalf. Because He died, we are now “willed” eternal life with God. May “the blood of Christ” not be another rote, cliché we say without embracing it’s full important meaning. Take some time to ponder – NOTHING but the blood of Jesus! Meditate on the deep meaning of the blood of Christ. The High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The Forgiven In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7 All of our children liked to pretend play. They would have figurines representing all kinds of characters. There would be different buildings like a school, farm, airport, playground…You could find means of transportation – bicycles, cars, motorcycles, Barbie convertibles…(I wonder if I will ever miss stepping on little pieces and people and Legos scattered on the floor?) As I would listen to these pretend conversations, there was almost always a common scenario…Someone was in need of help, and someone came to the rescue. Barbie was in danger and Ken came to save her. Rescue Heroes did their share of rescuing. The children were playing on the playground when an escaped lion entered the scene. Mom and Dad to the rescue. But it really sunk in when I have recently eavesdropped on Jesse’s plot that included his Lego firemen and police officers, which brought to mind Brady’s Rescue Hero entourage. Here’s where my mind brings in the analogy…Without people to save, what would the Rescue Heroes do? There are two sides to this story line. The Rescue Hero, and those that need rescued. We can go about our way, and grasp the description of Jesus, our High Priest, but do we forget the objects of His saving? We – you and me – are the ones who need forgiven. This may sound bad to say, but when the Israelites had the High Priest represent them year after year at the Day of Atonement, I imagine that during that time, they were reminded and prompted to consider their status; to examine their lives and to identify how they fell short. Don’t get me wrong, the once and for all sacrifice Jesus made for us was so freeing, but I wonder how often we, those under this amazing new covenant, consider our status, examine our lives or identify our sins. You see, Jesus paid it all – once and for all. But we are still challenged to be convicted and to come before Him with a repentive heart. We are those that need saved and forgiven. Just because we live on this side of Jesus doesn’t give us the freedom to live as we want, sin whenever we want, taking on the “Jesus will forgive us anyway” attitude. His forgiveness is true, real and available, but we need to be able to recognize and repent of those things called sins. Since the day of the bite of the forbidden apple, we have fallen into temptation to purse things that will distance us from God. You can find lists of examples throughout Scriptures – anger, lust, sexual immorality, pride, jealousy, gossip, greed, course joking, filthy language, lies, rage…the list goes on. Not because I think we should dwell in our hopeless human status, but because of the freedom of grace, I invite us into a period of considering our current status, examining our current lifestyle, and identifying where we are falling short. Jesus is our Lord. He is the one who made forgiveness possible. He invites us into His sacred light. Go ahead, position yourself in His light. Allow the things that are hiding in the dark to be exposed. His light is not a scalding, scorching light that harms you, but a loving, warm light that brings out those ways of darkness. As His light makes these ways visible, you will not be left alone, or vulnerable, He is there with an embrace as we recognize the sin, and repent. We are the forgiven. Don’t avoid it any longer. There is so much freedom in confessing and experiencing forgiveness. I would even wonder if you might find one or more trusted friends to verbalize this experience to. Maybe share with them your testimony of the way Jesus met you in His light, driving out the darkness that kept you from God. There is great celebration as we experience being the forgiven. How do we walk as the forgiven, as those who are free from sin and guilt and shame? After a while do we lose sight of the power of His forgiveness? What is our Day of Atonement when we examine our lives? Do we do this daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Or not even that often? Let’s start today. Ask God to shine His light on a sin in your life. What are you hiding in the darkness? Honor Him, your High Priest, who has entered the Heavenly Holy of Holies, on behalf of you, bringing your sins before God Himself, and returning alive to proclaim that YOU ARE FORGIVEN. Seek his forgiveness and celebrate the truth that you are forgiven. Ask Him for His strength to walk away from that sin and stay in step with Him. The High Priest and the Forgiven The High Priest The Forgiven The Blood of Christ The Living Bread The Dwelling Place of God The Distractions Living Confidently as the Forgiven The High Priest But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. Hebrews 9:11 To best understand why Jesus had to die in order for us to have access to eternal forgiveness and life, we need to take a close look at the role of a high priest. If you start in Genesis and journey through the first five books in the Bible, 1you will soon come to realize the system of sacrifice and atonement that was put into place. One aspect of this pre-Jesus life was that of the high priest. One responsibility