#theFives wouldn’t be possible without Jesus! Day four we focus on how he made a way for personal conversations with God, no password required.
“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.”
-Hebrews 10:19-22
Before Jesus came to earth and died on a cross for our sins, the only way to settle the score of our mess-ups (i.e. sin) was for a priest to sacrifice something on our behalf. Our sin needed payment. Think of it like finances- our sin was the debt, the animal offered in sacrifice was the payment, and the priest was the banker who oversaw and facilitated the transaction. There was no gettin’ to God without a priest, bottom line. (Hebrews 10:11-14)
But what does Hebrews say? JESUS is the GREAT priest. That means the best ever known, above all other priests. His death on a cross was a bigger payment for sin than any other priest could offer. As a result of his sacrifice, nothing can stand in the way of you and me hanging with God on a personal level. Relationship with God = No human priest required. (Ephesians 2:4-9, 13)
Let’s pray:
1.) Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the sins you have committed so far this week. All of them. Even the little white lies.
2.) Imagine laying each of those sins at God’s feet. Ask for forgiveness. We know that Jesus sits at the right hand of God in heaven and he is interceding on our behalf. All that mess you just brought to God? Jesus says, “I paid for that. It is covered in my blood.” God sees Jesus’ sacrifice and no longer condemns you for your sin (Romans 5:8-10; Hebrews 8:12)
3.) That was your warm-up. Some of you are carrying weight from past sins that you shouldn’t carry. Now that you know what confession and forgiveness looks like, will you also let go of these? The heaviest? The most guilt-bearing? Jesus’ blood covers ALL sin- the intentional, the unintentional, the ones we cause and the ones we are affected by.
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I’m going to be completely transparent. Please don’t think I’m being prideful, but I honestly don’t remember any sins this week. Then The Lord revealed that sinlessness is not the point. It’s not a zero sum game. There is no point to not sinning if we don’t positively affect the people around us. It’s all well and good that I didn’t sin. But who did I love like Jesus. Who did I serve, encourage, give to? Who did I build up? Being sinless is not enough, it’s huge and it’s important but it’s only the beginning of the beautiful life He intends for us to live. I believe boldly that today, Holy Spirit will show me someone who needs to be touched by the love of Jesus Christ.
Brandon-
Thanks for your transparency! It is always good to do a personal check to see if we are sharing the Gospel as we should.
He has paved the way for a personal conversation by the sacrifice of Jesus…so that we may live to know and worship the Father. Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Rejoice in this gift of prayer in awe. Feed that desperate hunger for His love by praying to Him about all things.
Hebrews 10:19-22
The Lord does not look at you and see your sin. He looks at you and calls us redeemed through Jesus’ sacrifice.
“I hear a voice and it calls me redeemed”-Greater by MercyMe.
Don’t carry the burden of something that is not yours to carry. It is all in the blood of Jesus so that you could live freely from it.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has becomes new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun!” God didn’t hold back from redeeming you of your hurt, so why do we hold back from living in the Word and giving our all to Him? Then, keep your focus on Him knowing confidently that He is transforming you into who He desires you to be. Josh talked last night about wanting to be “over there” when you’re “right here”, and of course, that is not in God’s Plan. Don’t try to resist or speed up HIS pace. I personally struggle with trying to live in the future and anticipate what to say and do in situations, and that is not the way God intended! He has your life in His hands, so use the strength He provided to stay firm in your focus on where He has you right now. His consistent Presence and everlasting Peace allow me to have confidence that He will be my Guide in those times when they reach me. Psalm 73:23-24 “Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.”
Hebrews 10:16-17
Shannon-
Retraining our mind is difficult, isn’t it? I am a forward thinker also. Living in the moment is always a struggle.