Pause 3, Day 6
All the rules. Over 600 of them.
All the punishment that must be enacted because of infractions on those rules.
All the bloodshed required for forgiveness of sin.
But all pointed forward.
In the Old Testament, God set up a covenant with Israel to clearly mark out what holiness looked like, and what failing that holiness also looked like.
Spoiler alert: everyone failed.
So, sacrifices were required and bloodshed was required in order to pay for the crime against a holy God.
Sin had a price, that price was death.
In order to spare Israel so they all didn’t end up dying for their sin within days, God allowed animals to be sacrificed in place of people. For hundreds of years, the system continued.
Sin, and sacrifice for that sin, was the rhythm for all Jewish people.
The fact that they were indeed sinners in need of a blood sacrifice to atone for their sin was a blatantly known fact.
Every Jew was keenly aware of three things:
1) they were in a covenant relationship with God
2) they constantly failed to keep their end of the covenant
3) God was rich in mercy to allow another’s blood to cover their own payment
And this is where we often misstep in our culture today.
We like to forget we are sinners.
It’s just a white lie.
She will never know I was talking about her behind her back.
Who doesn’t think he’s hot, so what if I think about him when I’m with my husband?
Girl, I had every right to be rude!
Sisters, we are experts at justifying our sin.
No matter how long we’ve walked with Jesus or if we’ve never actually crossed the line of faith, we are still experts at covering up our sin, categorizing it as anything else but sin.
So, here we are stuck in sin, just like ancient Israel.
The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant.
A new covenant, where one sacrifice would atone for all sin, across all time.
Sin still has a price, and it’s still death.
But Christ Jesus, God the Son, took that punishment Himself.
No more animal sacrifice were needed because He, being fully God and fully man, which meant He lived our life for us in all the righteousness of God, took our rightly deserved punishment as He poured out His innocent blood.
This is the blood of the new covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sin.
The old way of forgiveness swallowed up by the most excellent covenant where sin is atoned for by perfect righteousness.
Sisters, this covenant is for our everyday living!
When we surrender to Jesus, we enter into this covenant, paid for by Christ!
Walk forward in forgiveness!
Today's Invitation
1) Read Hebrews 7:26-8:13 and answer these 3 questions in your journal:
a) What do these verses tell me about God and His character?
b) What do these verses tell me about others and the world around me?
c) What do these verses tell me about me and my heart?
2) Close your time by praying for these truths to take root in your heart and for the Holy Spirit to remind you and teach you more about these things today.
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Hebrews 7:26-8:13
For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.
8:1 Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore, it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. 6 But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. 8 But finding fault with his people, he says:
See, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah—
9 not like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,
because they did not continue in my covenant.
10 For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,
and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,”
because they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them.
12 For I will forgive their wrongdoing,
and I will never again remember their sins.
13 By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
How Does “Pause” Work?
1.Each day, Monday through Friday, for 2 weeks, we will provide you with an invitation to get away with the Savior. Each one is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.
2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.
3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!
4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.
5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!
Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause 3 Week Two!
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in Pause 3!
“ And this is where we often misstep in our culture today.
We like to forget we are sinners.”
So much truth! We don’t like to feel uncomfortable, and what’s more uncomfortable than acknowledging that we sin? Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You paid for us, for me!