they had was to conduct the service on the Day of Atonement. The Tabernacle was built according to God’s instructions, and included a place called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, where God Himself dwelled. There were certain feasts and certain elements around and in the Tabernacle that defined sacrifices and worship to God. God laid everything out and the book of Hebrews brings back to mind the role and responsibility of the priests. A high priest was selected by man, was to follow his job description and was the only one who could enter the Holy of Holies. One day per year, Atonement Day, he would do the necessary acts to offer atonement for himself and all the people. This included a system of cleansings and sacrifices. As sacrifices of animals were made, the blood served as an outward sanctification. The high priests on Atonement Day is also summarized in Hebrews 9:7. Sacrificial blood was necessary for the forgiveness of sins. When the high priest concluded his time in the Holy of Holies, he would step out to a group of people waiting for him to come out and declare that God accepted the sacrifice, and that they were forgiven. Whew. They were good for another year, until they would do this all over again the next year. Why do we call Jesus our High Priest? One of the main purposes of the high priest was to perform the sacrifices and offer the blood – to go before God on behalf of the people. Jesus fulfilled this whole system of gifts and sacrifices. Let’s take just a moment now to be reminded again in Hebrews 8, 9 and 10, that the earthly tabernacle was “a copy”, “a shadow” of what is found in heaven. So, let’s compare all of this… The high priest must offer sacrificial blood......... Jesus, the unblemished lamb, was killed and offered His own blood The high priest entered the Holy of Holies on behalf of himself and the people.......Jesus entered the place of God, offering to meet God on behalf of the people Himself The high priest returned symbolizing God accepted the offering and granted forgiveness ...... Jesus returned (was resurrected) symbolizing new life found in God’s forgiveness of sins The high priest needed to perform this year after year ......Jesus sacrificed once and for all – He was enough We can be reassured that our sins are forgiven because Jesus, our High Priest, has done what was needed. He went before God, with a holy sacrifice of Himself, which was completely accepted, giving us freedom from our sins – once and for all! Because He lives, we can live! Become familiar with this concept. Dig into the Old Testament and the book of Hebrews to get a clear picture of forgiveness before and after Jesus. Ask God to reveal to you the meaning of Jesus, your High Priest. Identity Found in GodThe Father and His Child The Father The Child The Family of God The Father of Compassion The Love that Endures The Heavenly Home Living as a Child of God Living as a Child of God But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22 Living as a child of the Conns means certain things. It means opening up the pantry doors and seeing dented cans and taped cereal boxes because this mama saves money shopping at the Bent and Dent stores. It means limiting the total number of living things in the house to 6 humans and 1 four-legged creature – nothing more. It means most Friday evenings home-made pizza is served. It means you better be respectful, have good manners and keep your head on straight. It means don’t disturb your mama after 9pm. At school it means teachers look at you and say, “Oh you must be a Conn – you look just like your siblings.” I could go on, but I’ll stop here, and recognize that some of our Conn children aren’t always satisfied with being a child of the Conns. One day, our youngest randomly declared, “Mom, I want to go live with the Coils!” After the initial blow, I could actually come up with many reasons a child would want to move in with such wonderful folks. However, when I asked him why, his answer surprised me, “Because they have donkeys and I love donkeys!” So there you have it! Life is good at the Coils – they have donkeys! Living as a child of God does look a certain way. (I am so thankful our Heavenly Father functions much better after 9pm than I do. He is ready and available 24/7.) When you look through scripture, you can quickly conclude how our Father would have His kids behave. You will read phrases such as these in terms of what NOT to be: get rid of sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, malice, slander and filthy language; don’t lie, or be angry… And then there is the list of the ways to behave: be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, bear with one another, forgive one another, love, be unified, be wise… The fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control should overflow in our lives. There are definitely guidelines posted throughout the Word. We are told how to strive to live. Will we be perfect at it? Not yet, but we are to do our best in this life on earth. Will we mess up? Yep. But our Father waits for us to seek forgiveness and move forward. When we made the commitment to follow Jesus, our “childhood” should look different. People should be able to tell we belong to Christ. They should be able to observe us and say, “Oh! I can tell who you belong to – You resemble your Father. I recognize you –– you must be part of the Family of God – Oh, I can see it – You are a child of