Hebrews 8:1-10:39
“There is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one moment, out of
Hell but the mere pleasure of God.” This truth was the leading idea of the most
famous sermon in American history, delivered by one of our greatest preachers,
Jonathan Edwards (1741). It was part of a sermon entitled, “Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God,” which helped to ignite a revival in New England that we
now call the “Great Awakening.”
After contrasting the superiority of Christ to angels, to Moses, to
Joshua, and to the Levitical High Priest, the writer of Hebrews finally arrived at
his main point — “Our High Priest (Christ) has been given a ministry that is
far superior to the ministry of those who served under the old laws, for He is
the one who guarantees for us a better covenant with God, based on better
promises” (8:6).
Because of His work on earth, “Our High Priest sat down in the place of highest
honor in heaven, at God’s right hand” (8:1).
Earthly priests were never able to rest, because their work was never
done. They
were never allowed to sit down in the Temple or the Tabernacle, because their
sacrifices for the people never ceased. But Christ, having accomplished all
that was required of Him on earth, and, then, after having sacrificed Himself
on the cross, “Once for all time, He took blood into that Most Holy Place, not
the blood of goats and calves. He took His own blood and with it
secured our salvation forever!” (9:12).
After His sacrifice, no other offering is required. “Christ canceled
the first covenant in order to establish the second one... Now when sins have
been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices” (10:9, 18). Now, note the
writer’s urgency in pleading with his readers. “Dear friends, if we
deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no
other sacrifice that will cover your sins... What makes you think that
you can escape if you are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced
by the Lord Jesus Himself? There will be nothing to look forward to but the
terrible expectations of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume
His enemies... It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the
living God!” (2:3; 10:26-31).
Daily Reflection
Neither of these words from Jonathan Edwards or the writer of Hebrews was meant to shake
the faith of a Christ-follower. If you are in Him, you are a new creature,
forgiven, sealed, and secured for eternity. These words were meant to rattle
those who are putting their faith in their own sacrifices or offerings, their
own works or human goodness. If they reject or neglect this great gift of
salvation, there is nothing else that can save them from the terrible wrath of
God.
Just as it is a terrible thing to reject the only means of salvation
that God has given, so it is a terrible thing to neglect sharing with others the only means of
salvation that God has given. With whom, in your sphere of influence, are you
sharing this wonderful gift?
You have the only hope in a hopeless world. Share it. Wasting
opportunities the Lord has provided would be a terrible thing.
BiAY.org | Day 353 — 12 Days to Go
No comments:
Post a Comment