God.” And THAT is what we are! Maybe you’ve strayed from your Father. Read Luke 15:11-32 – the Prodigal Son – and know that when you choose to come home, your Father will run towards you with open arms. He will throw a party for you. Imagine someone you love so much – a parent, child, friend. Maybe they have withdrawn from you, and their choices have come in the way of your relationship. You long for what you had before. What if, one day, they show up at your door step and seek forgiveness. You embrace them, invite them in, and spend time catching back up, so thankful that this loved one of yours came back. While at times we might allow our human reservations to get in the way, and our human attempt to forgive fails. Or we automatically go to the past and remind them of the bad choices, and we keep things at arms length. But the father, portraying God, in the prodigal son story, reflects how our Father awaits for us, His kids, to run back to Him. It shows that He will not make you feel guilty for what you’ve done; He will not constantly bring up your bad choices; He will not keep you at arms length; He will smother you in His love for you. No matter what bad choices you have stepped into, God longingly awaits for you to return to Him. Simply come. There is a place at the table for you. Soak in your existence in being a child of God, in being a part of the Family of God, unconditionally loved by your Father – a Father who has great compassion to share with you - and who is preparing a beautiful place for your homecoming! Commit to truly allowing your life to reflect living as a child of God. Ask your Father what behaviors you need to change. Let Him affirm other behaviors that please Him. Identity Found in GodThe Father and His Child The Father The Child The Family of God The Father of Compassion The Love that Endures The Heavenly Home Living as a Child of God The Heavenly Home “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 We are just beginning the stage of life of our children heading out for college. While our youngest satisfied our completed family who now filled each chair around the dinner table, six years later, our oldest left one chair empty again as he headed off to college four hours away. Some days I sit back and imagine…I imagine the journey of one by one the kids stepping out into their next chapter of life. I try and wonder where they might end up, who they may marry, how many children they might have. Then I smile at the image I get of all of them bringing their families back home. I get excited at the thought of preparing food and beds for them to gather back together, back home - reminiscing, telling stories and having a wonderful time as a growing family. It may not go exactly as I imagine, but it also prompts me to wonder if maybe this is what God has in mind. As we have already explored, God brought us into this world. He breathed life into us. We exist because as I heard Pastor Bruxy Cavey put it, “He didn’t want to live in this universe without you.” Each one of us is here to be in relationship with each other, and with God, for eternity. He is our Father, we are His children. Currently His kids, physically speaking, aren’t residing in His neighborhood. But I’m pretty sure there’s a smile on His face when His children come home to the Heavenly home He has prepared. John 14:2 says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” As Christians, those who have surrendered our lives to Christ, those who have chosen to follow the Lord, we have hope. We are passing through this life on earth, this temporary dwelling place, knowing that eventually we will be moving to a place He is preparing for us. Speaking of moving, that is something our family has become accustomed to…From OH to VA to OH to PA to OH. Each move required a slightly larger truck than the move before. Each move included a larger number of children than the time before. In each of our moves we had to make arrangements on both ends of the move – where we are moving from and where we are moving to…Packing boxes, loading stuff…It’s a lot of work preparing for a move. So, when I consider the words of Jesus, “I am going there to prepare a place for you.” I am relieved! When my move from this world to heaven takes place, guess what, I don’t have to pack or unpack a thing! It will all be ready for me – no sense putting things in boxes, I can’t take them with me! I am sure our vision of our Heavenly home front differs from each other. I’ll never forget a dear precious friend who I greatly respected described how she was certain that there would be a room in heaven that was designated for hymns, and she knew that is where she would be hanging out. She has since been called home, and I imagine she is soaking it all in – in the room of hymns! Can we realize that this dwelling is temporary? We were created to be in relationship with our Father. God dwelled among the Israelites in the Holy of Holies. Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell in us. The day will come when we get to finally move back home and dwell amongst God in perfection, as it was intended to be. The table has been set. Your room is being prepared. He loves you so much and is looking forward to your homecoming. Take time and imagine and envision what your eternal home will be like with your Father. He is preparing a place just for you! |
AuthorVicki Conn Archives
June 2017
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